//------------------------------// // Ch.6 Enlightened Shadows // Story: The Origin Chronicles Vol. 1 // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// A massive hurt all over was waiting for Spike when he woke. What surprised him more was having both Shadow and Luna standing over him. When he reached out for Luna his hand hit a hard surface. Of course. One of the mirrors. Just a bigger version than the one he had, or used to have. He sat up with a nice, large cracking sound along his spikes. That sounded bad, but felt strangely nice. As he stood up every other joint and extremity cracked and creaked like he was rusting around the edges. He felt very loose and relaxed. But he couldn't remember why. “What happened,” He asked the two standing over him. “Something happened to you last night,” Shadow said. Spike listened intently as Shadow recanted the recent rebellion that he put up. He carefully touched the subject of how he broke the mirror Luna gave to him. Spike vaguely remembered that, but since Luna was right there in a way he did not get angry again. Shadow briefly went through the fight they had. He did touch on Spike's chain of hits that he landed. Spike smiled rather deviously as he heard that. A little justice was served. Shadow finished up the story with the myth about Mysitks. And how Spike was one of them. “How do you know I am one of these Mystik people,” Spike asked. “Trust me,” Shadow said, “I know.” Trust. Right. After what he just heard and the little he remembered trust was not one thing Shadow had. It was almost laughable to Spike. But he wouldn't think about it. Luna had her royal duties to get back to. She had already spent way too much time there. She said the release phrase on her end and then disappeared behind a ring of swirling smoke. As soon as she was gone Spike turned back to Shadow. “Shadow,” He said aggressively, “I need some answers.” “To what questions,” Shadow replied. “How do you know Luna,” Spike started with, “And how do you know so much about dragon magic? How can you do dragon magic? And how do you expect me to trust you after what you just told me?” “You want answers, you got them” Shadow stated, “I met Luna centuries ago. Long before she became that Nightmare Moon monstrosity. I actually tried my best to stop her from becoming that, but I failed. Luna was a friend to me when I had absolutely nothing in my life but shadows and darkness. Then one night I am just walking through the hedge maze behind the Royal Castle. I liked walking through there. It was solitary and quiet. Until on night, when I hear a pony calling. She was calling for a dragon. I knew I was the only one there so I approached her. Luna had seen me in the shadows. She has a gift that you share with her actually. Shadow Sense. The ability to feel or see things hidden or obscured in the shadows. And from that day we have been friends. As for your second question, I can only answer that one by answering the third one as well.” “You are a dragon Mystik,” Spike guessed. “Yes,” Shadow confirmed, “One of the very last and very few dragons that can still do dragon magic. It was I who invented the Night Calling Mirrors, but only with Luna's help could I get them to work. Her Alicorn magic is what makes them find that one specific pony you want to talk to. That was the one thing I was never able to figure out myself.” “If you are this powerful dragon Mystik,” Spike began, “Then why do you stay in the shadows? Why don't you walk outside? “Right before Luna's mother, Star Ethereal, learned the spell to banish all dragon magic, there was another dragon Mystik who had just figured out how to open a doorway into the world of shadows. I was the first one through and the last. Star Ethereal's spell sealed the door behind me. When you spend as much time in the shadows as I have, Spike, the shadows start to become you.” “Is that why eat shadow gems,” Spike asked, “Why else would you have them?” “Yes. I do eat them,” Shadow said, “I use them to absorb some of the shadows that have consumed me. I have been trying to leave the shadows for a long time.” “Why are you called Smoke Shadow,” Spike asked. “The name came much the way ponies names do,” Shadow said, “Before I discovered I was a Mystik. I told true stories or I could weave the most fantastical tales out of the smoke. I used the same trick I used in Luna's chambers to tell you how dragons lost their magic. The Smokeleight spell. Dragons and ponies alike would come from all over to hear my stories. Then the war started. I always had dark scales and that made me harder to see in the shadows. At one point I actually sided with ponies and fought my own kind. I used what I knew. The smoke and the shadows. The smoke hid me from their eyes as I weaved in between my dragon brethren. The shadows concealed me as I got information or hunted a target. It got to the point that I almost never came out of the shadows when I could. And so the ponies knew by that name. Smoke Shadow.” “Is that who you were before all this,” Spike asked, “A storyteller? A