Back in the white void, Spike returned from the memory with a low sigh. He was about to ask what was going on, only for another light to appear off in the distance. Turning to it, he began to slowly walk up to it as he thought about what he had seen. The visions of the dragons that used other elements went through his head next, only to look up and now see the new light in front of him.
It was another book, a bright light shining from it exploding before transporting him back to the Dragon Lands. Once he blinked the light out of his eyes, he saw he was at a large cave, only for two dragons to walk out of the mountain. It was Silverbolt, only he was much larger than the last time Spike had seen him. The Mystic Lightning Dragon stretched and yawned, clearly having just woken up. He looked around with a huge smile, only for another dragon to walk up beside him.
The dragon was Fira, who was also larger than the last memory. She leaned against Silverbolt and the dragon wrapped a wing around her, Spike smirking as he realized what had happened between the two memories. After a few more moments, Silverbolt stared out at the dragon lands before spotting something.
"There he is," Spike watched him unfurl from Fira and fly off, Spike now finding himself getting pulled into the air along with him, crying out as he floated through the air. It didn't last long though, Silverbolt now flying down as Spike landed too, only to look up and see Silverbolt say, "About time you showed up."
Spike now saw a pony approaching, Starswirl. He was older and the muttonchops were gone, replaced with a very simple white beard. "Hello again, Bolt."
"Long time no see, Chops."
Starswirl rolled his eyes, "I wish you would stop calling me that. I took your advice and shaved them off to grow this beard, so why can't you let it go?"
Silverbolt let out a laugh, "Lighten up, I'm just messing with yah. Come on, don't let a joke ruin your visit." The two began to make their way back to the cave, talking as they did so. "How are things in that new kingdom you ponies set up? What's it called? E...quest...topia?"
"Equestria," Starswirl corrected, "And things are going fine. Though they aren't perfect, relationships between the three tribes have grown strong. Although our biggest issue is the raising of the sun and moon. Every time we do it, it seems to get harder and harder."
Silverbolt nodded. "Wish I could help, but something like that is beyond my magic."
"I know. I'll need to find something that can help lessen the strain before we unicorns lose our magic permanently." He sighed before showing a small smile, "But that's not why I'm here. So where is the little one?" Spike raised an eyebrow as they reached the cave, Fira staring at the unicorn.
"Hello Starswirl."
"Fira," he replied, "Looking as radiant as ever." Fira blushed and hid her face behind her wing.
"You old charmer." She turned to gesture him to come in, the three entering the cave with Spike following. The cave looked pretty snug, with many warm rocks at the back and spikes higher up that looked perfect for back scratching. They soon reached the back, Spike spotting a hole in the ground that appeared to be radiating heat. And laying in the middle of it was something that made Spike go wide-eyed. An egg.
But not just any egg. This egg was light purple with dark purple spots. It was the same egg Spike had been described many times by Celestia and Twilight, one that Spike knew couldn't exist given Starswirl was there and that pony died a thousand years ago. His egg.
"No way..." he whispered as Starswirl leaned down at the egg.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Fira asked the pony, who nodded back.
"It certainly is," Starswirl replied as he circled it. "Any idea what kind of dragon it'll be?" He looked up at Silverbolt, "Maybe another Mystic Dragon?"
"I'm certain it'll be a Mystic Dragon," Silverbolt responded, "But it's element is uncertain. It's possible it could be a lightning dragon like me, but it's also possible it'll inherit its mother's firepower." Fira smiled as she got down on all fours as Starswirl stepped away, the dragon now curling around the egg.
"I don't care which element it is. Just as long as it hatches healthy and happy, I'll love it no matter what."
Starswirl smiled at this, only to notice Silverbolt frowning. However, Fira didn't see this, Silverbolt turning to walk out of the cave. "I'll go get us something to eat." And as he left, Spike was pulled along, Silverbolt taking to the air with Spike floating by his side.
Spike half expected the scene to end there, but it continued as a flash of light showed Starswirl appearing on Silverbolt's back. "Alright Bolt, what's the deal?"
Silverbolt glanced back at him, "I don't know what you mean."
"There's something you're not telling Fira about the egg. Something important. What is it?" Silverbolt frowned at this, looking away as Starswirl added, "Come on. You know I won't tell her if you don't want me too. Just tell me already."
Silverbolt sighed and continued to fly while staring ahead, "There's a very good chance the egg won't hatch." Starswirl's eyes went wide hearing this. "At least...not anytime soon."
"Why?"
Silverbolt paused for a second before saying, "Mystic Dragons don't just hatch when we're finished developing. We stay in the egg until the time is right."
Starswirl raised an eyebrow at this, "What do you mean?"
"Every Mystic Dragon is born with a unique destiny. And as such, they won't hatch until its the right time. Whether that takes months...years...or even decades. A Mystic Dragon egg will remain as an egg for as long as they aren't needed. It's only when they are ready to use their magic to do good for the world that they hatch."
"So the egg could remain an egg forever?" Starswirl asked, Silverbolt nodding.
"I remained an egg for over two hundred years before I hatched. And I have no idea why I did. All I know is it's very likely Fira and I will be gone by the time our hatchling is born."
"Two hundred years?!" Starswirl repeated, "But then how did you know all this? If your parents weren't around to tell you-"
"I was told by my guardian." Silverbolt interrupted, "Mystic Dragon eggs have a natural magic that links them to another being. It starts with the parents, but the connection can be passed to another that they trust, then to another and another. My egg was given to my father's sister, who passed it to her children and so on until I finally hatched. When I did, my great great great great grand nephew told me everything that he had been told by his parents when the egg was given to him."
