Chapter 1: Lūzt ar Vēstuli (A Request by Letter)

What is a dragon? ~ Ancient Dragon Riddle

Dragon Lord Ember,

Recent events have brought to light that Spike's upbringing by ponies may be effecting his emotion and physical health in adverse ways. First Spike recently went through what Smolder told us was 'the molt.' While Smolder meant well when she explained it to Spike, he did not take the explanation well. If what Smolder said is typical (correct me if I am wrong), then when a dragon is found to be going through the 'molt' they are kicked out of the metaphorical nest. Given the less than pleasant symptoms, I can understand the reasoning, but it brought up fears that being a dragon that he would be abandoned or driven out by ponies, even though these fears are unfounded. He still struggles with the fallout from the incident on his birthday.

Also, in my excitement in assisting Spike in learning to fly, I had forgotten that Spike's wings were not a pony's wings. It took Smolder to point out my obliviousness: dragon wings are more like a bat not a bird and at least at this stage of his development are positioned for a bipedal stance, not quadrupedal.

I feel that our current 'arrangement' may not be enough. I know that what I am about to ask is a long shot, given that dragons and ponies still are not terribly keen about each other, but is there a dragon that would be willing to come to Ponyville to tutor us directly on dragon rearing and biology? I think neither one of us want to be blindsided again.

Your friend

Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle

Ember sighed as she rolled the scroll back up. It was times like this that she found herself wishing she never agreed to the exchange of letters. She really liked Spike and all, and it was never far from her mind that without Spike she would not be DragonLord. But she had enough issues sending one dragon to attend Twilight's school sending a second one to teach a dragon what it meant to be dragon might be enough to cause a full on revolt. She didn't want her reign to end with with a dragon like Garble pulling off a Scales the Usurper.

"Another letter from the ponies?" Torch questioned pulling Ember from her musings.

"Yes..." Ember answered gloomily, looking over as he stepped into the large pool of lava nearby. She rolled her eyes as he loudly groaned in relief.

When her dad remained silent she let her mind wonder back to the letter. Something it was bothering her, more then just the request. If she recalled correctly Spike was way too young to molt and a bit small too, right? Putting the scroll down she dug around her hoard until she found the bag that held all the previous letters. One after the other she scanned until she found the one asking about dragon's and birthdays.

"Twenty?!" Ember exclaimed in shock, sitting down hard. She was sure that a dragon couldn't molt before a century and Spike had molted at twenty?! "Dad... have you heard of a dragon molting at twenty?"

"What?!" Torch snorted in amusement. "Where did you hear such nonsense!? I swear that if you heard that as a pickup line..."

"DAAAAD!" Ember sputtered in embarrassment. That was the one subject she never wanted him to talk about again, ever. "No drake has dared to try, not after word got out about what you did to the last one..."

"No." Ember spoke after a short pause to rid the image of the poor drake from her mind. "Spike apparently molted and..."

"Ah yes the cowardly tiny wingless drake from Equestria..."

"DAD..." Ember threatened, tapping her claws on the grip of the Bloodstone Specter. She knew of her father's distaste of Spike. Whether it was because the circumstances surroundings how Equestria had come into the custody of a dragon or if it was him being overprotective of his 'little princess' she knew not.

"Fine, fine." Torch yielded, sighing as he slowly lowered himself further into the lava pool.

Ember sighed as Torch used a claw to pick at his teeth. She knew what he was doing, he was being difficult, like always. She was not a little hatchling any more, she was the magma loving Dragon Lord for lava's sake. 'You may be Dragon Lord now but you don't know what it means to be it yet...'. The question was what 'lesson' was it this time and how aggravating would he be.

"But there is one dragon that might know..."

"And who this dragon?" Ember asked, idling tapping her claws trying and failing to keep the rising irritation out of her voice.

"A friend." Torch whispered nostalgically. Ember nearly lost her grip on the Bloodstone Scepter at that. A friend?!? Dragon Lord (now former) Torch had a friend? Until recently dragons didn't do friends they did rivals! He continued, obvious to the turmoil going on in her mind. "Last I heard he lived on an island in the middle of the Greater Western Sea... But then again he was one to travel..."

Ember grumbled. Why had it be the Greater Western Sea? It was a vast uncharted ocean that even sea serpents didn't wander. If this dragon truly lived in the middle of it could the scepter's power even reach that far? Still it wouldn't hurt to try.

"No. No." Torch chuckled as he slowly lowered the scepter with a tip of a claw. "The scepter will not help you here. He lives outside the range of its influence. If you want his help you are going to have to ask him in dragon."

"Okay then, how may I find him?" Ember resisted the urge to growl in irritation. If it wasn't one thing it was another!

She resisted the urge to back up as Torch leaned towards her his gigantic head filling up her entire vision. "You really care for the runt?"

Ember opened her mouth but hesitated. Her hold on the title Dragon Lord was tenuous at best. There are factions that were very opposed to some of her changes to dragon law and culture and if she left now... But then again Spike was dragon and as Dragon Lord she felt that was her duty to help if she could, especially as without him she would not be the wielder of the BloodStone Scepter. She sighed. "Yes..."

Ember immediately regretted uttering it as Torch's grin turned outright sinister. If she didn't love her father she would so tell him, as the ponies would say, 'to buck off...' right after saying 'buck me.'

The crossing of the Celestial Sea and the Zebra savannah had been easy, but then on the forth day she caught the sight of something that nearly made her fall out of the sky. Having lived in, around, or on tall mountains and having one of the largest dragons ever to live had made her shrug at exclamations of awe and fear whenever someone saw her father or the central volcano of the dragonlands for the first time she found herself in that awe and fear. The tales of the 'Razor's Spine' did not due them justice. Every single mountain that she could see made the central volcano look like small pebble. They just kept rising and rising. Even the highest clouds couldn't stop them. And here was her father leading them right towards them.

Ember signed in hopeful relief as she caught sight of a vast area of water that she hoped was the edge of the Greater Western Sea. The past week traversing the mountains followed by a vast hot and humid jungle had been the worst of her life and still they kept going without rest. If her wings weren't burning so much she might have appreciated flying over lands she had never seen or heard of before. Her hopeful sigh of relief turned to horror when Torch chuckled darkly.

Ember wanted to groan. What now!?

"Do you remember the rules for flying over bodies of water?" Ember did, any flyer worth their wings knew them. One, never ever fly beyond the sight of land unless you know exactlywhere to go and exactly how to get there. And two, if one needed to fly beyond the sight of land only do so at night and only if one could read the stars. "We are going to break a few."

Now she really groaned, flying through the Razor's Spine was nuts but she was sure this was going to be a close second...

Uncharted island, Greater Western Sea, one week later

Ember sighed as Torch examined the outside of another cave, the fifth one so far on this island alone. Three weeks of near constant travel from sun up to sun down had been exhausting and she just wanted the search to be over. She was beginning to wonder if Torch was just lost and didn't want to admit it or this was another one of his convoluted 'lessons'. If it was she was NOT going to be happy. At least they had shelter if that storm she saw to the south decided to move north.

Šizra! Ember nearly jumped. She was used to her father boisterous voice but the cave seemed to amplify it more then usual.

'Ancient Draconian.' Torch had shrugged when she asked what Šizra meant. 'Šizra, the old mine, is the only dragon alive that can or even cares to still speak it.'

"Šizra! Get your lazy pyrite ass out here!"

"You know if you would just let me use the scepter..." Ember grumbled, rubbing her ringing ears.

She stopped as a pair of glowing red eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness. Could they be from this Šizra? She stole a glance to her father who was sporting a smug grin. The grin turned evil when Torch caught her gaze and winked. Frowning, Ember returned her attention to the eyes that were now slowly getting closer

"Cktüis Zuserthators... Lāckta..." A deep voice echoed out when the eyes stopped. Even for a dragon the voice was dry and coarse, like he had not used his voice in a long time. "I know it's been... a while, but how many times have I told you..."

"You have being living in a frozen rock far too long Šizra, my reign ended two years ago. This is my daughter, and current Dragon Lord, Ember."

"I see..." The eyes moved from Torch to Ember. It was hard to tell for sure but they almost seemed... bored... "Cktüis Zuserthators Ember, what do you want?"

Cktüis Zuserthators? Lāckta? Ember wondered. Clearly it was more Ancient Draconian. But what really got her pondering was how small his eyes were. They were eyes of dragon near her age. How then could a dragon that young know Ancient Draconian when she hadn't heard of it before today? And why was he remaining in the darkness outside of her sight? And why was her father's smirk only getting smugger?

"I was told that you could assist me..." Ember gulped out trying to suppress all the warning bells going off in her head.

"Clearly."

"Right." Ember growled, trying to resist the urge to pinch her brow. One Torch was enough, now she had two. At least it made sense why Torch would consider him a 'friend.' "A drake by the name of Spike...

"Don't care."

"He molted at twenty and..."

"Again, don't care."

Ember hissed, gripping the scepter harder. What was with this dragon?! She wasn't even able to finish a single sentence before he dismissed her! If she was her father she would have already used the scepter to end this farce. Maybe if she turned the tables... "Spike's guardians are ponies!"

"Interesting..." Ember had to resist the urge to back up as Šizra's glowing red eyes now bored down on Ember with an intensity she didn't think was possible from such a small pair of glowing eyes. "Where can I find this... 'Spike'?"

Chapter 2: Theaicithāts Viesis (Uninvited Guest)

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To know if something or someone truly has worth, examine it in secret. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

Fluttershy stepped out of her cottage and sighed contently as she took a deep breath of the morning spring air. The dew was still on the grass and there wasn't a cloud sight, the birds were singing songs of romance, and Angel had only misbehaved once. Over all it was a beautiful morning, and if she hurried through her morning chores maybe she could have time to talk with Manny Roar before classes began at the School of Friendship. She was hoping he would be wiling to come to a Kindness class. Meeting the very manticore from the night that she became the Bearer of Kindness would be a wonderful experience that she was sure her students would enjoy.

She calmly and carefully made her way around her property, feeding and checking up on all the animals that made their home around her cottage. The animals always swarmed around her especially during feedings but given that it was spring there were younglings she had to be extra careful. That didn't stop her from bursting out into her favorite song.

There's music in the treetops
And there's music in the vale...

"Eep!" Fluttershy bleated as she dived down into one of the many bushes that lined her property. Someone had just walked out of the trees of the Everfree. While she was less nervous about singing in front of others the surprise of someone coming out of the Everfree in the middle of the song spooked her.

At first she thought it was Zecora but she had stopped using a traveling cloak when she came to town after the residents fears of her were abated. Also, even though it was hard to tell for sure, but the individual appeared to be the size of Big Mac or even Princess Celestia. Maybe it was one of Zecora's family, given that the path to her hut did came out in the same location...

Fluttershy watched nervously until the figure disappeared from her sight. Sighing in mild relief she slowly went back to her chores. She would ask Zecora later about the visitor. Nothing else happened until she was just about to start her last chore for the morning, gathering the eggs from her chickens.

She was about walk into the coup when a familiar bright flash temporarily blinded her and causing her to stumble off the ramp and onto her back.

"Thank, hic chaos you are okay, hic!" Discord exclaimed, picking up Fluttershy in a bone crushing hug.

"Discord!" Fluttershy snapped. While she didn't mind the hug the sudden flashy appearance while she was in the middle her morning chores was a problem. She knew she had asked him several times to refrain from doing that especially when it was spring as it spooked her animals even more when they had young ones to care for.

She was about to remind him of that but one look at his face stopped her. Discord looked absolutely terrified. Her thoughts went back to the figure that had come out of the Everfree. Did Lord Tirek escape again and was waltzing right into Ponyville to exact revenge!? Or was it someone else from Discord's past? He did make a lot of enemies over the years...

"Okay, let's start at 1.5 thaumahertz." Twilight called out from under the Cutie Map.

"Sending 1.5 thaumahertz of raw mana." Starlight repeated just before she sent out the requested magic.

As Twilight examined the faintly glowing web of mana that was now running through the crystal she was reminded just how intricate the spellcraft went into the map. There was still vast parts of the map she did not understand. It was why it took so long to fix it when Starlight had damaged it with Starswirl's spell. Sadly the fix didn't take fully as the map was still glitching out from time to time.

*flash*

Twilight hissed in pain as her head hit the table in surprise. There was only one being that would cause a flash like that. "Discord! Starlight and I are in the middle of some very delicate spell..."

The rest of her rant died on her lips when she pulled herself out from under the table. There, sitting in their respective thrones completely dazed and confused, were the other bearers. She could see Discord half hiding behind Fluttershy's shaking like a leaf, a look of absolute fear in his eyes. Oddly, Starlight was nowhere in sight.

"What in tarnation is going on?" Applejack asked the question on Twilight's mind.

"Discord what did you do to Starlight?"

"I teleported her away... hic to safety... "Discord attempted to explain. "I... hic... need... hic, hic... help... "

"Discord calm down," Fluttershy cooed as she rubbed a hoof down Discord's back, "Take a few deep breaths, and then tell us what is wrong."

Discord took Fluttershy's advise to heart, complete with paper bag. After a few nosy puffs he tossed the bag. "Earlier today I felt a presence, hic, a magic I had not felt in a long time and...it's getting stronger, hic, by the minute and if it is who I think it is..."

"Who Discord?!" Twilight grumbled when Discord started biting his nails. She needed more information thane half chocked ramblings if she had a hope of helping and clearly the sooner the better.

"He is an ancient being... we might need the Elements... and the princesses... and..." Discord rambling faded away as his gaze climbed up to the ceiling.

One by one everyponies' heads followed Discord's, and, there standing upside down on the root chandler like it was the floor was a large figure wrapped in a ratty brown cloak, a pair of red glowing eyes peered down from within the hood.

"Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola." It spoke and something about the deep coarse voice sent shivers up and down Twilight's spine. She wasn't sure if it was because the voice or the glowing eyes. "I should have known you would mess with my plans."

Rainbow Dash, being the first to shake off her shock, quickly flew up to the intruder, jabbing a hoof out. "Now listen here bub!"

"Athulēt."

Rainbow Dash yelped in shock as she suddenly dropped like a stone to the floor.

"Are you okay Rainbow?" Twilight inquired as she looked over her friend. It was clear that there was magic behind the word 'athulēt' but exactly what that magic was, she didn't know. It was not like any magic she knew of, which unnerved her. It could mean a wealth of magic knowledge to learn or it could mean trouble if this person was truly up to something nefarious. A lack of understanding of the nature of the magic being used would make it extremely hard to counter.

"Yeah, I've had worse falls... " Rainbow waved off her concern until she tried flapping her wings a few times. "but I can't seem to get off the ground."

Twilight carefully reexamined Rainbow as she struggled to get lift. She had meticulously studied every pegasi after her ascension with hope that it would help her flying. No offense to Rainbow Dash teaching but at the time she was not the best fight instructor. Not that her own research helped all that much either. At least it was fascinating subject matter to study and was instrumental in discovering the mechanics behind the Sonic Rainboom.

"Please, hic, don't provoke him further Rainbow Dash or he will..."

"Enough Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola!" The being hissed, his red eyes glowing brighter. "You brought it on yourself when you knowingly overstepped your place. Be glad I had mercy to let you be stoned. Next time it will be my sword that ends it."

Discord yelped and hid, or as much as he could, underneath the table.

"How dare you... How dare you! You listen here, mister." Twilight blinked as she watched Fluttershy dress down the intruder. While she was proud of Fluttershy muscling up her courage she doubted that someone that terrified Discord could be effected by her stare enhanced lecturing given that she had tried this very tactic on Discord before and failed. "Just because Discord 'overstepped' his place doesn't mean you get to be a bully! You do not-- I repeat-- You do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?"

"Or what?" The cloaked figure dared, clearly not fazed by the Stare.

Twilight sighed as Fluttershy's chastisement failed. With the threat of violence she had to find a way to deescalate the situation before someone got hurt. 'Next time' he said. It sounded as if he was not here for Discord as Discord feared. So if that was the case then why was he here? "Why are you here...uh...?"

The figure jumped down off the chandler, spinning to orientate right side to the floor. Twilight cringed as the figure slammed onto the map table, Discord screeching in fear, scrambled behind Fluttershy's throne. The repairs that Starlight and she were in the middle of making were not completed yet and having something as large as the figure crashing down on it could disrupt all their progress or make matters worse then they were before.

"Šizra." 'Šizra' answered, "I am here to see about the dragon known as Spike."

Twilight narrowed her eyes. After the fiasco with Sludge she was not going to let just anyone waltz in here to see Spike. It hurt him more then what Spike was willing to admit and she did not want to see his emotions played like a fiddle again. "And why do you need to see Spike?"

"Interesting..." Šizra slowly intoned, his head tilting from one side to the other. "I was under the impression that you had inquired of Cktüis Zuserthators Ember for assistance in the matters of raising Spike..."

"I did..." Twilight blinked as she answered. She had completely forgotten that she had requested help. Though when she had asked for a tutor this was not what she expected, but then again dragons did not do things 'pony.'

"Šizra?" Fluttershy slowly spoke up, flinching ever so slightly when Šizra's eyes turned towards her. "Um, about Discord..."

"Has he been abusing his powers?"

Twilight fought back the urge to lick her suddenly dry lips. Discord may be 'reformed' now but there were several hiccups along the way including when he betrayed Equestria to help Lord Tirek.

'Next time it will be my sword that ends it.'

'Athulēt.'

'Or what?'

"Um... no." Fluttershy finally answered.

"Then he has nothing to fear from me."

"Ah know sometimes he can be a no good low life varmint but..." AJ shook her head. "Even Ah would not wish him death..."

Twilight's head slammed back painfully as the doors suddenly burst open with a loud bang. Looking over she could see Starlight rushing in with her horn ablaze. Spike, to her surprise, was not far behind. She was sure he was going to be Canterlot a bit longer.

"Discord!" Starlight shouted before skidding to a stop when she noticed the cloaked Šizra. "I.... uh... um..."

"Well Discord teleported me to... uh..." She blushed, "Um... I'm sorry I didn't see that... I mean... I uh... maybe I should come back later..."

"It's okay Starlight, nothing to worry about. Just a small misunderstanding..." Twilight smiled, waving her to come fully in, thankful that Starlight seemed no worse for wear.

"Some misunderstanin'" AJ grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Weeeell.... to be fair Discord was a big meanie..."

"inkie-Pay!'" Rainbow Dash nervously stage whispered. "Xnay on the ast-pay!"

"So good to see you home Spike but," Twilight quickly switched the topic before Pinkie set off Šizra, "I wasn't expecting you for a few more days...."

"Yeah Princess Celestia had urrp..." Spike quickly caught the scroll he burped and and went right to reading it out loud

"Dear Spike, I found this under the throne cushions..."

"Spike!" Twilight facehoofed as she saw the comic fall out of the scroll. How many times had she told him to NOT do that.

"Oops..." Spike nervously waved a hello as he noticed that Šizra was slowly approaching him. "Uh, hi?"

"Šizra?"

Šizra didn't respond as he knelt down in front of Spike and lowered his hood.

Chapter 3: Cktüis' Tuslas Uzuths (A Dragon's Fiery Fury)

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Nothing is more precious to a dragon, not life, not even its hoard, than the egg and wingless. ~ Unknown

"Šizra?"

Šizra knelt down in front of Spike and lowered his hood and Twilight nearly fell off her throne in shock. Šizra is a pony!? Twilight internally yelled as she stared slack jawed at the dark blue stallion.

No... she realized as the initial surprise faded, not exactly. His piecing red eyes were silted, a couple of fangs peeked out of his mouth, and a single diamond shaped patch of scales covered part of the top of his snout. There were also the two black horns she almost didn't see in the mess that was his mane. She could already see Rarity dragging the stallion(?) by the ear to the salon. If she was not mistaken Šizra was a hybrid.

"Young one, do you know how you were hatched?"

"Yeah, Twilight hatched me with magic when she was six during her entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She..." Spike chuckled. Twilight groaned as she rolled her eyes, Spike always found the other things her mana surge did funny. At least she could shut him up by bringing up the fact that the first thing he did was suck his tail. "She ended up turning her parents into potted plants and me into a ceiling destroying giant!"

"Was she an alicorn when she hatched you?"

Twilight blinked in confusion before glancing around at her friends who also were confused. Why would he ask that?

"Well, no. Twilight merely had a mana surge when Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom startled her or something like that."

"A mana surge?" Šizra whispered, his head tilting a bit.

Twilight bit her bottom lip as the piling questions continued to build becoming harder and harder to bear. How could he not know what a mana surge was? But she pushed those aside as she became alarmed. She had been watching Šizra expressions as the two talked. What has started as shock and amazement had been slowly morphing to rage.

"Yeah, apparently it's a common thing for young unicorn ponies to have." Spike shrugged, apparently unaware of how angry Šizra had become.

"Thieves..." Šizra suddenly hissed.

With that Twilight telekinetically reached out to pull Spike back only only stumble back herself when Šizra gaze snapped to her. "Dirty lying thieves..."

She gulped in terror as she scrambled to get away, forgetting that she could teleport. Any remaining thoughts of Šizra not being part dragon vanished as she saw dark blue flames licking out of his fang filled mouth.

"EGG SNATCHER!!!" Šizra roared spewing out a massive wave of blue flame right at her.

It happened so fast that Twilight didn't have a chance to do anything other then yelp in fear. The next thing she was aware of was not the smell of burning fur or the sting of heat but a faint snapping sound followed by a brilliantly bright light, blinding her even with her eyes shut. When, after a few seconds, she didn't feel any pain or heat nor smelt any burnt fur she slowly opened her eyes to see that she was standing in a field.

What happened? She wondered as she looked over her unmarked body. Did I die? Is this the fabled Eternal Pasturelands? With touch of sadness she looked around to see her friends, Spike, and Discord were all here as well. All of them confused except Discord who saying something but for some reason she couldn't seem to hear him.

Discord shook his head and floated up to her and slapped her. "Snap out it! We aren't dead yet! I just teleported us to a field just outside of Ponyville, but if we don't move..."

"Where are..."

"Doesn't matter!! IF we don't flee and flee now HE WILL KILL US ALL!" Discord bellowed, his arms flailing about wildly.

"Flee!? Are you nuts!?" Rainbow yelled as she start to hoover, not noticing that she was able to fly again. "What about Ponyville!? We have to go back!"

"You don't want to fight him." Discord whimpered, shaking his head at Rainbow Dash's suggestion. "You can't fight him! His power will make that landscaping project during Twilight's fight with Lord Tirek, you know the one that remodeled a few mountains with Twilight and Tirek shapes holes, seem like a playground tat between a rock and a blade of grass! He will vaporize that entire mountain range just to make sand for a dragon sized a zen garden!"

"Oooh, ooh! What about the Elements?" Pinkie pipped up. "Now that the tree is safe we can use them on the big meanie."

"They won't work..."

"Wha' do yah mean 'won't work?!'" AJ questioned, her eyes narrowing.

"And how would you know?!" Rainbow accused, her hoovering becoming more erratic.

"BECAUSE HE MADE THE ELEMENTS! THE CASTLE! THE MAP!" Discord screamed, grabbing and shaking Rainbow Dash, making her dizzy.

"Discord..." Fluttershy murmured, gently pulling the dizzy Rainbow Dash out of Discord's grip. "Please, calm down."

"The only thing that we can do is run and hope... run and hope." Discord whispered looking down in shame.

"Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola!" The voice of Šizra bellowed. To Twilight's frighten ears it sounded as if it was coming from everywhere at once. "Have you forgotten? I can track your magic!"

"SHIELD NOW!!!" Discord screeched.

Thinking quickly Twilight took a cue from her first student and pulled up a prism shaped shield around them. It was just in time too, as a wave of blue flame crashed over it. She grunted as further waves of flames washed over the shield, leaving her no time to figure out a way to get them out their situation.

*Schick*

"Leafcutter..." Discord squeaked out.

Twilight nearly lost her concentration as she saw what made that sound. Imbedded in her shield was a sword, or at least she thought it was a sword. The blade had some weird swirling design on it and the hilt looked like it was wrapped in thorny vines. All in all it made it look more like one of those overly fantastical swords used in ogres and oubliettes then a practical sword to be used in real battle. Either way, if she did not remove it quickly her shield would fail completely.

"Well wha' evah it is it's cuttin' through like Twi's shield was warm apple buttah!" AJ's jaw dropped as the 'sword' started to cut through the shield leaving a large opening behind it.

"Twilight!" Starlight shouted. A single look between Twilight and her was all that was needed. A stream of magic shout out from Starlight's horn into the failing shield.

For a infinitesimal moment Twilight thought that the addition of Starlight's magic would be enough as some of the cracks were slowly closing and the sword had stopped moving. But then slowly but surely the sword began moving again.

"Discord, any assistance will me most appreciated right about now!" Starlight grunted, sweat already pouring down her forehead.

"DISCORD! HELP, NOW!" Starlight roared out as the sword began to cut through the shield even faster then before.

With a snap Discord teleported them away. Unfortunately, that meant that they were now outside the safety of Twilight's shield. Twilight fell to one knee as she felt her spell shatter. And from the pain she felt she doubted if she could get a shield back up without time to rest first, time that they didn't have.

"We... we need... run!" Twilight gasped out, struggling to breathe as she finally saw Šizra. Everything around Šizra shimmered from the heat of the dark flames that hugged him like a cloak. All that could be clearly seen was his demonic glowing red eyes.

A wall of blue flames shoot up out of the ground behind them cutting off their escape. Her mouth dried as she struggled to cast a spell but all she could get was a few sparks.

"We are doomed!" Rarity wailed.

But before Šizra made another a move, Celestia and Luna appeared in a dual flash of teleportation. Both were decked out in armor and wielding a sword in their auras. Twilight couldn't decide if she should sigh, cry, or collapse in relief when Princess Celestia looked back, her nodding once before turning to face Šizra.

"Šizra!?" Princess Luna muttered in surprise.

"Yah know him?" AJ shouted in shock.

"Yes." Luna nodded grimly. "He was an invaluable ally during the early part of our reign, especially after the Pillars 'disappearance.' It was he that taught us the art of war and battle... without him Equestria would not be."

"Twilight do you know why Šizra is trying to kill you?" Celestia asked, keeping a close eye on the now angrily pacing Šizra.

"He thinks Spike's egg was stolen!" Twilight exclaimed, "He wasn't was he? Please tell me that this is just a misunderstanding! That Spike wasn't taken from his parents!'"

"No, he was not stolen, but..." Celestia slowly enunciated, "whatever happens next... do not interfere."

"But Princess!" Twilight protested. With how powerful Šizra was if Celestia tried to take him on... This was not like when she try and failed to take on Queen Chrysalis.

"Twilight, I need you to trust me."

Twilight gulped but conceded with a squeaky. "Okay."

Celestia gave Twilight a small smile before looking at Luna. A single nod was all that passed between the two before Luna moved into front them while Celestia calmly walked towards Šizra.

"Šizra!" Celestia shouted, her sword, Dawnbringer, if Twilight remember correctly rising in her aura.

"Thief, murderer, egg-snatcher!" Šizra roared, rushing Celestia with his own sword.

Twilight flinched as the swords clashed together. The two jumped back to only rushed towards each other their sword again meeting in a shower of sparks. She marveled as the two almost danced around. She never liked the sword dueling that her brother had done in preparation for becoming a royal guard but this was entirely different level from that. She could feel the speed, the power, and the killing intent behind each swing. This was no duel this was a battle to the death.

"Remain wary Twilight." Princess Luna warned as the sky darken and the air became heavy. "We are still in danger..."

Twilight looked up to the gathering clouds and shuddered. It felt just like when the magic of all the princesses was pushed into her before she got used to it, only more so. If she was feeling right then it meant that Discord was not exaggerating for once and could if he control it with such ease it was no wonder Discord was terrified. She really hoped Celestia knew what she was doing.

Šizra suddenly let out a roar that knocked everypony back with a blast of wind from the power of his voice. Lightning started to strike the ground from the boiling clouds above, tearing open the ground where they struck. Twilight shook in awe and horror, that was not mere weather lightning it was true lightning! Šizra was casting an extremely difficult, high mana spell that required immense concentration to cast while sword fighting with Celestia!

The sky darken further as Luna quickly cast a shield over them. "Twilight can you still produce a shield?" She shouted above the thunder.

"No!" She shouted after several attempts only produced a few sparks. For now all they had was Luna's shield.

Twilight nearly facehooved when Discord stepped past them holding an oversized golf bag. What was he thinking?! Now was not the time to be playing golf! But instead playing golf Discord was pulling out clubs that were large enough to be used by former Dragon Lord Torch. One by one he jammed them handle down into the ground in a wide ring around them.

"3-wood, iron 9, putter, gap wedge, a sandwich? What the chaos is that doing in there?" Discord frowned before throwing what suspiciously looked like a blt over his shoulder. "Iron 6..."

Twilight's eyes widen when she realized what Discord was doing. He was making crude lightening rods out of the golf clubs. It probably won't help much alone but at this point anything was better then nothing. Unfortunately, before he was able finish, a lightening bolt hit Luna's shield shattering it and then striking him.

"DISCORD!!" Fluttershy screamed, rushing to Discord, who had been flung back, his fur singed.

"I'm fine Fluttershy..." Discord whispered, reaching up with his eagle talons to cradling Fluttershy's check, "I just need to rest..."

"Is he?" Spike asked when Discord passed out, pulling Fluttershy away from Discord enough so that Luna could check on the draconequus.

"No, he will live." Luna said after a moment, straightening herself back up.

"Šizra! Please! Calm down." Celestia shouted, bringing everyponies' attention back to the fight.

The only response was another roar followed by multiple magic missile blasts to go with the lightening and slashing sword. Twilight eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she watched the magic blasts twist and turn in the air following Celestia as if the spell were being guided around. How could anyone have that kind of control? She was beginning to worry that Discord's comment about her battle with Tirek look like raking a zen garden was downplaying his abilities by a far margin.

At this Celestia managed to parry a few of the blasts away but several managed to hit her sending her tumbling many hooves. Her sword flying high before being blasted away by another one of Šizra's mana blasts.

"Princess!"

"You must stay back." Luna reminded, putting out a wing to block Rainbow's advance.

Celestia groaned as she slowly got to her hooves, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them she stared down the slowly approaching pony dragon hybrid. Her horn glowing like she was about to cast a spell but instead she spoke. "On my life and by my magic I do swear I will only speak truths to the one known as Šizra about the one known as Spike."

Twilight gasped, recognizing what Celestia had just done. She had read about it in some really old scrolls in the restricted section of the archives. "Princess Luna was that... a geas!?"

"Yes, it was." Luna nodded, not taking her eyes off of her sister and Šizra.

"Wha' in tarnation is a gaysh?"

"A geas," Twilight corrected, "is a magical contract that was used by unicorns in the days before unification usually during trials. If one lied or did not fulfilled the vow given exactly their magic would... would..."

"A single misstep, one slip accidental or otherwise and one would become nothing but ash." Luna grimly supplied. "'Twas not a pretty sight and from what we have witnessed, a very painful way to die..."

"What!?" Rainbow protested, fighting to get out of AJ's grip who had grabbed her tail to prevent her from moving. "Is she nuts?!"

"No." Luna sadly shook her head. "'Twas a very dangerous move, yes, to utilize a geas, but I fear that mine sister was right. Šizra's power eclipses our own by many magnitudes. Not once were we able to best him in duels even with with both of us giving it our all."

Šizra made no further move to attack, though the lightning was still flashing all around them, he merely just stood there staring down Princess Celestia with narrowed eyes. After a few tense moments he finally spoke. "Speak, but know this, if I don't like your words on my life and by my magic I do swear this day Equestria will burn."

Celestia shuddered before she hesitantly started to speak, "Spike's... Spike's egg was found in the crystal mines under Canterlot nearly a thousand years ago by some miners... I don't recall off hoof who exactly but they, thinking it was merely a curiosity, sold the egg to the Royal Magical Society of Canterlot. Some time later I was shown this 'curiosity' to my shock. I knew that it was far more then a curiosity, it was a dragon's egg. How it got to where it was found, buried hooves deep in solid crystal I was never able to fully discover but I knew from experience and what little knowledge I could recall a dragon would protect their eggs even more fiercely then their hoards. To find one in that matter would only occur if..."

"His parent's were long dead..." Šizra finished, the flames that had been encompassing him shrinking a bit.

"Yes..." Celestia choked out, tears swelling in her eyes. "Spike's egg was found twenty-eight years five weeks and two days after I had banished Luna. I was so alone... and so was this egg... I... I knew what it was like and I couldn't bear to see... For the dragon within to never know the warmth of the sun nor the cool of night. So I tried and tried and tired to hatch him... but no matter what I did it never hatched!"

"Of course not! Your mana's affinity is fire, good for a Uzuthscktüis... but not a Tzircktstelescktüis."

Twilight found herself leaning forward a bit, trying to get closer so that she could get every word. There was so much that she and Spike didn't know about dragons and especially about Spike's history. While she had found records detailing that his egg was found abandoned in a cave shortly after Nightmare Moon's banishment it got murky after that until it began being used as a test for prospective students for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns some fifty years ago. She was not aware that Spike was found in the same cave system where Cadance and her were entrapped in nor that Celestia had tried to hatch him. Her attention was momentarily broken as she heard the sound of sobbing. She looked down to see that Spike was leaning again her side, his lips quivering, tears falling.

"Oh Spike..." Twilight knelt down, her heart aching over how this must be affecting Spike. "I am so sorry I..."

"After it became clear that I was not able to hatch the egg. I had it returned to the Royal Magical Society of Canterlot where it was stored until a few decades ago when it was donated to my school for gifted unicorns to be used as a test of magical ability." Celestia continued, "Then a prospective student with a massive surge of magic... From the beginning they loved each other like siblings... I thought about seeing if a dragon would be willing to care for him but... I couldn't tear them apart. I just couldn't..."

Twilight nearly collapsed as the oppressing pressure from the build up of mana suddenly lifted. She hoped that it merely meant that things were calming down and not a sign of escalation. She looked over to see that Šizra had lowered his sword. With a glance up she saw the sky was starting to return to normal and behind them the wall of flames that had blocked them before had disappeared.

"Celestia Solaris es atsrīvoju tevi tho jūsu zvērests..."

Luna sighed, her body sagging a bit. "Šizra has released Celestia from her geas."

"Then is it over?" Rarity questioned, looking ready to faint. "Please say yes, I don't think my mane can handle any more drama right now."

"'Tis over, for now..."

Twilight nearly collapsed along with her friends from the relief. Never before had she felt so hopeless and lost in a fight. She slowly sat down and pulled the still crying Spike into a hug. This was not how she would ever wanted him to find out about his parentage (not that she knew it was this bad).

"Twilight..." Celestia called out softly. Twilight twitched as she reined in the urge to go to the princess. Spike needed her more right now then whatever the princess needed.

"We got 'im Sugercube." AJ whispered putting a comforting hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

Twilight hesitated for moment until her friends one by one nodded a silent go on. She mouthed a thank you before taking one last look at Spike. His origins may have been terrible but he was never going to be alone again. With a sigh she slowly got up and walked over to Celestia and Luna.

"Yes Princess Celestia?" Twilight's mouth went dry at the worried look on the sisters. Something told her that contrary to Luna's assurance things were far from over.

"Did Šizra reveal why he thought Spike was coltnapped?"

"Uh... no."

"Did he say anything at all?"

Twilight took a few calming breaths like Cadance taught her and slow explained everything from the moment Discord had teleported her friends into the map room earlier that day until the moment the two sisters arrived. At the end of her story Twilight caught the look that passed between the sisters and something deep in her stomach dropped as she was sure whatever it was she was not going to like it.

"I urge you to let Šizra teach Spike."

"WHAT!? ARE YOU NUTS?!" Twilight shouted then cringed slightly when she realize she had shouted and to whom. Thankfully, Šizra ,who was now sitting down at the top of a nearby hill, didn't seem to react to her outburst. "He threatened to kill Discord then actually tried to kill us all!"

"Yes, I know, and I am not counseling to you to not be leery of him..." Celestia whispered, wearily looking over to Šizra who was staring off towards the Everfree Forest. "Far be it for me to suggest anything otherwise... As you saw when provoked he is extremely dangerous, far more than anyone you have faced before..."

Twilight could feel the blood in her veins turn to ice as her mind played out one possibility after another each worse then the last. What if their response to Spike's greed on his birthday was not up to Šizra's standard? Or if allowing Spike to participate in the dangerous Gauntlet of Fire was deemed wrong? What would Šizra do then?

"Then wouldn't it be safer to get somedragon less volatile to teach Spike?"

"Thou must understand that Šizra's interest in Spike is also disquieting..." Luna answered this time, slipping a bit back into her old speech patterns. "Whether for good or ill is still unknown but he will not stop until he is satisfied. It may behoove us all for thou to keepeth him close so thou may have a chance to head off another misunderstanding and thus his ire..."

For hours Šizra sat on that hill still staring off towards Everfree. The sun was low in the sky when Twilight slowly approached him. The events of earlier in the day still playing in her head. In all her years she had never doubted Celestia's wisdom except once... well now twice. And with all her skepticism with Discord Celestia had been right to befriend him...

Twilight stopped a few hooves away. She was leery about getting too close and though she was here to speak to him she had no idea where to start. If this was going to work she needed some sort of reassurances.

"Uzuthscktüis, fire..., letuscktüis, ice... jūracktüis, water... Tzircktstelescktüis, true, pure raw mana..." Šizra suddenly uttered, startling her.

Twilight mind raced, she had remembered the words Uzuthscktüis and Tzircktstelescktüis from before. Šizra had spoken them when Celestia had noted her failure in hatching Spike. She was sure that the suffix cktüis meant dragon and if she was connecting the dots correctly then Šizra had just explained what the prefixes meant. If so, then, Šizra had just revealed that Spike was a 'mana dragon.'

"Millennia after millennia, searching the entire world over and over, dozens upon dozens of times.... All with the slimmest of slimmest hopes that maybe others had survived the cataclysm..." Šizra continued, "In time, fleeting hope turned to despair and emptiness. I truly was the last of the spark dragons... and the last of the alicorns... But then Celestia and Luna managed to find a way to ascend and then by pure accident a young Tzircktstelescktüis egg is found by one of them. My hopes and fears now manifested."

Twilight felt a bit ill thinking about it. All those years without another of your kind... How can anypony begin to figure out what that truly must feel... Lonely to be sure... painfully lonely... "I'm sorry..."

"Swallow your sanctimonious pity!" Šizra sneered, spinning around and snapping his jaws a hairsbreadth away from Twilight's muzzle. "You understand nothing!"

Twilight stumbled back swallowing the scream that threatened to come out. She took a moment to get her breathing and heartrate down before countering. "Then help me understand instead of resorting to violence..."

"Foolish naïve child!" Šizra snapped at Twilight again, although this time Twilight managed to stand her ground. "Violence is just violence; its neither good nor evil. When, were, why, and how, those are what makes it good or evil."

"And what of earlier?!" Twilight countered, her anger flaring a bit. "When you tried to kill us over the mistaken belief that we might have coltnapped Spike? Was not that violence 'evil'?"

"In that you are not wrong," Šizra admitted, turning to look away. "In that you are not wrong..."

Chapter 4: Tu Esi Tas, Üo Tu Ēt (You Are What You Eat)

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Crush fine quartz between claws and message gently into meat, heat slowly with own flame until charred. ~ Finely Crafted Gem Cuisine for the Fastidious Minded Drake

Spike yawned as he made his way to the castle kitchen. If he had it his way he would still be in bed. Yesterday had been horrific in so many ways but it was a school day and if Twilight's night was as bad as his was she was going to need coffee, lots of it, a hearty breakfast, and as much sleep as possible. As funny as it was, he didn't think she want to fall asleep while lecturing... again.

Spike stopped and groaned when he walked into the kitchen to find somepony rummaging through the pantry. At first he thought it was Princess Luna but armor wasn't the same as the one she had worn yesterday. Also wearing armor straight out of Ogres & Oubliettes was a bit much even for her, right? Wait wasn't Luna's tail dark blue with stars in it?

He found himself groaning again when he realized who it was. Even though he had switched out his cloak for a set of armor it could only be Šizra. Between his overdesigned armor and sword he wouldn't look out of place at a comic convention. At least it did give him a better view of what Šizra actually looked like, sort of. What he could see of his body, like his head, was mix of dragon and pony characteristics. His front legs were dragon while the back were pony. A pair of dark blue leathery wings hugged his sides, blending into his fur and scales. Unfortunately his flank was covered up so he could not see if he had a cutie mark or not.

"What are you doing here?" Spike growled, trying not to pinch his brow. It was too early for whatever this was. And it was always something: Trixie teacups, magic experiments going astray, random Pinkie Pie cyclones, and unwanted guests in the form of villains, 'reformed,' or otherwise. And guess who always had to clean up the mess? Spike! At least with Pinkie she always left something tasty behind.

"Examining the larder young one..." Šizra explained without slowing down, much to Spike irritation.

Great... Another moocher to deal with! Spike inwardly moaned.

"Impossible!" Spike head snapped over only to gasp in horror as Šizra pulled out a jar of Zap Apple Jam out of one of the cabinets with a look of wonder of his face. "Is this truly...?"

"Hey!" Spike yelled, trying and failing to snatch away the jar. He was saving that for a special occasion! It would be some time before the zap apples would be in season again and it was the one thing, the one pony thing, he had 'neglected' to give Sludge and the one thing that he didn't ruin. It was going to take months to replace his comic collection, maybe longer.

"Bah! Stale." Šizra cringed as he put jar down.

"What!?" Spike exclaimed as he grabbed the jar. He really hoped it wasn't stale, it shouldn't be stale. After a few sniffs nothing seemed wrong with it so he dipped a claw to taste it, but again nothing. To him it smelt and tasted just like a freshly opened jar of zap apple jam.

"I don't know what you are saying," Spike grumbled as he screwed the lid back on and waddled over to put it in the fridge. "It's perfectly fresh."

"'Fresh, right.'" Šizra snorted before taking a seat at the breakfast table. "A moment, young one..."

Spike rolled his eyes as Šizra closed his eye and began to mumble. At least he wasn't making a mess anymore. Now he just needed to make breakfast and clean up before Twilight awoke. He was not looking forward in being blamed again for someone else's mess, again.

Luckily it didn't take him very long to clean up the kitchen and was about to crack some eggs to make his world famous omelets when he started hearing a weird buzzing sound. At first he didn't see anything at first just Šizra continuing to mumble like he had been for the past fifteen or so minutes though he looked a lot worse for wear. But what he saw gave him pause Šizra's eyes were scrunched up like he was in pain and his fur sheened with sweat. If he kept it up he was bound to collapse worse then Twilight after a week research frenzy.

Rolling his eyes he reached down and pulled out a purple first aid kit that he stashed next to the stove. He figured Šizra would be frothing in a few minutes and he wanted to be ready. In the mean time he could get back to making some food.

zzzt

Spike exhaled as he turned off the stove. That buzz was much louder then the ones before and he knew he had better track down whatever it was before something else went wrong. He hoped it wasn't a twittermite swarm inside the castle.

zzzt

Please tell me that is not what I think that is... He shuddered in fear as he saw black magic sparks appearing on the table in front of Šizra. After a second the sparks faded away only for more to appear with a buzz.

