Spike groaned in pain as he sat up.
Looking down he saw bandages on bandages. A silky blanket covered his lower half. He noticed the bed he laid in was larger enough to fit two Big Macs. The room was larger than any room he has seen. A pony would mistake this room for the outside if they didn’t look twice.
A red dragon with yellow horns crawled in the room.
“Ah, You’re awake. That is excellent news,” he spoke in a soft voice.
Spike watched the dragon place a warm cup of tea by him. It was steaming with herbal goodness. An aroma of mint waft against Spike’s nostrils. He picked it up and sipped it slowly.
“This monetary has stood silently in the mountains for 800 years,” the elder dragon spoke, “We held many magical artifacts too dangerous for Equestria. Living off of the crystals that naturally grow in this soil.” A brief moment of silence filled the with (aside from Spike’s slurping)
“Sorry,” Spike squeaked when the dragon glared at him.
The dragon sighed, “But I fear our time has come to an end. We are in desperate need of new drakes. You are the first to arrive in generations. Please, accept the apprenticeship!” The elder begged Spike.
Spike shifted his vision away from the dragon, “Um… I really have to get back to my friends. Can I come back sometime later? I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“Oh thank you, young drake! Thank you!” The elder cheered.
“My name’s Spike,” Spike offered his claw.
“You may call me Blaze,” the elder shook his claw.
The two set off around the temple. If Blaze didn’t insist on asking every dragon they passed, Spike would assume they were taking a tour. What felt like hours took Spike on a journey of wonder. He saw a garden of crystals being harvested by friendly dragons. A rainbow of colors shined brightly, reflecting off the wall behind him in a beautiful polychrome wave. The next room was a library filled with scrolls, books, tomes, and tablets of ancient dragon knowledge. Since Spike lived around ponies nearly all his life he only knew as much as they did about dragons. This was his one chance to learn about his own species! Their last stop was a room filled with… junk.
Shelf upon shelf, in cases, hung on walls, over and under tables. The room was filled with random junk. At the center of it all laid a giant book.
“Ah no, this is the artifact chamber. None of us should be here, some treasures are too tempting for dragons,” Blaze almost walked away before noticing Spike walking up to the book. “Ah, the book of time. Records everything that is and has happened. Ever expanding, ever infinite, ever- What are you doing, Spike?”
“Reading,” Spike gazed at the book taking in the lines he focused on. Suddenly, he panicked and ran away.
“We have to hurry! Twilight needs me! Rarity needs me! All my friends need me!”
“Spike, what is wrong?!”
Spike ran as fast as he could. Opening any and every door he saw. Blaze chased him through the halls, down the corridors, and through several windows. Spike was on a mission of urgency. Nothing would stop him! He tripped over gems but got up and continued running. A female dragon spilled stew over him but he kept running. His goal was met when he opened on final door. A door that lead to a blizzard in the middle of steep mountains. The cold winds blew him back. Tumbling backwards, he was saved by Blaze.
“Young drake! What has caused such disturbance?”
“I have to leave right now,” Spike said weakly, “I have to save my friends from that monster.”
“Spike, you’ve been running for hours,” Blaze sighed, “You are tired, out of breath, and in need of a nutritious emerald.”
“Can’t wait… have to save… everyone…”
“Brother Blaze! Come quickly!” a strange dragon shouted.
“Can it wait, Sparks? I have an apprentice to attend to.”
“It the book of time… It shrunk!”
“WHAT?!”
Spike could barely focus as he felt Blaze rushing him back to the room they were recently in. In haste, Blaze plopped him down and gave him a stick of sapphire. It tasted cold and refreshing, like a glass of ice water. The elders circled the book. To their surprise it did, in fact, shrink in size. It still held the same number of pages but was noticeably smaller than when Spike was first in this room.
Out of curiosity, Spike pushed his way to see the book’s writing. As he read every line, his knees buckled, his arms shivered, and his spine tingled. Tears began to whelp in his eyes. The elders looked at him with confusion of concern.
“Are you well, Spike?” Blaze asked.
“No…” Spike simply stated, “I just found out my home town was destroyed by a good friend,” he continued reading, “And that friend is now a stone statue in front of what’s left of my home.”
“The book only records the most important information in history!” an elder shouted.
“How could this be? What does all of this mean?” another gasped.
“It’s the end of days! All shall be lost! Tartarus is coming, Tartarus is coming!” several started panicking.
“Enough!” Blaze shouted.
Spike raised two fingers. They all stared at him. Waiting for his next word.
“Two years,” he whimpered, “I have two years before I can see my friends again.”
The elder dragons conversed among themselves.
“You’re friends are important, aren’t they?” Blaze asked.
“They saved Equestria several times,” Spike had tears running down his face.
“Have you done anything like that?”
Spike thought for a small amount of time, “I did save the Crystal Empire. But that was a one time thing out of luck. This is… This is the end of Celestia and Luna as we know it.”
Several dragons fainted, more panicked, all roared conversations on what to do.
Blaze placed a claw on Spike’s shoulder, “There are no small achievements. Anything and everything you do to help your friends help change the world.”
Spike looked at him and smiled, “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve heard anyone say, ever.”
“You’ll hear even more of it with age, young drake,” Blaze chuckled.
Spike turned around with a proud look. He took a deep breath and yelled, “Ok, So what’s first on my apprenticeship?”