Üā Sūt Cktüis (How to be Dragon)

by Rammy

Chapter 5: Satraucošas Atülāsles (Disquieting Revelations)

A gem for the question, a hoard for the answer. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

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*knock knock*

...

*knock knock*

...

"Headmistress Sparkle?"

"Hmmm?!" Twilight snapped out of her contemplation to see that her office door was opening.

Twilight blushed as she looked over her office. It was a complete mess. There were stacks of books and scrolls along with an overflowing trash can filled with half eaten takeout food containers. Judging from the amount and the smell she had to been held up in her office for at least four days. Had she really been in here since classes were dismissed last Thursday?

"Headmistress, are you okay?" Cozy Glow questioned as she cautiously peaked through her office door.

"Yes I... I just had a lot of work to catch up on and I lost track of time." Twilight anxiously smiled, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, hoping that Cozy Glow wouldn't pry any further. While that was true she was swamped with work, more so than usual, she didn't want to panic Cozy Glow with the full truth of what some of that work entailed. She already had to deal with Chancellor Neighsay once again trying to shut down her school. This time over 'safety' after word of their battle with Šizra got out and spooking a student was only going to give him another reason to add to the pile. "But nothing you need to worry about. Is there something you need Cozy Glow?"

"Well I was in Counselor Starlight's office going over my lessons and well I... I don't want to bore you with the details as you must be really busy..." Cozy giggled nervously as she fully entered the office. Twilight gently motioned for her to continue, understanding that Cozy needed some encouragement to get over her nervousness. "Anyway, she asked me if I could retrieve the final list for the Cloudsdale trip for her."

"Oh, of course..." Twilight nodded. Luckily she made sure to do that before she started her research binge so that would mean that it would most likely be in one of her desk drawers. But as she leaned back in her chair to get a better angle to pull out the drawer a familiar sharp pain shot through her wings. She had once again forgotten to make sure keep her wings limber when she was on a research binge. At least this time she remembered to sleep and eat.

"Ohh ouch, wing cramps, I get those all the time when I study for too long with out taking a break. I find that going for a short flight always helps."

Twilight hmmed as she looked up at her office clock. There was a still few hours before her first class so she had time to go for a small flight. Besides that she could use some fresh air to clear her head and she really would like not have to replace the floor, again. "I will, thanks Cozy. Here's the list. Please let Counselor Starlight know that I am going for a short flight and will return before my first class."

"Will do Headmistress!"

---

Twilight exhaled in relief as she soared over the trees. Cozy's idea was a good one, all the stress of the past week was just fading away. Maybe she should take up Rainbow's offer of joining her for her morning routine.... at least the cool down portion... She didn't have the speed nor the coordination for everything else Rainbow did.

Twilight stopped to a hover when familiar ruins, the Castle of the Two Sisters, suddenly appeared over the tree tops. How did I get here?! She had somehow flown differently then she had planed. The plan was for her to take a short fly over the Whitetail Woods which was in the complete opposite direction of the Everfree.

Twilight sighed as she spiraled down toward the cave of the Tree of Harmony. She figured she might as well check on the tree while she was here. She couldn't help but smile as she walked into the cave and gazed upon the Tree of Harmony. The tree shimmered and glowed brilliantly now that the Elements were returned to its branches.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Twilight yelped, near jumping into the air from the unexpected voice. She turned to see a familiar cloaked figure near the entrance of the cave. "Šizra!? I thought you had left..."

She frowned as he walked past frowning. Ever since he had left Spike had gone quiet hardly ever firing off a sarcastic quip and she felt that it was more then just the fact that Šizra tried to kill them. Something else had to have occurred between them but no matter how much she tried Spike would not say what it was.

"I wanted to investigate..." Šizra commented, stopping at the base of the Tree of Harmony. "To know how..."

"Investigate? Know how?" Twilight asked, wearily watching as Šizra laid a paw on the trunk of the tree.

"The question is not how I missed his egg." Šizra slowly turned to face Twilight. "The question is how they missed his egg."

"They?" Twilight licked her lips as Šizra continued to stare at her. The longer he stared the more it felt as if he was measuring her up, unsure of whether to answer her or not. She suddenly felt like she had been thrown in to a class on the final day without knowing anything about the subject manner but still expected to be as knowledgeable somepony that had been attending since the first day.

"The caves were at one point a tzircktstelescktüis nesting ground... and is scared by battle..."

Twilight could feel her heart sink. She had long ago reconciled that Spike was most likely an orphan so when Šizra had confirmed that she was sadden but not devastated. But now, to hear that it could have been the result of violence... A flicker of hope swelled when she recalled something Šizra said about a cataclysm. "Maybe it was from that cataclysm and not..."

"If only," Šizra sighed, looking up at the branches of the Tree of Harmony. "There were very specific distortions indicative of alicorn spellcraft and based on the thaum degradation..."

"The Princesses would never!" Twilight snapped, angry that Šizra would claim that the Princess would have had a hoof in something so vile. Even Luna when she was under the influence of Nightmare Moon never did something like that. She saw the transformation and subsequent fight with Celestia thanks to that potion there wasn't time... unless... unless...

"Did I say it was Luna or Celestia?" Šizra sneered as he stomped right up to Twilight. She swallowed in fear as she shrunk back from his now overbearing glare. "They are pretenders... Fake. Just. Like. You."

She could swear that his red eyes' glow intensified as he continued. "They don't have the intrinsic urge nor the know how to naturally use all three types of mana at the same time. You used no earthen or air mana in your shield. If you had, my sword would not had pierced it so easily."

