Old mare tales

by Shenzy

Reunion of the centuries

Twilight walked around the corner and the small house came in sight.

It looked quite ordinary. It was painted in a slight touch of blue, the windows been white and the roof was a muddy brown. It had a first floor and two smaller apple trees stood in the garden, which was running around it, but there was one detail which immediately caught her eye, when she walked up to the border of the property – a sign was hanging over the door, showing a star-covered moon with a magic wand on it.

“Trixie!? Are you in there!?” Twilight yelled “Its me, Twilight! Please come out!”

There was no reaction coming from the inside. Maybe the storm was to loud or the forcefield muted the noise from outside, so Twilight stepped back and got into battle stance. If necessary she would break the forcefield with her magic.

The alicorn lowered her head and charged up her horn, shooting the first streak of magic onto it – the field flashed up and sparks shot in every direction, when parts of her energy got redirected toward the sky, while others hit everything around them, when she stopped to check for the result.

“It didn't break?” she wondered - this charge should had been enough to break any forcefield, created by a unicorn. She sure had used the right amount of magic, it could not been because she had to hold a forcefield of her own since she had used this combination of offensive and defensive magic countless times.

The alicorn once again got in battle stance and shot another flashing beam of purple energy on the field, but once again the most part go redirected and hit another house to her left, cutting through it with ease, which made her immediately stop.

Still the field was flickering, but far from being broken.

Her eyes wandered to the sky and the could above her, she could barely see the border anymore and the storm soon have the strength of a hurricane, which would destroy the entire town – not to speak what would happen if pony's got hit by the lighting, which at this point rapidly rained down on her in drum-storm.

She had to break the field and was not willing to give up, so she lowered her head once more to give it all her strength when she suddenly hold in and her horn lost his offensive charge.

It just had occurred to her... she was right, Trixie was an ordinary unicorn... so it was impossible for her to create a forcefield of this strength – unless, she was in state magic of shock.

When Twilight was still a filly, Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom had caused this on her self, making her magic run wild and untamed with incalculable consequences until Princess Celestia was able to snap her out of it.

This happened very rarely, but she had read about it and knew, that when she would break the forcefield, the feedback would kill Trixie in the process.

The princess sat down and lowered her head in order to think her next steps trough carefully. an untrained unicorn was already extremely dangerous... but the blue mare was far from that, so it was unthinkable what her magic was capable of. There was a chance the cloud could reach the next closest town, Apple Loosa.

Celestia had told her “Do whatever had to be done, city's can be rebuilt – life's don't”... but was it right to destroy the home's of thousands for this to happen?

Also there still another problem – a unicorn, trained or not, was not meant to use such raw amounts of magic, his body was simply not capable to hold such a power for a long time... so at some point the unicorn would faint and stop on its own, or it would burn out from the inside - causing internal injuries, which in best case would leave it in constant comatose state, if not kill it over weeks to come, while under full conscious.

The worst kind of death there was.

She had to make a decision... there was no guarantee of her to stop in time - so wasn't it better, if she broke the field?

Saving somepony else life and sparing her from possible horrible death?

Twilight often had to make hard decision, trying to find the middle road between life and death, but usual only her own life was on state, so she always willing to take the risk, if there was a better chance for it to pay off... but today it wasn't about her... she would stay behind unharmed.

Today it was about one of her oldest friends and if she was willing to take her life. It might was wrong from a logical standpoint, but she simply could not do it, not today... not tomorrow and not in a thousand years after, she could not life with the guilt.

Next to the stone circle on the towns, hundred's of pony's already had gathered and talked aroused to one another, what would happen next.

Twilight's royal task-force had brought them here, so nopony could be hurt until the princess would return and declare, if it was safe or not to come back into town.

In case of emergency the princess would use her magic to teleport them right to Ponyville, group after group, but for now there was no nothing of her to be seen, since the storm still grew in since and strength by the minute, making the crowd even more nervous.

“I knew that mare was insane! I told you from the start!”

“You are right, we should had kicked her out of town...”

“The princess should banish her! Banish I say!”

“Our town is lost... all the work, gone”

“And did you hear about her lies? Pah.”

“I wonder of the princess is alright...”

“Right, she tried to feed our kids some of her made up story's”

“Mom, where do we go now?”

“A monster, nothing less.”

Those were just some of the conversations the guards had to listen to.

They had been trained to be emotionally distanced from this kind of talk, still it was painful to listen to the suffering of so many pony's.

Then a shadow swept over them. At first only a few pony's noticed, but after the first looked up and screamed - they all searched and found something far worse - a giant dragon had passed by over their heads, just a few hundred meters above.

This was when most of them began to scream and some ran into the nearby forest, while the guard tried to keep everypony together and calm.

