Emerald Fires

by FolkloreBrony


Chapter 2-The Vessel

////
Chapter 2-Temporary Vessel
////
“Alright, pull on the count of three,” the guard ordered, “One. Two. Three!”

The two unicorns focused all their magic on the lever wedged into the bars and pushed on it, applying a steady amount of pressure until the door gave way, falling to the stone floor with a crash.

“Thank you, Flash.” Twilight smiled at her favorite guard, who replied with a salute. Ugh! How many times would she have to explain to this pegasus that he didn't have to be so formal around her? She would have very much liked for him to act as he had in that other world. She knew he could do it. But now that she was a princess, she could really understand why Nyx hated the royal lifestyle so much. Everyone around you acting like you were going to blast them into oblivion if they put even one percent of normality into their actions around you. It just... sucked.

“Flash,” she whined, “I've told you time and again, stop being so uptight around me. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Understood, Princess.”

“And stop calling me 'Princess'. Call me Twilight.”

“Understood, Twilight?” Flash Sentry croaked out, unsure of himself. His insecureness made Twilight giggle. When she had first met him, Flash had had no trouble when it came to talking with her, but as soon as he learned that she was royalty, every time he spoke to her he would act like he was walking on eggshells.

“Wow... Twilight, this place is awesome!” a purple drake exclaimed as he hurried into the chamber ahead of her. Spike, along with Applejack, had come along with Flash Sentry when Twilight had sent orders to bring an excavation team to the ruins. Something that Twilight wasn't too happy about.

Twilight sighed as she stepped forward into the chamber, immediately taking her breath away. The beauty of this place was like nothing she had ever seen, the only place that she could think of comparing it to was the Friendship Castle back in Ponyville, even as it had been left to crumble back into the earth. The innermost chamber was set in a circular design, the walls decorated with banners of different colors.

There were four individual windows, slender in their design resembling the castles from the pre-Gothic Dark Ages, each one set in between the entrances, letting in just enough light to see what one was doing. The floor was carved with inlaid stone, going around in a circle with extravagant designs placed into them.

“Why, would y'all take a gander at these here marble posers.” Applejack said as she pointed towards the middle of the room, where six individual statues were erected around a stone altar.

A ring of gold had been placed into the floor around the statues, and each one was connected to the other with a circular disk at the bases, while a gap had been made for an entrance, allowing access to the altar, opening up right before them and the northern gate.

Each statue depicted an alicorn in a different pose. Even Twilight was impressed with their beauty and power.

Starting with the one that was placed to the far left, the statue was a stallion whose long hair and two braided locks resting on his shoulders, a warm smile spread on his face. It made him look like one of the great chieftains of the plains buffalo, but unlike a buffalo, he held a scepter to the right in his magic and wore a long robe, with a breastplate with several different designs in it, most notably a zigzag line at the bottom and an indent symbol in the middle that resembled an eight-sided cut diamond. However, there was no diamond, just the outline, which somehow made it feel incomplete.

The second one was little different from the first, except this one was more harsh looking, which was clear even under the mask that hid the lower part of its face. The third was proud, the fourth joyful, and the fifth looked as though it was unimpressed with anything that went about it.

But it was the sixth that took hold in the minds of the ponies looking. The statue depicted a stallion whose spirit had been broken. Fallen over, his head held low, this character had a face that had been worn away by troubles and hardships, and its presence brought a grim depression over the group.

“These statues… how old would you say they are?”

“Well, judging the rate of decay, and the design of the building, we could conclude that it was built in the pre-plasodian era. Now, how old that PRE is will be hard to determine, but...” Twilight stopped to look at Spike. The young drake was positioned on the head of one of the statues, hanging on as he stared starry-eyed down upon the center altar, “Spike, what are you doing?”

“Oh, huh...nothing” he lied, brushing her off with a wave of his claw.

“Spike?” Twilight toyed with him, knowing that he was being dishonest with her.

“Ugh...Oh for Celestia’s sake! Come here.” He made a gesture with his claw, signaling for her to draw closer. She was a bit surprised by his rashness, but decide to discard it to the back of her mind for now. She was curious about what was getting him so worked up.

Spike was peering down onto the altar in the middle of the room. Looking more closely at it, Twilight could see that it was designed with true craftsmanship. From the bottom to the top, the sides of the stones were carved in six horizontal rows with a unique design for each one. From the carvings, it appeared as if they were meant to represent the elements of nature, each with a different gemstone for an element. Water, earth, stone, wind, ice, and a sixth that look as though it was a great light, one that shined at the top of the altar above all the other rows.

But that wasn't what Spike was staring at. On the top of the altar was a bowl, made with onyx and lined on the brim with gold. But at its center, there lead an emerald-green jewel which had a cut of a master. It seemed to have a faint glow about it, the smooth surface glistening in the light, almost like a fire. The cut had been made to give it the appearance of a peril, and it was certainly beautiful to look upon.

“Spike, you can't eat that,” Twilight spoke up, realizing what was going through the drake's head.

“Oh come ON, Twilight! Don't you realize what that is?!” he shouted, wide-eyed.

“Ah, should I?” she asked feebly.

“It's an emerald peril! They’re one of the rarest gemstones in the world! And...this one looks like it's been aged, too.” he said that last part with a low moan, his tongue hanging out while a small dribble of drool beginning to form at the corner of his mouth.

“Spike, it's an artifact. It might be important. You can't just eat something that somepony put there for a reason. That's for an archeologist to decide.” she said firmly, lifting Spike up in her magic.

“But-” Spike tried to protest, but was silenced by Twilight's firm stance.

“Alright, but I want a ruby when we get home!” he said, pointing his claws at her, as she sat him down on the floor.

Twilight giggled, “We'll see, Spike. We'll see.”

Twilight moved on to speak to Applejack, who had called her over to look at some pottery, her mouth curling into a smile as she opened one of the jars, one that she filled with a silvery-black powder.

“Ew, vanilla.”

Spike shook his head as a soft chuckle escaped from his lips. Twilight would definitely be getting him some rubies. In all the years he had known her, if she started to giggle in response to a request, it would usually become a reality, something he was sure Nyx was catching on to. Casually he kicked at a stone, unaware as the stone behind him gave a faint glow, and began to call.
////
“My oh my. That's a really good scent there, Twilight. I swear ya smell like an ice cream cone.” Applejack commented, smelling the sweet scent of vanilla coming from her friend.

