The Rainbow Pearl: Princess Scales
ROLLING IN BEACHES
~ BICO
PART II: THE RAINBOW PEARL
ACT I: PRINCESS SCALES
Spike relaxed in the hot pool of lava as one large dragoness filed his claws and another massaged behind his head fins. Yet another was sharpening the drill bit on the end of his tail. It was a good thing; he thought in retrospect, that dragons were relatively fireproof. He had been somewhat surprised by the dragon method of toasting, which was quite literal, but had come through it unscorched. Now he was being given the royal treatment, and he had to admit that this was a big step up from the spa in Ponyville. Not that he would ever let Aloe and Lotus catch on.
“Spike,” Scales called as she walked into the cavern.
The dragonesses all bowed their heads low while one announced. “Hail, Princess Scalestasia Fina—”
“Yes, yes,” Scales said, waving them away irritably. “Do be quiet, ladies. And leave us be; I’m sure Spike the Valiant has grown weary of your tiresome fawning.”
“Oh, I don’t mind, really,” Spike said. However, the dragonesses knew enough to take the hint and left the cavern reverently. “Um… so what’s up, Scales?”
The small dragoness blushed under her scales at the name, unused to anydragon being so informal. “Shortly, I will bring you to meet my grandfather, the King of the Scaly Backs River clan. Before you have audience with the King, however, I felt I must speak with you.”
“Oh,” Spike said. “Okay.”
Scales lowered herself into the lava, sighing as the rock-melting heat seeped into her muscles. “From what clan do you hail?”
“Uh…” Spike said. He didn’t really have a “clan” to speak of, given he had been raised by a pony. Then again, he supposed that if one looked at it from a certain point of view… “The Ponyville Clan?”
Scales narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “I… see. I imagine this ‘Ponyville Clan’ then has some association with… ponies?”
“Yeah,” Spike said. “You could say that.”
Scales nodded. “Understand, Spike, that we harbor no ill will toward ponykind. On the contrary, while many dragon clans shun ponies as weak and soft, we would welcome ponies as our brethren.”
“You didn’t seem very welcoming when it came to the hippocampi,” Spike remarked.
Scales scowled. “They… are a different matter. In fact, I imagine the other ponies of Equestria would feel similarly if they knew the truth.”
“What truth is that?” Spike asked.
“I should let my grandfather explain that,” Scales said. “I must say, though… you must be a great warrior to best the student of the Princess of the Sea. Or very cunning.”
“Uh… yeah,” Spike said. Not that he had bested the hippocampus by any means. “So you know Wavedancer, huh?”
“I know of her,” Scales said. “Most who live near the east coast would have heard of that one.” She rose stiffly from the lava and said. “Come, we must practice your etiquette for when you are to meet the King.”
Spike stared at her. “What do you mean, Scales? I’m plenty polite!”
“Spike, proper etiquette is paramount among royalty,” Scales said with a sniff. “Really, it’s only because I’m in such a good mood from getting the Rainbow Pearl that I’m letting you get away with such informalities.”
“Are you always like this?” Spike asked.
“Always like what?” Scales said. “Like a Princess? Why, yes!”
“No,” Spike said. “Like a total stick in the mud. You’re worse than Twilight.”
Scales frowned. “Who?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Spike said. “I’ve got a better idea. Instead of you teaching me etiquette, I’m gonna teach you how to have a little fun.”
“Fun?” Scales said in a daze as Spike took her by the claw and pulled her after him out of the cavern. “Princesses do not have fun.”
Half an hour later, the two small dragons were huddled behind a stone in the same cavern, Spike snorting as he tried to contain his premature laughter while Scales looked at him as if her were a maddragon. “What is the purpose of this, Spike the Valiant?”
“You’ll see, Scales,” Spike said with a giggle as he peeked out from behind the stone. “Just wait for somedragon to… wait, wait, wait, shhhhshshsh!” He clamped a claw over Scales’ mouth, though he was the only one threatening to blow their cover as a large, pearly scaled dragon lumbered into the cavern. The large lizard stretched out his limbs before rearing onto his hind legs and launching himself in the air toward the lava pool. When he landed, the red surface went concave as it gave with his considerable weight before admitting him beneath the surface with a “shloop.” Spike completely lost it.
