After narrowly escaping a vengefull enemy on her first day of lessons with Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle is a filly alone in a dangerous world. However, even in her despair, she meets a certain dragon who seems fated to befriend and guide her.
Twilight Sparkle, a young gifted Unicorn is given the opportunity of a lifetime, to be the personal student to Princess Celestia. After demonstrating her abilities at her examination, her first day of studies comes to a grinding halt when a predecessor comes back for revenge on her mentor and Princess. After a narrow escape, the young filly, just beginning to learn her powers finds herself in the middle of the everfree forest, alone and vulnerable with no one to help guide her back to the life that was so swiftly pulled out from under her hooves. Her adventure nearly comes to an end when a pack of timber wolves attack her, however she is saved by one of the most unlikely of creatures, a dragon. With no one else to help her, she immediately follows the disgruntled and solitary creature back to his lair, much to his annoyance. However, he comes to find out that the two of them are far more connected than he could have ever guessed...
In this alternate universe, Twilight is a filly and never hatched spike. He grew up as a wild dragon in the Everfree forest, however deep down past the scales and fire, he will come to realize that perhaps he is something more. The first of a series I plan to create where spike is the "Older Brother/Guardian" figure, however, the bond that they share is the same if not stronger than that in the show. I believe this is an original concept, correct me if I'm wrong, but the idea came to me and I have been excited to show this to all of you
This story has been in my mind for over a year now and I am excited to finally be able to publish it, I hope that you all enjoy, as I am proud to present to you "Friends by Fate"
It was as normal an evening as ever for the dragon that now lumbered through the dense foliage; his meal clenched firmly between his powerful jaws. The now deceased feret was an old creature, one that would not naturally live to see the first snows of winter. Killing another creature never brought joy to the drake; in fact, if his reptilian metabolism was able to draw sustenance solely off of vegetation and gems, he would have preferred it that way. But in order to survive the perils of the death ridden forest, it required that he rely on his carnivorous nature. However, he only ever hunted the severely old, or terminally ill and wounded creatures knowing their imminent death would be mutually beneficial. He drew sustenance from their bodies, and they would be put out of their misery.
Arriving back at his cave, he circled a few times upon his small hoard of hard earned gems creating a comfortable area for him to lay down upon. Once completely satisfied with his situation, he quickly devoured the carcass with a snap of his jaws and bob of his head. Looking around the modest cavern of limestone, his eyes roamed until they fell upon the item of his search. Reaching out, his sharp claws grabbed a small item that one would rarely find in a dragon's hoard. It was a small golden heart-shaped locket, situated on a chain that was made at a length that would comfortably fit around his thick neck. Delicately, he opened the necklace with a soft click and held it in the palm of his claw.
A single hot tear leaked from his cat-like eye and rolled down his scaly cheek where it evaporated even before touching the ground below. Tightly closing his eyes and the locket simultaneously, he pressed the golden heart to his chest as he remembered back to the night that still haunted his dreams. The worst part were the screams, screams of pain, of terror... of hopelessness. His mind would replay those wails and sobs for the rest of his long and lonely life. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a thousand years, but he didn’t deserve the blissful reprieve of the magically induced slumber. No, he would continue to live this redundant and solitary existence as retribution to his ultimate failure. It was his fault that he was now alone, and for however long he survived, he would ensure that it remained that way.
Fate however had a different idea for the heartbroken dragon, as his ear fins raised at the not uncommon howling of a pack of timberwolves. His eyes however shot open when a second sound echoed through the night immediately after; a sound that he knew all too well…
A child’s scream of terror.
*Earlier that day*
A tiny purple unicorn filly trotted excitedly towards the royal canterlot library, her saddlebags stuffed to the brim with spell books, parchment, ink and quills. Today would be her first official day under Princess Celestia’s tutorage. Ever since her entrance exam, Twilight Sparkle had not only been accepted into the school of her dreams, but Celestia had also decided to make the filly her personal protege. She still remembered the events of what happened vividly in her young mind as she tried to contain her giddiness.
Twilight was brought before a panel of four unicorn judges to assess her magical potential. A teenage unicorn brought out a small pot with an acorn resting on the soil. The judges then instructed her to attempt to sprout the acorn to the most of her abilities. The filly gulped nervously, knowing the technical skills required in performing age spells. She looked back towards her mother and father who waved her on encouragingly.
Taking a deep breath, she charged her horn and sent a stream of magic with its intended purpose toward the inert seed, but it was ineffective. The filly then attempted multiple amounts of magic, positions, and even flailing her stubby arms at the obstinate nut in an attempt to create a charm that would cause the intended result. However, she fell to the ground unceremoniously as her final attempt failed. Sitting up, she cast her eyes to the ground and weekly apologized “I’m sorry for wasting your time”. The four judges scribbled notes down rapidly with disappointment clear on their faces.
BOOM!
The sound rattled the windowpanes and shook the foundation of the lecture hall. without warning, a magical surge charged in her horn and released itself at the acorn. Causing a small sprout to grow from the seed. However the surge did not stop there. Twilight felt an enormous amount of power course through her body, causing her eyes to turn pure white with arcane energy. Her magic then reached out and affected every living thing within the confines of the room. The judges were surrounded with magic, and levitated from the ground. Her mother and father turned into a potted plant and cactus respectively, and the tiny sprout shot up into an enormous hundred year old oak that punched its way through the ceiling.
Twilight was scared, she did not know what to do, how to stop the storm of magic that had a mind of its own, or even if it could be stopped. Before she could think of it any longer, a kindly white hoof rested itself on her shoulder. Immediately the surge died down and every pony, and plant, were returned to their original selves. Celestia smiled down at the tiny filly, and made her an offer…
She looked back proudly at the starburst cutiemark on her flank, before knocking on the large wooden door. A matronly voice called sweetly, “Come in”, and Twilight did as her mentor instructed. Celestia looked up from the book she was reading and smiled warmly at her new apprentice. “Ah, Twilight, right on time. It is very good sign that you present punctuality on your first day. Have you adjusted well to the new castle accommodations?”
“They are very nice you’re highness, my bed is so much bigger than the one I used to have at home. And the castle seems to have a never ending number of rooms in it!”