“You really think so?” Twilight asked.

“Think so? I know so. Curtain to get any boy a'callin'.” She joked, making Twilight blush.

Twilight then bore a devilish grin as she turned to look at her favorite guard, “Flash?” she said in a sing-song voice, batting her eyes at him as she moved closer, “Does this smell okay to you?”

“It's alright, I guess,” he answered awkwardly.

“Really? I don't know,” she then leaned on him, placing her head on his shoulder, “I wouldn't want it to be overwhelming.” she replied with a pouty face.

“It...It's fine. Really.” he croaked, his eyes dashing left to right.

Applejack couldn't help but laugh at Twilight as she flirted with the guard. Twilight had told her and the rest of their friends all about the Flash from the human world. She had formulated her scheme to transfer him from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville about a month after the castle had separated from the ground, transferring his entire unit to get him into her range. It hadn't been a LARGE unit, only five strong, but still, she was determined to get a hook on him.

But boy, was she awkward.

Huffing in defeat, Twilight moved back over to Applejack, “Ugh, I wish I could get through to him.”

“Oh shoot Twilight, don't sweat it. I'm sure you'll get to 'em eventually.” she encouraged, placing a hoof around her shoulder, “Ya just need to take your time and get 'em interested is all.”

“Thanks, Applejack.” Twilight turned, gazing on a painting on the wall. It was a depiction of a major battle in a valley. There were pegasus soaring through the air, unicorns blasting away at enemies, and earth-ponies charging into legions of griffins. It was a picture of victory, triumph, and spirit. It was truly something that struck awe in the hearts and minds of both Twilight and Applejack. It was hard for them to imagine such an event to have taken place.

“The artwork in this place is certainly beautiful.” Twilight stared admiringly.

“Yeah, I reckon it is.” Applejack nodded in agreement, “It was a mighty good thing Nyx and Scootaloo found this place yesterday. I'd hate to think what coulda happened if they hadn't.”

“Please. Applejack, I don't want to think about it.” Twilight said flatly.

“Right, sorry.” She cursed herself, knowing that it wasn't a good subject.

The two stood there in silence, fixating on every last detail on the moral, every brush of paint a new delight to the eyes. It was highly detailed for ancient art, but that just made it all the better. From the multicolored spectrum of the sunset in the sky above, to the rainy-thunderclouds slamming into the mountains of the distance, to every individual blade of grass on the rolling plains where the battle was fought, the scene that the artist depicted was unlike any other they had ever seen.

And it wasn't this painting alone. The temple was filled with depictions similar to the one that they were studying. The other halls, like the one that Nyx and Scootaloo had walked into, were lined with pictures that told different stories. It was almost as if the building was one large storybook within itself, even the stones used to build it had been carved to have a little story of their own.

“Ya know Twi, I wonder if Princess Celestia knows about this place.” Applejack commented, turning to look directly at her friend.

“I wouldn't know. The Princess and I are close but, there are some things that she keeps to himself. And for good reason, I'm sure.” Twilight looked down at her hooves, “It’s strange really. Celestia has ruled Equestria for over a millennium, it's hard to imagine a world without her or her sister to guide the sun and the moon.”

“Yeah, I reckon it must have been tough.” Applejack tipped her hat as she leaned on the marble, “So ya gonna write to the Princess about this?”

“That sounds like a good idea.” She then began to walk around, reciting what she wanted to say in her head before continuing, “Spike, take a letter.”

“Dear Princess Celestia,” She started, beginning a letter as she had done on countless occasions, “Yesterday, Nyx and two of her friends fell into the Everfree forest on accident while competing in a race, and were attacked by one of the Lupus Majors of the territory. Don't worry, they're fine, but during their little adventure they stumbled onto an astonishing discovery.”

“This letter is to inform you that I am now lending an archeological project on site of what appears to be the ruins of a high-class society of ponies that date back to a time before your rule or the founding of Equestria. This might prove the theories that same of Canterlot's leading historians have about our past, and that we were not the first to settle here. This could possibly be one of the greatest discoveries of our age, but before we jump to any conclusions, I write to you to ask if you have any knowledge of these ruins existing, or if you have no prior acknowledgment to their presence.”

“Hoping for your soon reply, your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight finished her letter and began to walk back to Applejack. But when she realized that the fire that Spike used to send letters hadn't sparked, she turned to her assistant in confusion.

“Well, Spike? Aren't you gonna send-”

Twilight blinked as she stared at the drake. Spike stood with his back towards her, staring straight at the altar. He was completely unmoved, as if he was in a trance, his arms limply hanging from his shoulders.

Twilight stepped forwards, “Spike? Did you even hear what I just-” she was cut short by a sudden burst of energy, which shot up from the floor, catching her by surprise.

“Agh!” she cried, falling onto her back, as a field of magic surrounded the statues, trapping Spike inside.

“Twilight! Hey, ya okay there, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, lifted Twilight up as the guards came over to help.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Twilight grunted as she got to her hooves, “What just...happened?” she fell silent, gazing at the center of the room.

Spike was now curled around the top of the altar gazing down on the peril that ordered its center. His face was fully exposed to them, and they could see the dead expression on it that made him look like a zombie. He looked around as if he was uncertain of what to do next, holding a claw in the air above the emerald stone. The jewel at the heart of the altar glowed angrily, stabbing at her eyes with its brightness.

“Spike? What are you-!?”

Spike's claw came down on the gem like a mallet, slamming into it with full force. The jewel lit up like a torch, glowing so bright that it hurt to look upon, until it generated enough magical energy that it stopped glowing, before shooting a single bolt of lighting directly into Spike's chest, sending him flying into the opposite wall, slamming his body into the stone.

“Spike!” Twilight shouted, flying forwards to help the little drake.

Spike laid on his back moaning as Twilight rushed towards him, Applejack and Flash close behind. Twilight immediately began to nuzzle him, trying to get a response.