Scales stared at the hole the dragon had made in the pool’s surface, with the pool still wobbling uncontrollably from the disturbance. The dragon’s head then emerged from the pool, gelatinous globs clinging to him and glooping back down to the pool surface. That was not the thing that ultimately affected her, however. It was that look on his face. The expression he wore that told her that he had just had his entire world flipped—turned upside-down. The moment she saw that wide-eyed stare into nothingness, her diaphragm began to contract, as if her body were trying to expel the air in her lungs in short, quick bursts rather than in a deep, regular pattern. This wouldn’t have startled her much. In fact, she tried to cough, thinking that may be the reason she was experiencing this strange bodily rebellion. No, the odd thing was that her facial muscles were also starting to twitch, distorting her face into an unaccustomed expression.
“Scales?” Spike said between gasps of laughter. “You look like you’re having a seizure!”
Scales wanted to respond, “I feel like I’m having a seizure,” in a calm and regal manner, but instead a cacophony of gasping guffaws and snorts emerged from her and she collapsed to the ground, completely unable to control herself. She pounded the ground with a balled fist, pleading for mercy from this surreal experience. When she finally regained some composure, she found Spike staring down at her, completely sobered.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked with a faint smile on his face. “You… ah… kinda lost it for a minute.”
Breathing deeply, Scales looked up at him, and a broad grin spread across her face. “I am fine, Spike the Valiant. May we do that again?”
Rarity would have found her trip enthralling. She was being ferried in a large air bubble between two hippocampi. She passed sunken ruins and large and strange animals. They were moving faster than a steam engine. However, she found the conversation between the hippocampi to be more than distracting.
“… and so Foamy just started ranting about how the thing with the octopi was exactly like the dolphin incident, which really didn’t make sense at all, but when Foamy starts ranting you just can’t expect her to make sense…” Seawinkle was saying.
“Yeah, well, at least it’s only when she gets upset,” Wavedancer said. “Dipper never makes sense.”
“Yeah, but Foamy’s also always upset,” Sealight said with a shy smile, to which the other two hippocampi laughed.
Rarity sighed and traced a pattern in her bubble’s skin. Not that Rarity was particularly averse to gossip between girls, though she had decidedly soured on the practice a little bit after that one incident with her sister and her friends, it was incredibly frustrating to penetrate their wall of inside jokes and references. She was overjoyed when she finally saw a gleaming underwater city come into view with hippocampi and other sea creatures swimming all over in an orderly fashion. “Oh, that is beautiful,” she said.
“Yeah,” Seawinkle said. “That’s the lost Island of Rodi. It’s been at the bottom of the sea for almost two thousand years.”
“Yes,” Rarity said. “I’ve heard of Rodi Island and its great capitol of Troughidance.” She saw a large palace come into view as they approached, and a colossal statue of an alicorn with a nine pronged crown. “Oh, that must be the fabled Colossus of Rodi.” It was supposed to be a monument to the god of the sun, though it didn’t look quite like Celestia, being far too muscular and imposing. As they passed, however, she could clearly see the cutie mark of the Princess emblazoned on the statue’s flank, so she supposed it must be her. “I’d heard all this was destroyed by Discord long ago.”
“No,” Wavedancer said. “Princess Rodi sunk this island into the sea in order to protect it. This place was her responsibility, after all. She rules from that castle, there.” She gestured to the huge castle which looked as if it had been built out of various types of coral.
“Incredible,” Rarity said with an anticipatory grin. She was about to be introduced to a royal alicorn of whom many thought still myth. Her spirits fell slightly as another though came to her. “Only… I don’t suppose she’ll be cross with you for stealing the pearl in the first place.”
“Um…” Wavedancer said.
“Nah,” Seawinkle said as they came ever closer to the palace. “Wavedancer is Rodi’s chosen apprentice. She’s almost like her daughter! Worst case scenario Wavedancer will have to write ‘I will not steal ancient magical relics’ a thousand times.”
Wavedancer looked at her friend with a hint of pique. “It’s not really that trivial…”
“And I don’t know if we’ll get off so easy, Seawinkle,” Sealight said. “After all… we helped her steal it… and we’re just normal hippocampi.”
“Oh…” Seawinkle said, crestfallen. “Yeah.”
Scales and Spike staggered down the tunnel, leaning against each other for support as they shook with laughter. “Scales, that was so classic! Even Rainbow Dash would’ve been floored by that!”
“I know!” Scales said. “The look on her face when the spanakopita hit the—” She paused for a moment, sobering. “Who’s Rainbow Dash?”
“Uh, never mind,” Spike said. “Hey, when were we supposed to see your grandpa?”