Spike gulped as he found himself paradoxically frozen in fear and leaning forward curiously. What was Šizra doing and why the long buildup? He was throwing spells around with little build up yesterday. Did his fight yesterday took more out then he let on? Mana exhaustion could cause magic to be more difficult for a couple of days.

zzzt ZZZT

Spike yelped and jumped back as he realized that the spell was building up to a crescendo. The sparks were starting to concentrating in one area without dispersing and the buzzing was now constant. He ducked under one of the stools, but the explosion he was expecting never happened. With trepidation he peeked over the lip of the table to see that Šizra's head was resting on the table, panting hard, a jar of what looked to be zap apple jam in front of him. The jar was exactly where the sparks had been moments before.

"There... that... is... fresh..." Šizra huffed.

"Wow." Spike snarked, waving his hands in fake awe. "All that for a bootleg jar of zap apple jam?!"

"Bootleg?"

"You know not the real deal, fake, unauthorized, black-market, stolen." Spike listed off with his claws.

"Give it a taste young one." Šizra slid the jar along with a spoon towards Spike.

Spike eyed the jar for a moment, unsure. "Fine." He slowly opened the jar and took a hesitate sniff. The jam did smell stronger then what he was used to. Here goes nothing... He thought as he lifted a spoonful to his lips.

"SOOOOOOO GOOOOOD...." Spike drooled as a series of rich and bold flavors exploded on this tongue. This was divine and he had to have more. Šizra said he to give it a taste... who said how big of a taste that had to be? If hisss tassste wasss the whole jar then it would all be hissss.

"Young one, snap out of your alüatīsa!" Šizra growled as he flicked a claw painfully on the very tip of Spike's snout.

Spike started to panic even as his mind cleared up. He felt just like he did on his birthday! He never wanted to feel that way again and somehow he fell into it again over a simple spoonful of "fresh" zap apple jam. He was so furious, confused, disgusted, and scared that he was tore between his want to tear into Šizra apart, hiding away, or something worse. The only thing he could do was utter the strange word that Šizra spoke, "Alolayteza?"

"Alüatīsa, in modern vernacular it translates to greed."

Then say greed instead of how ever that word is pronounced. Spike rubbed his face, trying to not scream in frustration. Šizra's exclamation had that air of hint-hint wink-wink you should know this already. It reminded him of some of Discord's poorer attempts at 'teaching.' And like with Discord he just knew he would probably end up tearing out his spines trying to get straight answers.

"Why are you here?"

"To teach you young one..."

"Spike," Spike grumbled, rubbing his forehead, "my name is Spike."

"'Young one' is an appropriate honorific that an elder uses to address a whelp such as yourself."

"Oh..." Spike murmured as he rubbed the back of his head, "That's cool, I guess..."

"...Wait teach!? Oh no." Now Spike was truly panicking. This was twice now that a dragon decided to teach him how to be dragon. While Sludge was a lazy jerk that took advantage of his naivete at least he never tried to kill him and his friends. And then there was his greed. Something he never wanted to feel again and took great pains to avoid and yet Šizra managed to cause him to slip so bucking easily. "No no no no no no no no! I don't want to be whatever you think dragon is."

Spike froze when Šizra grabbed his face and forced him to stare into his eyes. And as much as he wanted and tried he just couldn't pull away. Worse felt he couldn't blink or look away as Šizra red eyes bored into him. It felt like he was trapped in more ways then one.

"I see." Spike breathed out in relief when Šizra suddenly blinked and pulled away. "I will notify Cktüis Zuserthators Ember to not waste anymore time on you."

"Hey!" Spike shouted, rushing to catch up to Šizra who had already walked out of the kitchen. "Wait!"

"You waste Cktüis Zuserthators Ember's time in asking for assistance in helping you become something you hate."

"What?!" Spike exclaimed, waving his arms frantically. "What are you talking about!?"

"You hate being a dragon."

Stunned, Spike arms flopped down and his mouth hung open as he could not believe what Šizra had said. He didn't hate being dragon... scared that his dragon nature would... "I don't..."

Whatever objection Spike had died as Šizra shoved his muzzle right up against his face growling out, "Do not try and fool me. I. Saw. You."

"Now, unless you know where Sweet Apple Acres is you will speak to me no further."

"Sweet Apple Acres?"

"The label on your jar of zap apple jam said 'Proudly made at Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville.'"

Spike murmured a few choice words as he tore a scroll in half scribbling a note for Twilight on one half and tacking it to the kitchen door before writing on the second half 'Help! Sweet Apple Acres' which he held tightly in his claws. If yesterday was any indication he knew that this was not going to turn out good at all. He knew how stubbornly prideful AppleJack could get and at least if he went with Šizra if, or more likely when, Šizra angered AJ he could send for help or a mortician, preferably the first.

Spike was a bit surprised. He had expected that a very large stallion in armor trotting through town, even in a town like Ponyville, would have caused some sort of reaction or at the very least Pinkie popping up because of the 'new pony' in town (not that he was new). But not a single slamming shutter or turn of the head, nothing. It was almost as if Šizra was invisible.

Now they were weaving through the apple trees of Sweet Apple acres. He had tried to lead Šizra to the AJ's house but as soon as they got to the Acres Šizra had wondered off the path. So far he had seen no sign of Applejack or Big Mac. He wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing or not.

"They planted a grove of them!?" Šizra exclaimed, suddenly galloping.

Spike was taken aback; it almost sounded as if Šizra was panicking just a bit. After what he did yesterday why would he be scared of a few zap apple trees?!

"Yeah a grove of zap apple trees..." Spike panted out once he caught up, "that's where zap apples come from. Where else do you expect them to get zap apples from?"

"I see no poison joke and I can't smell even a trace of timberwolf."

"What?" Spike blinked as he watched Šizra pace from tree to tree. He was vaguely aware that zap apples had some strange rules for harvesting but what did poison joke and timberwolves have to do with that? And why is he licking the bark? This quickly becoming Pinkie level of nonsense, and he was sure that the explanation about what he was doing would also be Pinkie Pie nonsense.

Maybe I should have not gotten out of bed...

"Do you know how long these trees have been here?"

"I don't know, sixty, seventy years..." Spike scratching his chin, trying to remember the exact details. He was sure it was few years before the founding of Ponyville but that was about it. Maybe if Granny Smith's stories didn't ramble on worse then Twilight's lectures... "You'll have to ask one of the Apples..."

"What are yah doin' here?" Spike nearly jumped. He had been so absorbed in Šizra's bizarre behavior that he didn't notice Applejack's approach.

"How long..." Šizra paused as he sniffed some soil that he has been rubbing between his claws, "how long has this grove been here?"

"An' why do yah need to know?"

"Do you not know what you have here?" Šizra questioned clearly ignoring AJ's own question.

"Zap Apples."

"Please tell me are aware of how difficult and dangerous it is to cultivate and harvest them?" Šizra gestured to the grove around them.

"Yah darn tootin' Ah know."

"No, I don't think you truly know." As Šizra continued he began to pace, his words coming out faster and faster. "When I first saw your zap apple jam I was surprised that someone had not only managed to find one of the groves of... 'zap apples' in the Everfree but had figured out the often silly and random steps needed to make it into jam..."

Spike gripped the bit of scroll in his hand a bit tighter as Šizra stopped staring up at the top of the trees. Somehow Šizra's panic was more scary then when he was being scary.

"Then I tasted it..."

AJ narrowed her eyes even more. Spike cringed, he knew what was coming. One thing you learned real fast was never dis anything apple related, especially anything from Sweet Apple Acres, in front of her. He readied his flame...

"It was stale."

"Yah low down dirty little varmint!" AJ growled, stepping forward in her anger and pride, clearly having forgotten what Šizra was capable of, what he nearly did yesterday?! "Yah take that..."

Spike took a step away as Šizra causally took out the jar of zap apple jam that nearly caused a greed growing relapse. He wanted nothing to do with that evil concoction. Before AJ could get another word out Šizra scooped out some and shoved it into her opened mouth.

"It can't be..." AJ muttered in shock, her lip quivering. "Who made this Zap Apple Jam Ah demand to know! Was is it Flim Flam!? Ah swear..."

"It doesn't matter!" Šizra exclaimed. "When this grove of 'zap' apples dies there will be a magic backlash that will kill the land in a radius from here to at least the crystal tree castle. You must find someone highly skill in telekinesis and fast. If possible you need them to lift the entire grove along with the dirt around it then take it all deep into the Everfree, preferably to the same grove where you first found them."

Spike facepalmed. Even he knew the zap apple trees don't like magic being used on them and here was Šizra telling AJ to remove them with magic? Forget Pinkie Pie nonsense this was classic Discord trolling. And when Spike he saw AJ's expression morph from shock and disbelief to anger he knew he had better send the scroll.

AJ snarled, her eyes narrowing. "Ah think Ah get what yah tryin' to do...

"I don't think you do."

"Yah trin' to pull the wool over mah eye's like that bloke Sludge. Or did those thievin' brothers ask you to..."

"Call me a thief again, I dare you." Šizra hissed, his sword appearing in a shower of black sparks. "Because I will make you wish I had ended your life yesterday."

"Šizra!"

Spike sighed in relief as his head snapped over to see Twilight galloping towards them. Good timing Twilight. Wait... He hadn't sent help scroll yet so how did she get here before he was able to send the scroll?

Twilight eyed Šizra's sword for a moment before pulling her gaze towards Spike and AJ in turn. "Spike, AJ is everything alright?"

"Ah will be when this low down dirty rotten varmint gets off of mah farm!"

"As you wish." Šizra shrugged, turning away as he did. He glanced down at Twilight as he passed her. "Twilight, guardian of Spike, do not bother Cktüis Zuserthators Ember anymore. You will get no further help on the matter you requested."

"An' don' come back yah hear me!" AJ yelled as Šizra disappeared behind a bend in the path.

Twilight just sighed and facehoofed as Spike rolled his eyes.

Chapter 5: Satraucošas Atülāsles (Disquieting Revelations)

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A gem for the question, a hoard for the answer. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

*knock knock*

...

*knock knock*

...

"Headmistress Sparkle?"

"Hmmm?!" Twilight snapped out of her contemplation to see that her office door was opening.

Twilight blushed as she looked over her office. It was a complete mess. There were stacks of books and scrolls along with an overflowing trash can filled with half eaten takeout food containers. Judging from the amount and the smell she had to been held up in her office for at least four days. Had she really been in here since classes were dismissed last Thursday?

"Headmistress, are you okay?" Cozy Glow questioned as she cautiously peaked through her office door.

"Yes I... I just had a lot of work to catch up on and I lost track of time." Twilight anxiously smiled, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, hoping that Cozy Glow wouldn't pry any further. While that was true she was swamped with work, more so than usual, she didn't want to panic Cozy Glow with the full truth of what some of that work entailed. She already had to deal with Chancellor Neighsay once again trying to shut down her school. This time over 'safety' after word of their battle with Šizra got out and spooking a student was only going to give him another reason to add to the pile. "But nothing you need to worry about. Is there something you need Cozy Glow?"

"Well I was in Counselor Starlight's office going over my lessons and well I... I don't want to bore you with the details as you must be really busy..." Cozy giggled nervously as she fully entered the office. Twilight gently motioned for her to continue, understanding that Cozy needed some encouragement to get over her nervousness. "Anyway, she asked me if I could retrieve the final list for the Cloudsdale trip for her."

"Oh, of course..." Twilight nodded. Luckily she made sure to do that before she started her research binge so that would mean that it would most likely be in one of her desk drawers. But as she leaned back in her chair to get a better angle to pull out the drawer a familiar sharp pain shot through her wings. She had once again forgotten to make sure keep her wings limber when she was on a research binge. At least this time she remembered to sleep and eat.

"Ohh ouch, wing cramps, I get those all the time when I study for too long with out taking a break. I find that going for a short flight always helps."

Twilight hmmed as she looked up at her office clock. There was a still few hours before her first class so she had time to go for a small flight. Besides that she could use some fresh air to clear her head and she really would like not have to replace the floor, again. "I will, thanks Cozy. Here's the list. Please let Counselor Starlight know that I am going for a short flight and will return before my first class."

"Will do Headmistress!"

Twilight exhaled in relief as she soared over the trees. Cozy's idea was a good one, all the stress of the past week was just fading away. Maybe she should take up Rainbow's offer of joining her for her morning routine.... at least the cool down portion... She didn't have the speed nor the coordination for everything else Rainbow did.

Twilight stopped to a hover when familiar ruins, the Castle of the Two Sisters, suddenly appeared over the tree tops. How did I get here?! She had somehow flown differently then she had planed. The plan was for her to take a short fly over the Whitetail Woods which was in the complete opposite direction of the Everfree.

Twilight sighed as she spiraled down toward the cave of the Tree of Harmony. She figured she might as well check on the tree while she was here. She couldn't help but smile as she walked into the cave and gazed upon the Tree of Harmony. The tree shimmered and glowed brilliantly now that the Elements were returned to its branches.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Twilight yelped, near jumping into the air from the unexpected voice. She turned to see a familiar cloaked figure near the entrance of the cave. "Šizra!? I thought you had left..."

She frowned as he walked past frowning. Ever since he had left Spike had gone quiet hardly ever firing off a sarcastic quip and she felt that it was more then just the fact that Šizra tried to kill them. Something else had to have occurred between them but no matter how much she tried Spike would not say what it was.

"I wanted to investigate..." Šizra commented, stopping at the base of the Tree of Harmony. "To know how..."

"Investigate? Know how?" Twilight asked, wearily watching as Šizra laid a paw on the trunk of the tree.

"The question is not how I missed his egg." Šizra slowly turned to face Twilight. "The question is how they missed his egg."

"They?" Twilight licked her lips as Šizra continued to stare at her. The longer he stared the more it felt as if he was measuring her up, unsure of whether to answer her or not. She suddenly felt like she had been thrown in to a class on the final day without knowing anything about the subject manner but still expected to be as knowledgeable somepony that had been attending since the first day.

"The caves were at one point a tzircktstelescktüis nesting ground... and is scared by battle..."

Twilight could feel her heart sink. She had long ago reconciled that Spike was most likely an orphan so when Šizra had confirmed that she was sadden but not devastated. But now, to hear that it could have been the result of violence... A flicker of hope swelled when she recalled something Šizra said about a cataclysm. "Maybe it was from that cataclysm and not..."

"If only," Šizra sighed, looking up at the branches of the Tree of Harmony. "There were very specific distortions indicative of alicorn spellcraft and based on the thaum degradation..."

"The Princesses would never!" Twilight snapped, angry that Šizra would claim that the Princess would have had a hoof in something so vile. Even Luna when she was under the influence of Nightmare Moon never did something like that. She saw the transformation and subsequent fight with Celestia thanks to that potion there wasn't time... unless... unless...

"Did I say it was Luna or Celestia?" Šizra sneered as he stomped right up to Twilight. She swallowed in fear as she shrunk back from his now overbearing glare. "They are pretenders... Fake. Just. Like. You."

She could swear that his red eyes' glow intensified as he continued. "They don't have the intrinsic urge nor the know how to naturally use all three types of mana at the same time. You used no earthen or air mana in your shield. If you had, my sword would not had pierced it so easily."

Twilight swallowed hard as Šizra snorted, turning away. "But this is not about the mechanics alicorn magic..."

Silence fell in the cave until she remember something that Šizra had said earlier. "What did you mean by 'they' missing Spike's egg?"

Šizra sighed long and hard before he answered. "Between twenty-eight and twenty-five thousand years..."

Twilight tried not to grumble as once again she was getting an answer that was clearly for a different, but probably related, question. She had no idea why he kept doing that. The way he had been talking was more like he was merely thinking out loud, like he had forgotten that he was conversing with more then just himself... Still...

"Twenty-eight thousand?! But that's... that's... Are you saying that is how long..." Words failed as Twilight began to weep over when implications finally slammed into her. Spike had been alone not just for a thousand years but for many thousands of years... Alone, deep in a dark cave, and the only reason he was ever found and hatched was by pure luck. If there wasn't a need for crystals and the cave of crystals hadn't been under Canterlot...

"It was fascinating to hear ponies raising a dragon." Šizra suddenly spoke, interrupting Twilight's lamentations. "A herding, prey race that despises other 'lesser' races for not being them raising one of another race! And a dragon, the greatest apex predator this world has even known!"

"It was the right thing to do..." Twilight murmured, almost to herself, still crying.

"Ponies doing the right thing." Šizra slowly enunciated with a sight growling undertone, his glare upon Twilight once again causing her to stop crying from fear. "Twenty-five thousand years and I can count the number of times on my feathered wings."

Twilight blinked at the strange use of the idiom as if she recalled correctly Šizra didn't have feathery wings. Was he implying that ponies never do the right thing? If that was true, then why did he allow Spike to remain with ponies?! Was this sudden bitterness because he discovered it was ponies that killed Spike's parents? Or were those lamentations a ruse?

"Tell me about Hearth's Warming." Šizra casually spoke, either not noticing or not caring about Twilight ever increasing confusion.

"What?" What did Hearth's Warming have to do with ponies not doing the right thing? The story was about ponies doing the right thing in the end! Or was he talking about something else? What was really infuriating was she knew that there was no way she was going to get any answers just more questions.

"Interesting... Then let me ask. When was Hearth's Warming?"

Now that she understood and could answer. "The exact year is debated...Scholars can best place it between one thousand fifty and one thousand one hundred years ago." Twilight explained effortlessly as she tried to figure out why Hearth's Warming.

"Between one thousand fifty and one thousand one hundred years..." Šizra repeated before walking up and whispering into her ear. "Try two thousand five hundred."

"Two thousand five hundred!? Even if one were to take into account the chaos of Discord reign did to the historical records..." Twilight objection died on her lips as saw Šizra's black aura suddenly envelope the Element of Kindness. Her eyes widen in shock and disbelief as she saw the Element of Kindness pop out of the tree with ease.

"You have... but it... that is... but... WHAT?!" Twilight sputtered, trying to put into words at what seem incomprehensible to her. She had just seen Šizra remove the Element of Kindness from the tree like it was nothing. It just didn't make sense to her. How could someone so hot tempered be able to remove any of the elements much less the Element of Kindness from the Tree of Harmony? And so easily!?!? Even Discord in the height of his power was unable to effect the Tree of Harmony until the thousand years without the Elements had weakened it enough for his plunderseeds to germinate.

"BECAUSE HE MADE THE ELEMENTS! THE CASTLE! THE MAP!" Discord's panic shout echoed in her mind.

"You took the Element of Kindness from the tree!?" Twilight finally shouted, wildly gesturing to the Element in Šizra's black aura.

"I will return it to its place once I am done."

"But, but..." Twilight objected, trying to frantically find the right words to say. "You- you can't have... Discord has to be mistaken! How could some creature with your disposition..." and with what might be dark magic from the color of your aura she left unsaid.

"I caution believing everything that proceeds from Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola's mouth..." Šizra suggested as he slowly walked out of the cave and disappearing in a shower of black sparks.

Twilight fell on to her haunch, breathing hard. What did she just witness and what did she just hear and what would it mean for her and Equestria?

Chapter 6: Thojauüt Süola Seüas (School Raze Aftermath)

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There is no rage nor fury, like a dragon scorned. ~ Various

Twilight gazed up as a wave of blue energy past through her and her friends. Her somber mood instantly turned happy as she could see and feel her magic course through her once again. She had no idea why magic had returned but with it back she could teleport her friends and Spike back to school to confront Cozy Glow. When a uplifted heart she gazed at her friends before gathering her mana and teleporting them back to the school.

A flash later and they were teleported to the school courtyard. Twilight was a bit surprised when she saw that she managed to luck out and teleport them right to Cozy Glow. Cozy Glow was surrounded by several students and for just a infinitesimal moment Twilight could also see fury on Cozy Glow's face before it was replaced by surprise and then fake relief. "I mean... Yay! All my friends are safe!"

"You can drop the act, Cozy Glow!" Applejack angrily confronted Cozy, pointing an accusatory hoof at the young pegasus. "Your pen pal Tirek told us all about how he helped you suck up all that magic!"

"But I still don't understand why." Twilight questioned.

"Why?!" Cozy Glow growled, her eyes bulging out. "Because friendship is power! You might be the Princess of Friendship, but as headmare of this school, I can collect even more friends than you!"

"You're the one who doesn't get it, Cozy. " Twilight countered, sadden that she had failed to teach Cozy the real meaning and purpose of friendship. "Friendship is powerful, but power isn't why you make friends. I'm sorry I couldn't teach you that."

"Well, you taught us." Twilight looked over to see that Gallus along with, Silverstream, Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus approaching her.

"You can't let one bad apple make you think you failed." Silverstream added.

"And we never could've stopped her if we hadn't learned what you taught us about friendship." Sandbar pointed out.

Twilight smiled proudly as she was surround by them, their words uplifting. At least some good came out of this mess. Now if she could get Cozy Glow to see the error of her ways...

"Honesty? Loyalty? Generosity? Blah-blah-blah!" Cozy Glow sneered. "I can make more friends without using any of them! And if I can't do it here, I'll..."

Cozy Glow paused as she jumped-flew over Twilight and her friends. But she was unable to escape nor finish her rant. Without warning a sword fell from the sky piercing into her back all the way to hilt and pinning her flat to the ground. Twilight gasped in shock then screamed in horror.

What Cozy Glow did was evil but to for her to be killed like that?! She needed to be punished but there was no need to punish her evil with more evil... Whoever had done this had to be evil. The sword even looked evil, decorated in the way it was. At least she really hoped that the teeth and jaw bones weren't real.

"Hold on Cozy Glow."

Fluttershy's cry pulled Twilight's gaze from the sword. Cozy was inexplicably still alive. She was about to tell Rainbow Dash to fly to the hospital to get help when Šizra slammed down between Fluttershy and Cozy, his wings slowly spreading out..

"Do not... touch her."

Fluttershy screamed as she scrambled back to cower behind AJ who stepped forward to help shield her. The first aid kit Fluttershy had forgotten on the ground.

"Šizra what have you done?!" Twilight shouted, putting two and two together and figuring out it was him that had stabbed Cozy. "She is just a child!"

"Don't... care." Šizra panted as he slid his wings back into his cloak.

Twilight was about to give another angry retort but her jaw nearly dropped at how disheveled Šizra looked. Sweat had matted his mane down, partially covering his bloodstained eyes. Bits of forth dripped down from his snout as he breathed hard. He was displaying all the classic symptoms of extreme overexertion. For a moment she became worried. Didn't he know that remaining wrapped up like that was only making it worse for himself?

Wait, why am I worried about him!?

"Did.. you think... I was going to stand idle... while another pony idiotic quest for power... threatens to destroy the whole world?" Šizra questioned, his breathing beginning to stabilize as he spoke.

"No, but to..."

"Where is the yellow and pink pegasus?" Šizra interrupted, gazing around, terrifying those who came under his sight.

"You leave Fluttershy alone!" Rainbow threatened, though it was clear that she was fighting back her own fear.

"Tell me," Šizra challenged, "where is Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola, the one you know as 'Discord?'"

"Same goes for Discord!"

"This featherbrain," Šizra sneered, unmoved by the insulted and angry looks upon all the pegasi in the crowd, "decided to be indiscriminate and suck up all magic. All magic not just the type of magic that allows unicorn to cast spells, pegasi to walk on clouds, or earth ponies to grow crops easily... Pony life without magic would be harder but would be possible..."

"That being said," Šizra leaned down towards Cozy Glow, his eyes narrowing, "for others like Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola, a being made of pure mana... no magic means... do I need to spell it out?"

Fluttershy gasped then started to cry, muttering no over and over.

"It's okay sugarcube," AJ gently rubbed Fluttershy's back, trying to console her. "Discord is fine. He had his magic taken from him before when Tirek escaped and lived, remember?"

Šizra raised an eyebrow at that but before he could say anything a regiment of royal guard flew in and surrounded him and Cozy Glow. A moment later Chancellor Neighsay and Princesses Celestia and Luna arrived. A look of surprise passed the princesses' eyes upon seeing Šizra but turned to revulsion upon seeing Cozy Glow's body lying on the ground behind with a sword in her back.

"Šizra what have you done!?" Celestia demanded.

"Princess... please.. help me..."

Princess Celestia looked like she was about to move to assist when Šizra held up a paw.

"Do you know why I stopped the yellow and pink pegasus Fluttershy from touching you?" Šizra softly spoke slowly lying down in front of Cozy. Twilight rubbed her eyes as she watched, having the hardest time believing what she was witnessing Šizra acting paradoxically gentle with the very pony he had skewered. "The sword SoulSunder has a nasty curse if anyone but me touch you now they too would also fall victim to the curse..."

"Please..." Cozy Glow begged, tears streaming down her face. A single line of blood dripping down the corner of her mouth.

"There is nothing anyone can do for you. I suppose... except, maybe, end your misery by removing the sword." Twilight swallowed some bile as Šizra continued in the same soft gentle voice. "It would accelerate the curse from slowly to instantaneously burning your entire being... body... soul... and spirit."

"You used a sword that burns a creature's entire being!?" Celestia shouted angrily, the tips of her mane turning red and yellow. Twilight gulped a bit, she had never seen her this angry before. "This time you have gone too far Šizra!"

"Too far... TOO FAR!?" Šizra started to laugh darkly, at first softly but then it rose to full blow manic. "How many must die before you act? Or will you only act when one of your little ponies is in danger?"

"Šizra, I don't..." Celestia tried to counter.

"I've had to live through horrors you saccharin loving creatures can't even imagine in your worse Luna forsaken nightmares! Every time I walk out of my home I bare witness to the maelstrom that not only killed every last alicorn besides myself, but nearly torn asunder the very world itself and may still! All of it caused by the same line of thinking and the exact type of magic your precious little pony used." Šizra growled. Twilight trembled as she watched Šizra get to his hooves/paws. It was clear to her that this wasn't like before when Šizra thought Spike was a victim of foalnapping. Then his anger was almost animalistic, like he lost himself in his emotional instinct, now everything single movement and every word screamed cold, calculated fury. "AND YOU DARE TO CALL WHAT I DID AS 'TOO FAR!?!'"

With a roar Šizra pulled SoulSunder from Cozy Glow who much to everyone's horror immediately collapsed into a pile of ash. Before anyone could react further he had jumped past the guard that had encircled him and rushed Celestia.

"Give me one good reason that I shouldn't end you and your pathetic race right here, right now!" Šizra spat, holding the sword to her neck.

Šihzra! A shout vibrated loudly across the courtyard.

Twilight looked around, trying to find the source of the voice but couldn't see anyone other then students and royal guard. She doubted any of them challenged him, not after what he did to Cozy Glow. She just hoped that whomever it was had the power to do something otherwise...

Suddenly she saw some movement just out of her sight but before she could see who or what was causing it Ocellus gasped before whispering in awe. "T-The Tree of Harmony?"

"The Tree of Harmony?" Twilight questioned as she watched the crowd of students and royal guards part to allow a sparkling, glowing red dragoness to pass. From the fact that it was semi-transparent lead her to believe that it was some sort of mana construct. Ocellus was not the only one to seem recognize the construct as the rest of her group of friends, sometimes affectionately known as the young six after her own friends, reacted as if they knew the dragon.

The construct look remarkably similar to Dragon Lord Ember except for the aforementioned deep red scales, slightly wider snout, and a small black horn jutting up from the tip of said snout. But why would the Tree of Harmony, as Ocellus claimed it was, make itself known using that form? Given the tree previous semi sentient actions it wasn't too surprising... but, then again, why a dragon!? And why now? Twilight wondered. It would make sense if Šizra really created the Tree of Harmony but then that left the question as to why would it be angry with him... unless she merely just thought the voice she heard was angry. It wouldn't be the first time she misheard someone's emotions.

As the construct walked past Ocellus and her friends it smiled and nodded to each, affectionately running a paw over Smolder's head. But as it turned to to face Šizra the smile fell to a deep frown.

"Say your piece but do not torment me with the visions of the dead." Šizra softly spoke while keeping 'SoulSunder' to Celestia's neck.

Let's not let your anger get you lost

Twilight's jaw dropped in utter disbelief. This wasn't a time for a song! Šizra had a soul destroying blade to Celestia's neck! Worse still it was clear that it was having a negative effect on Šizra who she could see had became even more tense.

And the need to be right comes with way too high a cost

Know that love can build a bridge of light
That's what turns the wrongs so right
That's when you know it's worth the fight...

Šizra suddenly lowered SoulSunder from Celestia's neck who, along with several others, breathed a sigh of relief before he sang a few words himself.

'Cause only love can build us a bridge of light

You disappoint me, Šihzra. The dragon construct finally spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen after the heartsong ended. Šizra immediately shrunk down from the stern rebuke. To Twilight it was a strange sight to see the violent sociopath shake in fear like he was a young foal in trouble with his parent. Have you so easily forgotten what you have been taught?

"No, I..."

Šihzra! No excuses! The dragon apparition roared, causing Šizra to whimper. Those responsible have long been gone from this world do not continually attribute your pain and loss to the children who know nothing and had no part in their ancestor's sins!

Šizra whimpered some more but said nothing as the construct rubbed its forehead.

Šihzra, you are half tzircktstelescktüis, trained in the Staizāt tho CktüisSirts. You have a duty and you nearly broke it tonight! Threatening Princess Celestia of Equestria with SoulSunder just because you are mad at her being appalled at your use of it? Had it occurred to you that you could have carried out the same justice against Cozy Glow with just Leafcutter? And do I have to explain to you, of all creatures, about what is wrong with genocide!?!

The construct paused as if it was expecting Šizra to answer but he just stared down at the ground, silent.

Well? Do you have anything to say?

Šizra sniffed before whispering. "Did you abandon him as an egg to test me?"

What kind of a question is that? The dragon projection questioned, a look of hurt on her face. Do you really see us as that cruel? That we would knowingly hide a tzircktstelescktüis egg that escaped the genocide to test you with it?!

"No... I just..." Šizra shook his head, tears dripping down his muzzle.

Twilight eyes narrowed as she saw the tears glittering in the moonlight. Given her past experiences with his volatile behavior she was not sure whether the tears were genuine or not, and a quick glance around told her she was not the only one struggling with this as some were staring at him angrily while other were tearing up themselves. Either way, getting Šizra to stand down was a enough for the moment. What to do about Šizra could wait until after the danger had passed and she was not yet ready to say it had passed.

I know. I know...The dragon sighed. But you can't be like the alicorns of old, be better. Be a Dragon! A CktüisSirts! Don't let your emotions override your better judgement like it has recently as I will not be able to stop you from dishonor again.

"Please... don't go..." Šizra half sobbed, for the first time looking up to the construct. "I... I don't want to lose you again..."

Šihzra... The dragon cupped Šizra's muzzle for a moment before stepping away, the projection starting to fade away. My son... Var jūs atthest zots uz Jo Salss.

Šizra reached out with a paw just as the projection disappeared. A deafening silence fell over the courtyard for a moment before it was broken by Šizra who raised his head and roared. It was so loud and powerful that it to Twilight it made Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice seem like Fluttershy whispering. The roar continued for a long time before finally sputtering out. Šizra then convulsed, sobbing once or twice, before slowly getting to his hooves. Several students and even a few royal guard scrambled to get out of his way as he made his way out of the school courtyard, the tip of SoulSunder, still gripped in his foreleg, scraping against the ground.

Chapter 7: Acktšausāla Leülējuls (A Dubious Quest)

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When dragons argue death is sure to follow. ~ Unknown

Twilight stared at the tea slowly swirling in the cup in front of her not really in the mood for it. She understood why tea had been served she just couldn't bring herself to drink any.

How could it have come to this?

Cozy Glow dead, more then dead if Šizra was to be believed, nothing more then ash. Why would he do something so horrific as that? Worst still she had stood by doing nothing as Šizra coldly destroy Cozy Glow's entire being. There was no amount of tea that was going make her feel better about it.

"Gah," Rainbow yelled, rising into the air, "why are we sitting around sipping tea instead of going after Šizra?!"

Twilight cringed as Celestia slowly lower her cup as she turned to face Rainbow Dash. She had noticed that Celestia had been practically gulping her tea down, something she almost never did. She only did that when her usually ever calm demeanor was about to break. If Rainbow Dash wasn't careful she would find herself facing Celestia's ire.

"How do you propose we 'go after Šizra?'" Celestia questioned, quickly raising a hoof to stop Rainbow Dash from answering. She held eye contact with Rainbow for a moment before breaking it to pick up her tea once again. "And more importantly when we find him how do we... take him down? Even if Šizra is suffering from overexertion as Twilight has surmised he will still be very dangerous."

"I don't know!" Rainbow Dash gestured wildly, her voice rising. "Use the Elements or figure out how we got that rainbow power when Tirek escaped. Anything but sitting here SIPPING TEA!!!"

"Ah don' think tha' Elements will work Rainbow Dash, remebah tha' Discord said Šizra who created the Elements?" AJ questioned as she gestured to the elements currently in a pile in the center of the map. "Ah'm sure he knows how to protect 'imself from them."

"I'm not so sure Šizra created the Elements..." Twilight reluctantly countered, feeling every eye boring down on her. "You were all there when we freed the Pillars..."

"Ah plum forgot about the Pillars..."

"So?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"Also there was that dragon construct."

"The one our students said was the Tree of Harmony?" Rarity thoughtfully questioned before taking a sip of her tea.

"It called him 'son.' Not father... creator, or even master. So, why then would the creation call its creator son?"

"He did seem a mite scared of the dragon... " AJ admitted, "and if Ah didn't know bettah Ah'd say he looked like a colt bein' scolded by his mother."

"And as much as I don't like to admit agreeing with Šizra Discord has always had troubles speaking truthfully even at the best of times."

"Fine, whatever!" Rainbow Dash grumbled, rising a bit into the air. "That still doesn't help us take down Šizra!"

"Oh, Ooh I know! Why don't we just ask Discord for help?!" Pinkie Pie suddenly piped up, "He seems to know a lot about Šizra."

"And how do we do that Pinkie?" Rainbow countered. "It's not like he ever shows up when we need him unless its ogres and oubliettes and the next session isn't until next week."

"What about his tea time with Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie bounced, happily giving another suggestion. "Surely you have a way to contact him?"

"Well... um... Šizra really spooked him... so... um we haven't had tea in some time..." Fluttershy sputtered out, trying to hide from all the stares behind her mane. "But... Discord did leave me something..."

"What is it?" Rainbow Dash questioned as she fly down and shook Fluttershy.

"Well... um..." Fluttershy continued to fumble with her words, her fur turning redder by the second, "It's a heart shaped locket... with a um... picture of Discord inside..."

Fluttershy eeped as Rainbow Dash flew off at near rainboom speed, a blast of air whipping around the enclosed room. Twilight mentally counted down to ten and true to form Rainbow Dash busted back through the doors exactly as she finished her countdown.

"Okay, so, now what?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hoofed over a small locket to Fluttershy.

"Well... um... he said if ever I wanted to um... well if ever I needed him he told me I had to snap open and shut the locket in a specific manner."

"Will it still work?" Rainbow bit her lip, looking with unease towards Twilight.

Twilight shrugged, pushing aside the urge lecture about all the ways the loss of magic could have broken the enchantment, assuming that Discord 'enchanted' the locket to begin with.

Fluttershy gulped, then quickly opened and shut the locket five times. Twilight had to resist the urge to facehoof when she heard the rhythm. Of course he would have her do something silly like have her open and close the locket to the tune 'Shave and a Marecut.' She assumed that the traditional two note 'answer' would probably be Discord appearing in a flash and two snaps. But to her surprise nothing happened.

"L-let me try again." Fluttershy stuttered as she attempted a second time and then several more times each more frantically then the attempt before.

Twilight surreptitiously reached out and much to her relief there was chaos magic emanating from the locket as Fluttershy was snapping it, though it seemed a bit weak. Whether that was by intention or a byproduct of magic being sucked away(even though it had returned) she knew not. She had yet have the time to fully research the effects of the loss of magic given that there was no time yet to do so. Never mind that chaos magic had always been a bit difficult to quantify, if it could be at all.

"Fluttershy..." Rarity gently put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"NO!" Fluttershy shouted angerly before bawling. "He... He can't be gone!"

Twilight was about to move to help Rarity console Fluttershy when she was blinded by a familiar flash. Blinking she looked up to see Discord sleepily floating above the map, a yellow and pink nightcap on his head.

"Sorry Fluttershy for taking so long. At first I didn't hear your call. I think I might have accidentally left it on vibrate, again, and then somepony whom I'm not going to name... cough Starswirl cough closed off my dimension from..." Discord paused as he gazed around, his eyes going wide. "Okay... whatever you think I may or may not have done I had nothing to do with it."

"Discord!" Fluttershy cried as she lunged at him. "I thought you were dead and... and..."

"Um..." Discord awkwardly started to pet Fluttershy head as she buried herself into his fur crying, "somepony want to fill me in?"

Twilight sighed before she went on to explain the events the past few days starting from the mysterious failing of Starlight's cloud walking spell to the 'death' of Cozy Glow only a few hours previously. All the while Discord slowly lost all color, it literally draining from him and pooling on the table and floor below him. Once she was done no one said a word for sometime. As it was she dare not, feeling very nauseous for having to repeat the awful events in detail once again.

"Yeah..." Discord finally broke the silence, rubbing the back of his neck. "Glad I decided to stay at home this week and binge watch all thirteen seasons Discord's Got Talent."

Twilight blinked then shook her head. She was not going to even try and figure out whatever nonsense Discord had been up to she was just relieved that he was okay.

"So..." Discord droned, lightly stroking his goat beard, "was this just a welfare check or was there something else? Please say the former. I really want to see who won the ninth season."

"Discord..."

"No."

Celestia sighed, rubbing a hoof under her horn. "I have yet to even explain..."

"I know what you want. You want me to track down Šizra." Discord interrupted Celestia a second time. "And if Twilight told you everything like the tattle tale she is then you know that if Šizra finds out about my involvement in Tirek's escape..."

Twilight cringed as she remember that Applejack had let it slip that Tirek had escaped before... Thankfully the Princesses and the Royal Guard had arrived before Šizra could discover the fact that Discord had helped, at least for a while, Tirek. She hadn't forgotten those ominous words Šizra spoke about Discord.

'Next time it will be my sword that ends it.'

"All the more the reason you need to help us."

"Why? So you can stone him like you did me?" Discord snarled, whipping around to stare down at Twilight.. "Or throw him into the deepest and darkest pit in Tartarus? Or... or maybe... you will finally end your long standing aversion to killing and have him executed? No."

"Discord this isn't a joke." Celestia nearly growled out. "This is a serious matter! Šizra didn't just kill a child he destroyed her entire being!"

"Do I look like I'm joking around?" Discord growled back as he slowly crossed his arms, "Or that I don't know the seriousness of your 'situation?' Personally, she got off way too easy."

Twilight jaw dropped. Discord was defending Šizra's actions. The same Šizra that threatened to kill him. What was wrong with him!?

"Let me make sure I heard you right..." Celestia began, her mane beginning to whip around a bit more then usual.

But before Celestia could finish or for Discord to respond the map table flashed. No one spoke as they watched Twilight's cutiemark along with a purple and green dragon head appeared above the map. For a few tense moments the two images danced around, moving all over the map before finally settling above a specific spot.

Twilight groaned when she saw where the map wanted Spike and her to go: Tartarus. She could not understand of all the places the map could send them it would send them there!? What possible reason could there be for the map to send them there? And why now?! Was this in response to the magic that she had to take from the prisoners to reopen the gate? Their magic should have returned like everypony else's, right?

"You want me to help, fine." Twilight leaned back as fair as her throne would let her as Discord, his grin turning sinister, wrapped himself around it and her like a boa constrictor. "Go to Tartarus and see what the map wants you and lizard boy to do... or don't. Either way, I'm out. I still have four more seasons of DGT to watch."

With that Discord snapped a claw and was gone.

Even though Twilight knew it was coming she still jumped a bit when the doors to Tartarus closed behind Spike and her. Cerberus pacing nearby and only glanced for a moment at them before returning to his pacing, a slight growl emanating from him. The cages from before were no where in sight.

"Um, Twi..." Spike murmured, "are you sure that we went through the correct spooky door?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Twilight nodded, as she looked around, noting that stairs that once leading to several small mesas were gone. All that she could see where was a series of vast chasms and canyons that crisscrossed as far as she could see. "Tartarus shifts periodically to make it harder to escape..."

"And also making it harder to find whoever the map wanted us to find..." Spike grumbled, pointing out the obvious. "Assuming that Discord didn't fake it again."

"Yes..." Twilight rolled her eyes. It was one of many objections to Spike and her following the map. But given they had nothing else to go on they all eventually agreed to let them go as long as Spike took an emergency scroll and only take three hours. If they took any longer or sent the scroll the Princesses and a platoon of guards who would station themselves on the other side of the gate would come in and rescue them.

"This is hopeless!" Spike whined as they found themselves for the third time at the entrance of Tartarus.

"Spike..." Twilight sighed.

"My, my, my a visitor." A voice suddenly rose, echoing across Tartarus.

"Was that?"

"Yes." Twilight answered, rising on the tip of her hooves hoping to get a better idea where his voice were coming from.

"Come now, don't be shy..."

"Who's Tirek talking to?" Spike whispered.

Twilight shushed Spike before slowly creeping forward down a path they had yet to try, hoping that she picked the right one this time.

"Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings!?"

"Queen Chrysalis!?!" Twilight gulped, nearly slipping on a rock as she heard the name Queen Chrysalis.

"Twi!" Spike whisper yelled, painfully grabbing a chuck of her fur as he attempted to assist her.

"I'm fine." Twilight reassured him as she leaned against a nearby stalagmite to catch her breath and to ease her sense of vertigo and panic. The thought of falling down one of the 'bottomless' pits was terrifying even if she had wings and was highly skilled at self teleportation.

"I must admit to finding myself torn. To disguise yourself as him?! Should I laugh at your stupidity or be impressed..."

As she took a step around the stalagmite she nearly gasped in shock at who she saw. She could finally make out Lord Tirek and to her relief he was still imprisoned in his cage. However Queen Chrysalis was nowhere in sight and the creature that Tirek had been talking to was the last creature she wanted to see here: Šizra.

"Es eslu Šizra." Came a voice so soft and weak that Twilight wasn't even sure if she heard it all.

Šizra?! Twilight gulped in fear, scrambling to hide herself behind the rock. Šizra was far, far worse than Queen Chrysalis.

"Twi?" Spike yelped as Twilight roughly pulled him behind the stalagmite with her.

"It's Šizra!" Twilight hissed before carefully peeking around the stalagmite to see if either had heard Spike's outburst but to her relief if appeared that neither had.

"What?! Why is hehere?" Spike muttered, wringing his tail in fear.

Twilight frowned, mouthing I don't know.

She fought to suppress her rising panic as Šizra began to speak again. "Your... petty act of revenge caught me by surprise. I almost wasn't able to stop it."

What!? Twilight nearly blew their cover at the outrage of Šizra's statement.

"I admit myself speechless. I would never have guess the great Šizra giving me such a compliment."

"Why should I not... compliment you and the work of your... apprentice?"

Twilight found herself becoming even more confused. How could Šizra, who had clearly hated Cozy Glow enough to destroy her completely, now compliment her to Tirek? The very being who taught her how to steal all the magic in the first place? Šizra's motivations was fast becoming Pinkie Sense/Discord territory. Confusing, nonsensical and something best not to question or try to understand.