“Ugh...What-What happened?” Spike's world slowed came back to him, rubbing his head as a dull ache spread over it. He could barely hear Twilight's voice, coming through against a loud ringing in his ears.

“Spike? Spike!? Can you hear me!?” Twilight's muffled voice came into his hearing in pieces, but he could still make out what she was trying to say to him.

“T-Twilight? What...Where am I?” he moaned.

Twilight sighed in relief, “Don't you remember? We're in the ruins that Nyx found yesterday.”

“Yeah, I think I...remember. It’s just...Ugh, my head!” he exhaled, placing his hand above his forehead.

“It's okay, Spike. You hit yourself pretty hard, I'd be surprised if you weren't having problems remember a few things.”

“Well you're right, I can't remember anything,” he said as he tried to keep his eye open.

“Nothing?” she asked.

“I-I remember you telling me not to eat the gem because it belonged to the project, and...wait, where's that mare?” he asked.

Twilight looked at him confused, "Mare? What mare?"

"Didn't you hear her voice? She was just talking a moment ago, I can't remember what about," he questioned, his eyes swiveling about confused.

Applejack lowered her brows, "Spike, nopony's here but us."

"But she was here! I know it!" he assured them, rolling over with every intent to sit up, only to fall back as a sharp pain rocketed up his spine. He cried, hunching over as he bit his tongue in pain.

“Spike? What's wrong?” Twilight asked immediately, concern overpowering her as she came to his aid.

“My-My back! It's...Ugh!” he cried again, doubling over at its intensity.

Twilight wasted no time rolling Spike over to see what was wrong with him, letting out a horrified gasp. All along the course of his back, the scales had been pealed off while the tender flesh underneath, which what was normally bright pink, was now blackened and charred, burned to the point of deformity as congregated pus and red bloated across the horrible wound.

“Oh god, Spike. Yer back.” Applejack exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hoof.

“Oh, dear Celestia! We need to get you to a hospital!” Twilight then began to lift him up in her magic gently cradling him to the door.

“Twilight?” Spike wined through the pain, tears welling in the corner of his eyes, “Please...”

“Don't worry, I'll keep you safe,” she reassured, directing her attention towards the guards, pointing at the two beside Flash Sentry.

“You two stay here and watch that altar. If nothing happens in the next hour, report back to Ponyville for further instructions. Flash, come with me!”

Twilight, Applejack, and Flash left the building, leaving the guards to watch for any possible threat. As the time passed away and the hour was spent the two kept a watchful eye upon the altar, but it was clear that they would have to return to the palace. They stayed for a few moments longer, but soon the dead silence of the building drove them to leave, returning to Ponyville to turn in their report.

Only then, did the mists swirl into existence, forming around the altar to gaze upon its surroundings. It had been too easy enticing the dragon into his snare, and he would make sure to reward him for his compliance.

But he would be the one that would benefit the most from their deal. He had been locked away for far too long, and many had come and gone who had refused to help him, all so that the one would finally come who deserved it.

He couldn't help but laugh.
////
The moonlight shined in through the window of Spike's room in the castle, the young drake lying on his bed passed out, and after what he had been through earlier that day, he was justly so. After being hit with that spell, Twilight had rushed him back to Ponyville as fast as possible, though at first, he had felt that she had been overreacting a bit, and he had protested her babying him, but she had refused to pay any mind to him. However, he was grateful that she hadn't listened, because as they got halfway to town, Spike had been hit with the most severe pain in his skull that he had ever experienced. By the time they had reached Ponyville, the pain had become crippling, the feeling close to being stung repeatedly by a swarm of wasps.

But after being taken to Dr. Heartstrings’ clinic, where he had spent nearly an hour being poked and prodded at and getting a pop-sickle stick shoved down his throat, he was finally sent home with strict orders to stay in bed, as the doctor had diagnosed him with having a slight concussion along with a minute case of the dragon-measles, something that both he and Twilight had found utterly ridiculous, and had strongly argued against. But Dr. Heartstrings was unable to give any other explanation for the burns across his back, since it was well established that dragons were highly magic-resistant. Of course at first he had complained about having to be restricted to his room for however long, that is until he had been given a strong dose of pain medication.

And that's where he had remained for the rest of the afternoon, his head and chest bandaged while he was drugged up on whatever the doctor had given him, but whatever it was, he liked it, he really liked it. He felt great, everything around him seemed to be floating pasted him like a dream. Twilight and Nyx, who for whatever reason that had compelled him had given and had repeatedly called Nyx Moonie's Crybaby, had brought him water, which he had asked a lot for, along with anything that he had asked for during the duration of that afternoon. Even Rarity had come over when she had found out that he had been hurt, giving him some herbal tea that she had made for him with a guarantee that it would make him feel better. However, just to be in the same room with her was to him the same equivalent as drinking herbal tea and experiencing a high from painkillers. She just had the effect to make him feel like a million bits.

However even though he felt fine, his head had felt really light, like he had inhaled a large amount of Zecora's incense. He had considered telling Twilight about it, but he had shrugged it off as some side-effect of the drug that he had been given. That, and the fact that something in the back of his mind was forcing him to stay silent, telling him that it would be better if he kept his mouth shut. All he wanted to do was sleep, and after struggling to keep himself alert, he finally allowed himself to slip away, spending the next four hours mumbling in his sleep.

But suddenly Spike’s eyes opened, and instead of the natural green they were known for, they revealed that the two glowed luminous blue in the darkness. He slowly looked around his room before he rose up out of his bed and walked out into the hallway. He quickly and quietly passed both Twilight and Nyx’s bedrooms, creeping down the staircase into the opened space of the library. There, after looking all around him to assure himself that he wasn't being watched, he knelt down on the wooden floor in the middle of the room and held out his right hand, closed his eyes as he started chanting in a voice and language foreign to his own.

“MAJ-IN! MAJ-IN! YAR TRIṈ KȮL YÜNA. HƎR MǏȮIS NAŮ, ƎN Ȱ-ƁĀ MǏ KE-ḾAN, WÊ MĀ-BE ẂƎNBORA.”

A light began to glow above his hand as he repeated his words, but he didn't react to it. Instead, he continued his chant over and over, each repeat causing the light to grow brighter and brighter until, with a blinding flash, a large purple gemstone fell with a small thud into his claws.

