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CH7

“Oh Pearl how was your trip you left so suddenly? Oh you know Autumn I got conned into a little trip to Canterlot by a maniacal smoke ghost, took a little stroll through the palace to meet the princess.” Pearl tipped toed through the palace hallways whispering to herself in a mocking tone, trying to avoid any pony that would cross her or to a greater extent Gallitais.

“You protest too much Pearl, we would have been to the palace main hall ages ago, but your persistent whining about the lives of the guards has slowed our progress.” Gallitais tone was sharp and made Pearl angry. After entering the Palace they had encountered a few guards and Galliatais dispatched them in the blink of an eye, but as he floated his silvery prison to end their lives Pearl stepped in his way telling him she wouldn’t let him. Gallitais was unamused with his carrier but opted to knock them out and take a stealthier approach to keep her quiet. “Silence now pony we have arrived to the great hall of Celestia.” Gallatias grew to massive proportions to match the scale of the door in front of him. “I can see our home in its design.” A ghost hoof stroked the door. Pearl could fell an overwhelming sense of sorrow when the mass of smoke spoke.

“Princess good morning I see you are well.” A tall purple scaled dragon approached the throne of the great Alicorn ruler of Equestria. Tall and well groomed spike had grown in the past ten years, his refined speech and posture made him a good fit to be the Princesses assistant.

“And good morning to you Spike you look fine this day, tell me what is on the agenda to day?” The pristine white Princess gave her assistant a warm smile. “Tell me Spike have you heard from my sister as of late?” Spike scratched his vibrant green head fin.

“No princess, she lowered the moon and retreated to somewhere in the castle. Why? If you need I can send for a summons.” Spike was slightly off set by Celestias request. “Well any way the Palace will open and we must see to the ponies that need us.”

It was a usual routine that had occurred for a long time. The day would consist of a flood of distort ponies clamoring to the princess for her help. It was taxing on the sun goddess but Luna had returned to her and with some time she began to help her sister lessen the burden of leadership. And after Twilight Sparkle turned her back to the world Spike had returned to Canterlot. He had worked with Twilight Sparkle long enough to have learned how to deal with ponies and their problems. It would were thin at times the endless stream of pity problems, Spike held a greater resolve for the princess she had dealt with this for longer than any history book had told.

“Before we open for today,” Celestia stepped from her throne and to Spikes side. “I know you miss her.” Spike snapped from a slight doldrums stance and stood at attention to the inquiry. “Now no need to be like that, how long has it been since you’ve seen her or your friends?” Celestia put Spike at ease but only slightly.

“I left her to herself sacrifice long ago, I do fell a little pity for her, but blatant disregard for m… her friends lead her to where she is now. I tried princess I really did but she turned her back on us and even you.” Spike turned away from the sun goddess she reached out and put a hoof to his shoulder.

“One day she will come to her sense, as punishment I may have taken the Element of Magic from her but she still is one of the most talented unicorns I have ever met. She just needs some kind of push and she’ll come around.” Spike held Celestias hoof and sucked up the welling emotions that came with their conversations of Twilight. “Now let’s open these doors there are ponies that are in need of our counsel.” Celestia stepped to her throne and waved for the doors to be opened.

The doors flew open and a bellowing smoke filled the ball room. In the door way stood a white filly with a strange object on her back. She stood looking at the princess and gave a sheepish grin to the stunned on lookers. Pearl felt like vanishing from the scene, there sat Princess Celestia the ruler over all of Equestria. She stared at Pearl bewildered as Pearl slowly stepped in to better light as the smoke settled across the floor, it was thick and the floor was consumed by it.

“Identify yourself Pony!” Spike slid across the blacked out floor. His claws at the ready against the unknown intruder. “This is the sanctum of the sun, throw away your weapon and wait to be taken into custody.” His voice dripped with venom and his nostrils bellowed his signature green flames.

“I see your keeping company with Dragons these days Celestia.” A dark sinister voice filled Celestia's throne room. Every pony in the room spun in circles looking for its source, only the cringing white earth pony didn’t search for the voice. “It’s been so long since our last meeting. I feared you had forgotten me,” the smoke suddenly began to form into the form of a great stallion, Pearl had Seen Galliatais take pony form but nothing to this extent. “It truly is good to see you again, my child.”