“Well the number of rooms the castle has is finite my little pony,” Celestia chuckled, “but I am glad that you are comfortable. Shall we begin our lessons?”
Twilight nodded emphatically as she made her way to sit beside her teacher. Celestia reopened the book she was skimming through and showed the artfully drawn pictures that depicted much of Equestria’s history. “I thought today we would start our lesson with the history and lore of Equestria, does that suit you well Twilight?”
“Yes your highness” Twilight beamed toward her mentor.
“Excellent, but Twilight, you can simply address me as Princess Celestia”
“Of course you're highn-, I mean, Princess” Twilight smiled up at the Alicorn.
“Then let us begin” Celestia remarked and began retelling Ponytales of old. Neither did Twilight, Celestia, nor the guards that listened attentively to the stories their monarch read to the little filly notice the large raven with glowing azure eyes observe the ponies that inhabited the library from outside one of the windows. After a few moments more, the raven turned its back on the history lesson and departed from its roost. It flew over the streets of Canterlot and exited the city, ascending the neighboring mountains where it finally perched on the outstretched hoof of a cloaked pony some distance from the palace. An azure glow emanating from the eyes from under the hood that was identical to that of the raven, She nuzzled the black bird, then set it on the branches of a young dead tree. She closed her eyes, and the azure link between her and the bird soon vanished leaving an ordinary raven and a still conspicuously cloaked pony to glare towards the city below. “So, I can see that you’ve already found my replacement, Celestia. Actually you found her far sooner than I had expected, but that matters little. Soon I’ll take everything you hold dear from your treacherous, lying hooves, starting with your protege”.
Two unicorns wearing varying suits of armor, approached from a cave that emanated from the peak behind the mare. “Mistress, the servants have finally tunneled into the crystal caverns, it won’t be long until we will be able to infiltrate the palace”, the first of the mercenaries reported.
“Excellent, let me know once they have discovered an entrance into the castle. In order for this to succeed, this operation has to be executed quickly and covertly. I am counting on you two to ensure that we meet little to no resistance. Prove to me that I am placing my faith in your abilities wisely”, the mare then turned causing her cloak to flap in the wind and headed toward the cave. “It won't be long now, my dear mentor, before I will reclaim what was rightfully mine. Soon I will rise to the position that your tutorage and training has prepared me for, soon I will reclaim what is rightfully mine”.
The cloaked pony traversed through the caverns of the mountain, flanked with each mercenary on either side of her, both casting a spell to light the way for their leader. For nearly an hour the trio descended, the only sounds in the dark caves the clack of twelve hooves striking the hard stone intermittently and the occasional drip of water. Nothing was spoken between the three until an eerie violet glow was seen in the distance. The two unicorns ended their spell and allowed the natural geoluminescence of the crystals to guide them towards their destination. A dozen or so diamond dogs scattered about, clearing the debri from their recent excavation, whilst their mistress walked amongst them nonchalantly. Entering into the crystal caverns, she breathed deeply, smiling darkly in satisfaction.
“Mistress, I understand that you are very powerful, but are you sure that just the three of us will be able to ambush the princess and an entire palace full of her personal guard?” The larger of the two mercenaries questioned, a muscular mud brown stallion with a dirty blonde mane and maroon eyes. His bronze armor was rather simple, consisting of merely a peytral, crupper, and chanfron; however, sharp spikes jutted from the edges of his shoulders and a daggered edge paired with his horn. His weapons included two short swords that were sheathed on either side of his body and a serrated broadsword that was strapped across his back.
“I do not doubt your plan nor your abilities, it's just…”
“If you wish to infiltrate the palace undetected and catch the princess off guard, wouldn’t two mercenaries and a sorceress smashing their way through wave after wave of the palace guard warrant unwanted attention?” the second unicorn finished for his comrade. His coat was midnight blue with a platinum colored mane and hunter green eyes. Though shorter than his compatriot, he was built far heavier, with thick iron armor that covered every part of his body. His preferred weapon of choice was a large war hammer, with a sharpened blade on the back similar to a battle axe.
“Broad Blade, Iron Clad” she addressed the two stallions, “you have served me loyally for many years, and during that time” the mare said icily, turning her still shrouded face towards the two stallions, “was there ever a time my plan failed? Was there ever a time where I lead us into a fray with the odds against us? Have I ever done anything that would lead you to question my leadership? If there was, I ask that you name that time now, or bite your bits before I ensure my ears never again hear your doubts” the mare threatened. Neither dare give a response, and stood stoically, giving a mute response. After a spell of silence, the mare turned her head back towards the crystal caverns. “And for your information, we will not be engaging the palace guard, at least not directly” the mare answered cryptically.
“Then how…” Iron Clad began to question.
“Enough” The mare silenced him with a wave of her hoof. “I told you that for this to be successful, we must be covert. You will see what I have planned in good time, however until the scouts have discovered our entrance into the palace, you both must leave me for my own preparations. Now go!” and with that, she laid her form upon the ground and remained silent. The two mercenaries looked at each other briefly before parting to make final preparations to their arms. Now, all they could do was wait...
“Have you ever wondered why the princess requires so many guards at all times?” a young unicorn recruit complained to his superior, a seasoned earth pony with a blind left eye. “I mean, it's not like there have ever been any assassination attempts, infiltrations or breaches in security in almost a thousand years! And I’m sure that the princess could handle her own if anything happened, so what’s the point of standing here for hours on end in the blistering heat or freezing cold if there is nothing to worry about?”
The general inhaled tiredly and snorted through his nose, letting the question linger in the air for a moment, then he turned to face the young unicorn. “Son, do you see this blind eye of mine?” directing the hollowed gaze toward the young recruit. The rookie shuttered a little in its cold glare. “It was no freak tea party that made me lose sight in this here eye of mine” Seeing the rookie squirm uncomfortably in his armor, the Earth Pony released a pent up breath and eased up. “Son, we in the Royal guard see a lot in our commision, most, if not all, will never be known to the general public. They have to feel that they are safe from any and all threats that present themselves. We are not just here for show kiddo, we are here to be ready to lay down our lives for the princess at a moments notice, because sometimes, that's all the warning we get.”