A smile crept onto Spike's face as he held the star-shaped gem to his chest, while muttering something inaudible underneath his breath. Spike then got himself back to his feet, sighing before walking to the front door, opened it, then turned and looked over his shoulder one last time to make sure that he wasn't going to be followed before running out into the darkened street. But unknown to him, a pair of serpentine eyes had watched his every move from the upstairs railing.
////
“Mom. Mom! Wake up!”

Nyx had walked into Twilight’s room just moments after Spike had left the library, and now she was on top of her mother, who was proving difficult to wake.

“Come on, Twilight, wake up!” Nyx wined.

Twilight groaned and opened her eyes halfway to look up at her daughter, who was staring back down at her with a pretty worried look. It had been almost a year since the Hearth’s Warming Calibration, and her now nine-year-old foal had her hoof jabbed in her stomach. She moaned, moved slightly, causing Nyx to fall off of her in an attempt to return to her sleep. But the filly would have none of it, taking the blanket covering Twilight in her teeth and started to pull it off of her, immediately drawing a reaction from the purple mare, who grabbed it with her own teeth, beginning a heated tug a war between the two. Nyx used her little wings to give herself some extra strength, giving her somewhat of an advantage over her, while Twilight, on the other hand, was in an awkward position that left her unable to use her own, silently cursing herself that she had allowed Rainbow Dash to train her daughter in the ways of flight.

But Nyx finally prevailed over her groggy mother, falling backward when Twilight gave up on the sheets and let them go, squeaking in surprise as her body was buried under the cover.

“Nyx, what do you want? It’s one in the morning!” Twilight grumbled while look at the clock, agitated that she had been pulled from her rest.

Nyx steered from underneath the blanket trying to find an opening to poke her head out, “Mom, you need to come with me right now! It’s Spike, he’s in trouble!”

“Hmm, what about Spike?” Twilight said weakly, her eyes threatening to close.

Nyx bit her lip, worried, “Mom! Spikes’ left the library!”

“Oh, that’s nice, honey.” Twilight let out a yawn before lying down on her pillow to go back to sleep.

“WHAT!?!”

A small yelp escaped Nyx’s throat, quickly jumping back under the sheets to avoid being hit by one of Twilight’s flayed out wings as she stood up on her bed, her head jerking around this way and that in a panic while Nyx fumbled under the sheets to make some space between herself and her frantic mother.

“Spike?Where’sSpike?!Wheredidhego?!Whatdidhedo?!Whydidheleave!?!Didhesayanything!?! What-”

Twilight was suddenly silenced by a pillow that Nyx had levitated to throw into her mother’s face, pulling Twilight back into reality.

“Mom, please! Just calm down, I can tell you what happened!” Nyx cried, jumping up to catch one of Twilight’s front hooves, which she wrapped herself around, her eyes beginning to tear up in fright.

Twilight stared down at her crying child, that one image beginning to tear at her heart. If one thing had not changed about Nyx after she became Nightmare Moon, it was that she was so easily upset, allowing her sensitivity from time to time to draw her into a crying-spell. Nyx had become more resilient to depression, but she would still resort back to the scared crying filly that she had rescued from the Everfree forest three years before, and at times it made Twilight happy that Nyx kept that one trait, feeling that somehow it formed her warm innocence into a living reality. But now it broke Twilight’s heart that she had frightened her foal so badly.

Looking down at the trembling child at her hooves, Twilight lowered her head and nuzzled Nyx’s cheek, using her hoof to raise the filly's chin up so that she could look into her daughter’s eyes, “shhh, it’s okay. It’s alright. I’m sorry I upset you Nyx, it’s just that...Spike has never done anything like this before, not even when he was first hatched. I’m just worried about his safety. Can you at least tell me that he’s alright?”

Nyx had stopped crying, but her ears still drooped down to her forehead, “Umm...Well, I’m not sure.”

Concerned, Twilight looked down at the grim face on her daughter, “W-What do you mean, sweetie?” she said feebly, cocking an eyebrow.

“I-I...,” Nyx said weakly, her words forming slowly in her mouth, “Well, I got up to get some water from the kitchen, but as I was walking out of my room, I heard a voice coming from downstairs. It was Spike, but something didn't seem right, so I hid behind the railing where he wouldn’t see me, but I could watch him in secret. I think he was talking to himself, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He was talking really funny, too, like when you’re speaking through a microphone.”

“Talking really funny? Microphones? Nyx, are you sure that you didn’t just dream this up?” Twilight asked, a little doubtful.

“Yeah, and it was really deep, too, like this.” Nyx lowered her voice, trying her best to make the deepest, manliest tone that she could, “And he was all like ‘I’m in charge. I’m in control.’ attitude, and really calm acting, Mom.”

“But,” Nyx began, her voice returning to normal, “I was gonna go down there and ask him about what he was doing, but before I could do anything, this bright light came out of nowhere, and when I looked back, he was hold-” However before she could continue Nyx fell silent, not exactly sure what she was supposed to say.

“Nyx, what was he holding?” Twilight asked, trying to coax an answer out of her, but the little black filly said nothing.

“Nyx, please tell me?”

Nyx looked up at Twilight, a strange, cold fear that she couldn't understand welled itself up inside of her as she spoke, “He...he was holding your element, Mom.”

Twilight was taken aback by this, not really processing what Nyx had said to her, “What?”

“Before you tell me that I must be mistaken, I KNOW what the elements look like. I’ve seen them up close, and I say it again, Spike left the library with the Element of Magic.”

Twilight’s mouth hung open, unable to grasp anything that she had just heard, “But...but how? The Elements were returned to the Tree of Harmony, sealed away with a powerfully advanced magic! None of them can be removed unless Equestria desperately needs them. So how did Spike get ahold of mine?! He can’t even use magic!”

Nyx, however, didn't have an answer for this, instead choosing to look down at her hooves while Twilight was off trying to gather any logic from this. However, Nyx suddenly felt herself being lifted off the ground by Twilight’s horn, setting the filly on her back along with her saddlebags.

“Where are we going?” Nyx asked.