"Protege..." Tirek sighed, turning away from Šizra his hands clasped behind his back. Twilight was taken aback as she saw a single tear fall from his face. When she and her friends interrogated him earlier his body language and speech came off as arrogantly bored but now it seemed that if he had genuinely cared about Cozy Glow. "I am curious, though, why would you compliment a incompetent failure?"

"Incompetent?" Šizra blinked confusedly. "Cozy Glow managed to pull off a feat of spellcraft that would not only be extremely difficult for anyone but the most skilled kirin or unicorn, much less a pegasus, but has not been seen in over twenty five thousand years. Incompetent she was not."

Tirek spun around, facing Šizra, gripping the bars of his cage tightly. "BUT A FAILURE SHE WAS! Every time, every time I get betrayed or hampered by failures! Well no more!"

Šizra who had so far had been almost disinterested seemed almost intrigued by Tirek statement. "Interesting..."

Tirek growled angrily as he turned away from Šizra. "If all you going to do is mock me you can just leave."

"As you wish." Šizra bowed his head before turning around.

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Šizra beginning to walk away. Given his earlier fury against Cozy Glow she... expected the worse. That surprise quickly turned to horror when she suddenly saw SoulSunder glinting in the low light of Tartarus. She quickly stuffed a hoof into her mouth to suppress a rising scream and before she could do anything else SoulSunder swung around in Šizra's dark aura, slicing through the bars of Tirek's cage, something she didn't think was possible, while also beheading the centaur. And just like Cozy Glow before, Tirek's body instantly turned to ash.

"If only..." Šizra muttered before taking a single, staggering step then collapsing.

Twilight shook her head as she tried to comprehend that Šizra had just collapsed in front of her. The way he seemed to be able to keep going she had expected something a bit less anticlimactic.

"Is he...?" Spike whispered, pushing down on Twilight's head, clearly to get a better view.

"Spike!" Twilight snapped as she lifted him off her head.

She motioned Spike to stay put as she slowly crept up to the still form of Šizra. At first it seemed she wasn't sure if he was alive with how still his form was. She was nearly on top of him before she could see the cloak shift ever so slightly in the cadence of breathing. He looked far worse then when she last saw him. Blood, some caked, a lot of it fresh and mixed with froth coated his fur spilling out and down the front of his cloak. Twilight wasn't well versed in medicine but she knew with he would not last much longer without medical attention. "He's alive, but barely..."

"What are we going to do, Twi?" Spike called out, still standing near the stalagmite.

Twilight chewed the bottom of her lip as she debated the best course of action. While Šizra deserved to be left in Tartarus as punishment for his crime against the souls of Cozy Glow and Tirek to leave him to die didn't feel right either. And there was the fact that SoulSunder disappeared when Šizra collapsed. It was too dangerous of an artifact to be unaccounted for and needed to be destroyed as quickly as possible and unfortunately the only one that knew its location was Šizra. That left her with really only one option. With a sigh she carefully lifted Šizra with her magic.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Spike shouted in disbelief, gesturing wildly. "What if he wakes up? You saw what he did to Tirek!"

"Spike..." Twilight grunted in disapproval as she heaved Šizra's body over her back. All they needed to do was get him to an intact cage then summon the princesses with the emergency scroll. From there they could deal with him. "Help me find an empty cage."

Spike groaned, pinching the bridge of his brow with his claws. "Please don't let this backfire on us..."

Chapter 8: Ieslotzījuls (Imprisonment)

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A dragon who will not do what must be done will lose both hoard and life. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

Šizra awoke with a gasp, the growling sound of a pissed off dragon echoing in his mind. He closed his eyes and took several slow breaths in an attempt steady his racing heart. After a few moments he could feel himself calm down. There was still much he needed to do and he had no know idea how long he had lost consciousness. But as he slowly tried to get up onto his hooves and paws he found himself tripping over his forelegs.

He blinked as he gazed down. Instead of somehow being tangled up in his cloak as he expected he was actually shackled and chained to the floor. What? To further his shock both the shackles and chains were made from pure adamantine. A nigh of indestructible, mana resisting metal, very difficult to forge correctly, extremely expensive, and not a metal that would be used within Tartarus. His heart rate began to climb and the growling returning with a vengeance as he looked around and realized that what he initially thought were the shattered remains of Tirek's prison cell was actually his own.

A thick darkness swirled a few hoofs away from his cage preventing him from discovering what lied beyond. The floor was no help either being a common grey granite that could be from almost anywhere. He counted four large yellowish green crystals jutting out from the floor at equidistant intervals around his cage. Judging from the amount of light emitting from the crystals he estimated that he should be have been able to see at least three times farther than he could. All of that was nothing compared to what he saw next. The fur on his back rose and the growling morphed to ferocious roars when his eyes locked onto the granite arch that rose over his cage. A single word slipped out in a horrified whisper. "How..."

Etched upon its polished surface, one above him and one to each side of the cage was the magic runes for contain. If done correctly Šizra knew that there should be a forth below the cage. His mind raced as he went over the implications of seeing ancient runic magic. No one besides himself had any knowledge of it and the last time he had seen it outside his home of was over ten millennia ago, unless... Please don't tell me someone managed to decipher the runes upon the Gates of Tartarus!

If that was true then this could make Cozy Glow's mana theft seem minor in comparison. Ancient runic magic was by far the most powerful, resilient class of magic but it was also paradoxically rigid and temperamental. 'Contain' what? There were no quantifiers to describe what it was to contain so if the rune was properly made and depending on how much power was put in it would actively contain everything, literately everything.

Šizra's ears twitched, pulling him only slightly out of his worries. He could just make out the sound of hooves and what he assumed was a wheeled cart. Hopefully he would have some answers soon... if he could calm himself down that is.

His mind screeched to a halt when Celestia walked out from shadows pushing a tea trolley. A quick sniff masked as a yawn confirmed that he was most likely seeing the real Celestia and not an impostor looking and acting like her. He glazed at the runes out of the corner of his eyes before putting his full his attention unto Celestia. He again stole a look at the runes. While he could believe that Celestia would want to imprison him for the killing of Cozy Glow, using, to her, an unknown ancient runic magic far less so. Why imprison him in this fashion over locking him in Tartarus? He had to be missing something.

Šizra returned his attention to Celestia as she she begun to pour tea. He watched closely as she used no magic to hold the tea pot nor the tea cup.

"What do you want?"

Celestia took a slow long sniff from her tea before taking a sip. Šizra raised an eyebrow as he watched her continue to act like she had nothing better to do but to enjoy her tea. He knew she had heard him. The almost imperceptible movement of her right ear gave it away. "Where have you hidden SoulSunder?" She finally asked after pouring fresh tea into her cup.

Šizra sighed. Of course she wanted that accursed sword. And he could guess at to why too... But that was all the more the reason...

Šizra stifled another yawn his parents finally came to a stop. He was not happy being awoken in the middle of the night and practically dragged deep into his parent's hoard. He thought they were past giving him these kind of tests millennia ago. But he knew that he would not get back to sleep until he satisfied his parents.

"What do you see Šizra?" He father suddenly spoke, startling Šizra to full wakefulness.

With a sigh of defeat and a shake of his head he started to examine the dead end before them. At first glance all he could see was that there was a tier five runic ward carved into wall with a door in the center. That alone was not something worth waking him up for as there were numerous tier five wards all around the island, but as he stepped forward to take a closer look he realized that there something was off about this ward. The runes appeared to be too clean, too uniform, too smooth to be carved by claw or chisel. The only way that he knew of that could do this was that was magic was used to carve the runes. That was unusual... unique actually... His parents were very adamant about not using magic when carving runes. For good reason too. So why did they do it now?

Šizra stepped close taking a few sniffs before closing his eyes and slowly rubbing a paw across random rune. He hoped that feel of the mana, if there was any remaining, could give him some clues as to why. Over and over his paw ran over until he snapped back when he realized that the mana that created the rune had characteristics that precluded dragon. No wonder his parents woke him in the middle of the night! Someone had infiltrated their hoard!

He quickly summoned the relevant runic reference book from his library and began to try and figure out what creature may have created the runes. Going back to the rune he was examining he slowly crosschecked what he was sensing to the most likely candidates. As he slowly eliminated one candidate after another he felt more and more uneasy. Soon every possible candidate was eliminated, except alicorn. He shook his head in disbelief, nearly starting over, thinking that he must have made a mistake. There was no way an alicorn made the ward. Their were no alicorns left! He had scoured in entire world dozens upon dozens time in the pass five thousand years and was unable to find a single trace not even a rumor!

"How!?" Šizra exclaimed in shock, spinning around to face his parents. "How and why was there an alicorn runic ward here?" Given how deep the ward was into the mountain there was a chance it was here before his parents claimed the island but then again why was there an alicorn ward so deep within a claimed dragon...

"The ward was placed here by Harmonious Knight."

"The ward was placed..." Šizra repeated, blinking as he turned back to the ward trying to wrap his head around that revelation. Why would his sire put such a high tiered ward upon a room deep within his parents hoard? And why him and not his parents? If he recalled correctly while Harmonious Knight was skilled in runic wards he paled in comparison to... "Why would he put a runic ward here?"

"Because... Because he... that is... it..." The unease that Šizra had felt earlier roared back with a vengeance. He had never seen his father speak in such a way. What could possibly drive him to speak simultaneously with murderous fury and whimpering fear? "SoulSunderiscontainedwithin."

Šizra spun around once he deciphered his father's run-on words. His unease instantly replaced by murderous fury. "A ward!? A bucking ward?" He summoned Leafcutter with a barely a thought, raising it in preparation to attack. Of all the artifacts that the Alicorns created, which apparently managed to escape their destruction, it had to be darkest of them all! Worse still, his parents and sire thought to was okay to leave it behind a mere ward!?! "And not even a perfect seven tiered ward at that!? That damn sword should slagged, pounded into dust, atomized and finally scattered across the heavens!"

"Exactly, Šizra, Exactly..."

"Šizra!" Šizra jerked as Celestia shout startled him out of his recollection. "Where is SoulSunder?!"

Šizra slowly breathed out as he shook off the echoing remnants of the memory. He hated reliving that night... it was just too painful. To watch his parents d... Ember!

"How long have I been here?"

"Where. Is. SoulSunder!"

Šizra gritted his teeth in irritation. Of course she would not be willing to give simple answer to such an innocuous question. Not a surprise but with the steady roaring in his mind he was no mood to wear down Celestia. "If you do not answer my question fully and truthfully in the next thirty seconds on my life and by my magic I do swear I will geas myself to never reveal its secrets to anyone."

The teacup Celestia had been using suddenly shattered, spilling steaming hot tea all of the cart and down her neck and chest. Šizra frowned as he watched her slowly brushed a few shattered piece of porcelain off her chest before reaching out and pouring tea into a new cup. Why is she hesitating? He wondered as Celestia stiffly took a sip from her new cup. Did she think that his geas was somehow disrupted by the runes? Twenty seconds had already past and if she did not answer in the next ten seconds...

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Come on...

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Six..." Celestia finally ground out. "Six days."

Six days!? Šizra nearly shouted out loud. The Voice curse it! If Cktüis Zuserthators Ember is anything like Lāckta...

"I have answered your question. Now... where have you hidden SoulSunder?"

"No." Šizra absentmindedly answered, doubling his mental efforts in finding a way to deal with the contain rune and tarturanium cage. He needed to get to Cktüis Zuserthators Ember before she had the chance to gather the dragons for war or more likely, given how long he had been unconscious, before they all die burning Equestria to ash.

"No?"

"No." He repeated, biting back a growl and gazing down at Celestia. "I will never tell you where, I will never show you where, and I will never give you SoulSunder."

Šizra flinched back as Celestia rushed his cage, her horn suddenly glowing. Her response had been expected but the glow of mana buildup immediately flowing away from her horn was not. That was not the typical reaction of Tarturanium nor the 'contain' rune. Interesting... He could think of a couple spells and substances that could disrupt magic but none that he could currently recall that pulled away mana in the manner that he saw. Was he wrong about the only runes being the runes for contain? Or had the Equestrians figured out something new in the realm of magic in the past few decades?

"I will not let you destroy Equestria!"

Šizra snorted twice before devolving into laughter. It was just too ridiculous to him. Destroy Equestria? Even with everything done by Cozy Glow the thought had never even crossed his mind. His wrath was against the alicorn race not the whole of pony kind. Not that Equestria housed the entire pony race to begin with. In the end if the nation of Equestria faded into history made no difference to him or to the world at large. Not that she could stop him if he had wanted to destroy Equestria. "The only one here that is letting Equestria be destroyed is you."

Celestia's jaw dropped, shock crossing her features for a moment until anger returned with a vengeance. "There isn't a punishment worthy of all you've done!" She growled. For a moment Šizra thought that she was about ready to attack irregardless of the cage in which he was imprisoned but then she turned away with a tired sigh.

He watched with fake indifference as she started to push the tea cart away. The sooner she left the sooner he could focus.

"You will never be free again Šizra." Celestia whispered as she paused at the edge of the darkness and gazed back, a look of defeat upon her face. "If you don't want to find yourself petrified and then thrown down the deepest, darkest pit in Tartarus you will tell me where you have hidden SoulSunder."

Šizra sighed tiredly, shaking his head. If only you knew... if only you knew...

"The rage over desecrating the body and soul of anyone much less a hatchling is... It's a powerful instinctual response... and you understand first hoof how difficult it is to overcome even with your dual nature..."

"But that doesn't explain..."

"The curse was not merely layered on top of the sword or in a embedded into a hilt gem like that of your Leafcutter... it was ensorcelled as it was forged..."

"Then... Then that means..."

"Yes. Too little power and nothing happens... but a thaum too much and or of the wrong type and a mana cascade explosion will occur..."

... and make the fate of everycreature from one end of Equestria to the other the same as Cozy Glow and Tirek.

Chapter 9: Thāvei Zājieths (Death March)

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It is said that escaping Tartarus is easier and safer then stealing from a dragon's hoard. ~ Unknown

Šizra growled in frustration. Thirty-six hours, it took thirty-six hours to design a rune ward that he felt could work through the tarturanium and then neutralize both the contain runes and whatever spells that Celestia most likely paired with the runes. But now he could finally begin his escape... maybe. There still was the questions of time and timing. In order to escape he needed time. Time to shatter his shackles, time to melt then down, time to carve the runes. But if his assumptions were right about Cktüis Zuserthators Ember no one had time for the 'right time.' It was now or never.

With a huff he twisted his body around sliding along the floor of his cage before biting down on the adamantine chains as he slid past. The chains shattered into several pieces, freeing him from the middle of the cage, and allowing him better access to the shackles. Using a combination his teeth and his freed claws he made quick work of the shackles, spitting out any pieces of adamantine as he went. He never found the metal to be all that tasty and he would need every piece.

For several minutes after destroying his restraints he strained his ears trying to hear any hint of alarm or the sound of hooves. Given how fast Celestia appeared when he first regained consciousness he expected some response by now but as the minutes ticked by is was becoming clear that no one was coming. As for why he could only speculate and the more he let him self wonder the more worry he felt.

With a sigh Šizra returned to the adamantine, now in a piled in the center of his cage. He activated his flame glands and waited as his fire glands pumped fire mana into his lungs. Holding back the urge to vomit, as it was anytime he used his flame, he let it build and build until he could no longer hold it back. His head slammed down as a torrent of dark blue flame came pouring out of his mouth.

The flame kept gushing out his mouth for over five minutes before finally subsiding enough to allow Šizra to gulp in a badly needed breath. He then collapsed on to his haunches, panting, his mouth painfully dry and his lungs burning from the exertion. A groan escaped him when he looked down to see that only the smallest pieces had any glow. He had hoped for more; he needed a lot more...

One of these times my luck is going to run out... Šizra grimly noted as he laid tiredly next to a pool of cooling adamantine, blood and mucus dripping down from his mouth. Every ragged breath he took was torment, the agony taking away what little air he could muster and nearly sending him into unconsciousness. Not helping was the throbbing coming from his burnt paws and lower forearms. It was times like this that he cursed his hybrid nature.

The metal had long since cooled when his strength recovered enough that he could try sitting up. If he could rise onto his haunches without issue then he could proceed to the next step of his escape. Taking it slow and steady, taking great care to prevent putting any pressure on his charred forelegs, he worked his way to a sitting position.

Once seated he gently brought was left of his pointer claw down the metal disk before lifting it up. Again and again he did this trying to orientate it correctly. There was only going to be one chance to get it right; he did not have it in him to reheat the disk and start from the beginning.

Time slowly passed as he carefully carved one rune after another pausing only to rest. Bit by bit three circle of runes were carved into the disk. He nearly collapsed when he finished the final rune. Wiping the sweat off his brow he looked over his work carefully looking for any imperfections. When he found none he steeled himself for the next part. Biting back a scream of pain, he laid his full paw over the center and pushed as much mana as he dared into it. Too little mana and the runic ward would fail to activate, too much and the tarturanium would drain the mana away making the runic ward inert.

Lifting his paw off after a moment he watched as the runes glowed for a second before fading away. Now he needed his sword. But in order to allow the focus of mana to summon his sword he needed to get a part of himself outside of the dampening field created by the tarturanium

Positioning his paw as fair out of the cage as he could he tried summoning his sword. "Leafcutter, thāc."

When nothing happened he bit back pain to get his claws a bit further out of the cage. "Leafcutter, thāc."

Šizra sighed in relief as his sword finally materialized in a shower of sparks. Gently he maneuvered the sword between the bars and into the cage. He took a long slow breath followed by a second before sliding a hoof under the hilt and flipping Leafcutter up. In a single motion he grabbed the sword with both paws with all his might and swung it around. His vision flashed red and he heard the sound of roaring before nothing.

Šizra blinked trying to get the blurriness out of his vision. He did not know how long he was out but as he fought against the flashes of pain that kept threatening to send him back into unconsciousness he could see that every single bar was cut and several were shattered completely. He sighed in relief when he could not see Leafcutter. That meant that the mana scattering effect that tarturanium had was disrupted enough for the fail safe to trigger.

He cringed, however, when he glanced down at his paws. Index is not going to be happy... The destruction of his cage came at a high cost. His charred paws were now nearly stripped of its flesh with just a few stands still attached to bone. There was no way he would have been able to do a second swing. Luckily the remainder of his escape could be facilitated by magic alone.

"Aülethi uth letāls aizlirst to, üas tev sija cktiescktiests...
Üļūsti tāts, üāts üātreiz siji...
Cktazriezt laicktu atcktakaļ...
Taisthīsa šihzra izsalithāt...
Taisthīsa šihzra atcktal cktlūst srīvi...

Aülethi uth letāls aizlirst to, üas tev sija cktiescktiests...
Üļūsti tāts, üāts üātreiz siji...
Cktazriezt laicktu atcktakaļ...
Taisthīsa šihzra izsalithāt...
Taisthīsa šihzra atcktal cktlūst srīvi...

Aü.."

Šizra's vocal cords suddenly hitched into a coughing fit thus ending his chant. He took a moment to rest before rising up to his hide legs. Shuffling awkwardly over the remains of the cage he stepped up to examine the arch. It took some time but he could find no traces of the 'contain' runes. Now the only runes remaining were the ones he created.

Once again Šizra scanned the darkness with both his eyes and ears. Still, after everything he had done, there was no sign that anyone was coming... the whys almost made him stay his hoof a bit longer in order to do some more investigating. He still had no idea what caused Celestia's mana to be forcefully dissipate after all. But the thought of Cktüis Zuserthators Ember gave him pause. Satisfy his curiosity or stop the burning of Equestria.

Let's not let your anger get you lost...

Šizra closed is eyes as the memory of his mother's words sounded in his mind. His path was now clear. "Cktārslotze." As the word echoed the runes he had carved began to glow as mana began to build up upon them.

Slowly breathing in and out he reached out with his earth mana senses to feel the life of the planet. It wasn't long before he found a leyline. He let it carry him along for a while before he very slowly pulled himself back. With a deep breath he began to chant once again, weaving a complex series of spells, this time in tongues of the ancient alicorns. It wasn't long before froth started to form on his body, the strain of the chant becoming too much for his weakened body. Still he kept going even as black sparks swirled around him and the light of the overloading runes began to blind him.

Šizra gritted his teeth as darkness fully engulfed him followed the feeling of his body being jerked around like a ragdoll. The pain was excruciating and he nearly passed out before just as suddenly it started it ended. He coughed as the shell of his mana fell away allowing light to enter his eyes again. A thick cloud of smoke swirled around him, irritating his inflamed airways. As more smoke filled his lungs he fell onto his knees coughing so hard that he was sending droplets of blood and mucus flying. His vision blurred as the coughing threaten to send him into oblivion.

As the coughing slowly eased Šizra finally took time to look around he found himself in a state of mild confusion. He was sure he had managed to teleport to the correct location given faint spell of apples and the timber-framed with thatched roof construction of the few buildings that he could see through the thick smoke. But why the utter lack of devastation? Ponyville would essentially be matchsticks against dragon flame but most of the damage he could see was to façades, cracked plaster here and broken windows there. Was his assumption about the dragons enacting revenge wrong? Or did he managed to arrive just as it was commencing? He hoped it was the later rather than the former.

Šizra yelped in surprise, nearly falling over as he stepped back to avoid a teal stream of mana that flew out of the smoke. When a second stream followed right after the first he found himself roaring in pain as, out of habit, he had brought his foreleg to block the mana shot. Hissing in anger he magically pushed away the smoke that had been obscuring his vision, revealing a unicorn guardpony huddling under the remains of a nearby garden stone wall. A second guard, severely injured, lied barely conscious on the ground next to the first guard.

An echoing roar caught his attention and drew his gaze away from the ponies. To Šizra it sounded like it came from male hatchling but off somehow. His eyes snapped back to the guards. They had been shaking a bit in fear before but now they were quaking in terror. Why was the guard in that much fear over a hatchling? Sure dragon hatchlings were resistant to magic but not that much and just a moment ago he had been attacked by them twice. What was going on?

He watched and waited trying to get his eyes to pierce the wall of smoke. He debated whether to push the smoke back again or not when he could make out something moving in the smoke. Time slowed as a small black male hatchling probably less then ten years old shuffled out of the smoke. At first Šizra thought the hatching was just very injured with his left an arm hanging useless along with the limping almost dragging stride but his blood ran cold as he gazed into the young dragon's glassy and unfocused eyes. He could see why those guards were so terrified.

A sad sigh escaped Šizra as he telekinetically reached out, flinching as he felt the necromantic mana oozing out of the hatchling. Steeling his nerves he magically grasped the dragon's neck before he flicked his head severing the neck of the dragon as he did. The hatchling crumbled to the ground, unmoving. Šizra cautiously advanced toward the now still body. While severing the spine cord was usually enough to disrupt the mana that animated the corpse it was not a guarantee. He would need to destroy the body to be sure and that meant getting dangerously close.

He leaped backwards as he felt the power of the Bloodstone Scepter suddenly wash over him. Squashing the strong compulsion to rage against ponies he forced himself to kept a razor focus on the hatchling's body. When a moment passed with no signs of movement he finished his approach. Summoning Leafcutter he quickly went about the grim task of making sure the dragon would never rise again. He hated desecrating a body like that much less a young child but he could not risk it

He ignore the sounds of retching as he gathered his remaining strength. Given how much power he felt from the scepter Cktüis Zuserthators Ember had to be nearby and he had an pretty good idea where too. In a series of short he teleports, pausing only to look around, he made his way across Ponyville. By the time he finally found her pacing on the edge of a mana shield that encompassed the crystal tree castle he was barely able to stand, panting hard, his whole body aching.

Why is she using the scepter like a club? He marveled as he watched Ember alternating between spewing massive amounts of flame and smashing the Bloodstone scepter against the shield to no effect. Was she that far gone in grief and rage that she forgot that the scepter was a magic artifact? Or was she just not aware of the full extent of its powers?

What would you have me do Lāckta? Šizra thought as he debated the best way to approach the dragoness. It was not lost on him, the irony of him trying to talk down a vengeful dragon so shortly after trying to do the same, and yet it might the only possible as he didn't think he the strength or the mana to fight Cktüis Zuserthators Ember. As it was it was a small miracle that he hadn't collapse from his injuries or mana exhaustion.

"Cktüis Zuserthators Ember!" Šizra called out as he stepped forward, "You must stop!"

Cktüis Zuserthators Ember snapped around to face Šizra who could feel the palatable rage bare down on him. For a moment he saw a bit of confusion in her eyes leak through the rage before the fury doubled. A volley flame glanced Šizra's left side as he was momentarily distracted by the roar in his mind. Of course all she would see was my pony heritage! He bemoaned with a hiss of pain he quickly gathered enough strength to teleport out of range.

Šizra wiped away the blood that had burst out of his mouth after the hasty teleportation. He could feel the adrenaline that had so far kept him going was beginning to fade. If he was going to put an end to this he had to hurry. Fortunately he had a better idea now how to get Cktüis Zuserthators Ember to stand down. Unlike the hatchling that he had put down just moments before she was still cognizant enough to focus her rage at a specific target.

"Cktüis Zuserthators Ember, Twilight had nothing to..." Šizra called out, pausing when the furious dragoness roared back at him.

shE mUST PaY He shivered as he heard the almost demonic voice come out of her mouth. She was nearly gone.

"Your anger and desire for justice is justified but Twilight is naïve and, at best, is guilty of misguided good intentions. That is not deserving of death." Šizra sighed sadly, shaking his head. "Tirek and Cozy Glow, on the other hand..."

poNY JUSTiCe Is No jusTICE! Cktüis Zuserthators Ember roared.

Šizra couldn't help but snort in amusement. He felt the same way but what Cktüis Zuserthators Ember was attempting was not justice either and it was not lost on him that he was in her position a week ago.

"Tirek uth Cozy Glow, üas ir atsiltīzi cktar Lāckta thāvi uth cktieauzušo cktūüu zethocītu, ir liruši."

Cktüis Zuserthators Ember eyes twitched before narrowing. Šizra merely waited calmly. The let himself relax a bit as he saw his words finally hit her, the rage slowly draining from her body.

"Enough death has occurred this day send your dragons home young Cktüis Zuserthators."

Šizra watched as she raised the Bloodstone Scepter still blinking at him in shock. As the scepter was raised out a wave of red magic shot out and spread out in all directions. He was not surprised when she collapsed into a sobbing ball on the ground immediately afterwards. Without rage she now had no choice but to confront the soul crushing grief in her heart. For a moment he was content to let her grieve in peace but as the sobbing continued a part of him became more and more annoyed. As a dragon she should not grieve in the same manner as other races especially as a Cktüis Zuserthators.

"Tell me young dragon..." Šizra began, walking up to her while keeping an eye on their surroundings. It would not be long before the ponies noticed that the dragons had stopped attacking. "Why are you crying like a pony?"

In an instant Cktüis Zuserthators Ember stopped sobbing. Angry eyes glared at him as the young dragoness rose to her feet the scepter swinging out aggressively.

Šizra, ignoring the scepter, leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Pour your emotions, your everything into a roar. One. Single. Roar. Push it out with such power, such force that the sky darkens and the earth trembles. You make it so that none will forget the moment that Cktüis Zuserthators Ember roared... and why."

"Now..." He paused as he backed away, knowing from the look in her eyes that she would do exactly as he said. "roar!"

Šizra closed his eyes as she roared at the top of her lungs. His whole body shivered he felt the waves of pain, sorrow, anger, and grief washed over him. For a moment, he was back home reliving the night his parents died, the emotions just as raw as it was twenty thousand years ago. He was about to answer with a roar of his own when a deep loud and angry roar overpowered Ember's.

Šizra eyes snapped open just as a mass of purple rushed out from the swirling smoke. Finding himself suddenly sluggish he was unable to dodge as it's large scaled tail slammed into him. The air in his lung violently escaped along with a fair amount of blood. He slammed into the shield around the castle hard enough to crack it.

He groaned as he slide down the shield. Impossible... Was the only think he could think of as his vision blurred from the pain. But the impossible was towering far above Cktüis Zuserthators Ember with a look of murder in his eyes.

"As your Dragon Lord I'm commanding you to stop!" Cktüis Zuserthators Ember roared out, thrusting out the Bloodstone Scepter, sending a pulse of red magic towards the massive green and purple dragon.

"Em...ber..." Šizra wheezed, trying to get air through the protests of his lungs.

"Spike, please, stop!" Cktüis Zuserthators Ember begged as 'Spike' took a step forward roaring as he did, the glow on his body flickering.

"Young... Cktüis Zuserthators..." Šizra groaned slowly lifted himself up off the ground. The pieces of what was going on were beginning to take form in his mind. "There are... limits to its power..."

"Šizra?" Ember glanced back momentarily before returning her attention to Spike who was readying to attack once again, the effects of the Bloodstone Scepter already gone from his body.

Šizra frowned as he summoned Leafcutter with a flick of mana and thought. What he first thought was impossible was now not. He was not witnessing an adult dragon but a whelp that had undergone Rage. Not that it was a relief as an enraged dragon such as the transformed Spike was were usually very difficult to stop without serious injury or death for all involved. Worse, given his exhaustion and injuries those chances were much much higher. Bringing his sword to his muzzle, he whispered into the fire ruby in the hilt. "Lacktuzriezējs thelateriāls."

"Šizra?"

"Trust me young Cktüis Zuserthators." Šizra assured as he limped past her, Leafcutter bobbing next to him in his telekinesis. He was the only one who had the best chance to stop Spike and he had at best one chance to do so without killing the young dragon.

"Šizra!"

"Trust me." He repeated before he gave a weak roar of challenge.

Unlike before, he was able dodge the massive tail using a bit of magic to leap a short distance away. A yelp turned into a cry of pain as his legs gave out on him sending him down onto his severely damaged forelimbs. Coughing up blood he struggled to get up back as he could feel Spike barreling towards him. He smiled as he not only got Spike away away from Cktüis Zuserthators Ember but into a perfect position to end his rampage. Spitting away a glob of blood he steeled himself for one last teleportation just as Spike reached him.

In a shower of black sparks Šizra teleported away just as Spike's paw smashed into the ground where he had been. Appearing just above the dragon's head he quickly thrusted Leafcutter into Spike's head right between two of his head crests. For a moment nothing happened until he roared in immense pain as surge after surge of electric like energy flowed through him lighting everyone of his nerves on fire. He could make out someone shouting just as darkness finally overcame him.

Chapter 10 Lirstošā Cerīsa (Dying Hope)

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To a dragon betraying its trust no different then stealing from their hoard ~ Unknown

Twilight galloped with all her might through the crystal tree castle, weaving around several huddled ponies. She would have teleported but she needed all of her mana just to keep the shield maintained. She grunted in mild pain, stumbling a bit as a particularly heavy attack reverberated down through the shield and into her body.

I'm never teasing BBBFF about his shields again. Twilight panted as she collected herself. If she wasn't careful... She should have had the town ponies evacuated through the tunnels under the tree already but so many were too injured to move. Their only hope now was that Canterlot would notice their plight and send help.

Why Ember, why?

Twilight snapped out of her funk as a second roar echoed out. Come on legs move faster!

"Whoa whoa whoa! Twilight where are you going?"

"That roar was Spike!" Twilight snapped at Rainbow as she passed the pegasus, not even slowing down.

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's go!"

Twilight bit back a retort as she rushed to catchup to the rainbow streak. She had fight to hold back a scream of fear as she stumbled out the doors of the castle. There on the other side of her shield was not only Ember but Spike and... Šizra!? Spike almost looked like that day when he let his greed overcome him except far, far more angry. What happened to Spike and why was Šizra here?

Time seemed to slow down as Twilight saw Šizra teleport above Spike with the sword Leafcutter floating next him, pointed down. He was going to kill her brother! But before she could do anything, Šizra slammed down stabbing Spike through the crown of his head.

"SSSPIIIKE!!!" The shield shattered as Twilight screamed, rushing to try and catch the falling now smaller Spike only to lurch backwards violently.

Confusion morphed to red hot rage as she tilted her head up to see Discord smiling down at her his lion paw firmly around her horn. "Temper, temper."

"Discord!? Let go of my horn!" Twilight roared, trying to pull her horn out of Discord's grip without any success. She needed access to her magic, she need to get to Spike. She needed to try and save him!

"As amusing as it is to watch your impression of a rapidash if I let you go you will become rapidead."

"I got this Twi!"

But Rainbow Dash did not get far before her path was blocked by Ember who swung Bloodstone Scepter so fast that she managed to take out a few feathers as Rainbow banked around the swipe. "What gives Ember?! Spike needs medical attention!" She yelled as she screeched to a halting hover as Ember swiped again nearly taking out more of her feathers.

"You will not touch Spike." Ember growled, jabbing the scepter at Rainbow.

Discord fake yawned like he bored nonchalantly examining his other paw like Rarity would her hoof. "Spike is fine... though he might have headache worst then Berry Punch the Saturday after payday."

Twilight gritted her teeth in frustration at Discord's callousness. Spike wasn't drunk he was stabbed in the head with a sword!! She needed to get to him quickly otherwise... "Rainbow Dash! Get the girls. We need the Elements."

If the threat of being put back in stone scared Discord he didn't show it as the only reaction he gave was a shrug before snapping in some plaid hoof polish. He only got to the second eagle claw by the time Rainbow Dash returned followed closely by then rest of her friends.

"Ah Fluttershy," Discord clapped happily, somehow without removing his paw from Twilight's horn. "Do you have your first aid kit?"

"Um..." Fluttershy muttered as she glanced at the first aid saddlebag she suddenly was wearing. "Yes?"

"Come, come quick." Discord beckoned her but instead of leading Fluttershy to Spike he was leading her to Šizra.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing!?"

Fluttershy froze at Rainbow's shout however before she could do anything else one of Discord's arms reach back and stretched out like rubber and gently scooped her up.

"Eep!"

"Discord!"

Twilight gritted her teeth as she watched Fluttershy and Discord tend to Šizra instead of Spike. It wasn't like she could do much more with Discord's now disconnected paw gripping her horn like it was. Worse still was Ember pacing in front of them keeping the rest of her friends from approaching.

She gasped in shock when Discord lifted Šizra up as a second Discord pulled out lengths of gauze from the first aid kit. The condition of Šizra stunned her. The phrase 'nothing but skin and bones' always made her roll her eyes when especially when Spike would use it whenever she forget to eat during a multiday research frenzy. Here, however, Šizra really looked like he had been without food for a long time which was odd as it had only been eight days since she had seem him last. If she had to hazard a guess he probably weighed the same as her and for a stallion of his size.

Then there was his forelegs. Everything from the fetlock down to his claws could be reclassified as charcoal. She had only seen burns of that degree in medical textbooks and if she remembered correctly burns that bad were always, always fatal.

Twilight screamed as she stumbled back. Ember had, without warning, stopped her pacing and roared, sending flames towards them. Discord looked up towards her and then towards Twilight and the bearers. With a huff he raised a claw and snapped. In a flash Fluttershy reappeared next to Twilight and the rest of the Bearers.

"Fluttershy!"

As her friends looked after Fluttershy Twilight renewed her struggle to get Discord's paw off of her horn.

"Dragon Lord Ember, Discord!"

Twilight yelped in surprise, falling on to her haunches. She had been so focused on her horn that she failed to notice the arrival of Princess Celestia along with a platoon of royal guards. Celestia was decked out in the same armor as before, Dawnbringer floating next to her in her yellow aura. The guards slowed to a stop a few hooves behind Twilight and the girls before spreading out in a half circle. Celestia, however, moved in front them.

"Dragon Lord Ember, Discord," Celestia repeated. "Step away from Šizra."

"No Sunbutt, we will not." Discord said without even looking at her, his prehensile tail readying to snap. The Bloodstone Scepter in Ember's claw glowing brighter.

"Discord and Dragon Lord Ember you are both making a grave misjudgment!" Celestia roared, her gaze snapping to him as her mane whipped into a fiery frenzy.

The rage that was pouring off of Celestia in waves so intense that Twilight had to step away as the heat was a bit much for her. But Discord and Ember stood resolute, showing no signs of backing down. "Hey! I can't speak for the lizard but I'm trying not to have to make a 'grave' here... I didn't take you for one to bury the still living..."

Twilight couldn't decide whether to shake her head, groan, and or facehoof at the horrible and wildly inappropriate pun.

"Ilcktul...sivitātes... Hzath...tola?" Twilight was glad she had yet to rise as she was sure she would have fallen back onto her haunch at the sound of Šizra's voice.

"Wait wait wait! He's still alive?!" Rainbow shouted, hovering a bit higher. "How!?"

"I was excepting... my parents... to greet me..."

"Šizra you're not dead... yet..."

"How... You?"

"Well... " Discord shrugged as he fumbled with some gauze in his paws. "I forgot to give my forwarding address."

Šizra stared at Discord for a moment before a he broke out a gargling laughter. "Foolish... but I'm elated..."

"ENOUGH!" Celestia bellowed her horn glow even brighter. "I don't know how you managed to escape but I will not make that mistake again! Twilight!"

Twilight nodded as she quickly brought forth the power of the Elements along the the rest of the bearers. She was not surprised to see a beam of yellow join into the swirling rainbow that rose up and then crashed down upon Šizra, Discord, and Ember but the brightness did catch her off guard. It was so painfully bright that she had to shield her closing eyes with a leg.

After the light from the spell faded away it took a few moments for her vision to return but what she saw confused her. She had expected to see a trio of petrified beings not Starlight Glimmer standing into from of said trio who where not any worse for wear. What is going on!?

"Starlight? What the hey?!" Rainbow shouted out.

But as Twilight stood there stupefied she noticed something wasn't quite right about Starlight. One, she was not breathing, two, she was glittering like she had rolled in Pinkie's glitter stash, and finally, she was floating just above the ground without the usual glow of mana. There was only one explanation that fit. "The Tree of Harmony?"

The not Starlight nodded.

"What do you want now?" Šizra grumbled, not even looking at the avatar.

Forgiveness It said, bowing towards him.

"WHAT!" Both AJ and Rainbow Dash yelled in shock.

What!? Twilight agreed, her jaw dropping. Why is the tree acting like she needs forgiveness from him!? Šizra was a remorseless murderer! He didn't care about the lives he destroyed or the hearts broken. His actions, more then any other before him, were the antithesis of what the Elements of Harmony stood for!

"I know not know what you did to the Elements, Šizra," Celestia yelled her horn once again glowing bright, "but I will not stand here idly while you destroy Equestria!"

"Des... Destroy Equestria? M-me-e?" Šizra sputtered as he struggled to wheeze past his laughter. Twilight flinched backwards pushing down the bile that was coming up as blood suddenly gushed out of Šizra mouth. "If I wanted that I would have stayed in that prison cell or given you what you had demanded of me. No. It is your willful ignorance that has doomed Equestria to ash!"

Celestia roared as she let out another beam of mana towards Šizra which Discord smacked aside the spell with a tennis racket.

"15-Love!"

"Discord!"

Discord blew a raspberry and waved a novelty size foam hoof that read 'Luna X Tia #1' on it. With a shriek of indignation Celestia rushed after Discord trying to slash at the giggle draconequus. Twilight could only facehoof. Several guards attempted to help only to find miniature Discords harnessing his usual brand of clownish weaponry.

"What do we do Twilight?" Twilight shook her head in uncertainty. She had no clue. With the Elements not working as they should they had no easy way of containing Discord and the last time they faced Šizra it took both Princesses and Discord working together to barely hold him back. And Šizra was only stopped when Celestia had found a way to talk him down. This time things were different...

Are you sure this is different?

"What?" Twilight gaped, unsure if the tree was reading her mind. The words sent shivers up and down her spine as she felt that she had heard those exact words before...

I am a map to find the lost, a salve to heal the broken, a shield to protect the innocent. I am not, a sword

"Šizra!? Šizra is far from innocent!" Twilight spat out, still trying to figure out why in Tartarus the Tree of Harmony was defending Šizra. It seem perfectly willing to admonish him before.

You misunderstand

"Wha' there tah misunderstan'? Ah can' mahbe get Cozy Glow an' Tirek but Šizra went an' stabbed Spike for no reason!" Several ponies including Rainbow and Rarity nodded in agreement with AJ.

Again you misunderstand

Twilight muttered a bit as she went over everything she knew about the current situation trying to figure out what exactly they were 'misunderstanding.' The Tree of Harmony's appearance had changed now three times... Each time it seemed to have a purpose to how it appeared. Then it hit her. 'Are you sure this is different?' those where the exact words Starlight Glimmer had said when she was doubting the approach to dealing with the Pony of Shadows. She had been right to question then. Could the Tree of Harmony be trying to tell her the same here?

She looked at the Tree of Harmony then to Šizra and finally to the crumbled body of Spike. No. Šizra was no Stygian. There was no talking to him... But... so many had died already... If there was a way she could stop before more died then she had to try something. An annoyed growl got her attention. She had almost forgotten about Ember.

"Dragon Lord Ember..." "Cktüis Zuserthators Ember..." Twilight and Šizra spoke at the same time.

"Ember don't listen to hphmmmn...." Rainbow Dash's rant was cut off by her muzzle being suddenly wrapped up by a bunch of colorful ribbons. A pink bow with tag that read Do not open until not stupid was stuck to the top of her nose. Twilight groaned as she helped Rarity get the ribbons off of Rainbow Dash.

"Cktüis Zuserthators Ember," Šizra addressed the grumbling dragoness again, "Do you know of the Missing Mountain Crater?"

"I have heard of it but..."

Twilight heart started to race. She had no idea what and where Missing Mountain Crater was but nothing good could come from listening to Šizra. "Ember please! He is not a pony you should listen to!"

She listens to him because he is the only one here that she knows that she can trust

"What?" Twilight exclaimed as she looked in disbelief at the Tree of Harmony. "But we are friends and friends tr..."

"Friends? With Dragons?" Šizra laughter rang out which soon descended once again into a fountain of blood and saliva. "With Cktüis Zuserthators Ember? By who's metric? Yours? No. No, you have never been friends."

Twilight quickly shook off her nausea. She needed to get Ember to stop listening to Šizra before he could convince her to go further down the path of hatred she was on. "Please Ember whatever happened I'm sure we can fix this..."

Somethings can not be fixed

"An' what is tha' suppose tah mean?"

"Where are the adult dragons?'"

"W-what?" Twilight sputtered, unable to follow Šizra's logic. What did knowing where the adult dragons were had to do with not being friends with Ember? If she hadn't already been exposed to his tendency to answer a question with an answer to a different unrelated, sometimes unspoken, question she would have said it was a trick question.

"Hold out the Bloodstone Scpter Cktüis Zuserthators Ember." Šizra raised a shaking foreleg and touched the Scepter with the tip of a claw. The moment he touched it the Scepter began to glow a pulsating red. "The Scepter will now show you the way Cktüis Zuserthators Ember. Gather all that remains of your dragons and lead them to Missing Mountain Crater. Have none return to these lands and show any pony the same amount of empathy and mercy you received, none."

"That's a lie!" But neither Ember or Šizra responded to Twilight's accusation and to her horror Ember was trying to give the BloodStone Scepter fully to Šizra. If he became the Dragon Lord then the dragons would be really lost. "No Ember don't..."

"I can not be a Cktüis Zuserthators young one, "Šizra said as he pushed the Bloodstone Scepter back into Ember's hands. "The Scepter contains much wisdom of old. Command it like you've done and, if able, it will give aid."

"Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola."

Twilight looked up to see the still fighting Celestia and Discord. The draconequus pulled out a massive yellow and red hammer and smashed it down upon Celestia, with what would have been amusing as any other time squeak, sending her crashing down to Equus.

"Princess!" Twilight screamed as she ran over to check on her. "Princess Celestia are you alright?"

Celestia groaned but accepted Twilight's help.

"Where are the adult dragons?" Šizra questioned again, but before Twilight could figure out a proper response he turned his attention to the solar alicorn adding, "I can forgive their ignorance. You however, Celestia?"

He huffed when Celestia said nothing. "Cktüis Zuserthators, you need to leave now. I shall delay the ponies as long as I can."

"Guards!"

"Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola." Šizra growled out.

An extremely large fly swatter appeared in a flash and smacked the guards that attempted to go after Ember, stunning them.

"Where are the adult dragons?" Šizra repeated, growling.

"I tire of your obfuscation Šizra!"

"I am not speaking a riddle Celestia Solaris!" Šizra roared. "Why would Cktüis Zuserthators Ember hold back the strongest and not use every available dragon to rain fire upon Equestria? Why use only the ones that are not only weak physically but also magically? Why are little ones rampaging to the point that death doesn't stop them!? WHERE ARE THEY CELESTIA?! WHERE ARE THE ADULT DRAGONS?!"

"Don't listen to him Princess he's just trying to..." Rainbow Dash bravado quickly faded away and she landed with a concerned look.

"Celestia?" Twilight worriedly looked at the princess. Celestia's rage which had been constant since her arrival was gone. The princess eyes were wide and her mouth was quaveringly half open. It almost looked like she was scared or horrified. How could the question 'where are the adult dragons?' cause such an reaction?

"Šizra I... I... "

Twilight nearly screamed as she stumbled back at how fast Šizra managed to move. In the space of a blink of an eye he had not only moved from where he was, some forty hooves away, but had summoned Leafcutter and was currently pressing the sword against Celestia's neck.

"SSSSpeak another wyrrrm, leassssszz." Twilight shook in terror at the demonic voice that issued out of Šizra mouth. His voice twisted around as it hissed, crackled, and echoed. "Will it be anotherrrrss one of yourrrrr falsssse pitzy speeshessss? Or is talk of anotherrrrr genozzzide of dragonsssss too much for yourrr prrrrrecioussss little prey? Betterrr masss it with alluzionssss an' falssssez until allzz the uncomfort parrrrtssss haz been waters down until it you can make it a joyoussss holiday about giving giftsssss and carolzz and kindnessssss to your fellow prey!"

Šihzra...

"Cozzzz Glow woulzz hass been conzzizerz a herrro to the ancient prey. As a 'lowly' flying sssslave prey sssshe nearly succeed in wiping out thozze barrrrbaric dragonsss in one swoo'. 'She is the pinnaclez that all prey should asssspire to.' They would sssshout. I darrre zay they may haz lifted her to exalted statussss of alpha prey. Kill dragonz an' you too can become a god! All Hail the DragonZayerrr Goddess Cozz Glow."

Šihzra!

"WHAT!?" Šizra roared back at the tree's avatar.

There is still hope

In a flash of black sparks Šizra teleported from Celestia to the avatar the sword Leafcutter now pressed up again it. A dark chuckle escaping his lips as he spat. "Hope?! For whom? The Voice is still silenced! Üatrs cktieauzušais Cktūüis ir liris! What little remains will fade and much faster then last time... All the work my parents and I wrought... In the end the alicorns got what they wanted... the utter destruction of the dragon race..."

There is still a way The avatar thrusted its head up and away, its eyes gazing towards Canterlot.

"A way? Why are...?" Suddenly Šizra's eyes widened, and his jaw opened slightly as he slowly turned his head away from the Tree's avatar and towards Canterlot then finally down to Spike's unmoving form. "You speak of... Are... Are... Are you saying...?"

Šizra's knees suddenly gave out as Leafcutter clattered the ground and disappeared in a shower of black sparks. It was so soft that Twilight almost didn't catch the whispered words that he then uttered. "A dying flame of hope flickers in the darkest hour..."

"Šizra!" Discord rushed over to the fallen Šizra and dumped out Flutterhshy's first aid kit looking the most panicked and lost Twilight had ever seen him as he rummaged trying to find something that could help him.

A destroyed paw rose towards the draconequus for a moment before falling again. "Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola... The Reliquary... of the Ancients."

"The Reliquary of... Oh! That place! Yes! If we can get you there then..."

Šizra shook his head before slowly panting out. "Three... three hundred... pony leagues... wards... wards... would kill you..."

Three hundred pony leagues? Twilight gaped and nearly sputtered nonsense. It was an older form of measurement of distance so she had to think for a moment to remember the conversion rate. Three hundred pony leagues was about the distance between Ponyville and Manehatten! That was nearly thirty hours of flight at Rainbow Dash's best speed prerainboom and far beyond the range of teleportation even for one as powerful as Discord! And the power needed for a ward that big? Even the Crystal Heart's power boosted by the Crystal Spire only manages less the ten percent of that distance.

"Then why..."

"I have not enough... lifeforce left... left to stand much le..." Šizra last word faded away unfinished as he slumped.

"Is he...?" Somepony asked, who Twilight knew not.

"He'd better be!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy snapped, smacking Rainbow Dash with a wing.

"Šizra?" Discord lightly shook Šizra. "Šizra!"

Šizra's eyes slowly opened as he slurred out, "Therre iss... cirrcle offf... of ssstonesss... nnnoorth... dooo remmm... reeememberr wherrre?"

"Yes, yes I think so."

"Thennn... chaaance... Ssspiiike hasss..."

Wait, what!? Twilight was confused at the sudden shift to Spike. What did the 'Reliquary of the Ancients' or the 'circle of stones' had to do with Spike? What was Šizra planning?

"Discord, stop!" She shouted as Discord gently picked up Spike. They were going to coltnap Spike! She tried to move to get to Spike only to fall flat. Her legs were stuck to the ground by what looked like overly large slicky trap. "Let Spike go!"

"Ssspike faaate... sssseealed... buuut... wannn... want one... tooo live..."

You must go The tree spoke.

"No!" Twilight cried out as she fought to get out of Discord's trap only to fall harder into the glue. She had to rescue Spike before... "SOMEPONY DO SOMETHING!!!"

"Smooze Brand(tm) Pony Hotel paper trap. Ponies check in but they don't check out." Pinkie Pie giggled. "Do I get a mint on the pillow?"

What? Smooze? Damn it! Twilight cursed as she glanced around to see everypony in the same predicament as her. Not only were they trapped they were trapped by a substance that made spellcraft next to impossible.

"Discord!!!!" But Discord ignored her as he wrapped Spike onto Šizra's limp body with some gauze.

The tree's avatar then walked up to Twilight and lifted her head towards it with a hoof. He must go

"Spike!" Twilight flinched away from the tree's avatar as she continued to try to get to Spike.

He must go

"Discord! Šizra! I swear if..."

He must go

With a snap and several flashes of light Šizra, Spike, Discord and the Avatar of the Tree of Harmony all disappeared.

"SPIKE!!!!!" Twilight screamed, suddenly free of the trap ran to where Spike had just been before collapsing, tears falling to the ground. Spike was gone.

Chapter 11: Thezithālais (The Unknown)

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A wise dragon is weary of the unknown ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

"Twi!" Spike sat up as he awoke with a start.

Spike breathed hard as he slowly came to realize that everything was fine he had just woken up from a nightmare. A bit odd, but not unheard of, given that Princess Luna usually was good about... Why was his mattress so lumpy? He reached down and pulled out a handful of bits and gems. What!? He wasn't allowed to have snacks in bed! Wait, these aren't bits... The gold was vaguely bit shaped but for one lacked the raised edge and stylized alicorn face. For another, they didn't smell like bits which had special alchemic coating that made them hard and taste nasty among other things.

His heart started to pound in his chest as he looked about the room. Instead of purple walls with crystal tree branch embellishments like he expected the walls were merely roughly hewed crystal. His table and bookshelf were also missing. Lastly the bed he was on was also not his bed.

Okay, calm down Spike. Maybe this is a prank. There were only two ponies, well one pony, and a draconequss that would do a prank like this. And he wouldn't put it past Rainbow Dash finding or Discord snapping in an undiscovered room and taking advantage to use one in a prank. Wouldn't be the first time except he couldn't hear the usual tell tale sign of barely stifled snickers.

Getting up out of the bed he slowly walked around the dim room looking for the door. He at least hoped there was a door...

Thankfully he found it after looking only for a few minutes. It was a good thing he was dragon and thus could see with the slight glow all gems and crystals gave off. It made it possible to see the comparatively dark hinges that marked where the door was. He imagined that a pony would have taken a lot longer finding it... well unless they were an unicorn of course.

Spike blinked in surprise as he stepped out into a blinding, bright light. He blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adjust enough to see. When his vision finally cleared enough his jaw dropped. Wherever he was it was not most certainly not the Friendship Castle nor Ponyville, maybe not even Equestria...

It was as if somepony had scooped out the top Canterlot mountain with an oversize ice-cream scoop to expose the crystal caves that lied underneath it and then plopped him down on a wide ledge along the inside. Spike smacked his suddenly dry lips as walked to its edge and peered down. It was long way down and he snapped his eyes up to stop the sudden nausea. Which was a mistake. Much to his growing unease the sky looked... broken? Pulling his eyes down, but not too far, only made his rattled brain spin even more. What the hey? Across the chasm, crater, hole... whatever was a crystal tree just like the Tree of Harmony or the Friendship Castle only far, far larger like mountain sized large. Also... seriously?! Pink leaves!? He rolled his eyes. No offense to Pinkie Pie but there is such a thing as too much pink.

There was no way that this was a prank by Discord. It was just too frilly and not random enough (even counting the strangeness that was the sky). That left dragonnapping or magic accident and he really hoped it was the latter and not the former (and given who he lived with the latter was quite high). Last thing he remembered...

Spike dropped to the ground as pain surged into his head like a thousand mirror cloned Pinkie Pies were bouncing up and down on it. His vision whited out and he was sure that he had screamed at one point but the pain was just too much.

He didn't know how long he laid there but he was sure it was quite some time before the pain subsided enough that he felt he could try sitting up. It was as he sat there letting the pain continue to fade that he heard the sound of soft rhythmic plinking similar to claws on crystal. Someone or something was approaching. He debated for a moment whether or not to hide back in the room that he awoke in but quickly decided against that. At this point it was likely that whomever it was knew he was where ever here was and he wasn't sure if he could walk yet.

As the plinking got louder the more nervous Spike got. Was he about to meet a friend or another villain bent on destruction, taking over the world, yada yada yada? What walked up the slope and towards him was not what he expected. A large red fox the size of Big Mac that appeared to have been near the Crystal Heart after a recent activation with... four tails!?

"Um..." Spike gulped as the fox stopped a few hooves away its four tails slowly waving behind it. Whoever the fox was looked friendly but that could just be a ruse to gain his trust. "Hello?"

"Index known as Index," came a male voice out of the fox.

Spike blinked. He was not expecting the voice that came out of the fox to sound like windchimes, gravely not songbird. Though once he recovered he found himself annoyed at the Trixie speech pattern. His left eye twitched as he snarked. "And Spike known as Spike."

"Look, um..." Spike mumbled sheepishly when Index merely stared. "Where am I?"

"Index can not say."

Spike smacked his lips as he felt his heart start to race in his chest. Part of him, at first, hoped with the way the fox looked that this place was just some lost part of the Crystal Empire. But the amnesia curse that Sombra had placed over it should ended when they managed to destroy Sombra with the Crystal Heart, right? So why could Index not say? Was his fears right and he truly was dragonnapped? Or was Index afraid of King Sombra and was not aware of his destruction.

"Uh, Index it's okay. King Sombra is gone. I saw him get blasted by the Crystal Heart. "

"Tyrant King Sombra that 'cursed' Crystal Empire at defeat? Dead?"

"...Yes." Spike drew out the yes not liking the fact that Index didn't even flinch at the mention of the Sombra's name or death. If anything he seemed indifferent. Maybe he just was able to deal with it a bit better then the crystal ponies. Or maybe his lack of emotions is just his way of coping...

"Yes, similarities." Index nodded before shaking his head. "Here not Crystal Empire. Here ocean. Here island."

"So you know where 'here' is then."

"Index can not say."

"Okay..." Spike tried not to grumble as he rubbed his forehead. Okay don't panic Spike! Think! He wasn't going to pull a Twilight and jump to the worst scenario just yet. Maybe if he tried something else he could get more then a headache and an 'Index can not say.' "Then can you at least tell me why I was brought here?"

Index titled his head as his gaze moved up and down Spike. "You know not reason?"

"No. The last thing I remember I..." Spike groaned as flashes of fire and magenta magic and most worrying of all Twilight screaming his name flooded his mind along with a sharp increase in pain. He was now sure something bad had happened he just couldn't remember what!

"Remembering hurts?"

Spike was not sure if this Index was benevolent or was responsible but, and as much as he didn't want to admit it on the off chance Index was evil, he had a point. He knew that had no chance of figuring out what happened nor escaping, if needed, if thinking hurt like it was. So with a whimper he nodded.

"Index recommends against forcing. With time remembrance likely."

Spike flinched back when one of Index's tails suddenly appeared holding out a tea cup to him. Wearily he accepted the cup. He could smell that it contained a mint tea with a touch of lavender. There were hints of several other herbs in there as well but he wasn't sure what they were. He was about to ask when it dawned on him that the tail that had given him the tea had appeared out of now where. The four tails had never stopped slowly waving back and forth. It was a previous unseen fifth that had given him the tea. "Wait... didn't you, uh, have four tails?"

"Index have tail or many." Spike eyes narrowed. That was the first time Index's chime like voice sounded emotional and he was 100% sure that he was being smugly proud about it.

Index gestured the fifth tail towards him. "Tea soothe cephalalgia."

"Seph a what?" Spike repeated, eying the tea with even more trepidation.

"Cephalalgia: medical term for headache."

Then just say headache! Spike grumbled to himself as he pinched the bridge of his snout. A Twilight-Trixie... that's who I woke up to... Luna save me from this nightmare, please!

As leery as he was drinking the unknown tea, the headache was just too painful to not accept the offered help. A sip later and Spike breathed out in relief as the pounding faded to a dull ache. A dull ache he could handle. Dull ache was something he dealt with on a regular bases. Now if only this tea could stop the metaphorical headache he was already getting trying to pry anything out of Index. He hummed happily as the pain faded fully away with the last of the tea. If all else failed he needed to get Index to tell him the recipe.

"Hungry?"

"What?" Spike blinked, his head snapping up. He had been focused on the tea and the relief he felt that he wasn't sure if he heard Index or not.

"Spike hungry?"

Spike blushed as his stomach answered for him, but a concern crossed his mind. With Index being a fox there was a chance that the food could contain... "I... I don't eat... meat."

Index head tilted as if he was a bit confused. Spike tried not to sigh. While he was sure that Index was probably innocently wondering why a dragon wouldn't eat meat it was still annoying. At least he wasn't reacting like some ponies did.

"Gem curry with rice acceptable?" Index said after a moment.

Gem... curry? Spike had curry before from that one restaurant with the spicy food in Canterlot but would gems in curry even be doable? He had tried putting gems into food after that birthday cupcake the Cakes made but found they just didn't work as anything more then crunchy sprinkles which is why he mainly ate them on the side or in deserts like cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. But it was possible Index found a way and really what did he have to lose?

"Sure."

Index nodded once then turned and walked back the way he had come from. Spike just stared, blinking before rushing to catch up to the multitailed fox. He was flapping his wings in preparation to fly given that it was easier to keep up that way when Index spoke without stopping or looking back.

"Flying unadvisable." A single tail rose and pointed to the 'broken' sky. "Here many dangers. Crystal dome not sky. Dome reflects sky into caldera."

Spike bit back a curse as his wings snapped closed. Great... more complications. At least he had an explanation for the 'broken' sky. But that added a new issue. He was who knows how far underground which could make it harder to impossible to send flame mail. Luckily, unless there was a ward or spell to prevent it, he should still be able to receive, maybe... It was a bit worrying that he had not yet received a scroll from either Twilight or Celestia trying to find him. It just keeps getting better and better.

Of course it won't matter either way if he didn't find out where exactly on Equus he was, assuming he was on his Equus. A map would be best. Failing that he would send everything and anything he found to Twilight. If anypony could figure where he was it was her. Hay, if he must, he could sketch the stars. Twilight could definitely find him using them...

Spike was starving by the time they had reached the trunk of the crystal tree. Index had said virtually nothing on the long walk. Well, that was a lie. He got a fair amount of 'Index can not say.' When I get home I am going to find the pony that invented twenty questions followed by the one that invented the phrase 'broken record' and burn their manes and tails off!

At least, for the first time since he awoke, he found himself seeing something other than crystal. Imbedded into the wall were strips and cords of different metals that weaved in out and around each other and rose high up many hooves. He was tempted to move back just to see if there was a pattern to it or if it was random.

Spike didn't get the chance as Index causally walked up the middle of the wall of metal, stick a paw into it, and slid one side of the metal into the mountain as if it was a sliding door. His jaw dropped as his brain went full tilt. That was a door!? That huge mass of metal a door!? And the largest door he had ever seen. And Index opened it like it was nothing! Even if the door was hollow between its size and all that metal it had to weigh many, many tons. He doubted even Twilight could move them without struggling and Index was able to move them like they weighed no more then a grain of sand!

He hesitated at the threshold for a second then reached out placed a hand on the door only to nearly fell flat onto his snout as the door unexpectedly moved. It felt and move as if it was a normal size door. What. How!? He was sure it was magic but the amount of magic that would be needed...

Spike shook his head as he could feel his headache returning. For now he was going to have to let it go and file any more oddities under 'Pinkie Pie.' At least until he could get to the bottom of his headaches and even then he probably will have to leave it for Twilight figure out.

He almost regretted making that decision when he saw the 'room' beyond the door. Yes, it was massive (duh), but in the center of it was a tall raised circular platform with a set of small stairs that curled up and around it. Under those stairs was a normal sized kitchen with a small table and cushions for chairs. Did he get transported to the land of the breezies? It would explain why the world seemed super sized...

Spike had to swallow his drool as the smell of something delicious wafted from a pot that Index was now stirring. He quickly took a seat at the table trying not the tap his claws on the table as he waited. Thankfully it wasn't long, but when he saw the gem curry he had to resist the urge to scowl. The gem curry looked like somepony vomited up glitter onto a plate of rice. Hesitantly he scooped up some of it onto a spoon and sniffed. It smelled good, really good but... For a moment the nagging thought that maybe this was a Discord prank after all rose up before the growling of his stomach made up his mind for him.

Spike melted when he popped the spoonful into his mouth. The curry was thick and smooth and not at all gritty like he thought it would be. And the flavors! Oh the flavors! He had died and gone to the pasturelands. Before he knew it he was ravenously licking the plate trying to get every last drop. He growled in annoyance when the last bit hit his tongue. He had to have more... no all...

Snap out of your alüatīsa!

Spike nearly screamed as the pain returned with a vengeance. A wave of nausea followed close behind nearly making him throw up. He didn't hesitate to take and drink the tea when he saw another cup slide in front of him. He took several deep cleansing breaths as he let the tea ease his pain and settle his stomach. Why did gem curry set off a headache? Also, alolayteza? What was that word? It seemed familiar somehow...

Wait... Spike started to shake in fear as something just occurred to him. Everything here was big enough for Ex-Dragon Lord Torch and he was given, gem 'food.' That could mean only one thing! Forget breezies he was in a dragon's hoard and he just ate some of it! "Oh no no no no! Not again! I ate part of a dragon's hoard and he or she is going to be pissed and Twilight can't save me and..."

"Spike be calm." Index gently put a paw on Spike shoulder. "No harm from eating gem curry! Gem curry not dragon hoard."

"You sure?"

"Index knows."

Spike nodded as if he understood even though he was so not convinced. Between Index's 'can not say,' his inability to remember anything without debilitating headaches, and his reaction to the gem curry he was beginning to think that things were on the worse side of the scale. The sooner he found a way home or Twilight found him the better. He just had to make sure that he didn't lose hope in the mean time...

"Come. Index will show you what Index can."

Spike sighed as he stood to follow. Great, more walking... Maybe he would get lucky and Index will slip up and either show or tell him something useful. But with his luck all he will get more 'Index can not say' and headaches.

Chapter 12 Izcktirüula Laüsa Cetha (The Ransom's Price)

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A pony may be of the mind, but a dragon is of the heart. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

Spike sighed, brooding as he sat barely eating a butternut squash sandwich with cheddar cheese and pickled red onion. Here he was lounging in what anypony would call paradise, a warm tropical beach covered in white sand and shaded by palm trees, but he could not leave. He felt like a bird in a gilded cage. Oh sure, he could fly away but who knew how far the island was from anything else and one of the rules that was drilled into him right after his molt was never fly over a body of water that you don't know beyond the sight of land. Getting lost, mistaking the water for sky, tiring out with nowhere to land all were extremely likely. If he had a map or could navigate by the stars...

And all of that was before taking into consideration the 'leyonic' storm to the south. Again with Index using highly technical terms when the laypony word 'magical' would suffice. Rainbow "Danger" Dash he was not and if that storm was as dangerous as Index said...

Spike exhaled heavily as the sun slowly lowered past the horizon. Another sunset, another day passing with nothing to show for it. By his reckoning, he had been trapped here at least forty days, and each day that passed the less and less hope he had and the more despair he felt. He knew his mail flame was working otherwise whatever he burned to send would have just turned into normal ash and floated to the ground. But he had not burped up a single return scroll from Twilight or Princess Celestia, not a single one. Why were they not responding? He would take a scrap piece of parchment, an expired coupon, a used tissue, anything! Did his worse fears come to pass? Did Twilight break her promise and send him away, no longer needing him? Was that scream of his name one of hatred? Was that why all he could remember was pain?

Groaning he slowly got up. What little appetite he had left had vanished like Celestia's sun and there was no point in staying outside and watching the stars in the night sky taunt him. He might as well go back inside and try and get some sleep, for all the good that it would do. It wasn't like Princess Luna would show up or anything with the nightly never stopped nightmares that he kept suffering through.

Spike put away remainder of his food into the satchel he brought and with another weary sigh he carefully made his way into the jungle and along the trail lined with blue mana flame. After nearly becoming food for a gigantic snake he made sure to do exactly what Index said and stay on the lit paths in the jungle. Though there were times like right now that a small part of him was tempted to...

"Spike not like sandwich?"

Spike only half jump at the sudden appearance and voice of the crystal fox. He had gotten used to Index appearing from out of nowhere though it was a bit unusual for him show up outside unless there was a problem. He shuttered at the memory of being squeezed in the coils...

"Na, it was good..." Spike waved off the memory and Index's possible concern, not even bothering to ask how he knew he hadn't eaten the whole sandwich. that would only lead to more 'Index can not say' and he was not in the mood for 'Index can not say.' "I just wasn't all that hungry tonight."

For a moment, Spike thought Index would call his bluff as he stared unblinking at him but when the number of tails Index suddenly jumped from two to... seven... eight... nine! He knew something big had happened. He wasn't as smart as Twilight but one does not live with her long without picking up a few things. There was a pattern with Index's tails... The number of tails had something to do with whatever magic the fox possessed. The more tails the more magic...

"Index?" But Index said nothing as he took off running at a full sprint.

"Index! Wait! What is going on!?" Spike shouted as he ran to catch up. He wasn't sure if Index could use true teleportation or did something akin to Pinkie Pie but why was Index running instead of 'disappearing'? It was clear something drastic had occurred that made the fox terrified. For until this moment, Index had been so stoic that Spike had been nearly convinced that Index couldn't feel or express emotions. If he didn't know better he would say that Index was just some soulless automaton. But that was only possible in comic books... right?

"Index!" Spike called out again as he lost Index momentary as the crystal fox ran into the tunnel that led to the underground cavern.

"Index uncertain." Spike yelped as Index reappeared next to him, pulling him on to his back.

"What do you mean?"

"Index uncertain." Index repeated.

Spike shuddered. For once, I think I would have preferred 'Index can not say.'

He struggled to hold on as Index ran though the winding tunnels and into the cavern. Spike was glad he had not eaten much as his stomach was doing the flip-flops with how fast the fox was bounding down the path around the ridge. Not helping was his gait, which was not like a pony at all. He then almost fell off when Index came to a sudden stop in front of one of the doors that he was never allowed into. He did try a few times but found it impossible (most likely locked in some way).

"Index?"

Index said nothing as he lifted Spike off his back and opened the door. Spike found himself whistling at what he saw inside. Unlike the other 'rooms' that lined the cavern this one was not 'empty,' no matter how much he knew would Twilight would surely complain about his use of the word 'empty.' It was a massive laboratory with filled with enough equipment for a dozen or more mad scientists or about one point three crazed Twilights... And just like that his mood came crashing right back down. He would take a dozen crazed Twilights right now.

Along one of the walls was the largest chalkboard he had ever seen. It had to be larger then all the chalkboards Twilight owned combined and she had a lot of chalkboards. It was covered entirely with what he assumed to be equations, with a single large diagram in the center. And once again he got the vibe that this could be a dragon's hoard when he spied what looked to be a microscope that was bigger then the telescope Twilight had at the Golden Oaks Library (before Tirek destroyed it) tucked in a corner next to some equally massive vats.

As he followed Index he noted all the books, scrolls, and scrap paper stuffed in and around all the beakers, flasks, test tubes and other various tools he had no idea the names for. It was the first time he had seen books, actual books, since his awakening on the island. However, to his extreme annoyance, of the few that he could get a decent look at, none were in Equestrian script. He just could not seem to catch a break.

So absorbed in his surrounding that he almost walked right into Index who had stopped in midst of a large area that was cleared of everything except for one thing that stood in the center: A changeling pod.

A very sickly looking changeling pod judging from the edges which were black and brown, dry, and peeling away like an autumn leaf. The center, though murky, still looked healthy... ish... turquoise? Even with the change in the changelings their resin and pods still were closer to a light lime green not blueish green, right? "Please tell me that Chrysalis is not inside that pod."

"Chrysalis royal changeling of Equestria's Badland's hive?"

Spike nodded once as he tried to get his racing heart to slow down. He wasn't about to correct Index. He still wasn't sure if Index motives (assuming he wasn't brainwashed) were malicious or just misguided. Although, given that he wasn't in a pod having all his love sucked out he leaned towards the latter being more likely. But why him? Sure he was the first to try and succeed in befriending a changeling...

"Interesting. Index calculated three point seven four chance Spike knew about changelings. Spike knowing Chrysalis less then one half percent. Knowing by sight changeling pod statistically improbable..."

Spike barely paid Index any further attention as he kept spewing more stats. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. The lost memory locked behind headaches, Index's form and secrecy, the strangely empty caves, the overly full laboratory room that seemed to be almost copy and pasted over and over, blue-green pod. He was beginning to suspect that he was actually in a hive of changelings. And if that was truly not Chrysalis, then this place had to be a different changeling hive from her's (technically now Thorax's). One that no one knew about. But, again, why him, and why wasn't he in a pod? If they had only asked for help instead of dragonnapping him... But then again, until Thorax self exiled himself no-ling knew there was another way.

"...Healing pod deterioration terminal. Healing outside pod fifteen percent. Chance of death within twenty four hours fifty eight..."

That last part jarred Spike out of his musings. "What?"

"Master's injuries fatal at arrival; Spike moderate magic injury..."

Spike gulped. Then he was right something bad really had happened! But he couldn't remember what! His irritation at his inability to remember vanished in a flash as he stumbled back in surprise as a pair of red glowing eyes snapped opened within the pod. Definitely not Chrysalis...

Spike backed up as the changeling shifted in the pod. "Um... Index..." He glanced over to Index and the question he was going to ask died on his dry lips. All nine of Index's tails were pointing towards the pod and had gone rigidly still.

Wait, why was Index looking ready for a fight? Didn't he say that his 'master' was injured and that his master was in that pod? He wordlessly backed up behind Index. Spike focus shifted back to the pod when he heard what sounded like a cross between a sploosh and the zzzt of a zipper. A set of claws were cutting open the pod from the inside. He watched nervously as leg breached the cut and the changeling stumbled out with a large splat.

At least, he assumed it was a changeling. It seemed a bit strange that Index's master didn't look like him. He would have thought that changelings from the same hive would look at least similar but whoever this was looked more equine then canine. He (or she Spike couldn't tell) laid there for several moments weakly coughing up glops of gel. Spike winced as he could see, even through the globs of changeling gel, ribs jaunting out on taunt skin. He or she was thin, extremely thin and he wasn't sure, because of the gel, if the changeling was truly blue and black or if it was because of injuries... He backed up even more when the person rose up and locked its gaze onto Index.

"INDEX! Do you have any idea what you have done!" The male being roared. Something about that voice triggered something in Spike's mind and in a rush all the memories that he couldn't remember without suffering from excruciating pain flashed before his eyes.

He hadn't been dragonnapped by changelings but by Šizra! Spike scrambled further away as Šizra rushed Index and grabbed him around the neck.

"Calculations..." Index struggled, grabbing weakly as Šizra lifted him up into the air. Horrifyingly, as he lifted the fox up Spike could see and faintly hear cracks spreading rapidly from Index's neck. Šizra was going to kill Index!

"Calculations? Calculations!? Lady Araneae's treasure is ruined! It can't be replaced."

"Young... Master... Calc..." Index struggled to plead. The sounds of cracking overtook the sounds of the gel dripping off of Šizra and out of the remains of the pod.

"AND FOR WHAT?! NOTHING!" Spike screamed in horror as Šizra roared then slammed Index to the ground. Time seemed to slow as the fox shattered into thousands of pieces. For a moment Spike was back the night of Cozy's murder when that vile sword... SoulEnder or whatever... pierced though her back and how Cozy turned to ash the moment Šizra had pulled the sword out.

Šizra legs buckled and with a sickening moan vomited a considerable amount of blood. Spike slowly backed away. So far Šizra had not noticed him... *crunch* Red eyes snapped to Spike. Crap! Crap! Crap! Spike mentality shouted as he scrambled to get away. He was next!

"Lasoratorija: slēnzethe."

Spike barely heard Šizra as he zig-zagged, knocking over books, scrolls, tables, chairs and anything loose in hopes that it would give him extra time to escape. Part of him knew that knocking books and lab equipment would not slow down Šizra but that part of his brain was drown out by the run, run, run!, got to get out of here, got to slow him down, I'm so going to die!

The door! Where was it!? Spike panicked as he reached and patted along the wall trying the find the door that would signify the location of the door. Foolishly he looked back to see that, to his increasing terror, Šizra was causally making his way towards him sidestepping or walking over everything that he had knocked over without slowing down, his red glowing eyes staying locked onto him all the while.

Come on WHERE IS THE DOOOOR! Spike cried as he moved even faster. He knew it was somewhere along the wall... Please... A minute sense of relief blossomed as he saw the decorative metal that marked the door. Suddenly his paws slipped into a vertical groove. Looking up he could see the that groove kept going up. This had to be it! The gap between the double doors!

He frantically put his claws into the groove and pulled. But unlike every other time, the door would not budge. He dug in deeper and pulled with all his might. Again, nothing. No no no no! He had to keep trying! But try as he might, the door would not move. He was trapped! He needed help! Anypony! Index! TWILIGHT!! "HELP!"

Spike collapsed to the floor in despair as he heard the sounds of Šizra's hooves approaching. What was the point there was no help coming. He was going to die and... and...

"Are you-you going t-to kill me like you kill-killed him?" He whimpered fearfully as Šizra stopped a few hooves away. Šizra starred down at Spike for a moment before laughing. In that moment, Spike just knew that his death was not going to be fast and painless.

"Killed? Him?" Šizra questioned once he stopped laughing. To Spike it almost sounded as if Šizra was confused but Spike had just witnessed Index's death by Šizra's paw only moments ago! "Index is an 'it.' It has no gender, it has no soul, it is an artificial intelligence not a real life creature. I merely smashed its avatar. It can and will make a new one."

Spike flinched as he felt Šizra reached down and lifted his head with a slimy claw forcing him to look into those cruel red eyes. "As for you, Spike, no, I'm not going to kill you. But, Spike, you will not..."

Another river of blood gushed out of Šizra's mouth cutting off whatever he was trying to say. The smell of iron mixed with smell of decaying changeling gel was nearly overwhelming, making Spike want to vomit and hungry at the same time. He hated that the smell of blood made him hungry. It was a relief when Šizra pulled away lessening the smell a bit.

"The future is on a precipice and the only hope is a flickering and fading light..." Šizra muttered after a moment. "Index... unwilling and imprisoned apprentice protocols..."

What? Apprentice?! Spike just could not believe what he was hearing. No way in Tartarus would he be his apprentice even if he was the last creature in the universe! And what on Equus did he mean by 'the future is on a precipice and the only hope is a flickering and fading light...?' "After everything you have done?! I will never be your apprentice!"

"Of course not, Spike. It would be a waste of time teaching you anything. You are a fool who will never change, never grow up, never be wise, never be dragon." Šizra spat, punctuating each of his nevers with a claw to Spike's chest.

"Good!" Spike snapped angrily. If being dragon was being like Šizra then he would do everything to be a dragon shaped pony!

Šizra exhaled long and deep, shaking his head from side to side. His eyes, which had so far been unflinchingly locked onto Spike, then drifted away. Oh come on. Spike silently grumbled. Did Šizra think he was hatched yesterday? Like he was going fooled into feeling sorry for a murderer and dragonnapper? When Šizra finally spoke it was so soft that Spike he could barely hear the words. "Spike, you will never see Twilight or Equestria again. You, Spike, will die here upon the Glittering Isles."

With that admission something within Spike snapped and his vision went red. How dare this pony dare keep him from his hoard like this. He would pay in blood...

"There you are." Šizra singsonged, a creepy, yet cheeky grin slowly spreading across his face as he spoke. "I finally see you."

What? And just like that, Spike's rage was drowned by waves of confusion. Wait... what? Šizra deliberately said that to get a rile out of him? Why!? And what did he mean by 'There you are' and 'I finally see you?' He's clearly not blind! And what is with the going from genial to rage with little to no provocation and then just as jarringly fast to flip melancholy or insanity? And all the while muttering either nonsense or being cryptically 'philosophical' (which might as well be nonsense). He was never going to complain about Pinkie Pie's or Discord's craziness again.

"Tell me your name and you can leave."

What? What!? Spike pinched his brow in exacerbation. Šizra knows his name. Hey, he was using it a moment ago! What twisted game was he playing now? "Spike."

"No, you tell me your name."

"Spike."

"What is your name."

Spike's left eye twitched and he clinched his hands several times before once again saying. "Spike. My name is Spike."

"I asked you for your name."

"MY BUCKING NAME IS SPIKE!!!" Spike roared, panting hard with renewed anger as he stared up at Šizra.

And again, the built up rage evaporated into unease as Šizra leaned down with a sly smile and whispered. "Now who said I was talking to you, Spike?" The claw that had been pointing to Spike's head while Šizra spoke then slowly dropped down and gently pressed onto Spike's chest. "I want your name."

What!?

Chapter 13 Cktazutušais Cktüis Atzriežas (The Prodigal Dragon Returns)

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A dragon can not escape the pull of their hoard. ~ Unknown

He must go

"Discord! Šizra! I swear if..."

He must go

"SPIKE!!!!!"

10 years later~

Twilight sighed as she eased herself into nest of blankets in front of the fireplace. Nothing beat reading a book by the fire after a long and cold winter's day and feeling a bit adventurous she decided to reach out at random and pull down whatever book her magic took.

Twilight smiled as she examined the book she grabbed. It appeared to be one she had yet to read, which was something that, contrary to popular belief (and a certain rainbow colored jokester), was not that uncommon, especially with how busy she could get and the sheer volume of books that the castle had. (During the last book-sort-cation she counted three thousand five hundred and seventy-three books besides scrolls, maps, and other miscellaneous reference materials) It was an impressive library and a far larger collection then the Golden Oak library. Although it still paled in comparison to the Canterlot Archives or The National Equestrian Library in Manehatten.

She rubbed her hooves together in excitement as she readied to open the book; she did want to be adventurous and what better than a book she had yet to read? To her surprise though, and annoyance, a photo fell out when she opened it. It really bugged her when ponies used improvised bookmarks... unapproved bookmarks could and have damaged books in the past and don't get her started on dog-earing. Twilight's magic nearly winked out from the shock of what she saw next. It was a photo of Spike laughing while flying with Smolder. It probably was the last photo that she took of Spike before... before...

Tears welled up in her eyes as the grief washed over anew. Placing the photo down she looked over at the Hearth's Warming tree, its decorations glittering in the light of the fire, a single purple and green wrapped box laid beneath it.

Nopony was sure who was the first but it had started that first Heartwarming Eve after.... after... Somepony had placed a gift wrapped in the colors of the coat and mane of one of the... victims under the Hearth's Warming Eve tree at Ponifeller Center and it had snowballed from there. Many still put gift wrapped boxes at the many memorials across Equestira but most now do what she had, placed it under under their personal Hearth's Warming Eve tree.

There were many times she thought about placing Spike memorial gift with the others but Spike was not dead... He wasn't! She had to believe that Spike survived the stabbing and was just coltnapped... She still held out hope that maybe one day Spike would escape and find his way back... but with each passing year it got harder and harder to hold on to that diminishing hope.

With an ear flick and an irritated sigh she pulled her thoughts away and back to the photo. It was a memory of a happier time and one she did not want to forget. She knew exactly what to do with the photo and went about summoning some glue, a quill, and a jar of ink and a very specific album. It was an album that was filled with photos, newspaper clippings and other mementos of Spike. It was originally started by her mother Twilight Velvet but gifted to her after she had showed her mother the root chandelier that her friends made in the map room. It was times like this that she was thankful for it.

Twilight ears flicked again, and she slowly put down the album. That was the second time that she heard running hoof steps in the hall. She was about to get up to see what was causing the commotion when an armored pegasus burst through the door.

"Ma'am!" The pegasus pony guard panted, Private Wing Blade if she recalled correctly, before giving a weak salute.

It looked like he was about to collapsed into a blubbering mess with how much he was shaking. Something that Twilight was very familiar with and sympathized with but right now he needed to focus and not panic. Lives could very well be on the line.

"Private! Remember your training!" Twilight softly ordered.

"There... is an intruder... heading towards... the map room... it attacked... and... and..." At that Wing Blade collapsed into a crying messing wailing, "I should have never left them!"

An intruder near the map room? Twilight mind raced at the implications. There was no time to waste and so she quickly teleported them to the hall just beyond the map room.

Abruptly she found herself flashing back ten years. Lining the hall were ponies both dead and dying, many with large gashes and torn limbs. The smell of burnt flesh and sulfur mixed with copper hung heavy in her nostrils. No no no no please...

Ma'am?

Not again!

"Ma'am!"

Twilight's head snapped back as the shout broke the vision. She blinked a few times as she pulled herself fully back to the present. "I'm fine." She said automatically, not wanting to worry Private Wing Blade further. As he continued to silently look her over she was tempted to reiterate that she was fine but thankfully he finally broke eye contact.

She was not fine, but she needed to focus. She had counted two earth guards slumped against the far wall, and cringed as she saw the cracks in the crystal wall behind them. The force that those two must had gone through to cause that kind of damage to the wall must have been immense. Nearby were two unicorn guards, also not moving. She could see no other guards up or down the hall, which was worrying.

Where are the rest of the guard? The detachment of guards for the castle alone was fifteen! Something of this magnitude would have had all fifteen of them responding. So where were the rest? Where they injured somewhere else in the castle or was the evening patrol taken out before the alarm could be fully sounded? Unfortunately, those questions would have to wait. She had four guards here and now that needed her.

Twilight quickly looked over the two earth pony guards, the ones mostly likely to be injured the worst. Thankfully, the enchantments on the armor seemed to have held and a quick scanning spell told her that they had no broken bones. Most likely the force of the impact had merely knocked the wind out of them. If so, they should awaken soon. As for the unicorn guards, going by the slight sulfurous smell and small coating of ash staining the base of the guards' horns it appeared that both were suffering from severe mana backlash. It wasn't quite the same as concussion caused by a blow to the head but they would still require medical treatment, more than Twilight was qualified to give. She bit her lip as she worriedly looked towards the map room, its doors ajar. The map could and had been used as a focal point for powerful and dangerous spellwork in the past. Whoever had done this was dangerous, highly skilled, and needed to be stopped before more ponies got hurt.

"Princess... Ma'am..." Wing Blade whispered as Twilight took a step towards the map room. "Please be careful."

She nodded that she would as she stealthily approached the map room. She knew she would have to be careful in case the intruder was lying in wait. Luckily, the doors were open enough to allow her to see most of the room so she could scope it out before entering.

A biped? Twilight wondered in surprise as she observed a cloaked figure standing near Rarity's throne. There weren't too many creatures in Equestria that were biped. (And more so given so many having left in the past ten years thanks to prejudicial attitudes of those like Chancellor Neighsay) Bucking bigots... Furthermore, she could tell that by the way it stood precluded a quadrupedal trying to pass off as bipedal. No wings or tail either, but both could be hidden underneath the full length cloak. Its height was somewhere between Luna and Celestia. Drat. I really could use The Complete Compendium of Equusian Creatures from my library...

Twilight gulped when she noticed the two swords strapped to its back. She hated and feared swords ever since... that day... She had to bite back a startled scream as a pair of dim glowing green eyes suddenly snapped to her. Whoever he/she was was looking straight at her. It knew she was there. Steeling herself she stepped into the map room, her horn lighting up in readiness.

As she entered she noted the creature, who turned to face her, was clothed in what appeared to be full body leather armor making it even more difficult to identify whomever she was dealing with. The only thing she could tell for sure was the creature had pawed feet, which merely precluded minotaur from the list of candidates. That still left far too many candidates. Shallowing she nervously called out. "I don't know what you are here for but I will stop you."

"T...Twi..." The tenor voice that spoke in response to her challenge was slow, raspy, and... unsure. It was like he had not spoken in a long time. Twilight's eyes narrowed slightly. Something about the voice seemed… familiar. "Twi...light?"

Who is this being?

"Twilight Sparkle?" The voice was now more assured and stronger than before and her full name brought Twilight out her speculating. She responded by slowly nodding; her mind continuing to race as the feelings of familiarity only grew along with increase confusion. She just could not recall knowing any biped like the armored creature. So why did she feel like she knew him?

"Do I know you?"

Twilight let the magic on her horn rise just a touch as the creature's answer was to raise his arms. Was he going for those swords on his back? The creature paused for a moment before slowly raising them again. She wasn't yet sure what he was doing but as long as he knew that she would not let him try anything she would let him continue. Her magic dimmed when the person grabbed the sides of his hood. Her horn then fritzed out when he threw back his hood.

"Ssspike faaate... sssseealed... buuut... wannn... want one... tooo live..."

He must go

"Discord! Šizra! I swear if..."

He must go

"SPIKE!!!!!"

The lowered hood revealed that the creature was a teenage male dragon. That itself was shocking but it was the details of his face that set her heart racing and took away her breath. Purple scales and green spines. Even though his scales and spines had darken a bit and he was standing taller than before (which would be expected) there was no mistaking who this dragon was.

