Queen of Equestria

by Ponyman14

Chapter 1

Rarity pulled the levitating needle through the dress with her magic. She watched its movement intently through her sewing glasses as it wove in and out. It was a dress for a local client, Roseluck, and it was for the upcoming Ponyville Promenade.
"Stitch by stitch," she hummed to herself. "How excited Roseluck will be when I present the dress to her!"
It was the gratitude of the client, and the satisfaction of presenting a finished product, that kept Rarity encouraged through all her demanding work.

It had now been three months since 'The Dragon Incident', as Salazar's arrival in Equestria had become known as. Rarity's friends often joked about her oddly frequent encounters with dragons. First was the dragon in a nearby mountain, whom princess Celestia asked the girls to politely get rid of. The dragon bonded with Rarity immediately. Unfortunately they shared the same love for gems, and Rarity couldn't help but try to take one. She came out of the cave having accomplished nothing besides upsetting the dragon further. Secondly, of course, was Spike's blatant obsession with her, for reasons the six friends couldn't entirely figure out. Some of Rarity's friends thought it had something to do with Rarity's gem cutie mark, or simply because Rarity was the prettiest pony in Ponyville. But Twilight Sparkle felt that Spike's obsession with Rarity was related to her anti-element, greed, which worked in opposition to her stronger trait of generosity. And greed was, of course, the characteristic attribute of dragons. The girls knew this from personal experience. Little Spike had once gotten carried away with greed and turned into an adult-sized dragon. Lo and behold, Rarity was the one whom adult-sized-Spike kidnapped. Despite Rarity's best efforts, a bit of selfishness shined through at times; Twilight Sparkle felt that that was the reason for Spike's obsession with her. And lastly, the day when Salazar kidnapped Rarity, of all ponies, showed there was something special about the mare that attracted dragons. So far it had seemed to be a bad thing.

"There! It is finished!" said the unicorn triumphantly, as she rotated the levitating dress in front of her. "What a good idea it was to add the frills around the collar. Rarity, you are such a talent!"

"Who are you talking to sis?" came the squeaky voice of Sweetie Belle, who's head was walking into Rarity's room.

"Sweetie Belle, one should knock before one enters a room. And only then, upon being given permission, should one proceed to enter," said Rarity.

"…What?" squeaked Sweetie Belle.

"Talking to myself helps me keep focused while I work," explained Rarity.

Rarity sighed. "Never you mind, little sister. Look, I've finished the first dress for the promenade. It's Roseluck's. Alas, it's the first of several which I must complete by then."

"Wow sis! That looks amazing!" said Sweetie Belle. "Can I help?"

"Help?" Rarity gulped, "Well no, but thank you for offering."

"Aww, you never let me help with your work," Sweetie Belle pouted.

Sweetie Belle's tendency to cause havoc and destruction when around Rarity was good reason to be a bit skeptical. She almost always seemed to make a mess of things.

"Sorry Sweetie, but not today. However, how would you like to go downstairs and draw me a picture?"

"Gee that sure sounds fun, Rarity," said Sweetie Belle mockingly.

"Doesn't it! I'm sure you will have the time of your life," said Rarity enthusiastically.

"I was being sarcastic!" yelled Sweetie Belle.

"Oh… well do something that will keep you out of trouble. I must work in peace," said Rarity plainly, as she turned her back and continued working.

Sweetie Belle walked out of her sister's room, mumbling as she went. Rarity had to stop working soon anyways, she was meeting her friends later this afternoon for a picnic.

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The girls were having their usual weekend picnic on one of the grassy knolls just outside of Ponyville. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity were already there.

"What a lovely day for a picnic, am I right girls?" said Rarity, clearly enjoying the weather as she laid back on a blanket, basking in the warm Equestrian sunlight.

"You said it," said Applejack as she set down a picnic basket. Applejack's dog, Winona, barked and wagged it's tail nearby.

"Don't worry girl. Food's a comin' soon enough," said Applejack.

"Fluttershy, did you not bring Angel along?" asked Rarity.

"Oh no. After how troublesome Angel was last week, I thought it was best that he stayed home," explained Fluttershy in her soft voice.

