//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Some Unexpected Guests // Story: Symphony of Destruction // by zeroxwolfx //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Some Unexpected Guests         “Please tell me that’s not what I think is.  It can’t be… is that a…” Twilight Sparkle was interrupted by the sound of a shrieking pony.         “A DRAAGGOOONNN!” she cried at the top of her lungs, signaling for everypony around her to look to the sky, and run for their lives in terror.         “It is…” murmured spike.         The giant, dark green dragon flew overhead Ponyville with its maw agape and roaring loudly.  With ponies shrilling and running out of the town square as fast as they could, the dragon began to lose altitude, coming down for a hard landing.  As he lowered himself down, his rear claw knocked over the stone statue of Princess Celestia, and with a short uplift of his wings, he managed to crash quite a ways away, his head crashing through the door of the library.  With his rather poor landing complete, he stood up on his legs, his head thrashing around in the library as he tried to free himself.  His massive tail swung around in his furry, striking the houses next to him and tearing up the street.         Twilight Sparkle ran down the ruined road, her assistant running alongside her as she made her way down the ruined street.  As she approached the dragon, she looked inside of her ruined library, and beheld a most unusual sight.  The dragon was flicking his long snake-like tongue out, and was eating her books.  This made her quite furious, “Hey, my books! Get out of here you brute!” she yelled, grasping onto his tail with her magic, and tugging him backwards, making his head pop out of the entryway.           The dragon turned around to glare at her with his sinister yellow eyes.  With a roar, he opened his maw and spat fire down at her.  In an instant, Twilight and Spike vanished, teleporting out of sight.  In his frustration, the dragon swung his massive claw at the spot where she once stood, crashing into buildings next to him, sending them into ruin.  Behind him, a bolt of magic struck the back of the dragons head, making him dizzy for a moment.  He turned around in anger at the purple unicorn before him, and lunged down with his huge teeth agape, poised to devour Twilight Sparkle.  She fired another massive magic bolt at him, which the dragon would have to settle for devouring instead.  He shook his head and screeched in pain as the powerful magic burnt his mouth.           As he spread his wings, the dragon took flight high into the sky, and dove down, shooting streams of hot dragon’s fire down onto the road.  Twilight managed to extinguish all of it, and shielded herself from the flames as they struck her.  Before the dragon was able to fly back upwards, Twilight grasped his tail with her magic again, bringing the beast crashing down to the ground.  Twilight Sparkle galloped right up to the monsters face, “Now beat it you big jerk!” she said angrily.  She shot several more magic bolts at the dragon’s rear, making him squeal out as he hurried to his feet and began to fly away.  The dragon turned to her, hissing angrily before he flew off into the distance.         Spike came running back to Twilight, huffing as he caught his breath, “Twilight! Are you ok?” he asked         Twilight Sparkle nodded to him, turning her head to where the dragon had flown off, “What in the name of Celestia was a full grown dragon doing in Equestria… and why was he attacking Ponyville… and why was he eating my books?!” she asked herself, quite upset at the loss of her reading material.         Twilight trotted back to her library to assess the damage.  Being as organized as she was, she had cataloged every book in the library, “Doesn’t look like anything important was lost Twilight, not anything that we can’t get replaced” said Spike, looking over the logs, and missing books.  As he looked over the damage Spike chuckled, “Maybe he was ‘hungry’ for knowledge?”         Twilight Glared at him, “Hungry enough to smash up Ponyville, and try and burn me alive?” she said sarcastically.  She tapped her hoof to her chin curiously, “I should tell my friends about this, they’d want to know something like this happened, if they didn’t already hear it.  Well, except Fluttershy.  We’ll also need to send a letter to Princess Celestia as soon as possible.”  The unicorn shook her head at the mess of broken rubble that made up her entry way, and her bookshelves, “See what you can do about this mess Spike, I’m going to go make sure nopony outside is hurt.”         Outside, most of the ponies were huddled inside their homes, a few of them peeking outside to check the skies.  Twilight looked around, and saw no sign of the dragon, “It’s alright everypony! The dragon is gone and it’s safe to come out!” she yelled.  Slowly but surely, the ponies began to come out of their homes.  Shaken and scared, they began to gossip and chatter amongst themselves with all of their questions being about the mysterious attack that had just taken place.  Twilight inspected the homes that had been damaged by the dragon’s furious blows, and was relieved to find that nopony had been hurt in them.  She went straight to work repairing the minor damage to the houses with her magic, making sure that all the wooden planks and nails were securely in place.  Before she left again, she turned to the crowed of frightened ponies, “Don’t worry everypony, I promise I’ll get to the bottom of this attack! Try to stay safe until then!” she cried out, before she ran back to her library.         