His eyes lightened slightly as anxiety began to appear in the unicorn's eyes, “But you are young kid, and you will have plenty of time to see it for yourself. Besides, I’ll be right here to make sure that nothing happens to y….” The elderly stallion's head whipped around and he began to draw his weapon with magic. “What’s wrong command…” was all the unicorn could get out before he was overwhelmed in cold and darkness.
Broad Blade galloped into where his mistress was meditating, once she was in his sight, he called out to ther. “My lady” He approached at a slightly slower pace and bowed his head slightly. “The servants have just broken into the cellar of the castle. Iron Clad and I are ready and awaiting your orders”. He stood before her waiting for a response when he noticed a strange energy around her eyes. When she finally looked up at him, he could see two almond shaped azure orbs meet his eyes.
“I know Broad Blade, I have finally set the plan into motion just now” Her eyes then dimmed back into the darkness of her shroud. “Tell Iron Clad it is time and to be ready for the three of us to infiltrate the palace immediately”. She stood up and began to walk towards the breach. Broad Blade hurried after her and asked worriedly “We’re not going to utilize the servants, I’ll just be the three of us?”
The mare turned around and made a quiet noise that Broad Blade could not discern. Once the noise had come above a raspy whisper, he realized that she was… laughing? “Mistress, I do not see what is so funny”.
Her giggling ceased and she addressed her mercenary with arrogance, “What is so funny is that you think we will meet any resistance”.
Celestia closed the book slowly with a graceful smile on her face, her pupil taking long gentle breaths while she slept curled against her mentor. Using her magic, she began to place the tome back onto the shelf when she felt a presence begin to move towards the observatory. Just before the doors flew inwards, she had only enough time to cast a protective shield over herself and her pupil, the same could not be said for her guards, as they became frozen stiff in a dark icy mist that surrounded them. Out of the corner of her eye, a dark spectre floated into the Princess’s blind spot, maintaining the shield, she charged her horn with additional magic in preparation for the imminent fight.
Without warning, an immense surge of power struck Celestia’s shield and sent her flying to the other side of the observatory. The loud noise immediately woke the small filly who looked around in terror. In the distance lay her mentor breathing heavily and struggling to get to her hooves, and to her right stood the two guards frozen in a defensive stance. Then from the smouldering entranceway, Twilight heard the sound of hoofsteps echoing throughout the exterior hall. The sound became louder and louder until suddenly, the hoofsteps ceased. The filly shivered, at first she thought it was because of the fear that had gripped her, however, she noticed white mist escape her mouth as she breathed out. The temperature in the room began to plummet drastically until all Twilight could feel was the cold. Afraid and alone twilight tried to retreat back to her mentor when two flashes intercepted her course. Before her stood two intimidating stallions each clad in armor, they crept towards her pushing her back towards the door when her flank bumped into something. Turning around slowly, she saw a cloaked pony with two azure eyes glowing from under her hood, circling around her was a semitransparent serpent that appeared to be completely made of ice and mist. The only color apparent on the creature were its glowing eyes which matched that of the pony in front of her.
Twilight shrunk down, paralyzed by fear, she couldn’t move, she couldn't scream for help, she couldn’t even cry. Then to the Twilight’s horror, a slender hoof snaked out from under the robes of its wearer and began to descend on the filly. All Twilight could do was shut her eyes and prepare for the end. To her surprise, the hoof gently caressed her cheek and lifted her chin up forcing, the filly to look the invader in her gleaming eyes,
“Do not be afraid my little pony” a clearly female voice icily said from under her hood. “I mean you no harm, in fact I’m here to save you from this lying, breaker of promises who claims to be your mentor.” The strange creature let out a loud hiss in the direction of the alabaster alicorn who looked on in horror.”You get away from her!” Celestia shouted and sent a blast of energy towards the hooded mare with her last reserves of strength. The two armored ponies quickly cast a shield to block the attack but they were blown back by the force. The snake like wraith immediately shot towards the alicorn and before Celestia could even begin to counter, a dark icy mist spewed forth from its maw and encased the alicorn’s body, leaving only her eyes and mouth untouched.
“Fascinating creature isn’t it, Princess” the hooded pony filled the later word with contempt. “During my travels I found them roaming the icy north. I decided to call them Wightmares, as you can clearly tell, they are capable of completely paralyzing their prey with fear”. Celestia grimaced back towards the mare, trying with all of her might to escape her bonds, however her efforts were futile. “Don’t you dare harm her. I swear if even a single strand of fur is out of place Sunset, so help me…”
“Oh my, I’m surprised you even remembered my name dear teacher, considering how fast you replaced me with this here little prodigy”. The mare removed the hood from her head revealing a young unicorn mare with a red and yellow streaked mane, a wicked smile plastered on her marigold features. “At first, all I felt towards my replacement here was anger and hatred” Sunset Shimmer placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder and pulled the filly closer towards her. “But the more I thought about it, the more that hatred was replaced by a different feeling, pity. It wasn’t her fault that I was cast aside like some worthless item. I knew you would do the same to her once you had gotten what you needed from her”
Celestia growled at the Orange mare. Hurt and anger clearly visible in her eyes. “Twilight, do not listen to her, I would never do that to you and I certainly did not do that to her. The reason I removed her from my tutorage was because…”
“Enough!” Sunset screamed, encasing the monarchs muzzle in a blue band of energy that prevented her from saying anything more. “I will not let your lies pollute this filly’s mind any longer. Come… Twilight was it?” The filly nodded her head timidly towards Sunset. “Very good. Come with me Twilight, I can teach you so much more than this deceitful relic could in a thousand years. I can help you to become strong, to live up to your full potential. Your Princess, would only censor what you learned and hold you back. Let me teach you what I know, and together we can become strong beyond our wildest dreams… What do you say little one?” Sunset held her hoof out to the filly, an eager gleam in her eyes.
Twilight looked between Celestia and Sunset, confusion and uncertainty clouding her mind, This mare who had broken into the observatory, who used scary magic and hurt her teacher and the guards was saying that she was actually the good pony, and Celestia only wanted to use her for her own gain. All Twilight had ever known and loved was crashing all around her and she didn’t know what to think anymore. Then she met her mentor's eyes, in those she could see love, trust and surprisingly sadness. In those eyes, she felt safety and protection, but in the eyes of Sunset Shimmer, all she could see was… cold”.