The dragon gave a shout from it, which was loud enough to be heard in the next town “WWRRUUUUUuuuuuuuuuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaahhhhhhhouuuuuuuu!”

Twilight's head immediately snapped up and her eyes tried to search the sky, but she could not see anything, the cloud was just to thick and the constant lighting coming down on her forcefield additional blocked off her sight, but she knew it must been a very old dragon nearby and since it wasn't migration, this was bad news.

A dragon never would come to Equestria without a reason, be it to find a place to sleep, or to rampage and this one didn't sound sleepy.

Suddenly the cloud layer burst in the east side of town, when the dragon flew deep enough to dive through it, while lightning shot after and hit him with thousands of strikes all over his body, but he didn't bother and turned in a long bow to repeat the fly by above the center of town, breaking through the cloud once more, passing right over Twilight's head, which now was able to see the beast in its full size for just a moment.

The dragon spit a one hundred meter long flame into the sky, like it tried to tell all of Equestria about its arrival.

She could not possible hope to fight of a dragon of this scale, she would need the combined forces of the alicorn's army's to do so.

The dragon had cleared up most of the cloud like a pegasus and turned a last time, casting his shadow over several street lengths's, while the citizens could not help to stare at him, frozen in motion.

The cold blood slowed down his flight and landed in the middle of town, since there was anywhere else enough space for it to land, without stomping at least half a dozen houses in the process. His head turned a few times from the left two the right, while it tried to orientate itself.

Since most of the cloud was gone where the dragon had landed, the biggest part of the guard ran or flew to town, in order to assist the princess. She sure would also be on her way towards this new threat and indeed – she was on her way.

She didn't had to search, Twilight could see the dragon peeking about the houses, while it stomped unhindered through town, occasionally hitting a house nearby with a whip of its tail or smashing a left behind chariot to pieces, while crossing gardens, to leave deep prints of his paws behind.

“STOP!” Twilight shouted, as soon she was next to the Dragon “IN THE NAME OF EQUESTRIA, I COMMAND YOU TO LEAVE PEACEFULLY, OR WE WILL HAVE TO USE OUR ARMED FORCES AGAINST YOU!”

The dragons head turned down to look at this insignificant pony on his side.

The purple mare just stood there, not willing to back of a step, when he slowly turned his howl body towards her, smashing a well and knocking over an entire oak just by a slight touch of his legs.

Than there was suddenly a noise. At first she wasn't sure if he was about to breath fire, it almost sounded like a huffing steam train, which was about to gather speed – if it was heated with debris... but than she realized - the dragon actually was laughing at her.

All around the dragon her troops gathered with readied weapons, but still a carefully chosen safety distance or in nearby cover, when a giant fist came towards Twilight, but the movement was way to slow if it was supposed to be an attack, then its claw opened and a filly and a colt jumped the last meter to the ground. The alicorn had now even less of a clue what was going on, when the dragon used his centuries old voice to speak to her, after taking a deep breath.

“TWIILIIGHHT..... MY OOLD FRIEEEND!” it echoed through the town.

The young stood between the dragon and her guard, to shield him from an attack like there was any world, in which they could possibly harm him.

“He came to help!” Clockwork shouted excited.

“Don't hurt him, he is a friend!” Herb added.

Twilight carefully walked towards the monster, despite warning calls from her royal-guards around her, when he lowered himself and buried three gardens below his body.

The filly's still tried to plead towards the alicorn, she should not provoke or harm him, but she didn't pay any attention towards them.

“Ssp...Spike!?” she asked stuttering, while his breath blew her mane back and forth, since she now was close enough to touch him – reaching out with her hoof to do so, while everypony had become silent and watched instead.

The dragon gave an approval grunt from him, when her hoof touched his snot.

“I thought you would be in the land of dragons, my big friend...” she said with tears in her eyes.

She thought he would life there forever since it been over five centuries she had seen him the last time. Back than, his skin was just deep purple, instead of this almost black tone, he hadn't been even half the size and lacked the gigantic wings on his back, so it was no surprise she had not recognized him.

The princess on the other side hadn't changed at all, she just looked like the day he had left her, in order to protect this most precious treasure. He had spend centuries in between alone to slumber and dream, until he got disturbed by some treasure hunter which dared to enter his cave. He had warned every single one of the, like he warned the young ones, but none of them did listen, instead they tried to trick him or even attack, so he did what he had to do and got back to rest right after in the fire pit below, so the land wasn't filled with the smoke of his. It was his eternal duty and it filled him with proud ever since. Of course he would return soon to his treasure, but for now he had closed the entrance beneath several tons of molten rock, which would take months to clear if somepony tried to get it, while he wasn't around.

The dragon snorted and rose again to his full size and began to walk again.

“Back off!” the alicorn shouted towards the guards which didn't knew how to respond. Most of them never seen a dragon in their life and still pointed their weapons at him, while his steps left deep prints in the ground next to them or at times cracked the road.

