//------------------------------// // L - New Friends... // Story: Mortal Coil // by Reeve //------------------------------// My immediate thought was ‘Holy Celestia, he can talk!’, but rather than immediately blurt that out, I took a moment to script something a little more civil. “Hello Spike, I am Rarity,” I replied warmly. “And I’m Twilight Sparkle,” my companion added, although she sounded more curious than friendly. “Incredible, I never knew dragons were capable of speech. Can you understand what we’re saying to you too?” “Uh, yes… I do,” Spike replied, although I could almost see his mind working behind his big emerald eyes. Seriously, have I mentioned his eyes yet? I don’t know what it is that has me so fixated on them. Twilight opened her mouth, and I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was about to bombard Spike with questions, she was after all a scholar. However she never got a chance to ask anything before the sounds of the ponies all around us piped up again. “What are you doing?!” one of the demanded. “Kill that creature while you have to chance!” “Don’t just talk to it!” another snapped. “It needs to be put down before it can grow big again and kill us all!” one particularly hysterical mare exclaimed. The rest of the shouts followed the same general vain; I looked over at Twilight who was frowning in irritation and Spike who was staring at his feet in obvious shame. “Now hold on a second!” I called out, the ponies quietened down a bit at that. “I know he did some bad things, but he wasn’t in control. You all saw how my friend freed him from the magic that was manipulating him, he’s a completely different dragon now, he’s a baby for Celestia’s sake!” “He’s only a baby until he grows up!” one stallion pointed out, storming up dangerously close to us. “And then he’ll just start attacking and killing ponies again. I say kill him now and spare the lives of his future victims!” Almost all the ponies gathered cheered their agreement to the proposal; some had even produced pitchforks and burning torches from nowhere. I raised my hooves defensively as they began charging downwards into the trench to slay Spike. The dragon himself didn’t try to run away, I could tell he was afraid, but his misery and guilt seemed to outweigh it and forced him to stay put and wait for his end to come. When I could see the angry villagers wouldn’t listen to reason, I drew my sword, although I knew I couldn’t bring myself to turn it on an innocent pony, even if they were behaving uncouthly. They probably realised I didn’t have the stomach to fight them, so they just pushed past me, some charging right into me, sending me sprawling to the ground as they descended upon Spike. “Enough!” I wasn’t sure at the time what happened, but I was very quickly glad that I was already on the ground as the sheer force of the word sent everypony in the mob toppling to the ground. Sitting up, I realised that Twilight Sparkle was hovering a few feet off the ground, her whole body brimming with magic. “This dragon is under my protection!” Twilight declared in that same overpowering voice, facing it head on felt like I was caught in a wind tunnel, the force was so immense. “Those who would attempt to do harm to him shall be subject to my judgement, do I make myself clear?!” Once she stopped speaking and the ponies of Timber were able to move again without fear of being blasted away, they all scrambled to their hooves and fled. Very soon only Twilight Sparkle, Spike and myself remained in the trench, the former’s magic draining away as she lowered to the ground once more. “That was…” I began, looking around wide eyes to see that we were really alone. “Effective.” “I… I didn’t even know I could do that,” Twilight stammered, walking over to help me up. “Well then, aren’t you just full of surprises today?” I managed as I wobbled about on my hooves. “Sorry about catching you in that…” Twilight said sheepishly before snorting with laughter. “And sorry about your mane.” “My mane?” I repeated, confused at first before I realised what she was implying. “What have you done to my mane?!” “Don’t worry, it’s all still there,” Twilight assured me as she conjured a small hand mirror. “It’s just a little more… wild.” I quickly set about fixing my hair, it had felt like such a long time when I was bothered by something so petty, but I allowed myself the momentary lapse considering the deed we had just performed that day. “That thing with your voice,” I began as I finished fixing myself. “What was that exactly?” “The, um, the royal Canterlot voice,” Twilight replied, blushing slightly as she glanced away. “I’d never done it before… I never even knew I could.” “Must have been an instinctual thing,” I muttered in reply as I handed back the mirror and turned my attention to Spike who was watching us curiously. “I’m sorry about all you’ve been through, particularly at our hooves.” “No, no, it’s okay,” he assured me. “I don’t blame them for what they wanted to do, and I know you two were only defending yourselves when you attacked me.” “We shouldn’t stay here,” Twilight stated. “Just in case the ponies find their courage again, we’ll head into the woods for some peace.” Nodding, both Spike and I followed her out of the trench and the smouldering remains of the village. the whole way I could see Spike trying to avoid looking at the destruction he had caused, I felt terrible for him, knowing what it was like to be made to do something while under another’s control. As we left the village behind