Chapter 1: The Swan
Chapter 1
The Swan
Spike the Dragon yawned as he opened the cardboard box with his claw. His friend and caretaker, Princess Twilight Sparkle, had ordered some new books and the first batch arrived that morning. Among his many duties, stocking shelves was the most boring in Spike's mind. Still, it wasn't as tedious as writing and checking-off Twilight's checklists multiple times. At least once it was done, there was no need to re-organize for a while.
As he opened the box, Spike grabbed a stack and began to shelve. They were advanced spell books Princess Celestia lent to Twilight and copies of books that were destroyed when the Golden Oaks Library blew up during Tirek's attack on Equestria. The spell books had to be placed on the side so no pony could accidentally learn a devastating spell.
After unloading another three boxes, Spike opened the fifth and final box. When he opened the box, he noticed a tome that was not a part of the list Twilight had him make. Picking it up, Spike discovered it was a red book with gold trimmings, a silhouette of a ballet dancing pony on the cover. He read the gold lettering on the cover aloud.
"The Beginner's Guide to Ballet? Why would Twilight want this? She can't dance."
"Oh! That ballet book I ordered came in." Exclaimed a familiar voice.
The sudden sound caused Spike to jump, the book flying out of his claws. While Spike landed on his tail, a magenta light caught the book before it could touch the ground. The glow belonged to the magic of Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. The lavender alicorn used her magic to bring the book over to her and began reading.
Curious, Spike spoke as he got up and brushed himself off.
"When did you order that book? I didn't see it on the list."
Hearing Spike, Twilight placed the book down and pulled something out of her saddlebag. A scrolled-up piece of paper. Twilight unfurled the paper and showed Spike the image of a crimson-maned black unicorn with golden eyes dancing on her tippy-hooves.
"I ordered the book last minute for this. Rarity had managed to score some tickets to see the famous ballet dancer, Requiem, in Manehattan and I need to learn about ballet before we go, tomorrow."
Spike smacked his head with his hand. A week ago, Rarity was in her Manehattan boutique when she was approached by the Manehatten Ballet Company's costumers. They've seen her work and need her help in creating costumes for their next show: Swan Lake. According to Twilight who heard it from Rarity, the MBC hadn't performed Swan Lake ever since their best ballerina passed away and they kept away from it out of respect for her. So now they need new costumes for the dancers.
Needless to say that once Rarity returned with the good news, everypony was excited. The excitement was still present as Twilight handed Spike the poster, exchanging it for the book.
"According to Rarity, Requiem is one of the best ballet dancers in all of Equestria. All of her shows end up running out of tickets on the first day! So when they gave Rarity tickets for the six of us, she hurried to our places faster than the combined speeds of Pinkie Pie on a sugar-high and Rainbow Dash's fastest speed."
He placed the poster on the table as he picked up another book from the boxes. He hadn't gotten a ticket like the Grand Galloping Gala during his first year in Ponyville. However, there was an extra sting. And that sting being his crush on Rarity. Why hadn't he gotten a ticket? Sure, he wasn't exactly into ballet. But he could still help Rarity and the girls with their stuff. Maybe try to sneak in a dinner for two at one of Manehattan's 3-horseshoe restaurants for him and Rarity.
Still, this wouldn't be the first time his friends went somewhere without him.
"Shame I can't go with you."
Hearing this, Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"Why would you want to go, Spike? I mean, I know you love Bridleway performances, but I don't recall you being interested in ballet."
Hearing the suspicion in Twilight's voice, Spike realized he had to choose his words carefully. Sure, Twilight knew he had a crush on Rarity. But he didn't want to let in on the plans he had in mind. And who knows? Maybe ballet wasn't as interesting as Twilight was making it out.
"I was just curious. I mean, I'm a male, right? Males don't do ballets."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she pulled out a book of ballet shows.
"There are male ballerinas in these ballets, Spike. Take 'The Nutcracker,' for instance. I know you at least liked that Hearth's Warming play. 'Swan Lake' has them, too. The plays were even written by the same playwright: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky."
It was then that Twilight paused for a moment when a question came to her mind.