Spike dropped his guard when the great smoke pony spoke to Celestia. Child, what could that mean? But there was no time to ponder the smoky pony spun unleashing a ring of smoke snaring the other guards and himself. They were slammed to the walls and unable to move.
“Gallitais, why have you come here? Not for casual visit or maybe to catch up for lost time I presume.” Celestia stood and walked to the smoke form of Galliatais. She was so tall Pearl thought to herself her mane flowed to a breeze that only she could comprehend. Like rivers of a pastel rainbow it was enchanting leaving Pearl in awe.

“Oh how the ages have passed Celestia you look more and more like your mother with every glance.” Gallatais began to circle Celestia. “I have returned to reclaim what I gave you and your sister so long ago,” Celestia's eyes narrowed as he spoke and a look of panic washed over her. “Return my harmony. Equestria has grown fat and lazy; its ponies forgetting the sacrifices that have been made to ensure their prosperity.” Pearl couldn’t believe what she was hearing, his harmony? She thought to Twilights book and the Elements of harmony that she had mentioned on numerous occasions. “Return them to me and I shall bring Equestria to its knees and show them what they have forgotten.”

“No,” Celestia stood firm against Gallatais. “The Elements of Harmony will never be yours again. You speak madness; you want to bring war to Equestria. As the protector of pony kind I will not allow that to happen. What happened to you, you were once our greatest champion? You fought off those that would bring the pain that you seek to return.” Celestia was sweating she could remember the ghost in his former glory and all his accomplishment toward peace and prosperity.

“I can feel it Celestia, you can’t give me what I want because you don’t have it.” Galliatais leaned in to Celestia’s ear and whispered something pearl couldn’t discern. “You are broken my child, a scar in your heart severs your ties to my elements. Was it your sister?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed as he spoke. “Yes I know all about it, you may have cast me away all those centuries ago but I could feel the disturbances in my power.” His smoky tail brushed under Celestia’s chin. “If you cannot give me what I want then I will have to search them out and take what is mine.” Celestia was stunned and couldn’t move the once great hero of her past had lost his way, he spoke of war and harming those the once sacrificed everything to protect. “But I’m sad to say dear child if you can’t return my gifts then you are no longer of need.”

Celestia closed her eyes and shed a tear she knew he would carry out his threat. And without the elements of harmony together there was no stopping him. Pearl went to cry out as he saw Gallatais lift the Great sword behind the princess of the sun and bring it down across her neck. She turned her head away so not to see Celestia’s end.

“YOU!” Pearl opened her eyes to see Celestia lying on her side looking up to the ghostly stallion and there stood the purple dragon that aided Celestia, he stood fast against the sword that he had caught in his claw. His scaled hand was ablaze with green fire as he stopped the sword from ending Celestia’s life. “HOW DARE YOU INTERFEAR!?” Gallatais raged at the dragon.

“I will not stand by and let you harm the princess.” Spike stood strong against Gallatais, with a swift motion he pushed the blade aside and unleashed a torrent of his emerald fire.

Gallatais sprouted black spectral wings and shielded himself from the fire, but to no avail his wings burned and he cried out as singed soot feathers fell to the ground. Spike wasted no time and followed up with a swipe of his flaming hand, the fire left his claw and traveled towards Gallatais but he dissipated as it reached him. Spike took a defensive stance as he waded through the inky smoke that covered the ground. Pearl watched Spike as he waited for Gallatais to reappear. Then she saw him like a monster rising from the smoke he appeared behind Spike, he rose and poised to attack bringing a hoof up and reforming into a jagged spike ready to strike at Spikes back.

Pearl and Celestia went to call out to the unwary dragon but as Gallatais went to strike his prey down Spike spun and burned a hole through Galatais and leapt at him with engulfed claws. The burning ghost cried out as Spike struck at him. But then Pearl saw it Gallatais gave a devilish grin and his sword rose from the smoke and lunged at Spikes exposed back. “This is your end dragon.” Gallatais’ face twisted into a maniacal smile as his blade drove its way into Spikes back Spike burst into an inferno of green flames. Pearl could feel her heart sink as the fire dissipated leaving nothing but a bloody sword.

“That was close.” Pearl heard a shaky voice in the smoke to her side. She turned and her sad face took a turn when she saw the purple figure stand out of the thick black smoke. “Sneaky ghost you’ll pay for that.” Pearl noticed him holding his shoulder, thick red blood flowed through his fingers. Celestia retreated to her throne as she also whipped a few tears from her eyes relived to see her champion still alive, wounded but alive. But how he was a good fifteen feet from the burned ghost pony. “Well I’m glad that worked I was a little worried.” Spike kept the pressure on his wound. “How you like me now Gallawhatever your name was?” he gave himself a sturdy laugh as he taunted the now angry Gallatais. Spike readied himself for the next wave.