"SPIKE!!!!" Twilight cried out, rushing forward and grabbing him in a hug.

She ignored the angry growling as she nuzzled into his side. Choking back sobs she leaned in more as she felt him slowly but gently returning the hug. She thought she would never see him again and here he was back, alive!

"I... I thought... thought I would never see you again." She managed to gasp out between sobs.

Twilight yelped in surprise when he suddenly pushed her away and behind him while simultaneous taking a step forward. The growling that had fallen into a rumble came roaring back and rose higher than before. She blushed in embarrassment when she saw the reason. The Captain of the Ponyville Guard, Wild Spark, who was being subtly supported by Wing Blade, standing in the fully opened doors. Clearly they must had entered when she cried out Spike’s name thinking she was in trouble. The Captain was looking wearily at Spike, his horn struggling to stay lit. Twilight frowned at this as it was never a good idea to try and use magic that quickly after a mana backlash, especially one that caused unconsciousness.

"Captain?" Twilight worriedly questioned. In her excitement over her unexpected reunion with Spike she had forgotten that Spike had attacked the guards.

"Ma'am." The captain acknowledged her while keeping his gaze locked onto the dragon. To anypony else ‘ma’am’ was just an acknowledgment of her stature but to someone in the know there were underlining questions in that word. Was she alright? Was the situation taken care of or did she need further assistance?

But apparently, something about the way the captain said that set off Spike. In a flash, Spike reached up and pulled out a sword while the captain's horn brightened, random sparks now flying off. Twilight started to panic as the standoff between dragon and guard escalated. She knew the captain was seconds, at best, from suffering another backlash, one that could permanently damage his horn or kill him.

As Twilight gazed up at Spike she had to fight back the urge to flinch back. She saw the same eyes that she saw in him the day he was coltnapped; eyes filled with murderous rage. That rage was focused straight at the two guards. Why would Spike be that angry at the guards? Yes, the guards had opposed his intrusion (She was going to need to get the full story later) but to have that level of animosity over a single word just made no sense to her. This was not like Spike at all... The guards only were trying to protect her. It was with that thought that she remembered when she first invited Owlowiscious into her home the jealous feelings that Spike had over thinking he was being replaced. Spike must had felt that the guard were trying to the same now as before his coltnapping she had no guards while Ponyville only had a few police ponies.

"Spike..." Twilight pleaded softly, gently touching the tip her wings along the arm holding the sword in an attempt to the soothe Spike. "Please calm down. It's just an attachment of the Ponyville Guard. They are here to help while you were gone. Not to replace you, never to replace."

She licked her suddenly dry lips as Spike’s only response was to clinch his free claw open and closed over and over, his other still tensed in readiness around the sword. It seemed as if he was more ready to pounce then before and she knew that if he did she would have to stop him by any means and she didn’t want to do that. Not after just getting him back after so long. Please, Spike... whatever your feeling we can work it out. You just need to calm down first before... before…

"Apologies... guard... pony..." Spike finally grounded out, sheathing the sword.

Twilight let out the breath she wasn't aware that she was holding. She would have to make Spike give a better apology (and an explanation) later. For now, as long as everyone was calmed down and remained that way she would be happy. Looking at the captain she mouthed the code words for 'situation handled' and 'debrief later.' The captain gave a slow nod and weak salute before walking out with Wing Blade still supporting the injured captain. Hopefully, she would not get too much flak from him over her (and Spike’s) actions. A guard's bruised ego was one thing; being literally bruised was completely another.

"I had... needed to know..." Spike spoke after a moment of silence.

Twilight blinked at Spike's statement. What did he mean he needed to know? Know what? She patiently waited a bit as it seemed that he was trying to figure out how to what to say, but as the tense silence grew she felt that maybe he needed a small nudge. "Needed to know what?"

"Not sure..." Spike admitted as he looked down at her before his gaze shifted upward and away. "Memories from... before... are hard... fuzzy... missing. "

Hard? Fuzzy? Missing? What... Of course! Twilight felt like facehooving. Spike must have suppressed his memories in an attempt to deal with whatever horrors Šizra subjected him to the last ten years. If she ever saw Šizra again she would... she would… But that can wait. Spike was back and, for the now, she wanted to bask in the joy of that instead of ~~veng~~- justice. Besides, she was sure there were books on memory loss/mental trauma in her library somewhere. If not, she would get them delivered as soon as possible. She would be damned if she didn’t help him in the fullest. In the meantime, she could show him some albums. With some luck they could jar his memory and, of course, help them reconnect.

Chapter 14 Šausas (Doubts)

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Request a dragon's name, receive only epitaphs ~ Unknown

Twilight awoke with a gasp and a tangle of blankets. Grumbling, she went about extracting herself only to nearly jump when a book slammed onto the floor with a loud bang. She sighed, realizing after a moment of heavy breathing that she must had fallen asleep reading. Memories of the night before came crashing down on her when she noticed that it was an album not a book. As she picked up the album she idly wondered if it wasn't memories but a dream. It had to be right? There was just no way that Spike... that Spike...

*sniff*

Something in the air smelled good, really good. The guard cooked and ate at their barracks and at the moment she had no students or other staff staying at the castle so who was cooking? Did Pinkie Pie break into the kitchen again? Not that she would complain too much... Pinkie's cooking was always the best...

When Twilight made her way into the kitchen she found herself unable to do anything but stare. Spike, still wearing his cloak and armor, was busy at the stove. No surprise there as he had always enjoyed cooking. No, it was seeing eight of her guards including Captain Wild Spark scarfing down food that shocked her. They never ever accepted food from the castle while on duty even when Pinkie Pie was cooking (something about professionalism) and to have it happen with Spike?

"Ish soo goood." Private Wing Blade moaned, looking up at her before messily diving back what looked like a bowl of oatmeal. Several of the other guards nodded in agreement.

Twilight couldn't help but giggle. It was then that it occurred to her that maybe this was Spike's way of apologizing to them, and, if so, then all the better...

A rainbow in the night...

Once again, Twilight found herself stunned, her jaw nearly dropping, as Spike started to sing. Given the way he had talked last night she was not expecting singing, and not singing this good, but the voice that was coming out of his mouth was a clean and clear tenor with a gentle vibrato.

And don't it feel right?
As we sing of bonds that bind us
An' the lights swirl around us grow
And don't you notice the warmth
That comes with the glow?

Come, see the sun rise
With a warming breeze
Oh that harmony, let it grow
Shout to the dark that we survived
Filling all hearts to the brim
So don't let it end

Spike voice faded into humming as he reached out and snatched toast as it popped up from the toaster.

The harmony grows an' grows
Filling all hearts to the brim
So don't let it end...
So don't let it end...
Never let it ever end!

"Morning, Twilight Sparkle." Spike smiled down at Twilight as he placed in front of her a stack of three pancakes, a heaping pile of scramble eggs, haybrowns followed by toast and a glass of orange juice. It looked and smelled delicious but she frowned when she noticed the rainbow jam spread on the toast.

How and where did Spike get fake zap apple jam? There wasn't a single jar of the real jam left in all of Equestria! She checked! And given there hadn't been a single zap apple harvest since... since... one couldn't make more. Furthermore, no sane business pony would sell anything that even remotely looked like it in Ponyville, not even as a joke. She idly wondered if being shaved bare and dropped into the middle of the Canterlot market with obscene tattoos would be enough to scare two particular ponies out of the scamming business once and for all, or at least never setting hoof in Ponyville again...

Twilight debated for a moment to tell Spike about the jam but decided against it. He had clearly put a lot of effort into making the food and she doubted Spike would have known that it was fake... how could he, having been gone as long as he had? So not wanting to be impolite she took one of the slices of toast and...

Impossible. She nearly choked in surprise as the flavor of the jam exploded on her tongue. It just couldn't be. Either this was the best counterfeit zap apple jam she had encountered or... Applejack! She needed taste this! In a flash she teleported to the Acres.

Twilight was really beginning to panic, as no matter where she looked, she could not find anypony and there was always somepony at the Acres. It wasn't until the forth time she pounded on the door of the Apple's home with no answer that she suddenly realized why no pony was home. Everypony must be in Ponyville at their various seasonal jobs with AJ in particular at the Ponyville Post Office helping with the increase volume of letters and packages that always occurred during the month before Hearth's Warming.

A single teleport later Twilight found AJ exactly where she had surmised, pulling a crate of packages in the sorting room of the Ponyville Post Office. "How-" Was all AJ got out before Twilight pulled her close with her magic and teleported them both back to the kitchen of the Friendship Castle.

"Sugarcube," AJ grumbled as she shook off her disorientation. "I am in the middle of my shift! Ma boss understands tha' ah might get called away to save Equestria or for the map bu-"

The rest of Applejack's protest was choked off by Twilight shoving a piece of the zap apple jam covered toast into her mouth. AJ dropped onto her hunches in stunned shock, pieces of toast falling out of her opened mouth. "It's... it's..."

"Real, I know... I thought it was fake too."

"Where did ya-" AJ started but stopped mid word as she spotted Spike. "Sugarcube, there had bettah be a good reason for a dragon tah be here."

"Uh..." Twilight blinked a few times, wondering for a moment how AJ couldn't tell that the dragon was Spike. It was quite clear to her that he was Spike. But then again, he had grown quite a bit... "Spike, do you remember Applejack?"

"Stop. Calling. Me. Spike." Spike's reaction to her question surprised her as he seethed, a bit of flame leaking out of his clenched jaw.

AJ stared at Spike for a moment before grabbing Twilight and dragging her outside the kitchen. "Pardon us a mo'."

"Sugarcube, Ah get yah, Ah really do."' AJ spoke as she pulled her stetson down onto her chest. "Ah still miss Granny and there are times that Ah... Ah understan' wha' you hope for with all mah heart but wha' if this all a lie? Wha' if this is like... like wha' was tha' dragon's name again? The one that fooled Spike into thinkin' he was his father?'

"Sludge." Twilight sullenly answered, bitterly remembering how much Spike had been hurt by that lying dragon.

"Or a changelin'?" AJ pressed, much to Twilight's growing irritation. "This could be a repeat of when Chrysalis impersonated Princess Cadance..."

"And what if Šizra messed with his head like Sombra did to the Crystal Ponies?" Twilight countered, the words that Spike spoke the night before echoing in her mind.

'Memories from... before... are hard... fuzzy... missing.'

"Then you an' Ah will do everythin' possible tah help." AJ answered as she pulled Twilight into a hug. "Ah hope, Ah really hope with all mah heart tha' Ah am wrong..."

"Now," AJ pulled back while slamming her stetson back on her head. "Ah have some questions for 'Spike' abou' that jam..."

"Ah have one question for yah." AJ said the moment they were back in the kitchen. "Where did yah get that there jam?"

"I... made it... myself." Spike answered blowing a small bit of green flame over a sapphire before crushing it onto a bowl of oatmeal and what looked like blueberry preserves.

"Yah made it yahself?"

"Yeah..." Spike muttered, rubbing the spines on the back of his head. "Was a pain in the arse..."

"Spike! Language!"

Spike glared at Twilight, growling angrily.

"Then yah must know what's wrong with mah zap apple trees!"

"I... don't know... about care of... zap apple trees! Know how make jam. Sort of..." Spike waved his hands, backing away from the now ranting farmpony, his voice becoming strained reminding Twilight of the way Spike first spoke the night before.

Sort of? She wondered. She thought it was it perfect, at least as far as she could tell. But it had been nearly ten years since she last tasted the jam, so it was possible that her recollection was a bit hazy.

"Well, at least tell me yah got some seeds!" AJ looked like she was about the shake Spike in desperation. Spike looked like he was about to bolt in a panic. "Or at least know where Ah can get some!"

"Trees belong to... Hermit Sage..." Spike's speaking had slowed down even further and was dipping down in volume to barely above a whisper. "Doubt... part... seeds..."

"Hermit Sage?" AJ questioned.

"Taught me.... past fives years... ever since..." Spike's voice then fully faded away, his eyes glazed over as if he looking at something afar off.

Twilight frowned. She could take a single guess as to what Spike was about to say. That five years ago he had somehow managed to escape whatever Tartarus Šizra had subjected him to. But why did he take so long to return home?

'Memories from... before... are hard... fuzzy... missing.'

Was the loss of memory the reason he waited five years? Was the trauma that bad?

"I knew it! I knew it!" Twilight yelped and nearly hit the ceiling from the sudden and very loud appearance of Pinkie Pie. Even after all these years she still found herself getting startled by Pinkie Pie's antics. "Itknewithadtobeyou! LastnightIfeltacombo Eyeflutter, thenearflop, thenitchyback. Arareone. Asuperduperrareone. SosuperduperrarethatIhadtolookitupinmyPinkieSenseIndex: returningfriendlongthoughtlost. SoIsaidtomyself 'Pinkiewhocouldbeareturningfriendlongthoughtlost?' Ithoughtandthoughtandrackedmypinkiebraintothelimitandonlyonepony, welldragoncametomind: Spike. Here is your 'WelcomebackhometoEquestria' partyinvitation. Castlediningroomsevenp.m. Don't be late!

Twilight blinked as her mind attempted to understand what Pinkie Pie had just said. Not only was that one of the longest Pinkie Pie single breath rants she had ever heard it was also so fast and jumbled that the only part that she was sure that she heard was at the end when Pinkie mentioned a party in the dining room at seven p.m.

"Uh oh! double pinchy knee!"

Wait, what was double pinchy knee again? Twilight wondered not even blinking as Pinkie Pie disappeared in typical Pinkie fashion: a cloud of pink powdered sugar and confetti.

However, her pondering came to a screeching halt as she saw that the guards had stiffened with Captain Wild Spark's horn softly glowing. Twilight turned to where they were staring and gasped. Spike had unsheathed his two swords and was holding them in front of him in a pose that screamed to her that he was preparing to attack. On one of the swords there was a piece of paper stuck halfway down. Spike stood stock still for a moment longer before slowly pulling off the paper and sheathing his swords once again.

"Thought she was... going assault me with cake again..." Spike muttered as he looked over what Twilight now realized must be a party invitation.

"Again?" Applejack echoed, confusion and concern etched on her face.

Twilight shook her head to rid her self of the images of an nearly impaled Pinkie and shrugged. She wasn't sure why Spike said what he said. The only thing she could think of at the moment was that Spike had just experienced a flashback of one of Pinkie Pie's many cake and cannon mix up mishaps. Thank Celestia that Cheese Sandwich wasn't as bad... most of the time...

Twilight nervously paced in the hall outside the dining room. In a few minutes Spike's Welcome Back to Equestria Party was going to begin, the sounds of conversation and music was already seeping through the closed doors. She took a few cleansing breaths, just like Cadance taught her all those years ago, and opened the doors. To her surprise though the dining room was, for Pinkie Pie at least, lightly decorated and outside her friends and their families the only ponies present were the Cakes and Scootoloo. This was not what Twilight had imagined for Spike's Welcome Back Home Party.

The conversations that had been going on stopped for a moment as she stepped into the room. As Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight her mouth seemed to form the words 'double pinchy knee.' Twilight stared back for a moment before she nearly exclaimed out loud her sudden understanding. It was as she had thought. When Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere shouting incoherently Spike had flashbacked to some traumatic experience and in his fright thought he was in a fight for his life even though he was in no real danger. Double pinchy knee meant that it was best for Pinkie Pie to 'skedaddle' until who ever she accidently scared had calmed down. It was probably why the party was toned down as well.

"Hey Twi, where's Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked her as she walked towards the back of the room where Pinkie had set up a table with snacks and punch. A sheet cake with the words 'Welcome Home Spike' written on in purple and green frosting was on the far end.

Twilight shrugged as she poured herself some punch to calm her nerves a bit more. After Applejack had returned to her job shortly after the incident with Pinkie Pie given that there wasn't a map or potential Equestria ending emergency Spike had insisted that he needed some time alone. In a way she understood, he probably was feeling overwhelmed especially after the one two that was AJ's interrogation and Pinkie Pie's verbal 'attack,' but she was unsure if it was wise. In the end she let him go wandering off alone when he promised to return for the "Welcome Back Home Party." She had not seen him since.

"Twitchy tail!"

As one, the entire room scrambled to find cover while looking up for falling objects. Twilight, herself, slid under the table along with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. It was when she looked around for the falling object that she saw Spike perched on the top of one of the columns like a stone gargoyle staring down at her, but before she could call up to ask what Spike was doing he jumped. His cape bellowed around him as he fell before landing gracefully with a three point landing. For a splint second he reminded Twilight of the comic book character Batmare.

"That... was... awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed leading Twilight to facehoof. She just knew that Rainbow would recklessly try and replicate the maneuver.

"What an exquisite cape." Rarity added with a dreamy sigh. "I must ask him where he got it."

Twilight nodded in mild agreement even though she was more interested in the leather like armor he wore. It was a bit strange to her for Spike to wear such armor much less leather armor as dragon scale was extremely tough to begin with. However, the embroidery of the fox like creature with nine tails on back of Spike's cape had piqued her interest enough for her to check The Complete Compendium of Equusian Creatures. Unfortunately, she could not find any creature listed that matched what was on the cape.

"Welcome Back Home Spike!" Everypony shouted with Pinkie Pie, of course, leading.

Spike stood stock still for a moment before he grumbled. "What is with everyone calling me 'Spike?'"

"Because it's your name silly." Pinkie Pie answered as she reached out and attempted to pull Spike towards the snack table, most likely to cut the 'Welcome Home Spike' cake.

"No, it is not Sp-" Spike growled out.

"Wwweeeeelll... I suppose we could call you Spikey-wikey, Spikey-poo, Spikey-boo," Pinkie Pie began to rattle off, obvious to the increasingly annoyed look on Spike's face, "Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious if you like to run out of breath or ink... Sparkle-warkle... Although that last one is I think an insult..."

"I am a dragon not someone's... pet!" Spike spat the last word with extreme venom that Twilight was afraid that he was going to attack Pinkie Pie. He had nearly attacked her once already, if only accidently, and she could see the building rage on the dragon's face.

"Of course not Spike-"

"FOR THE LOVE OF THE VOICE! I AM NOT, NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN SPIKE!!!" Spike roared before furiously stomping out of dining room.

"Oh dear..." Rarity muttered as Pinkie Pie's mane instantly flattened.

Twilight rubbed her eyes trying to wrap her head around the paragraph she had just read for the third time. She trying find answers to Spike's amnesia (whether trauma induced or magical in nature), the alternative was too painful to consider. That AJ was right and Spike was an imposter. Twice he had resorted to violence. First with the guards and then with Pinkie Pie morning after. And then there his volatile verbal reaction to his name at the party... All of it together was sending her mind into a spiral. Was she being led on by a barely retrained murderous dragon that that merely looked liked an aged up Spike? Or was Spike merely struggling under the weight of missing memories and trauma?

Her head began to bob as she fought the urge to fall asleep. She had to keep going! Suddenly she felt something sharp pressing against the side of her neck waking her in an instant. Her blood ran ice cold as she, without moving, looked down to see a sword pressed against the side of her neck. A sword that was burned into her nightmares.

Leafcutter!

"I strongly advise you to end this line of inquiry."

Chapter 15 Tzīve Caur Thāvi (Life Through Death)

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The butterfly mourns not the caterpillar, and the moth not the cocoon, so too the dragon mourns not the former whelp. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

"I strongly advise you to end this line of inquiry."

Twilight gulped, frozen in fear as she felt Leafcutter press against her neck. All it would take for her to lose her life was one false move on her part or one fast one on Šizra's.

"How..." She whispered, scanning as much the darkness as she could while keeping her head as still as she could.

"How am I alive?" Šizra's voice echoed out from the darkness beyond the light of the fire. Of all the times for her to read by firelight! Because of that she could not see where Šizra was lurking. And the stacks of books, which normally would bring her comfort, only heightened her rising anxiety as they deepened the shadows in ways she had not seen nor felt in years.

"I should not be," He paused as he stepped into the light. "Alive."

Twilight wasn't sure what to expect, but she still found herself a bit surprised at Šizra's appearance. He looked remarkably healthy considering how deathly he looked the last she laid eyes on him. His mane, once jet black, was now mostly silver with a few streaks of white and black and laid limply across his head and shoulders allowing his horns, which had before been covered by his mane, to easily seen. He was still thin but not as dangerously so, although she could only barely make out a rib or two as Šizra breathed. But the part that most captured her attention was his forelegs.

With the extent of his burns, Šizra's forelegs would have had to been amputated at the knee at the very least, but whatever kind of prosthetic he was wearing they had to be the most life like prosthetics she had ever seen. She had no idea where leg ended and prosthetic began. (Assuming he didn't magic them to appear lifelike) Unless... She gulped. She really hoped that it wasn't that possibility...

"Tell me..." Twilight attention snapped to a floating paper that was settling onto a short stack of books in front of her. "Do you know what this is?"

On the paper she could see a series of black thick lines made most likely in ink. The placement, orientation, and length of the lines look to her as too deliberate and too thought out to be random but she had no idea what it could mean. It was a bit more complex then old ponic runes making it more likely to be a logogram of some form. But what the logogram meant she had no clue off hoof. There might be answers in one of her books...

Twilight shallowed hard when Leafcutter suddenly shifted. It was a clear message to her that she could not remain silent. She would need to say something. "Judging by the compact lines that crisscross each other along with the swirl like mark that intersects it appears to be a logogram or glyph..." She gulped again as Šizra's eyes narrowed. No matter what I say he is going to slit my throat! "But I... I... don't... know what it means... But I'm sure there is a book here that can shed some light..."

She fought to keep herself from shaking in fear as Šizra walked past her and stood between her and the fire, the sword still pressing up against her neck. For a while he just stood staring at the fire. "Contain..." The word was so soft that Twilight almost didn't hear it over the crackling of the fire.

"Contain?" Twilight repeated, confused. That's it? Her life threatened over the word contain? Why did he ask her to identify the logogram if he already knew what it was? What was he after? "Contain what?"

Twilight heart skipped a beat as Šizra's gaze snapped to her, his red eyes glinting from the light of the fire. His head slowly tilted from one side then to the other. "Interesting..."

Suddenly Leafcutter vanished. Reflexively she rubbed the area where the sword had been pressing against. Even though the sword was no longer pressed against her neck she was under no illusion that she was now safe. She had seen how fast Šizra moved while supposedly dying.

"What did you do to him?" Twilight dared to ask, embolden, if only a little, from removal of Leafcutter.

"Who is 'him?'"

"Spike!" Twilight snapped, for a moment forgetting that it wouldn't take but a thought for Šizra to resummon Leafcutter, irritated at the smug expression he was giving her. "What did you do to Spike!?"

"I did as I said. I took him to the Reliquary of the Ancients located within the Glittering Isles."

Twilight's jaw dropped at the audacity of Šizra's claim. He didn't just take Spike to 'the Reliquary of the Ancients,' whatever that was, he dragonnapped him. And then he imprisoned him there for ten years doing who knows what to him. "Y-You... You did far more then take him on some Daring Do island adventure! He resorts to violence first when he's frighten. He has so much memory loss that he can hardly remember who he was! He-"

"On my life and by my magic I do swear that the dragon you welcomed back is not and was never Spike." Šizra swore. "Šis cktūüis thav uth theüat thav bijis Spike. But you have met him twice before. Once when Spike was overwhelmed by greed... and again the day I took Spike away."

What? Twilight could feel the start of a migraine to rival the one she got from trying to quantify Pinkie's Pinkie Sense. That made no sense! How could that not be Spike and yet have been Spike when he... And he couldn't have lied under a geas... which meant that... that... What!?

"The question isn't what I did to Spike, but what did Spike do to himself."

Twilight's eyes twitched, not liking what Šizra was implying. "Are you implying-"

"Leafcutter aizsartzīsas."

Twilight watched warily as Leafcutter reappeared again. This time floating in the air blade down in front of Šizra. It was in that moment, that she noticed the swirling along the blade was not as random as she first thought. Down the center of the blade was pattern that closely resembled a branch with leaves coming out from it. Coupled with a guard that, to her, looked like it was made haphazardly with barb wire and ruby gem in the pommel it was reminding her of a rose bush. Was that why it was called Leafcutter?! Its resemblance to a rose bush?!

"Spike was burned away five years ago in a manner not dissimilar to Cozy Glow or Tirek."

"Please..." Cozy Glow cried out, blood dripping down from where SoulSunder pierced her back

"There is nothing anyone can do for you. I suppose... except, maybe... burning your entire being... body... soul... and spirit."

"As you wish." Šizra whispered as SoulSunder flew in a wide arc slicing through Tirek, his body instantly turning to ash.

In that moment, something snapped within Twilight. A massive mana beam exploded out of her horn towards Šizra. As it hit Šizra she poured all her grief, guilt, and rage into powering up her spell even more. She was going to make him pay for all the suffering he caused.

It was nearly a full minute later before she had no choice but to let her spell sputtered to a stop. The strain to keep going too much to bear. Twilight panted hard as she waited for her eyes to adjust back to the now comparatively dark library. She had not expended mana like that in a long time. Not since her fight with Tirek, and she had four alicorn's magic flowing through her then. To her shock, through the haze of smoke and fluttering remains of books, scrolls and paper, she saw that the wall was intact if a bit singed. The force of her attack should have blasted Šizra through the wall and beyond! The shock was replaced by annoyance when she could not see Šizra anywhere. She would mourn the loss of her books later, but first...

Where the buck did he go?

A glint of a metal was all she needed before she unleashed a second wave of mana. She nearly lost control of her mana in surprise when Leafcutter spilt her attack like a hot knife through butter allow her beam to harmless flow to either side.

How?!

"You used no earthen or air mana in your shield. If you had, my sword would not had pierced it so easily."

She had not been sitting on her haunches these past ten years. She had taken what she assumed was a slip of tongue from him about her nonuse of earth and pegasi magic to heart and diligently researched and practiced how to use earth and pegasi magic at the same time for this very reason! And still the sword was hardly affected by her magic?!

How?!

"Was that an attempt to use earthen mana?" Šizra yelled over the roar of mana.

Is he enjoying this?! Twilight roared in fury as Šizra laughed. She gritted her teeth as she push even more mana through her horn while switching up the types of mana she was using. She was not going to let this... monster win again.

"Sadly, as educational as this fight may be," Šizra mused as he walked towards her, the sword still effortlessly splitting her mana beam, "there is more important information you still need to know, so sūt lierīzs."

At those last two words Twilight's spell collapsed. Her mind suddenly felt thick, her emotions muted. She knew she should be feeling panic from the collapse of her spell and the strange way she feeling, but she just could not muster much in the way of any emotion. It almost was like she was drugged. Then, just as fast as the onset, her mind snapped back into full awareness.

A torrent of blood suddenly came gushing out of Šizra's mouth. His body began to shake, his fur glistening from sweat. Twilight marveled as she watched. She had seen those very symptoms in him before... But why now? In comparison to her he had not, or at least should not have, expended as much mana. Unless... "I should not be... alive." Could the injuries that he suffered ten years ago still be effecting him now?

"The Reliquary of the Ancients..." Šizra weakly panted out, "is an archive... that houses what remains of the knowledge... and history of the world before the cataclysm. What Spike needed was that knowledge."

"You sick and twisted... He needed his family not-"

"Repeat these five words:" Šizra interrupted, his voice no longer weak and labored. "Spike."

"Repeat. It." He growled when Twilight stood mute.

"Spike."

"Uth."

"Es."

"Ir."

"Źilethe."

"Now say those five words again one after the other."

"Go on..."

"Say the words."

Twilight started to panic. She could see that the lack of speaking the words were beginning to anger Šizra, but she, for some reason, could not get the words to form. It was like her mouth was glued shut.

"SAY THEM!" Šizra roared, his face mere inches from her.

"I can't!" Twilight blabbed out reflexively.

"Of course you can't." Šizra frowned as he stepped back, no longer muzzle to muzzle with her. "Those words translates to 'Spike and I are family.' One can only speak what is true in the ancient draconian language. Your hatching of him does not make you his mother nor does a piece of paper make him family. You were never his sister; he was never your brother. You can scream to the highest heights all you want and it will never change the fact that all you ever were to him was his guardian."

Šizra turned to the side as he vomited blood a second time. Wiping the blood away he sighed heavily before strangely limping over to the fireplace, picking up a fire poker, and idly stirring the fire with it.

After a moment of stirring the fire he began to speak slowly and softly. "If only Spike's egg had been turned over to Cktüis Zuserthators Lāckta when he was first found... If only Spike had been any other dragon in the last twenty five thousand years... If only you had listened to the maps prompting... If only I had noticed sooner... So many if onlys..." Twilight tried not the roll her eyes too much. If he thought that sounding contemplative and pained was going to win her over he was sorely mistaken. Maybe if he had tried this ten years ago before he dragonnapped Spike and before he used SoulSunder against Cozy Glow and Tirek. "The cataclysm was catastrophic... it wiped out over seventy percent of all life... and changed those that survived... It broke a fundamental... aspect of dragons that degraded them... into the near feral barbarians that Equestria knows today... The Choosing."

"'The Choosing?' To choose what?"

For the second time that night Twilight had the distinctive feeling that she was under intense scrutiny as Šizra stared at her for a long moment before speaking. "A name."

Twilight blinked. He dragonapped Spike so he could pick "A name?! You tore him from those he loves over a name!?"

Šizra growled, dark, black sparks flowing from around his duel horns and towards the library door. "I tire of this... obstinance. If you ever hope to regain what little is left I suggest you learn to listen."

Twilight gritted her teeth as she resisted the urge to snap a snide comeback. She was 'listening' but Šizra seemed to take sick pleasure in either explaining in the most convoluted and incoherent way possible or expect her to take leaps of logic that not even Pinkie at her zaniest would! She could not believe that she would ever think this, but Discord at his worst could teach better! But as she watched Šizra limp towards the now open library door she couldn't let him leave without at giving least a token defiant remark. "I hope you rot in the deepest pit of Tartarus for all eternity."

"Hmph." Šizra grunted, looking at her over his shoulder. "I doubt you can even open the second gate much less all seven." And with that he vanished into the shadows of the hallway beyond.

Twilight eyed the darkness for a bit longer, watching to see if Šizra had truly left or not. After a moment of nothing she collapsed to the floor shaking and crying, emotionally spent. The adrenaline that had kept her going through the encounter thoroughly spent.

Chapter 16 Tholiezuls (Denial)

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A dragon hurts with truths, A wyrm kills with lies ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

He bit back a growl as he silently slid into the room with the round table and the chandelier made from a tree's root. He wasn't yet sure why but something keep drawing him to this room.

"Feeling better protégé?"

With a sigh and the roll of of eyes Not-Spike looked up to see the Hermit Sage smiling down at him from the chandelier. Of course he would be up there. After all, one of the Hermit Sage's favorite places to lounge was high up the comparatively thin branches near the top of the mammoth crystal tree that grew within the Glittering Isles.

"These damn flash... backs... no... flash memories? Are a fucking nuisance!"

"That's most likely because Spike had very strong personal memories of this place." The Hermit Sage sighed as he explained, "The remnants of Spike's memories will likely continue to be triggered along with the headaches until your mind fully processes that those memories are Spike's not yours. But you knew all of this, and yet, you still insisted on returning now."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Not-Spike waved off the Hermit Sage. The sage had said all of this before, but that still didn't stop his irritation over it. Between the headaches and the feeling that he was forgetting something important when one of Spike's memory was triggered it was making it very difficult to think. "Right now I just want to go to the fucking past and fucking punch past me in the fucking stomach for scoffing and saying that 'It will be fine. The headaches will be future me's problem.' I am future me!"

Not-Spike sigh as he slide a claw over one of the chair tops. "But the pull..."

"...was getting too strong." The Hermit Sage finished for Not-Spike. "I know."

"Doesn't help that everyone keeps calling me Spike." Not-Spike growled, crossing his arms. "And don't get me started on some of those names that the Pink De-Pinkie Pie said. Spikey-Wikey. No self-respecting dragon would ever allow themselves to be call by a name like that."

"Hmm... I didn't catch that interaction..."

Not-Spike turned his head towards the Hermit Sage and stared.

The sage huffed in response, shaking his head. "This is not the Glittering Isles and you're no dragon hatchling fresh out of his egg."

Not-Spike raised a single eyebrow followed by a second. That was a bunch of rockshit and they both knew it. He knew from personal experience that the Hermit Sage was able to keep a very close eye on him even from half way across the ocean. Somehow, the bastard knew about every little barely muttered curse he made during the six months he was learning to be a seafarer on The Kraken's Belch. All while 'supposedly' deep within some unnamed jungle thousands of leagues away.

"I had a question for Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola and was attempting to locate him." As if to explain the Hermit Sage gestured to a scroll on the crystal table. Not-Spike had noticed it before but thought nothing of it. Now, however, he was very curious. What possible question could the sage have for Discord that would distract him so?

Not-Spike hand snapped back from the scroll as his whole body shivered in fear. Written on the scroll was a rune, a true rune. And this particular rune was one he had specifically seen in quite a few places on the Glittering Isles. But that was all he knew, all he dared to know. The Hermit Sage refused to teach him anything about them other than to not mess with them. Like at all. And he meant it. The warning, the only warning, the sage gave him was... intense. If that became the only time Not-Spike would be on the receiving end of the Hermit Sage's legendary fury then it would be one time too many.

In an attempt to get his racing mind and heart off of the rune he forced himself to look elsewhere and his gaze landed on one of the gems that hung from chandelier near the Hermit Sage. Projected on the gem was a scene of Twilight passed out in front of a fireplace with scattering of books and scrolls around her. It was a familiar sight, double if the sudden flash that were pounding stakes into his head were any indication.

"She has been at it since shortly after you stormed out of the party."

"FOR THE LOVE OF THE VOICE! I AM NOT, NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN SPIKE!!!"

Not-Spike groaned. He had a feeling his headaches was only going to get worse. Which came true as he noted the titles of some of the books that surrounded Twilight.

Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control

Deprogramming: How to

A Guide to Mental Thaumaturgy

"What the fuck!?" Not-Spike cursed, "I am not brainwashed!"

"No, no you’re not." The Hermit Sage nodded in agreement. "Far from it. But thanks to the severing of The Voice what was once known, normal, and eagerly expected for every young dragon twenty five thousand years ago quickly became but a memory faded into myth and legend. By the time Cktüis Zuserthators Lāckta took up the Bloodstone Spector only I retained any knowledge of what was lost."

"Thus," The sage gestured back to Twilight. "Twilight is unaware that you are merely a product of the natural lifecycle that all dragons go through... Of course if that wyrm Celestia had done right.... or If I noticed sooner... but, that is neither here or now..."

Fuck. Not-Spike cursed again as he saw the look that came over the sage. It was clear that the sage suddenly had a thought and Not-Spike just knew he was going to be the one stuck cleaning up the mess afterwards.

Not-Spike grumbled as he watched The Hermit Sage resummoned Leafcutter through the scrying spell that the sage had left running. What are you up to Hermit Sage?

Spike was burned away five years ago in a manner not dissimilar to Cozy Glow or Tirek.

A look of stunned shocked crossed Twilight face followed quickly by grief and despair before finally morphing into rage. Not-Spike slammed his eyes shut as Twilight's mana beam painfully overwhelmed his eyes and the scrying spell. The scrying spell then, unsurprisingly, quickly collapsed from the strain leaving Not-Spike with no way of knowing what was going on, though he could guess.

"Fuck! Damn it! That piece of sh-" Not-Spike choked in rage before he continued to curse the Hermit Sage in every language he knew. This was exactly what he was afraid of. He was having enough troubles trying to understand his feelings and the Hermit Sage's antagonism towards Twilight was not helping! He didn't know which was more painful the flashes of Spike's memories or the Hermit Sage!

Why me?

Not-Spike stopped pacing and frowned as the Hermit Sage reentered the chandelier room. The rant that he had been practicing died as he saw the sage. Something was terribly wrong with him, far more then the limp and stain of blood down his front would indicate. The sage looked thinner, far thinner then he did mere moments ago. "Hermit Sage?"

The Hermit Sage sighed, his gaze turning away, a clawed paw lightly brushing the crystal table. "The methods that were keeping me alive are no longer viable. I have a week or two left, at best. Maybe if Lady Araneae were still alive..."

"What!?" Not-Spike nearly shouted in shock. A week or two left?! He knew that the sage was in poor health but to be dying?! And with Not-Spike being the only dragon that could even hear The Voice that would mean... "No, no, no, no!! You can't be dying now! I can't fucking be CktüisLežothīzs! I barely understand what it means to be dragon-"

"Sūt lierīzs!" The Hermit Sage ordered, instantly quelling the panic Not-Spike was experiencing, "I do not believe that you are to be the next CktüisLežothīzs. If I thought that, I would have trained you in the Staizāt tho CktüisSirts. But as your mentor, I still have a responsibility to you. I would be remiss to not make sure you are in the best position possible... even if it means my final days are to be far from home..."

Not Spike blinked, shocked that the Hermit Sage would leave his hoard knowing that he would not live to see it again. And why him? The sage was CktüisLežothīzs surely the other dragons needed his help more than him. "But what of DragonLord Ember and the other dragons?"

"Too soon to say. I suspect that it won't be known until the next generation is conceived, hatched, and molted..."'

Not-Spike licked his lips nervously as he reached out to knock on Twilight's bedroom door. After what happened the night before he was not sure what shape Twilight was going to be in. He knew she was physically fine, emotionally was another matter altogether. He bit back a chuckle as he heard a muffled gasp followed by a muted thunk in response to his knocking. He smirked as he saw one of the guards bite his lip. Must be a common occurrence. He schooled his face when he heard the faint sounds of hooves approaching the door.

He could not help but cringe when Twilight opened the door. Her mane was a knotted mess, huge bags were under her blood shot eyes, and she was swaying a bit. She looked like a complete mess. For a moment he debated on whether he should let her sleep more or not.

"Shpike?" She slurred, "Ish it mornin'?"

"I thought you might want some tea..." Not-Spike said, gesturing to the teapot on the tea cart beside him while barely biting back a growl at the usage of Spike. For now he would chalk the slip up to having just been roused from a deep sleep and her not being fully awake yet.

"Tea?" Twilight echoed, blinking. "Yes... Tea sounds good..."

Not-Spike raised an eyebrow but followed her into her room and to a small table next to a telescope. He paused as Twilight plopped down on a cushion with a groan, once again wondering if it would be better to let Twilight sleep some more. He only relented when he saw a second cushion floating down onto floor across from her. He quickly placed the teapot along with two cups and the covered cloche on the table and sat down.

"Lavender mint tea with just a touch of lemon zest." Not-Spike explained as he poured Twilight a cup of tea before lifting the cloche off of the tray of food he had prepared. "I also made you some scramble eggs and toast if you are hungry."

Not-Spike waited patiently as Twilight sipped her tea and slowly chewed on a piece of toast. He was in no hurry so he waited to speak again only after he poured her a second cup of tea. "Do you want to talk about last night?"

Twilight gulped and shakily put down the tea she was about to sip. "So it wasn't a nightmare that Luna missed..."

"Yeah... the Hermit Sage may be the smartest and wisest being on the planet but his ability to explain anything is sometimes..." Not-Spike sighed, rubbing his spines. "Well, its like if you ask him for the recipe for his world famous gemstone crumble because you must have the recipe. You need to know the recipe!"

"But then... he doesn't really give you the recipe. Sure, he starts off by giving you the ingredients and then the first three steps, but, without missing a beat, he'll skip the next six. And, all of a sudden, he says something that seems completely unrelated to making gemstone crumble but what you don't know is that he is answering an unasked question that was related to one of the missed steps. Of course, you never asked said question asked because, again you didn't even know he skipped said steps! And so you get confused and ask about the answer trying to figure out what he's talking about which only makes him irritated... and an irritated Hermit Sage is... dangerous for one's health."

Not-Spike huffed as he traced a claw around his cooling tea. "Half the time I don't think he realizing he's doing that and he gets worse the more... agitated he gets. It's not uncommon for me to have to go see Index after the fact to fill in any blanks..."

"Index?"

"Index is a..." Not-Spike paused as it dawned on him. He had still no idea what Index was. He had tried asking both Index and the Hermit Sage but neither one could give him an explanation that made any sense. "You know, I'm not actually sure what Index is... Some sort of magical construct. It's avatar usually takes the form of a crystalline fox."

"The cape..." Twilight muttered rubbing a hoof under her chin.

Not-Spike nodded as he blew a bit of his flame over his tea to warm it back up. No need to let good tea go to waste.

"But why?" Twilight asked after some time.

"Why what?"

"Why are you defending Šizra? He wasn't trying to teach me a recipe! He took sick pleasure in, in... in saying that Spike was dead and was never family. He was- is my brother! I hatched him! My parents adopted him not caring that... that..."

Not-Spike rubbed his head spines, not sure what to say to the now hysterical pony. "I... Uh..."

Ssssaaayy ttttooooo hhhiimmmm....

"Tu..."

"Esi..."

"Izvēlēts..."

"Sūt..."

"CktüisLežothīzs..."

Not-Spike breathed out as he relived the memory the day of his choosing. How could he explain to Twilight that he heard a bunch of his ancestors speaking to him in his mind? And that he saw something in the Hermit Sage that gave him pause when he spoke those words to him. In the end, all he could say was, "It's complicated."

"It's... it's complicated!?" Twilight choked out, "He foal-dragonnapped you and then kept you imprisoned pony knows where for ten years!"

"I wasn't dragonnapped and I wasn't imprisoned." Not-Spike pinched his brow. If anything Spike was the one who imprisoned me... "I was free to come and go as I pleased."

But that only seemed to agitate Twilight further, who jumped up and started pacing. "He's only making you think that! He's done something to you that makes you believe that you are not Spike. He tortured or used a brainwashing spell of some sort!"

"Twilight!" Not-Spike shouted, snapping his claws to get Twilight to pay attention to him for a second. "He geased himself and used Ancient Draconian! I am not-"

"I don't know how, but he must have found a way to be able lie while geased!" Twilight ranted, gesturing her hooves wildly before resuming her pacing, "You are Spike! How else would you know about Pinkie Pie assaulting you with cake? Or that I like a little bit of lemon zest in my lavender mint tea and that I brew that blend specifically whenever I've had a stressful night?! How could you know unless you are him?"

Not-Spike blinked, hard. What!? The Hermit Sage swore not only using a geas but with Ancient Draconian. He could maybe get her not understanding that one cannot lie while speaking Ancient Draconian but clearly she understood that one could not lie while under a geas. How could she still say that he is Spike? "Twi-"

Twilight spun around and pointed a hoof at the increasing annoyed dragon. "You said to me your memories were hard... fuzzy... missing. Memory lose is a classic symptom of trauma! Not to mention Pinkie Pie's double pinchy knee! She only gets that when somebody is about to suffer a traumatic flashback!"

In that moment the pull shifted in Not-Spike. He could understand her animosity towards the Hermit Sage. He could be an outright smug bastard at the best of times. At worst, which was often, his ire could make a business that only sold diapers and coffins a dragon's hoard amount of money. Few could stand being around him for any length of time. But this obsession over him being 'Spike' was starting to truly anger him. What was it going to take to get her to understand he is not and was never Spike? And would it even be worth the hassle?

But before he could voice his frustrations, he noticed the markings on Twilight's flank flashing rhythmically. He couldn't remember everything the sage told him about ponies but he was sure that whatever was happening was not typical.