Spike waving at Twilight from the entrance of the Library, he was pointing to a scroll he held in his claw, “Twilight! You got a letter from Princess Celestia! Maybe she already knows something about the dragon attack?” he asked inquisitively as he handed her the letter.         Twilight took the letter delicately, and read it aloud as she walked into the Library: To my Most Faithful Student,         I have a very important job for you dear Twilight Sparkle.  One of my oldest and closest friends, Silverlight Aardunkay, has come to visit me in Equestria after he has been away for a very long time.  Unfortunately, I will be away on pressing business in Manehattan until the dawn of next day.  I would ask that you welcome him to Equestria, and provide him escort until I can arrive myself to meet him on the following morning.  This is a great task I appoint to you my student, for the Silverlight and I have not spoken in many years, and it is most important that he is made to feel welcome and respected after such a long stay away from our country.  I have the utmost respect for the Silverlight, and I trust that you will show abject humility, and honor before my old friend.  I believe that you and Mr. Aardunkay will have much to discuss, as he is well versed in the history of ancient Equestria.  Silverlight Aardunkay will arrive at the northern edge of the Whitetail Wood at the fourth hour of the day.  He has received a message from me, and is expecting my student to represent me in my absence.  Please do this, and preserve the good name of Equestria, and of myself.  Oh, and do not forget to bring your number one assistant, Spike!          Sincerely, Your always loving teacher, Princess Celestia            Twilight sparkle, although indeed honored to welcome such a guest to Equestria, was a bit perplexed at her situation.  She had planned to send the princess a letter, but she didn’t want to bother her on her important business.  And if she was to meet the princess’ friend in Whitetail Wood, there would be nopony left in town to protect them if a dragon should come back.  An idea came to her, and she pulled out a blank scroll and began to jot down a quick note.  She handed the letter to her assistant, “Spike, please send this letter to my brother, Shining Armor.”         Spike sent the letter on its way with his magic green fire, but he looked to Twilight a bit confused, “But, I thought we were going to send a letter to the princess?” he asked.         Twilight shook her head, “We shouldn’t bother the princess while she’s on royal duty, but we also can’t leave Ponyville undefended if we’re to meet the princess’ friend.  So I wrote a letter to my brother, asking him to send a legion of Canterlot Soldiers to guard Ponyville in our place!  They should be able to handle anything that comes while we’re away!” she said, feeling proud of her quick action, “Come on Spike let’s get the rest of this mess cleaned up while we wait for the soldiers to arrive, then we can make for Whitetail Wood.”         Only an hour later, a multitude of gold armored Pegasus soldiers showed up.  The citizens of Ponyville looked quite relieved to see them.  One of them, whom were dressed quite exquisitely, approached Twilight Sparkle, “Twilight Sparkle? Lieutenant Steele Hooves reports as ordered.” He gave her a salute, “Captain Armor has assigned the 2nd division royal Pegasus Guard to keep watch over Ponyville.  Your brother sends his regards, and says that we are the finest fighting Pegasus soldiers in the legion!” he said with pride.         Twilight smiled to him, and returned his salute, “Thank you so much Lieutenant, you keeping Ponyville safe means the world to me.” She stepped outside with the Lieutenant, “I was ordered by the Princess to welcome an old friend of hers to Equestria, and cannot be here to defend the city myself.” She said with concern.         Outside, the Pegasus guards were taking up positions around Ponyville, keeping a close eye in the skies, and around every corner, and on every street, “If I might ask ma’am, is there any reason for this sudden demand in defense?” Steele Hooves asked curiously.         She looked a bit unwilling to tell him, but eventually she sighed and spoke, “I won’t lie to you Lieutenant, just before I received my orders from Princess Celestia, Ponyville was attacked by a dragon.  He wasn’t the biggest, and certainly not the bravest dragon I’ve ever seen, I was able to send him flying away with just a few magic stings.  But it was a dragon none the less, and I don’t want Ponyville undefended while I attend my duties.”         Steele Hooves was a bit taken back for a moment at this information, but his resolution did not falter.  He held his head high, “The 2nd Division Guard will not let a single harm come to Ponyville Twilight Sparkle! I swear it on my life!” he said confidently.         Twilight Sparkle smiled and patted his golden breastplate with her hoof, “I know you will Lieutenant Hooves!”  She bowed to him politely, before she returned to her library to prepare for her journey.         “Come along spike! We don’t want to be late for the Princess’s Guest!” she said, as she packed the last few items into her satchel.  Spike prepared a small pack for himself as well, which mostly consisted of snacks.   After another second of rummaging through his sweets, he jumped out of the kitchen, beaming with excitement as they two trotted out of the library, and made their way to Whitetail Wood.         