"I see. So it's likely you'll have to pass the egg onto another to protect it until it hatches."
Silverbolt nodded. "Fira is so excited about being a mother that learning the truth would be devastating to her."
"Maybe," Starswirl replied, "But it isn't good to keep her in the dark about such things. All your doing it setting her up for an even bigger disappointment later."
Silverbolt sighed, but nodded in agreement. "I guess I can't keep the truth from her forever. Alright, I'll tell her when we get back. I just hope she won't be too heartbroken."
"Me too," Starswirl added while Spike just stared at the two.
"An egg that could remain one for hundreds of years?" Spike's mind returned to the egg he had seen in the cave, which looked just like the one he had been hatched from. "Could that egg...be me?"
But as he said that, a sudden shockwave, like a wind of energy, shot out from a few miles away, hitting the three. It didn't hurt, but they felt a cold shiver run down their spine.
"What was that?" Starswirl asked, only for Silverbolt to change direction and head for the shockwave's origin. "Where are you going?"
"Did you felt that?! That was a powerful magic energy!" He accelerated, Starswirl barely able to hold on as they shot down, "I've never felt a magic like that in the Dragon Lands."
"I have," Starswirl winced, "But only from one source." He and Silverbolt glanced at one another, both knowing what the other could be thinking.
But before either of them could say it, the memory ended, Spike now back in the void. But unlike before, he didn't start looking for another book. He just sat down, whispering, "Am I...a Mystic Flame Dragon?"
The Castle of Friendship was filled with noise as Twilight lead her friends. The Mane Seven, Springer, Celestia, Luna, Trixie, Grand, Skybreaker, Ember, and Script were all making plans for the Crystal Empire. Starlight, Heart, Soul, the jakhowl youngsters and the CMC were also there, some expecting to go, but Twilight had other plans.
"Starlight," The Princess of Friendship turned to her student, "I want you to stay behind and keep Ponyville safe the best you can. There's no telling if Malafear will send the dragons back here."
"Understood," Starlight nodded. "Just...make sure Sunburst is safe."
"We will," Flash replied as they continued through the castle.
"Why aren't we heading for the train station?" Rainbow asked as they reached a particular room.
"The train or just flying there won't be fast enough," Twilight responded, "By the time we arrive, the attack will already be over."
Script nodded in agreement. "But luckily, we have another way to get us to the Crystal Empire." Twilight threw the doors open and everypony now saw the completed Rune Gate waiting for them. "With this, the Crystal Empire is practically the next room over."
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Rainbow instantly chimed in, "That thing's been a little...tricky in the past."
"Don't worry," Twilight replied, "Script and I have worked out all the kinks. We'll be able to get there without much issue."
"If you say so," Rainbow muttered while crossing her hooves.
While this happened, Ember looked away and added, "Maybe...maybe it isn't such a good idea for me to come."
"Why not, darling?" Rarity asked, "Don't you wanna free your fellow dragons from Malafear's clutches?"
"Of course," Ember nodded. "But what if...what if he takes control of me again? Spike's not around to free me anymore, so if he tries to take me over again..."
The others shared a glance at this, only for Script to speak up, "Give me a second." His horn lit up and he weaved it through the air, causing it to form a rune symbol. Once the symbol fully formed, he turned to Celestia and Luna. "Your majesties. Would you mind charging this rune up?" The alicorns nodded and fired a blast of magic at the rune, causing it to glow brighter.
Script then pushed at the rune and it flew toward Ember, hitting her chest and imprinting onto her skin before an aura of light surrounded her. "What did you just do?"
"That's a mental defense rune that should protect you from any kind of mental manipulation. Malafear might have been able to dispel a rune made from my magic, but one charged with alicorn magic is an entirely different story." Ember smirked at this while Twilight powered up the Rune Gate with her magic.
"Wait," Flash spoke up, "I thought the Crystal Empire didn't have a Rune Gate yet."
"It might not have a permanent one," Twilight replied, "But we can send a temporary one that'll work a few times." As if reading her mind, Script had taken out a piece of paper and used it to craft a rudimentary rune gate seal. The others glanced at it and saw that it didn't look as good as the original.
"This should work," he handed it to Twilight. "It should, at least, last about ten or so trips." Twilight nodded as she took the rune gate and connected it to the main one, then closed her eyes as her magic began to power up and surround the seal. Everypony knew to stay quiet, only for a flash of light to happen, the magic now vanishing. "There," she opened her eyes, "I've sent it to the Crystal Empire. I was aiming for the castle, but it might have materialized somewhere else close by."
"Only one way to find out," Flash commented, "Power it up!" Twilight nodded, now charging the gate as Heart ran up to Flash.
"I wanna come with you."
"No way," Flash told him. "It's too dangerous. You fire will be useless against the rest of those dragons."
"But-"
"No Heart!" Flash interrupted, "You'll stay here and help Starlight protect the town." Heart grumbled back as the rune gate activated, creating a pillar of light that hit the ceiling and formed a gateway to the Crystal Empire.
"Luna and I will head back to Canterlot," Celestia told Twilight. "We'll use the Rune Gate there to start sending troops to the Crystal Empire."
The others nodded, Flash stepping up to the portal, "Alright. Let's go save our friends!"
"YEAH!" The others cheered before Flash ran through the portal, followed by Springer, Grand, Skybreaker, Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Script and finally Twilight. Everypony else watched as the portal began to lose power, beginning to close.