Both Rarity and Applejack breathed a sigh of relief hearing that Fluttershy had left Angel behind. While cute and cuddly, the bunny tended to make things difficult for Fluttershy and her friends.

Rarity closed her eyes and concentrated on the sounds and smells of nature around her. A strong aroma of Summer flowers wafted by on a light breeze. Rarity relaxed as she inhaled the scent, and the sun warmed her fur. Mountains rose up in the distance. Down the great valley, a glint of light from the white stone of Canterlot castle could be seen. The castle protruded from the side of the mountain, dazzling ponies below with its grandeur and inspiring visitors with it's heights. A cool breeze made it's way out of that valley and passed through Ponyville, carrying a few clouds with it into the otherwise clear sky above Ponyville. Life was perfect here in Ponyville; it was a paradise for every pony.

"Hi!" squeaked a high pitched voice.

Rarity opened her eyes to see two gigantic blue eyes staring at her just inches away.

"Aaah!" yelled Rarity, "Pinkie Pie?! Don't you know not to sneak up on ponies like that?!"

"What can I say?" giggle Pinkie Pie, "I just looooove surprises! Just like the surprise Applejack's gonna get in a second."

"What's that now, Pinkie Pie?" said Applejack.

Suddenly a streak of rainbow swept Applejack off her feet. The other three ponies watched the rainbow trail to where it ended in a cloud of dust a few meters away.

"Oh dear," said Fluttershy.

"What in tarnation?" the girls heard Applejack yell, "Oh I see how it is, Rainbow Dash. You're going down this time 'round!"

Rainbow Dash's emphatic giggling could be heard as the dust cloud dissipated. Applejack and Rainbow Dash came into focus as the two embraced in a friendly wrestling match.

"Oh. Be careful you two," said a concerned Fluttershy.

"Yea, what Fluttershy said! Put that farm-pony in her place, Dashie!" yelled Pinkie Pie.

"Oh no, Pinkie. That's not what I said," said the timid yellow pegasus.

"You're next, Pinkie Pie!" Applejack yelled back.

Feeling that she had seen enough of this immature roughhousing, Rarity rolled her eyes and began laying out the contents of the snacks she had brought. Loud cries of laughter and playful taunts resonated from the two competitors for just a minute longer until Applejack, the apparent victor, had pinned Rainbow Dash to the ground by her wings.

"Let me go!" yelled the squirming pegasus, breathing heavily.

"Not until you admit defeat," said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash grunted as she tried one last time to wriggle out of Applejack's hold, but it was in vain.

"Alright," said the blue pegasus, "you win."

"Who wants to try some of Pinkie's delicious pink pickleberry pomegranate pie?" called Pinkie Pie to the two wrestlers. Applejack and Rainbow Dash recovered themselves and trotted over to the rest of the group.

"I wonder where Twilight is," asked Fluttershy.

"I'm not sure. She said she was coming. I talked to her just a couple days ago," said Rarity.

"She's probably on official princess business in Canterlot… Again," said Rainbow Dash as she shook some dirt off her wings.

"Didn't she say anything to anypony?" asked Applejack. "That's mighty unlike Twilight."

"I'm sure Twilight would love to spend more time with us. But being a princess is awfully important," said Fluttershy in Twilight's defense.

"Of course it's important," said Rarity. "Twilight has very important duties now, and we should all support her. Isn't that right, Rainbow Dash?" said Rarity, casting a stern look at her.

"Yeah, I know," said Rainbow Dash, kicking the ground with a hoof. "She just seems… different, you know? Like she has more important things to do than hang out with us ordinary ponies."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Like doing princessy things and… being a princess… and… am I right?"

"Rainbow Dash!" said Rarity, defending her friend, "Twilight may have more important duties now, but she certainly hasn't forgotten her friends. She still spends most of her time in Ponyville, and she always spends time with us when she can. Fluttershy, remember last week when Twilight stopped by to help you with your new animals? And, that was an all-day ordeal."

Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement.

"And Rainbow Dash, Twilight was taking flying lessons from you just last week. She could have had any pegasus help her,
but she specifically asked you."

"Well yeah… I guess you're right," said Rainbow Dash as she pawed at the ground with a hoof. "I'm sorry everypony. One of the first things Twilight said after she got her wings was 'everything's going to be alright.' But things haven't been the same. Sometimes I wish things could just go back to how they used to be."