In the past few years, the young dragon, Spike, had grown a few inches.  Not from greed, or other draconic desires, but simply from the passage of time.  While he would normally be sitting on the back of Twilight for such journeys, his legs now permitted him to carry perfectly fine by himself.  He stood now at eye level with her, and his voice was perhaps just a few pitches deeper.  None the less, the young dragon had retained his good and moral nature at his stay in Ponyville, and had remained ever faithful to Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Celestia.  Twilight had grown as well, but not by much, as she was nearly a fully grown mare already.  But she had grown more talented, and powerful with her use of magic, to such a degree that Princess Celestia began to entrust her with much more important missions.  It was true, although the princess didn’t like putting her beloved student in harm’s way, she knew that she could not keep her safe forever, and she needed to be tested, if she were ever to improve herself.         The two would trot on and eventually reach the edge of Whitetail wood.  The trees were particularly green this time of year, and it made for wonderful scenery for Twilight Sparkle as she walked along the path.  Being as punctual as she was, the unicorn arrived at the clearing at the northernmost part of the wood at almost exactly four o’clock pm.  She waited diligently for Silverlight to appear, but after ten minutes of nothing, she began to grow a bit impatient.         “This IS the right spot, isn’t it?” she asked herself, taking another glance at her surroundings.         Spike began to grow a bit bored, and let his mind wander, “I wonder what this Silverlight guy looks like anyway, and just how the princess knows him…” he asked to himself curiously.         “I’m a little curious about that too.  But I’m a little excited to talk to him if he’s an expert on ancient Equestrian history!  I just hope he shows up soon.” She said as she checked the position of the sun.         “He must be one of those royal types, you know, always likes to make others wait on them.  Am I right?” he asked her grinning.           Twilight however, had her head turned towards the sky, with her jaw agape, “Oh no… not again…”         Spike looked confused, “What is it Twilight?” he asked.  But as he too turned his head towards the sky, he would find out the cause of her concern, as a great shadow covered them, the size of the creature landing blotting out the sun.  From the sky, an enormous dragon hovered swooped down into the clearing in front of him.  The large dragon was a shimmering, dark silver color.  He had fins atop of his head, and one that protruded out of his chin, making it look a bit like a beard.  The large bright beast had a rather regal look to him.  He landed softly in the grassy clearing, sitting onto his haunches, and folding his wings up neatly, before he gently turned his gaze to the small purple unicorn and dragon before him.         With a panicked look on her face, Twilight backed away into a patch of trees, trying to take at least some cover against the monster before her.  She glared at him, and her horn sparked and flickered with magic as she prepared to defend herself.  The dragon looked at her nonchalantly, blinking at her with his soft white slit eyes, “Do you speak for Celestia?” he asked, his voice, although loud, was not overly harsh or demanding.         Twilight Sparkle gingerly crept out from the trees, her horn still glowing with magic, “Y-yes… Who are you?” she asked wearily.         “I am Silverlight Aardunkay.  I admit I am surprised.  I was told you were to be expecting me, and here I am.  But you do not look quite as welcoming as I was expecting myself.” He said, raising a scaled brow at her.         Twilight’s jaw dropped and she gasped.  Her magic faded away from her horn, and she slowly crept out of her cover, “YOU are Princess Celestia’s guest?” She took a moment to recollect herself, “I’m sorry, I uh… I wasn’t exactly expecting a dragon… I had a rather unpleasant run in with one just earlier today.”  As she approached him, she bowed politely, regaining her composure, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m here to welcome you back to Equestria.” She said formally.         The Silverlight returned a bow to her, then laid down on his belly, his forearms draped out before him neatly, "A run in with another dragon, I will have to confer that with the princess when she arrives..." he shook his head and returned his attention back to Twilight, “Greeting’s Twilight Sparkle, it is an honor to meet you.  Princess Celestia has spoken most highly of you.”  Silverlight Aardunkay curled his head, looking at Spike, whom was still hiding behind the tree cover, “Young Carthanax is that you I see?” he asked looking to the little purple dragon.         Twilight turned to Spike for a moment, and tilted her head at Aardunkay, “Carthanax? Oh you mean Spike, he’s my faithful assistant.”         Aardunkay turned his head curious away from him, still keeping an eye on spike, “Oh is that what they have taken to calling you” he curled up his scaled lips in a slight grin, “Perhaps not such a fitting name for a dragon I think.  Come here Carthanax, let me take a look at you.” He said, beckoning to spike gently with his regal silver claw.         Slowly Spike crept out from the trees and stood next to Twilight, “Uh… hello sir…” he said, still trembling slightly.         