The two battled for a few moments that seemed to stretch out for an eternity. Spike would strike at Gallatais with an inferno of emerald flames only to have him sink into his smoke covered floor and rise to strike at the dragon’s blind spot. Spikes wasn’t without a plan either again and again he would consume himself with his dragon fire and appear a distance away. Pearl was stunned this Spike was amazing his determination to protect the princess was inspiring, nothing Twilight had ever written spoke of him and she couldn’t figure out why. His bravery was worthy of great praise. Autumn Breeze had mentioned a Spike and he seemed close to Twilight but how? Pearl was wracking her brain trying to think back to The Fall of Friendship for any clues to the mention of a dragon in her life.

“You won’t be able to defeat him like that Spike.” A new voice filled the palace, the female voice was strong and athortive. “Father was the strongest among us. We doubt your current level will be sufficient.” Everyone in the room looked to the throne as a starlit mist formed next to the recovering sun goddess. Pearl couldn’t believe her eyes as the mist became Princess Luna. The princess of the night looked over to Gallatais and to Pearl. Pearl could feel her gaze pity her as if she knew she was only a pawn in her father’s game, but she also felt a hint of scorn for bringing him to them.

“Luna you knew?” Celestia looked to her sister with surprise.

“Of course we knew sister; we know a lot more than you give us credit for.” Luna stepped past her sister and into the smoky floor. “What do you want here? Celestia no longer has your elements so be gone with you return to the forest and go back to sleep.”

“It is good to see you too Luna, but no I will have what is mine. Equestria must change if it is to proceed for the better.” Gallatais turned his attention away from Celestia’s protector. “My dear children, I have awaken after so long thanks to this pony.” Smoke swirled around Pearl and all eyes turned to her. She felt so small and wanted to run away. “I have learned much from this one’s memories; the events that have occurred in my absence are disturbing.” He gathered himself and formed his previous form when speaking to Celestia. “Nightmare Moon, the destruction of my guardians and worse Discord still lives.” the smoke began to agate as he spoke. “He is a monster that stole the lives of not only countless ponies enslaving them to toil away in mines and to be food for his kind but he gathered power by stealing it away from the great progenitors of the other races.” What was all this Pearl couldn’t comprehend what Gallatais was talking about? Pony slaves? Progenitors nothing was making sense. And worse He wanted the Elements of Harmony the powerful artifacts that helped Twilight Sparkle defeat those that would harm those she swore to protect.

“We are not like him Gallatais; to have killed him would bring more harm than good. His imprisonment suffices the necessity that is needed.” Celestia had gained her composure and stepped up to Gallatais’ form. “You have lost much since you died father, just look at what you want and think about it. To bring war back to Equestria would make you no better than that which you died to prevent.” Gallatais lowered his head thinking about what Celestia said.

“Dying to protect. It’s funny looking back on it,” he raised his head to meet hers, “that day I left you two I gave you the Elements of Harmony to carry on my legacy of watching over those who needed it in case I didn’t prevail over the dragon lord.” The smoke started to rage and swirl once again and Gallatais voice became stronger. “But in doing so I sealed my own defeat. I died that day because I looked after my little foals and gave them the power to prevail, the very same power that would have allowed me to triumph that day.” Celestia began to back away from her father his tone becoming more menacing. “I died and was transformed into that which he used to bring destruction to my people and those I loved, but can anyone remember it. Was my sacrifice remembered in the songs of those that survived?” Both Celestia and Luna began to create a barrier as Gallatiais rage filled smoke became as razors that cut into the floor and the great white marble column that lined the throne room. “NO! I was forgotten and our people began to die out, It was all for not! I will find my elements and be whole again, I WILL bring war and suffering to Equestria once again and they will remember what was sacrificed to bring them happiness!”

“Then I will stop you.” Spike appeared in between the raging spirit and his princesses. “You have spoken of happiness and the protection of those you love, and now you rage on about bringing war and pain to those same ponies.” Gallatais looked down on Spike.

“Silence dragon you are ignorant to which you speak. The dragon lord was a tyrant and hungered for power, he enslaved ponies just to Sade his hatred of my people and slaughtered those that would stand against him. I watched my kind burn in his hell fire and even my love wasn’t spared his madness.”

“And would you do the same? Become the monster you died to stop?” Spike’s voice was that of sadness, and Pearl could feel his scencarity.

“Yes.”