"Well it's not Twilight's fault. She just has a few more duties to handle, like how I become a shut-in when I have a deadline to deal with," said Rarity. "In fact, I bet I spend more time with my sewing than Twilight does with her royal duties. It's not like she's moved to Canterlot or something."

"Yeah, you're right," said Rainbow Dash.

"It ain't all that big a change, honestly," said Applejack. "Twilight's still the same pony. It feels a bit weird right now, but everything will simmer down eventually."

"Why so serious?" said Pinkie Pie, bouncing into the middle of the friends. "Twilight's still the same pony we all know and love. She misses a picnic, so what? I say next time let's bring the picnic to her in Canterlot! Let's stop talking behind ponies backs, and chow down on these snacks!"

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Twilight Sparkle approached the royal archives in Canterlot. Princess Celestia usually greeted Twilight in the throne room, but for some reason had chosen the archives today. It was here where Equestria's greatest literary treasures were housed. So many magic spells were contained within the pages here it would take anypony a lifetime to learn them all. Everything from fairy tales to history books filled the archives with so much knowledge that Twilight always got goose bumps thinking about it.

Twilight had been fascinated with learning since she was a young filly, indeed it was what had made her the ideal student. She had spent countless hours here studying and researching, prior to moving to Ponyville to start her studies in the magic of friendship. Other than some students and a couple guards, the archives were usually empty. This was not the case today, as ponies were hurrying back and forth. Papers and scrolls littered the floor, brushed into the corners or trampled and covered in hoof prints.

"What is going on here?" Twilight said to a unicorn running by, but was ignored.

"Your highness," said a passing guard, "Princess Celestia is waiting for you in the atrium."

"What's going on here?" Twilight asked again.

"I think you had better just talk to the princess," he said plainly, and hurried off.

Twilight walked through one of the big hallways towards the main room. Dozens of ponies ran past each other this way and that, carrying or levitating piles of scrolls and books. Twilight, feeling the sense of urgency in the air, began to trot to pick up the pace. Two earth ponies ran into each other further on down the hall, dropping the papers in their mouths.

"Princess!" they said, as they bowed at Twilight's approach.

"Please be careful. Those could be fragile manuscripts!" said the concerned alicorn.

Twilight trotted past the two ponies into the atrium, leaving them to pick up their mess. Twilight stopped in her tracks as she entered the room. The atrium was generally inhabited by only a couple librarians and research assistants directing ponies to different areas of the archives. Today, there were about forty ponies frantically moving about the atrium. Several pegasus ponies flew in and out of the room's high windows, which were usually closed. Earth ponies and unicorns spread out scrolls on the floor and on tables. They seemed to be anxiously skimming over them, as if they were looking for something. When they were done reading, they'd discard the scroll or books in the corner and start on another one. Books were piled meters high in every corner of the room. Twilight had never imagined such a sight. Her immediate concern was of potential damage to the scrolls, many of which were ancient. And think of the tedious process to re-categorize all of them; the books should be carefully put back in their places, not discarded in the corners of the room! Both Princess Celestia and Luna were present.

"Princess! What's going on? Why is nopony taking care of these books?" asked Twilight as she approached Princess Celestia.

Princess Celestia acknowledged Twilight and turned back to the pegasus pony who was reporting to her.

"The last packet of manuscripts from the griffon kingdom is on it's way, your highness. We've emptied their archives of anything mentioning dragons," said the Pegasus.

"Tell the Griffon King we'll have sifted through them by next week, and he can expect their swift return," responded the princess. "Twilight," she said as she turned to face the purple alicorn, "We're in the midst of a national emergency, of the gravest scale."

"Oh no! What is it? Have the changelings returned? Is the Crystal Empire under attack?" sputtered Twilight Sparkle worriedly.

"Let us move to another room, so we may talk," said Princess Celestia calmly. She nodded to princess Luna and lead Twilight to a smaller side room.

"Why are the archives being pulled apart?!" Twilight blurted out.

"We're looking for information," explained Celestia as she magically closed the door behind them.

"But what does any of this have to do with a national emergency?" continued Twilight.

