Spike's angst (and some other stuff, maybe)

by Crystarium

Dragon Valley

Author's Note:

This is a possible ~verse story. As in, it has a beginning and an end, but could have any number of filler pieces or spin-offs at almost any point in the story.

That said, because of the setting, a LOT of OC's would need to be included, so... yeah. Fair warning.

Tags: AU, Tragedy, possible Drama
Characters: Spike, Twilight, Chrysalis, OC, Other (for the princesses)
Note that these apply to this story. Any others written in this ~verse will have their own tags/characters.

In the past (when Spike still lived in Ponyville), a cult dedicated to Tirek found a way to replicate and amplify his draining spell, allowing a single pony to absorb the magic of every pony in the world. The spell is flawed, however, and instead of draining their magic, the spell will kill every other pony, leaving the caster as the last one left alive.

The Mane 6 and the princesses work together to take down the cult, but are unable to stop the spell from being cast. Out of desperation, Twilight does the only thing she can think of: she shoves Spike into the spell's epicentre, causing all other dragons to be killed instead.

Spike is shattered, but even more so when he is banished weeks later, framed for murder. The princesses believe he is guilty because they think he wants revenge for what happened to his kind. Even though they are truly sorry, they cannot risk keeping him in Equestria.

Around 1300 years later, the four princesses are leading a small (200-300) band of ponies in search of a new home. In the last few centuries, war and plague have left most of the world barren (this may be related to fallout. I've never played the games, so I'm not sure what the actual story is there). These ponies are the only survivors they know of.

One morning, as the Princesses are discussing their next move, a burst of green flame blinds them before one of their scouts falls into the room. He tells them about a large valley full of life, hidden by the nearby mountain range, that could easily sustain all of their ponies with room to spare (think Shangri-La). However, he also tells them of the purple dragon with green spines that attacked him.

Despite their reservations (Twilight especially so), the princesses agree that they need to talk to Spike and convince him to allow the ponies to live in the valley. They leave for the mountains, and follow the path the scout took to find the valley. They marvel at the amount of life present, having only seen sparse trees and wildlife for years. Before they can make a move, though, Spike finds them.

They manage to convince Spike to talk to them. He takes them to his home (He has a cave, too, but the ponies aren't allowed in). They tell him of their situation and ask to be allowed to settle in this land, which Spike refuses. He claims that they already screwed up their own land; they've no right to screw up his. There's some pleading and bargaining, before Luna subtly threatens that if he won't share, the princesses will do as they must to protect their ponies.

The instant Luna does this, Spike attacks, easily overpowering all four of them (uses magic and muscle equally). Holding Luna by the neck, he comments on how good it would feel to end them after what they did to him (killing the dragons, not the banishment). He almost crushes her throat, but is stopped by two young dragon girls (one baby, one adolescent).

The princesses are shocked to see living dragons besides Spike, and Twilight asks how it is possible. Spike refuses to answer, not trusting them with that information. After promising he will not hurt the ponies, and sending the two away, Spike reveals that they are his daughters, and the future of the dragon race. The valley was to be the dragon's new home, after they managed to repopulate. He ends his explanation by asking why he should risk his own race's future, especially to save the race that killed it.

The princesses are unable to answer until Twilight steps forward. She says that Spike is right: he has to do what's best for his people, the same way they do. He has no reason to trust them. However, the ponies following them have done nothing, either to earn or lose Spike's trust. They can be allies to him and to the future dragons. She ends by begging him not to punish them for her sin.

Spike leaves the room for a while, telling them to wait. They do so, but one faintly hears dragon fire. When Spike returns, he says that he is willing to discuss the matter further, but not today. He wants an ally of his to be present when they do, and they won't arrive for a few days. He will allow them to take fresh water and some greens from the valley back to their band while they wait, which the princesses thank him for. They leave while he calls out to his daughters.