"Why is your..." What's the word again? Not-Spike paused trying to remember the right word, his headache spiking a bit as several memories overlapped. "Cute mark glowing?"

Chapter 17 Velciet uz Zieleļiel (The Pull North)

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A dragon always knows where their hoard lies. ~ Unknown

Twilight stared at the map as her cutiemark spiraled around the Crystal Empire. She should be ecstatic getting a friendship map quest especially after not personally getting one in ten years but the timing was too suspicious. And considering what Šizra did to the elements the last time he may very well have done something to the map or used a glamor spell like Discord had done that one time. If it was a fake a map summons like with Discord before she would just need to find the right spell to dispel it. And if not...

"Well are you going to listen to the map this time?"

Twilight breath hitched before she slowly looked up. A cloaked figure that she knew could only be Šizra was lounging Rainbow Dash style on one of the lateral roots of the chandelier, a pair of glowing red eyes staring straight down at her from within the shadowy hood. She flashed back as the figure suddenly jumped down, slamming hard onto the map. She breathed through her teeth as the map fizzled out for a second at the impact. It still, on occasion, would glitch out from all the damage inflicted on it by Starlight and the last time Šizra smashed onto it.

"Hmm... The Crystal Empire?" Šizra muttered as he wildly gestured with his forelegs.

To Twilight's shock, the map suddenly shifted with the Empire growing in size until only it could be seen on the map, the Crystal Spire comically stabbing through and then rising high above Šizra. She could only stare with a dropped jaw as Šizra stomped around the map's depiction of the Empire. The map can be zoomed in!? What else did she not know?

"I see no black crystals. Good. So," Šizra nodded as he laid down on the map, crossing his forelegs, "that leaves my original question. Are you going to listen to the map this time?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes as she looked up to see her cutiemark still circling high above the Empire. Once again Šizra had done something that she did not know was possible. It brought to mind the debates about Šizra and his role in creating the Elements and thus the tree, castle, and map that occurred both after he 'killed' Cozy Glow and after he fled with Spike. A small part of her, as much as she was loath to admit it, knew there was a small chance that the map's quest was real. Either way she could not ignore his sudden interest with the Crystal Empire. It was one of only a few places that managed to escape the death and destruction Šizra had wrought upon Equestria ten years ago.

She sighed, she really could use the Princesses right now. And not just for their advice for the possible map quest, but for Spike and stopping Šizra imminent rampage. She just hoped that things would go better this time as the last time they faced off Šizra, he, while gravelly injured, nearly killed Celestia before dragonnapping Spike. And while she knew that she had no hope of stopping Šizra on her own, she could not stand by idly and leave his evil unopposed.

"It's not like I have a choice." She finally admitted.

"With an attitude like that no wonder the map has not called you these past ten years."

Twilight couldn't help to let out a stunned, "How..."

"No, I will not-" Šizra began before stopping mid-sentence to stare at something behind Twilight. When she turned to see what got his attention all she saw was Spike idly running a claw around the edge of the map. "Protégé what is it?"

"I..." Spike sighed, his claw pausing for a moment before continuing its tracing, "I'm not sure..."

"Did the pull shift?"

Pull? Twilight wondered. But Spike said nothing else as he pulled his hands away from the map a deep frown beginning to form across his face.

"Spike wha-"

"Stop calling him/me Spike." Šizra and Spike growled in unison.

"You have been told through a geas and Ancient Draconian that he is not Spike." Šizra added, his red eyes glowing brighter. "If you want to continue in your foalish denial do it away from my protégé and I."

He is not your protégé, he is my brother!

Twilight's frown deepened as she stepped off the train and onto the Crystal Empire train platform right behind Spike and Šizra. When she had managed to surreptitiously send a message to Celestia and Luna to warn them of Šizra's return and where he was heading she had hoped for at least some response. But so far nothing. No scroll, the train trip was uneventful, and as she looked around everything so far appeared to be normal, peaceful even. It was as if the Empire didn't know that the worst villain that Equestria ever faced had just stepped off the train.

Where were the large gathering of guards ready to try and intercept them? Not a single nervous pony was trotting quickly away from them. And what few looks she did notice all seemed to be merely unconcerned or friendly. Did Šizra somehow know and intercept her missive? If true, the Empire was in even greater danger than before.

As they slowly made their way towards the Crystal Spire she made out a scattering of mutters mostly of 'great and honorable' or 'brave and glorious' whenever a crystal pony noticed Spike. It warmed her heart to know that even with all that happened the ponies Crystal Empire were still steadfast in their love for Spike. But as they made their way further into the Empire and closer to the Heart the more that warmth was replaced by nervousness. She did see a few guards patrolling but none of them even gave them more then a second's glance.

They were near the statue of Spike holding the Crystal Heart before when they were finally approached. "Is it really you Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious?" A random crystal mare asked Spike, a look of worshipful hope in her eyes.

"Great and Honorable? "Spike snorted before holding his sides as he visibly struggled against laughter, "The Brave and Glorious? Bwpththahaaaaaaahaaa..."

Twilight nearly fell onto her haunches, slack-jawed as Spike laughed over the title given to him by the crystal ponies. The crystal pony mare mouth moved several times as if she was trying to say something else only to shut it a moment later without speaking. Blinking and shaking the mare turned and trotted away without another word.

"Why did that pony refer to Spike in terms right out of a costumed super hero comic?" Spike asked after a few moments, his laughter having faded away.

Twilight was torn between sorrow and anger. Will the depths of Šizra's depravity have no end? Saving the Empire was one Spike's proudest moments, though there was times she wished he would not used that fact to to stroke his ego to not remember was heartbreaking.

"Interesting..." Šizra suddenly muttered.

"Ah, shit..." Spike facepalmed.

Twilight opened her mouth to scold him for cursing but stopped. Šizra was staring down the statue of Spike, his head tilting from one side to the other. Why would he... Then it hit her like a javelin and her blood went as cold as the Frozen North. The Crystal Heart! Twilight felt like cursing along with Spike. Šizra had already destroyed Spike mentally and what better way to stab the metaphorical knife into the heart even further by destroying what was Spike's greatest achievement?

This was bad, very bad, because with the Crystal Heart being the lynchpin of the Empire's defense against the Frozen North if Šizra did something to it thousands of lives would be in immediate mortal danger! And worse still, if Celestia and Luna were truly not here, than they had no hope in excavating the Empire before everypony would freeze to death. She had to find some way of stopping Šizra before...

"Sir, you are free to admire The Crystal Heart, but I must ask you back way at least three hooves."

Twilight head snapped towards the Crystal Heart and nearly collapsed in despair. Šizra had already made his way to the Heart while she stood frozen in fear. As Šizra slowly turned his attention towards the guard that spoke Twilight rushed over preparing her horn as she did. She knew she would not be able to hold out long against Šizra, but as he had yet to summon Leafcutter she might have a chance. If she timed it just right she just might be able bubble the heart and the two guards while shoving them away all before Šizra could react. She would then have to flee in hopes of finding Shining Armor. His shields were, thanks to his special talent, much stronger then hers by several magnitudes and if they worked together maybe they could hold out long enough to...

"I need to speak to your leader." Twilight nearly tripped as she scrambled to a stop in utter disbelief. There was no way that Šizra needed to just speak to Cadance.

"Her royal highness is currently holding an open court for the next two hours."

"Let me me rephrase." Šizra grumbled his eyes rolling. "Your masquerade leader needs to speak to me. Right. Now."

Twilight blinked. Masquerade leader?! What?

"Sir, all Heart guards must wear..."

"Yes, yes, I understand, but I wonder what the citizens will think if they knew what was under that armor."

"Sir, threatening to remove a guard's..."

"Just pass the message along." Šizra growled out, interrupting the guard as he walked away.

Twilight sighed, rubbing a hoof over her face before she rushed to catch up, allowing her horn to dim only a bit. Diseaster was avert this time but she would need to remain ready. To her relief though, just as she managed to reach Spike and Šizra, Shining Armor trotted out of the entrance to the Crystal Spire.

"Shining Armor!" She huffed out in greeting rushing to hug him. (And to give him a quiet warning that she hoped that Šizra would not hear.)

"Twily! What a surprise! I thought that..." Shining Armor suddenly stopped and tensed up. Twilight pulled back from her hug and saw her brother's stunned face. She looked back to see that Spike was watching them with a lopsided grin. "Spike?!"

Twilight cringed as, like every other time, the use of the name 'Spike' only made Spike angry. His claws twitching ever so slightly as he growled angrily. Twilight sighed as she pulled away from her brother. Things went from bad to worse when Shining Armor then noticed that Šizra was standing next to Spike.

"Guards!" Twilight gulped as Shining shouted, mana building on his horn. A ring of crystal guards quickly formed around them. Was this going to be the moment that she dreaded? "Twily, Spike get away from-"

"Athulēt."

The moment Šizra spoke that word she felt the mana on her horn fade out. Buck... Twilight inwardly cursed when she saw that Shining Armor's and several of the guard's horns also went dark. Worse Spike had unsheathed his swords and was pointing them towards the guards.

"What..."

"He suppressed the movement of mana."

Everypony turned to face to Spike. "What?" He shrugged with a slight smirk seemingly not caring about the glare coming from Šizra. "It's not like its going to matter in two weeks time."

Twilight blinked at the non-sequitur. What's not going to matter in two weeks time? Was that when Šizra going to make his move? Also is he trying to set off Šizra?! Šizra stared at Spike for a moment longer before shaking his head.

"Twily?" Shining questioned, keeping his eyes locked on Šizra.

Twilight's mouth went dry. Once again she felt like she was in a position of no choice. Over and Over Šizra was proving that nothing would stop him. And while she knew before Spike's revelation that 'athulēt' affected magic in ponies in a similar manner to when Tirek (or Starlight for that matter) stole ponies' magic, knowing that 'athulēt' specifically suppressed the movement of mana was not enough. It would still take time and research to find a specific counter.

"Twily?" Shining Armor questioned again.

"Everything's fine." Twilight shakily tried to reassure Shining. "Šizra just needs to speak with Princess Cadance."

She gulped as Shining Armor finally turned his gaze towards her, his frown deepening. He looked at her for a moment longer before finally sighing. "Twily, are you sure?"

Šizra hmphed as he rolled his eyes. "I'm not some barbaric warlord here to murder, rape, and pillage." Oddly turning away from Shining he added, "Stop stalling and take me to your leader."

"Can we just please go inside." Spike whined. "It's fucking cold out here."

Twilight facehoofed at Spike's cursing, although she too was starting to feel a bit chilled and would not be against going inside and relaxing in front of cozy fire with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. But as long as Šizra was here she knew she could not relax, nopony could.

"Fine." Shining grumbled, signaling to the guard to disperse. "I will have the court cleared so we can talk without causing undue panic among the crystal ponies."

A few of the guards eyed Shining but quickly followed the rest when he nodded. Twilight breathed out heavily as Spike finally sheathed his swords. She had worried for a moment there that the other pony shoe was finally about to drop with Šizra escalating into using deadly force.

Twilight struggled to quell her ever rising panic as they silently made their way up to the throne room. What would be Šizra's true demands? He never just wanted to talk. So what was his real goal, and how many lives would be destroyed for it? She nearly broke down just before they entered the throne room. It was only when she saw Princess Cadance on her throne smiling while speaking to Captain of the Crystal Guard Lancer that she managed to break through her panic.

"Ca-Cadance!" Twilight sputtered out rushing forward. She nearly cried out in relief as Cadance gave her a hug.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Twilight sighed as she felt some of the tension leave her body at the completion of her and Cadance's special greeting.

"That is one strange pony courtship ritual." Spike remarked, grinning wildly.

Twilight face heated up as she scrambled away from Cadance sputtering incoherently, unable to get a single word out in denial. Not helping was Shining Armor who was failing at hiding his own laughter behind a shaking hoof. Out of her eye she could even see a slight smirk on Captain Lancer face. Thankfully, the throne room was empty other than them and the doors were mercifully closed so that nopony else could witness her embarrassment. The only one not reacting was Šizra who seemed to not even be paying attention.

"Interesting..." With that word once again coming from Šizra Twilight's embarrassment was forgotten replaced by the sensation of her stomach plummeting.

When she looked to see what had gotten his attention this time she saw Šizra staring at Captain Lancer. The Captain, in turn, was glaring back at Šizra, his horn brightly lit. Oh no. Lancer may be nearly as strong as Shining Armor but Twilight knew that meant nothing against an opponent like Šizra. Šizra had managed to stop both herself and Shining Armor with a single word. And she knew that Lancer was one to not hold back when angered and he looked angry. And worse still, she doubted that he would let a 'little' thing like the loss of his mana stop him.

"I can clearly see you are not hers, and last I knew, hers were the only ones anywhere near these lands."

'Her?' Twilight inwardly wondered, her concern momentarily gone as she attempted to parse out Šizra's strange statement. At first, she thought was that the 'her' was a slight against Princess Celestia, but the entirety of his statement gave her pause to that hypothesis. Who was the her he was referring to? And why did it sound as if Šizra was implying that Lancer wasn't native? Because, even though unicorn crystal ponies were rare thanks to Sombra's purges, they were still native to the Crystal Empire.

"Hey, don't look at me." Spike said, waving Twilight off when she glanced at him hoping that maybe he knew what Šizra was on about. "I need Index to help me understand him, remember?"

"Also," Šizra continued as if Spike hadn't said anything, "when I said I wanted to see your leader I did not mean the rulers of the Crystal Empire."

Twilight started to chew on her lip as Captain Lancer's only response was to silently narrow his eyes further. She started to taste copper as Šizra suddenly pointed a claw at Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in turn.

"Why am I detecting only fear from you two and not confusion?"

Maybe because you are the worst villain Equestria has ever faced. Twilight thought, switching from chewing her lip to gritting her teeth as Šizra shifted his focus back and forth between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor several times before returning his gaze to Captain Lancer.

Suddenly Šizra's eyes went wide as he said. "They know. Don't they?"

Twilight didn't think her heart could take anymore as she felt her blood once again freeze in her veins. Whatever Šizra had figured out could only mean disaster for the Crystal Empire. She would need to stop Šizra from speaking the word athulēt else they had no chance. Not that they ever seemed to have a chance. Every time they faced off against him he managed to, almost without effort, emerge victorious. But he had to have a weakness. Everypony and everything had at least one. She just could not stand to once again be unable to stop him from causing so much death and destruction.

But before she could enact anything an unknown voice spoke nearly causing her to jump in surprise. "Stand down captain."

When she turned around her jaw nearly dropped as standing behind them was an unremarkable light blue grey crystal earth stallion with a turquoise mane band. What could a crystal earth pony do against Šizra?! Also, why did the pony seem so familiar to her?

Wait, how did an crystal earth pony enter the Crystal Spire throne room without anypony noticing!?

Chapter 18 Vethtizo Aicithājuls (Call of the Windigo)

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One can learn much from a dragon's roar if one knows what to listen for. ~ Unknown

Šizra fought to keep from grumbling in irritation at the foalish greeting the two mares were engaged in. At least the delay gave him a moment of relative peace to recover a bit more. The use of athulēt had disrupted several spells that he was using to help him move his nigh on unresponsive legs. Thankfully with him wearing his cloak no one could see how stiffly he was moving, yet. It would only be a matter of time before his protégé would notice.

His gaze and attention quickly locked onto the guard that was standing at attention near the throne. There was shimmering haze around him indicative of a changeling but he could see no radiating lines. Given the size of the haze the changeling was most likely a praetorian guard. Šizra carefully and surreptitiously scanned the room further but could see no other changelings. That didn't mean much given the limitations of the leeching spell he was using, all the windows, and the changelings ability to communicate through their hive mind.

"Interesting..." Šizra muttered when he adjusted the spell, hoping to get a better look at the changeling. As far as he was aware, Chrysalis' hive was the only hive on this continent, and while he could not fully see past the disguise he could at least see that the changeling was not from Chrysalis' hive. This was unexpected, as between Chrysalis' egomania and the low emotional yield Equestria had, neither would allow a second hive to survive. Although with the return of the Crystal Empire that may have changed.

"I can clearly see you are not hers, and last I knew, hers were the only ones anywhere near these lands."

Šizra watched as the guard switched from making a show to actually gathering mana to his horn. It was not surprising as changelings did not like their masquerade publicly broken and he was really close to doing that very thing. Unfortunately, he still needed to warn this hive as the potential emotional output of the Crystal Heart, if activated, far exceeded lethal levels. And if the Heart ever did detect a threat best case scenario was the Heart flinging the hive out of the Empire worst it would burn them to all ash...

"Hey, don't look at me. I need Index to help me understand him, remember?" Not-Spike muttered.

"Also," Šizra continued, ignoring his protégé's comment, "when I said I wanted to see your leader I did not mean the ruler of the Crystal Empire."

He was not surprised when the changeling guard reacted with deepening fear and anger, but the reactions from Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were, however, unexpected. He had earlier noticed the spikes of confusion from both Twilight and his protégé at his use of doublespeak, but not from those two, they had remained steadfastly fearful. Why?

"Why... am I detecting only fear from you two and not confusion?" Šizra questioned as he pointed towards the two in turn. When fear became fully visible for just a moment suddenly he understood. His eyes widen in shock as he realized that they knew about the hive. What?! That made no sense to him. This was contrary to typical changeling hive behavior, either they went full masquerade or not at all. "They know. Don't they?"

And with those words a ripple passed through the aura of the changeling. Sadly Šizra could feel the backlash starting from his earlier use of athulēt so he would not have to strength to safely hack into the hivemind to confirm his suspicion. If he was not mistake the guard had just issued a flee order. After all, it was standard changeling procedure for when their masquerade was threatened. Although, given that this hive was already bucking normal hive conventions, what he saw may have meant anything or nothing.

"Stand down captain." A voice behind them spoke. Šizra's eyebrow lifted slightly as the praetorian changeling guard facehoofed while muttering a barely audible curse along with the words 'idiot brother.'

Šizra nearly stumbled as he attempted to turn when one of his legs was slower to respond than he expected. He flashed a glare to his protégé who has giving him a look of concern. With any luck, his protégé would keep quiet until they had a private moment. Shifting his gaze fully to the matter at hand Šizra saw another disguised changeling standing only a few hooves away. This changeling had more then just a haze that surrounded him there was also hazy threads that went out in all directions. Here was the royal changeling of the hive that he needed to speak with.

He watched passively as a shell of green mana enveloped the stallion momentarily as the changeling shifted out of his disguise.

Interesting...

The revealed form of the changeling confirmed Šizra's earlier summation. This hive was different from Chrysalis'. And if his mandible like antlers were anything to go by, this hive's changeling base form seemed to be based after stag beetles. Also bit more colorful than normal for changelings, but it would make them a bit less threatening to the equally colorful ponies. As long as one ignore the massive scars. The changeling had been gravely injured at some point in the past as half of his left mandible was sheared clean off along with the entirety of his left ear while a massive jagged scar ran down the right side of his head from the top of his head through his blind, right eye before finally ending near the changeling's shoulder.

"Thorax! What?! Where?! How!? I thought... The hive was... Your mandible! Your eye!" Twilight shouted, her mane frizzing more and more as she struggled to get a full sentence out. "What happened!?"

"Equestrians."

"Pharynx!" 'Thorax' scolded hotly before his countenance fell with a sigh. "Now is not the time..."

"Of course not!" Pharynx snapped back. "You should be fleeing with the rest of the hive!"

Thorax rubbed a hoof over his forehead before gesturing wildly with the same hoof. "And flee to where, Pharynx?"

While Šizra was pleased that his hunch was correct and that, in a small way, the breaking of the masquerade was facilitating the hive's leaving he needed to make to press the importance onto the Hive Leader that his hive needed to leave the Empire for their safety. "Your praetorian guard, Hive Leader Thorax, is right, your hive is in danger and needs to leave the Empire."

Both changelings turned to stare at Šizra.

"And just who the buck are you?" Pharynx demanded, his eyes narrowing menacingly.

"I am known as Šizra."

"Wait. 'Šizra?'" Thorax questioned, his single seeing eye widening in fear. "As in the Šizra who is wanted in both the Crystal Empire and Equestria for crimes including orchestrating the dragon rampage on Equestria and the coltnapping of Spike?"

"Ended, not orchestrated." Šizra corrected, huffing a bit at Twilight's loud scoff. "And as for Spike, if I had not 'coltnapped' him both Spike and my protégé would be dead. I had to make a choice. The future of all dragonkind or its deepening twilight. Between one life or two. Spike or both Spike and my protégé. "

"Between Spike and your... protégé?" Thorax echoed, blinking.

"Yo." Not-Spike smirked, giving the changeling a two finger salute.

"S-Spike?" Thorax sputtered in disbelief.

"Please tell me that I am not going to be fucking dealing with this for fucking forever." Not-Spike grumbled, rubbing a paw across his forehead, "Because I if do..."

"He may look like an older Spike, sound like an older Spike, have mannerisms like Spike, but he is not Spike." Šizra quickly explained before anyone, most likely Twilight, could, once again, piss off both him and his protégé.

"Then who-"

Šizra sharply raised a paw, interrupting Thorax and cutting off his protégé's reaction before it escalated further. "When he is ready he will give you a form of address to use. Until then, whatever you do, do not call him Spike."

Thorax blinked twice, mouthing the word okay in clear confusion. The others in the room seemed to share in his confusion with various stunned looks of their own. The only exception was Twilight who had already been told about the use of the name 'Spike' and was glaring hotly at Šizra.

The pause in the conversation gave a moment for Šizra to think. He understood the dilemma that the hive faced. Going south towards Equestria to avoid the dangerous winter conditions of the Frozen North could lead them back into conflict with Equestria or worse Chrysalis' hive. And to cross the Greater Western Sea towards Traxti had its own dangers. Not helping was the political mood back in the Traxti Federation. If word got out about the trials this hive had to endure it could be enough to tip the scales towards war, impassible sea and ice be damned.

I hate politics...

Šizra shook his head to clear his thoughts before they completely spiraled out of control. As much as he wanted to help, it was likely that their fate was beyond his help, not when he had very little energy nor time left.

"Why is there a statue of Spike holding out the Crystal Heart?" Šizra questioned, wanting to return to the original reason for his coming to the Empire, his protégé.

"And why the hell is he called 'Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious?'" Not-Spike added with a growl.

Šizra eyed his protégé for a moment. He had heard the notes of jealously and attraction under the anger and irritation of his protégé's growl. He also glanced over at the changelings and wondered for a second if they too noticed the undercurrent of emotions, but if they had they gave no indication that he could detect.

"Well?" Šizra huffed in irritation as both his and his protégé's questions were met with silence.

A glance was shared among the ponies before Twilight sighed deeply. "It started with a summon from Princess Celestia..."

As Twilight spoke of the return of the Crystal Empire and its eventual salvation from Sombra Šizra found himself clenching his paws over and over in rage. He almost couldn't believe that Celestia would put the lives of ponies of the Empire and more into mortal peril by sending a group of untrained civilians into a deadly situation against a powerful necromantic lich without the Elements all so she could 'test' Twilight! If only he had more time...

That rage quickly shifted to bewilderment as Twilight went on to explain that is was Spike's actions in saving the Empire that lead the Crystal Ponies into calling Spike 'Great and Honorable, the Brave and Glorious.' It made no sense to Šizra as not only was Spike's role in the liberation of the Empire relatively minor in comparison to Twilight or to Cadance but their praising of a dragon being their savior over a pony seemed incongruous to their history. It was their ancestors after all that had massacred the Letuscktüis of the Frozen North before stealing the Crystal Heart.

The bewilderment gave way to concern when Šizra saw Not-Spike's reaction to Twilight's explanation. The young dragon was staring straight down with a sad, contemplative, almost guilty frown. Šizra had seen that look twice on Spike but never on Not-Spike. He was aware of his protégé's mixed feelings and tense relationship with Spike so why was the story of the liberation of the Crystal Empire by Spike bothering him in such a way?

Šizra's emotions then flipped back to anger, now mixed with envy and jealousy. Now, normally he could handle the emotional whiplash, but between the exhaustion he was experiencing from over use of magic and the constant physical and spiritual pain that he lived with thanks to the shattered ward that once kept his soul intact it was too much for him to handle and something within him snapped. He started to bitterly laugh as he ranted. "Thisss is joke! A joke that even Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola would findzz needlessssly crrrruel! All that worrrk anzz livesss wasssstzed! My parrrrentsss sacrrificezz allz forrr NOTHING!"

Tears clouded Šizra's vision as he shifted from crazed ranting to sorrowful lamentations, his voice thick with choked gasps and hiccups. "I... I could have... They could have liv-lived... but nooo... The only thing- The only thing needed was ponies abused... and oppressed by the worst tyrant this side of the cataclysm... to be saved by a dragon that despised what he thought he was... with a simple letuscktüis artifact!"

And then, just as fast as it collapsed, his emotions coalesced into a simmering and furious resolve. He closed his eyes for a moment before snapping them open as a single word from his mouth. "Fine."

Without another word Šizra stumbled his way to the nearest window. It would not be him they would answer to but the Letuscktüis' of the north (if any still survived the latest massacre). What he was about to do was going to be tricky as he did not have access to his reference library and with his waning strength the methods he could normally employ to get the book he needed were impossible. That meant he would have to make the attempt with only a hazy recollection on how. At least his current turbulent emotional state should make it a bit easier.

Šizra raised his paw gathering a bit of mana to it as he did he than slammed it on the window shattering it into thousands of pieces. The chill of the night rushed in as he took a deep breath before roaring three times in quick succession. Panting heavily he watched as the Spire pulsed brightly three times before several aurorae burst out from the top and spread out in all directions. He let himself smile a bit when he saw that the colors of the aurorae, red, orange, and green edged with a darkness that was just outside of his normal visual range. It looked like he did it correct and if the Amulet of the Winds had been claimed then...

"What the buck did you do?!" Someone yelled, who exactly Šizra was not sure with the sounds of roars echoing in his head.

Still reeling from effects of his emotional collapse Šizra answered the person without thinking. "I called for the Windigo."

Without warning a mana bolt slammed into Šizra sending him flying into and along the wall at a high rate of speed. The impact on the wall was so great that it momentarily robbed him of air, cutting off his roar of pain. He continued to tumble along the wall for nearly forty hooves before finally sliding to the floor in a crumbled heap.

Šizra's vision faded in and out as he struggled to keep conscious. He could barely make out his protégé rushing to his aid shouting something but what he was shouting Šizra could not tell with his ears ringing. He growled in irritation as his protégé stood guard over him. Of course, they wouldn't know what a Windigo really was and thus would naturally react negatively to the revelation that he had just summoned one. He should not said what he had said without also being ready for an attack, but he had let his control and guard slip.

"Do you.. want a repeat of what... what happened ten years ago?" Šizra panted as he struggled to get back on his hooves. "Because... if I am not here to receive... the Windigo, if there is one, the Empire... will be wiped out."

"You- You monster!" Twilight yelled her horn painfully bright with mana.

"Do not lecture me on who is a monster!" Šizra roared back at Twilight as he slide back down onto the floor, his legs unable to muster the strength to stand. He was glad his protégé was guarding him as he doubted he had the strength to defend himself against whatever spell was on the tip of her horn.

"Hermit Sage?"

"I am fine protégé..." Šizra softly reassured his protégé unable to look into his eyes. "I just need to rest..."

Šizra sighed as he laid back against the wall. The cool temperature of the crystal walls felt so good against his injured body. He was sure that at least some of his ribs were, at the very least, bruised with the way it hurt to breathe. It was very likely that the estimate that he had given his protégé had been cut in half due to not only his current injuries but his earlier confrontation with Twilight the day before.

"Hive Leader Thorax you must recall your hive back to the city or they will freeze to death." Šizra warned Thorax before turning his eyes towards Candace. "And you may want to warn your citizens to bundle up. A blizzard is coming."

"A blizzard is coming? OF COURSE A BUCKING BLIZZARD IS COMING!" Twilight ranted, pointing an accusatory hoof at Šizra, strains of her mane popping out of alignment. "You just summoned an ice demon!"

"ENOUGH!" Not-Spike roared, unsheathing his swords. He flinched when the ponies, particularly Twilight, recoiled in fear. Lowering his swords, he took a deep breath before continuing at a near whisper. "Please, please do as the Hermit Sage has said. Get the hive back to safety within the city and warn the citizens that a blizzard is coming. I don't want to see the crystal ponies nor the changelings dying because you are too stubborn to do as he says."

A tense moment passed before both Thorax and Cadance nodded in consent to Not-Spike's plea. This, however, only served to upset Twilight further, who gritted her teeth before swearing. "I swear I will find a way to stop you, Šizra, and then I will personally throw you down the deepest darkest pit of Tartarus!"

"Wait, Twiley!" Shining Armor called out as Twilight stormed away.

"I'm not going to stand here and let Šizra bring the Empire to disaster like he did Equestria!" Twilight exclaimed loudly as she kept walking away not slowing down in the slightest. "There has to be something in the Crystal Archives..."

Šizra shook his head as the rest of Twilight's rant faded as she disappeared down the hall with Shining Armor close behind. "A Windigo is not a ice demon." He absentmindedly explained, "The term 'Windigo' is used for the leader of the Letuscktüis much like Dragon Lord is used for Uzuthscktüis..."

"Yeah, maybe next time you should start with the explanation." Not-Spike grumbled, sheathing his swords.

Soon... Šizra sighed, his gaze turning to the aurorae that were still visible through the window as they weaved around in the night sky. Very soon...

Chapter 19: Uz Cktretethzija (To Claim)

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The Name, The Territory, The Hoard: To Claim. ~ Unknown

The sun was just beginning to rise above the Crystal Mountains when Šizra stirred. From his advantage point in the throne room, he could see low dark clouds churning to the north of the Empire. To an uninformed observer it would just seem like a typical winter storm was building, but he and those who had been in the throne room the night before would know otherwise. It was time to make his way down to the Crystal Heart as it would not be long before the storm, and thus the Windigo of the Letuscktüi, reached the Empire.

Šizra groaned as he slowly got up onto his hooves. His legs were extremely stiff and the spells he had been using were now struggling even more to assist him. Whether this was from his injuries from the night before or if it was just his body further shutting down, he didn't know.

His rising got the attention of his protégé who yawned as he stood and stretched. "Any sign of the Windigo?"

Šizra hmmed before looking over to see that the praetorian changeling guard Pharynx, still in his pony disguise, was watching them both closely. Šizra could not see anyone else around, again given that there were changelings here it was not a given that they were alone. "Praetorian Pharynx, notify Princess Candance and Hive Leader Thorax that the Windigo will be soon arrive."

By the time Šizra made his way down to the square below the Spire the storm had reached the border of the Empire. Several groups of crystal ponies were huddling around the square, most were merely chatting with each other, but a few were looking to the north with trepidation. Šizra figured that those were most likely disguised changelings of Thorax's hive as a 'mere' blizzard in winter should not be something that would concern the average crystal pony.

Šizra groaned a bit as he proceeded to sit down in front of the Crystal Heart. It wasn't a long walk down to the heart from the throne but he still ached all over. It wasn't long before Hive Leader Thorax (back in his pony disguise from the night prior), Praetorian Pharynx, Princess Candace, Twilight, and Shining Armor cautiously joined him, standing in a semi-circle mere hooves behind him. Šizra ignored them as he was not too concerned over an attack with his protégé standing right next and slightly behind him.

Thorax was the first to speak after a few minutes of tense silence. "Last night, when you said that you had to make a choice between one life or two. What did you mean?"

Šizra looked back and let his gaze fall up and down the disguised changeling, trying to get a read on him. "What was Spike to you?"

"A friend." Thorax answered without hesitation.

"Friend like a pony, friend like a dragon, or friend like a changeling?"

Thorax blinked, opened and closed his mouth, then blinked some more before finally saying, "What?"

"Don't listen to him Thorax," Twilight grumbled, rolling her eyes, "a friend is a friend."

"Typical sanctimonious pony creed spouting that friendship can only be pony friendship." Šizra said with a low growl. "No, a friend is not a friend. The different races are not 'same inside, different outside' and even within the same race there are vast differences in culture."

"Like a vile creature like you would know a thing about friendship." Twilight sneered back.

"Insolent wyrm," Šizra now growled out through gritted teeth. He was tempted to have the Crystal Heart fling her out of the Empire but refrained only for the sake of Not-Spike. "Cozy Glow killed Lāckta and would have killed Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola if he hadn't been in a pocket dimension, both are my friends."

"You?" Twilight sputtered out in disbelief. "Friends with Discord?! You tried to kill him!"

"Being my friend does not excuse threatening the very fabric of magic and thus risking every life on Cktasaule."

Twilight looked like she was ready to give another retort when Not-Spike walked back to her reached out and held Twilight's jaw shut, much to her shock.

"Stop." Not-Spike hissed softly, "Just fucking stop antagonizing the Hermit Sage."

Not-Spike then put a finger to his mouth before letting go while gesturing with his head to indicate for her to follow him. Šizra watched the two as they walked some distance away before a heated conversation broke out between the two. He sighed as he turned away to wait. While he doubted that Not-Spike would be able to get through to her and get her to stop altogether he was sure that his protégé could get her at least tone down her hostility. He waited patiently until Not-Spike and Twilight returned, both looking emotionally drained.

"Tell me how you became friends with Spike." Šizra asked Thorax after waiting a moment longer to see if Twilight would remain silent.

"From the moment I first split my egg in the nursery hive... all I've ever wanted is a friend..." Thorax slowly began, pausing a bit as he looked off into the distance, towards Equestria to the south. "Chrysalis was queen of the hive when she decided to attack Canterlot during the royal wedding between Princess Candance and Prince Shining Armor, but when I saw Twilight and her friends working together to try and stop the hive, I'd never seen true friendship like that! And I couldn't just steal it and feed on its love. I wanted to share it! I thought if I had a friend, maybe the love we shared could sustain me. So I left the hive looking for love to share, but I ended up starving..."

Šizra nearly snorted at the naïve assumption. Of course, changelings could share emotional energy but still needed some emotion to survive. Thorax's mistake was not knowing the difference laid in how the emotional energy was harvested. Not that Šizra would blame him for not knowing, that was on Chrysalis.

"I somehow ended up drawn by the love that was pouring out from the Crystal Empire... Spike stumbled upon me while I was hiding from a guard patrol in the snowy foothills just outside the city. Spike..." Thorax looked down, his eyes watering, "he risked his reputation and more trying to help me."

"And is that why you brought your hive here?"

Thorax exhaled deeply, a look of shame and guilt crossing over him before he slowly answered. "Six years ago a group of armed ponies claiming that they were merely passing through to get to the dragonlands instead without warning turned around ambushed the hive..."

"Over a third of the hive was killed or injured fleeing into the badlands. My brother, the idiot," Pharynx grumbled, interrupting Thorax and ignoring the annoyed glare from his brother, "tried talk to the scum down alone, like an even bigger idiot. If I hadn't ignored his stupid orders..."

"Pharynx that is enough!" Thorax yelled hotly before his countenance fell and his eyes watered. "I don't need you to callously remind me all the time of how many I failed... and how so many died because I... because I..."

"Brother, I..." Pharynx started as Thorax began to wail but stopped when Candace put a hoof to his shoulder and shook her head.

"Thorax look at me." Candace softly requested, gently lifting up the crying changeling's head. "Deep breaths. That's it, breathe."

It took a few minutes but eventually Thorax calmed down enough and continued his tale. "What remained of the hive managed to flee into the badlands... but there was little to no food there and... and even more starved to death in the months after... In the end, four hundred was... Four hundred was all that remained when we managed to convinced Candance and Shining Armor to grant the hive asylum here in the Crystal Empire..."

"Four-four hundred!?" Twilight sputtered. "But-but that's-that's..."

"Less than a quarter..." Thorax sighed, his head dropping down once again in guilt.

Šizra closed his eyes as the rage and sorrow threatened to overwhelm him. He knew that things were far more dire for the hive than that devastating number revealed. For a hive, especially a small hive, to lose three quarters of its population... Even if the remaining changelings were healthy and in the prime of their lives, which he doubted, it was highly likely that this hive would not see two more generations.

"Šizra, please," Thorax nearly begged, "just tell me what happened to Spike."

"He sacrificed himself so I could live..." Not-Spike murmured before Šizra could respond, the young dragon looking away in shame as everyone turned to stare at him.

Šizra sighed. What Not-Spike had said was a bit more simplistic than the full truth, but the more detailed explanation that he could give was forgotten as the storm that marked the approach of the Windigo suddenly surged forward, crashing against the edges of the city like a wave, rising high into the sky. Several ponies scrambled away in fright when the clouds roared its way down the main road towards the Spire only coming to a stop mere hooves from the Spire.

Šizra quietly and patiently waited as minutes passed with no change. It was nearly an hour later when he saw shadows moving from within the clouds. By than even more crystal ponies had gathered with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. He ignored the gasps of surprise from them when a black letuscktüis whelp with pale white wings stepped out of the churning fog and billowing snow followed shortly by a white and blue letuscktüis whelp. As neither were wearing the Amulet of the Winds, he forwent paying any closer attention to them. Although he did note that the second one was wearing a cream-colored jacket which bit odd but not improbable.

That changed when the second dragon nearly tripped over his tail causing the first dragon to roll his eyes and grumble as he helped steady the second. Šizra blinked, nearly dismissing what he saw as a figment of his mind. When the white and blue dragon stumbled, he had caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a sand scorpion ocarina half hidden under the jacket the dragon wore. But Šizra could do nothing but stare in disbelief when the whelp, once steadied, fully pulled out the ocarina, which was tied to the whelp's neck with a chain. The young dragon examined the ocarina for a second before sighing in clear relief and stuffing it back into a pocket on inside the jacket.

Sizra just could not believe what he had just witnessed. Sand scorpion ocarinas were instruments that were made by a nomadic race that inhabited the Nether Wastes far, far to the south of the Frozen North. There were only two ways he could think of for that dragon to obtain one. One, he, or more likely his parents, had traveled that far, or two, they had managed to trade for one in Traxti. Neither one were likely as letuscktüi were not ones to travel far from either the Frozen North or the Artic South and the race that made the ocarinas were even more isolated then Equestria. So how did this letuscktüis get such an instrument?!

But his musing was quickly but to the side when a third dragon stepped out into view. This dragon was a female letuscktüis sporting deep purple and sky-blue scales. Her rare hair like spines fell slightly over her eyes while a pair of tusks like horns that curled forward from behind her head much like his friend Lāckta, except these were pure white. But what got Šizra's full attention was the Amulet of the Winds, which was softly glowing around her neck. Here was the Windigo he had summoned with his roaring.

But Šizra soon frowned as he continued to observe the young Windigo. There was something off about the way she was walking. Not only was she staring straight ahead and not giving a single glance to the gathering of ponies on either side of her, there was also an almost an imperceptible pause with every step just before her pawed foot touched the ground. It was only when as she stopped within a hundred hooves of him that he noticed the reason. His heart fell as saw her grey, almost white, eyes. If his guess on the cause of her blindness was right, it would make things all the more difficult...

"Hermit Sage."

The demanding tone gave Šizra pause, he stopped walking before looking back at his protégé. Not-Spike had never used that tone of voice with him before. But his protégé said nothing more though, merely standing with arms crossed staring at him. Those eyes... Šizra had seen those eyes once before, eyes that stared back at him with defiant power.

"Are you making Claim?" Šizra asked after a moment.

Slowly Not-Spike's gaze shifted around the gathered ponies, stopping on the statue of Spike briefly before finally snapping back to him and nodding. Šizra eyed the dragon a moment longer before stepping aside and gesturing him forward. He had not anticipated his protégé to make Claim quite this fast and not for this, but, then again, he was not totally surprised with the way Not-Spike had been acting.

The two letuscktüi drakes tensed as Not-Spike broke away from the gathered ponies and walked towards them. Šizra didn't blame them for their reaction, after all, here they were, summoned to the Crystal Empire, surrounded by their ancestral enemy, and even though Not-Spike was a dragon he was approaching them wearing armor and with two swords strapped to his back.

"I am the Guardian Dragon of the Crystal Ponies and I welcome you to the Crystal Empire!" Not-Spike jovially called out a dozen hooves away from the letuscktüi, thrusting his arms wide open and doing a single twirl that ended with a dramatic bow.

Šizra had to resist facepalming. This was not the time for over-the-top theatrics. And it seemed that he was not the only one that felt the same as both Pharynx and Twilight had facehooved while Shining Armor was shaking his head. The only good thing he could see about it was that Not-Spike actions had managed to alleviated some of the tension, if only because of how ridiculous his greeting had looked like.

"Are you the Windigo?" Not-Spike than questioned the dragoness, his tone now deadly serious.

And with word Windigo the mood plunged back down. The crystal ponies started to murmured in fear, several of them quickly fleeing away, screaming about becoming frozen statues for ice demons. The letuscktüi were not much better as the Windigo took a fearful step back with the black dragon stepping forward, snarling, while the white dragon looked like he was about to take flight.

"Crystal Ponies of the Crystal Empire, what is wrong with you?" Not-Spike angrily called out. "You gave asylum to Thorax, an 'evil' changeling who went against his people with a desire to make a friend. You praise Spike, a young dragon, who, contrary to his people 'greedy' nature, risked it all to save you all. These dragons have done nothing to you so why than do you treat this Windigo like she is a cold-hearted ice demon?"

Silence echoed across the square with many crystal ponies looking down in shame at Not-Spike's rebuke.

"They are your neighbors not your enemy." Not-Spike spoke as he turned back to the three letuscktüi.

A hesitant cheer rose up among the gathered crystal ponies along with a scattering of hooves stomps before the Crystal Heart reacted, sending a gentle pulse of mana that caused everyone including Šizra, the dragons, and disguised changelings to sparkle slightly as the wave passed over. When the crystal ponies saw this, a real cheer broke out along with chants of 'Spike' or 'Spike the Guardian Dragon.' Šizra noted a blush tempered by a cringe on Not-Spike's face and he shook his head a bit as his protégé struggled with the conflicting emotions. Not-Spike was going to need to tell them the full truth sooner or later but given what he now knew he doubted it was going to change things a single bit.

As the cheering faded and things turned serious again with Not-Spike speaking softly to the Windigo, Šizra couldn't stop smiling at how proud he was for his protégé. Not only had Not-Spike deescalated the situation swiftly and smartly he was offering amity between the Empire and the Letuscktüi of the Frozen North. That was something Šizra would not have even thought of possible and would have vehemently opposed. But now? If anyone could manage to bring real peace between the two, he was going to put his hope in his protégé.

All this made Šizra think back through the last ten years and what he had seen in those years and what he knew about Spike and his protégé. In many ways, the life of Spike was the reverse of Šizra's sire, the story of the liberation of the Empire and of Thorax only cementing the parallels Šizra saw further. And now with what his protégé had claimed as hoard... Šizra hoped that this time his protégé would succeed where he, his sire, and his parents did not. He only wished he could be of more assistance but with his approaching death... No, that was not true, there was one last thing he could do for the young dragon that he knew would prove very useful.

Šizra's biological father, his sire, had written many journals in the later part of his life. And for the entire five years Spike called the Glittering Isles home, those journals were the only reading material he ever allowed the young dragon to read. Well, technically they were copies that were translated into modern Equestrian. (The originals were too valuable to be handled much less read by someone that could damage them in spite.) Most of the journals covered Šizra's sire's personal journey from being an enemy of all dragons, especially of the tzircktstelescktüi, to discovering all that he had been taught and known about them was wrong, and then to finally becoming friends and even family to a pair of tzircktstelescktüi.