“Oh!” Scales exclaimed. “I… I think we might be running a little late actually. Come on, follow me.”
Within minutes they were approaching an entrance guarded by two large dragons in armor, though Spike had no idea why a dragon would need armor. A dragon’s scales were generally as tough as the diamonds on which they snacked. They slowed as they approached and the guards bowed their heads respectfully to Scales, allowing the two of them to enter the chamber. What Spike saw inside nearly floored him.
The throne room—for that was the only thing it could possibly be—was literally covered in jewels. The floors were tiled with amethysts and sapphires and the walls sparkled like a rainbow, not an inch of normal stone in sight. At the end of the hall was the most enormous pile of gems that the young dragon had ever seen, and sitting atop the largest pile was a glittering throne. Sitting regally in that throne was the largest dragon Spike had laid eyes on. His scales were a washed out blue and his under-scales were gold, as were the numerous long and dangerous looking spikes on the end of his tail. Strangely, the old dragon seemed to have a mane that reminded Spike of a dirty mop slapped on top of his head. Like Spike, he seemed to be wingless. “Princess Scalestasia,” the dragon rumbled, his voice deep and elegant. “So you have brought our little hero.”
Scales bowed deeply to her grandfather, and, after a light kick from the dragoness, Spike did the same. “Uh… pleased to meet you, Your Scaliness.”
Scales rolled her eyes, but the titanic dragon chuckled, which sounded to Spike like an avalanche of gigantic boulders. “You are known as ‘Spike’, yes?”
“Ah, yes,” Spike responded.
“Is that your… full name?” The king asked.
“It is,” Spike said.
“Hmm,” The dragon said. “Well, then… Spike… before we get started,” and at that he picked up a small—for him—golden cup and scooped up some gems from beneath his throne, and then set it down before Spike. “Have a little something to snack on. You look hungry.”
Spike looked at the bowl of jewels that towered over him and said, “Uh, thanks, Your Highness. You… don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” the king said. “You are my guest, and while some low-born dragons may keep their hoards to themselves, a noble dragon always ensures that his guests are well-fed and comfortable.”
Not one to look a gift pony in the mouth, Spike grabbed a handful of jewels and began munching loudly on them. He noticed the aggravated glance he received from Scales, and he figured there was probably some kind of protocol against actually accepting an offer of food from the king, but he had had a long night and he was starving. Thankfully, the king also helped himself to a handful of gems, which for him was practically the whole bowl’s worth.
“Spike,” the king said after a few minutes. “You may not realize this, but the Rainbow Pearl is a very important artifact.”
“I kind of gathered that, honestly,” Spike said. “But… why do you want it? Doesn’t it belong to the hippocampi? Some princess… um… R… Ra… Ro…?”
“Princess Rodi,” the king said. “Just as Princess Celestia raises and lowers the sun and Princess Luna raises and lowers the Moon, so does Princess Rodi raise and lower the tides.”
“Oh, so that’s why that happens,” Spike said. “Twilight told me it had something to do with the moon, but that didn’t make much sense…”
“Yes, well,” the king said, shifting in his throne. “Princess Rodi may have had possession of the Pearl until recently, but it is in fact a weapon.”
“What… what kind of weapon could a pearl be?” Spike asked.
“For that I must tell you a story nearly three thousand years old,” the king said. “You see, the Creator of all dragons was a god known to us as Tirek. It is said he was born out of an ash tree by a nature god and was one of the wisest of the centaurs. He was betrayed by the other gods, however—poisoned, cursed to live with unending pain.”
“Harsh,” Spike commented.
“As you might imagine, Tirek and the other gods didn’t get along,” the king said. “The god of the sea used the Master Rainbow to create the races of ponies, and sent them to destroy Tirek with a fragment of its power.” The dragon leaned down toward Spike and spoke softly. “But, you see, the power of the Master Rainbow was terrible. The original races of ponies were created by twisting the bodies and minds of dragons into that of equines! A Hero, a daughter of the Lord of the Sea whose name meant “pearl” in the old tongue of the gods, was sent with a fragment of the Master Rainbow to unleash upon Tirek, and when she did, the Rainbow also turned his entire dragon army into ponies. Only a small number of the hatchlings escaped this fate. Eventually, the hippocampi contained the power of the Master Rainbow fragment in this pearl.”
“The… the Rainbow Pearl can turn a dragon… into a pony?” Spike asked, mesmerized.