“Nyx, we’re going to find Spike before he gets himself hurt even more, or worse. But first, we need to gather the girls. We’re gonna need all the help we can get if we’re going to get any answers, and solve this mystery.”

“Let’s go.”
////
“Now yer sayin’ he did WHAT?”

Applejack looked forward dumbfounded along with the rest of the mares, all of them standing around Twilight and Nyx in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight had gone to each and every one of their houses, half-dragging them out of the comforts of their beds all because she was going off on some nonsense that they had a critical situation on their hooves, and that’s where they had spent the last thirty minutes, listening to a half-crooked story that the two alicorns were trying to pass off to them. Unfortunately, the group was having a hard time accepting their claim, and each one of them was closer to falling asleep right where they stood than they were in following, let alone comprehending, a word of what they had to say. So Twilight had to start all over again. And again. And again, until the group finally showed some sign that they were beginning to understand what was coming off of her lips.

"So yer all tellin' us that Spike, our Spike, was goin’ around sayin’ some kind of hocus-pocus, and then SUDDENLY, the Element of Magic just appeared?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I wouldn't call it ‘hocus pocus’, but yes." Twilight answered, a little annoyed that she would refer to magic as ‘Hocus Pocus’.

Applejack snorted, shaking her head, "Oh, what the hey is goin' on, Twilight? Honestly, I think you might need to have yer head checked."

Twilight scoffed at this, gaining some snickers from her friends. Of course, not all of them were taking this unrealistically, though maybe not as seriously as one would hope for.

"This is so awesome! And here all this time I thought dragons couldn't use magic. That little sneaks' been holding out on us!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, finding the whole conversation all too interesting for all the wrong reasons.

Fluttershy looked over at Dash, who was hovering over the rest of the group, while she herself preferred to stay on the ground, a little more worried than the rest, as expected, "Umm...that's because they can't, Dash.”

Dash looked at her confused, “Well what do you know about it, then?”

Fluttershy looked down at her hooves, not really wanting to speak up in the first place, but it was too late now, having sparked everyone’s curiosity, “Umm...dragons are greed driven, Dash, and because of that, they can't focus well enough to use it. In fact, any kind of negative emotion in a non-unicorn will cause an inability to perform magic. That's why not many other races can do it."

All of them stared at Fluttershy slack-jawed, causing the yellow pegasus to frown, hiding behind her mane.

“Tarnation, that was a mouth-full.” Applejack broke the silence, trying not to laugh.

“Fluttershy, where did you learn that?” Twilight asked inquisitively, amazed by the block of knowledge that had come out of her friend’s mouth.

“Umm...I borrowed some books from the library about it.” Fluttershy answered plainly, keeping her head low.

Twilight looked at her curiously, "I-I never realized that you had an interest in that kind of subject. I mean, you're scared of dragons! What motivated you to pursue it?"

“Oh,” Fluttershy said while looking at Twilight through the strains of her hair, perking up a little, "It was back when you first moved into Ponyville. I just thought if Spike ever got sick, it would be good for me to know any natural remedies that would help the poor thing get better."

Twilight allowed a smile to form on her face as she placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, "That was very thoughtful of you, Fluttershy. Thank you."

The pegasus blushed, smiling shyly before she returned her gaze to her own hooves.

"Ah, excuse me, I don't wish to be rude but, don’t you think we may be getting a little diverted from the current situation at hoof." Rarity spoke up. All this time she had been listening a little more anxiously to Twilight and Nyx’s story than the rest of the mares about what had happened to Spike, and she was making it quite evident.

"Yeah! If we don’t find Spike soon, how can I give him his "Super Duper, Hope You Feel Better" party tomorrow if he won’t even be there to have it?" Pinkie Pie chirped out, being as childish as usual while she bounced up and down.

Rarity glared at her, "Really darling, how could you possibly think of a party at a time like this? Spike is wandering out there in the dark somewhere, alone! The poor dear is probably frightened out of his mind, covered in...icky mud or something."

However, Pinkie didn't answer Rarity. In fact, she had stopped bouncing all together, instead, her attention was drawn to something that she had spotted off to her right.

"Alright, so this is my plan.” Twilight began, levitating a stick towards herself so she could draw a map into the soft dirt, "We'll split up into three groups. Rarity and Nyx will go with me to investigate..."

"Umm, Twilight?" Pinkie said nervously, but Twilight didn’t hear her.

"...the palace. Now, Applejack, you and Rainbow Dash can go and search..."

"Twilight?" she said a little louder.

"...with Fluttershy. That way we can all cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. That way-"

"TWILIGHT!?!"

Everyone in the group was caught off guard by Pinkie’s sudden increase in volume, and immediately turned their heads to face the pink mare, whose hair was standing on end in a crazy pink jungle, staring ahead of them wide-eyed, frowning.

"Pinkie? What's wrong?" Twilight asked, frowning at the Party-pony’s sudden change in demeanor.

"I-I think I know where Spike is," she said nervously.

"Oh, thank Celestia for your pinkie sense," Twilight cheered, "So what is it? Wrinkled nose? Twitchy tail? Achy hoof?"

Pinkie shook her head in reply, choosing instead to answer by lifting up her hoof to point ahead of her, refusing to take her eyes off of what she was focused on, causing everyone else to look at whatever she was staring at.

What they saw made them all turn white.

They were all staring at Everfree, but the threatening atmosphere the forest was known for looked a hundred times worse, thanks to a large mass of clouds that had formed above the forest canopy, changing the skyline all around into different shades of gray, black, and red while lightning flashed across the circling cloud. A low thumbing could be heard being carried on the wind, moaning in the clearing. But the phenomenon wasn’t following the random pattern of normal weather. instead, the clouds were being focused over one central point above the forest.

The vortex circled above the ruins of the Everfree temple.
////
Spike walked slowly across the floor towards the stone altar that rained from the middle of the temple, a smile spread over his face as he gazed around the beautiful interior of the structure. He was both thrilled and astonished that after all the long years since it had first been built it had withstood the sands of time, and though he could see that the eastern wall had begun to crumble, signaling that it had started the path into slow decay, it made him happy that at least ONE thing was left to survive from his world into modern times.

His world. His...home.

Spike quickly shook the unhappy memory away from his current thoughts. He would have plenty of time to mourn later. But for now, he had some work to do.