Heart frowned at this, onto to switch to a glare before sprinting forward. "HEART!" Everyone else yelled, unable to stop him as he leapt through the portal seconds before it closed.
"HEART!" Soul screamed, seeing her brother now vanish. The sight made her ears flop down, whimpering, "Oh no..."
The great northern kingdom had been having another beautiful day, the many Crystal Ponies enjoying their lives. But that had all changed when a portal suddenly appeared within the Crystal Heart's barrier, the inhabitants turning to it before a horde of dragons had flown out. Screams rang out as the fire-breathing reptiles descended upon the city, many simply pulling parts of the buildings off and eating them.
The Crystal Guards had charged in, attempting to hold the dragons back while the citizen ran for the castle for safety, Ruby leading that charge. "Crystal Shot!" She yelled as she swung a crystal sword, firing a gemstone arrow that struck several dragons, knocking them down. Ruby watched them fall, but the arrows hadn't gone deep enough to do any serious damage.
The unicorn had realized instantly that these dragons were being controlled, having seen the same signs in her citizen during Sombra's reign. But just because they were being controlled, didn't mean she would let them destroy her home. "Crystal Wave!" She thrust her sword into the ground, creating a wall of crystals before thrusting her hooves, causing the gems to fly into the dragons on the ground.
Knocking them back, Ruby watched as more dragons poured out of the portal, the ponies around her screaming as they ran to the city's center. "Get to the castle! The princess and prince will protect you there!" She yelled before zapping two more dragons, slamming them into a whole group.
At the castle, Shining Armor had put up a shield around the structure, the ponies able to get through while the dragons couldn't. "Hurry!" He yelled as the ponies leapt through the forcefield, Shining then looking up at the castle. Cadance was inside, keeping Flurry safe and sending a message to the other princesses. They had received a message telling them about an attack on Ponyville, only to now be dealing with an attack of their own.
"What else could go wrong today?" He asked, only to get an answer when something big came out of the portal. The Wood Dragon slithered out, now overshadowing the city. The civilian ponies all screamed in horror while the guards, Shining and Ruby yelled out to not panic.
Ruby had started trying to encase the dragons she beat in crystal body suits, leaving only their faces free so they could breathe, but this quickly became a futile effort. Whenever she trapped one dragon, another would fly down and bite into the gems while others now attacked her.
"Raaah!" She roared as she formed a pair of crystal maces and swung them at the beasts, knocking more back as one dragon got close. She leapt back and formed a shield, blocking a slash, only to feel her hooves grind back from the blow. "Grrr…" she growled, pushing the shield back and bonking the dragon. But as she did this, another dragon came down and fired a blast of heat onto the shield, "Augh!"
As she endured the heat, a laugh filled the air and made her look up to see Flicker, "Certainly feeling the heat, aren't we?"
"Who are you?!" She asked, "Why are you doing this?!"
"Just a dragon," he replied, "One that has certain needs that I need to acquire to right a wrong from long ago." Ruby raised an eyebrow at this, only for the dragon to continue, "Now, you have two choices." He pointed to the Wood Dragon that was hovering above the city. "Surrender and come with me, or my loyal servant will raise this city to the ground."
Ruby glanced over at the Wood Dragon and then back to him. "What do you want with me?"
"That's for me to know and for you to find out...after you surrender to me." Ruby stared at the dragon, seeing a big grin on his face before glancing at the dragon horde now gathering around them. She let out a sigh, her horn sputtering as she gripped the crystal mace in her hoof as Flicker added, "Well?"
Ruby closed her eyes, about to respond, only for a flash of light to shine behind her. Both glanced at the lights, now seeing a piece of paper flutter to the ground. She and Malafear raised an eyebrow until they noticed the seal on the paper, which then began to glow. Before either could say anything, the light exploded off the seal and created a beam of light that shot right into the sky. And from that beam, out shot Flash Sentry. The pony leapt out and entered Theta Mode the second he did, using it to notice Malafear a few feet away and instantly pointed his sword at him.
"Flash Force!" The beam of light exploded out, hitting the dragon right in the stomach. A scream of pain came out as he went flying back, Springer, Grand and Skybreaker now jumping out of the portal.
The three warriors saw the dragons that surrounded them, each firing their Force attacks, knocking the horde back. And as they cleared the area, Ruby dropped her shield and turned to the rest of the ponies that had leapt through the Ponyville Rune Gate.
"Princess!" She called to Twilight, then turned to the vanishing beam of light. "How did-"
"No time," Twilight replied, "We need to stop Malafear and free the dragons before its too late."
"Where is Malafear?" Ember asked, making Ruby flinch at the sight of her. But before she could ask or respond, a loud roar caused them to turn and see Flicker take to the air, "Nevermind."
"You fools again?!" Malafear screeched before raising his staff, "So, you decided to come in order to witness your own destruction?"
"No," Flash replied as he raised his sword, "We've come to take you down and save our friends."
"That's right!" A voice behind the pony group yelled, causing them all to turn and see Fire Heart standing behind them. "So just give up before we have to hurt you too badly!" He then saw everyone glaring at him, "What?"
Flash sighed and shook his head, "I'll deal with you later." He turned back to Malafear, "Celestia's gonna send some more soldiers through that Rune Gate." Ruby nodded at hearing this, but before they could try and do something, Malafear raised his staff and they heard a loud roar, making them look up at the Wood Dragon.
"That's...not good," Rainbow gulped as Twilight turned to the Royal Knights.