Those journals were precious to Šizra as they were all that remained of his sire. Sadly, nothing of his dam's survived the Cataclysm. Not that he ever knew her as she died shortly after giving birth to him, but there were still times he wished he had at least something of hers. That was beside the point, those journals, along with Leafcutter, were, what one could say, the crown jewels of his hoard. But soon it wouldn't matter... to him at least. But to his protégé? The path and hoard his protégé had chosen was going to be a long and difficult one. One that Šizra knew would greatly benefit from the hard-earned wisdom contained within those journals. But first, he would have to to see if it was going to be doable.

Shine like rainbows oh-oh-oh
Shine like rainbows...

Šizra stop singing, letting a small smile to form. He had see a scattering of heads swaying in time to the beat of the few bars that he had sung. It seemed that the crystal ponies would be receptive to a heartsong from him. The only negative reaction he saw was from Twilight who looked like she had swallowed a lemon. But he knew how to tailor the heartsong to make it next to impossible for her to do anything but let the heartsong play out. Which was good as he was going to need all the help he could get to do what he was about to do. He had to not only trigger and maintain a heartsong he also had to summon all four hundred thirteen of his sire's journals from the other side of the world past all the wards and protections. The feat he was about to do was going to make the summing of the jar of zap apple jam he did for Spike look foalishly easy. It would, most likely, even with the assistance of the crystal ponies, be the last thing he would ever do.

"My protégé soon the world will see you shine and I wish I could see it but your journey isn't mine..."

Once upon a time, you came into my world and made the stars align

Šizra now sang full force, gathering the attention of everyone nearby to him.

Now I have see the signs, you picked us up when we were down so we can shine
Shine like rainbows
Shine like rainbows
Shine like rainbows
Shine like rainbows

To Šizra's relief not only did the crystal ponies joined in for the chorus but the magic of the heartsong had built to the point that music instruments could be heard accompanying them. With the heartsong in full force Šizra began to weave the necessary spells using the heartsong and the unique properties of the crystal Empire along with the leyonic nexus below the Spire to reach out to summon the journals.

Alas, my life is over and now no longer can I be there by your side
But as the dragons come alive, I sing this song to lift you up so you can shine
And the sound that I hear in my heart
Makes a crescendo
And your light that ignites in the dark
It makes us all glow
And shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)
You shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)

Šizra smiled when he saw one by one the journals of his sire beginning to appear the the air above him. As each one floated by him he used a bit of magic to emboss in gold upon each book cover the title The Journals of Harmonious Knight. before gently pushing the journal towards his protégé in time to the music.

Now, here I now stand
As the night begins to light
And now hold your head up high
As your fire shines through us all
And the sound that I hear in my heart
Makes a crescendo
And your light that ignites in the dark
It makes us all glow
And shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)
You shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)
Shine like rainbows
You shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)

Suddenly Šizra collapsed to the ground, unable to continue singing, panting hard with froth coating every inch of his body. To his surprise, the heartsong, instead of fading out, surged to even greater heights as the sounds of a sand scorpion ocarina echoed out in an instrumental bridge. He mouthed 'impossible,' his mind reeling at what he was witnessing. The white and blue dragon had skillfully picked up and continued his failing heartsong. That alone was shocking, as to continue someone else's failing heartsong was already extremely difficult to begin with, especially as this dragon didn't know him or exactly why he was singing, but to do it as an instrumental on top of that?! Finally, just to add more onto the unlikelihood of the situation, Šizra could also feel his strength slowly returning to him. How was this dragon managing, not one, but three rare feats for heartsongs, all at the same time!? The only thing he could think of was that this white and blue dragon was some sort of natural prodigy never before seen on Cktasaule.

As Šizra sensed the heartsong about to build to another pre-chorus he felt recovered enough that he should be able to finish the heartsong and summon the final journals. Slowly he got back onto his legs and then reached out to pull upon the strands of the fading spell he had been using to summon the journals. Quickly the spell returned to its full power with a flash of another journal. Šizra nearly chuckled as he glanced over at the neat piles of journals around his protégé and saw his shocked expression, his wide eyes staring unblinking onto a journal in his grasp.

The sound that I hear in my heart
Makes a crescendo
And the light that ignites in the dark
It makes us all glow
You shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)
Shine like rainbows
You shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)

Shine like rainbows...

With those final words Šizra let the heartsong come to an end allowing its magic to quickly fading away. The final book that he had summoned, an Ancient Alicorn to Traxti Trading language translation book, gently dropped on top of the journal still in his protégé's hands. The book contained an enchantment, that if he needed or wanted, his protégé could activate which would temporarily translate the journals for easier reading.

Šizra breathed out a satisfied sigh as effects the magic of heartsong gave way to the weight of the what he had just done. He had used far more magic than his battered and weak body could ever handle, performing a feat of magic not seen in twenty five thousand years or more. He knew he now had mere moments to live, and, unlike the last time, when he had been unable to stop Ember before she unleashed her dragons upon Equestria and had to remove Spike from Twilight's care, he felt no regrets. This time he was content, happy almost. His protégé had a hoard and his sire's writings should be all the help the young dragon would need to navigate the managing of his hoard from here on out.

But as he saw the still stunned face of his protégé shakily clutching both the journal and the translation book he thought of something else. Something that he had only done two other times. And given his feelings about his protégé, and coupled with the fact that he had already gifted the dragon with a part of his hoard...

Šizra slowly made his way towards his protégé even though every breath was now a struggle. His vision faded in and out with each excruciatingly painful step. At one point, merely steps away, one of his knees give out nearly sending him tumbling to the ground.

Come on... Šizra screamed internally when he found that the knee just would not move. MOVE!

In the end, he ended up ignoring the now useless leg, dragging his body forward on his three still working legs the final few hooves. Thankfully, he was close enough for his protégé to catch him when the rest of his legs finally gave out from under him. As Šizra looked up and saw the eyes of his panicking protégé he tried to lift a paw to comfort him but couldn't, he just didn't have the strength anymore.

He gazed steadfast into the eyes of his protégé, and then opened his mouth to whisper his final words. "Lathi... sauc... Šihzra Vairozs." (My name is Šihzra Vairozs)

And with that Šihzra let go of the fight and knew no more.

Chapter 20 Üavējot Taütiüa (Stalling Tactics)

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Beware not a dragon that says "I want" but "I need." ~ Unknown

And shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)
You shine like rainbows (shine like rainbows)

Twilight had frowned when Šizra first started singing but her annoyance morphed to horror when she realized it was far more then mere singing, he was singing a heartsong. Now Šizra had managed to pull the crystal ponies into participating. This was far worse than when the Flim Flams had managed to ensnare the ponies of Ponyville twice as those two were mere con ponies, Šizra was a coltnappering mass murderer.

Wait... Where are all these books coming from? Twilight blinked as several books appeared in a flash, floating about ten hooves in the air. She watched, mystified, as Šizra lifted a paw to one of the books and slid his paw across the cover before pushing it towards Spike. Spike seemed just as confused as her as he blinked when the the first book dropped into his claws. His look of confusion, however, quickly morphed to shock once he examined the book. His gaze snapped from the book to Šizra, his eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar.

But Šizra merely continued to sing, with more and more books appearing, each being touched by him, and then floated over to Spike. Twilight quickly lost count at over two hundred books, a small library's worth of books. Why is he giving Spike books? She wondered. The mystery only deepened when she managed to catch a glimpse of a title on one of the books as it passed by. The markings upon the cover was not one familiar to her. Was it the same type of logographic script as the one that Šizra had shown her?

Twilight almost breathed a sigh of relief when at end of the second chorus Šizra collapsed onto the ground, panting hard. The heartsong should now fade away which would allow her to figure out what the hay was with all the books. But to her surprise, instead of fading away it surged back. Who would help... Her heart started to race when she saw that it was the white and cyan dragon, who was playing some type ocarina in the shape of a scorpion.

No... Nonnonono... not again! Her mind raced to the one thing she had feared since Šizra had first reappeared days ago. Once again Šizra was orchestrating another invasion! And this time he was using subterfuge. But as before, she still had no idea how to stop him, even with all the research she had conducted the night before. Every method she could think of or had used he had countered or would easily counter. So as much as it pained her, she was stuck watching and hoping.

When the song finally ended Twilight remained tense. She was not about to be caught off guard again, and just because the song ended didn't mean that it was truly over. Nothing with Šizra ever seemed to be truly over. And as she had feared, it wasn't over. Šizra had started to limp towards Spike. Suddenly Twilight flashbacked ten years seeing Discord put a limp Spike into Šizra's arms. Šizra was going to take Spike away again! But, once again, before she could really react, Šizra had collapsed into Spike's arms. He looked up at Spike, whispered something, and then went limp.

Twilight only made it two hesitant steps before Spike lifted his head, still holding Šizra's limp body and roared. She yelped and ducked down just as the wave of pressurized air from the roar slammed into her. She didn't know how, but she could feel soul crushing pain, grief, and confusion as the roar washed over her. What did Šizra say to him that would cause him to react in such a fashion? She had to get to him, but it was taking everything she had to not be flung head over hooves backwards as shockwave after shockwave from his powerful roar pummeled her.

When the roar finally ended, after what seemed like forever but was really a few seconds, she found herself unable to doing anything but pant and shake. Whether it was in fear or in shock she could not tell. Spike's roar had been far more powerful then Luna's Canterlot Voice, and the emotions behind the roar soul wrenching. However, as she took stock of the ponies around her as she tried to recover enough to move, she found herself no longer unsure of the reason for her shaking. The Empire, which had brightened from the low pulse from the heart earlier, was now very dark and dull. Everything and every crystal pony looked even more dull and lifeless then when the Empire first returned from wherever Sombra had banished it.

"He's alive?"

WHAT!? Twilight blood turned to ice at the barely heard cry. Please tell me I heard that wrong...

"He's alive!" That time Twilight was sure she heard that right. She looked over to see that Spike was in a state of panic, running towards her still clutching Šizra. "Twilight I need a doctor or a shaman! A healer! Anyone!"

"Please!" Spike begged as Twilight hesitated.

But as much as Twilight loathed the... creature in his arms it broke her to see Spike in such a state. "Okay..." She nodded before turning to gallop towards the Crystal Empire Hospital, trusting that Spike would follow. Normally she would teleport them there, but she knew that it could very well kill Šizra, and as much as she desired his death, it being a suitable end for all the lives he ruined, she just would not let herself stoop to the same level. "Shinning Armor!"

"Got it Twiley!" Shining Armor called out, his voice magically amplifying as he cried out, "CLEAR THE STREETS! MEDICAL EMERGENCY! PLEASE CLEAR THE STREETS!

As she ran, dodging a few ponies that had not yet clear the streets, all she could hear the sound of a younger Spike grumbling over and over in her mind. Please don't let this backfire, please don't let this backfire...

"Extreme mana exhaustion!" Twilight shouted as she burst through the front doors of the hospital, Spike right behind her.

The nurse behind the reception desk quickly jump up and rushed over giving a quick look over Šizra. "Help me get him on a gurney."

"What do we have?" A male stallion, a doctor if the uniform was anything to go by, questioned as they got Šizra onto a gurney.

Without missing a beat, Twilight called out what she knew they would need. "Šizra, male alicorn dragon hybrid of unknown age, suffering from full body frothing and collapsed after summoning hundreds of books... possible extreme mana exhaustion..."

"Weak pulse... seventy over fifty and dropping... temperature of one hundred thirteen?!" The nurse picked up from where Twilight stopped, calling out Šizra's vitals. One hundred thirteen? Twilight did a quick calculation and nearly choked as it came out to be forty-five. Most ponies ran between thirty-seven and thirty-eight, but, then again, Spike, as a dragon, tended to run nearer to sixty. Given Šizra's hybrid nature there was no way to know for sure how it truly affected his vitals. The only things she could be reasonably certain of was that his blood pressure was dangerously low.

"By the Heart! How is he even still alive?!" The doctor cried, his horn lighting up as his voice rose, "CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE! ISOLATION ROOM ONE!"

Twilight grumbled as she flattened her ears from the magic enhanced shout. She had asked that very question in regards to Šizra so many times already.

Several more ponies quickly joined in around the gurney. Twilight quickly pulled away from the herd of ponies as they rushed down the hall as she knew there was nothing else she could do at this point only staying close as a precaution and to keep an eye on Spike who had not left Šizra's side. She slowed down as they approached what Twilight knew to be the mana isolation room. As she was not staff, she knew they would not allow her to enter, the most she could do was stand outside (as long as she remained out of the way). She inwardly cursed for not telling Shining Armor to follow as he could go in as a guard under the pretense of keeping the staff safe.

"I'm sorry, but you need to leave." A pony, most likely a nurse gently put a hoof out to stop Spike as the herd pushed the gurney with Šizra into the room.

"Move aside!" Spike growled before shoving past the pony.

"Spike..." Twilight called out knowing that he would only get in the way.

"Shut up!" Spike snapped, glaring at Twilight, before opening the door.

Twilight mouthed sorry to the stunned nurse as she followed Spike into the room. She flatten her ears at the cacophony of shouts and orders as several ponies frantically ran around with several more working on Šizra.

"Somepony figure out how to get these damn rags off of him!"

"His internal organs are already shutting down..."

"Hey, you need to leave..." Somepony shouted to them.

"I AM NOT LEAVING!" Spike roared so loudly and angrily that it brought the entire room to a frightened stop. He flinched and then continued at a lower volume. "Šihzra's condition has been terminal for weeks. There was nothing anyone here or anywhere can do to save him! I just need to ask him something..."

"I'm sorry, but he so far gone that..."

"I know that. Please just do everything you can to keep him alive as long as you can." Spike turned to each of the assembled ponies. "Please..."

The doctor that had cried out in shock over Šizra's vitals gulped and shakily gave a weak, "Okay..."

"I need to know..." Spike whispered as the ponies quickly went back to work on Šizra. He had said it so softly that Twilight was sure that he didn't mean for anyone to hear it.

Need to know what? Twilight silently asked looking from Spike to Šizra in turn. The last time Spike had said that Spike had admitted that his memory was damaged.

"Also I need a brush, the largest mortar and pestle you have, and a chunk of unicorn horn."

A chunk of unicorn horn? That was an odd request.

The doctors seemed to agree as they gave each other a look before once of them nodded to a nurse. The nurse quickly rushed off, presumably to get what Spike wanted. Twilight moved to sit in the corner of the room knowing to stay out of the staff's way but wanting to remain just in case this was a ruse of some kind by Šizra, her mind racing in trying to figure out why Spike would want unicorn horn.

Was he going to try use it to try and save Šizra? How? She knew (sadly from having suffered from it one too many times) that unicorn horn was completely useless as a treatment for mana exhaustion, much less extreme mana exhaustion, and in some cases could make symptoms worse. And the only uses for unicorn horn she could recall, that wasn't pure quackery or less effective than healing spells or potions, was as used as part of a sealant that was only used when treating a recently cracked or broken horn, and, from what she could see, Šizra's horns were pristine, if a bit worn...

"How did he know?" Spike said again as the nurse quickly returned with requested items.

Twilight watched intently as Spike first crushed the piece of horn into the mortar with his claws. He grounded the unicorn horn for a few moments but then he took a claw to his arm and slash it. She stood up with a cry as Spike let the blood from the wound drip into the mortar. Twilight suddenly knew what Spike was trying to do, and it was the most terrifying thing possible. There was only one reason to use blood with unicorn horn, Spike was going to the worst of dark magics to 'save' Šizra! She had to stop him before...

But when Twilight trying to grab away the pestle and mortar Spike roared, shoving Twilight away, hard, making her lose her telekinetic grip. She tried again only to be forced to scramble away when Spike spewed a wall of green flame at her. Unfortunately, in her haste to escape the flame, she had inadvertently fled outside of the isolation room and the door had been slammed shut behind her. To her mounting horror, when she tried to reenter she found that the door was now locked and the wards activated, preventing her from easily getting inside. She couldn't just teleport in as not only could she end up teleporting into somepony the wards were designed to prevent any outside mana from entering. All she could do what shout and pound on the door but she quickly stopped when she saw that she was leaving red marks all over the door.

Twilight shook, frozen in shock, as she stared down at her hoof. There dripping down her hoof and onto the floor was Spike's blood.

Chapter 21 Ieüšējās Taļās (Into The Innermost Parts)

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Who is able to be trusted with a dragon's hoard? ~ Ancient Dragon Riddle

Not-Spike opened his eyes. A deep blackness surrounded him, an yet, he somehow could see that he was standing on a large boulder within that darkness... that beautiful blackness... It called to him like a moth to a flame. The dragon took a single step, then another... he wants... he needs... to touch it.

"No no no..." NO! A pair of light, amber brown eyes suddenly appeared before Not-Spike, slightly breaking the spell on him. "Do not look at the" [VOID] "Or you will end up like Spike..."

Must...

"Focus on me." The voice commanded as a feathery wall of light sky-blue rose up, finally snapping Not-Spike out of the trance he had been in. The dragon blinked as he realized that he was muzzle to snout with an alicorn stallion who had his wings surrounding him like a cocoon. "That's it... focus on me only."

A moment later the wing cocoon than came down and Not-Spike blinked. They were no longer in that vast black whatever but a dead forest that looked like a devastating wild fire had recently swept through. Not a bit of green was left on the ground or tree and even the sky looked grey from all the ash that floated through the air.

What the fuck was that?! Not-Spike shivered as tried to get the feeling of wrongness of that black nothing out of his head. While Šihzra Vairozs had warned him of the dangers of using the ritual circle to enter a soul he had never told him about anything remotely like whatever that was! If he had known about whatever that was, he would have thought twice about using the ritual circle...

"By the Voice!" Not-Spike stared blankly at the pony in front of him as said pony continued to yell at him. "What were you thinking!?" The pony sounded just like Šihzra Vairozs but he did not look like Šihzra Vairozs, like not at all.

The Šihzra that he knew was a dark midnight blue pony... dragon hybrid(?) with a grey and white mane (which was apparently black before his health declined some ten years ago), reptilian forelegs, leathery wings, and two black horns. But, here in front of him, was a lanky light sky blue alicorn with a single white spiral horn peeking through a spiked dark blue, teal, and red striped mane that faded to near white at the tips. The wings on the stallion were feathered like a pegasus or griffon. All-in-all this being was fully pony without a hint of dragon.

"Šihzra... Vairozs?" [Cipher... Shield] Not-Spike snapped his head around as he heard an echo of what he knew to be Šihzra Vairozs' name in Modern Equestrian.

"Yeah, I suppose I do look a bit strange..." Šihzra chuckled, pulling Not-Spike back to the... pony. If it hadn't been for the voice coming from the pony mouth Not-Spike would have not believed what he eyes was seeing. "I haven't looked like this since I was ninety-six."

Since he was ninety-six?? What?! Not-Spike had thought that Šihzra was born as whatever he was, not as a pony. Maybe I did the ritual circle wrong or something...

"Wait...wait, stop." Šihzra grumbled, raising a hoof and breaking Not-Spike from his astonishment. "Forget what I look like. What are you doing here?!"

"I needed to know..." Not-Spike answered distractedly, still struggling to reconcile Šihzra with the pony in front of him. How did he go from a pony to half pony dragon? That is if he was even half dragon and was not using his pony magic to make him look half dragon.

"You needed to know?!" Šihzra grumbled as he rubbed a hoof over his forehead. "At best my death would have dragged you to the Voice before your time, and at worst... well, you nearly had the worst happen. What possible thing did you need to know that you'd risk your very existence over!?"

Not-Spike tapped his claws nervously before he hesitantly asked. "How did you know?"

Šihzra silently stared, his head tilting a bit before he finally responded. "How did I know what?"

"Do not fucking toy with me Šihzra Vairozs." [Cipher Shield] Not-Spike growled, ignoring the echo. "My name, Šihzra Vairozs," [Cipher Shield] "you know my name."

Šihzra blinked several times before he opened his mouth with a sharp breath almost like he was about to speak only to close it before uttering a single word. This went on for a few moments before he finally swore. "Es thezithu tavu vārtu." [I do not know your name.]

"But those books..." Now it was Not-Spike's turn to struggle to speak. "The books you gave me... On them are the words The Journals of Harmonious Knight!"

"That's because they are the journals of Harmonious Knight, the original journals, the very ones that he penned with his own horn, not the translated and edited journals I originally gave Spike." Šihzra sighed, "Of course, when I gave them to Spike to read I had said that they were written by an alicorn by the name of Harmony, as that was how Harmonious Knight preferred to be referred to as, but... that still doesn't... explain..."

Šihzra words died and he sat down, hard, onto his haunches, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Not-Spike, too, felt like he was a goldfish, as he had never seen Šihzra so thoroughly stunned. For the second time, he wondered if he even did the ritual circle correct or not.

"Your name... are you..." Šihzra finally choked out, looking like he couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. "Are you saying that you and Spike Chose my sire's name?!"

Not-Spike could only shrug. He had no idea how else to respond as things were rapidly becoming more and more surreal. This was not the Šihzra he knew who before now had always came off as a smug bastard that effortless knew.

Suddenly a long, pained roar echoed out. To Not-Spike it sounded like a young drake, but the only beings that should be here would be himself and Šihzra, so what was another dragon doing here? But then again, Šihzra did look fully pony... Adding to his confusion was that at the same time as the roar, Šihzra had thrown up a lot of blood. As Not-Spike thought that this place was just a representation of the soul or spirit he didn't think that was possible. (Although given he was taught this by Šihzra...)

"You need to leave..." Šihzra panted out, waving away Not-Spike with a hoof that, to the dragon's shock, was partially transparent.

"Who or what was that?" Not-Spike asked, deciding to ignore the alicorn's semitransparent hoof for now.

"My friend please..." Šihzra begged. "It's difficult enough to hold back the flames..."

As if to accentuate Šihzra's statement, a loud boom suddenly echoed across the forest, the ground shaking. Not-Spike narrowed his eyes towards Šihzra who spat out a glob of blood as the shaking ended. He was not going to be fooled by the convenient demonstration as he remembered his own sufferings caused by Spike. It was very possible that this Šihzra in front of him was merely the pony part of him and that somehow this part had done something to his dragon part.

"No."

Šihzra rubbed a hoof over his muzzle then sighed. "Of course, and because you emulated him..."

Not-Spike growled lowly. While he was sure Šihzra wasn't trying to be insulting it annoyed him to be so flippant about his name. He choose that name because he was inspired by the pony because he truly felt kinship to what the pony strived to achieve. It was what deep down he wanted more than anything else... But then again, if Šihzra was speaking the truth, then he could see the alicorn being a bit exasperated at the reminder of his sire...

"Even after all these years gone..." Šihzra muttered as he shook his head. "Very well."

Once again Šihzra's wings rose up around Not-Spike and when they snapped down Not-Spike could see that they were now somewhere else. Instead of a dead forest they were now standing on a rocky crag, and in the distance, behind the alicorn, he could make out a large black dragon lying on its side, its back facing towards them them. As Not-Spike took a step to the side to get a better look he nearly tripped over his tail as he stumbled back in shock. The dragon was horribly disfigured with a myriad of cuts and missing scales, some still bleeding, and the wings, the wings on the dragon's back were torn and shredded to the point of uselessness. What happened to this dragon?!

Not-Spike reflexively clenched and unclenched his paws as the dragon groaned and slowly got onto its feet. The dragon was far worse then what the back had revealed. As expected the rest of the body was covered in cuts and missing scales but it was the drake's two front feet and lower half of the muzzle missing that really made Not-Spike blood to boil. This was beyond torture. And as the drake looked down at them with pain and misery in his blood red eyes, which seemed to be begging for oblivion, it finally spurred Not-Spike into action.

Stop.

How dare...

"You... you... hypocrite!" Not-Spike spat, unable to say anything else in his rage. Why was he ordering him to stop? Was all this time was he being manipulated and lied to? And for what? A twisted form of pleasure? Or a sanctimonious sense of guilt? What?!

"There is" [VOID], "a chasm between us and Vorac..." As Šihzra spoke a blast of air and ash shot up between them and the dragon. "Not only that, Vorac will burn your soul to" [VOID] "if you touch him."

Lies! Not-Spike internally roared as he made to swipe at the pony. To think he ever even cared for this monster!

"Vorac and I are not like you and Spike." The pony said as he calmly sidestepped the enraged dragon.

"Of course not!" Not-Spike roared small flumes of green flames leaking from his mouth. "Spike didn't know I was there... suffering... but you, YOU KNOW!"

"Are you going to be like my sire that would think and do what he and every other alicorn was taught, like a good little alicorn, or are you going to be like he was when his eyes were open?" The alicorn questioned, calmly leaning into Not-Spike like he wasn't scared of what the pissed off dragon could do.

Those words cut to the core for the dragon and although he was still angry he stepped back and relaxed ever so slightly. He would hear the alicorn out, but if he didn't get a satisfying answer...

"Do not assume that I don't share in his suffering..." The alicorn softly spoke as he backed away.

"Bullshit! You didn't just stand there and allow Spike to continue in his destruction of me. Why are you allowing it to happen to Vorac?!"

"A dragon spirit is likened to that of a flame. And how does one start a flame?" The alicorn questioned before leaning over and whispering the answer. "With a spark."

Not-Spike rolled his eyes as he already knew this. What did that have to do with...

"Wait..." Not-Spike sputtered out as he suddenly realized that Šihzra Vairozs was a name in Ancient Draconian and if so that meant that... "If you have a name in Ancient Draconian then..."

"If I was born a dragon, yes. But I was not..." The pony's voice faded as he looked up to Vorac, who was in turn looking down at the alicorn not in hate or fear or resignation but in genuine hope and love. "As you know, a dragon is born with a piece of their spirit that is suppose to... kindle the rest in a flash at the Choosing..."

"A non-dragon soul, however, doesn't have that, and if you try to transmute a non-dragon soul into a dragon spirit, the soul will burn to" [VOID] "...unless that soul is tempered. Which is done by inserting an artificial piece or shell of a dragon spirit and then petitioning The Voice to fuse them as one..." Šihzra sighed deeply before turning back to Not-Spike. The dragon looked down in shame unwilling to look at his mentor as he now understood exactly who and what Vorac was and that he had foolishly jumped to the wrong conclusion. "It was that failure when they attempted to petitioned The Voice that led my parents to the discovery that the dragon's connection to The Voice had been severed. And thus, it left Vorac and I to suffer for millennia..."

Not-Spike blinked. How could Šihzra say The Voice severed from the dragons? He remember the voices... the whispers the day he Chose. He knew that Šihzra knew he was hearing The Voice speaking to him when it told him to tell him those five words: Tu esi izvēlēts sūt CktüisLežothīzs Did he somehow forget?

"But Šihzra that's not true... The Voice spoke to me on the day I Chose, remember? 'Tu esi izvēlēts sūt CktüisLežothīzs.'" [You are chosen to be DragonWyrm.]

For the second time in a very short time Not-Spike had stunned Šihzra speechless. He could even see the black dragon, Vorac, looking at him in disbelief. This was really starting to creep him out, even more than that black... void.

"Can't see the hoard through the bed of gems..." Šihzra sighed as he dragged a hoof down his face. "It's seems to becoming a pattern with me as of late... Especially whenever it comes to you..."

Not-Spike found himself rolling his eyes and grumbling. Šihzra's guilt over his perceived failures when it came to him was getting really old and had been for nearly the entire five years they had been mentor and protégé.

"It is possible that..." Šihzra muttered as he started to pace, "but it's been so long... possibly too long... and as we don't have access to my library..."

"However..." The alicorn stopped, stomping a hoof twice, and, in a wave outward from him, appeared glowing gold runes along the ground stretching far beyond sight. Even with his limited knowledge of them it was clear to Not-Spike that many of the runes were cracked or nearly worn away. "Even though the ward was shattered ten years ago there are still echoes of it imprinted on my soul. The ward was designed to help facilitate the adoption if ever the connection to the Voice returned..."

Adoption? Not-Spike wondered what adoption had anything to do... No, nope. Not asking... He was not going to try and figure whatever that meant. He just knew it was not worth the headache that he knew would come if he asked.

"That being said..." Šihzra said as he took a few steps before pausing and looking back at Not-Spike. "I will not have you sacrifice your short life that has only just begun for mine. From here on out, if I tell you to leave, for any reason, you will leave, immediately, and without question. Do you understand?"

Not-Spike gulped at the look that Šihzra was giving him but nodded nonetheless. Šihzra looked him over as if unsure if he had been truthful or not. But when the alicorn turned away a thought came to dragon. "Wait..."

"What is it? We do not have a lot of time left." As if to emphasize his point, Šihzra lifted the up a now nearly see through leg for Not-Spike to see.

On some instinctual level Not-Spike understood what it meant for Šihzra to give him his name, but could he do the reverse? Should he? He thought about everything that Šihzra had done over the years and the sacrifices he made to help Not-Spike to his own detriment. Especially with the giving up his remaining time of life just to give up some of his hoard that, while he was sure would be helpful, he knew meant nearly everything to Šihzra. It seemed more like an action of one who was more like a friend then a mentor. And now, here Not-Spike was risking his own existence to help him in turn... and he felt... that it wasn't because he felt obligated as his former protégé or because of his name... it was almost as if he in turn was a friend to Šihzra...

"My name is Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs." [Harmonious Knight]

Chapter 22 Thoüavēts Zrēüsūtze (Overdue Confession)

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The dragon is not the body but the spirit ~ Unknown

Twilight paced outside the hospital's isolation room muttering as she tried to think of another plan to get through the warding enchantments. She would normally be geeking out over how sturdy they were as this one was proving to be even better than the one she used in her lab, but she needed to get in before it was too late! Unfortunately, so far, all she had managed to do so was crack the wall a bit. Worse still, she could feel every attempt becoming increasingly more difficult as her exhaustion rose. If only she hadn't spent all night desperately scouring every inch of the Crystal Archives for anything that might give her a clue, a hint, anything to ending the threat that was Šizra, then, maybe, she might have enough energy to break through!

To add to her frustration, it wasn't like she could ask for one of the staff to give her the 'key' that would allow her to lower the enchantment as she had scared everypony away some time ago. She was going to be giving out a lot of Apologies after this... but getting into that room was more important right now!

The sound of hooves galloping caught her attention and she looked back to see Shining Armor, Cadance and Captain 'Lancer', the later of which she she now knew to be the changeling Pharynx coming down the hall. After all this was over, she was going to be having a very long talk with her brother, sister-in-law, and the two changeling brothers. At least she now had some help...

"Twilley what is going on?" Shining Armor asked as he scrambled to a stop, eyeing the cracked wall warily.

"Spike is trying to revive Šizra with a blood ritual!" Twilight cried out as she continued her pacing.

"What!?" All three cried out.

"Then what are we doing standing out here?!" Pharynx yelled.

"This is an mana isolation room." Shining Armor explained. "We need a 'key' from one of the staff to drop the enchantment so we can enter."

"Well that's just great!" Pharynx growled out. "With the amount of lingering fear I can sense..."

Twilight tried to not grit her teeth. If only she had not been as crazed maybe... Wait... She stopped as she felt mana flowing out from one of the cracks. It look like the crack was substantial enough to weaken the enchantment in that spot to allow mana to flow through. If she could somehow expand this crack maybe then... And just like that, she had an idea that just might work. "Shiny are you able to make a shield small enough to fit into this crack?"

Shining Armor looked at the wall, then Twilight, and finally back to the wall. She could see the gears spinning in his head as he did. "You want me to expand a shield inside the crack?"

"Exactly."

Shining Armor shrugged then walked up to the wall and started to examine it, muttering as he did. Twilight could hear snippets of spell formulas, some of which, to her surprise, if she heard right, even she would struggle through. But then again, most were related to precision and control and she always struggled with precision and control.

"Back up." Shinning suddenly ordered, his horn lighting up.

Twilight backed down the hall along with Cadance and Pharynx and watched as a several pink lines shot out of Shining's horn and into the wall. Moments passed with nothing to show other then an increasing straining Shining. She was about to tell him to stop when she heard the tell tale sounds of crystal cracking. She barely managed to pull up a shield around the three of them before the wall in front of Shining exploded.

When Twilight reopened her eyes, to her relief, Shining seemed to be unharmed if a bit dazed. She rushed over to see if he had succeeded and nearly cried out in triumph. There was a sizeable hole in the wall, big enough to easily fit through. She carefully stepped through the hole mindful of all the crystal shards that scattered the floor whicg could easily pierce the frog of her hooves.

"By the Eternal Hive..." Twilight glanced back to see that Pharynx had followed her in with Shining and Cadance close behind.

She didn't know exactly what the expression the disguised changeling had said exactly meant but she had to agree with the sentiment. The room was a terrifying sight to behold. The air tasted of iron and ozone, thick with the oppressive weight of mana and there, nearly the size of the entire room, was as, she had knew would be the case, a circle of blood with several other geometrical shapes along its inside edge.

In the center the ritual circle was Spike and Šizra. Spike was looking at her, his eyes glowing white, his left paw grasping Šizra's muzzle. "Be at peace..." He spoke, his voice sounding as if thousands were speaking through him. "Young Twilight Spar..."

Twilight merely blinked as mid-word Spike's voice cut out and his suddenly slumped over like a puppet having its strings cut. The way Spike had sounded and acted, it almost seemed like he was possessed by someone or something... Of course, given the use of that kind of magic it was most likely an eldritch horror of some kind... but why would a creature like them tell her to be at peace?

Once again she found herself debating, unsure whether or not to approach the passed out dragon. She wanted to check on him but crossing a ritual circle held risks and it wasn't like she could just merely destroy it either. To begin with, it was not a ritual circle she was familiar with, and it had also been made with blood. There were just too many unknowns... The doctors, whom she hadn't noticed until now, however, seemed to have no such reservations and rushed in to check on the two. She bit her lip as she continued to debate for a few more seconds more before breathing out a puff of air deciding to go 'buck it' and join them.

Twilight quickly went about looking for signs of any dark mana corruption, lingering or otherwise on Spike, leaving Šizra to the doctors. But to her confusion, the more she examined him the more she found nothing. Even checking over Šizra, who seemed to be the same, minus the silvery mark that look suspiciously like Spike's left paw on his face she found no detectable traces. Even if they managed to stop the ritual before it was completed she should have found at least some amount of corruption.

"Twi...light?" Twilight suppressed a shiver as Spike suddenly whispered, his voice no longer sounding strange, merely tired.

"What have you done?!" She muttered, staring away at Šizra, unable to look Spike in the eyes. She didn't want to see the corruption that would surely be in his eyes.

"Whoa..." Spike whispered in awe as he reached down with his left claw and hesitantly touched the mark on Šizra's muzzle. "The CktüisLežothīzs mark... cool."

The what mark? 'Cool!?' Twilight thought as she finally looked at Spike fully. His green eyes were wide open in amazement. It was to her mild relief that she saw that his eyes appeared to be clear of dark magic, but she also knew that it didn't mean that the corruption wasn't there. "This is serious! You tried to revive Šizra using dark magic... necromancy! Do you have any idea of what that does?! Never mind that it's a crime that carries a mandatory life banishment to Tartarus!"

"That wasn't necromancy... at least, I don't think it was..." Spike shook his head as he rose. "Šihzra Vairozs' spirit was... shattered... the dragon and the pony were destroying each other... Or something like that... honestly it was all a bit of a blur... Maybe Šihzra will explain better when he awakens..."

"When!?" Twilight screeched looking at unconscious hybrid in horror.

"Well." Spike sighed sadly, "I suppose 'if' is still a possibility but I shall hope for when."

"Well I hope for never..." Twilight muttered bitterly under her breath. She really hoped that Spike's hope for Šizra's recovery would fail. It needed to... because this monster... but... sadly she had also personally witnessed Šizra with injuries that should have killed him several times over, and yet, despite everything known about medicine, had more then survived. A small part of her, that she would never admit to, could not help but acknowledge that this would likely turn out to be a repeat of the last time.

"You are just like him." Spike said looking at her, his head tilted to the side.

Twilight jaw dropped. She could not believe what her ears had just heard. "I am not like Šizra."

"No, not Šihzra Vairozs," Spike scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Spike."

"But, you are Sp-" Twilight started to say automatically.

"I am done with this bullshit." Spike roared, taking Twilight by the throat and throwing her into the far wall. She didn't even make it to the floor before Spike was looming over her, his swords unsheathed, crossed, and pressed against her neck. "The next time you fucking call me Spike will be the last fucking word you speak before you stand before The Voice for eternal judgement!"

Twilight breath hitched and she felt her heart nearly beat out of her chest as Spike stared down at her growling with the promise of murder in his eyes. Wisps of green flames leaked out of his mouth with every fang on full display. In that moment, she knew that she was going to die. And with that thought, her fraying psyche snapped and she fainted dead away.

Not-Spike panted hard as he attempted to get his anger under control. Why couldn't Twilight just let it go!? But then again, between the way Šihzra went about 'explaining' who he was and his own muddled mind he couldn't fully blame her either. Maybe with his mind finally feeling like it was beginning to feel clear...

His thoughts were derailed when Pharynx, if Not-Spike remembered correctly, in a single telekinetic motion lifted his swords away from Twilight's neck while simultaneously spinning him away from her and slamming him into one of the intact walls. He would have been impressed even if he hadn't bared witness to Šihzra Vairozs sparing against Index. Pharynx had some skill, but he was no where near the level as Šihzra.

"I may look like one, but I am no soft hearted, peace loving pony. I will not hesitate to use lethal force." Hissed Pharynx, pressing one of Not-Spike's own swords against his throat lightly. "So, threaten a pony again, I dare you..."

Not-Spike sighed sadly looking away from the angry guard. This day had gone from a clusterfuck to a triumph only to be twisted back into a clusterfuck. If only he had just sat down and really explain exactly who he was, but his mind had been in such a jumble from not only the Pull but all those flashes of memories from Spike. And then, of course, (because it always had to be 'of course') the one time, the one time, it had cleared up enough to be able to put his thoughts in order so he could explain everything got derailed by a glowing magic butt tattoo.

Not-Spike resisted the urge to gulp as the pressure from his sword upon his neck increased. Apparently his turbulent emotions in response to the disguised changeling's threat had only angered him even more. He could speak the recall command that Šihzra enchanted into the sword to teleport it back into its scabbard, but he also knew that it was highly likely Pharynx would end his life before he could finish a single syllable. "I don't know what kind of game are you and Šihzra up to but rest assured..."

"What did you mean earlier when you claimed that 'Spike' sacrificed himself so you could live?'" Both Not-Spike and Pharynx blinked before turning their gazes over to Cadance. Pharynx had shifted his head only slightly just enough to make sure that Cadance could his see hardening glare while still keeping a sharp eye on the dragon.

Not-Spike took advantage of the slight distraction and whispered under his breath the recall phrase startling Pharynx who backed away when his sword suddenly disappeared from his neck only to appear back in its scabbard on his back. With the immediate threat gone he lifted a single claw to let Cadance know he needed a moment before answering. He then licked a claw before slowly leaning down and sticking it into to one Twilight's ears before twisting it. As expected the sudden cold wetness on a sensitive part of the body was enough to surge Twilight back from unconsciousness with a yelp and a flurry of limps as she simultaneously scrambled to get up on to her hooves before trying to clean her suddenly slimy ear with a hoof.

"I hated you... I hated Spike." He began, not giving Twilight anytime to protest the rude waking, "And Spike hated me. Despised me like I was some sort of monster! He did everything possible to buried me, to smash me down, to kill me if-"

"WHAT!?" Twilight yelled in protest, her hoof dropping away from her ear in her shock. "Spike would never-"

"Shut. Up." Not-Spike hissed, glaring at Twilight, daring her to faint again. But when she did not he snorted before continuing as if Twilight hadn't interrupted him. "See, this is what I mean by you are just like Spike: a defiant sanctimonious, self righteous, know-it-all, proudful hypocrite! Perfectly willing to let innocent thinking sentient creature suffer and die an excruciating death because you were too proud to admit you don't know fuck."

"But... I... I..."

"Do you recall the of day of Spike's birthday induced greed growth?"

"Yes... but what-"

"My first coherent moment was you waving, what you claimed to be, an incredible broom in front of me." Not-Spike gave a fake smile as he reminisced before letting it fall as he added, "...It was a pretty shitty broom."

"But can't you see that could only mean..." Twilight began, gesturing wildly.

"Not Spike!" Not-Spike snapped then sighed, "I get that I look and sound like the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious, gah that is a mouthful, but I am not him... I never was..."

"Then who..." Cadance began to ask while putting a placating hoof on Twilight who had devolved back to stammering single syllables every few seconds.

Not-Spike interrupted with a raised palm and a shake of his head. "First of all, to know my name is to know me. All of me... Down to the very ends of my being. So please, do not ask for my name again."

"Okay..." Cadance softly spoke. "What do you like to be called then?"

"Eh, I figured that if the Crystal Ponies loved to ham it up with Spike I figured, why not?!" Not-Spike shrugged, smirking a bit.
"And so, Guardian Dragon of the Crystal Ponies! Guardian for short as guardian is what I am."

"'Guardian." Pharynx sneered. "Your name is literally 'Guardian!?'"

"No," Guardian grumbled as he pinched his brow. He had just said that he wasn't going to give them his name, name! Why would... "Guardian is not my name, it's more of a... title."

Guardian sighed as he rubbed both his hands up and down his face. He knew it was going to be difficult but not this difficult! He was going to have such a headache after this...

"Wait, wait..." Shining spoke for the first time since he first stepped into the isolation room. "If you're not Spike how was it that your first coherent memory was during Spike's... uh... birthday? I read the reports and there were no other dragons anywhere near the area of Ponyville on that day."

"I guess you could say I was the sleeping dragon within..." Guardian answered, rolling his eyes at Twilight mouthing a silent 'see!' "Oh for the love of The Voice Twilight! Spike and I were two different beings! We influenced each other but we had different emotions, thoughts, and memories!"

"When I awoke that day all I knew was that there were certain things were important and precious. Things that needed, had to be, protected. I didn't know exactly what it was but for my troubles I was assailed both physically and verbally and then kept having what I thought was my treasures stolen. All I wanted was to protect! I didn't know... I didn't know it was the wrong way to hoard, to protect, to guard... how could I? I was just..."

"You were merely a child..." Guardian nodded, letting a bit of a smile break through at Cadance's realization even though it wasn't exactly correct.

"But instead of understanding that and teaching me I was labeled a beast... A MONSTER!!" Guardian roared angrily.

"Spike's only thoughts of me was was fear and hatred." He continued with a low growl. "He hated anything about being a dragon because every exposure to something that was uniquely dragon it was negative and then reinforced by the culture he was raised under that saw dragons as these greedy fire breathing beasts that burn down whatever they can't steal and then would rather kill and eat you then have a civilized conversation! So he felt he had to do anything and everything to suppress the part of him that was screaming out in need to hoard to protect what he treasures less he was became what he wrongly feared... And those feelings became so strong that he managed to tap into the innate magic of dragons... the pain..."