"Twilight, my faithful student. I apologize; I haven't been completely honest with you. My mind has been troubled since the dragon, Salazar, arrived here."

"But we defeated him. He's imprisoned in the big tower. Anypony who flies into Canterlot can see him," stated Twilight.

"It may seem so, yes," said Celestia, "That is all true. Luna and I cast our most powerful containment spell over the tower."

"I don't understand, princess," questioned Twilight.

"For starters, Twilight, it worries me that he has not tried to escape," said Princess Celestia.

Twilight responded only with a confused look.

"Let me go back further," continued the princess, "You should sit down, there is much for me to tell you."

The two lay down on their bellies amidst the scattered papers and tomes on the floor. The few candles in the room, the only light source, cast a dim and eerie glow upon the two alicorns talking in secret. Princess Celestia levitated one candle between them so they could better see each other.

"Salazar The Dreadful. Great Fire Lord of the North. Salah 'azar, as he is known in Saddle Arabia, where he only exists as a fictional character in legends. The griffons know him as The Wyvern King. He was once called The Great Wyrm in Equestria, as he's referred to in the older tomes here in the archives. Among dragon-kind, he's known simple as Lord Salazar.

"But… How old can…" Twilight started.

"I don't know," said Celestia, expecting Twilight's question. "He is mentioned in the oldest writings we've found, the oldest of which dates back nearly four thousand years. He is the king of all dragons. Luna and I believe he is the most powerful being in Equestria. We met Salazar once before, when we were very young. He foresaw a long and affluent rule for my sister and I on the throne. We parted from him with his blessings. That was thousands of years ago, in his kingdom in the North where the ground is of ice and the black mountains have spewed fire since the birth of the world."

"Princess, that's incredible! Please tell me more," begged Twilight. "How did you and princess Luna get there, and how long did it take? Were there other ponies with you on the journey?"

"I have said too much already," said Celestia.

Twilight grew silent.

"Twilight, my fear is this: I don't understand why Salazar has come here, and why he won't leave," she continued. She looked around the room, as if making sure there was nopony hiding in the shadows. "My enemies in ages past have always sought to overthrow my sister and I, or take over Equestria. If this was Salazar's intention, there is nothing stopping him. Were Salazar looking to harm my sister or I, he would have little trouble doing so."

Twilight's listened attentively.

"Salazar will not speak openly with myself or Luna. And I cannot see into his thoughts with dark magic; he is too powerful. Twilight, adult dragons, as you know, are fiercely independent creatures. The dragon way of life is ruthless and brutal; constantly fighting and stealing amongst each other. Their greed isolates them and drives them away from friends. They kill and pillage throughout their days and grow old as their hoards of stolen treasure accumulate - those who've managed to survive that long. This is always the case, for all dragons. I have spoken with Discord in great length on this subject; even he has the same deep rooted instinct. Even little Spike, as you've seen, possesses these traits, given the right circumstances.

"As the lord of all dragons, Salazar probably has the greatest hoard of treasure of all his kind. What could possibly have driven him from the North, where he ruled? It defies a dragon's natural instinct of hoarding. Everything we've ever known about dragons… this just doesn't make sense. I would understand if he sought to conquer new land. However, he came alone, and he doesn't seem interested in destroying Equestria or it's diarchy. You see Twilight, this is why we are searching for answers; searching for something we might have missed. Because Salazar's actions simply don't make sense. Only one thing is for certain, he will act purely out of self interest. Whatever he's doing here, it's because he wants something."

"Princess," began Twilight, "Surely Discord would have some ideas about what's happening. When we were fighting Salazar, and Discord appeared, he recognized him right away."

"Yes, Discord knew Salazar. He left the dragon realms to find more docile creatures to rule over; that is, us ponies. From our conversations, I've learned that Discord fears Salazar. That fear was perhaps one reason that drove Discord south, perhaps he was in some sort of conflict or quarrel with Salazar. I don't know. Yet still, Discord knows something that he won't tell me, I can sense it," said Celestia, firelight playing eerily upon her face."

"But how can I help?" asked Twilight.

"Twilight, through your studies and outside of your studies, you have learned to investigate problems analytically. You've used your heart to lead you to the right answer, even when your friends weren't with you. We can search every book in Equestria for answers, but ultimately the truth can only be found within our hearts. I will give you the full details on what we've done so far. And you have full access to the castle and the archives, of course," said the Princess.

