//------------------------------// // Chapter III: The Way of the Voice // Story: Dovahkiin // by Silent_Witness //------------------------------// Chapter III: The Way of the Voice   The cloud of mist resting atop the plateau was so thick that even he couldn’t see through it. “LAAS… YAH… NIR.” The world went dark for a moment, before becoming clear again. Now, he could see shimmering red forms deep within the fog. He counted them, nine in total.  He was surprised- he thought that the yellow viingkey would remain behind. But then he remembered the Elements of Harmony were most powerful when all six were brought together. Not that it would matter. The Elements had failed to stop against him once before. They would fail again.             He realized soon enough that one of the red forms was growing larger, heading directly toward him. Fool, he thought to himself. The fog on this plateau was natural, not conjured; there was no reason for their group to split apart. Well, no matter-if they wished to split up on their own, it would make his goal that much easier to accomplish.             At that moment, the key finally emerged from the fog. She was blue- the Element of Loyalty, if he recalled correctly. This didn’t surprise him. “Alright Alduin!” she called to him. “Let’s see what you’re made of!” Her words were no surprise to him either. She was confident, he knew. That confidence would be the end of her. He would see to that. She brought her hooves up to a small golden necklace she wore. The red lightning bolt-shaped gemstone set into it began to glow brightly, before an intense red beam shot out and struck him. He didn’t even flinch. Eerie black flames rose from the spot where the beam met his scales, as they did the last time the Elements were used against him, before it faded away. He permitted himself a small chuckle. “I’m afraid your precious Element of Harmony will do you no good here,” he said. “Even your Princess, mighty as she is, could not harm me. So tell me, little key, what hope do you-” His words were cut off when something suddenly struck his face. He stumbled back, an involuntary groan escaping his throat. The viingkey hung in the air where his head had just been. “Blah blah blah!” She crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Why do all you bad guys have to give big dramatic speeches before fighting? Just get on with it!”   It took a moment for him to piece together what had just happened: as he spoke, the viingkey charged him, and kicked him right in the face. He allowed himself a moment of laughter. This one had spirit. He liked that. For one fleeting instant, he regretted that he would have to kill her. “Well now, if you are in such a hurry to die, allow me to oblige you. YOL!” A plume of fire erupted from his lips, but the viingkey dodged it with ease. He smiled. It had been quite some time since a mere joor provided him with such sport. If fate was kind, perhaps she would provide him just a few minutes of entertainment. The viingkey circled around him; but in spite of her speed, his eyes remained firmly focused on her. He Shouted again, releasing another great burst of fire, but once again, she evaded it. She banked, striking his face with a powerful kick. He snapped his jaws at her, but she fled beyond his reach. The process repeated itself for a minute or so: he would send out a burst of fire or ice, she would evade it, swoop in and strike him before fleeing beyond the reach of his jaws. Soon, his amusement began to fade, to be replaced with irritation. This key was proving to be more trouble than he anticipated. It was time to end this little game. She banked hard in preparation for another pass. He wouldn’t give her the chance. “YOL… TOOR… SHUL!”             The viingkey dived as the fire approached her. She avoided most of the deadly flames… but a stray plume caught the tip of her left wing, setting it alight. The rest of the wing followed suit. Though the viingkey’s speed quickly put the flames out, the damage was done- all the feathers on that wing had been incinerated. Perfect. She fell to the ground in an uncontrollable spiral, flapping both her functioning and non-functioning wing furiously in an attempt to stabilize herself. She struck the unforgiving rocky ground like a stone; as she landed, he saw a new joint form between the ankle and the knee of her right foreleg. She tumbled across the ground like a ragdoll, before skidding to a stop; she tried to stand, only to nearly fall on her face as her now broken leg refused to support her weight.             This was even better than he’d dared hope. With her feathers burned away she could no longer fly, and with an injury like that she couldn’t even stand. Easy prey.             