"We can protect the city. You all need to stop that thing from levelling it to the ground." All but Ruby nodded and turned to run off, the Crystal Knight staying put. "Ruby?"
"It's me he wants," she replied, making them all raise an eyebrow, Twilight quickly realizing what she meant. "I can't let him destroy my city." With that, she sparked her horn and vanished.
"Ruby!" Trixie yelped, Malafear also frowning at her disappearance.
"Over here!" They all turned to see Ruby was up on a nearby roof, Malafear quickly flying up to her. But before he or his dragons could reach her, she teleported to another roof.
"GET HER!" He screamed, the dragons chasing after the disappearing unicorn.
"What's she doing?" Trixie asked.
"Malafear wants her for something," Twilight responded, "The same reason he took Iron and Lightning. She must be trying to lure him somewhere safe."
"Then we've gotta use the opening she's left us," Script added as the others nodded, Twilight turning to the others.
"Rainbow, Applejack, Trixie, Ember, Script and I will help Ruby. The rest of you get the rune gate to the castle where it'll be safe. If it starts glowing, put it back on the floor and stand back." They nodded, Rarity grabbing the rune gate in her magic as Twilight glanced around. "Heart, when that gate opens you're-" She stopped when she saw the colt was gone, the princess' eyes going wide as she looked back at where the wood dragon was. "Oh no."
Flash, Springer, Grand and Skybreaker charged at the dragon, Skybreaker yelling, "Time for some payback!"
"Just be careful!" Grand added, "Don't forget how powerful this thing is. It wiped us all out in only one attack."
"Well, it didn't have to face off against me last time," Flash pointed out with a smirk.
"Or me!" The four quickly looked back, now wide-eyed at the sight of Heart flying behind them.
"HEART!" They all barked, the colt smiling before his body ignited. "Heart, this is too-"
"Oh, come on!" Heart interrupted before flying ahead, "I was born for this battle. Wood Dragon against my fire will only end in one overly crispy dragon!" Before they could say anything else, Heart used his fire to rocket ahead, about to reach the dragon first, "Alright you overgrown garden snake!" He brought his front hooves together and formed a fireball between them. "Get ready to feel the heat!" He thrust the fireball forward, a stream of fire now hitting the dragon as it let out a scream of pain.
"Ha!" Skybreaker laughed, "For a kid, he's got some serious power."
"Power...yes," Grand added. "Experience...no." To prove his point, the wood dragon quickly flew back and beat its wings, creating a powerful gust of wind that extinguished Heart's fire attack and blew him away.
"WHOA!" He yelped, flying backward before Springer used Velocity Strike to quickly grab him out of the air. "Uh..." he moaned while shaking his head, "I'm gonna need more heat." As he said that, a growl made them look up and see the wood dragon taking a deep breath. About to fire a leaf blast, Springer dropped Heart and raised a shield around them. The leaf storm then slammed against the shield, Springer flinching at the attack as it pushed the shield back.
"Hang on!" Flash yelled as he charged, the wood dragon stopping its attack and turning to him before the vines on its head extended toward him. "Flash Cutter!" He swung Lightbringer, firing a blade of light that cut the roots to pieces, evading the others as the roots instead smashed into some of the houses. "Oops."
"We need to get that thing away from the city!" Grand exclaimed as he and Skybreaker reached Heart and Springer. "Let's use Force attacks. Aim for its chest and give it everything you have!" The others nodded and began to build up power as Flash worked to keep the dragon distracted. "Now," he pointed his hammer forward, "Grand-"
"Sky-"
"Aura-"
"Fire-"
"FORCE!" The earth and air tornado, laser and fire stream shot at the dragon, Flash flying straight up to avoid them as they slammed into the dragon. It roared in pain as it was pushed back, trying to escape the attack as the four kept changing the directions of their attacks. It was pushed more and more, now only a few hundred feet away from the barrier protecting the Crystal Empire. And as Flash saw this, he closed his eyes.
"Armorize!" His eyes shot open as light exploded off his body before wrapping around him, decking him out in his special armor. Once it was all formed, his wings opened up, propelling himself with light and charged at the dragon while the others cut their attacks. "RAAAAAHHHHH!" He roared as he slammed into the dragon's chest, the impact now knocking it right through the barrier. In a flash of blue light, the pair were now in the snow covered environment outside of the city.
They kept going for a few more feet, only for the wood dragon to use its vines to whip at Flash. The Knight of Friendship saw this coming and jumped back, dodging the roots before flying to safe distance away.
"Come on!" He yelled as he flew farther away from the empire, "Your boss wants me, doesn't he? So come and get me!" The wood dragon gave chase, Flash firing Flash Cutters back at him as he continued to flee into the frozen wasteland.
Back inside of the city...
Ruby was still teleporting around the place, dodging the dragons as Malafear and his servants continued to follow her. She had gotten quite far, only to unconsciously make a mistake. The knight had been moving in a pattern, zigzagging from one house to the next, with about four houses between teleportation points. And as she teleported away, Malafear turned to one of the buildings before firing a blast, making it explode just as she appeared on it.
"AUGH!" She screamed as the roof blew up, knocking her down and slamming into the street below. She slid along the crystal pavement for a few feet, moaning as she tried to pick herself up.
Malafear and his dragons flew down, a smirk on the lips of the dragon that he was possessing. "Admirable attempt to defy me and protect your home," he told her as he pointed his staff, "But it was all for naught." The crystal glowed black, "Welcome to the winning team."