us and made our way into the woods, I put a hoof over Spike’s shoulder in what I hoped he would interpret as a comforting gesture. He did seem to get the message as he smiled up at me and didn’t try to fight me off. “I wanted to ask back when we first caught Blueblood,” I began to Twilight as we walked. “But that sceptre, what is it exactly?” “I… I’m not entirely sure,” Twilight admitted as she floated the object in front of us. “Princess Celestia gave it to me when I completed my studies under her. She took me to a vault where it was being stored, and told me that it was made and wielded by an old friend of her, the pony who taught her everything she knew about magic. She said that in all her centuries, she had never grown powerful enough to use it herself but… but she believed that I could. I reached out and lifted it up, as soon as I did the orb lit up and… and she was crying.” I heard Twilight’s voice crack slightly as she recounted the tale. “She told me that I had surpassed her and I was no longer to be her student,” Twilight continued, her voice odd as she looked into the orb. “Ever since that day I served as… well, I wouldn’t say her equal, but I know there’s nopony else in Equestria with close to the same authority and power she has.” “How long did you study under her?” I asked, although I knew whatever she said it would blow me away. “Several years,” Twilight admitted as she returned the sceptre to her belt. “I know what you’re thinking, how could I ever learn more in several years than the Princess could in over a thousand years, and honestly… I don’t know. There’s still so much she doesn’t tell me, like who made the sceptre or what all it’s capable of. You saw just there now that even I don’t know all of its powers, and I’ve had it for years now.” “Well, I think it’s safe to say that my horn is feeling considerably smaller next to yours,” I joked, earning laugh from Twilight and officially putting an end to the serious tone of the conversation. “Here’s a good spot,” Twilight said, pointing out a small clearing with some large flat rocks we could use as seats. Once we were all settled, Spike summoned a small fireball which he held between us all, hovering just off the forest floor. “Impressive,” Twilight muttered. “I read that dragons were magically on par with unicorns by use of their fire, but to see it first-hand… very impressive.” “Thank you,” Spike replied. “So… I have to ask,” Twilight began tentatively. “How is it you’re able to speak fluent Equestrian?” Spike scratched his head in thought for a moment before answering. “Twilight, that’s hardly a way to start a conversation,” I chided her before addressing Spike. “How are you feeling after what happened?” “Much better,” Spike responded with a smile. “It was horrible being trapped in my own body like that; it was like my mind was chained up while the rest of me was given the freedom to go wild.” “Very fluent,” Twilight murmured. “Where exactly are you from Spike?” I questioned. “I thought dragons only lived in the most northern parts of the Ash Lands.” “Yeah, that’s where I’m from,” Spike confirmed. “My whole clan lives there.” “But if you’re from the Ash Lands,” Twilight began. “How did you get so far south? And for that matter, how did you come to be so full of dark magic?” “I think both those questions have the same answer,” Spike said with a frown. “You were surprised by how I spoke your tongue so well, you see the thing is, I always liked watching ponies. My clan doesn’t live too far northwest of the city you call Cragsburg, the first time I ever saw a pony was when I was very young. It was my first time outside the nest, my first time searching for gems on my own. I saw a group of ponies out mining and… and I watched them, for hours. “I don’t know why, but ponies always intrigued me,” he continued. “The rest of my clan didn’t care about them; they had long since stopped trying to hunt ponies as it only resulted in them hunting us in return. However I was interested in ponies for reasons beyond wanting to eat them, which always confused the others, something about them I just found fascinating. After the first time, I would intentionally seek out ponies to watch rather than gems to scavenge, I spent months travelling from my nest to the places where I knew ponies often gathered to work. “I was always a quick learner,” Spike said, the pride clear in his voice. “I’m easily the best at magic in my brood, so picking up your language was easy with the amount of time I spent watching and listening to ponies. As time went on, I got more daring, travelling further and further from my nest, there were times I was nearly inside Cragsburg itself. The closer I got to the city, the more I heard and the more I learnt. It was crazy, but for a while I actually convinced myself that if I observed long enough, I could one day walk into the city and talk and act like just another pony, and I might be accepted into their world and for once not have to sneak around and watch them from a safe distance.” “I don’t understand, did you not like living with other dragons?” I asked, slightly concerned. “I did, I did,” Spike insisted, although I could hear the hesitation in his voice. “I don’t know why I distanced myself so much from my clan; I don’t know why I felt so restless among them. I certainly don’t know why my only dreams were of one day being able to live among ponies like I was one of them, and not having them fear and want to slay me… but I guess those dreams will never come true, not after