Eagerly placing his claws on the altar, Spike began going over the right materials that he would need to prepare in his mind. Of course, potions and enchantments had never been his forte during his youth, leaving those areas of study in the worthy hands of his younger brother, and he would only get one shot at this.

Of course, if he DID screw up he'd never realize it until it was all too late, and to say the least, the ending result would prove disastrous for everyone.

So looking around the chamber, Spike spotted a series of jars lined side by side of each other against the furthermost wall. His eyes glowed, and out of the corner of the wall a large jewel-encrusted vase levitated over to him and came to a rest in his claws. Peering inside to stare at its contents, he was filled with satisfaction as his eyes made contact with the blackish-gray powder inside. He took a strong whiff of it and smiled as his nostrils were overwhelmed with its aroma, the scent a cross between raw cinnamon and vanilla. The rarest of the ingredients needed, the aged ashes of the Northern Black Oak tree was probably the most important as well, a hot, burning herb that he would need if he was ever going to hope to awaken from his stone slumber. And right now, his heart was a burning furnace.

Pouring the contents of the vase into the bowl-like container on the top of the altar, he filled it up until it covered the emerald jewel that was at the heart of the bowl, then he levitated two smaller jars towards him, emptying the contents of the first one in with the black oak powder, but with the second he opened the lid and only took out three golden threads, placing one into the mix of ingredients but lying the other two on the rim of the altar. He would have to wait and put the others in throughout the ritual, otherwise, he would run the risk of...complications.

Finally, after he felt that everything was ready he sat the empty jars onto the floor away from him. He prepared to have the final piece of this delicate puzzle, which came when he inhaled a large amount of air and held it, waiting until the fires deep inside of him were hot enough before he let out a stream of the emerald flames onto the collected mixture, devouring it all before it burst into silver flames.

Spike backed away for a moment, contemplating the reality of his situation while at the same time marveling at the scene. Soon, soon he would finally be free of his stone imprisonment, and this one thought was starting to fill him with anxiety. He so desperately desired to go out and breathe the fresh mid-night air and to feel the cool wet morning grass underneath his hooves, but at the same time, he was afraid of what might await him in this new world. He wasn't a fool; he knew that a great amount of time had passed since he last walked the earth, and for all he knew, things could have gotten even worse since then. But looking down at the pouch at his side he was comforted that he would have the power to make things right. Nothing could change what had happened, but he could make amends for the damage caused by his brother, vowing that he would never allow for that horror to ever happen again, and now that he would soon be reunited with his element, he would do everything in his power to set things on a new and brighter path.

The flames above the altar suddenly flashed white, signaling that he would have to put in the second thread. It was important that he waited to put them in, otherwise, the spell could become unstable and potentially cause an explosion, one that could easily wipe both Ponyville, Canterlot, and half the Everfree Forest right off the map. Of course, he wasn't completely stupid when it came to performing a ritual spell, and after a few minutes the white flash would appear again and he would place the third and final thread in, after which it would be ready to receive the purple gemstone that now rested comfortably at his side.

But for now, he would have to wait patiently for the time to come as he sighed and walked back to the altar and placed the second thread in.

“Spike? What are you doing?” A voice said from behind him.

Spike stopped dead in his tracks, looking behind himself to gaze at the pony who addressed him. At the entrance of the temple stood seven ponies held right where they were like stone, one of them considerably younger than the rest in the group, all of them staring in disbelief. He turned his body around to face them, his eyes passing slowly between each member of the group. He noticed the look of shock and confusion on their faces, trying to remember who they were.

One pony, in particular, stood out from the rest, her attitude suggesting to him that she was the leader, “Spike? What are you doing? Get away from there!” she yelled.

Spike frowned. This pony had only spoken a few words and already she was testing his temper, disturbing him from his work so she could scold him. However, though she was trying to be firm with him, he noticed her expression, betraying her by telling him that she was more distressed than angry. At the same time, she was beginning to spark his interest, studying her body over, from her lavender coat that went well with the tri-color of her mane and tail. And for a cutie-mark, she had a six-pointed pink star, with five smaller white stars circling around it, and-

He trailed off from his line of thoughts when he noticed the horn and wings that indicated her as an alicorn, something that shocked him. But as he looked to the other mares he discovered that there was yet another pony among them, the youngest of the group, had also been blessed with such a high status, though he was a bit confused with her irises, glowing brightly in the dark. Interesting…

“Spike, please come home.”

Spike looked back at the older alicorn’s face. The mare’s eye’s had started to tear up, making him question why she was so attached to this dragon.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT, WOMAN?”

The group jumped when Spike spoke, startled by his sudden use of words. But his voice was too deep to be compared to the drake they knew, the way it echoed through the chamber sent chills down their backs. None of them answered right away, too fixed on what had happened to him to speak.

Finally, Twilight stepped forward and swallowed, “W-What did you say?”

“I SAID,” he began calm and slowly, though his voice still held a great deal of its power, “WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT, ALICORN, ARE YOU DEAF? OR DOES STUPIDITY MATCH YOUR YOUTH?”

“My word!” a white unicorn gasped, taken aback by his sudden rudeness.

Spike immediately turned his head to face the unicorn, a gentle smile spread across his face.

“Rarity?” he said softly in a voice more closely resembling his own.

Rarity stared at him blankly, a little curious about what he had to say, “Y-Yes Spike?”

He shook his head around for a moment to clear his mind. He had lost control of his host for a minute there, allowing the dragon’s emotions to mix with his own. But he regained his dominance, though not before he had been bombarded with memories of these ponies; happy memories of friendships, loyalties, admiration, and love. Things that he shouldn’t have seen, but was surprised to find, but this knowledge was going to make what he had to do much harder.

“I AM CONFUSED. IF YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN, HOW HAVE YOU BECOME FRIENDS WITH THIS DRAGON? PREFERABLY I WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER FROM YOU, TWILIGHT SPARKLE.”

“I’ve known and raised him from an egg, and we’ve…” Twilight looked at him skeptically, taking a step towards him, “Wait a minute, who are you? How do you know my name?”