Black lightning then exploded out of the gem, only for a flash of purple light to shine before her. Twilight appeared in that instant, the putting up a barrier that shielded the mares from the lightning, which exploded off her shield until Malafear cut the power.
"Princess!" Ruby yelled, only to see two more flashes of light that faded to show Trixie and Script outside the shield. She then saw Ember and Rainbow flying down while Applejack ran. "What are you doing here?! You need to protect the city!"
"We are," Twilight replied as she dropped her shield. "But the only way to do that is to stop this monster and free Spike and Flicker!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Malafear laughed, "Get them!" His minions quickly charged at the three unicorns and alicorn, all four now firing blast of magic back. And as they knocked them back, Rainbow, Ember and Applejack reached them, all attacking the dragons as they barely fought back, all not at full strength while under the mind control. "Dragon Lord Ember!" Malafear chuckled as he turned to the dragon, "Or should I say...ex-dragon lord." Ember growled as he pointed his staff at her, "You need to learn your place!"
"Augh!" She cried as a beam shot out of the staff and hit her. But before its power could affect her, the rune that Script had created appeared and deflected the magic. Malafear gasped as his spell exploded off her, glaring at the rune.
"Yes!" Script cheered as he blasted another dragon away, "The alicorn magic worked."
Twilight smiled at this before glaring up at Malafear and taking to the air. She fired a blast of magic, but he dodged it and responded with his own blast from his staff. She also dodged it, the two constantly firing at one another, but missing every time. They eventually stopped and hovered midair, both glancing around to see the unicorns blasting the dragons away while Rainbow and Ember did aerial combat and Applejack either lassoed or bucked dragons away.
Twilight then growled at Malafear, "This is your only warning. Release Spike from that book and return our friends, or I won't hold back."
Malafear laughed back, "You think you scare me?! Please. What do I have to fear against such a puny creature such as yourself?"
"You're not that much bigger then me," Twilight retorted. "And I wouldn't underestimate ponies."
"I don't," he replied. "I correctly estimate you. And if it hadn't been for Silverbolt and the others, I would have wiped your pathetic kind off the face of this planet a long time ago. And once I've regained the power I once had, I'll do exactly that! So instead of fighting me, why don't you run along and enjoy what little time you have left before I eradicate your pathetic species."
Twilight glared at him, "If we're so pathetic, then why are you so obsessed with capturing us? Iron, Lightning, Ruby, Flash...what do you want with them?"
Malafear went wide-eyed for a second before hissing, "A great injustice was done to me long ago. And the only way to make things right is with those that caused that injustice."
"What?" Twilight asked, "That doesn't make any sense. You must have been defeated hundreds of years ago."
"Over twelve hundred years ago," Malafear corrected.
"Exactly," Twilight responded, "And none of them were even born yet. Not even Ruby." Her horn ignited, "So why do you think they're the ones that did that to you?"
"That's for me to know," Malafear replied as his staff glowed, "And you to never find out!" He fired a blast of magic, Twilight doing the same. The two spells connected, pushing each other for almost thirty seconds before creating a small explosion that knocked them both back. And as they recovered, Malafear let out a long hiss, "All that matters is that I'm settling the score and nothing will stop me." He glanced back at the book, "Especially him."
Spike had recovered from his earlier shock, now moving to a new book that had just appeared. But as he reached his claw out to touch it, he hesitated. His mind went over the past, part of him in worry of where this story of the past was going, why the other was screaming at him to open it. And as these two mindsets fought, he grabbed the book and opened it up. Doing so caused the scene to appear around him, now back in the Dragon Lands, floating above it as Silverbolt and Starswirl flew.
"Where is it?" Silverbolt asked.
"We'll find it," Starswirl assured him. But no sooner had he said that, another wave of magic energy swept over them, making them look down at a nearby crater.
"There!" Silverbolt flew down and Spike followed, the three reaching the crater and seeing many dragons filling it. But only one in particular caught their attention. This one was a black quadruped dragon with dark red lines running down the sides of his neck, body and tail, with large black horns on his head and long claws. He had bright red eyes and a menacing spike on the tip of his tail that appeared to be split into three. And under the dragon's right foot was a Flame Dragon, who appeared to be seriously injured.
"Furnace!" Silverbolt yelled as he landed, Starswirl teleporting to the floor as the black dragon turned to him. "Let him go!"
"Or what?" The dragon chuckled.
"That dragon's nuts!" One of the other dragons yelled. "He's not like regular dragons!"
"Yeah!" Another one coughed, "He's like...well, like you!" Silverbolt raised an eyebrow at this before turning to the black dragon, the beast opening his mouth before spitting out some kind of black smoke. Silverbolt could sense the magic flowing through the smoke and quickly unleashed a bolt of lightning from his mouth to block it. The lightning and smoke collided, appearing to cancel each other out, making the black dragon go wide-eyed.
"You...you're like me."
"And you're like me," Silverbolt nodded before turning to Starswirl. The unicorn teleported down to Furnace and put his hoof on him, teleporting again with the dragon.
"What the-a pony?!" He growled, seeing him appear behind Silverbolt with Furnace, "What is that pathetic creature doing here?!"
"He's a friend of mine," Silverbolt replied, "Now...who are you?! I've never seen you around here before. I'd certainly remember another Mystic Dragon."
The dragon laughed at this, "Oh, I come from a very far off land."
"Do you have a name?"
"Do you?" He guffawed while the silver dragon rolled his eyes.
"My name is Silverbolt, the Mystic Lightning Dragon."