"I am honored that you've trusted me with all of this, princess. I promise I won't rest until I find out why Salazar's here! To start, I think I should speak with him," asked Twilight.

"Very well," said Celestia, "but be warned, dragons are naturally deceitful. Salazar will say anything to you to make you believe what he wants you to believe. They are not bound to the truth."

This advice reminded Princess Celestia of something else.

"Oh, and one more thing Twilight. Before you fought Salazar, I sensed that he was communicating with his captive, your friend Rarity. For what it's worth, you might ask her what Salazar said," said Celestia as she magically opened the door behind Twilight.

"It was a touchy experience for Rarity, traumatizing even. I'm not sure if she's ready to talk in depth about what happened," said Twilight, "But for a matter of this importance, I'll have to question her. Oh, that reminds me, princess. My friends are having a picnic today, and I told them I'd be there. I need to send a letter to Spike to let him know I'll be late."

The atrium was just as busy as it had been when the two ponies left it.

"I'm sorry Twilight. I simple don't have time," said Celestia as they walked into the room.

"Sister," said Luna as she walked up to the two, "I am exhausted. I have been at this the whole night."

"I'll take the day shift now. But could you do one last thing, sister? Please take Twilight to see Salazar," said Celestia.

"Of course, sister," responded the tired Luna.

"Come with me, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, walking off.

Twilight trotted after her. Princess Luna lead them through the archives. As they went deeper, the number of ponies hurrying about decreased. The ponies each bowed to and addressed the princesses as they passed by. Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit saddened by it; nopony ever said "Hey Twilight!" or "I really like your mane today, Twilight" anymore. It was just "Your majesty, or "Princess Sparkle" every single time. She wished somepony would just ask her how her day was going. But being a princess came with big changes, which she had to accept and deal with.

Twilight now noticed that she was not in the archives anymore. Princess Luna was leading her down a dark, stone hallway which Twilight had never been down before. Their clopping hooves echoed through the empty stone passageway, which was illuminated only by a soft blue light emanating from Luna's horn.

"This is a shorter route, Twilight. It's faster than going around to enter the great tower," Luna explained.

"Princess," asked Twilight, "What are your thoughts about all of this? Why do you think Salazar came to Equestria?"

"Salazar's arrival here is truly troubling. I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you, Twilight Sparkle. My sister's guess is better than my own, she has seen one thousand years more of Equestria than I have, after all."

The two ponies came to a dead end. With a spark from Luna's horn, the stone wall rumbled and slide off to one side, exposing a spiral staircase. Twilight recognized it as the well-trodden staircase of the main tower.

"Wow. I never knew that passage was there!" said Twilight as they began climbing the stairs.

"This castle holds many secrets, Twilight Sparkle. There are many forgotten passages leading deep into the mountains. Many of which, I do not even know of. Yes, many secrets…"

Princess Luna was never much of a conversationalist. She was very reserved, even when ponies tried to get close to her. But she had been through a lot in the last couple years. The two ponies were greeted by a royal guard descending the staircase.

"From appearance, inside and out, it looks like Salazar is restrained," said Luna in a hushed voice, "but, as my sister probably told you, we're afraid that he's only playing along, letting ponies believe he's our captive. He is more powerful than any binding spell we could ever cast. You will see."

After a couple more minutes of climbing, the alicorns reached the floor of the tower where Salazar was imprisoned. The walls were open on all sides, besides being dotted with support pillars, giving a complete view in every direction; thus why Salazar could be seen by any pegasus flying around outside, or from certain spots on the rooftops of Canterlot below. Dotting the floor were more big pillars supporting the ceiling and steeple above.

"In times of war long passed, my sister used this floor as an observation deck and war room," said Luna. "I had no recollection of it though, since I never lived in Canterlot. My sister did not build this castle until after my banishment."

Twilight stepped through a thick wall of glittering white light as she came up the last step. Celestia's containment force field. The force field also stretched along the floor's perimeter. A coil of jet black, scaly dragon tail filled most of the room. Segments of tail lay over each other and criss-crossed this way and that. It reminded Twilight of a pile of rope, only moving and breathing. Two dozen guard unicorns stood watch over the passive dragon at various places around the room.