As they are gathering the supplies they are allowed to take, Cadance and Twilight talk. Cadance comments that Spike doesn't seem like she thought he would. When asked to elaborate, she reminds Twilight of his banishment. She expected him to either be feeling sorry/guilty, or to shove it in their face, but he didn't even mention it. Twilight contemplates this, but has no answer. She wonders about Spike's new attitude, and mourns the fact that the baby dragon she knew seems to be gone.

Time passes, and eventually Spike sends a message asking the princesses to come. When they arrive at his home, they are greeted by Chrysalis. Cadance is immediately hostile (they all are, but hers is greater), when Spike tells her (and Chrysalis confirms) that she is the friend he sent for. Celestia asks how they know each-other, which Spike refuses to answer, saying there are other things to discuss first.

He brings them to a round table, where his daughters are also waiting. As they enter the room, Twilight notes the looks on their faces: the teen looks worried, while the baby looks curious (reminding of herself). However, when Chrysalis enters the room they enthusiastically greet her as 'Aunty Chryssi'. This raises eyebrows for the princesses, especially when Chrysalis greets them back in a friendly manner.

NOTE: the following paragraphs show the end result, however the story should take place like a negotiation, eventually ending on these terms. The dragon girls should also chime in now and then.

Spike brings up a map of the valley (real-time, like the one in Twilight's palace). He points out a few places that would be ideal for ponies to set up, based on space, available resources etc.. He also mentions a few things that ponies are going to have to accept if they live here (dragons eat meat, no controlling weather, and no technology past what was available when Spike lived in Ponyville are the main ones). Eventually one of the princesses points out a perfect habitable spot on the map Spike missed, and enquires as to why it is not available.

Spike then states the reason why Chrysalis is here: her hive is moving into the valley with the ponies. The princesses start to protest, but are quickly silenced as Spike roars. Celestia asks what's going on. Spike reveals that Chrysalis and her hive have helped him in the past, and that the two are friends. The only reason they don't live in the valley already is that it is too isolated to be able to find reliable sources of love. Once the dragons had repopulated enough that they could provide that love, he had always intended to invite the hive. But since the ponies are living here, he can do so now.

Twilight, a bit hurt at the implication, asks if the reason Spike is letting ponies live here is to use them as tools. Spike retaliates, asking if she means how she used him when he was a baby. After Twilight backs down, Spike says that he's not cruel. He expects ponies to give enough love to feed the changelings, however both he and Chrysalis swear that they will only take what is given, and only what is needed to survive. Chrysalis also mentions that her hive is roughly two-thirds the size of the princess' followers, alleviating their fears that they will be overrun.

Cadance is still doubtful, expecting betrayal, but Spike won't have it. He makes it very clear that the valley is dragon land. The changelings are welcome guests, while the ponies have yet to earn that right. On that topic, he says that a final condition of ponies living here is that they will have to pass his test. When asked, he does not elaborate, though he promises it is not something that will hurt them. After this (and some other minor negotiations, if the author chooses), the terms are settled, Chrysalis leaves to fetch her changelings, and the princesses go to tell the ponies that they've found a new home.

Time-skip to ponies moving in to the chosen town site. Some events take place (marvelling at beauty, anger about changelings etc.) Spike pops in, with something large behind him in a sheet. He addresses the ponies, 'welcoming' them. He reveals his daughters, and states that if anyone harms them, they answer to him. Then he reveals what is under the sheet: a massive pile of gold and jewels. After some clamouring by the ponies/changelings, Spike says that he doesn't trust ponies. So, he needs to test them.

This pile is a part of his hoard. For an entire year, it will remain in this pile in the centre of their (to-be-built) town. During that year, the ponies are to protect it. He has enchanted it so that it won't simply come loose, but powerful winds and such can still move it. Most importantly, ponies are never to take even a single coin or gem from it. If they fail this test, then every pony will be forced to leave the valley. He does admit that he will not blame a child for their curiosity (he proves it by harmlessly removing one who has already snuck their way to the pile). However, he also warns that if a parent tells their child to take from it, thinking they can exploit them, then in addition to banishing the other ponies he will personally eviscerate that parent.