“Through my extensive studies I have come to believe that all ponies today are the descendants of dragons,” the king said. “It explains why there are so many similarities between the natural development pattern of dragons and ponies and also why crossbreeding is possible. We were once the same breed. I have also come to believe that the Rainbow Pearl is the only thing keeping our pony brethren trapped in their weak, mammalian forms.” He grinned toothily. “If we destroy that pearl, I believe that all the ponies of Equestria will revert to their true draconic forms!”
Spike nearly dropped the shell in his astonishment. “What?”
“I am very disappointed in you, Wavedancer.”
Rarity was in awe at the interior of this palace. The water was kept out of the interior through magic, so she was able to maneuver the corridors and rooms freely. Now they were in the Sea Princess’ audience chamber, and she was doing a fine job of being just as passively intimidating as Princess Celestia, herself. She was the same size as the Sun Princess, with a dark turquoise coat and an almost black mane that looked like seaweed and floated as if underwater even in the air. She wore royal regalia in the same style as Luna and Celestia but wrought in jade, and also seemed to like fishing nets as a fashion statement. Her cutie mark was of a large, glistening whirlpool which seemed to draw one into it.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” Wavedancer said. “I was just… curious.”
Princess Rodi smiled softly. “I understand. But you must know that taking something without permission is rarely an acceptable solution to your problems. If you had let me know your feelings, perhaps we could have worked something out.”
“I know,” Wavedancer said, head hung low.
“Now the Pearl is in the claws of the Scaly Backs,” Rodi said grimly. “We must extricate it from them before they can use it to destroy all of ponykind.”
“What do you mean?” Rarity said in shock. When the princess turned to her with a quizzical glance, she realized her impropriety. “Er… Your Majesty?”
Rodi sighed. “The Scaly Backs River Clan seeks to use the pearl to unleash an ancient evil. Long ago, before my sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came to Equestria to take over the rule of this land from my sire, there was a horrible monster named Tirek.”
“He was a centaur,” Wavedancer added.
“He wanted to destroy the gods,” Rodi continued. “And to that end he acquired the very essence of Darkness. It gave him great personal power; enough to challenge any one god. However, he needed an army to truly challenge all of them. He found them in ponies.”
“Ponies?” Rarity exclaimed. “But… nopony would ever help somepony like that.”
“Not willingly,” Rodi said sadly. “However, the power of Darkness was able to twist ponies into evil forms. The forms of dragons.”
“Dragons?” Rarity asked, shocked. “But… what does this have to do with the Rainbow Pearl?”
“The power of darkness couldn’t truly be destroyed,” Princess Rodi said. “A brave group of ponies and a demigod were able to defeat Tirek, but the power of Darkness had to be trapped within a fragment of the Master Rainbow. My sisters used similar fragments to forge the Elements of Harmony. The Pearl not only contains this fragment, but also the Darkness. If it were to be shattered the Darkness would be unleashed, and without somepony to control it it would transform not only every pony, but every bird, squirrel, fish, and even dragon into a thing of the Dark.”
“How horrid!” Rarity said. “Why would they do such a thing?”
“I don’t know what exactly these dragons are thinking,” Rodi said. “But the origin of dragonkind is rooted in ponykind. You see, all dragons of Equestria today are the offspring of the ponies who were turned into dragons. When the Master Rainbow fragment turned the dragons back into ponies, it did not affect the children, for they had always been dragons. There are few dragons still living from this original generation, but there are many children and grandchildren who still live. There may perhaps be some desire to unite dragonkind and ponykind again… though I doubt it will be dragons who will wish to turn to ponies.”
“Can you help us find them, Princess?” Wavedancer pleaded.
Princess Rodi looked distant for a moment, and then said, “I’m afraid even I cannot sense the Rainbow Pearl when it is within its shell if it is outside my domain. The Scaly Backs River Clan is also very adept at keeping themselves hidden. I can send the Tritons to comb the river, but it will take a while.”
“Princess!” Rarity interjected. “This situation is direr than I had feared. We must send for my friends. They are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and can be of help in this affair.”
“That can be arranged,” the Princess said.
To be continued…
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The Plot thickens... maybe Celestia should lay off the cake for a while.
Uh, Not sure if this makes the right sense...
"But the origin of dragonkind is rooted in dragonkind."
Otherwise, this story is awesome
A picture of Tierk from the very first episode of My Little Pony:
icrontic.com/uploads/features/life/2011/12/tirek.jpg
A picture of YOUR interpretation of him:
fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/134/6/c/tirek_by_csimadmax-d3gctr3.png
This story bleeds pure awesome.