"Now that I think about it, what exactly is the ratio of male and female audiences that enjoy ballet? And do the males who have interests come from noble houses? Or do all classes of males come to watch?"
As Twilight began to ramble about the male presence in ballet, Spike knew he had an opportunity to leave. Sometimes, it pays to have caretaker who gets easily distracted by statistics. Leaving a quick note, Spike carefully tip-toed out of the library and out of the castle. Breathing a sigh of relief, Spike stretched his arms upwards as he made his way into Ponyville. Now that he had the apparent "day off," he wondered what he was going to do now. Of course, Rarity would be busy with designing costumes to present to the costumers in Manehattan. He would go help her, but something was telling him "not today."
That left him with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Perhaps during the Mane 6's time in Manehattan, he could set up an Ogres & Oubliettes game with Big Mac and Discord. Pinkie could provide the snacks before she could leave. Definitely make a list to give to Pinkie the next day. Rainbow Dash was no doubt flying somewhere or doing something in the Wonderbolts. And Applejack was adamant to keep Spike from helping on Sweet Apple Acres until his own skills improved. That left Fluttershy. And knowing the shy Pegasus, she didn't want to be a bother to anypony. Still, he could still check on her.
As he made his way to Fluttershy's cottage, his mind drifted to the location of the cottage. Outside the boundaries of Ponyville and on the edge of the frightful Everfree Forest. As he got close to the cottage, his thoughts on the mare in question popped up in his mind, silently conversing with himself.
"For a pony who was so timid that she was afraid of her own shadow, Fluttershy is pretty brave to live so close to the Everfree Forest. Then again, when I first met her, she was quite the social outcast. Not as bad as Twilight was, but still…"
His thoughts broke as his eyes saw something fall from the sky. Curious, Spike tilted his head upward and found the most peculiar sight. A large white bird descended from high in the sky. Due to the distance, he could not identify what kind of bird it was. However, he could see that it was descending far too fast to be landing. His eyes widened as he realized what was wrong.
"That bird is falling!"
Normally, Spike wouldn't notice. But for some strange reason, his memory seemed to have stimulated his curiosity. Seeing where the bird was falling, Spike gulped as he ran into the Everfree Forest.
Spike kept his eyes forward, continued to run to were the bird fell. He needed to focus on the bird rather than the possible dangers in the forest. All he needed to do was find the bird and get the heck out of there. Thankfully, he didn't need to go farther in. Within what he'd called the 'Not-So Dangerous' ring of the forest was the bird. And not just any bird, but a beautiful white swan.
Swans were among the rarest of birds one could find in Equestria. They often congregated around particular lakes and gardens, like the Royal Gardens of Canterlot. No pony knew why swans were so few. Some speculated that swans kept their distance from ponies because a male swan thought Princess Celestia was a swan with her pristine white wings and tried to court her. Of course, that was just a rumor. But that still left the question as to why this particular swan had collapsed in the Everfree Forest of all places.
The swan had landed on some bushes, though it was clear that it had struck the branches of the trees given how white feathers speckled the trees, giving it the illusion of snow falling. Spike's heart jumped as the swan tried to wake up only for its head to fall back onto the bush. Spike gazed sadly at the fallen swan.
"Poor thing. You don't look too good."
He bit his tongue as he took a closer look at the swan. Despite the fluffy down, the white bird looked pretty thin, as if it hadn't eaten in days.
As Spike began to think about getting his friends, a pungent odor caught his snout. An odor he was familiar with.
"Timberwolves." He whispered as his green eyes darted all over the forest, trying to find any signs of the creatures.
The dragon thought about running, but the sight of the helpless swan made him stop and think. If he left, there was a good chance a pack of the foliage-made canines would kill the swan before he could come back with help. And like with his phoenix, Peewee, Spike's conscience refused to let him run without providing some aid.
Carefully, Spike pulled the swan off the foliage and, after securing it over his shoulders and making sure there was no way he could step on the swan's long neck, made a mad dash out of the forest. Timberwolves rarely ever come into town, unless you count that one incident at Sweet Apple Acres. But Spike wasn't focusing on that. Instead, he shifted his focus to getting this swan to the nearest animal caretaker from where he was: Fluttershy.