today.” I walked over and sat down on his rock and pulled him into a hug. “So how does watching ponies tie into what happened earlier?” Twilight asked warily. “Because…” Spike began, swallowing slightly. “Because one day… the last day I remember, I left my nest and followed my usual route towards the city, but along the way I noticed a group of ponies I’d never seen before. These ponies wore black robes, but they had this amazing design that looked golden until the light reflected off it, at which point it shone with all the colours of the rainbow…” My grip around Spike slackened and I felt my insides go cold. Twilight seemed to notice the look on my face and nodded for him to continue his story. “I don’t know what came over me,” Spike went on. “But I had waited so long, I wanted just once to be able to put everything I’d learnt into practice, to be able to talk to another pony like we were the same. So… I revealed myself to them, I stepped out of my hiding place and tried to speak to them directly… and they immediately attacked me.” Twilight gasped and I gritted my teeth. “They cast… loads of different spells on me,” Spike said, his voice sounding drained. “Before long I barely conscious, after that… almost nothing. Everything is a blur right up until you saved me, even when I was attacking, it felt like I was slipping in and out of a dream.” “So these robed ponies are responsible for what happened to you?” Twilight questioned, narrowing her eyes as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Is there anything you can remember about your capture? Anything at all?” “I don’t even know how long I was out,” Spike muttered wearily. “I have… flashes, nothing concrete. Figures too blurry identify… restraints that eventually became too small to hold me… I think I escaped. I think when my body was changed, it acted to save itself.” “That… that sounds awful,” Twilight murmured, but suddenly Spike perked up. “I… I do remember one thing clearly,” he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. “Like a single image… I think I was looking back after I escaped, but I can’t be sure.” “What did you see?” I asked, trying to suppress the urgency in my voice. “It was a building…” he began. “A massive building, like a castle… it was by the sea. I’m sorry, but that’s as best as I can describe it. After that it’s just flashes of flying over countryside until… until I attacked that town and saw you.” “A castle by the sea…” Twilight repeated before looking to me. “Does that mean anything to you?” “I don’t think so,” I replied, searching my memory for any such structure in Panchea that I might have heard about while growing up. “There’s only two places on the coast that I’m aware of, Port Mule and Daybreak Landing, neither of which have anything that could be mistaken for a castle… unless you count the Fort at Mule, but it’s hardly much bigger that the city around it.” “I’m sorry I can’t tell you anymore,” Spike apologised lamely. “Don’t be, you did great,” Twilight assured him in a soothing voice. “And I’m terribly sorry for what happened to you, your first experience with ponies should have been better than that.” “Maybe… but it’s not my first experience I’ll remember when I think about ponies,” Spike said, smiling up at. “It’ll be my second experience, the time when you both saved me.” Together the three of us wandered out of the woods, heading up north so that we emerged near the bridge, the same bridge where we had first spotted the green glow in the sky. Looking back we were pleased to see the sky was blue once more. We decided it would be safer to keep Spike away from the ponies of Timber; they had to focus on rebuilding their homes and lives, a process that wouldn’t be helped if they wasted time trying to get revenge on a dragon who wasn’t even culpable. Once we turned back to Spike after looking at the sky, I could see him fidgeting awkwardly. “Something wrong?” I asked, slightly concerned by his agitated behaviour. “I think… I think I should make my own way home,” he said, rubbing his claws together. “Those ponies in that town probably won’t like you for defending me; you shouldn’t have to make enemies for my sake.” “It’s a long way to the Ash Lands,” Twilight informed him in a sympathetic voice. “It’s your choice, but are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable staying with friends?” “I think it would be for the best if I went my own way,” he insisted, looking slightly pained. “And don’t worry about me, I spent years watching ponies without ever being seen, I know how to be sneaky.” “Do you know your way back?” I asked uncertainly. “You’ve never been this far south before.” “Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said with a grin. “A dragon can always find its way back home no matter how far away it is.” He pointed off in a seemingly random direction, and I quickly referred to my compass to confirm that he was indeed pointing slightly west of north. “If you’re sure…” I muttered, still not convinced. “Give him some credit Rarity,” Twilight said quickly, resting a hood on my shoulder. “He’s pretty smart for his age; I think he can manage it if that’s what he wants to do.” “Alright then,” I said with a small sigh before reaching down and pulling him into a hug. We said brief farewells before he quickly scurried across the bridge, once on the other side however he stopped a brief moment to look back. “Don’t worry, I just need to see my clan again,” he called over to us. “I don’t know how long I’ve been gone for. Once I know