He approached her, shivering ever so slightly as he saw the terror that momentarily crept onto her face. She retreated, dragging herself along the ground; her right foreleg flopped around uselessly, and her wings beat furiously as though she expected to fly if she simply flapped hard enough. She eventually came to a stop, exhausted, panting heavily. She brought her good hoof up to her necklace again- the beam she fired at him proved completely ineffective. “I… I’m not afraid of you!” she shouted. But one needed only to look into her eyes to know she was lying.             He allowed himself to smile again. “Is that so?” He brought his face up to her much smaller body, dropping the smile in an instant. “Then I will make you afraid.”             He pulled back… then he lunged forward. The last thing he saw was her bringing up her forelegs in one last futile attempt to protect herself.             The viingkey didn’t even have a chance to cry out before she was crushed in his powerful jaws.             His ears were met with the sounds of her flesh tearing, of her bones splintering into a thousand pieces as the taste of blood filled his mouth. He could feel her kicking, felt a slight burn as she used her element’s magic against him; she still fought against him even now, in the final moments of her life. He bit down- another crunch, the viingkey seized… and then she fell limp.             “Hey, I think I can see somethin’ over here!” a voice called from somewhere in the mist. He identified it as one of the bearers of the Elements- the Element of Honesty. Soon enough, an orange key herself emerged from the mist. “Ah found ‘im!” she called, “Ah found Ald-” She stopped instantly, her eyes falling on his mouth. Or, more specifically, on the object he was holding in his mouth.             Her eyes grew wide, and her jaw fell open as her mind struggled- no, as her mind refused to comprehend the sight before her. He released the viingkey- the sound her body made when it met the ground turned even his stomach. Then, with a powerful flap of his wings, he set himself aloft, and disappeared into the fog.             Somewhere in the mist behind him, the screaming began.             One had fallen to him.             The rest would soon follow.               Thorn jolted awake, his leg kicking out slightly. He sat up, bringing a claw to his chest as he took deep breaths, trying to force his heart to slow down. A faint taste of iron still lingered in his mouth.             These nightmares were nothing new. But since he started having them, hardly a morning came where Thorn didn’t wake with a start, his heart racing at a hundred miles an hour. It was bad enough that he had to watch his friends die over and over again almost every night. What was even worse was that sometimes… it was him that did the deed. Those nightmares had started after he’d slayed Alduin; he wondered for a moment, as he often did, if perhaps this was the black dragon’s last act of vengeance against him, one final strike from beyond the grave.             He shook his head, dismissing those thoughts as his heart slowed to a reasonable pace. He sat up, looking to the other side of the room; there, Twilight slept in a bed she’d conjured up the night before. Spike slept in a small basket next to the bed. Thorn closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to clear his head of the memories that haunted him.             After a moment, he stood up and crossed the room, stopping when he reached the foot of the bed. Gently, he put a claw on the sleeping Twilight’s shoulder and shook her. “Twilight…” he whispered. “Twilight… you need to wake up…”             Twilight groaned and rolled over, turning his back toward him. He put his hand on her shoulder and shook her again. “Twilight, come on. Get up.”             She groaned again, but this time Twilight sat up, looking blearily at the large purple dragon. “…Spike?” she asked; the way she spoke told Thorn she wasn’t fully awake quite yet. “…what happened to you?”             His heart jumped up into his throat. “Twilight, it’s Thorn.”             She furrowed her brow. “Thorn? …Oh. Oh yeah.” She shuddered, pulled her blanket over herself protectively. “Hah… cold…”             “I know.” Thorn began to rouse Spike. “You get used to it eventually.” After living in a world with no sun, there was no cold he couldn’t endure.             After a few minutes, the combined efforts of both Twilight and Thorn brought the young dragon out of his basket, and the three made their way to the main chamber of their hosts’ icy abode. Twilight had to admit, an ice floe in the middle of the ocean near the north pole was the last place she expected to find dragons. Weren’t they more partial to warmer locations… like volcanoes?             