Spike kept running until he was out of the Everfree Forest and on the trail to Fluttershy's cottage. Luck seemed to be on his side as he caught sight of the butter-colored Pegasus feeding her animals with tender love and care. The same TLC the swan on his back needed.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy!"
The aforementioned mare jumped a little upon hearing her name called. She wasn't expecting any company, so she let her mind take in the serenity of her surroundings. When she turned to the source of the voice, the Element of Kindness' eyes widened upon seeing a tiny purple dragon carry a white frail-looking swan on his back.
"Spike?! Goodness! What happened?" Fluttershy asked as she set her empty basket aside, keeping her eyes on the unusual pair.
As soon as he got close enough to Fluttershy, Spike took a few breaths before he answered the mare's question.
"I was on…my way…here…when…I saw…this…swan…fall…into the…Everfree Forest…"
Fluttershy let out a gasp as she rushed to take the swan from the dragon.
"Oh my!"
Her hooves felt how thin the swan was and became even more concerned. She looked to Spike as she started to flutter to her cottage with the swan still in her hooves.
"Spike. I need you to get a loaf of bread, a small spoon, and a bowl of slightly tepid water. T-that is…if you don't mind."
Spike didn't mind. He headed into the kitchen after helping Fluttershy into her cottage. It didn't take long to find the bread, but he had to bring the bread to Fluttershy before he got the water.
Fluttershy had set the swan in an emergency nest she kept in her closet. The Pegasus started to take on Pinkie Pie's habit in placing things in emergency places, though hers were more animal-oriented. As Spike placed the bowl next to her, Fluttershy began to break the bread into small crumbs before tossing said crumbs into the bowl.
"Now, you hold her head while I spoon-feed her."
As Spike did as he was instructed, he waited for Fluttershy to get the first spoonful down the swan's throat before he asked a question.
"How do you know this swan's a girl?"
Keeping a steady pace, Fluttershy answered as she motioned the swan's bill.
"Female swans have smaller knobs on their bills than male swans. Of course, that is for Mute Swans. I can't tell what kind of swan she is."
As Fluttershy kept feeding the swan, Spike looked at the head of the swan and noticed a distinguishing mark. From the bill to just past between her eyes, the swan had what looked like golden feathers. Was it part of the swan's breed? Or was it something else entirely? Whatever the reason, the feathers glistened like gold in the light.
As soon as she figured it was enough, Fluttershy placed the bowl aside, letting Spike know that she was done.
"That should do it. Though I can't imagine how the poor thing got like this."
Spike placed the swan's head on a pillow he was using for his knees and allowed the bird to rest. But even though he got the swan to safety, Spike couldn't help but wonder if she was going to be ok.
"Any idea how long she'll be here?" he asked Fluttershy.
The Element of Kindness frowned as she thought up an estimate.
"Well if she's good, than she'll be ready to fly off in about 2 to 3 weeks."
Opening a drawer that held her schedule, Fluttershy was going over what her animals needed in order to fit the swan in when she notices a particular date.
"Oh dear!"
Hearing this, Spike struggled to see the schedule.
"What? What is it?"
Fluttershy reached into the drawer and pulled out a ticket. A ticket to an event Spike had only heard about an hour ago.
"I forgot! The day after tomorrow, I have to go to Manehattan with the girls for the ballet. Rarity wants us there a week before the play so we can work on the costumes and take in the sights."
Her ears drooped as she gazed at the ticket with disappointment.
"I haven't found anypony who could take care of the animals while I'm gone. And with the swan, I'm afraid I can't go anywhere until she is well enough to eat on her own."
Spike hated seeing his friends disappointed. While it would be easy to just take the ticket for himself, he could see that Fluttershy wanted to go. Perhaps to see if there were really swans in Swan Lake? He turned his gaze to the sleeping swan. He really wanted to make sure such a beautiful bird was taken care of.
It was then that he got an idea.
"What if me and Angel take care of your animals while you're away? Angel knows how to handle the other animals, so aside from feeding and other maintenance, I can take care of the swan until you get back!"