As Celestia and Cadance get to directing their ponies to settle in, Twilight and Luna discuss the test, the changelings, and their future. Author's choice as to content, but one thing is important. Luna notes that it's not much of a test: her ponies don't have much use for gold anymore. Twilight then figures it out, and tells Luna: that's the point. This land is what's worth anything. Spike wants to rebuild the dragons on it. If he can't even trust ponies with a worthless pile of gold, no way in Tartarus is he trusting them with his race's future.

---

This is the part where the bulk of the universe can take place. Authors can make any number of stories regarding ponies', changelings', and dragons' attempts at coexistence. Anything not explained or completed above (including the result of Spike's test) is purposely left open-ended so a story can be written about it. In addition, here are a few ideas: adapting to life without advanced tech; Spike's daughters forming a new Mane 6 with ponies and changelings; a new race (gryphons, minotaurs etc.) being introduced; Cadance x Chrysalis with a love-hate relationship (Shining Armour is long gone); one of the dragons become a princess's apprentice; the first ever Dragon Valley games between ponies and changelings.

One thing that should still be off-limits is Spike's cave, for reasons explained below. If you need or really want to use it, do so, but you have to find a new place for Spike to hide his most treasured possession.

---

The ending is Twilight discovering the answers about Spike, his daughters, the changelings and the valley (how she gets to that point is, again, author's choice).

After being banished, and recovering some semblance of sanity (barely avoiding suicide would be plausible), Spike began searching for any surviving dragons, or - failing that - any way to bring them back. Over the years he learned a lot of things about magic, different cultures etc. but the only trace of dragons he found were intact, hollow dragon eggs (like Celestia thought his was). Eventually, he came across two spells.

The first was an incredibly dark magic, allowing the caster to bring someone back to life, at the cost of 100,000 (or 666,666, if it's more fitting) other lives. The second was a trick used by unicorns, which allowed them to use ambient magical energy in the air to fuel spells, instead of their own magical energy. Spike, refusing to slaughter innocent lives, found a way to combine the two: taking life energy collected harmlessly over time to fuel the dark magic. Even so, he refused to try it anywhere near other living beings. Partially because he didn't know it would work, and partially because he knew pretty-much anyone would try to stop him, if they figured out what he was doing or if he had to ask permission. This lead to his most radical decision: he would create the life he needed.

Spike created Dragon Valley. The land between the mountains was originally a wasteland, devoid of even the slightest trace of life. Over the many centuries that it took, Spike transformed it: tilling the land, creating a water flow from the mountains (even removing one so clouds could come and go), introducing animals such as deer or fish when they could be sustained. During this process, he met Chrysalis. Over time, she began to respect his work and his dedication to his species' survival, and even offered her help and the help of her hive. This led to her own redemption: she realised there were other ways she could have fed her hive, without invading or kidnapping like she did with Equestria.

Spike continued his work until around 300 years ago, when the valley finally became completely self-sustaining. Since then, the spell has been active. Every 100 years or so, enough energy is collected to restore life to one of the eggs (they still need to be hatched, though, which is why his two daughters are both younger than 20). The hoard in his cave is, in fact, the 30-40 hollow eggs he managed to find.

Twilight, after learning this, realises two things. Firstly, that anyone that dedicated to saving life could not possibly have committed something like murder. Secondly, as much as the dragon was twisted by what happened to him and what she did to him, he was never broken: he is still Spike. Afterwards, there's some tearful apologies from the princesses, and there is finally true harmony in the valley as Spike makes peace with what they did, and forgives them. The very end of the main story is the restoration and immediate hatching of the newest egg, Spike's son.

After this, though the main conflict is resolved, stories can still be done in this ~verse, though they would have to account for the changes in attitude that the ending brought.

Comments

[GeminiSpectrum]

If this was a full story, i would read it, love the concept.

[shadow12]

almost a full story already awesome job!!