In the center chamber, they found four dragons- Yolvahdin amongst them- sitting around a fire. When their eyes fell on one in particular, Twilight and Spike’s hearts leapt into their throats, but after a moment they calmed themselves. He may not have had the mismatched limbs or horns, but aside from that, the dragon was almost a spitting image of Discord… right down to the red eyes and goatee. The second dragon was rather odd- he seemed to consist of nothing but a horned snakelike head perched atop a long, scaled neck that rose out of a hole cut in the ice. Was he… a sea dragon? Spike had no idea that a creature like that even existed, much less that he would ever meet one. The last dragon was small, very small- not much bigger than Twilight, in fact- and resembled a large, craggy rock in both coloration and appearance.             “Dovahkiin, you have awakened,” Yolvahdin said, taking notice of the three. “I was just preparing to retrieve you.” She quickly realized the young dragon’s attention was focused elsewhere. “Ah, yes. I believe introductions are in order. Dovahkiin, these are my fellow Masters: Nahlokrein…” The Discord lookalike bowed. “Viinturuth…” The sea serpent nodded. “…and Taazokaan.” The rocky dragon bowed. “They will be assisting me in your training.” She motioned for the three to join her. “Come, sit. Meditate with us. Allow yourself a moment to clear your mind before beginning your training.”             When the meditations had finished, the group moved to the surface so Spike could begin his training in earnest. As he emerged from the ice, Thorn was nearly blinded by the intense light shining from overhead. For several moments, he wondered what in the world could produce such light. When he realized the answer, all he could do was sit, and stare up at the sky in wonderment. The sun. He never thought he’d have the chance to feel its rays against his scales ever again.             Twilight came to his side. “Thorn? Are you okay?”             “I’m sorry. It’s just… It’s been ten years since I last saw the sun.” He glanced at her a moment, before looking back to the sky. “I think I’ll let Spike train on his own for now. It’s more important that he learn how to use the Voice anyway.” With that, the two turned their attention to the youngest of their group, currently receiving a short lecture from Yolvahdin.             “…And as a dovah, you have the capacity to concentrate the vital essences within yourself and then project them in the form of a Thu’um, otherwise known as a Shout,” the elder dragon said. “Now, let me taste of your Voice, Dovahkiin.”             Spike looked up at the red dragon hesitantly. “You… you want me to Shout at you?” he asked hesitantly.             “Do not be afraid, kiir. You will not harm me.”             Spike still had his misgivings, but elected to do as the elder dragon asked. He brought his feet to shoulder width to brace himself, and shouted “FUS!”             Yolvahdin recoiled as the wave that left Spike’s mouth struck her. Turning to him again, she said, “Your Thu’um is strong. But strength alone will not guarantee your victory.” She began to pace across the ice. “All Shouts are comprised of three rotmulaag- words of power; as each word is spoken, the Shout grows in strength. You already know Fus, the first word of Unrelenting Force- now, we will teach you the second. Master Nahlokrein, if you would…”             The Discord lookalike stepped forward. Placing a claw on his chest, he looked at the ground and whispered, “RO.” Symbols, like those scratched on the wall under the palace, appeared in the ice, as though branded there by a hot iron. Spike looked down at the two foreign yet familiar letters.             “This is the second word of Unrelenting Force, Ro, which means ‘balance,’” Yolvahdin said. “Hear the word echo within yourself, Dovahkiin. Let’s its meaning fill you.”             Spike closed his eyes, feeling the creeping sensation in his brain. He didn’t fight it. He simply let the word fill his mind.             Ro.             Balance.             Spike opened his eyes again. “You learn quickly,” Yolvahdin said. “That is not unexpected. But to merely know a word is not the same as it is to understand it. Come. Let me taste of your Voice once more, and we shall see if you truly understand Ro.”             Spike nodded, and braced himself. He took a deep breath, and Shouted, “FUS… RO!”             The wave that left Spike’s mouth was massive, much larger than usual. The red dragon’s claws left deep gouges in the ice as the power of Spike’s shout pushed her back several feet.             “Incredible…” she said to herself. “The elders spoke of the Dovahkiin’s power, but I thought it merely a fable. And for one so young to wield such power…” She looked at Spike. “Perhaps my initial impression of you was mistaken. You may yet be the one who shall slay the Nameless One.”             “The Nameless One? Are you talking about Alduin?”             Spike saw Yolvahdin’s curl back in in a snarl for a brief moment, but she collected herself. “…The dragon you are being trained to fight against was not always known as ‘Alduin.’ That name is in fact a title, a placeholder, much like your own title as Dovahkiin.” “Okay. So… why not call him by his real name?” “Because he does not deserve the dignity of one,” she replied sharply, before collecting herself once again. “A dovah’s name is, in a single word, meant to capture their nature. It is a precious gift, bestowed upon them by their roost, their family. So, by forsaking their own name, a dovah not only casts aside who they are, but turns their back on the very ones who raised them, fed them, sheltered them… Such an act is not done lightly. And it is not one that is easily forgiven.” She shook her head, taking a breath. “But you need not concern yourself with such matters. Let us see how well you learn an entirely new Shout. Master Taazokaan?” The craggy gray dragon stepped forward. Yolvahdin continued, “Master Taazokaan will now show you the first word of Whirlwind Sprint- Wuld, which means ‘whirlwind.’” The craggy dragon turned his face to the ground, and growled, “WULD.” As before, letters appeared in the ice as though branded there. Again, Spike felt the creeping sensation, and the word’s meaning filled his mind. “Excellent,” Yolvahdin said. “Now, do as I do.” The red dragon turned away, and uttered “WULD!” She became little more than a red streak that stopped at the far edge of the island. She beckoned, so Spike took a deep breath, and shouted “WULD!” Before he knew what was happening, Spike found himself tumbling end over end. Suddenly, white ice disappeared to be replaced with black, and he plunged into the sea. In the blink of an eye, Twilight teleported to the edge of the ice. “Spike!” she called. She couldn’t see him. She took a few steps back, preparing to jump in after him, when the sea serpent- Viinturuth, she believed- rose up, holding the young dragon in his mouth, and placed him on the ice. In an instant, Twilight summoned a blanket and wrapped it around Spike, before wrapping herself around the baby dragon in a desperate attempt to warm him up. Yolvahdin approached. “Oh I… Krosis. This was not at all what I intended to happen. We’ll practice that word later, but I think you’ll be rather appreciative of the next one. Master Viinturuth?” The sea serpent nodded, and letters appeared in the ice once again when he whispered, “YOL.” Once, Spike had warmed up enough to continue training, the routine resumed: One of the Masters would step forward to speak a word, Spike would learn it, and then he would demonstrate his knowledge to Yolvahdin. Though he learned more than a few Shouts, he learned only the first word of each, sometimes even the second. As the day passed, the others began to depart one by one, until eventually, only Spike and his mentor remained. The red dragon looked up at the sky, bathed a gentle orange by the setting sun. “Faal oblaan se sul.” She said. “The day is done. Go, rest. Your training shall resume tomorrow.” “Wait, that’s all?” Spike asked. “Time is of the essence, I know, but your training cannot be rushed. To gift you too much power all at once would be dangerous and irresponsible. You must be introduced to your full potential slowly, with care. In time, you shall come to know all that I have to teach you, but today is not that time. Do you understand this?” “Yeah, I get it.” Spike was silent for a moment. “Yolvahdin, can I ask you something?” “Of course you may. I am sworn to aid you in any way you feel necessary.” “Why don’t the other Masters talk?” “As you have seen for yourself, the Thu’um is a powerful force, and there are a precious few that can stand before its fury and walk away unscathed. Their power is such that even a whisper could kill you. Thus, for the safety of you, your companions, and others, they have sworn themselves to silence.” “Oh. Okay.” With that, he and the red dragon descended beneath the ice. Later, Spike sat next to the fire in the main chamber with the other Masters. Even though it had happened hours before, Spike hadn’t quite recovered from his dip in the arctic ocean. Twilight had retreated to her bed for the time being, and Thorn had disappeared. None of the other dragons around the fire were especially talkative, so Spike sat in silence, staring into the flames. “Here you are,” Thorn’s voice said from behind. Thorn himself sat down next to the fire a moment later. “I was looking for you.” “Oh, hey Thorn. What’s up?” He then asked, “You… aren’t gonna make fun of me for falling in the ocean, are you?” “No, no. As a matter of fact, the first time I used Whirlwind Sprint, I fell into the ocean, too. That