Fluttershy looked to Spike in surprise. With the animal sanctuary up and running, she didn't have to worry about over-crowding. But still, could the diminutive dragon handle such tasks for a week? Sure, he handled their pets well. But could he take care of an ailing swan without supervision?
"Oh…I don't know. This will be a big responsibility. You'll have to be around her all the time. From feeding to cleaning, you have to make sure she remains comfortable until she feels better."
Hearing this, Spike started to have second thoughts. He had not told his friends that when he pet-sat for them, they ended up having him chase them all the way to the Crystal Empire. But as he looked at the swan again, he felt something tug him towards her. Something that's telling him he needed to be there.
"I think I can do it. Besides, I want to make sure she's ok."
Fluttershy could see the commitment in his eyes. Whatever the swan did, it was clear the dragon was going to keep checking on her until she gets better. Seeing this, Fluttershy smiled and hugged the baby dragon.
"Oh, thank you, Spike. And don't worry. I'll teach you how to take care of her until the train arrives."
Little did both pony and dragon knew that the little dragon's actions were going to make a very big impact on their lives.
An action that involves the mystery of the sleeping swan.
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By all that is good, you're adapting my favorite ballet of all time into a MLP fanfic. And I hope it's not really mostly about that crappy film and all its direct-to-video spinoffs that destroy all the original tale ever stood for...
8475895
I'm not going to kill off Spike or Pirouette, if that's what you are asking.
I'm trying to create my own story with what source material I can find. Tragically, I never saw the ballet (due to having 0 ballets in my part of my home state) and knew of Swan Lake through "The Swan Princess" and what I can find online such as Wikipedia.
It's going to be a challenge, but I hope in the end, my story will satisfy everyone.
that moment you forget your following someone
8475950
Looks interesting
Would it not be more accurate to call this a parody instead of a crossover?
84767
I guess I never thought of it as a parody. Just give me a second.
8475951
Not bad, but a lot of your story is you telling--not showing--what happens.
It's okay for when a character explains something to another character, but not for the narration.
All in all a great start, just needs some tweaking.
8476835
This is just the first chapter. I'm hoping to get better as the story progresses. (I suck at intros.)
8476841
Don't feel bad; most authors have to wait until the end of their story before writing the intro so it sets everything up right.
You're doing fine thus far.
8476851
Thanks.
HMMMMMMMM VERY INTERESTING VERY INTERESTING INDED
I like this.
I'm.....intrigued to say the least. And given the lore behind the swan stories and their adaptations, I'll be very curious to see what you do with it. You got a follow.
Are the main 6 going to play a role in this, or are they away while Spike has an adventure?
8491784
They will, but a little later. I can't say any more than that.
You have my complete attention with this story. I’m liking it so far.
To be honest, I’ve never seen The Swan Princess. I haven’t been interested anyway because I didn’t think it was my cup of tea. I also never saw the ballet or read it. But none of that will stop me from reading this tale.
When can you post chapter 2?
8596895
As soon as I get done with my Finals.
8596980
Your Finals are a college homework, right?
8600151
Yes. I have to put together a PowerPoint presentation and write a 4-6 page paper before next Friday. Not to mention I've got to finish two pieces for my painting class.
8600154
Wow! That’s a lot to do.
Well, good luck. I hope you pass the Finals and stuff and get good grades.
8600236
Thanks.
If it make you feel any better, I do have 3 out of my 4-page minimum done. I may exceed that as I write on. But for now, FINALS, DO YOUR WORST!!!
I thought it wouldn’t hurt to give your story a look back. For some reason, it clicked in my mind to see if there were any grammatical corrections that needed to be made.
I just noticed that in a couple of parts, you seemed to have switched from past tense to present tense. Why’s that, exactly?
I think this sentence should also instead be this:
After they saw her work, they decided they needed her help in creating costumes for their next show: Swan Lake.
The ‘were’ in this sentence should instead be a ‘where’, & an ‘and’ should come before the word ‘continued’.
‘Involves’ should instead be ‘involved’.