It's hard to tell which side is telling the truth. The sea-ponies have been mildly aggressive, whereas the dragons haven't shown any real aggression. Yeah, I'm gonna side with the dragons, because fire and spikes are awesome.
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3ikvyOukS1ru5991o1_500.jpg
^ Tirek done in the FIM style.
Huh. Interesting.
They both probably have thier myths mixed up.
Interesting. Two conflicting origin stories centered around that pearl. Knowing what I do of Tirek, I'm more inclined to side with the hippocampi, but I won't be blaming the Dragons for acting on passed-down and altered traditions. Spike, I think, is probably going to have a crisis of faith or two...
I think both sides are lying. Or telling half the truth. Or ponies and dragons were all once manticores, but then magical cataclysm happened
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
lol noooooooooooooooooooo not the my little pony eh first generation? this is madness and so awesome good work sir or madame
1278406 She's just like us!
1278512
That didn't happen.
1278587 Yeah, pretty much.
1280166 You can identify me as any gender you want, just don't identify me as late for dinner
I'm wondering if anyone's going to point out some of the other subtle references I've popped in there...
what references? i dont even get the shoopedoda ones
1280320 It's not as fun (for me) if I tell you. Though the shoop be-doo thing is how the sea ponies always introduced themselves (it was the '80s).
now... the question is: who is lying (or to be fair, ignorant or indoctrinated) , and who is telling the truth (if either of them is correct at all)
can't wait for more
i say fuck both of them keep the pearl give it to rarity and make her a dragon and wait a few years then go and get married.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs7/f/2006/346/b/f/Phoenix_Wright__Objection_by_Chibi_Sanzo.jpg
There are far too many contradictions in Princess Rodi's story when compared to that of the Dragons. Explain the true story behind this matter!
...wat.
Wonderful tie in with G1!
Especially since neither story is completely accurate. There was a dragon even before Tirek began changing ponies into... let's call them drakes.
And his name was Spike. Heh, it's going to be fun watching his reaction once he learns of that!
1280920 There's an idea.
1281299 Objection!
1281953 Hmm... well, who knows how long Tirek's been doing his thing? And who's to say Ponyland was the first place he was doing his thing? *Ahem*
Oh wow lyrawouldhavea field day with this lol Both the dragons and hippocampi know about humans well at least on human named Megan. Not to mention that we now know that ponies and dragons can breed so does that explain the Luna royall guard ?
Foamy reference, haven't seen that here before.
1283293 Objection
1281299 cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/250x250/26344252.jpg
Sorry I have to side with the dragons here. It would be awesome if both sides were completely wrong though lol.
Wow! Master stroke of referring to the very first MLP cartoon's pilot episode in a way that still fits with G4.
I do wonder what Megan would think of being called a demigod..
1306742 In the beginning, all beings in this world belonged to an ancient clan. A clan of elite warriors and ninjas. For they were...
encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGXMq88iWjfCiZfjV1cKPkytDDbkvgPxkGVPkW8pFHaceM9917
WARRIOR BUNNIES!
Ha, Wavedancer is Twilight of the Sea. Even her name can be taken as a reference to the edge of something, sea and air instead of day and night. Nice.
One thing, while the bonding of Spike and Scales is nice, I don't really see what it is that is weird about the dragon jumping in the lava pool, the description sounds like what it ought to be when you dive into something with as high a viscosity as lava. Is it supposed to be the lava version of "turned the pool into gelly"? Because it doesn't really work for anyone with passing knowledge of how lava is.
Oh, and I really hope both groups have that wrong, because either interpretation of the myth makes out the other race to be unnatural and "lesser". That's how I read it anyway.
Spike and Wave completely flooring the dance floor seems a little out of the blue, Spike has never shown talent for dancing, from what I recall. Good dancing, no problem, dancing so good the whole room gawks and applauds? Seems a little much. Also, the ponies should be stomping, that's how they applaud. The "clapping their hooves" sounds like the get up on the hind legs to clap like humans and that is simply wrong.
Other than that, good story. You write the characters pretty well and I like the OC's mostly, so don't take the above points to mean I dislike the story, those are the issues and everything else I didn't mention is pretty good.
3929064
Yes I think they replaced the lava with gellatine(sp?) . We're you saying it still acted a lot like lava due to somewhat similar inconsistencies?