rebel? A Mystik?” “That is a story for another time, Spike,” Shadow said. He left it at that. Spike did notice that Shadow actually used his name. That made it a count of two. Only twice has Shadow ever used his name. Spike headed back up to the main palace. He went back to his room and cleaned up the broken shards of the shattered mirror. The mirror part was shattered, but the circular frame that held it was not damaged. He traced the stars and the moon until he came to Luna. He threw both pieces into a basket in the corner of the room. What was he going to do now? How was he ever going to talk to Luna again? He could always use Shadow's big mirror. Of course, Spike would not want him to be there. That might cause some issues as the mirror was in the middle of the training area. He could write to Luna. That took time, though. He would have to find time to write the letters and send them. Then he would have to wait for Luna to write back and then he would breath the letter out. It was the same way Celestia sent word to Twilight back before she was an Alicorn princess. Then he would have to find time to read Luna's letter and write back. It was all just a lot of time. He did not want to think about it any longer. Even with the sleeping spell that Shadow had put on him Spike was still tired. He decided he was going to sleep the day away. He curled up in his bed and drifted off into a not so peaceful slumber. Spike was not in Ponyville. That was new. The only nightmare where he wasn't in Ponyville was Luna's. Spike preferred Ponyville to that desolate, barren land Luna's nightmare took them too. Luckily, he was not there either. As far as Spike could tell he was not anywhere. There was nothing around him but black. It was not like an empty void. It was more like a darkness that was covering everything. He wasn't sure what to do. There was nowhere to run that he could see. Spike began to panic, until he saw light. It was coming down from somewhere, but it was impossible to tell from where. Spike was more drawn to what the light was illuminating. It was Twilight. She was smiling and happy. Then she saw Spike and her smile vanished. She turned her back and walked off. The light went out as Spike called out for Twilight. Behind him more lights came on. Five of them. Five lights in a row all showed the other ponies under them. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were all there. They looked the same as the day they said goodbye and Spike moved to the Royal Castle in Canterlot. They all started to wave their hooves. It was like Spike was leaving all over again. To make it worse they all started to move back. It was like Spike was getting farther and farther away, but he was not moving. Spike watched as they all disappeared from view. Yet another light shined to his right. He raced to it as fast as he could. Luna was standing beneath it. “Please tell me you are the real Luna and not in my head,” Spike pleaded. “Do you not see, Spike,” Luna said, “I see it. Twilight sees it. Even Shadow sees it. Everypony sees it. All but you, Spike.” Spike could tell that this was not the real Luna. This was not like her. Spike knew that. He and Luna were friends. That did not stop her words from getting under his scales. She was teasing and taunting him. “What do you want,” Spike asked plainly. “For you to go away,” Luna said, “Do you not see that dragon magic has ripped you away from all those who cared about you. You left them, willingly, and for what? To learn a few small things in hopes of becoming that little bit more useful? Can't you tell? You are useless and you will always be nothing more than the assistant that takes notes.” It was not real. It was not real. It was not real. It did not matter how many times Spike repeated those words it did not help. He knew this was not the real Luna and yet she was still getting to him. It was her voice and her words. They penetrated him deeper than anything ever before. “NO,” Spike yelled. He turned around and he ran. He ran and ran and did not look back. It was all dark for as far as the eye could see, but that did not stop him. It was light that stopped him. A light right in front of him. Twilight was standing in it. She had an angry look on her face. “You left,” She said angrily, “How could you just leave like that, Spike? Did you even care about what I thought or how I felt? No, you did not!” Spike backed up from the angry Twilight. He no longer wanted to see any of this. He just wanted to be left alone. That was all he wanted. But he would not get that. He backed up into a light. This time it was he who was under it. And he was surrounded by other lights. Twilight was there again. Spike turned to see all the others circled around him. He was trapped in a web of his own friends. No. That was not correct. In this place they were not his friends. They were just lights in the dark. Spike looked up at the light above him and roared as loud as he could. He woke up still roaring. The doctor pony was pressed up against the far wall as much as he could