The Silver dragon bowed to him, “You need not fear me little Carthanax.  I did not keep you safe as an egg only to lay harm to you now!” he said with a slight chuckle.         Spike’s eyes lit up at this, his fear disappearing, “As an egg… you know my parents?  Are you, my father?” he asked slowly, with wonderment in his eyes.         “No, no dear spike.  But I was charged with keeping you safe as an egg, and delivering you to Princess Celestia.” Silverlight saw the confusion in both Twilight and Spike’s eyes and he turned his head away some, “Ah, more mysteries from Celestia.  Perhaps this is a subject that is best addressed to you by her.  Now then, Twilight Sparkle, I will follow your lead until the morrow, when Princess Celestia arrives.” He said, raising his head slightly, and holding out a silver claw politely.         Twilight Sparkle was bewildered, at the idea of finally finding out the origins of her dearest assistant.  But she had work to do for now, and she felt confident her questions would be answered when the princess arrived, “Well sir, I live just on the other side of this wood in a town called Ponyville.  I’d very much like to show it to you, except…”         “Except that they may not be so used to seeing a very much full grown dragon there, much as you first were?” he asked slyly.         “Exactly…. Well… perhaps if I explain to them the situation they’ll understand.  I mean, you are a royal guest, and I know if the princess can trust you, my friends will!” she said confidently, “But, I hope you won’t be offended if they may be a little, initially erm, shocked.” She said, putting on a grin, “And I did promise Princess Celestia that I would give you all the comforts and respects you deserved, and I will do just that, Ponyville’s caution be damned!”  She kneeled again before the Silverlight, and motioned him to follow her along the path.         The Large dragon sat up, and walked slowly behind the unicorn, having to take quite slow and tedious steps.  He spoke as he walked behind her, “Perhaps there is something I can do that would aid them in their adjusting to my presence?” he suggested.         Twilight turned to him, “Oh? And what might that be sir?”         The dragon stopped, and closed his eyes.  He began to chant something under his breath, and a wave of wind began to swirl around him.  Twilight could feel a presence emanating from him, a very magical one.  As the earth creaked underneath him, Twilight could slowly see the dragon begin to change.  His form stayed exactly as it always was, except for it was slowly growing smaller.  With every passing moment he continued to shrink, more, and more, until he was about twice the size of a griffon.  Twilight looked at him with surprise, “I… I didn’t know dragons could use magic!”         The now much smaller silver dragon nodded to her, “It is a skill we have very recently learned to use,” He said as he continued to trot along with twilight.         “That is just… amazing!  If you don’t mind me saying Mr. Silverlight, ponies in Equestria know hardly anything about dragons!  I hope you’ll forgive my excitement!” she said skipping along in her step, quite giddy to get to see the ability of such a dragon.  Indeed, it was true most ponies of Equestria knew virtually nothing about dragons, save for the little purple dragon that waddled around in Ponyville from time to time, and of course the five hundred year dragon migration, a brief but spectacular occurrence.  The exception to this was the princesses, whom knew more about dragons in fact, than most dragons knew.            After they walked a ways down the woods, Twilight turned to Silverlight, to ask him a question that had been gnawing at the back of her mind, “Mr. Silverlight? If I may ask, how do you know the princess?”         Aardunkay walked, turning his head to the sky as he though, “Hmm that was a very long time ago you see.  I first met the princess fifteen hundred years ago, to the day I believe.  Yes, met her then, as did all dragons of the time, but I believe I was the only dragon of that time whom would remember her,” he said as his memories brought him to the past.         “And why would you be the only one to remember her sir?” she asked again, her curiosity going wild.         The old dragon sighed, “I think because after I first met her, I would miss her,” he said with a hint of sorrow on his face, which he quickly shook off.         “Was she much like she is now?” Twilight asked.         “Oh yes.  The princess has always been very caring of all things,” he smiled, “And very mysterious to reveal things to those she cares about!  But, I suppose that’s because she would like those she cares about to learn things on their own, instead of relying on her so much,” he finished with a nod.         Twilight Sparkle smiled warmly at this and nodded, “She has been a wonderful teacher for me.  I feel truly blessed to be her prodigy student.  I don’t think I’d have learned half as much as I have without her!” she said with joy, remembering the caring teachings of her dearest mentor.         Just over the next hill, the town of Ponyville could be seen in the distance, “Oh, is that your town Twilight Sparkle?  And it looks like some Pegasai are coming to greet us.” he said as he sat down, admiring the view of the little town.          Twilight Sparkle gasped as she saw the Pegasus approaching them “And… they’re coming to greet us quite rapidly.  And they’re coming with spears…  Oh dear, this might be a bit more difficult than I thought.”