The dragon chuckled again, "My name...is Malafear, the Mystic Shadow Dragon."
"I knew it," Spike growled, clenching his claws. But as anger rose in his mind, he stopped himself as he said, "That jerk! If only I could do something..." He let out a sigh, "Though...maybe if I keep watching, I can figure out a way to save Flicker."
"What are you doing here?" Silverbolt asked, Malafear smirking.
"Well, my land doesn't have the large diverse amount of dragons like this land does. Shadow dragons are the most common type of dragon there, with just a few other types. Poison, ice, fear..."
"Fear?" Another dragon asked, making Malafear grin as he turned to the dragon with now glowing eyes. A beam of light shot out of them, hitting the dragon in the head. He cried out, the others watching in shock as the light wrapped around him and then sank into his body.
"Are you okay?" Silverbolt asked, only for the dragon to start screaming.
"Ahhh!" He screamed, leaping back as if he had just seen his worst nightmare. "Get away!" He began to breath fire, the others leaping back as the dragon took to the air. But as soon as he looked down, he screamed again and fell to the ground before he started scurrying up the sides of the crater.
"Fear..." Starswirl gasped, "He's become scared of everything."
"Exactly," Malafear chuckled, "Don't worry, it'll wear off in a few hours." He then let out a bellowing cackle, "As long as he doesn't have a heart attack before then! HA!"
Silverbolt turned to glare at him, "You said you were a Mystic Shadow Dragon. If that's true, how were you able to use the abilities of another dragon race?!"
Malafear raised an eyebrow at this, "Don't tell me you never realised what we Mystic Dragons are meant to do." Malafear then breathed out a large cloud of white mist and when it touched the ground, it caused it to freeze over. The dragon chuckled before letting out another blast of purple mist, this one now smelling rancid. It got closer and Silverbolt quickly grabbed Starswirl and Furnace as he took to the air, the others dragons followed suit. But one of the Flame Dragons wasn't fast enough and the purple mist enveloped him. He began to cough violently before falling over, crashing into the edge of the crater.
The others dragons gasped at this, only to Malafear fly up and pin him down. The dragon tried to squirm under the him, but Malafear began to glow a dark light. That light spread to the other dragon and made it cry out, "And with this, your soul is now mine." Malafear opened his mouth and the light was sucked off the dragon and into swallowed by him.
"What's he doing?" Starswirl asked, now seeing the light be fully absorbed by Malafear. And as soon as the light left the dragon's body, he went limp while his body's color became faded. The Mystic Shadow Dragon chuckled as he opened his eyes and looked up at Silverbolt, then took a deep breath and let out a blast of fire.
"He stole his elemental power." Silverbolt gasped as he swathe fire, the other dragons flinching before flying away as fast as they could. Silverbolt also flew away with Starswirl, knowing he needed to protect his nest and his mate. It was here that the scene ended, Spike now back in the void.
The drake slumped over, "He can steal dragons' elements?" The thought of what Malafear could do now went through his head, "I...I gotta tell everypony! I gotta get out of here!"
Outside the Crystal Empire...
Grand and the others leapt out of the barrier into the snowy wilderness, now rushing at the wood dragon as a golden light flew around it. "There they are!" Heart yelled as he charged ahead, the others quickly catching up. "Let's take that thing down!"
"Calm down Heart," Grand chimed in, "Remember where you are and what we trained." Heart glanced around, now realizing the frozen water all around him. It wasn't snowing, so he had to stay airborne so his flames could work.
"You stay back and fire from a distance," Springer added as he started glowing. "Leave the close combat to us! Mega Mode Power!" In a blast of light, he transformed into his evolved form and ran ahead at an even greater speed.
Flash had just fired a Flash Force from his helmet horn when Springer reached them, the laser hitting the dragon's face and blinding it. This allowed the mega jakhowl to form an Aura Blast in his paw, then leaping up, "Take this!" He thrust his paw forward, "Aura Blast!" The laser exploded out of his paw, making it roar in pain.
But as the attack hit, the dragon sent out several vines, Springer now using his Steel Paw to slice them apart. He fell next, Flash flying under him and Springer landing on his wings. The two flew back as Heart, Skybreaker and Grand reached them.
"Sky Grinder!" Sky morphed into a wheel of air that spun forward, slicing through the vines.
"Grand Impact!" Grand slammed his hammer into the ground, causing huge boulders to explode out before swinging his hammer into the rubble, sending the boulders like rockets at the dragon.
They all hit the dragon, making it cry out as Heart flew up. "Time to try out that new move I've been working on." He started spinning like Skybreaker, his flaming tail turning him into a wheel of fire. "Alright! Try this, Gatling Flame!" Fireballs exploded off the wheel, all of them hitting the dragon, only for it suddenly fly up...and take a deep breath.
"HERE IT COMES!" Grand screamed at Heart, "GET OUT OF HERE!" Heart didn't listen, instead building up as much fire power as possible. As he did this, the dragon roared and unleashed the leaf tornado.
"FIRE FORCE!" Heart shot the stream of fire upward, but when it struck the tornado, the force pushing the leaves dispelled the flames without even damaging the leaves. Heart's eyes went wide at this, only for Flash and Springer to appear, Springer forming a shield around them.
The leaves slammed into it, but the shield maintained as Springer turned to Flash. "What do say we go big?"
"You read my mind!" Flash laughed as Springer leapt off his back and Flash flew out of the shield the second the leaf blast ended. The dragon watched as Flash flew straight up, only to notice something happening below it. First it morphed into Springer's head, then the rest of the jakhowl's body grew out, soon making a sixteen meter jakhowl made of energy now standing with Springer and Heart floating within.