be. Spike stopped roaring when he realized that he was no longer sleeping. He looked around to try and remember where he was. He had forgotten for just a moment after waking up. It took him a moment more to see Princess Cadance standing in the doorway. She moved into the room and the doctor pony ran out of their so fast Spike thought he could beat Rainbow Dash in a foot race. No. A crazy thought. No pony beats Rainbow Dash. “Are you all right,” Cadance asked. “Yeah, I'm fine,” Spike replied, “Why do you ask?” “No pony saw you for almost a day,” Cadance answered, “I was getting worried. I found you laying in bed. You were having a nightmare and I could not wake you.” “Oh,” was all Spike could say, “Thank you for worrying about me, but I am fine.” “I am glad to hear that,” Cadance said, “Because I would like you to join me.” Moments later Spike was following Princess Cadance as she led him through the crystal halls of the palace. She would say nothing to Spike to answer the questions he had. Spike was smart though. He knew her silence was answer enough. A surprise was waiting for him at their destination. Now all Spike had to do was to figure out where that was. Unfortunately, Cadance had blinded him before they left his room. He tugged and yanked and pulled at the blindfold, but it was stuck to his face with Alicorn magic. Darn. He was not without tricks, however. Shadow had trained him in many areas. One such lesson focused on the senses. Spike remembered back to that night. Shadow had also blinded him. He used an actual spell of blindness, though, and not a blindfold. He had set up a magic obstacle course for Spike to train in. His objective was simple. Get from one side to the other. What Spike could not see was the multitude of traps and snares and obstacles that awaited him. One misstep, one bad jump, and he would have to restart. Spike restarted that course nearly a hundred times before he started to get agitated. Shadow was impressed he made it that long. Spike had an amazing quality of patience and tolerance. Must be from his time spent among ponies, Shadow thought. Shadow held his thoughts at bay as he watched Spike make another attempt at crossing the course. It was as futile as the last hundred or so. “Come now, young blood,” Shadow said, “You cannot see what is there. Stop trying. You have to use your other senses. Think about nothing except the task at hand. Focus on hearing the traps. Sense the magic. Smell the fires. You can do this.” Shadow allowed Spike back his vision enough to get back to the edge of the course. Once there Spike was sent back into darkness. Shadow waved his clawed hand and the course scrambled. Everything that was set up to mess up Spike repositioned itself in the course. Shadow gave the word and Spike started another attempt. This attempt went slightly better than the rest. Spike made it just beyond the halfway point. Then he stepped on a trap. It was a color trap. A simple, yet annoying spell that Shadow had set up. A whoosh of air came from beneath Spike and a cloud of orange mist covered Spike head to tail. Great. Now he was going to be orange for the next couple hours. Spike was on his last nerve. He growled and stomped his foot into the ground. A small shockwave was sent out. “I'm done with this,” Spike said and stormed off. Before Shadow could stop him or take away the blindness spell Spike was already moving. It was not the overwhelming amount of traps going off that Shadow had expected. It was quite the opposite actually. Spike weaved through each and every trap and obstacle that was set up. It was amazing. Spike reached the edge and Shadow removed the spell. “Do you realize what just happened,” Shadow asked. “I got angry,” Spike replied, “So what?” “Look,” Shadow said as he pointed at the course. Spike indulged Shadow and looked at the course. He didn't see anything. All he saw was the orange spot where he stepped on the color trap spell. Then Spike DID see it. Or he did not see it, to be precise. It was what was not there that was important. Spike saw that one orange spot, but not the trail of destruction he should have left as he stormed out of the course. There were no other traps that went off. “How did I do that,” Spike asked. “By tapping into an advanced ability,” Shadow said, “It is not a spell exactly. More like an exercise in precision. It is called the Mana Stomp. It is when a dragon slams his foot into the ground and sends off a shockwave. That shockwave travels along the ground and you sense the location of everything that it runs into. It even tells you where magic traps are hidden, so it is better than night vision.” “And I did that when I got angry,” Spike questioned. “Your anger is not a problem,” Shadow explained, “That emotion and others like it show that you have passion. Passion is never bad. Your problem is focus. Your mind is always wandering.” Shadow gave Spike a quick lesson on how to activate the Mana Stomp. Since Spike was inexperienced he would have to use an emotional trigger. The more powerful the emotion the more