“WHO AM I?” he repeated her question, pondering it over in his mind,“I...I AM A GHOST. A MEMORY. I WAS AWAKENED WHEN YOUR ‘FRIEND’ PUT HIS GREEDY CLAWS ON MY ALTAR.”

Spike looked at her with a smile, “AS TO HOW I KNOW YOUR NAMES, YOU CAN THANK HER.” he said as he pointed a claw at Rarity, making her uneasy.

“Me? I don’t understand, what did I do?” Rarity asked rather quickly, aware of the looks that she was getting from her friends.

“NOTHING. AT LEAST, NOTHING DIRECTLY. SPIKE IS NOTHING BUT A PASSENGER, AND WHILE YOU SEE HIM BEFORE YOU IN BODY, EVERYTHING THAT HE HAS DOWN OR WILL DO ON THIS NIGHT IS THE RESULT OF MY WILL.”

“HOWEVER,” he said, looking at their confused faces, “THE EMOTIONS I SENSE INSIDE HIM TOWARDS YOU ALL ARE STRONG, BUT IT IS AT IT’S GREATEST POTENCY WHEN I AM CLOSER TO YOU, RARITY. HE SEEMS DRAWN TO YOU, CLOSE TO YOU. I WONDER WHY?” he asked her with a grin, the mare blushing violently.

Rarity stared in shock as she listened to something so personal, while Twilight stepped a little closer to him, looking at him grimly, “So, tell us, why did you steal the Element of Magic?”

Spike arched an eyebrow at this question. What was the ‘Element of Magic’? He looked at Twilight inquisitively, pondering how to respond to such a ridiculous accusation. He had stolen nothing, and the fact that they had claimed that had done otherwise was adding more fuel to his anger. He could feel it welling up inside him threatening to burst, but before he could dwell on this matter for longer than he should he tightened his grip on the jewel that he was held in his grasp, forcing a particular memory into his mind. That’s when he pieced it together.

“DO YOU TAKE ME AS A THIEF? IT'S MINE!” he held up the purple gem for all of them to see, “WHO ARE YOU TO SAY THAT I AM A THIEF WHEN I HAVE TAKEN ONLY WHAT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS TO ME?!” his voice rose in volume, growing hotter with his agitation.

“What belongs to YOU?!” they all shouted in unison.

“The Element of Magic doesn’t belong to any one pony, it belongs to all of Equestria!” Twilight shouted.

“HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME! YOU IGNORANT LITTLE-” Spike stopped himself and breathed, trying to keep his cool. So instead of blowing up on these ponies, he turned his back on them so he could face the altar, just in time to see the fire in it glow white for the second time, “I HAVE SEEN HIS MEMORIES OF YOU ALL, TWILIGHT SPARKLE. IT IS FOR THAT REASON THAT I DO NOT WISH TO CONTINUE IN THIS ARGUMENT FOR ANY LONGER, FOR HIS SAKE ONLY. SO I ASK THAT YOU DO NOT INTERFERE. OTHERWISE, I ASSURE YOU, THINGS WILL BECOME UNPLEASANT. YOUR HEART WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK THE ELEMENT’S POWER. BUT I, I AM IT’S MASTER. AND I WILL DEFEND MYSELF.”

“NOW, IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I HAVE SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO.” With that, Spike made his way to the altar. But before he could get halfway across to his target destination, he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground by a levitation spell.

He spun his head around, just in time to see that Twilight’s horn was glowing, lifting him in her magic.

“W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he shouted in alarm, struggling against her hold on him, “LET GO OF ME!”

But she wouldn’t, looking at him with a scowl, “NO! I’ve had enough of listening to this malarkey, Spike! You're coming home with us right now!” Twilight turned to the temple doors, levitating Spike behind her as he struggled.

“I SAID,” he motioned his hand forwards, directing it towards Twilight, “LET. ME. GO!”

Suddenly, she was rocketed forward by a blot of pure energy, slamming her into the wooden-frame doors, knocking the air out of her lungs. The force of the hit momentarily stunned her, but after a moment she was able to shake it off, her attention being drawn back to the origin of the blast, everyone in the group staring at it in shock.

“Wha-!?!”

Floating in midair before them, magical energy pulsated around Spike’s body and claws, the one that he had pointed at Twilight smoking from the spell he had used to force her away.

“S-Spike?!?” she whimpered.

Spike raised his head and looked at the horrified ponies before him, bearing down his teeth on them while his eyes glowed a bright, burning electric-blue, “DID I NOT JUST SAY TO NOT INTERFERE?! DAMN YOUR STUBBORNNESS!” he raged at them, forcing them to back away, “IF YOU WILL NOT CONCEDE TO MY WISHES WILLINGLY, I WILL MAKE YOU LEAVE!!!” He raised his head back, sucking as much air as possible.

“SCRATCHY NOSE!!!” Was all that was heard before he lurched forward, blasting them with a stream of emerald fires.

Yelps and screams escaped all their throats, dodging behind fallen columns and rocks to avoid being singed by the flames, while Twilight and Rarity used their magic to create a barrier between them and Spike. This enraged him, retaliating by amping up the intensity of the fire, causing the rocks that had not been encircled by the shield to glow red from the heat. When that didn’t work, he canceled the stream and cast a spell around his claws, slamming his fists into the barrier. They had to use all the magic they had to keep the shield up, and it was starting to put a strain on them, a growing pain swelling in their horns as they continued to fight back. They tried to reason with him to stop with no success, the only thing that their protests seemed to accomplish was to make him angrier. They were shocked at how powerful his attacks were, and they knew that if something didn’t change soon, he was going to break through.

But he was growing tired as well. He knew that if he kept this up, he was going to faint. As he ran over different outcomes to get out of this he tightened his grip on the Element, looking at it as he did so while an idea formed in his head, then looked over his shoulder back to the altar. He wouldn’t have time to put the string in and wait, but he had gone too far now to give up to defeat. He only had one option, but he had to risk it.

He stopped his attack and stared at the two for a moment, eyes narrowing as he hissed at them. It was a hiss that they had never heard before, something that would have been expected from a full-grown dragon, not him, and it pursed right through them like a knife.

Rarity lips quivered as she looked at him, “S-Spike?!”