Twilight began to shy away from the Unicorn and tried to run towards Celestia. “Wrong choice, foal!” Sunset hissed out and grabbed the struggling filly with her magic. Tears began to leak out from Twilight’s eyes as she called out for her princess. Celestia let out a muffled shout and tried again to make something, anything move. Sunset began to turn around and leave when she heard a young voice shout “Let, her, GO!!” Immediately after a streak of violet energy struck her from the side, causing her to lose her focus on the multiple spells that she was casting. Twilight fell to the ground and the blue light that emanated from the Wightmare’s eyes faded. The creature shook its head vigorously and then let out a haunting screech, attacking one of the two armored mercenaries.
“No!” Sunset screamed out when she she was knocked to the ground by one of the Guard ponies. “Twily, RUN!” he shouted as the other mercenary began to engage him. “Shiny?” Twilight asked worriedly as her brother tried to block the overpowering attacks of the relentless mercenary. “Twilight, you have to run, NOW!” The heavily clad stallion used his war hammer to strike the young guard’s side, causing a sickening crunch of metal and bone to resound. “Shiny!” Twilight screamed. Shining Armor took the full impact but kept his footing, sliding back several meters from the blow. Raspy breaths escaped his mouth, while a small stream of blood dribbled down the corner of his mouth. He looked back to his younger sister, a small pained smile etched on his face. Twilight could feel her brother’s magic envelop her as the Mercenary reared his hammer and began to swing down for the final blow. Just before impact, Twilight heard her brother whisper his final words. “Be safe, I love you”.
A flash of light blinded the filly as she was transported out of the observatory a hundred meters down the hall. A loud smashing noise echoed through the hallway and then all was silent. “Shiny?” Twilight whispered, tears running down her eyes. “SHINING!” She cried out. When there was no response, she sniffled and began to sob until she heard a set of hooves gallop towards her. She quickly looked up, but instead of her brother, Sunset Shimmer came racing towards her, horn charged and anger in her eyes, a large area of burnt fur adorned her left shoulder. Twilight immediately took off, running as fast as her small legs could carry her, however the older mare was catching up quickly. As a last resort, Twilight began to charge her horn to try and teleport herself out of danger. Her first attempt failed miserably as her horn fizzled out and she almost tripped over herself. Sunset was almost upon her and started to charge her horn to seize the fleeing filly. Just as her pursuer’s magic began to envelop her, Twilight felt an immense source of power flow through her and with a blinding light and loud explosion, the filly disappeared, sending the a dazed Sunset Shimmer flying backwards.
When sunset regained her bearings, all that remained was a large scorch mark in the middle of the hallway. The mare let out a furious scream before returning to her accomplices. Ironclad, supported his wounded comrade while hobbling away from the destruction of the observatory. Sunset met up with them and was about to vent her frustrations, when a searing heat blasted out of the the observatory. Inside was the goddess of the sun in her full power, rage clearly visibly in her molten eyes. Her once gentle mane was now a fiery blaze and the very heart of the sun blazed forth from her. Charging her horn, Celestia sent forth a blast of hellfire towards the three ponies. Sunset immediately charged her horn and teleported the three of them out the path of the inferno screaming out, “This isn’t over, Celestia!”
The flames around Celestia immediately extinguished once the attackers had disappeared. She used her magic to try and locate Sunset and her goons. When they were nowhere to be found, Celestia immediately used her magic to find out where Twilight had teleported. Dread and fear crept into her heart when she could no longer feel the presence of the filly and she spread her wings in preparation to fly out and find her. However one of the guards, now released from his icy prison called out to her. She was tempted to ignore him until he said, “The Sparkle boy is critically wounded, he needs your help your highness”. Celestia regrettably folded her wings after a moment of hesitation and galloped into the observatory where she lay witness to the carnage that once was her pupil’s older brother.
“Oh no”
Twilight reemerged in a clearing with enormous blast of energy that sent nearby animals scurrying away in fear. The small filly stumbled around and tried to regain her footing after demonstrating such an enormous feat of magic. Sitting down before she could fall over, she shook her head rapidly from side to side. Once her head quit swimming, she took in her bearings. All she could see around her was trees, and darkness for miles and miles without end as the sun began to set on Equestria. The young filly shrunk down and began to tremble in the unfamiliar location. Strange noises began to surround her and all Twilight could do was quietly cry. All of the fear and sadness that had dammed up finally burst, and she cried until no more tears would come out. Finally in exhaustion, Twilight carefully placed her saddle bags, which she had kept on during the duration of the day's events, one the ground and laid her head down upon the bulky bags and her eyes began to close. Maybe when she woke up, this would all have turned out to be a bad dream and she would be able to attend her next lesson with the princess. A small sad smile formed on her lips in hope before she finally succumbed to the land of dreams.
“You IDIOTS!” Sunset screamed at the two despondent mercenaries who refused to meet their mistress’s eyes, after Sunset had teleported them to a safe and undetectable distance from the palace. They combined their magic and returned to their hideout just on the border of the badlands. As soon as they had materialized in their sanctuary, Sunset began to verbally assault her subordinates for their failed mission. “Everything was going according to plan until you let that damned guard intervene. Explain to me how you two let this happen!” She demanded, her normally icy eyes now filled with an inferno of rage.
“I apologize mistress”, Broad Blade stepped up. “I had assumed that the spell that the creature had placed on them would hold. I let my guard down and have failed you, forgive me-”. His apology was cut short as an azure aura surrounded his throat, levitating him into the air.
“Save me your apology Blade, you do not have the privilege to state your inadequacy. Only I can say that you have failed. No subordinate of mine shall confess weakness, that is my right and my right alone. Understood?” She brought the rasping mercenary close to her face and met his glazed and frightened eyes.
“Crystal clear, my mistress” Broad Blade was able to choke out. After a moment more, she released him, gasping to catch his breath on the ground below her. “At least he had the courage to admit his failures” She then turned to Iron Clad, who met her furious glare with one of his own, his horn ready to fend off whatever punishment she was about to inflict upon him. “However, you did dispose of that foal of a guard and helped to insure our escape. Therefore I will pardon your shortcoming this once” She turned away and walked towards the receding rays of sun that shined through the cave that they resided in.