powerful the Stomp. Spike decided to use anger. He had a lot of that built up. He got to the edge of the course and Shadow blinded him. Spike stood still and focused his mind. He looked back to when Shadow broke his Night Calling Mirror. He was so furious. Spike took that anger and focused it down. He raised a clawed foot and slammed it into the ground with tremendous force. The ground shook violently. Spike stood silently as he waited for the Mana Stomp to work. And it did. Spike could see it all. It was not like seeing with his eyes. It was more like a sense. The feeling was incredible. Spike could tell where he was not supposed to step and where it was safe. He could tell every trap and spell that Shadow had placed. Spike moved slowly through the course. His vision was short, though. He could only see the traps very near him and had to move quickly to avoid them. He was able to do that and got through the course after a few dozen tries. Spike remembered that day well. It was one of his favorite lessons in magic. Emotion is passion. Passion is power. Power is magic. That was what Spike took from it. Cadance had blindfolded him, but that would not stop him. Spike raised a clawed foot and slammed it into the ground. The shockwave sent out told Spike exactly where he was. He could see it. Multiple small points touching the ground. Chairs, maybe. He also sensed several hoofsteps moving about. That meant several ponies. Spike was so focused on the Mana Stomp that he ran right into Princess Cadance. “Are you all right,” She asked. “Yeah,” Spike told her, “I just lost my balance for a moment. Almost tripped over my own tail.” “Okay. Good,” Cadance said, “Because we are here.” Spike got one last flash of sense from the Mana Stomp. He got several hoofsteps. That meant several ponies. They were moving around and barely stopped. What was going on? Cadance walked Spike into the room. She positioned him in the middle and took off his blindfold. Spike was greeted with a number of ponies all gathered in the dining hall. He saw all the ponies that he had met here in the Crystal Empire. Sally Silvertongue, Hammer Falls, Strikefire, R.C. Keeper and many others were there. They were all centered around a giant cake. It was huge. Spike walked up and looked at it. It said Happy Anniversary across the face of the cake. He did not understand. What anniversary? “It is for you,” Cadance said, “You have been here for three months as of today.” Wow. Three months. He had really been there for a while. “Three months, Spike,” Cadance said, “You have done a lot of good here. You saved an entire train full of ponies from a Black Colt. You saved the kitchen from a drought by getting two local farmers to sell a portion of their harvest. You found me a Forge Master and a Records Keeper. You helped to resolve many pony disputes. Thank you, Spike.” Spike looked back at her as she spoke. Each pony that she named stepped forward. Spike looked at each of them in turn. Because of him each of them had gotten better lives. Sally had gotten a good story in the paper and she was in line for a promotion because of it. It would not be for a while yet, but she was a very good possibility. Hammer Falls and R.C. Keeper had both gotten their dream jobs. The increase in money that they both earned helped Strikefire back at their home forge. The two farmers who initially helped him with getting food to the palace were happy as well. They had settled their disputes and were now good friends. They even got more farmers to sell food to the palace. And then their was Princess Cadance herself. “My job is to help you, Princess,” Spike said, “All that I have done to help the ponies here has been to help you.” Before any more could be said the entire palace shook. Every single pony there nearly fell to the floor. Cadance took charge as Princess. She told everyone to calm down and remain in the room. Shining Armor burst into the room. “Cadance,” He yelled, “Black Colts. Everywhere. We have to do something.” As Shining Armor finished his warning he was taken from behind. A Black Colt came out of the shadows and blasted him. He was sent flying forward into the room. “SHINING ARMOR,” She shouted as he went down. He landed at Cadance's hooves. She was too stunned to do anything. Her eyes were wide with worry and terror. She knelt down next to Shining Armor and cried over him. She did nothing as the Black Colt entered the room. But she was not the only one in the room that could handle it. Spike was there. He was also the only one who had previous experience with a Black Colt. Spike ran right at it and landed a thunderous punch to the right side of its head. The Black Colt staggered before readying itself again. He followed that up with a breath of fire that could have lit up half of Ponyville. The Black Colt was no match for such a powerful blast of light and heat. It slowly started to crack. Small fissures began to appear across the body. It was like shadows poured from them until they finally ran out. The coat of the colt turned to rock and it fell