Then, a flash of light above it made it look up to see another energy construct appear. This one was in the shape of a golden alicorn that quickly flew down while Flash was floating inside its head. "Raaah!" He roared as both he and the avatar pulled their right hoof back before throwing it forward, socking the dragon in its head.
The beast roared as it was knocked down, the others gasping at the sight, "Let's go!" Flash yelled as his avatar landed near Grand, purposefully stepping on him to allow the earth pony to be absorbed into the form.
Skybreaker flew into the avatar as well while Springer had his form a Bone Breaker. "Heart!" The colt nodded and as Springer charged, Heart now swinging his tail to launch a volley of fireballs. As this happened, Flash took to the air and flew the avatar above the dragon as Skybreaker fired air blades from its chest.
The dragon unleashed its vines, trying to hit the two, "Not this time!" Springer roared as his avatar began spinning the Bone Breaker to cut the vines as Flash flew up out of range. His avatar fired a blast from its horn, frying the rest of the vines before hitting the dragon's wing. This made it cry out, the dragon now crashing as Flash landed as well. Grand then floated down the avatar's hoof and slammed his hammer into the ground.
This caused a massive rock to rise beneath the dragon, almost impaling the beast and throwing it's top half up into the air, Skybreaker now flying out of the avatar.
"Sky Driver!" He morphed into a drill, slamming into the dragon's chin, making it cry out as he dug into it before kicking away. The dragon tried to grab him, but Heart shot some fireballs at his claw, making it scream while Skybreaker flew down into Springer's avatar.
"Let's end this!" Flash yelled as his avatar extended a wing, Springer nodding and giving his avatar a Steel Paw. The two charged at the dragon from opposite directions and before it could stop them, they shot past, slashing with perfect timing. The dragon screamed in pain, the two sliding to a stop as the dragon slumped over, crashing with a mighty thump. And as it fell, they saw it let out a sigh, twitching as it laid there.
Back in the city, Malafear was still battling against Twilight, only to suddenly flinch, "Impossible..." he whispered, Twilight now firing a beam at him, only for Malafear to form a shield around him without looking at her. "We'll have to settle this later."
"What?" Twilight asked, only for Malafear to create a portal in front of him. "WAIT!" He instantly went in, Twilight trying to chase him, only for the portal to instantly disappear. "NO!"
She growled at the sight, only to turn to the area Flash had pushed the wood dragon through, "Flash..."
The five warriors stared at the downed wood dragon, Flash straining to keep his avatar active.
"So what do we do with it now?" Heart asked as he flew close, Skybreaker keeping him back.
"Well...Spike was able to free Ember," Flash replied, "Maybe we can find a way to free this one." The others exchanged glances, only for another voice to call out.
"You won't be freeing anything!" They looked up and saw Malafear fly out of a portal.
The five got into a fighting stance, Flash yelling, "Give it up! You've already lost your best weapon!"
However, Malafear let out a cackle, "Who said the wood dragon was my best weapon?!" Malafear then held up his staff, "I keep these two in reserve just in case." As he said that, the gem glowed black before a pair of portals appeared behind him. They grew larger and larger, making the five go wide-eyed as they watched them merge into one extra large portal.
And from those portal, two new dragons appeared. They were the same size as the wood dragon, but looked very different. One was more of a wyvern with yellow scales and white in the wings, which was covered in white lightning bolt shaped spikes. Its head looked like a triceratops, having two large horns above its eyes and on the end of its snout that were also lightning bolt shaped. The other dragon didn't have any wings, instead standing on all fours with a body covered in metal plating. Its claws were silver, and it had multiple silver spikes coming out of its shoulders and running along its tail. At the very tip, a spiked mace swung as both dragons roared, unleashing two powerful burst of winds that pushed them all back.
"Those are..." Heart gasped.
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "The dragons from the mural."
Malafear laughed at the bewildered looks on their faces. "May I introduce, the Lightning and Iron Dragons!" The dragons charged, the five leaping away from the wood dragon. And as it began to pick itself up, the five protectors of Equestria knew this was just the beginning
Wow! What an intense chapter!
Heart is definitely far from experience, he really need to cut his Leeroy Jenkins crap.
It's interesting that Banshee chose to give the dragons average lifespans but how old is Torch?
Here's highlights
SPIKE IS THE SON OF SILVERBOLT AND FIRA!!!!! I BEEN JOSSED!!!!!!
Uh.... I guess... yes?
You may be an asshole but I will give you a point for putting a rune spell on Ember to protect her from Malafear.
REALLY HEART, REALLY?!?!?!
You are so unbelievable, Heart. 😡
YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
So Iron, Lightning, Ruby, Flash and maybe First Aid & Heather Bloom were involved with stopping Malafear? I swear if this isn't reincarnation, I going to lose it!
Great, he's Shang Tsung of this universe!
No shit, Sherlock.
Good chapter.
Let me check my predictions,
Malafear will first, for all practical purposes, sack The Crystal EmpireCheckSpike will learn the connection between Silverbolt and himThey are father and son, CheckNot as many points as I hoped, but yeah Malafear and his dragons are in the process of sacking The Crystal Empire and it takes little to correctly infer that Silverbolt is Spike's dad. Still takes a lot away from Spike as a character because he's no longer special due to how he was raised, but now he was born special.
What consitutes an average life span? Also it takes away from the Dragon-ness of dragons.