Iron Clad, trotted up to his compatriot and helped him to his hooves. Broad Blade gave a grateful nod to his brother in arms, and rubbed his aching throat with his hoof. The two looked at their mistress, who was in deep meditation, presumably trying to figure out the location of the filly. After few minutes more, the two retreated farther into the cave and left the unicorn to her enchantments. Once her minions were out of earshot, Sunset Shimmer opened up her eyes but continued to cast her seeker spell. “No matter, where you run, wherever Celestia hides you, Twilight Sparkle, I will find you. And then everything that I was promised to me will finally be mine at long last”.
Turning her eyes away from the horizon, she spotted a black speck begin to approach her. She extended her hoof and allowed her Raven familiar to land, its eyes still glowing azure met with hers as she read the birds memories. After a moment, a manic grin spread across her face, she severed communication with the bird and let it fly off into the approaching twilight. “So Celestia, it appears that you’ve lost your new pet, but don’t worry. It won’t be long until she’s studying from one who truly understands the meaning of power.” With one final glance towards the horizon, she smirked and retreated into the depths of her cavernous stronghold, anticipating the approaching hunt.
*Back at Canterlot Hospital*
Celestia, sat in a waiting room, using her magic to try and locate her missing pupil, but to no avail. Placing her efforts on hold, she looked over to Twilight Velvet who was crying hysterically into her husband's forehooves. All the sun goddess could do was look away from the grieving parents of her protege and reflect on what had happened over the last few hours…
When Celestia had returned into the study after Sunset shimmer had escaped, what she saw shocker her. In front of her lay the broken body of Shining Armor, one of the youngest officers to be recruited into the Canterlot Royal Guard. His armor lay shattered around him, his back, clearly broken in half where the war hammer had crashed into him. A sizable pool of blood had collected around his mouth, and raspy, shallow breaths were barely audible over the crackling and crunching of what remained of his lungs. Pushing back the urge to wretch right then and there, Celestia surrounded the wounded soldier in a stasis field of magic, and immediately teleported Shining, herself, and the other guards.
The ponies in the ER shielded their eyes from a blinding light that seemed come out of nowhere. However, what truly left them dumbfounded was when they saw their ruler appear out of thin air, carrying a clearly wounded stallion, and surrounded by three other guards. “Please, my guard is dying and needs medical attention! Is there a doctor here who can help him?” The princess called out frantically.
Immediately two, paramedics rushed in and allowed the princess to lay Shining Armor down on the stretcher that they had brought with them. They rolled him as fast as possible to the ICU as a series of doctors, nurses and staff followed to stabilize him and prepare him for emergency surgery. As soon as Shining had left her sight, Celestia turned to one of the pegasus guards that were with her. “Fly as fast as you can to the Sparkle residence, and inform Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor’s parents of the situation, and bring them here as soon as possible”, the Princess ordered. The guard gave a sharp salute and took off without another word.
She had done all that she could for Shining Armor, now she had to focus on locating Twilight. To the two remaining guards that stood at ready, she ordered them to begin preparations to organize as many search and rescue parties as her reserves could allow. They also saluted and took off to begin as their princess had ordered. All she could do now was wait for Twilight’s parents to arrive, and pray that her student was safe, wherever she may have disappeared. Once she was sure that she had done all she could do, Celestia found her way to the waiting area in the surgery ward. After soundproofing the room, she broke down and wept, because for the first time in nearly a millennia, she did not know what to do...
“Why?” Celestia’s ears moved towards the origin of the question and saw Twilight Velvet begin to slowly remove herself from her husband’s embrace. “Why would someone want to take my little girl away? And why did shining have to be there, of all places? And why aren’t you doing everything in your power to bring my baby home?” Twilight Velvet was now screaming as fresh tears streamed down her face, and she stared up at her monarch with a mixture of terror, anguish, and rage. After a few moments more, the despondent mother finally broke down and collapsed into Celestia embrace. Twilight Velvet let a new stream of tears flow, as the princess rubbed her back calmingly. When Twilight velvet looked up, she saw that their were tears in the Princess's eyes and immediately looked away ashamed.
Celestia lifted the mares chin up to meet her anxious eyes with her hoof. “I’m Sorry, Mrs. Velvet. This should never have been allowed to occur, and I’m afraid that all of it is because of me”. It was now Celestia’s turn to look away with shame as she turned her back on Twilight Velvet and looked through the window of the door that led to the operating room where Shining was now in his sixth hour of surgery.
“Tell me Princess, am I going to lose both of my children?” Night Light had by this point gotten up from his chair and reunited with his wife, holding her close to calm her.
Celestia took a deep breath, and finally turned back around to meet the anxious and awaiting looks of the parents. “If it is within my power, Twilight, then you will lose neither of your children. To answer your questions, the reason your son was on duty with Twilight and I was because he had requested to be one of her personal guards. I had to deny his request due to his lack of experience, however, I thought it would lighten his spirits to be able to stand guard during her lessons while he continued his training. I had no way of foreseeing this attack, but believe me when I tell you that there is not a single resource I am not employing to find your daughter. And I assure you that my personal doctors are doing everything they can to save Shining Armors life”.
Twilight and Night Light, seemed to be a little more at ease with their first question having been answered. “But Princess”, Twilight asked, “I just don't understand why this occurred”.
Celestia bowed her head, letting her hair obstruct her vision, not wanting to make eye contact with either or the unicorns. “The reason this all occurred is because of a promise I broke, many years ago. And now it has come back for retribution”. Twilight and Night Light sat down, knowing that the princess would need time to explain everything.
Celestia sat down across from them, and when she was ready, she reared her head as the guilt and sadness from all of the years finally appeared on her immortal face. “First, I must tell you that though your daughter is the strongest disciple I have taken on, she is not the first. The true reason I started the School for Gifted Unicorns was because I was looking for somepony. A Unicorn meant to fulfill a destiny that has been in place since before even I was born. Since the school’s founding, I have taught many proteges gifted in magic, however, despite their accomplishments and power, they all lacked the single most important element that would have allowed them to fulfill this destiny. With one of those students however, I placed far too much faith in. They discovered what I had been training them for before they were ready. And because of my failure as a teacher, they used a forbidden art to try and accelerate their studies to gain more power. Now in their anger and misguidance, they believe that they still have a chance at attaining that destiny, and that your daughter is the key to their success. This is the story of how I lost one of my most prized pupils, Sunset Shimmer.