"Leave us," spoke princess Luna, and the guards trotted orderly to the stairs and disappeared, closing the trapdoor behind them.

Immediately, as if on cue, the giant coil of black scales began to move. The segments moved in all different directions, some loops closing and some loosening. In a moment the dragon's head slid into view and moved towards the two ponies, slithering from side to side as a snake would. Twilight backed away, alarmed by the strange creature and it's snake-like movements. Princess Luna stood her ground. The giant, scaly head came to rest just in front of Princess Luna. Two glowing yellow reptile eyes studied the two alicorns for a minute. Suddenly jets of smoke were released from the dragon's nostrils, engulfing Princess Luna.

"Princess!" yelled Twilight.

The smoke dissipated, as Luna flapped her wings like giant fans to clear it. The princess seemed unmoved.

"Salazar. This is Princess Twilight Sparkle… Come forth Twilight," spoke Princess Luna calmly.

Twilight cautiously walked up beside her.

A deep, rumbling voice started, "So this is Celestia's student. The chosen successor to Equestria's throne."

Twilight remained speechless, not fully grasping what she was hearing. Princess Luna reared up and staggered to the side in disbelief.

"H... How could you know that? My sister and I haven't even decided on the matter yet," asked the stunned Princess Luna.

"I know many things, moon princess," said the expressionless dragon.

Luna looked flustered and upset. "Twilight Sparkle wishes to speak with you," she said plainly and stomped heatedly back towards the trapdoor. She quickly disappeared down the staircase, leaving Twilight staring blankly at the massive black dragon before her. Princess Luna had never been as warm to ponies as her sister was. Twilight wished Luna had stayed with her, she had never encountered a creature this big and intimidating before.

"Ahem," Twilight cleared her throat, "If you wouldn't mind, sir, um… Salazar, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

The dragon only stared at Twilight. What was she going to ask again? She had forgotten the questions that she came up with! "Why oh why didn't I write them down?" she thought.

"Um… Why did you come here? ... to Equestria that is?" asked Twilight in a meek voice, unusual for her.

"Surely a princess can think of a better question than that," rumbled the dragon's voice.

"Well if it is a simple question, you should be able to answer it," responded Twilight, gaining some confidence.

The dragon closed his eyes. "I choose not to answer," he spoke.

"Oh," said Twilight plainly. Well that wasn't a good start to things. Salazar began to stir, his head started moving in an arc around Twilight while his eyes remained fixed on her.

"Stop. What are you doing?" asked Twilight worriedly.

"What kind of question is that?" responded Salazar.

"Um… Where did you come from?" asked the purple alicorn.

"From the Frozen North, as you call it," responded Salazar, continuing to encircle Twilight.

"And you were the lord of all the dragons, weren't you?" asked Twilight as she turned to keep face to face with him.

"Wrong. I am the lord of all dragons."

"How do you know another dragon hasn't taken over since you left? Being so far from your kingdom and your subjects seems awfully risky to me," said Twilight in her usual quirky voice. "Besides, dragons are ruthless, they're probably fighting over your throne as we speak."

"The dragon hierarchy works not as such. Eternally, as a god, I rule. No dragon would challenge my throne."

Twilight gulped. Salazar continued to encircle her, making her even more nervous. Things were not going quite as smoothly as Twilight had hoped! Maybe she should just end the interrogation now and fly out of the tower?

"No, my little pony. There is no question my kin will receive me once again… If I choose to return," rumbled Salazar's voice.

If he chooses to return? This didn't sound good. The situation seemed to be deteriorating quickly.

"How old are you?" asked Twilight.

Salazar closed his eyes once more. "Hmmm," he grumbled, deep in thought, "this earth have I wandered for millennia. Since a time when these mountains were newly birthed, and the crystal caves beneath Canterlot were a sanctuary for my kind. But the dragons left, and the mountains grew old and worn. Ponies then came here and named the land Equestria, not long after The Great Frost swept the world, the remnants of which still cover the North."