into dust and debris. Spike was done. He had won again. But his joy was short lived. More of the Black Colts came into the room. Spike dodged a volley of black ooze spit. He tried another blast of fire breath, but that did almost nothing. The Black Colts had already seen it happen and were able to move around it. One came in close for a bite out of Spike. Spike nimbly weaved around him and ended up right in front of the next Colt. He breathed another blast of fire. Again, it was to no effect. That Colt, a Pegasus, flew up into the air to avoid the blast. It was hard to do anything without using his magic. But he had to. A third Colt entered and headed for the other ponies. Spike roared and dashed over to it. He did not try another fire breath attack. Instead, Spike went with a more magical attack. He formed a ball of energy in his hands and launched it into the side of the Black Colt. It was blasted into the far wall before falling into dust. One down, two to go. The same Colt that tried to take a bite out of Spike came in for another try. Spike sidestepped and threw his hand up. With that movement a jet of flames came shooting up from where he was standing and engulfed the Colt. After a moment of baking the Colt had turned to dust. Two down, one to go. The last one was bigger than the other two. An earth pony type Colt. It charged at Spike with a fury. He dived out of the way just in the nick of time. The pony quickly turned and readied itself for another charge. It launched a volley of black ooze spit at Spike. It was a diversion. Spike put his arms up to block the ooze. He projected a barrier of magic energy that caught the ooze. He kept it up as the Colt took his charge. Spike watched through a break in the dripping ooze as the Colt approached. The Colt was nearly on top of him when Spike hit. He blasted the barrier out and sent the Colt back. It stayed on its hooves although stunned. Spike used this opportunity to finish it. He waved his hand and sent a vertical blade of energy that cut the Colt right down the middle. The final Black Colt turned to dust and Spike's battle was over. But another challenge was still awaiting. He ran back over to Cadance and Shining Armor. He was not looking good. He was hit in the right side just behind the neck. It was a black scar that seemed to be growing. It was extending towards his shoulder and did not look good. He flinched in pain every couple of seconds as he lay at Cadance's hooves. She was crying. Every other pony in the room could do nothing but stand and watch. Spike watched in horror as Shining Armor lay there. “Is there anything I can do,” He asked. “Not unless you can turn back time,” Cadance said in between sobs, “Or remove all the darkness from this world.” “I will be back soon,” Spike said in response, “Keep Shining Armor alive.” Spike ran out at full speed. His new size gave him a good speed. And a good endurance. He ran to the nearest window and jumped out. The training are that Shadow set up was on the other side of the palace. He would have to get there fast. He needed Shadow's help. The dining hall he was in was quite high in the palace. Spike hit the crystal with a hard thump. It hurt more than he thought it would. He slid down the side of the palace and drove his claws into the crystal to slow his descent. The incline he was on was coming to an end. He would have to jump again. Anything to save Shining Armor. He removed his claws just as the incline ended. The claws on his feet were hanging over the edge as Spike stood up. He leaned over the edge and propelled himself off. Another ledge was coming up. Spike could see it. But reaching it would be problematic. Spike was no longer soaring through the air after his jump. He passed the peak and was now falling. He looked around desperately for something to land on. The only thing he saw was a window. It was going to hurt, but he could use that. He curled up his body and directed his descent at the window. The ponies on the other side of that window got the surprise of their lifetime. They were just going about their business as usual. That room just so happened to be the laundry room. The ponies were washing towels when it happened. First it was shaking and then they saw Black Colts wandering about the palace. They hid in the laundry room and waiting for somepony to tell them it was safe. When they thought it was safe it was not. What they took for a guard was in fact a Black Colt. It came in and backed them both up into a corner. Then came the other surprise. A dragon came crashing through the window. Glass went flying everywhere and a pony even fainterd because of all the shock. Spike landed with both feet on the soapy floor. He slipped on the soap and went sliding across the floor. It just so happened that in between him and the door was the Black Colt. Spike's slide sent him on a collision course with the Colt, who was stunned at the dragon that just came through the window. Both it and Spike ended up in a cart full of towels. Spike was the first one up. The colt was still