Spike suddenly turned on all fours and bolted to the altar with blinding speed, something that would have made Rainbow Dash take a stand. Twilight and Rarity let the barrier disappear, galloping after him. But they were too late, and could only watch as he placed the Element into the silver flames, smiling as he did so.

Immediately Spike was blasted back as another shockwave shoot from the altar, sending him flying through the air until he slammed headfirst into a wall, falling onto the stone floor with a small thud, knocking him out cold as the blue glow in his eyes faded.

Twilight and Rarity ran over to him to see if he was alright, shaking him frantically to get a response. It took a few tries, but he finally gave a weak moan, signifying that at least he was alive.

Their attention, however, was soon drawn back to the altar, which began to turn on its axis with a loud crank, twisting the turbines inside that started to move the statues around in turn. As it moved things around, the Element glowed brighter and brighter until it liquefied, mixing in with the ritual fires, changing it’s color from silver to a turquoise blue. Suddenly, after the last of the Element had dissolved into the spell, the flames formed into two flaming streams that circled around each other and fused into a single beam of light that shot upwards, penetrating through the cloud cover above.

However, nothing happened right away. In fact, the wall of clouds seemed to slow in their movements, while all the sound in the forest ceased, the breathing of the ponies the only thing left to be heard. An eternity seemed to pass as the group watched anxiously for what would happen next, slowly beginning to wonder if it had all been some sick gag. But then, the clouds turned more violently than they had before as a series of powerful lightning bolts rumbled and cracked in the heavens, traveling across the skyline to the central point of the vortex, creating a sphere of energy that grew and grew with each pulse until, after it had completed its task by expanding to consume the storm into itself, it exploded in a blinding flash of white light, crashing down towards them.

CCCRRRAAAACCCCKKKK-KKKKAAABOOOOOMM!!!!!!!

The earth shook as the sphere slammed into the altar, stirring up dust and debris in its wake. The ponies screamed and hid, trying to cover their eyes from the light. Soon, the energy began to shrink into a small blue globe the size of a soccer ball. However, it’s light in comparison grew only brighter until it was so powerful that it lit up the chamber as if they were standing in the presence of the sun. But the globe was spinning out of control, faster than the eye could hope to keep up with, until, and with a final pulse, it shot forward and struck the nearest statue with a loud BOOM!
////
“Twilight? Twilight! Are you alright?”

Twilight groaned as the world around her slowly came into focus, bring a headache with it. She moaned, her vision blurry from the light, the world coming into focus slowly.

“Come on Twilight, say something! Can you hear me?”

Twilight looked up to face Rainbow Dash, who hovered over her with a hoof extended to help her up.

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay, thanks Rainbow,” Twilight grumbled out, shaking her head around in an attempt to get rid of the ringing in her ears. Rainbow Dash helped her to her hooves, allowing Twilight to lean on her side for support until she could regain her balance.

But, as her eyes became focused on the room around her, her body began to shake with anxiety, her head searching around the surrounding destruction in a panic, “Wait, Where’s Nyx? Where’s Nyx?!” She cried, breathing heavily.

“I’m over here!”

The two mares turned their heads behind them in unison, looking across the rubble lining the floor of the temple at a broken column that had succumbed to the force of the blast and toppled over. And crouched underneath, Nyx and Fluttershy laid close together coughing from the lingering dust in the air.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. Fluttershy had been quick enough to grab and pull the black filly under a pile of boulders with her to avoid the fire. And they had both stayed under when the pillar fell down on top of them, keeping them in safety.

But out of the corner of her eye, Twilight noticed the rest of her friends gathered together off in a corner, and when she turned to look at them, she saw that they were nudging Spike around, trying to wake the unconscious drake, and quickly made her way towards them.

“Spike! Is...is he?” she asked frantically.

“He’s fine, Twilight. No need ta get upset, he’s just a little shaken up is all.” Applejack assured her, nudging Spike with her hoof until he gave a weak moan, calming Twilight’s fears. However, her fears began to surface again when the ponies in front of her stared ahead wide-eyed, transfixed on something behind her, something that she was soon made aware of by an intense, purple glow that it began to emit, blinding her when she turned to look at it.

The light’s intensity was too great for them to see anything, but as its glow began to fade slightly, they were able to make out the outline of a large pony that stood high above them. It stood in the place of the statue that had been hit by the blast and was now nowhere to be found. When the light had softened to a faint violet glow in the center of its chest, the pony in front of them became fully defined.

By the facial features, they could tell that the pony was a full grown stallion, though he was a bit bigger than average. In fact, he was so large that at first, they had almost mistaken him for a horse, due to the similar stature that he shared with Trouble Shoes. But that assumption had been ruled out when they noticed the long horn on his head, and to their astonishment, the two large, majestic wings that popped and cracked at the joints as he stretched them out from his body, both traits that were exclusive only to ponies. And with the pure-white coat that he sported, it almost would have been possible to have passed him off as a male version of Celestia.

In the light, they were about to see that he was individualized by his long-haired characteristics. Any stallion seen on the street had a mane and tail that was short and solid colored, but it was long like a mare’s, the hairs of his tail grown out to the point where they almost touched the floor, though it needed some tending to in its ruddy state. His mane was light-blue with white locks that streaked through his mane like lightning, coming up in one thin lock that was in an alfalfa manor at the crop of his scalp, and he had a short, white beard that only came down a little under a few inches. Finally, he had a cutie-mark of a golden scepter atop a shield on his flank, a pair of raven’s wings growing out from both sides.

But what got to them the most was the electric blue of his eyes, something that they got a good look at when weakly opened them to gaze at the group, the same bright orbs that Spike had used to stare angrily at them just a few moments before, holding a soft glow around the pupils. They were old and tired, puffy and red from some fit from only a short while ago.

A minute passed before he made a move. Breathing heavily he took a step forward, and with the chaos that had just taken place and the evident shock that the group was experiencing that if he had moved forward normally, they would likely have run in terror. But, it was soon clear to them that he was having difficulty with his balance, wobbling from left to right until his face contorted and fell over screaming in pain as the light, which had originated from his chest, changed from violet to a violent red, his body shaking on the floor until relaxing while everything in his world went black, and with it the light, revealing the element that had been its source.
////