The mare run beneath the dragon, flanked by the filly's to her left and right, down a few roads till they reached her house, which Spike already had seen from afar, since it was the only one with a blue sparking cupola around it.

His giant paw opened again and the alicorn jumped onto it with a flap of her wings.

“Wait princess!” Herb shouted to the princess “We have to return her book!”

“What book?” She rose an eyebrow at them.

“Its hers, that's why she is so upset!”

The princess nodded and levitated the black diary to her, right after the paw closed again carefully.

The giant fist approached the forcefield and flames began to spark up, where his scale-skin touched it, when he slowly stuck it through, without shattering it in its entirety. The blue flames around the breach set the nearby bushes on fire, but the dragon seemed unimpressed, while they danced around his arm, when he opened the claw inside and the mare jumped down and ran into the house.

In the middle of her living room, she found the blue mare, hovering a few feet above the ground, hold by magic.

Her eyes glowed white and a bright blue shine was glowing all around her body, the room looked like a mess but was alright for the most part, like she stood in the literal eye of the storm.

“I return your book!” Twilight shouted over the noise of the streaming magic, while she approached the mare carefully, step by step.

She levitated the book now in front of her, so Trixie could see it, when suddenly the glowing stopped and the mare snapped out of her state and fell back to the ground, landing on her hooves. She stumbled towards the present the alicorn had brought along, but swept it aside to fall into her arms and faint.

Now some of the citizens cheered as they saw the cloud was about to dissolve into thin air and a hoof full even ran back into the town, but most still wondered what had happened to the dragon. Maybe the princess slain him somehow?

They had seen him walk between houses, but he must be on all fours, since his head wasn't in sight anymore and there was neither flames nor other noises indicating he was still alive. Why else should be their city still in one piece - at least for the most part?

It sounded quite logical, but only since the town's pony knew so little about dragons...

“Its okay... everything is alright” Twilight said calm, while stroking over her mane “i'm there for you” she said with a smile and hold her tight.

The princess loaded the mare onto her back and walked with her outside.

“Guard” she said, when four earth-pony's carefully walked around the dragon, while he observed them disapprovingly.

“Y-yes princess?”

“I want this mare in medical attention, as quick as possible and make sure nopony disturbs her, unless I personally allow it, is that clear?”

“Uhm...” the stallion could not help to glance over his shoulder.

“Do I got your attention?” the princess asked.

“Yes mam!” he said with a quick salute “but what about... him?” gesturing with a nod of his head, behind himself.

“He is a friend of mine, don't bother him and he won't bother you.”

On this the dragon blew a small cloud of smoke on the guards back, making him shake.

“Now find me the local doctor, I will wait at the hospital”

With that the mare disappeared and reappeared right in front of the building and brought her friend inside, putting her down on a mobile daybed.

The guards had formed a ring around Spike, which for now just had laid down on his stomach to rest a little, when Clockworks and Herbs parents came run down the streets.

At first they just hoped to be able to ask Trixie, where their kids might be, but was more than surprised to find them staying right in front of her house, in between some of the guards.

They was so relived to see them, that they almost had overlooked the dragon behind them, which made them back off immediately, but their kids had seen them too and waved towards them “MOM!” “DAD!” they shouted and gestured they could come closer, but the parents did their best to gesture the same towards them.

“Get away from that monster!” Ivy cried out horrified.

The dragon just opened one of his eyes a moment, to look who had yelled that, but got back to rest again.

Clockworks father dared to get closer, carefully, but steady, while his sight wandered between his daughter and the beast behind her, till he was on her side and quickly grabbed her for a hug and forgot everything around him “I'm so glad you are safe” he sobbed.

Now also Herbs parents moved closer, while he encouraged them “He is a friend of princess Twilight... its okay” Herb said, when they also closed him into his arms.

“I was worried sick” his mother said teared up.

“Where have you been?” his father asked.

The colt now got sad a little himself, despite he didn't quite understand, why they been so worried.

“Didn't read you the letter?” he said shyly.

“Oh Herb, we had no idea where you are... we thought we had lost you!”

Next to him was something similar happen.

“Please don't ever do such a thing again, promise me”.

“I will, dad... but we had to...” Clockwork sniffed “we had to help her...”

“We even found the treasure,” Herb said, since he had heard, what Clockwork.

“You are our treasure” his Ivy sniffed, while she stroke his mane.

His dad gave him a warm smile “Herb, I think we understand now, how important she is to you...” his wife gave him an angry glance on that, but let go of it soon after, since she knew he was right.

Trixie wasn't just any ordinary story-teller or come along magician...

for the kids, she was part of the family and that for, they would do anything to help her.

After a few minutes their parents had calmed down a now starred on the snoring beast in front of them.