"Where did us ponies come from?" asked Twilight, now sincerely curious. Salazar stopped moving and closed his eyes again. The great dragon lay still for a minute, and Twilight wondered if he had fallen asleep. Suddenly Salazar's blazing yellow eyes shot open, as he raised his head.

"This knowledge is beyond you. Even your princesses are not meant to posses such wisdom," spoke Salazar.

Twilight recalled now what her mentors had said, Salazar will say anything to make her believe what he wants her to believe. Dragons are not bound by honesty.

"Is it true then that there was a time before Princess Celestia and Luna?" asked Twilight.

"Yes," responded Salazar, now continuing to encircle Twilight.

"So the world was dark before then?" continued Twilight.

"No… I don't understand your question," rumbled Salazar's voice.

"Princesses Luna and Celestia control the heavenly bodies which are the moon and the sun," continued Twilight with a smirk on her face, "so either there was no time before the princesses came into this world, or the time before they came into this world lacked a moon and a sun! But you just said the world wasn't dark then!"

Twilight had stumped him, she was sure. "Aha!" She said, "I've caught you in a paradox!" she yelled triumphantly in her distinctive tone of excitement.

Salazar did not speak for a moment, as Twilight grinned with glee.

"I see," he began, "that's very interesting. Tell me, how is it that your princesses control the heavenly bodies?" The massive black coils of tail were still turning around Twilight, reaching higher towards the ceiling. She was now surrounded by walls of scaly dragon hide.

"Simple. Well, actually it's not simple. It's extremely advanced magic, and only they can do it," explained Twilight as Salazar glared at her. "Every morning at dawn, Princess Celestia raises her horn to the sky, and the sun rises behind her. Then at sunset, Princess Luna does the same, only the moon comes up instead. When Princess Luna was banished for one thousand years, Princess Celestia did the job for both of them. The moon and sun move across the sky for all creatures in Equestria, regardless of whether or not they know of the princesses. There's a lot more lore and history involved, but that would take a long time to tell you. Unless of course your interested? I love telling ponies what I've learned! And dragons too…"

"And this is what your princesses tell you?" asked the dragon.

"Well… yes. But it's also an observable part of everyday life," explained Twilight.

"Amusing," said Salazar plainly.

The two did not speak for a moment until Twilight figured she had better continue the conversation. "There is a powerful draconian creature living here in the castle. He's called Discord, and he's under Celestia's control. You know him, don't you?" asked Twilight

"I know of whom you speak. I have spoken with both him and your princess," responded Salazar.

"What do you know about him? Why is he afraid of you?"

"All dragons fear me," rumbled Salazar's voice, "I have no quarrel with Discord, as you call him. He is the embodiment of chaos and lives only to create havoc. It came to be of great annoyance to his kin. Discord's need for chaos would not be satisfied in the dragon realms. He left my dominion to seek out lesser creatures to rule over. In Equestria, he found he could spread his chaos to no limit. But defeated was he, and imprisoned in stone."

"I know about Discord's rule. Stories of his reign are well preserved in Equestrian history," said Twilight, stepping forward, "but your presence is a mystery. Why not let me help you? We'll find whatever you're looking for. You're not making much progress trapped in this tower, are you?"

Salazar flashed his snake-like tongue at the pony. Twilight had his full attention.

"Or is that what you want? To be secretive and difficult. Do you have fun making everypony guess what you're looking for? Just cut it out with all the smoke and mirrors. Dragons may not be very honest, but that doesn't mean they have to lie constantly. Tell me why you're here, and you have my word the princesses and I will do our utmost to help you find it."

Salazar listened as his huge tail continued to slowly build an enclosure around Twilight.

Twilight continued, "Dragons are extremely materialistic. You're probably looking for treasure. Is it gold? Gems? A nice, roomy cave to move into?"

Salazar rumbling voice spoke, "Gems and jewels of ancient make. Rings and crowns of beauty great. Plunder fair and trinkets rare have I hoarded. But the ages have passed by. Pale the gold has become, and in my eyes the gems glimmer no more."

"What is it then? What are you looking for? Can't we help you find it?" asked Twilight.

Salazar spoke, "Your princess has already offered me all the riches of her treasury. Great, sparkling rubies, shining white gold, jewelry and gemstones, rare and common, from all corners of her empire."