You should have been more adamant in your resolve, because a dragon's longevity is a key part especially to what can categorized as 'Western Intellectuals' (Think Smaug from The Hobbit) or 'Eastern Sages (think Haku from Spirited Away or Shenron for Dragon Ball).
I am not saying the story is bad, I am saying that it takes away Spike's uniqueness in his world by making him born special when what makes him special is how he was raised. He's a lot like Clark Kent that way, he has the power to rival any dragon, but he has a heart, mind and soul tampered with the Equestrian culture of Love, Friendship, Fellowship, etc. which enables him to achieve things no other dragon can do because to them the only way to solve a problem in the MLP FiM universe is to burn it until it is no longer a problem.
Could drop the whole Spike's origins plot-line, or instead of having Silverbolt as Spike's father, make Malafear the father and give Malafear an origin that for all intents and purposes is the same as Spike's, because that will actually challenge Spike as a character, force him to question himself, have some conflict about himself, knowing that his upbringing is not a guarantee that he won't be come a monster, that everything is ultimately in his talons to decide what and who he is and it should be that conflict should be at the heart of the story, not everyone trying to stop Malafear from reconstituting himself mainly because we know the end, they are going to beat him, free the dragons, and everything is mostly going to go back to the status quo as of the end of Celestial Advice and the start off with whatever will be the first chapter of Flash Sentry Defender of the Peace Season 7 be it Bottled Up, A Flurry of Emotions, Rock Study Friendship or Fluttershy Leans In or whatever Banshee wants to start the Season 7 proper with. What lasting effects will this entry have other than Spike is no longer special because he was raised by Ponies, he's special because he was born special.
It would be more compelling if they don't. For a few reasons
I could go on, but I think I've made my point
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What consitutes an average life span? Also it takes away from the Dragon-ness of dragons.
I believe the average human life span.
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okay
Wow, battle at the Crystal Empire! Awesome! The big battle against the Wood Dragon was intense. But as soon as they finally managed to beat it, we get two more new dragons to take its place.
The big reveal with Spike's true relationship with Silverbolt came as a surprise. He isn't a reincarnation of him or a de-aged Silverbolt, he's the son of Silverbolt and Fira! I guess that explains why we never saw him do Lightning magic like Silverbolt. He inherited his mom's fire nature instead.
Silverbolt's explanation on how Spike survived is pretty cool, but also a bit depressing. An egg belonging to a Mystic Dragon surviving for as long as needed until it needs to hatch to achieve its destiny sounds cool on paper, but then there is what happened to Silverbolt, being passed from person to person, not knowing your parents or original family. Poor Fira seemed so excited to be a mother, but she never got to meet her son.
We also learn a bit more about Malafear and his plans. He can steal the elemental powers of other dragons for himself. It looks like that ending implies he can do it to ponies too, and is somehow using the Royal Knights to power his other dragons.
Soul stealing always gives me the creeps. Though Malafear's line is a bit fitting since I finally watched the Mortal Kombat movie. He definetly seemed to be channeling his inner Shang Tsung here.
Fire Heart, you might be tough, but you're basically a Charmander trying to fight a Torterra. It won't end well for you.
I really hope it will be a good ending. Good chapter.
Heart, you little stupid colt !!!!! An order is a order, stay put !!!!!
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Yeah I think he should have kept the Dragon lifespan.
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Oh it will when everything is said and done be a good ending, Malafear will be defeated, the dragons freed and everything pretty much will go back to what they were as of the start of this entry/end of Celestial Advice with the only real difference being that Spike's uniqueness based on how he was raised will be pretty much more or less negated or if not that then significantly reduced by him being unique based on his 'birth' and 'pedigree', basically this entry will end with the set up for what ever episode Banshee will use as the base of the first chapter of Season 7.
Basically in the long run, this will have limited if any affect and effect on the series over all. It's a nice break in between Legend of Everfree and Season 7, but it won't have much impact on the series.
Good gosh! That colt is out of control. At the same time, things are certainly getting interesting. So, we have a dragon that can steal elemental powers. I wonder if he can also bestow them to others. Wait. Is that how the Knights got their powers?
And the hits keep on coming, both at the Crystal Empire battle & inside Spike's memories. This Malefear's a complete jackass then in the past & now in the present, especially since I'm pretty sure (since Spike isn't Silverbolt reborn) he had a claw in Spike parents demise. The whole Mystic dragon hatching is a double whammy for my fave purple dragon since he never got to meet his parents.
I think the taken ponies are probably power sources for these enormous dragons, especially with the 2 new critters that showed up after the wood one went down. Hopefully we'll see soon if I'm right or something close to it!
Wait, what's in this chunk of crystal on the floor? Oh just today's Highlights! :
Holeee---Crap!!!
Damn, just..................DAMN!!!
Okay Script, well played!
*sigh* figured Heart would try this!
Seriously Heart, what did you expect???
*borrowing from the Simpsons famous quotes* HA HA!!!
OOHHhhhhh good twist of the knife there Twilight!
........YIKES!!!!
Round TWO, coming up!
Tons of new questions & answers on this chapter, can't wait for the next one!
Both Banshee & Joey, keep up the awesome work!
So did he turn Iron and Lightning into dragons like what happen in the G1 special with tirek or used o revived them
It looks amazing j. And hope you keep it up you too.
And even I'm don't want the bad dragon to win and can't control of everything
Malafear is turning those who have the same elements as the dragons of the past into those same dragons.
Did you foreshadow Sparky before G5 even came out?!?!