“You see... her story's all been true!” Herb said proud “She knows the princess and this dragon and the treasure was also real!”

Patchwork looked down to Herb, while he holds his daughter on his side “So, where is it then?” he wondered.

Suddenly the dragon blew a small black cloud in their direction, which gave the adult pony's nearby a little scare.

“We can't tell you, we promised!” Herb said.

“Its to important...” Clockwork added nodding.

“Can you tell me at least what it is?” Patchwork asked carefully, holding an eye on the guardian.

“We seen the chest, it was full of diamonds and rubies and gold...” Herb frowned, like this alone was not worth mentioning “but we were not allowed to look inside... I guess only Trixie knows”.

“I wonder if she is alright, we should go to look after her” Clockwork said and pulled on her fathers side, so he would come along.

Herb run a few meters in the direction and turned to his parents “what you wait for!?”

“Herb please, we just have found you...” his father replied.

“I know, but I want see her!” he begged stubbornly.

Tonic turned to his wife “We better follow him, I don't think we can hold him back anyway” the mare just shook her head and got up on her hooves.

A few more stallions and mares had now also returned to town, to check what was going on, since the guards had talked to one another, declaring that the city was safe, with some minor exceptions.

So they returned into their homes or looked for their stores, when also the two sisters walked up to Trixie's house, while their mother yelled in agony - the dragons tail had hit it, when walking by, her father just had rolled his eyes on this, since he wasn't that materialistic or dramatic for that matter.

Topaz poked her sister Feather-Dust and pointed down the road, to see the group nearby this monster, while their jaws dropped and shortly after they panicked and jumped into cover near the next corner, still watching what was going on over there.

“They are friends of THIS beast!?” Topaz gulped shivering.

“They will tell him to eat us!” Feather-Dust sobbed.

“That's your fault! Why you always have to pick on them!?” Topaz accused her.

“Me!? I never would! You always start it!”

“Nah ah!”

“I tell mom on you!”

“Not if i'm first!”

With that the filly ran off, towards her mother.

Herb wanted nothing more to see Trixie, but he had been up all day and run more than usual in a week – so he had a quite great idea... why not ask for a lift?

So he got over to the dragon and poked it on his cheek “Hey.... um... Spike?”

The dragon gave a small growl from him.

“Could you bring us to Twilight and Trixie? The hospital is on the other side of city... pleassse...”

Another deep growl was to be heard, when his father grabbed him and pulled him back “Herb, don't bother the dragon, can't you see, he is tired?”

Maybe he had hurt the dragons pride with this... but for some reason or other, the dragon opened his eyes again and got stomping back up on his feet, offering one of his claws to them.

“No thanks, I will walk!” his mother said as loud she dared, close to the border of tearing up again, but the dragon blew a dark cloud into the air, like he would be angry that they would refuse his generous offer.

“I don't think its wise to refuse his offer” Patchwork said after some pondering, when Clockwork pulled him towards the claw.

Tonic grabbed his struggling wife and tried to calm her “He took good care of Herb... don't you worry.” he told her, but she moved more or less out of fear to be eaten if she didn't, but then spun around and tried to run off, when the dragon picked her up like a toy figure and placed her carefully on his other paw, where she immediately grabbed her son tight and didn't let go.

They all had sat up and the royal-guards backed off, when the dragon used his wings to lift off again, giving the guards nearby a hard time to stay on the ground, when he finally got into the air and sailed just a few meters over the houses – it was a howl new sight to them, to see their city from above, since none of them were a pegasus, so they enjoyed the short trip and even Ivy dared to peak onto this sight.

A few pony's beneath shouted and screamed and ran scared into their houses, but others had noticed he wasn't here to attack them and stared into the sky.

They reached the border of the town not even a minute later and land with his usual -WHOMP!-

Author's Note:

Maybe Twilight should ask "Gozer" - he sure would let her in!</p><p><em> (after all, she is kinda a walking goddess!)

---

About the dragon's voice. I tried to describe it as deep and booming i could; especially the part he laughed at Twilights attempt to intimidate him (which was kinda lousy! ... insignificant... hahaha...) xD

I could not else to think on "Dreadnoughts" from Warhammer 40k, while writing this.

You see... those things are kinda "walking tanks" with wounded veterans inside controlling them - and darn, those were powerful and got a deep, mechanic and monotone voice! So you read about them once in a while... and when they laugh at something, it sounds like "they change gears" xD

So its hard to tell at first what sound one of those is making, till you realize its not "a normal function", but instead he laugh at you ... or at least does something, which counts at laughing in his book xDD

I damn love it *huffing noise*

ps. also a nice "kid-friendly" reference would be the "Rock Biter" from "Never Ending Story" (ofc just the original!)He also got a quite nice voice i could image for something that big... not too many get that right i fear :(