Twilight was shocked silent. Princess Celestia hadn't mentioned that little detail… The situation must be really serious for Princess Celestia to do something like that.

"I enjoy your company, Twilight Sparkle. Your question shall I answer," said Salazar. The dragon's scaly face seemed to smirk. His voice reverberated in Twilight's ears again:

"This is the object I desire. A gem of unspeakable beauty, of which there are no others.
It is not carved, nor is it fashioned in silver or gold.
Not sapphire nor diamond is it, nor any nameable stone. Yet it sparkles and glistens.
It is sought by some, and envied by many."

"Ugh. Your answer's a riddle? Normally I love riddles, but this is serious! Can't you just tell me what it is?" asked Twilight.

"You have my answer," responded Salazar.

It now became pitch black, as Twilight noticed her scaly tomb enclose around her. The last stream of daylight had been shut out by Salazar's body. Her horn sparked and glowed brightly, as she cast an illumination spell, casting an eerie purple light upon the moving wall of scales around her. Twilight found Salazar's head, but his eyes were once again closed. She now thought she heard a whisper; she turned around but found nopony there. Another whisper. It was coming from inside her head.

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A very tired Princess Luna flew upwards towards the main tower of Canterlot Castle as fast as she could. Her sister was just ahead of her. Several dozen royal guard pegasi followed behind them, their smaller wings making them slower than their superiors.

"Curse it all, Luna! I wanted you to stay with Twilight!" scolded Celestia.

"It was not clear, you only said to take Twilight to Salazar. I should not have allowed the dragon to anger me. I'm sorry, sister," said Luna.

The alicorns arrived at the floor where Salazar was kept, and flew in through an open balcony between two pillars. Around the room, a mass of black dragon scales slithered this way and that. Twilight was nowhere to be seen.

"Twilight!?" called Celestia. "Oh no…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -[]- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I know what you're up to Salazar, you're trying to enter my thoughts. Stop it! I was warned about your dragon tricks," yelled Twilight. She concentrated the best she could to try to block out the whispers in her head, but it didn't seem to help. She had never had training in anything like this before. The whispers suddenly died away and Salazar opened his eyes, fixing them on his prisoner. The air seemed to vibrate and the floor seemed to rumble around Twilight as the great dragon raised his head spoke again.

"I have seen your past and I have seen your future, Twilight Sparkle. I foresee that you will cause me a good deal of trouble in the coming weeks," he said.

"I will? I mean, are you sure?" said Twilight, her voice tinged with fear "I'm not generally a trouble causer. Maybe you're thinking of somepony else?"

Twilight stepped back, but backed into a wall a scales.

"I could destroy you now so that you cannot interfere later," said Salazar as he now opened his smoking jaws showing rows of large, sharp teeth. Twilight gasped, unable to scream or fight back.

"Hold on Twilight!" came a muffled voice from somewhere.

Suddenly Salazar's attention shifted elsewhere. He issued a low growl. Or was it a groan? Twilight couldn't tell. She also heard what sounded like a battle going on outside.

"Goodbye Twilight Sparkle. Soon we shall meet again," spoke Salazar in tempered tone.

Outside, Princesses Luna and Celestia concentrated a barrage of magical fire against the wall of black dragon hide. Their meter long horns bristled and sparked with energy, Celestia's magic shined a rose white, and Luna's a florescent dark blue. Now the living walls surrounding Twilight began to loosen and move in every direction. Rays of daylight broke through gaps in Salazar's tail, blinding her. Moments later Twilight found herself standing in the middle of the great room as her eyes adjusted to the bright daylight around her. The sister rulers of Equestria walked up to Twilight to comfort her. Salazar had curled up on the opposite side of the room, his size still taking up easily a third of the whole floor. He glared at the three alicorns and flashed his snake-like tongue at them.

"Princess?" said a scared and shaking Twilight Sparkle.

"Yes Twilight?" responded Celestia, nuzzling her head against Twilight's like a mother.

"I don't think I want to be a princess anymore," Twilight's voice cracked as her eyes began to water.

To this, Celestia said nothing, but shot a firm glance at her sister. Luna heard her sister's telepathic voice in her head, "Twilight wasn't yet ready to face an enemy such as this," said the voice. To this Luna only lowered her head.