there, although dazed. Spike whipped it with the end of his tail and that was enough to dust it. He quickly found his way out and looked back at the ponies. They were terrified and confused. Spike nodded and ran off again leaving only an apology hanging in the air. He was in a hurry. From where he was it was just a short run to the training area. He was there in less than a minute. Spike burst in on Shadow. It was easy to tell how out of breath he was. There was obviously trouble. But Shadow knew that. Spike saw several piles of dust and debris scattered about the training area. It was the same as the pile he made while protecting Cadance and Shining Armor and all the others. Only there were many, many more. “What is it,” Shadow asked, “You look worried.” “It's Shining Armor,” Spike got out between breaths, “He got blasted by one of those Black Colts and now he is really hurt.” “Black scars? Moving by themselves,” Shadow asked. “Yeah. How did you know,” Spike asked. “It is a deadly, purified version of Shadow poison. It is very potent and fast acting,” Shadow said, “Take this.” Smoke Shadow tossed Spike a black crystal. It did not look like a normal shadow crystal. It was about the size of Spike's palm. It was encased in a beautiful gold ring. The amulet felt weird in his hand. He could almost feel the power coming from it. Spike gazed deeply into the center of the crystal. He felt stronger as he held the amulet. Maybe he could use this to save Shining Armor. He could use this to eliminate all of the Black Colts and all of the other dark and shadowy beings that threatened his friends. Spike was getting an evil smile across his face. His thoughts were interrupted by Shadow's voice. “Be careful with that,” Shadow said, “It is a very dangerous artifact called the Amulet of the Dark King. It belonged to King Galeek during his war with the ponies. He used it to amplify his magic abilities. It made him nearly unstoppable, but it also poisoned his mind. Use it wisely.” “How am I supposed to use this,” Spike asked, “I don't know what to do.” “Do what you always do, Spike,” Shadow said, “Improvise. Adapt. Annihilate." “How do I get back to Cadance fast enough to use it,” Spike asked. “Leave that to me,” Shadow said with a smile. Spike took a step back as Shadow manipulated the shadows around him. The shadows formed as smoke around Spike. They surrounded him and filled every space around him. Every scale and every spike was touched by shadow. Then he felt as if he was floating. He was no longer touching the ground. His body was carried by the darkness of the shadows until he was on solid ground again. The shadows separated from Spike's eyes and he could see Cadance and Shining Armor, but they could not see him. He was dropped off in a shadowed corner out of sight. Thank you Shadow. He raced out of the corner and up to Cadance. “I can help,” He said. Before Cadance could say anything, Spike placed the amulet on Shining Armor's wound. He writhed in pain under the pressure of the amulet. Nothing happened. What was going on? Why wasn't it working? “Why is nothing happening,” Cadance asked worriedly. What was it that Shadow said. The amulet amplifies magical power. So Spike had to heal him. But he was never taught any healing spells. What was he supposed to do? Spike went back to the lessons that he was taught. Focus. Passion. Power. Spike closed his eyes and focused not on the amulet or the power. He focused on Shining Armor and his shadow poison wound. He focused on the poison leaving the wound. He envisioned it in his head. He could not let him die. Shining Armor was Twilight's brother. She would never forgive Spike if he didn't do everything he could. And he was Spike's friend. As was Cadance. Spike's eyes flashed open. They were glowing green. He was activating his Mystik power. Everypony there watched in amazement as the shadows in the wound started to stir. They lifted up and twisted and swirled in the air. At first it seemed as if they were about to fly off into nowhere. But as more and more of the shadows left Shining Armor they turned and swirled around the amulet. The amulet absorbed the shadows as Shining Armor was healed. After a few moments Spike was done. He had extracted all of the shadows from Shining Armor. He was safe. Just as Spike was powering down a group of royal guards burst into the room. He stashed the amulet away before anypony else saw it. “Your Highness,” One of them said, “You need to evacuate. There are Black Colts everywhere. We cannot fight them all.” “Use fire and light to get rid of them,” Spike interjected, “Those are the only ways that are proven to work. Direct sunlight works the best.” The guards looked around the room. They saw terrified ponies and and three piles of dust and debris. They noticed Shining Armor laying on the floor and Princess Cadance laying next to him. Then they all turned back to Spike. He looked like he just went through a lot. He looked tired and weary and weak and worn out. “Trust what he says,” Cadance said flatly, “He saved us all here.”