*Nightime in the Everfree Forest*
The sleeping filly’s ears swiveled in the toward the sound of a twig breaking. Her eyes responded soon afterwards to the stimulus, snapping open quickly despite the glazed over look of lethargy that remained in the violet irises. Finally she lifted her head off of her soft saddlebags, yawning deeply before taking in her environment. To her dismay, she was still in the dark scary forest, only now it was darker and scarier. Her ears pivoted towards the direction of another snapping twig, and fear began to take hold of her again.
Her small form trembled as she began to identify additional sounds in the surrounding environment; growls, screeches and moans that were alien and terrifying to the young filly. Her blood ran chill however, when she heard a low growl come from behind her. Slowly, she turned around and was met with three pairs of glowing yellow eyes just beyond the darkness of the tree line. A foul smell emanated from their direction as they began to encroach upon the helpless unicorn. Slowly, twilight placed her saddlebags on her back and backed away from the approaching creatures. The creatures continued their advance and finally came into full view in the clearing.
Two medium sized timber-wolves followed their much larger leader, with their fangs bared and their bodies crouched and ready to pounce. Twilight was petrified in place until the largest of the small pack lunged at her, in which her only defense was a blood curdling scream. Her instincts kicked in as she barely dodged out of the oncoming fangs and claws, vexing the arborous lupine as it turned around, snarling at its elusive prey. Twilight didn’t give it the chance for another attack as she ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. She ran in no particular direction, only hoping to lose her pursuers amongst the dense foliage, however her ears were able to detect the timber-wolves rapidly gaining on her.
In a feeble attempt to slow down her attackers, Twilight used her limited magic to tangle the vines and branches behind her as she ran, which seemed to work for a time, until she began to hear the other two wolves begin to close in on either side of her. Twilight lit her horn up attempting to teleport herself away, however before the spell could be cast, her mana fizzled and faded away, only causing her to become more tired from the exertion. Her hoof hit a root and she felt a sharp pain arise as her momentum caused her to tumble forward. Getting up, she pushed through the pain and continued to run. However, the pain dulled her senses and judgement, and she skidded to a stop as a 10 foot wall of soil and rock loomed in front of her. Panicked she ran limping to the left, parallel to the barrier hoping to find a route of escape. She was halted abruptly however as one of the medium timber-wolves cut her off from any route of escape. Turning around, she attempted to flee in the opposite direction but was again greeted by the dripping fangs and glowing eyes of the other timber-wolf.
They slowly pushed her back until she felt her hindquarters come in contact with the rocky barricade. The two wolves growled and snapped at her, keeping her in place and denying her any means of escape. From the shadows, the alpha approached, slowly and deliberately. The little filly’s heart was racing and tears cascade down her face as the malevolent creature looked down on her with its predatory eyes. She reached behind her and ripped a small root out of the ground with her good hoof, and in a final attempt of resistance, threw it at the timber-wolf. The creature barely flinched as the light twig bounced harmlessly off its snout and with an annoyed growl, closed the last few feet between it and the filly. Twilight tried to push herself as far away as physically possible as the snarling lupine brought its maw within a hairs width from her, however the wall behind held her in place. Her panicked breathing gave way to terrified sobs, and as the warm foul breath fell upon her, all Twilight could do was close her tear filled eyes and brace for what was yet to come.
Thoughts of her family flashed before her, in a mere instant. Her brother teaching her how to fly a kite for the very first time. Her father reading her favorite story before bed. Her mother singing a lullaby and holding her in her hooves as a storm raged outside. And finally, her mentor’s smiling face as they sat by the fire and learned of Equestria’s history. Though she was still crying, twilight managed a faint smile as she held onto those final memories. She felt the wolf draw back its head growling lowly as it prepared for the kill. Finally, she heard leaves rustle as it gave out a loud snarl and it lunged, then all twilight felt was warmth. But that warmth became hotter and hotter, and a bright light seared through her eyelids.
All she could do was turn her face away from the blinding light and searing heat. The intense heat died down and a fearsome roar immediately followed its absence. Twilight opened her eyes, and looked forward. Where once the ferocious predator stood, only ashes and glowing charcoal remained. She noticed the other two timber-wolves looking above her, growling defensively with their tails between their legs. Her eye followed to where they were looking and she gasped in terror and awe. A large, dark silhouette jumped down from the cliff between the young filly and the cowering timber-wolves. Two leathery wings were spread apart in a defensive position and a deep, rumbling growl could be heard from the interceptor.
It roared a final warning and the two timber-wolves ran off whimpering into the forest. The creature snorted a puff of smoke at the retreating forms of the wolves. Once it was sure that they were gone, its body relaxed and it turned around to look at Twilight. Two emerald green eyes glowed at her with concern and intrigue.However, a look of recognition flashed across its eyes for an instant and the concern was replaced with a bitter and distrustful gaze. It glared at the filly for a few seconds more, then with a final snarl, it pounced away and disappeared into the darkness.
Twilight could only look on in shock, however, the pain in her hoof was able to bring her back to reality. She was alive, she was scared and hurt but alive. All at once, terror, pain, relief, joy and sadness hit her simultaneously and she cried out loudly into the night. After her outburst, she collapsed onto the ground in a trembling heap and began to sob into her hooves as the all of her emotions warred inside in a stalemate. After several hours, her breathing became more steady and exhaustion overcame her. She curled into the wall behind her, nursing her injured hoof and fell into a deep sleep. Off in the distance, the creature that had saved the young filly observed her from the shadows as he too dealt with warring emotions within himself.
The early rays of sun caused the sleeping Twilight to stir as they cascaded across her closed eyes. As the sun continued to creep higher into the sky, the light roused the young unicorn out of her sleep. She opened one eye partially only to close it immediately, not yet having adjusted to the offending light. The more consciousness the young unicorn regained, the more she could sense the dull pain increase in her still injured hoof. Finally, her system was awake enough to begin rational thought and recollection of the recent events. She sat up to take in her surroundings, and that was when the smell of burnt wood and grass invaded her nostrils. A few feet in front of her was the ash pile of the late alpha timberwolf that had attacked her last night. That reminded her of the creature that had saved her last night.
