//------------------------------// // Stories // Story: Eternal // by Path_of_cloud //------------------------------// It really was amazing and beautiful, this magnificent city of dragons that laid before her. The view from below was nothing compared to the sight up here, and the company could not be beat. She snuggled further into her knight in shining scales back as they flew over the city, a personal request from her. “This is amazing, Spike.” She looked up at the beautiful crystal light source, the pride of the city and their last trials administrator, Niveus. “I feel as if I could touch it.” “I feel as if I could eat it.” For his comment Spike received a soft bonk on the nose. “Now, none of that. You are not allowed to eat the prized possession of your kind’s greatest city, understood mister.” He looked back flashing a goofy smile, it always made her heart swoon a little and he knew it. “I was just kidding, Rarity. Pretty sure Niveus would turn me into a Spikecicale if I so much as licked it anyways.” He pretended his face was frozen in an odd and funny position, reminiscent of Discord’s after they petrified him. The mare laughed, though she was sure Spike was right about the Elder’s choice in action if he dared ‘taste’ the massive gem. “Speaking of, as nice as our meal and this flight have been, a truly coveted memory to look back upon in our years together to come when we pass all these trials, I believe we should be meeting Niveus for that lesson on how he changes his breath magic and your question.” “Our question.” “Hmm?” She looked at him oddly “It’s our question, Rarity, not just mine. We did this together, you should have a say in it too.” He landed at the passage to the Council of Elder’s craned his neck back and nuzzled her. “We’re in this together.” She returned the nuzzle lovingly. “Yes we are my amazing dragon, but this is your chance to learn all those questions you’ve spent so many years wondering. I seem to remember you going across Equestria to get answers before.” His voice was soft but his words were unwavering, “I am Spike, Savior of the Crystal Empire, trusted advisor to Princess Celestia and Luna, fellow prankster of Discord the Lord of Chaos, best friend of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, goof ball extraordinaire, lover of naps, food, and gems, and partner of the most beautiful and generous creature to have ever existed, Rarity. I know who I am, and yes I am a dragon, but what I am does not define me.” She wrapped her hooves around him. “Yes, you are all of those things and more, but you deserve to know your culture and your people.” “And we will, but as a future member of a dragon clan, you should know the things you want to know about dragons too, love.” He always seemed to consider others best interests, or at the least tried too more often than not. Though he would claim it as something he learned from her, even in his younger years when they had just met he has always been ever mindful of any chance to help others. That was one of the reasons she loved him, a truly gentle and caring soul. Instead of furthering their conversation she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, before flicking the tip of her tail against his snout and dashing off giggling playfully. “Oh, you are mine my little pony,” he laughed out as he chased her down the hallway. Panting a little, only as much as was lady like after all, Rarity reached the Council Room first intent on straightening herself up before meeting their host but her plan was for naught as Spike tackled her, flipping midair so that she landed on top of her but pinning her to him no less effectively. “Got ya!” A strong chuckle filled the room echoing off the caves wall. They both looked up, snapped from their moment, just as their muzzles were about to close in on one another’s, to see the white Dragon Elder. “Ah, to be young and in love, truly a magical experience. It is nice to see both of you. I had begun to wonder if the city’s magnificence had spirited you away.” Quickly jumping off, face red and hot all the way to her ears, Rarity faced Niveus using her magic to straighten herself up. Spike on the other hand just kind of rolled over and took his place beside his mate. Both bowed their heads respectively. “No need for any of that.” He stood up and stretched before bounding down to them in one graceful leap. “We are here to train you, young dragon, and to answer the question you have earned.” His maw opened shooting forth a beam of blue beam that bean to freeze the ground it hit and form a decent size block of ice. Spike had seen this only one other time from the elder dragon but still it intrigued him, born from years of assisting Equestria’s most studious pony. His fire breath and the messaging spell were all he had ever really done with his dragon’s breath for, and he had never really considered that there was more he could do with it. The idea excited him, to say the least. “Alright, young one, the key to unlocking your ice powers, the next of the elemental breaths after fire, is to take an air of complete calm. Fire comes from your passion, and there are many forms of passion: Rage, love, lust, and even greed are but a few. For dragons such powerful passion is part of our very beings and nature. We are creatures of powerful emotion. Much like ice is fire’s opposite so too is how we call upon it. You must learn to calm your mind, your feelings, and your very being to the point that you yourself are like ice, precise, calculating, and hard. Focus all of that into your being and release it in your breath, pour it out from your very soul.” Spike let everything wash over him, placing his claw on his chest before moving it forward slowly and exhaling. He