they’re okay, I’ll come find you again; I do owe you for saving me.” “There are no debts between friends,” I told him. “Fine, then I’ll find you because friends stick together,” Spike compromised, flashing a smile back at me. I couldn’t help but smile in return, he gave one last wave before continuing on his was, and very quickly he disappeared from sight. Twilight and I let out a simultaneous breath at seeing him go before turning to face one another. “He was nice,” I commented lightly. “Yeah, I’m glad we were able to help him,” Twilight agreed. “I wish I could say the same for the ponies of Timber,” I muttered a little despondently. “It was such a nice town too.” “I’m sure the new mayor of Pivot will include them in the restoration programme,” Twilight pointed out. “But I doubt they’ll help us find Blueblood or Spitfire if we go back.” “We should just head to Pivot,” I proposed. “There’s too much to report back about.” “Sure, we’ll follow along the Lonesome Lake and find the next bridge,” Twilight suggested, leading the way down along the river to where it opened out into the lake. It was late afternoon as we walked around the lake, we had stayed mostly silent during our trip, clearly both of us were feeling a bit exhausted from the hectic events of that morning. After a while of walking in silence, we stopped for a break, standing some ways off from the water’s edge itself, looking out over the smooth lake. We chatted about the Blueblood situation for a bit, but for the most part we were only reviewing the facts we already knew and not coming up with any new ideas or suggestions. After another brief moment of silence, Twilight let out a small groan. “Is something wrong?” I asked her in a worried voice. “Um, no… it’s just, uh, I need to… go,” she said, trying not to meet my eye. “As in… go.” “Oh,” I uttered, realising what she meant. I looked about, but we were in a fairly blank stretch of the Grand Pastures. “I guess you could do it down by the lake,” I suggested. “I could go back a bit until the hill obscures you from me.” “I guess that could work…” Twilight mumbled, although it was obvious she wasn’t happy about it. “As every casual boat owner in Panchea chooses this moment to go out for a paddle.” Still muttering to herself, she made her way down towards the edge of the lake while I turned and started making my way up the gentle slope behind us. Once at the peak, I started to make my way down the other side, only to have somepony barrel into me, knocking the wind from me as we tumbled down the hill together, limbs tangled and locked. “Rarity!” Pinkie exclaimed when we stopped rolling as she was lying directly on top of me, looking down at me with her grinning mask. “You’re okay! And you’re here of all places, you’re okay and you’re here!” “I’m glad to see you too Pinkie,” I replied, recovering a little quicker from her surprise hug than usual. “But can you lose the mask, it’s really creepy having that thing staring down at me.” “Oh, sorry,” Pinkie said, quickly removing the mask and her jester hood to allow her mane to spring out. “I always forget I’m wearing it, but how are you?! Why isn’t Fluttershy with you?!” Pinkie let out a loud, horrified gasp. “Did something happen to her?!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide and terrified. “I swear if anything happened to my precious little Flutters on your watch…” “Fluttershy is fine!” I shouted. “Now can you please stop lying on top of me? Celestia know how this might look to a passer-by.” “Sorry again,” Pinkie said, bouncing off me and landing on her hooves. I got up a little slower, brushing myself down. “What are you doing here anyway?” I asked her in bewilderment. “I thought you were still at Brine, how long have you been gone?” “Oh, I actually found out some really cool stuff!” Pinkie informed me, almost vibrating with excitement. “I knew you and Fluttershy were busy at Olympus, so I decided to follow it up on my own. I was just checking in at Sweet Apple Acres there, they’re all good, but Applejack’s away in Pivot at the moment… oh! We should go visit her together!” “Sounds good,” I agreed. “Along the way you can fill me in on what you found out, and I can tell you what all I’ve done.” “Sweet!” Pinkie exclaimed. “So where is Fluttershy anyway?” “She had some business of her own to attend to,” I explained, deciding I would get into details later while we were on the road. “Right now I’m travelling with a different friend.” “Oh, a new friend of Rarity’s?” Pinkie said, rubbing her hooves together in excitement. “I can’t wait to meet them, I love making new friends! Then we can all be friends together!” “Well she’s not exactly a new friend,” I specified. “You know I’m surprised I haven’t mentioned her to you before… or you to her for that matter. Her name is… oh wait, there she is.” At that moment I just saw Twilight’s head appear over the crest of the hill, as she began making her way back to me after finished her business. “Good timing,” I greeted. “Twilight I want you to meet my friend…” “You!” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes flashing with anger as they landed on Pinkie Pie standing behind me. “Ah…” Pinkie uttered. “Oh dear.” My head spun around in time to see Pinkie Pie drawing both her daggers, a sinister grin threatening to split her face in two. Then back to Twilight as her horn began glowing, her entire face burning with hatred. “You and I just can’t seem to stay away from each other,” Pinkie declared as she readied herself for a fight. “My old rival.”