Twilight swallowed hard as Šizra snorted, turning away. "But this is not about the mechanics alicorn magic..."

Silence fell in the cave until she remember something that Šizra had said earlier. "What did you mean by 'they' missing Spike's egg?"

Šizra sighed long and hard before he answered. "Between twenty-eight and twenty-five thousand years..."

Twilight tried not to grumble as once again she was getting an answer that was clearly for a different, but probably related, question. She had no idea why he kept doing that. The way he had been talking was more like he was merely thinking out loud, like he had forgotten that he was conversing with more then just himself... Still...

"Twenty-eight thousand?! But that's... that's... Are you saying that is how long..." Words failed as Twilight began to weep over when implications finally slammed into her. Spike had been alone not just for a thousand years but for many thousands of years... Alone, deep in a dark cave, and the only reason he was ever found and hatched was by pure luck. If there wasn't a need for crystals and the cave of crystals hadn't been under Canterlot...

"It was fascinating to hear ponies raising a dragon." Šizra suddenly spoke, interrupting Twilight's lamentations. "A herding, prey race that despises other 'lesser' races for not being them raising one of another race! And a dragon, the greatest apex predator this world has even known!"

"It was the right thing to do..." Twilight murmured, almost to herself, still crying.

"Ponies doing the right thing." Šizra slowly enunciated with a sight growling undertone, his glare upon Twilight once again causing her to stop crying from fear. "Twenty-five thousand years and I can count the number of times on my feathered wings."

Twilight blinked at the strange use of the idiom as if she recalled correctly Šizra didn't have feathery wings. Was he implying that ponies never do the right thing? If that was true, then why did he allow Spike to remain with ponies?! Was this sudden bitterness because he discovered it was ponies that killed Spike's parents? Or were those lamentations a ruse?

"Tell me about Hearth's Warming." Šizra casually spoke, either not noticing or not caring about Twilight ever increasing confusion.

"What?" What did Hearth's Warming have to do with ponies not doing the right thing? The story was about ponies doing the right thing in the end! Or was he talking about something else? What was really infuriating was she knew that there was no way she was going to get any answers just more questions.

"Interesting... Then let me ask. When was Hearth's Warming?"

Now that she understood and could answer. "The exact year is debated...Scholars can best place it between one thousand fifty and one thousand one hundred years ago." Twilight explained effortlessly as she tried to figure out why Hearth's Warming.

"Between one thousand fifty and one thousand one hundred years..." Šizra repeated before walking up and whispering into her ear. "Try two thousand five hundred."

"Two thousand five hundred!? Even if one were to take into account the chaos of Discord reign did to the historical records..." Twilight objection died on her lips as saw Šizra's black aura suddenly envelope the Element of Kindness. Her eyes widen in shock and disbelief as she saw the Element of Kindness pop out of the tree with ease.

"You have... but it... that is... but... WHAT?!" Twilight sputtered, trying to put into words at what seem incomprehensible to her. She had just seen Šizra remove the Element of Kindness from the tree like it was nothing. It just didn't make sense to her. How could someone so hot tempered be able to remove any of the elements much less the Element of Kindness from the Tree of Harmony? And so easily!?!? Even Discord in the height of his power was unable to effect the Tree of Harmony until the thousand years without the Elements had weakened it enough for his plunderseeds to germinate.

"BECAUSE HE MADE THE ELEMENTS! THE CASTLE! THE MAP!" Discord's panic shout echoed in her mind.

"You took the Element of Kindness from the tree!?" Twilight finally shouted, wildly gesturing to the Element in Šizra's black aura.

"I will return it to its place once I am done."

"But, but..." Twilight objected, trying to frantically find the right words to say. "You- you can't have... Discord has to be mistaken! How could some creature with your disposition..." and with what might be dark magic from the color of your aura she left unsaid.

"I caution believing everything that proceeds from Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola's mouth..." Šizra suggested as he slowly walked out of the cave and disappearing in a shower of black sparks.

Twilight fell on to her haunch, breathing hard. What did she just witness and what did she just hear and what would it mean for her and Equestria?

Author's Note:

Gah sorry for such a long time sense last chapter...again. I had similar problems to the last chapter(aka making Šizra a bit too monsterish)

Hopefully next chapter will be better

And before I forget comments please... Don't make Pinkie sad you don't want to see her when she's sad No but in all seriousness comments are very nice and very helpful

Comments

[Fusion Blaster]

I'm still not sure if i'm even going to be following this much further as while interesting your OC here has been nothing but unlikable and unpleasant.

The whole created the tree and elements just seems very mary sue ish.

I want to like this but I'm finding it hard too.

[Rammy]

9332072 To quote Šizra "I caution believing everything that proceeds from Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola's mouth..." (that's Discord for those not paying attention/ confused)

I admit I'm walking a fine line here with Šizra's supposed 'abilities' and personality... If you think he's unlikable and unpleasant now trust me I had to tone him way done as I wrote. I actually had him lay into Twilight hard after the 'Ponies doing the right thing' line. Spouting exactly why he found that line 'irritating.'

If you stay on please continue to comment as you see fit. You won't believe how many times I've changed course for the better because of someone's comment.

[Thistle Gravity]

Your story is really interesting so far! Don't lose hope, just keep writing, and mix it up.

[Rammy]

9332722 I won't lose hope... hard to do that when I've managed to complete a story of 400k+ words and have the same feelings for this story as for that one