repeated the process over, each time calming him further. His mouth felt cold, but he paid it no mind as he took Cadence and Twilight’s methods to mind. Watching as her dragon performed Twilight’s ritual, the one that likely stopped her friend from accidently destroying Equestria in one of her moments, Rarity gasped quietly as she saw Spike’s breath turn into a green cloud exactly like that of any other ponies or dragons breath during a cold day, minus the green part. She watched as his eyes opened an uncommon intensity in them as he eyed the ground before shooting out his own beam of green from his mouth. The sight would have been quite impressive, if not for the fact that for all his effort he hardly managed an ice cube. Perhaps a bit cold, no pun intended she assured herself, but she could not help but think that maybe Spike’s new skill could at least help keep her drink cold during the summer months. Niveus watched the dragon curiously as he performed the odd ceremony, but the fruits of younger dragon’s labor were obvious as he saw the condensed breathe begin to form. What amazed the older dragon was that Spike seemed to be creating the frosty effect without consciously trying too. He would need to learn more of the process but he believed that this method may help teach the next generation of dragons in their ice training. He continued his observation, and, before long, he witnessed his first glimpse of Spike’s true potential as his eyes flashed open and the ice beam sprang forth. Most dragons were lucky to create snowflakes their first time tapping into the elemental power of ice, but to form solid ice was nearly unheard of. He, himself, was among one of only ten dragons who had managed such a feat, eleven now it seemed. “Well done. Well done indeed!” Spike looked at the tiny piece of ice feeling defeated. For all his preparation and effort, he had managed enough to cool Rarity’s drink. When the Elder of the Gifted Breath seemed so happy, so excited with what Spike believed to be a truly meager showing it was easy to understanding his confusion. “Um, thanks but I mean,” he picked up the shard of ice between his claws on one hand, “this doesn’t seem all that praise worthy.” “Quite the opposite, for your first time this is extremely impressive. Let us continue your training. I have more to show you to help you begin to master your new skill. Once you have, you’ll be able to summon ice effortlessly.” Rarity watched with amusement and amazement as the training progressed. Niveus had mastered his ability to such a level that he was able to make a copy of himself with nothing but his breath. Shapes, beings, topiary, and a whole flurry of impressive and creative ice sculptures formed at the dragon’s will. Spike worked hard to try and follow the elder’s example, but after hours of work, he had only managed to advance to a small cylinder of ice. “Very good, Spike, I’ll have to make sure you get further training from what I suspect will be your future clan members and myself. You have quite the talent. For now though, I think it best we end our session here so that you may rest and I may answer your question. Have you two decided on what you would like to ask?” “All you Rares, I’m out of breath anyways.” He gave her smile and curled his way around protectively and lovingly. The warmth the dragon radiated around her was manafique so comfortable and relaxing she couldn’t help herself as her legs lowered her into her lovers embrace. “I believe a question Spike and I would like to ask is: What is the Dragon Royalty like? You mentioned the story was about the King, but aside from that retelling we know nothing about him. As future members of the Dragon Clans I think it would do us well to know more of him and his mate.” Niveus’es brow furrowed as he thought over centuries and centuries of experience with the two he had long since come to call friend as well as ruler. It seemed a daunting task to put so much into an answer that did not take weeks or months, but he found that what mattered most were not stories, but the character of his king and queen. “For starters, the King is massive muscular with scales of earthly brown and spikes of purest green. The earth itself obeys his command, for never has one creature been so attuned with it. He is older than any dragon can claim to remember and is believed to be born of the earth itself, the first dragon. His very being radiates strength, command, and patience, but to those who get to know him there is much more. Take the story you two so masterfully sculpted. He has this way of looking at life, so full of energy and hope that one would think him a much younger drake. Most would be baffled to see the King of Dragons running around laughing and playing and yet at the same time it is a scene that feels very natural. He is old and wise, yet he is childish and playful.” Niveus looked over at Rarity as he continued. “I believe you particularly would appreciate the generosity and kindness with which he has ruled, though in my opinion this is largely due to the Queen’s influence on him. She is beautiful in a way that words fail to describe. Rich purple scales, blue spines, and light blue underbelly scales that make her blend in with the sky itself when she flies all adorned her lithe and slender body. It without doubt that she was made to fly as the very air itself bends to her every whimsical delight. If the king is born of the earth, than she must be born of the sky. Normally she is breath of fresh air, reinvigorating all around her with her mere presence, but if anything threatens her home or subjects she becomes like the greatest of storms. Much like the king there is playfulness that is infectious to all around her. She is