Shout gets everyone.” He sat up straight. “Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you.” “About what?” “Alduin. I told the Princess I’d be your strategic advisor against him, so I figured now would be a good time to get started on that.” He stood. “Come on, let’s talk in the other room.” The two moved to a smaller cavern just past the main chamber. Spike sat down in front of his elder counterpart. “Alright. What can you tell me about him?” Thorn sat down as well. “Alduin is many things, but what you need to realize is that above all else… Alduin is a coward. He will never face you directly without some kind of leverage, if he can help it. If you face him expecting a fair fight, he will kill you.” Spike shivered upon hearing that. Thorn continued, “But you don’t have to worry. Like I told the Princess, I spent two hundred years fighting Alduin, so I know him inside and out. If you can remember everything I tell you about him, you’ll beat him.” Thorn stood up; Spike stood as well. “I’ll start off by showing you one of Alduin’s favorite techniques- in your battle against him, I can guarantee that he’ll try using at least once.” He drew in a deep breath. “VEN… MUL… RIIK!” At once, a mysterious fog emerged from Thorn’s mouth and filled the room. For some reason, Spike’s heart instantly began to race at a hundred miles an hour. The edges of his vision grew black and hazy, and Spike felt the sudden urge to run away; he fought it with all of his strength, but it was a losing battle. He tried to call out to Thorn, to say something was terribly wrong, but… he couldn’t breathe. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to force air into his lungs. He dropped to his knees, clutching his throat. The world spun. His ears filled with the sound of his own pounding heart. He wavered. He felt as though… he was going to… pass out… “…ike. Spike!” Everything spun, and Thorn suddenly entered his vision, shouting at him. His words were faint, as though they had travelled a great distance before reaching his ears. “It’s okay! It’s just mist- it can’t hurt you!” Spike tried to say something back, but nothing emerged from his throat. “Snap out of it, Spike!” Thorn reached back, and slapped his younger counterpart across the face. At once, Spike came back to the real world. Spike brought a claw up to his face. “You… you hit me…” he stammered. He set Spike on the ground. “Sorry. But I had to snap you out of it somehow.” He motioned to the cloud of fog behind him. “I don’t think I need to tell you that this is no ordinary fog. It not only blocks your view, but clouds your mind, fills it with fear. Alduin uses it to divide up his prey, and then pick them off at his leisure.”   “How am I supposed to beat it, then?” “That’s easy- there’s a Shout I learned that can disperse his mist.” Thorn turned to the mist, before rearing back and Shouting “LOK… VAH KOOR!” The fog began to recede almost immediately, and the room was clear once more. He looked back to his younger self. “Can you remember that?” “Yeah, I think so.” “Show me.” “Okay…” Spike braced himself, inhaling deeply. “LOK… VAH KOOR!” There was a loud sound, like the crack of a whip, but seemingly nothing happened. “D… did it work?” “Let’s find out. VEN… MUL… RIIK!” Fog issued from his mouth once again, filling the room. Cold fear gripped at Spike’s heart as the edges of his vision darkened. He struggled to breathe. Every muscle in his body, every neuron in his brain screamed at him to run, but he fought against it. The Shout. He had to use the Shout. But what was it? He struggled to remember. L, something beginning with L… Lo... Lo… L-Lok! That was it! Lok! There was more, he knew there was… but his lungs burned, crying out for air. That one single breath he took was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. But he managed it, and managed to croak out, “LOK!” The fog immediately surrounding Spike lifted. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping. As he caught his breath, he remembered the rest of the Shout. Rising to his feet, he Shouted into the mist, “LOK… VAH KOOR!” The rest of the fog receded, revealing Thorn. “Hmm… not bad,” the elder dragon said. “I’ll admit, you were a little shaky at the beginning, but you pulled through. You did a lot better than I did when I first got hit with Alduin’s fog, at least. You’ll get over that though- the fog will have less of an effect on you the more you’re exposed to it.” He brought his hand up to his head, massaging his temples with his thumb and index finger. “Ugh… I think that’s enough strategy for one night. You should get to bed- you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.” “Are you okay?” Thorn glanced down at his younger counterpart. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” “If you say so… But before I go, can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “You said you fought alongside me in the future, right?” “Yes…” The elder dragon didn’t like where the conversation was going. “…What am I like? Or- what will I be like?” Thorn froze. This was the exact sort of question he didn’t want Spike asking him. But as his past self looked up at him expectantly, he relented. “He… he’s not much different than you are now, actually. Young, nervous, unsure of himself…” Thorn paused for a moment- talking about himself was never something he was especially good at. “…but, he still beat Alduin. And you can too.” Spike scratched the back of his head, uncertain. “I don’t know… two hundred years is a lot of time. Ponies change…” “You’re more alike than you think. Trust me on that one.” “Alright then.” Spike began heading to his basket. “Goodnight, Thorn.” “Goodnight, Spike.” Thorn had just wished himself a good night. The situation was just so surreal that he would have laughed at it… if he still had any laughter left in him. When Spike returned to his chamber, he found Twilight lying on her bed, reading a book she’d no doubt summoned from the library. “Hey Spike,” she said, looking up from her book momentarily. “You done for today?” “Yeah.”  He climbed into his basket, and looked up at her. “What’re you reading?” “A book about dragons. I’ve been looking through a whole bunch of them, trying to find a mention of the Thu’um, but so far… nothing.” “Well, what makes you think you’d find anything about it in a book? You heard what the Princess said- most dragons don’t know about the Voice.” “I know. It’s just… you had this power inside you all this time, and we never knew. I mean, I knew you could use magic, but-” Spike sat up. “Wait, what?” Twilight’s eyes widened when she realized what she said. “Oh. I… I wasn’t supposed to tell you that yet…” Spike climbed out of his basket, moving to the edge of her bed. “I can do magic?” Twilight bit her lip, unsure if she should answer. Then, she flattened her ears against her head and set her book down. Spike would  find out the truth eventually; there was no point in hiding anything. “Well… yes and no,” she confessed. “What do you mean, ‘yes and no’?” “After I hatched you, the Princess told me your dragon breed is one of a select few that could use magic. But you have to understand Spike- dragons that can use magic don’t work the same way as unicorns. They aren’t born able to use magic; it takes a few years before it manifests. The Princess said I had to wait for that to happen before telling you.” He put his hands on the mattress, leaning toward her. “So, when’s the magic supposed to come in?” “Soon. I can’t say exactly when, but you are at the age when it’s supposed to occur. It might come in before Alduin returns, but it might not- I just don’t know.” She picked up her book again. “Anyway, it’s late. You should get to sleep, Spike.” Spike opened his mouth as though to say something else, but relented. “…Fine,” he mumbled as he returned to his basket. “We’ll talk about this later, okay?” Spike merely grumbled in reply, before rolling over and falling silent. Twilight continued to read for a little while longer, teleporting the book back to the library when it told her nothing helpful. With nothing to distract her, she pulled the covers over herself, and drifted off to sleep as well.               Twilight suddenly found herself standing in front of a large white building. She quickly identified it- it was the chapel where her brother and Cadence had been married. So, she was in Canterlot… but why? She couldn’t remember. The sky was uncharacteristically filled with clouds, painting everything a dull, listless grey- in all the time she lived in Canterlot, Twilight could count the number of cloudy days she’d seen on her hooves. She felt… odd; looking down at herself, she realized she was wearing a plain black dress. She realized that there were others milling about nearby, all dressed in black. One of them approached her- a stallion, but he wasn’t anypony she recognized. “You… you’re Twilight Sparkle, right?” he asked.             “Uh, yeah…” she replied hesitantly. “Why?”             “Well, I know it probably doesn’t mean much, but I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened. And that it’s… really brave of you to come out here after all that.” The stallion then walked away.             For a moment, Twilight stared after him, utterly confused.             But then, something occurred to her.             A certain baby dragon wasn’t with her.             It all slowly began to come together. The black clothes, the condolences, Spike’s absence… No, she thought to herself. This… this isn’t happening. This must be some kind of mistake. It just has to.             “Hey Twili…” A voice suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I… didn’t think you were coming.” She looked up- standing before her, dressed in his ceremonial uniform, was her brother Shining Armor. She opened her mouth to reply, but her brother continued, “You know, you don’t have to do this if you’re not up to it. I know that you and Spike were close, so… maybe it would be best if you head back to the palace.             For several moments, Twilight was silent. But then she shook her head- no. No matter what her gut told her, she wasn’t going to leave until she’d seen him with her own eyes. “Sorry Shiny…” she finally replied, “…but I have to do this. I’ll never be able to forgive myself if I don’t.”             Shining wrapped a comforting foreleg around her shoulder. “I guess that’s understandable. Come on then, Twili- the service will be starting soon.” His foreleg still wrapped around her shoulder, they walked together into the chapel.             Twilight was shocked at the number of ponies that waited within. It seemed as though the entire population of Ponyville had turned up: amongst the crowd she spotted the mayor, the “special friends” Lyra and Bon Bon, Derpy the cross-eyed mailmare, the stallion most knew only as “the Doctor,” DJ-P0N3 (better known to most Ponyville residents as Vinyl Scratch), and a great many number of others she didn’t know the names of. Shining leaned down and said into her ear “Cadence and me are gonna sit with Mom and Dad. You’re friends are up by the front if you wanna sit with them.” And with that, Shining took his foreleg off her shoulders and left her alone.             She made her way to the front of the chapel as though in a dream, passing the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they cried together on a pew. Soft, melancholic music emanated from somewhere, making the chapel more depressing than it already was. A few more ponies offered their sympathies, but Twilight paid them no mind. She had nearly reached the front of the chapel when…             “Twilight,” a motherly but somber voice said from behind. Twilight looked back, finding herself face-to-face with her mentor. The Princess looked down at her student, her eyes full of sorrow. “Twilight, I…” she began. Then, she lowered herself down, embracing her in her forelegs. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Celestia held her tightly for a moment, before standing up straight. “Excuse me- I’d like to say a few words at the start of the service.”             Twilight pressed on, finally reaching the front pews. All her friends were there: Pinkie Pie sat stock-still, a vacant expression on her face, her ordinarily poofy pink mane and tail hanging straight. Rainbow Dash sat next to her, biting her lip, trying (and failing) to hold back tears. Rarity sat in the middle, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Fluttershy sobbed into Applejack’s shoulder, who ran a comforting hoof down the pegasus’s back. Applejack herself sat next to Big Macintosh, his foreleg draped over the shoulder of his younger sister. He put on a brave face, but Twilight could see the sadness in his eyes.             It didn’t take long for Applejack and the rest of her friends to notice her. “…Twi?” the farmpony asked, clearly confused. “What’re ya doin’ here?”             “…I came to pay my respects.”             “Well I… that’s mighty brave of ya, Twilight. I’d didn’t think ya’d actually come. I know this is hard for ya, but we’re all here for ya- me and everypony else.”             “…eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied sadly.             “Well…” Rarity began, her voice wavering. “Things aren’t going to be the same at the boutique without him. I-In fact, I think I might take a break from designing… for… a while…” She threw her forelegs around Rainbow Dash as she fell into a fit of uncontrollable sobs. The pegasus hugged the white unicorn back.             “I still can’t believe it…” she mumbled. “One moment he’s here, then he’s gone. Just like that.”             Fluttershy continued to sob helplessly into Applejack’s shoulder. Pinkie merely sat, oblivious to the events unfolding right next to her.             The lights in the chapel dimmed, and the somber music faded into silence. “The service is startin’,” Applejack said. “Mac, scoot over some.” The stallion did as his sister asked, creating enough space on the pew for Twilight to sit. For a moment, they waited. Then, there was a brilliant flash of light, and Princess Celestia stood at the front of the chapel.             “Fillies and gentlecolts…” the Princess began, her voice low and sorrowful. “On this day, we gather to pay our final respects, and to lay to rest a life that had only just begun. It is…” She wiped her eyes with her hoof. “…never easy to say goodbye, especially to one so young, but as we bid him farewell, we will-” She hiccupped- even at her distance, Twilight could see the tears streaming from Celestia’s eyes. “…we will never forget the unimaginable sacrifice he made so that we… might live.” A guard wheeled a tiny coffin into the room, behind Celestia. She turned back, opening its lid with her magic; she leaned into it for a few moments before stepping away, her brimming with tears. Everypony stood, and lined up at the center of the room. A few looked over at her expectantly. Her heart dropping like a stone, she took her place at the front of the line.             A cold chill travelled up Twilight’s spine as she climbed the steps. She knew what was coming. She knew what lay inside that tiny coffin from the very moment it was wheeled into the room. But still, when her turn to pay her respects had finally come, her eyes widened in horror, drawing a hoof to her mouth when she saw what lay inside.             It was Spike.             Tears instantly began streaming down her face. He’d been dressed in a little suit, his hands clasped over his chest, a peaceful expression on his face. If it weren’t for the way he was dressed, she would have earnestly believed that he was just sleeping. She rested a hoof against his cheek and whispered “Spike…” expecting him to stir.             He didn’t.             No… she thought. No, this is wrong. I’m the one who should protect you. I’m the one who should be in this coffin. Her hoof moved down to his chest. This couldn’t be happening. It was a trick, some kind of joke. It had to be. She shook him. “Okay Spike, you got me.” She tried to sound amused, but her voice sounded more worried than anything. The baby dragon still did not stir. “Spike, I just said you got me. Now come on, get up.” The other waiting in line behind her began to talk amongst themselves, but she paid them no mind. Her mind refused to accept what she already knew in her heart. “Spike, get up. Get up. Spike, are you listening to me? Spike!”             She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to a sitting position. “Spike this isn’t funny!” she shouted, tears spilling out of her eyes. “You’re scaring me! If you don’t open your eyes and answer me right this second then you are in serious trouble! You hear me?” He flopped about limply as Twilight shook her.             Suddenly, her limbs were torn from Spike by an invisible force; she struggled, but the force was simply too strong to overcome. “Guards, please escort Twilight back to the palace.” she heard the Princess say. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Perhaps allowing you to attend the funeral was a mistake after all.” She felt strong limbs wrap around her own and begin to drag her away.             “No, let me go!” She screamed, fighting with all her strength as the guards dragged her away from the coffin. “Spike, open your eyes, please! Spike! Spike! SPIIIIIIIIKE!”               “NO!” Twilight’s legs kicked out, her cry echoing through the icy chamber before fading away. She shivered in a cold sweat as her heart raced at a hundred miles an hour. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, to realize what had happened. Overwhelmed, she buried her face in her hooves and began to sob quietly.             A nightmare. That’s all it had been. A nightmare.             …One that had a very distinct possibility of coming true.             At that moment, she heard something stir next to her bed. She looked down, seeing Spike shift in his basket. “Ughh…” he groaned, sitting up. “…Twilight? Was that you yelling? Are you okay?”             She didn’t answer. Her horn began to glow, and Spike began to float from his basket to her bed. “Whoa hey, Twilight what’s going on?”             “Spike, I… it isn’t… I just thought it would…” She set Spike down on the bed, throwing her forelegs around him. “Spike… I… I just need to hold you right now…”             She felt him stroke her side with his claw. “Hey, it’s okay Twilight,” he said softly to her. “I… I’m scared too. But it’ll be okay. You’ll see.” She squeezed him tightly, and he returned the favor. They lay there in the darkened room, simply holding each other in silence for what felt like an eternity. Then, quietly, Spike asked, “…Twilight? Do you… want me to sing for you?”             She held him close again. “No, that’s… I’ll be okay, Spike, don’t worry. Just go back to sleep.” Before long, she felt Spike’s grip slacken, and light snoring met her ears as he fell asleep. She remained awake. How could she sleep, after what she’d seen? She simply lay in her bed, holding Spike, until the dawn came. When the sun had risen, she climbed out of bed, navigated through the iceberg, stopped right in front of Yolvahdin, and said… “I want to learn how to Shout.”