“What was that thing, and where did it go?” she asked no one in particular..
Looking around, she noticed claw prints in the soil from where the creature had landed when it jumped down from the wall. Going over to investigate, she noticed an odd golden object mostly buried inside of the print. Removing it from the ground, she realized it was a necklace of some sort. “This is sooo pretty!” the filly marveled at the intricate engravings on the heart shaped pendant. “I wonder if this necklace belongs to the thing that saved me last night”.
Twilight continued to look at the odd piece of jewelry, when an idea had came to her. Shutting her eyes tightly and clenching her teeth, she lit her horn up and she concentrated on her desired spell. After she felt that everything was right, she brought the necklace up to her horn. As soon as the two touched, her horn began pulsing and she felt a light tug in a singular direction. She began to clap her hoofs in celebration however as soon as the first clop of applause rang out, she let out a loud shout of pain.
Looking more into her injury, she noticed that the hoof had a medium sized crack in it, that did not hurt unless pressure was applied to it. While her horn continued to pulse, she dropped her now soiled saddle bag on the ground and looked around to see if there were any medical supplies she could use. However, to her dismay, all she could find was a pink and blue polka dot band-aid. She gingerly applied it over the crack and tested her footing. She winced and brought her hoof off the ground, deciding that keeping her weight off of it was probably her best option. Putting her saddlebags back on, she three-leggedly began her journey in the direction her horn was telling her to go. Unfortunately, that path just so happened to go straight towards the stupid wall. She let out a small snort of frustration and tried to figure out how to continue her journey.
She did not know how far in either direction the wall went and did not want to wander to far off from her course. Looking around, she noticed several large branches that had fallen off of an old tree as well as some smaller hoof long ones as well. Looking back at the impertinent igneous formation, she noticed long tendrils of vines and ivy that cascaded down. A light bulb went off in her mind and she immediately got to work. Collecting the vines and sticks, she began to tie together a makeshift ladder that would allow her to climb over the hurdle.
Her first attempt did not even get the chance to be tried out as it fell apart immediately after completion. Using better knots and more vines, the second and third ladders held together better. However, as her now sore flank found out, they were not strong enough to support her weight. At about midday, with the sun at its zenith, Twilight brought the fourth ladder to the wall and began her ascent. The first rung held, as did the second, “So far so good” the filly said to herself. Then she tentatively tried the the third rung, then the fourth. Before she knew it she had reached the top, and with a small “hup”, hoisted herself up. She let out a sigh of relief and wiped a few beads of sweat that had accumulated on her brow. Her horn was still performing the spell and the small filly continued her journey to find whoever or whatever had saved her the previous night.
She did not have far to go from where the cliff dropped off as after slowly walking for about 15 minutes, her horn pulsed rapidly and pointed her head towards a small cave that descended into the ground. Once she made eye contact with it, her horn ceased pulsing and she no longer felt the pull. Tentatively, Twilight walked up to the mouth of the cave.
“Hello?” She called out just above a whisper.
A soft deep rumbling was her only response. Not knowing whether or not that was the creature's way of saying she could come in, she slowly walked into the cave. The farther back into the cave Twilight traversed, the closer the rumbling sound became.
“Wh-whoever you are, my name is Twilight Sparkle, I w-wanted to th-thank you for saving me from those scary wolf monsters last night and w-was wondering if you lost this nec- oof” she was cut off as her only good front hoof tripped over something and she fell onto her chin. The rumbling stopped and she could hear something shift beside her. Sitting upright and rubbing her sore chin, she turned her head towards the noise. To her surprise, she was greeted by a large green slitted glowing eye, causing her to let out a small “eep” as she jumped back several feet. The eye focused on her and a look of drowsy confusion swept over it. However, the cat like pupil constricted as hostility took its place. Twilight’s senses told her to flee and she listened to them. Before she could gallop two steps, the creature's tail wrapped around her back hoof and lifted her up, dangling the trembling filly upside down. She watched as it brought her face close to his as two angry eyes stared at the filly and the same low growl from the previous night rumbled throughout the cave.
The creature released a small ball of fire into the base of a nearby wall and the entire cave was lit in an eerie green light. Before her were hundreds of glistening white fangs that reflected the flickering green light of the flames. The deadly dentin was within a purple maw that growled and sneered at the terrified filly within in the grasp of its thin yet muscular tail. Sitting on it haunches with its forearms crossed, its head nearly touched the ceiling of the twelve foot high cave. Its thin membranous wings stretched out in a semi open position, increasing the appearance of its already impressive stature. Twilight then realized that before her sat one of the most dangerous and aggressive creatures within the land of Equestria, a dragon.
The dragon released a breath of hot hair over the filly that rustled her fur and blew her hair back. After a moment more of glaring at the small unicorn, the creature finally spoke
“What are you doing in here?”
Its voice was deep, but not as deep as its growls would make one believe it to be. In fact, it had a slightly scratchy sound to it. Twilight let out an audible gulp and putting on a nervous smile, offered her hoof towards her captor.
“I didn’t ask who you were, I asked what you were doing in my cave”. It growled in a louder and even more vexed tone.
“W-well, after you chased away those monsters last night, you took off. S-so i wanted to th-thank you for saving me by-”. The filly began to answer but was cut off by another gust of hot air accompanied with a growl.
“I want you to understand one thing very clearly, pony. Me saving you was an unfortunate accident, I was simply protecting my territory from those mangy mutts. I would seriously try to stay out of trouble if I was you, because I will not be there to help you next time”.
“B-but mister dragon, you drop-” Twilight began to say, reaching back into her saddle bag. However, she was unable to finish her statement, as the feeling of weightlessness overtook her body and she began to fly towards the entrance of the cave. She landed heavily with a loud thud just beyond the mouth of the cave and her eyes glazed over from the wind being knocked out of her.Surprised, and her feelings slightly hurt, she turned back towards the cave with an angry (yet cute) look on her face as a few tear welled up in her eyes.