nurturing and kind, and in what can only be considered against dragon nature itself selfless and giving. There is nothing she would not do for her subjects, but furthermore, there is no length she would not go to in order to help any who needed her.” He focused on the two of them together, and the old dragon felt something uniquely right yet familiar to only two others. “When I was a much, much younger dragon the only place a dragon called home was their own den. There was no council, no allegiances, not even friends among our kind. I met the king before he had ever risen to the title, though I believe he was always born to be king and therefore always was. He had amassed a hoard unlike any other and he was notorious for protecting it rather mercilessly. None could challenge him, and those who did were proven fools for trying. I was ambitious, and I was a fool. I got my tail handed to me off course but even after a rather sound thrashing I returned to try again and again. I must admit he probably should have finished me and I knew he could have, but I was drawn back time and time again. Funny thing, when you face the most powerful creature on the planet time and time again, you begin to become quite powerful yourself. We went from enemies to rivals. Our fights became less drastic and more the two of us trying to show each other up. At the time the concept alone was unheard of, a sense of comradery and competitiveness for fun. His tongue was as sharp as his teeth and often when conversing with others even when just to threaten them his preferred method was sarcasm. We were out one day hunting to prove who the greater dragon was, and I was determined to win at least once, but fate cared little for our competition. I found him when our agreed upon time was over, sunset, not with a massive pile of gold and jewels as I had expected, but with her. She was… beautiful, radiant, absolutely mind shattering, and he was trying everything he could to impress her. Flexing his muscles and tail, spreading his wings, trying to sweet talk her, offering her treasure, there seemed no length he wouldn’t go, and she blew him off time and time again. He swore to her and all the world that she would be his. Rushing through the woods I caught up to him from my hiding spot behind the rocks, he hardly seemed phased by my intrusion. He ranted about her, raved about how he would show her his worth, and went on about being with her. When we returned to his cave he gathered all his treasure, even corralled me into helping him get the incredible lot of it back to where he met her. I tried to talk him out of it; called him many names, but nothing would phase his devotion to his one goal: her. Piles of jewels, gold, and treasure filled the valley before her. He offered everything he had just to be with her, truly more than any dragoness could ever dream of, let alone turning it down… but that is exactly what she did. She told him she had no need for all of his spoils, and that if she he had hoped to woe her with them and the offer to make it hers that he may as well have been every other dragon. I was flabbergasted or a dragon to have no interest in treasure… such a thing was unheard of. Still he was persistent, and something about him seemed to peak her curiosity. Taking a single gem, she flew off and he was fast behind her and me behind him. What I saw next was the first act of generosity I had ever seen. She came upon a small dragon and his den. He was far too young to be on his own and in the world we lived in; he should not have lived at all. Reaching out she held the gem before him his stomach rumbling. Hesitant to take it, but hunger quickly defeated logic as he gingerly took it from her before shoving it into his mouth, hardly chewing before swallowing. I admit, I did not get it at the time. She seemed crazy, even turned around and went on about how this was far better than some giant hoard to only fulfill ones greed. It was hard to believe she was even a dragon, and I began to doubt it regardless of the obvious. The king though he simply rushed off, I thought to leave the crazy dragoness behind, but he returned moments later one of his biggest gems in claw. He too gave it to the young dragon, who once again happily accepted. There was a smile, a warmth to him I had never seen, that began to spread over his face. He flew off bringing more back this time as the dragoness watched on amused and pleased with the sight before her. My mind could not yet comprehend what was happening, but over the course of the next few days I watched him give every piece of his hoard to dragons in need. When the last piece was gone, a kiss was placed on his lips. The queen’s generosity had encouraged the king’s own. I had not realized at the time that he and I were the first friends among dragons, nor the impact that giving his hoard away would have on all the other dragons whose lives he had touched. Soon though, the two of them would have a following, the first clan. What started as a few dragons under their guidance and leadership would eventually expand to all dragons. I consider it the honor of thousands of lifetimes to have been beside them to witness it all: The Rise of the Dragons. Niveus stood, looking down at them and smiled. “Dragons’ have a saying, ‘The right mate brings out more than just the best in us.’ I wonder if you two bring out more than just the best in each other… though I am beginning to very much believe so.” With that the elder dragon stood up and bowed his heads to his guests before flying up and taking his leave through his alcove. Rarity and Spike shared a sweet kiss and started on their way back to their own room, thoughts of what they had learned filling their heads and hearts.