Gallatais’ word struck every pony like a shard of ice through the heart. Pearl began to cry she had unleashed a terrible darkness over Equestria and she could feel her dream of becoming a hero overwhelmed by her mistake. Maybe she should have just died at the bottom of that riven. Pearl was broken from herself pity when she saw the room light up in a brilliant green fire. She looked to the source and saw Spike once again engulfed in his fire, behind him stood the princesses channeling magic into their champion. Spike stood a bit taller and looked more like a dragon than she had always envisioned one to look like his great scaled wings sprout from his back pushing back the smoky blades the ghost Pony was forming. Only slightly taller than before and a lot more fierce Spike stood against Gallatais and readied to defend Equestria as its champion.

Gallatais was no match for the powered up Spike; every attack was swatted away and returned tenfold. The floor had been cleared to his smoke as they fought. Every strike of the sword rang in Pearls ears as the two titans clashed in the throne room of the great pony sisters. Gallatais started to gain some footing against the teleporting dragon; every attack reminded him of the night of his death and every moment driving his anger even greater.

This fight was going on to long Gallatais thought to himself with the raw might the dragon possessed and the empowerment his children supplied the outcome was clear to him. Then he saw Pearl, she seemed mildly unaffected by the feedback from their overwhelming attacks. And with that Spike landed a direct hit to the ghost pony’s chest, Gallatais cried out and exploded into a fine white mist and settled in a thin layer on the floor. His sword flew and landed with an ear ringing clang vanishing into the mist. Both Spike and the Allicorn sisters looked around in relief, was it over? Had they won the throne room was silent except the soft sobbing of a white earth pony near the doors of the throne room.

Spike rushed to the distressed pony, Celestia and Luna released their power over him as he stood over Pearl. “It’s all right pony, he’s gone it’s all over.” He gave Pearl a soft smile and reached out to wipe a tear from her eye. His smile was replaced with a warm and cold feeling in his chest as he looked in to Pearls eyes and they looked back with deceit.

“It certainly is dragon.” Pearl held Spikes hand and brushed another hoof aside his face.

The Princess were unable to react fast enough even though it all seemed to move in slow motion. Spike had rushed to the unknown pony that lay crying in the distance. As he comforted her like a flash on lightning Gallatais’ sword sprang from the thin mist and pierced directly through Spikes back and pinned him to the floor. Gallatais had possessed Pearl at the end of the battle and faking his demise. The real Pearl stood outside her body screaming at the top of her ethereal lungs for Spike to run, she even turned to the Princesses and begged them to see her. But bow it was too late Spike had taken his last breath and stood with Gallatais blade through his back.

“Gallatais you Bastard!” She cried out to her possessed body, but he paid her no mind and walked toward the Princesses.

The possessed pony smiled to the princesses. “Your champion has fallen my children. The elements will be mine again and Equestria will be pushed into a new era.” The possessed pony slowly walked to the throne and made his decoration. But just as he felt accomplished the throne room shimmered in a purple light. And a loud pop echoed in the destroyed throne room.

Every pony turned to the fallen corpse of spike to see a withered purple unicorn holding his limp cold body. Twilight Pearl wanted to call out but her current form prevented her words from reaching any pony. “Oh Spike you were so brave, I’m so proud of you. And I’m sorry for pushing you away for all this time.” Nopony spoke as the purple unicorn held the fallen dragon. A stream of tears flowed from her eyes onto Spikes face, Twilight reached out and closed his eyes and with a quick flash she vanished with Spikes body leaving only a bloody sword. Another flash and she reappeared at the foot of the throne with the lifeless dragon. “Of all the ones I hurt the most it was Spike that I hurt the most. I had abused him and taken him for granted for so long that after that day I turned him away so he would come back to you and be watched over.” Twilight looked to the Princesses and they held back the torrent of tears that welled up for their fallen hero. Then she turned to see the possessed Pearl. “You, you’re not the same pony that came to me holding my book and a heart of hope, who are you?” Celestia and Luna just looked to each other in shock.

“You’re very perceptive,” he thought for a moment, sliding out of Pearls body and forming the dissipated smoky form of a face, “I am Gallatais progenitor of the Allicorn race. And you must be Twilight Sparkle current holder of my Element of Magic.” Pearl was unable to stand after Gallatais gave up her body, she felt so drained, she wanted to tell Twilight to run and that Gal was dangerous but she was barely able to stay conscious. Twilight didn’t flinch when Gallatais spoke to her she kept that cool headed look of anger as she faced Spikes killer. “Stay safe my dear element I will be coming for you soon, and when I do this will all seem like a trot in the park.” Pearl saw the sword pulled from the floor and dragged toward her as the world sank into darkness.

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