“Hey!” Twilight began yelling, moving back towards the entrance of the cave, finally removing the necklace from her bag. “I was trying to be nice and say thank you for helping me last night, whether you meant to or not. If you don’t want this back then-”
In the blink of an eye, the dragon was at the mouth of the cave and released a loud and threatening roar right into the filly’s face, making every sharp tooth visible and smoke leak from his nostrils. Twilight could only stand there, frozen in fear.
“How dense are you kid!” the Dragon spat venomously at her. “How much more clearly do I have to spell out ‘get lost’!” He breathed heavily, smoke still leaking from his nostrils and anger in his eyes.
Though she was terrified, twilight could still feel the tears continue to fill her eyes, finally breaking eye contact with the dragon. She dropped the necklace, and ran in the opposite direction from the monster, ignoring the pain in her hoof. The dragon could hear sobs begin to hiccup from the filly as her form receded farther and farther away. Once he could not see or hear the filly anymore, he let out a snort of satisfaction. The dragon was about to return to the comfort in his cave when a glint of light on the ground caught his eye. Looking down he noticed it was a golden heart shaped necklace, that looked almost identical to his-. The dragon’s claw immediately went a small pouch near his chest under his scales, and felt that it was empty. He quickly grabbed the necklace from the ground and delicately activated the opening mechanism. Inside was the same familiar image, that he cherished so dearly. A sense of guilt and anger simultaneously flooded his system. He had almost lost his most prized possession because this foolish filly got lost in the woods! But then a second thought crossed his mind, and slowly began to become more dominant. She came all this way to return this to him, instead of taking it for herself and returning home. She was trying to show trust and gratitude towards a creature painted as the antagonist in almost every single story known in Equestria, and tried to open up to him, and what did he do, he chased her off with her tail between her legs.
“If she was lost before, then being scared to death and upset is not going to help her find her way home any faster…”
Looking at the locket again, a small tendril of warmth leaked its way into his hardened heart, and kissing the image inside, he proceeded to fasten it closed, put it around his neck, and took off in the direction he had seen the filly run.
*Canterlot Hospital*
Celestia lay sleeping across several of the waiting room chairs, while to her left sat Night Light with his sleeping wife resting against his shoulder. Though he was exhausted, he could not sleep until he heard the results of the now nineteen hour operation. His bloodshot eyes, looked over the sleeping form of his wife, tear stains were prevalent on her cheeks, and her sleep seemed restless. The princess was in no better condition, her regal and ethereal mane now frazzled and unkempt. Drowsiness began to overtake him, and just before his treacherous eyes could give in. He heard the a door open and immediately looked up to see a surgeon's walk towards them. Night Light immediately roused his wife, then went over towards the slumbering monarch to wake her up. All three now conscious ponies looked to the doctor expectantly. His face mask concealed any readable emotion as all they could see in his eyes were exhaustion. Using a hoof to remove the mask, the addressed the unicorn couple directly, maintaining a neutral expression.
“Mr. Light, Mrs. Velvet, though your son lost a tremendous amount of blood due to his traumatic injuries, we were successful in stabilizing him”. Twilight and Night Light both let out a sigh of relief.
“However,” the doctor continued, “His condition is still critical. The next few hours will determine whether he pulls through, but I believe that with the amount of care that he is receiving, his chance of survival is looking optimal”. Twilight turned to her husband, a small glimmer of hope returned to her now glistening eyes, and her husband returned her look.
“But, although we were able to successfully repair his damaged organs and stop the internal bleeding, there was one problem that we could not fix”. The look of hope was immediately replaced with a look of dread, as the parents waited with bated breath for the disparaging news.
“Your son received two blows in the fight with the intruders. The first crushed his ribs, leading to penetration of his right lung and the blunt force trauma ruptured his spleen. However, the second blow completely fractured the lumbar vertebrae in his spine. We have reconstructed and realigned the bones to the best of our abilities however, the nerve damage was far too severe for us to do anything. Although it is only speculation, it is unlikely that your son will be able to walk independently on his own again”. The doctor looked shamefully to the ground as he delivered the diagnosis.
For a moment, all was silent. Then the doctor winced when the horrified shriek of the wife pierced his ears. Looking up, he could see her bawling into the chest of her husband who fought, and failed, to restrain his own lacrimation. “I am so sorry, but we did all that we could”. The doctor then retreated behind the doors from which he came and left the parents to grieve.
Celestia felt numb, although a small part of her felt relieved that Shining armor would survive, this injury would put a permanent halt his once bright military career. Deciding there were no words to be said, Celestia quietly removed herself, however the sound of wailing was still audible from outside the closed off waiting room. She had failed to save this mare’s son. Yes, he was alive, but life as he knew it had come to an end far too soon. Now a new fire and resolve was ignited in her. She had failed one child already, she would not fail the other. Her pupil was out there, most likely scared, lost and alone. She marched her way to her captain, a grizzled and war hardened beige pegasus who was standing guard outside the hospital.
“Captain, is there any word from the search parties on the location of Twilight Sparkle?” Her voice was even and controlled, despite the rage and despair she was feeling inside.
“Nothing as of yet your highness”, the Pegasus replied. “We have scouts looking from Van Hoover to Manehattan and there has been no news of any filly matching Twilight Sparkle’s description, randomly appearing. We have search parties of pegasi scouting the untamed areas of Equestria however, they have not reported anything as of yet.
“I should be out there looking for her myself” Celestia stated, as she turned away frustrated from the lack of results.
“Your Highness, your people need. Who knows how long it will take till we find her. We are doing everything within our power to locate and retrieve the child. But you are needed here, allows us to do our job and bring the child home”. The captain responded, sympathy and resolve evident in his voice.
Celestia let out a small breath of resignation, and nodded her head. “You are right Captain Spear Wing, but the moment, there is any news, you are to alter me at once.
“Yes your highness” the pegasus saluted. Then the two of them walked out of the hospital as more guards from outside fell into formation around there ruler, and escorted her back to the palace.
“Don’t worry Twilight, we will find you and protect you from whatever Sunset SHimmer has planned. I swear upon the sun.” Celestia pledged to herself as they procession made its way in the wee hours of the morning.
Not too far away, a raven with glowing azure eyes, watched the princess and her guards walk off before flapping its wings and flying out of the city.