"Ever had a child?" Guardian glanced at the two mares in turn, noting that only Cadance nodded. "The pain I felt was worse. Ever been dared to hold your breath to the point of passing out? Imagine that moment just before passing out the burning of your lungs, the darkness slowly closing in but being stretched out..." He felt no satisfaction as the horror slowly appeared on their faces. Even though in the end he and Spike came to an understanding he couldn't help but still be bitter about the suffering he went through. "I continuously felt myself slowing slipping, slowly dying and could do nothing... It was tortuous."

The drake looked away unable to continue. He knew that Spike didn't understand then what he truly was doing but the memories of those days were still so raw.

"No, no, no..." Twilight screeched out, shaking her head fiercely. "No! I refuse to believe... No, you are lying or something... Šizra made you say that! It has to be I-"

"And here is that fucking denial again." Guardian ground out through a tightly clinched jaw. "Yes, Spike tried to kill 'me.' But he didn't know what he was doing. He, too, after a manner of speaking, was a child. A child scared out of his mind who just wanted what was scaring him to go away..."

"What he didn't know, what no one knew but Šihzra Vairozs, was that if I died, so would he... but the thing is... the thing is..." Guardian chocked up, his throat seemingly closing up. Now that it was time to reveal Spike's fate to those that loved him, he found himself able to find the words explain to them that Spike was gone, gone, that he didn't even exist anymore...

"It's okay Guardian." Cadance soothed. "Deep breaths... deep breaths..."

Guardian nodded and did as he was told and then the words finally came out of his mouth. "A flame needs a spark to start, to live. Dragons are of fire and flame. I flame, Spike spark. In order for me to truly live, Spike had to spark me into life. But a spark is a momentary thing and is doomed appear for a flash and then to cease existing. Such is the nature of the spark that ignites a flame. And such is the nature of all dragons..."

"Are you saying that Spike..." Cadance whispered out, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Guardian almost could not look at the gathered ponies (and changeling). He could see the dam of grief especially on Twilight, who had been looking more and more frazzled as time had gone on, was about to burst. "All that remains of Spike are scattered fragments of fading memories... and the name he chose deeply etched into my spirit..."

And with that admission the ponies, minus Twilight over the edge into full on grief. The disguised changeling himself merely closed his eyes and looked away. Guardian looked at the only pony that was defiant, Twilight and sighed. He didn't know what he could say to her as he was out of words at the moment. But then suddenly a memory bubbled up to the forefront of his mind.

"Funny thing is... Šihzra Vairozs never actually told Spike anything..." Guardian humph once in mild amusement. "Not a single thing about dragons the entire time he was... held. Except, that I needed a name... and he never told him the true consequences... But... Well, the thing is... in the end... I almost think Spike knew... knew what it really meant to give me a name... It was just something in his final words to me that... well, actually, his finals words weren't for me but for you, Twilight Sparkle-"

"Do you know why dragons roar?"

Not-Spike grumbled in response to Hermit Sage's question. They both damn well knew that he didn't know, so why did the Hermit Sage even ask? Never mind it was he that first asked a question! The Hermit Sage was always doing this! Answering a question with a question of his own that never seemed to be related to the question first asked. And worst of all, he knew it, unlike all his other questions, was a question that Index would be of zero help. That meant he had no choice but to play along with the smug bastard and admit. "No, Hermit Sage, I do not."

Guardian quickly reached out and gently but firmly took a hold of Twilight's horn, which was now spewing out massive amounts of mana. He grunted as his paw quickly grew very warm from massive amount of raw mana that was continually pouring out from it. With his other arm, and some help of his wings, he gently but firmly wrapped himself around the now squirming pony. He was finding himself very thankful to having spent several weeks with Lord Spinster learning to how capture the monstrously massive snakes that lived in the deep jungles north of the Nether Wastes to milk them for their venom that he knew how to safely hold a squirming body with ease. 'Though given that Twilight possessed four legs and two wings she was proving to be slightly more difficult.

"I'm sorry it took so long to remember..." Guardian whispered, gently stoking Twilight's head with his chin, his words barely heard over the wails of the grieving alicorn, who in turn only wailed louder before becoming muffled as she buried her head into the crook of his arm.

In the corner of his eye, just barely visible, he could make out a dim flashing light down near Twilight's flank. Looking down he could see Twilight's cutie mark flashing rhythmically just like it had back in that crystal tree house. He wasn't completely sure of the meaning, vague flashes from Spike's now nearly faded away memories, but irregardless he had a strong feeling that things were beginning to turn around for the grieving alicorn still held tightly in his grasp.

"Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs?"

The newly named dragon spirit looked down to see Spike, his form difficult to see within an inferno of green flame.

"Think you do me one last favor?" Spike said, rubbing the back of his head. "Twilight can be a bit neurotic... okay, completely neurotic... The thing is... If I know Twilight, and I do, she is going to blame herself... that she failed me somehow... she never did... I don't envy future you, but please help her understand... I know I am asking a lot, but she... She needs to know..."

Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs blinked when Spike stopped speaking, wondering if too much of Spike had burned away but then he heard Spike's voice softly start to speak again. "Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs, tell my sister that I love her with all my heart always..."

Whatever the rest of what Spike said (if he said anything else) was lost as the heat and light from Spike's spirit burning away completely overwhelmed Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs. The next thing he was saw was a shattered cloudless sky, pink crystal leaves gently swaying in a non-existent breeze.

Chapter 23 Acktcerīzs Sētas (Contemplative Sorrow)

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No creature feels like a dragon does. ~ Unknown

Guardian slowly let out a breath as he leaned against a light pole cross the street from the statue of Spike. Much to his chagrin the statue had become a memorial of sorts, a place of mourning. He had just witnessed yet another crystal pony leaving another crystal flower before joining the small herd of mourners was huddled nearby. The amount of grief he had been witnessing since news broke out about Spike's death was making him increasing very uncomfortable. Not only because of his mixed feelings about Spike, but because he knew that the amount of negative emotion in the air could not be good for the small changeling hive, much less the Crystal Heart. And with it being the depths winter...

"Guardian Dragon of the Crystal Ponies."

Guardian paused his musing and turned to greet the dragoness but found himself at a loss for words. Her purple scales were now a rich near midnight black while her light blue scales had deepened into a lovely royal blue, and everywhere the light from the street lamp above or Amulet of Winds on her chest touched her scales they sparkled. And then to cap it all, was her horns. Her gorgeous white horns seemed to shimmer like a crown of freshly fallen snow. All in all, it gave her dark a ethereal beauty that made his heart race and stole away his breath. All he wanted to do was to take her right then and there. To ravish every part of her beauty to make her his and him her, to become one.

"Greetings...Windigo Azure." Guardian finally mumbled out, glad that Azure could not see the blush he knew was on his face. Now he just needed to find something to talk about, and fast, before he said something really stupid. Luckily. he had something, he could not see her two bodyguards. (At least he assumed they were her bodyguards) "Where are your two shadows?"

"Slush means well but he tends to forget that even though I can't see with the Amulet of the Winds I am far from helpless." Azure crossing her arms as she sighed. "As for Nova Blaze, he is probably still entranced by that pony playing... what did they call it? A crystal flugelhorn?"

Azure smirked as she tilted her head towards him. "He has a thing for music..."

Guardian had to suppress a snort as he pictured the white and blue dragon rising out of an impossibly small basket while wearing a very skimpy belly dancer's outfit as a pony played a flugelhorn in the background. But before he could make any comment, he once again he found his breath frozen in his chest as Azure looked up at him eye to eye.

"Guardian..." Azure's soft voice quaked, "I still remember some of the stories my sire and dam told me... There are tales told among my people of this place, tales of deceiving monsters that can push back the storm and paint the ice red. That would spell doom to any foolish dragon that approached. One could dismiss them as merely tales to keep misbehaving hatchlings in line... but then... Auroras started to appear from the very place we were warned about and tragedy upon tragedy soon stuck... Culminating with the death of every adult dragon in the Frozen North ten years ago..."

Guardian shivered as Azure spoke of the loss of the adults but before he could tell of what he knew she continued.

"So, you must understand our fear two days ago the aurora appeared at the same as the Amulet of the Winds pulled. I know better to than not listen when the Amulet pulls... But to pull us here? Was our final doom upon us? What I wasn't expecting was for you to step forwards and greet us warmly..."

"Do you know what happens when a dragon is about to freeze to death?" Azure asked, raising her hand to stall any response Guardian could give. (Not that Guardian's could respond as his mouth had dried up.) He gulped as her eyes never wavered from his. He had no idea how to answer and a part of him wasn't even sure he wanted to know the answer.

"They warm up... But it's a false warmth that fools them into thinking they are safe when they are actually about to become one with the eternal ice..." Azure's voice faded into a sniff. "I knew to know for the sake of what is left of my people that the kindness that has been shown to us is not a false kindness... I need to know that I-we can trust you."

Guardian now found himself going from fear to burning with fury. Not at her, but at the situation she was in. Not only was it clear by the way she spoke that she had witnessed someone, someone that was precious to her, a parent or sibling perhaps, freeze to death, but she was as the Windigo leading an equally traumatized group of young ice dragons. How could he untarnish this shimmering beauty when he couldn't even help in his own hoard's grief?!

And then there were her concerns... He was sure of his ponies (and changelings) that they meant the ice dragons no harm but he himself knew very little of the history of the Crystal Empire. Mostly fragments from Spike's memories but that was it. Šihzra had not told him anything about the Empire that would be concerning, if anything he seemed pleased when he examined the map in Ponyville. He didn't think the longma would have encouraged him to follow his pull if it could led to possible death and destruction. But what of Šihzra's later ravings?

'The only thing needed was ponies abused... and oppressed by the worst tyrant this side of the cataclysm... to be saved by a dragon that despised what he thought he was... with a simple letuscktüis artifact!'

Letuscktüis was one of the few Ancient Draconian words that Guardian knew the meaning of. So why did the Crystal Ponies have a Ice Dragon artifact? And why did Šihzra seem okay with the Crystal Ponies until the reveal of Spike's role in the liberation of the Crystal Empire from King Sombra? He glanced at the slowly spinning Crystal Heart before bringing his full attention back to Azure.

"I wish I could fully allay your fears Azure, but I cannot." He paused as took a slow breath trying to quell the raging inferno in his heart. "If anydragon could it would be Šihzra Vairozs, the DragonWyrm, who was the one who called for you."

"Dragon...wyrm?" Azure slowly repeated.

Guardian apprehensively chewed on his lips. Šihzra had taught him only fragments of the ancient ways, how was he going to explain something as big as the DragonWyrm when he himself only had a partial understanding of it? It was in the midst that struggle that he caught a dark shape in the corner of his eye rising into the air near the top of Crystal Spire.

"Do you speak of the one that sang that song?" Azure questioned, not knowing that Guardian's attention had been drawn away. "The one that caused you to panic and screaming for a healer?"

"Yeah..." Guardian answered, rubbing the back of his head, thankful that Azure figured out who he was referring to. Speaking of... His frown deepened as he watched the dark shape disappear over the top of the Spire.

"Then, with your permission, I request to be amongst your hoard for a while longer..."

"Yes!" Guardian yelled happily then coughed, trying to hide his enthusiasm, before adding in a more normal voice. "I mean... I don't think the crystal ponies would mind at all."

Guardian found himself nearly groaning in embarrassment as Azure put her arms on her hips while smirking. Damn it... Why did he say yes like that?! Was he trying to scare her off?! He let out a sigh and made to look anywhere else and ended catching the sight of Slush walking towards them, dragging a protesting Nova Blaze behind him. "Uh..."

"Ear or arm?"

Azure giggled when a second, smaller uhh escaped Guardian, making him blush in turn. He had no idea how she knew. He even waved a hand in front of her just to be sure that she was fully blind, but shrugged when she didn't react. Either she was ignoring him or this it was a common enough of an occurrence that she reasonable could have guessed.

Harlothisüa held back a huff of irritation as he touched down at the top of the Spire. It was as he had figured, the dark shape he had seen earlier had indeed been Šihzra. Why and how was he here? The longma had been on the verge of death only a few hours before, he should not have the strength to get out of his hospital bed much less fly so high up in the freezing cold.

But before could voice his irritation Harlothisüa found his mouth opening for a completely different reason than to berate Šihzra. The longma had shakily reached out with a paw towards the moon before moving it one way then another. Harlothisüa would have thought nothing of it except the moon had shifted south then north following the same movement.

He so stunned by what he had witnessed that he almost didn't catch when the longma whispered. "Do you hear that?"

Harlothisüa opened his mouth only to slam it shut. What kind of a question was that? It sounded like (and given this was Šihzra that was a guarantee) a trick question. One that should not be answered less one wanted to suffer from the daddy of all migraines. It was moments like this that reminded him how much he sometimes hated Šihzra. But then again, now that they were friends and not mentor and protégé he was so going to give him shit every moment he could... whenever Šihzra wasn't around and or not acting like this, preferably both and in either order.

"It's strange to not hear him anymore... it's strange after so long to not be in pain... a small part of me misses it and him, and yet..." Šihzra slowly looked back behind him his red eyes rising up to seemingly bore straight through Harlothisüa. "He is me and I him..."

Harlothisüa blinked once then twice and then finally a third time before his mind finally snapped awake. "What the fuck are you doing up and how are you even awake!?"

"Bah!" Šihzra spat, waving away the drake's concern. "They may mean well but those medics are far more likely to kill me then heal a paper cut on my left-most claw."

"Šihzra Vairozs..." Harlothisüa growled, crossing his arms. His patience for Šihzra's typical brusqueness was already very thin and to insult those under his protection like that?

Šihzra flinched at the drake's glare, sighing as he explained, "That wasn't the first time that I nearly killed myself through extreme mana exhaustion, far from it... This actually makes it the third time in less then a decade..."

Third time!? Decade!?! Harlothisüa gaped at now nonchalant Šihzra was about nearly dying. He didn't take the longma as a masochist, sadist sure, but masochist?

"The Reliquary of the Ancients is the largest library in the world containing knowledge that goes back to the dawn of history. Do you not think I wouldn't learn a few tricks from it on how to hold back the consequences of mana exhaustion?"

Harlothisüa rolled his eyes. And there it is... The expected smug superiority. Not that it wasn't completely unjustified as he had seen the libraries of the Crystal Empire and of Traxti, among others, and they all paled in in size and scope to the Reliquary of the Ancients... It was just sometimes...

"Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs," The use of his full name caught Harlothisüa's attention and when he looked over to Šihzra he saw the same look upon the face of the longma that he had been seeing on face after face. Soul crushing grief. 'A small part of me misses it and him...' He hadn't really been paying attention before as his irritation had been too great. But thinking back, there was a very small pause before the word 'and.' A pause that could easily be dismissed but he knew Šihzra. With a flash of a memory, of a garden with four statues, he realized that Šihzra would never be able to stop grieving the loss of Vorac. "I really don't want to be around ponies any longer then necessary, and if I am to recover I need to be anywhere but here."

Harlothisüa pinched his brow as he nodded his understanding. After all there was a reason for the first half of his well-known moniker of the Hermit Sage. But it still didn't dull his irritation at the earlier insult. And to think that Šihzra was the main driving force of the original free trade agreement that grew into the the modern day Traxti Free Trade Federation. How could one be so diplomatic and callously abrasive? He was beginning to think that the more he got to know his friend the less he would truly know...

But as the silence grew after Šihzra's confession Harlothisüa found himself needing to say something, anything to get rid of the uncomfortable silence. But before he could Šihzra broke the silence for him. "The past few days will not go unanswered Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs..."

"Well maybe next time don't jump into summoning the Windigo followed by, 'Fuck it!' Let's also mess with the fucking moon for no 'raisin!'" Harlothisüa ranted, sitting down, hard, his legs dangling off the edge. He thought that things would get better, easier, when he finally answered the pull but it had only gotten more complex. "A mess of which I will now have to deal with..."

Šihzra sighed heavily, his claws rhythmically tapping the spire. "Maybe I should have told you more of the history of Equestria and its surrounding lands before we came... But I didn't want to overly negatively color your opinions..."

Harlothisüa rolled his eyes as he mentally added: You mean more then you already did with your clear distaste for ponies in general.

If Šihzra saw Harlothisüa's reaction he gave no indication as he began to explain. "It is difficult for any dragon baring a tzircktstelescktüis to form their mana into spells or enchantments. It's why most, including dragons, think they are incapable of magic outside of flight and flame. The Crystal Heart is a Letuscktüis artifact from the time of the ancients, when that wasn't the case. Its purpose was to protect young letuscktüi who could not yet handle the extremes of the polar regions that they called home. Most mated letuscktüi would construct one when the dam became gravid. But then Cataclysm occurred and the art was lost leaving only the Heart...

"And because of that, it made rearing hatchlings to adulthood nearly impossible. To combat this, under the leadership of a previous Windigo, a common nesting ground was set aside. It was that very nest grounds that the ancestors of what would become the Crystal Ponies stumbled upon when they were driven north in a desperate attempt to flee from conflict and famine... If I recall correctly, there had been a severe drought followed by a long harsh winter.

"The letuscktüi took pity on the starving and battered refugees, seeing them as hatchlings that needed protection, and in a small way they were... So, they were brought under the protection of the Crystal Heart. But the land was a cold and desolate and not much could grow here. They yearned to return to the warmth and greenery of the land they had fled. If only they had the power of the Crystal Heart they would have power to take back their land, to crush all who would threaten them...

"But the Windigo and the Letuscktüi would not allow the Heart to leave its sanctuary and the ponies could not just take it as the might of the Windigo was too great. But the Crystal Heart has a fatal flaw, one that had gone unnoticed and the cunning Crystal Ponies unknowing exploited it. The Heart could protect against external threats with ease but not from those who were under its protection. And so ponies stole it away by smashing very egg and massacring every hatchling, whelp and guardian that sheltered under its magic leaving only them under its protection."

Harlothisüa fidgeted as Šihzra relayed the origins of the Crystal Ponies, finding all of it a bit unnerving. Not the story pre say (which was all sorts of disturbing in of itself), but the way Šihzra was speaking. For one, he was never this forthcoming with anything and for another he was actually explaining. In a detailed and coherent manner! WHAT?! This was not the Šihzra he got to know the past five years.

"The Windigo and the surviving Letuscktüi were of course furious. Who wouldn't cry out for justice and vengeance after having all of their children slaughtered!? But even with might of the Amulet of the Winds behind them, they could not overcome the power of the Crystal Heart. With their vengeance denied the Windigo instead brought the fury of the Frozen North down around the Crystal Ponies. The ponies may have been safe within the barrier afforded to them by the Heart, but they also became completely cut off from the rest the world by an endless blizzard.

"Soon generations passed, many for the ponies, few for the Letuscktüi, and, in time, even the twisted tales spoken by both faded beyond myth and legend to be nearly forgotten..."

As Šihzra 's tale faded away Harlothisüa found himself without words. This time as silence fell over the pair Harlothisüa found himself welcoming it. Thanks to what Šihzra revealed he had a lot to think about...

While it was true that the Crystal Ponies had in the past done horrific deeds, he also saw the poetic justice that was not only the blizzard but of the reign of King Sombra. And with King Sombra, he had destroyed the future of the Crystal Ponies much in same way that the Crystal Ponies' ancestors had destroyed the Ice Dragons. In the end, both people had been shaped by tragedies by vile, cruel beings. But that was also in the past, so much so that, neither the Ice Dragons or Crystal Ponies had any real remembrance. This meant that they both now had a chance, a chance for one to rectify the evils of their past and for the other to heal, to start afresh and to move on...

"Knowing what you know now," Šihzra slowly asked, his eyes just as slowing rising to meet Harlothisüa's, "do you regret Claiming the Crystal Empire and its people as yours?"

Without hesitation Harlothisüa vowed, "Thē."

"Good." The longma nodded, turning away, his gaze distant, "Very good... In many ways you are in a far better position than your namesake. You do not have a culture that celebrated its blind, nearly universal hatred, nor a genocidal war lasting thousands of years to fight against. You also have far more allies then he ever did. And finally, you have his experiences recorded in his journals. Much of what you will face, he has faced, but in the reverse."

Why was he telling me this? Harlothisüa leered over at Šihzra. He had a niggling of a tickling that the longma was about to say something or do something he was not going to like. He could bet his entire supply of Zap Apple Jam on it.

"Which you have to begin to do without me... and without Hive Leader Thorax."

"What?!" Harlothisüa yelled. He figured he would be on his own but to have Šihzra run off with Thorax was something he was not going to accept lightly.

"Even among changelings Chrysalis was particularly paranoid and egomaniacal, there is no way that Thorax had any training on what it means to and how to truly lead a hive... I doubt that any changeling of hers did."

Harlothisüa thought on that for a moment. He had faith in Thorax's ability to lead his changelings, but he also recalled what befell Thorax's hive. If what Šihzra said about Chrysalis was even remotely true, then... "Lord Spinster?"

"Maybe..." Šihzra trailed off before starting to hum.

All of my regrets
Will wash away somehow
But I will not forget
The way I feel right now...

Harlothisüa turned to look fully at Šihzra and shivered from something other the biting cold. The drake didn't think it possible, but an openly mischievous Šihzra was somehow more terrifying then a Šihzra finding something 'interesting.'

I spent so much time searchin'
Lookin' forever more
Wailin' in despair
With every empty find

Harlothisüa raised an eyebrow at the song that Šihzra was singing. This is a different song then the first... What are you up to now Šihzra Vairozs? He wondered as the atmosphere around them shifted in a similar way to the moments right after he Claimed the Crystal Empire and its people as his.

But when you stand too close
Yeah, the picture's never clear
And when you look too far away
It all but disappears

And it was right (right) there in front of me (Oh-oh, ah-oh-oh)
Just too close for me to see (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Sometimes the things you need
Are not where you first think
'Cause it was right there in front of me

The chorus faded out as Šihzra raised a foreleg up and out in clear invitation. 'Though Harlothisüa was still not sure what the longma was exactly up to he shrugged a why not, after all he had already joined during the chorus.

There was a time before
I didn't know where I belonged
I thought I needed more
And that I wouldn't get along

But who I am
Was all I ever needed
And when I faced that test
I finally succeeded

Oh, whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

And it's all I'll ever need

Oh, whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

'Cause it was right there in front of me

Oh, whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

And it's all I'll ever need

Oh, whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

'Cause it was right there in front of me

Oh oh oh
All this time
It was in front of me

Šihzra chuckled and winked at Harlothisüa as the song faded away before suddenly disappearing in a cloud of black sparks.

Damn it Šihzra! Harlothisüa facepalmed while shaking his head. Of course, he must have used the song to teleport away just like he did with Harmonious Knight's journals. And to add insult to injury, he just knew that as much as Šihzra leaving would ease the tension with the Equestrians in particular, it was just as likely (and if he was honest the chances were one hundred percent) going to come back and bite future him in the tail.

Chapter 24 Šüērsojot Traxti Cktilsēta (Traversing Traxti City)

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Endless grief awaits the dragon whose hoard is lost. ~ Unknown

Šizra tighten his hold of Thorax as more and more of the leyonic mana shined through the shell of his mana. The shell should hold but it was going to be close... Suddenly to his shock, and concern, Thorax started to squirm. He had hoped that his sleeping spell upon the changeling would have lasted until their arrival in Traxti City.

<Do not speak!> Šizra warned into the hivemind, calculating that the extra mana expenditure would not put them at any needless risk. However, to his chagrin, this only caused Thorax to thrash with building distress. For a moment he could even see the changeling's mouth move as if he was going to voice said distress, but then, it seemed that the changeling took his warning to heart and closed him mouth. Good. It would not got well if the changeling attempted to speak out loud in a pure, raw mana environment.

Šizra gritted his teeth exasperation though when Thorax looked up only to start to actually fight to get out of his grip. <Šizra!>

Šizra wished he could speak Ancient Draconian into the hivemind to force Thorax to calm down but limitations in the spellwork that allowed him entry into the hivemind prevented that. But if he did not get the changeling to calm down and fast...

<We are traversing through the ley lines, rivers of raw mana that crisscross the world.> Šizra growled as Thorax managed to get in a painful hit to his back left shin. <Only my magic is keeping you from the mana of a hundred alicorns which would instantly tear you asunder before scattering you to the ends of the planet.>

To his mild relief that seemed to calm the changeling down but it didn't stop Thorax from shouting into the hivemind. <Why have you bugnapped me?!>

<Bugnapped?> Šizra raised an eyebrow. Did I somehow over and under do the sleeping spell? <You agreed to come with me.>

<What!? I would nev... that was you!?> Thorax exclaimed as realization struck, shock and horror painfully assaulting Šizra's mind. <If I had known...>

<Any royal changeling worth their gel would have known that I was a non-changeling the moment I spoke within the hivemind.> Šizra countered, irked at the changeling's attitude.

But the changeling's mood only fell further, from a mix fear and anger deep down into despair and hopelessness. And as much as Šizra was glad that Thorax was no longer fighting him, the change to those emotions only made him more irritated. That displeasure turned into a simmering anger when he heard the changeling sulky muttered a particular word.

<Weak!?> Šizra scoffed, barely holding back his anger from the hivemind. <You wrestled control from Chrysalis did you not?>

<But...>

<But nothing.> Šizra snapped, cutting off Thorax. <It was Chrysalis in her hubris crippled your hive in her idiotic pursuit of control and power. She chose to ignore that the might of a hive always comes from the hive itself, as a whole, and never from the leader alone. A royal changeling serves and give directions to the hive at the behest of the hive and not the other way around.>

<...>

<Your hive is on the verge of collapse, Thorax!> Šizra growled his patience for the bemoaning changeling gone. <I will not stay idle while that which my friend has claimed...>

<Claimed?!> Thorax roared, the despair and hopelessness gone with the rush of fury so great that it nearly managed to make Šizra lose focus on the mana shell. <I did not show my hive a better way and thus rescuing them from Chrysalis tyranny to be claimed as slaves by another!>

<Of course not!> Šizra grumbled, looking away from Thorax to check his mana shell, which, thankfully, for the moment, seemed stable. <Just like when I asked if your friendship with Spike was like a pony, a dragon, or a changeling so too do you not yet know what it means to be claimed by a dragon. To a dragon, claiming not about subjugation, slavery, it's about protecting what or who they value more than anything else. Never mind no dragon will tolerate their hoard being anything but the best and a soul chained is a tarnished and diminished soul...>

<You will see young changeling...> Šizra added, now staring down at the changeling. <When you finally step out like a young fledging and fly under your own power you will see your dragon's joy blazing brighter than the sun.>

Šizra sighed in relief when any further discussion was cut off as the bright, swirling kaleidoscope of the ley mana, along with his dark mana, faded away to reveal a stone circle. Looking up and over he saw trees and further still the last light of the sun upon the tops of skyscrapers. They had arrived in Traxti City.

Šizra felt a small bit of pity for Thorax as the changeling stumbled away from him and threw up. But he quickly shallowed that pity as he did not want to add to the changeling's suffering. He looked around and thankfully found that, so far, no one had noticed their arrival, but that could change at any moment. It would not do good for the suffering changeling if word got out that there was a changeling that look like a pony in Traxti. It would lead to not only emotional attention that would only increase the strain the changeling was under but questions. Questions that would lead to answers. Answers of which he knew would likely lead to an outcome that he had been subtly trying to lead the Federation away from for the past ten years.

"Quick! Disguise yourself as a young dragon and whatever you do not revert to either a pony or your base form." Šizra huffed, quickly summoning Leafcutter when Thorax hesitated.

The longma raised a single brow as Thorax disguised himself as a teenaged dragon with the same colorization as his base form. Without knowing it Thorax had picked the paradoxically the worst and best disguise possible. He would draw attention to himself being a dragon in Traxti City. (Rare to begin with but now almost never since the loss of the entire adult dragon population.) That kind of attention could overload the already strained changeling. But, then again, they would also see a young dragon in the presence of the Hermit Sage, the only adult dragon (technically a hybrid dragon) alive and would thereby likely leave them alone assuming that he was mentoring another young dragon like he did Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs.

"Ugh..." Thorax groaned out as he wiped away the bile from his mouth. "I feel worse than that one-time Twilight tested some of Mandible's 'special stash' during one of her 'research' binges and started manically teleporting him and I all over the hive while spouting questions nonstop. So much teleporting... So. Many. Questions..."

"That is not teleportation sickness you’re feeling." Šizra explained as he peered around again, seeing still that no creature had noticed them. "You are being bombarded by the emotions of about five million creatures right now. Luckily, all that emotional energy is unfocused, but if all five million were to be directed towards you... That would be analogous to the power that the Crystal Heart is capable unleashing."

"Five million!? That's... that's..." Thorax tried to get more than one word out but words seemed to have failed him. "Where..."

"Traxti City, west south west of the Crystal Empire across the 'Northern Luna' Ocean." Šizra explained as he observed Thorax closely. If he had more time to prepare, he could have enchanted an amulet to help dampen the emotional barrage, but, then again, if the royal changeling couldn't find a way to handle this what hope could he have against the might of the Crystal Heart?

Šizra continued to watch Thorax patiently as the changeling tried to reconcile that he was surrounded by more creatures than the entirety of Equestria. As much as he would like for them to get a move on, it would be better for the young royal changeling to get all the shock out of system now where they had a bit of privacy as to not set off any instinctual changeling flight and hide behaviors in front of witnesses. After a few moments it seemed like Thorax had calmed down only to almost immediately fall hard onto to his butt, mouth agape. Šizra followed his gaze and sighed. Of course...

Thorax's hive may have taken shelter under the Crystal Spire, the tallest structure in all of Equestria (unless Manehatten had built one larger since the last time he sent spies into Equestria some thirty years ago...), but Traxti had at least couple dozen that were several times taller, several of which could be easily seen from where they stood. And, of course, the one that had gotten Thorax's attention was not only nearly four times higher than the Crystal Spire, it also was the tallest building in Traxti. And yet, it still had nothing on the crystal tree that was the backbone of the Reliquary.

Šizra let a little smirk slip. Maybe, if they had time, they could make a layover at the Glittering Isles. It had been far too long since he had seen an initial reaction to his hoard. Those were always amusing to see. A pity Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola was unable due to the wards... His mood quickly soured though he recalled that Vorac found those reactions to be just as hilarious.

Vorac...

"Bugnapped... five million creatures... impossibly tall buildings... When will this Luna forsaken dream end?" Thorax suddenly cried out, gesturing wildly with his dragon claws.

Šizra snorted. He always found the reverential praise of the two sisters to be extremely stupid, among other things. Luna, in this case, was not the be-all and end-all when it came to dreams, she was just a particularly strong dream walker. "Come, Traxti City is not safe after nightfall..."

As he silently lead Thorax east through the rapidly darkening streets he could feel the adrenaline that had gotten him thus far started to slip away bringing him back to the bone exhaustion he had felt as he laid upon the Crystal Spire. Not helping was the boost that the heartsong had given his mana had also faded. He was thankful that even though Thorax was still clearly very curious he kept quiet. He didn't think he could answer his questions and walk at the same time.

It was to his relief when only a short time later they arrived at the Traxti Harbor without any issues. Now they had to just had to, hopefully, find the Belching Kraken, which usually wintered in the harbor... amongst all the other ships doing the same. This could take a while, possibly too long, and he would rather not, with how weak he felt, resort to plan B.

That turned out to be a very accurate prediction as Šizra was about to give up just as the moon reached its peak when he finally spotted the Belching Kraken. To his surprise and relief, he could see the scarred shell of an old Kappa leaning against the railing near the gangplank, his face highlighted by the dim light of a lit pipe. If he was not mistake that had to be Captain Klippfisk. Given how late it was he had half expected to have to either talk to a crewmember or make his way onto the ship to knock on the door to the captain's quarters.

"Hail Captain Klippfisk of the Belching Kraken!" Šizra happily called out only to blink in confusion when the kappa hardly reacted, only looking around a moment before going back to his gazing. Odd... He was sure that the old grizzled kappa was Captain Klippfisk. Maybe he wasn't loud enough. "Hail Captain Klippfisk of the Belching Kraken!"

That time the kappa seemed to have heard, looking about in the darkness before pulling out a lantern that had been hidden behind a crate. Šizra hissed, tilting his head away as the painful light hit him square in the face. Thankfully the kappa was quick to move the lantern so that Šizra could see without wincing in pain.

"Who goes there?"

"Captain Klippfisk, it is I, the Hermit Sage. I would like to request a room to stay the night for myself and my companion." Šizra frowned as he barely caught the kappa muttering a few choice curses in response all while fiddling with a compass that was chained around his neck.

What is going on? He understood why, given that he was cloaked like he normally was when he traveled, Captain Klippfisk did not recognize him on sight, but from what he was catching it sounded as if the kappa could not understand him. Further increasing his confusion was that Thorax also seemed a bit lost as to what he was saying. That made no sense as he made sure to speak modern Equestrian so that Thorax could understand him and with Captain Klippfisk's compass doubling as a translation amulet...

"Captain... Klippfisk?" Šizra questioned, but the moment those words left his mouth he realized what was going on. In his exhaustion he had must had slipped into his native tongue which the translation charm would not be able to translate, it was just too old and obscure.

With a tired sigh Šizra reached up and pull down the hood of his cloak and immediately the kappa's eyes lit up in recognition. "Well Ay'd be a fucking son of a gun if it be Hermit Sage! Ye look like a scurvied bonefish!"

But Šizra barely heard the captain excited exclamation as he fell on to his haunches, his strength suddenly utterly spent, his vision swirling about as darkness quickly enveloped him. The last thing he was aware of was a pair of hands and a voice speaking. "Well don' just stan' there like a wee guppy, help me..."

Live
Wake up, wake up
And let the cloak of life cling to your fire
Cling to your fire
Wake up, wake up

Wake up CktüisLežothīzs...

Šizra shot up, awaking with a gasp. He tensely looked around not knowing where he was. He couldn't see much in the dark room but from the smell of salt on the air and a slight rocking motion led him to the conclusion that he was on a boat. But why was he on a boat? As he tried to recall he noticed on a crate next to him was a plate piled high with salted pork, a large piece of hardtack, and, to his surprise, a chuck of quartz. He eyed it for a moment before the rumbling of his stomach overruled his caution. He quickly wolfed down the food as if he had not eaten in months.

Šizra closed his eyes and let out a long satisfying breath as the last of the food went down esophagus. His now full stomach seemed to reinvigorate him, if only a bit. He still did not know for sure where he was as every time he tried to recall his memories of the night before would slip away before he could grasp anything more than impressions. It was only when he climbed up out from below deck that he finally remembered. He had led Thorax to the Belching Kraken and called out for Captain Klippfisk then nothing. He must have pass out and was carried to an empty crew quarter.

Speaking of the two, he saw Captain Klippfisk smoking a pipe with Thorax, still disguised as a teenaged dragon, leaning over the rail next to him. Both were staring eastward at the sun rising. For a moment Šizra was transported back twenty thousand years and many leagues south to a sunrise just like this one.

Mother... Father...

"Aye don' suppose ye migh' tell me ye showed up las' night like a wee lad after too many pints of grog?" Klippfisk asked, pulling Šizra from his memories, the captain's eyes staring down at him.

Šizra closed his eyes and breathed out slowly as a fresh wave of loss and grief nearly overwhelmed him. Vorac... He knew that Vorac was merely an artificial soul not a living one and would have ceased to exist when he died anyway but Vorac had been a part of him for so long. And now... he would never hear his growls or grumbles again. He was now alone... so very alone...

"Forget Aye said nothin'. Aye can see the grief upon ye face. " The kappa spoke, turning to fully face Šizra before lightly clasping his shoulder and lumbering past.

"Captain..." Šizra softly spoke, causing the captain to stop, "A barrel of Zap Apple Brandy will be in the supply cache along with the usual as my thanks."

Klippfisk grunted before he entered into the captain's quarters, closing the door behind him. Šizra sighed as he turned his gaze towards the now fully risen sun, the raw grief slowly fading to a dull ache. It would never go away. It was the price of having a dragon's soul.

"Šizra?"

"It's time to go Hive Leader Thorax." Šizra said, ignoring the implied 'are you okay' that the changeling left unspoken. This was not the time for grief, there was work to be done.

But as they walked down the gangplank Šizra paused for a moment as he suddenly debated on how to proceed to the Sanctum. Even though he had rest and food, which had helped, his strength both physically and magically was going to be erratic and stunted for some time. It was going to be a tricky balance to maintain the two so as to not leave them vulnerable. After quickly thinking over his options, he felt it would be better to conserve mana as he knew that he was about to metaphorically kick the hornet's nest. So instead of teleporting them directly they were going they would have to take a much more circuitous and very long route to the Sanctum.

With that decided, Šizra led Thorax back into Traxti and down into the nearest underground train station. From there he guided the changeling through a maze of tunnels and passages sometimes backing up and taking a different route when it seemed that he went the wrong way and led them to a dead end. At one point, they even stepped back up onto the surface before walking into a hotel lobby and taking the stairs down into the basement and back into the tunnels.

As time went on Šizra didn't need to peek into the hive mind to sense that Thorax was becoming increasingly confused and tense. Especially as the longma made it look like he was struggling to remember where he needed to go. Of course, what he kept to himself was that every move he made was deliberate. He was subtly activating the changeling glyphs that were hidden throughout the Traxti underground that would let them open the door of the Sanctum.

"Here." Šizra handed Thorax a bag of honey roasted chestnuts when they stopped for a rest.

Thorax eyed the contents of the bag for a moment before reaching in and trying one.

3...

2...

1...

Šizra chuckled in amusement, as at the exact second, he had predicated, Thorax's eyes widen in shock before the changeling greedily stuffed his face into the bag nosily inhaling the chestnuts as fast as he could. The chestnuts that he had given the changeling were not covered in just any old honey but changeling honey.

"I was not lying when I told you before that there are dozens of hives all over Cktasaule." Šizra whispered as he went about munching on his own bag of roasted chestnuts (without the honey). "I am taking you to a place called the Sanctum. A well-hidden neutral place of refuge and relaxation, as well as a meeting place for hives that call the land east of the Razor's Spine home. My hope is that one the hives will be willing to teach you what Chrysalis failed to do..."

After eating their snack Šizra once again led Thorax through the underground until finally they reached a tunnel that had a large metal door at the end. A kappa dressed in a guard uniform was sitting on a folding metal chair to the side of it, seemingly asleep, though Šizra knew otherwise. As they approach he took a deep breath. Now was the moment of truth. If he had done it correctly the door should open up, otherwise he would have no choice but to resort to teleporting them in.

"Welcome to the Sanctum," Šizra said, sighing in relief as the handle turned and the door opened, subtly nodding to the kappa guard who was staring at them with his eyes and mouth wide open, no longer pretending to be asleep.

"However," He warned as they entered and walked down a series of tunnels and chambers lined with changeling resin and lowly lit by a scattering of small yellowish green changeling crystals. "While you are in no direct danger, keep your guard high, as none here are friends or allies."

With that they made their way deeper passing by more and more changelings most out of disguise. The chittering and buzzing all the while increasing. Šizra did his best to ignore it all, but it was slowing battering his already tired psyche.

"Wait here." Šizra suddenly ordered Thorax before walking towards a large circle encircled by many crystals of various sizes that hung down from the ceiling. It was there that he would have audience with with the hive leaders through their changeling 'speakers.'

The longma breathed deep as he sat down in the middle of the crystals and waited though his wait was not long as ten changelings all disguised as him stepped out of the darkness. He had to fight to not roll his eyes, of all the disguises the changelings’ speakers could use why did they go with him? Did they think that being him would intimidate him or throw him off somehow?

"What is the meaning of this sacrilege Stormcrow?" The Šizra changeling on the far left hissed. "'Tis bad enough that you have trespassed into our Sanctum but to also sully it by bringing a Banished here? We should cut both him and you down where you stand."

The moment the changeling said that chaos erupted amongst the Šizra changelings with several of them hissing in anger at the first and at least one even looking like it was about to attack the offending changeling. It took several shouts from the center Šizra before the chattering died down. Once it did, the same changeling nodded for Šizra to answer the accusation.

"I am fully aware of why her and her spawn were banished." Šizra replied, being careful to keep his own emotions calm. The posturing and pointed question he was expecting, the insulting title less so. And thanks to the changeling speakers taking a single form he had no idea which hive was the one on the left (Which was technically the point of being addressed by identical changelings) and thus he had no way to ascertain why that hive felt it needed to utilize such language.

"While the threat of violence was uncalled for..." The first changeling hissed again but stopped when the center Šizra glared at it. "The question still stands, Hermit Sage. Why have you brought a banished one here?"

Šizra looked at each changeling in turn as he gathered his thoughts on how to present his petition before speaking to the changeling that asked the question. "Thorax has overthrown Chrysalis but in doing so his hive have become known to the Equestrians..."

"So?" The Šizra on the far right spoke. "What business do we have if a hive has decided to end their masquerade?"

"Because they been viciously attacked by a radical faction within it..."

"Again, that is the Banished Hive's business. We will not risk our masquerades for their folly." The same Šizra countered.

"Hermit Sage," The Center Šizra spoke again, "This is clearly something that is not worthy for us to get involved in. Let the Banished Hive and the Equestrians hash it out on their own."

"I am not an idiot." Šizra resisted the urge to growl in annoyance. He was fully aware that they would bring up all of their objections. He would not have even tried if the only problems facing Thorax's Hive was just those. "The issue is what remains of his hive has taken shelter under the protection the Crystal Heart and the Crystal Ponies..."

Now as soon as those words came out of Šizra's mouth the low-level buzz that had surrounded him since shortly after he stepped into the Sanctum rose to a fever pitch and he was bombarded with not only many overlapping shouted questions but an overwhelming amount of powerful and conflicting emotions that flooded in from all directions. Unfortunately, with his deepening exhaustion it was quickly too much for him to handle and he let out a earth shattering, enraged roar.

"Oh, how I love nearly killing myself over and over and meddling in the affairs of a bunch of greedy, whining, self-righteous sanctimonious, self-destructive, knowing-know-it-all children!" Šizra shouted as his emotional control completely collapsed sending out waves of rage, frustration, sorrow and grief and causing many of the gathered changelings to scramble away trying to flee the intense and poisonous emotions. "You want to be self-destructive? Fine. I don't care! I'd rather... I'd rather..."

Vorac...

Šizra sobbed once, unable to speak another word, the Sanctum going completely silent except for the sounds of his heavy panting. Oh how he wish he could just run off and be like the first half of his most well known moniker. Vorac... But right now he could not, he had a duty and a responsibility to fulfill. He slowed his breathing take time to breathe in and out deeply to help get his emotions back under wraps.

When he felt he got his emotions back in check, he slowly began to speak again, "It is only a matter of matter of time before Traxti and Equestria will... meet. Now, you can swallow your pride and act like adults and take the first step of conciliation and help Thorax's hive. Or you can be a child and throw a tantrum and get smacked by the adults' consequences which will most likely be war, death and destruction. I should not need to remind you how tense the Federation is over Equestria."

With that Šizra spun around and walked away. He made his way a short distance to one of the pillars of harden changeling gel that served as support and light for the Sanctum and laid down. Ignoring cacophony that had erupted with his departure, he quickly fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Hermit Sage?

"Hermit Sage?"

"Hmm?" Šizra murmured as he opened his sleepy eyes, looking up to see, looming over him, one of the changelings still disguised as him, clearly one of the speakers.

"You are to escort the Royal Changeling known as Thorax to Lord Spinster." The changeling spoke before sharply turning and walking away. Šizra sighed in relief and he slowly got up onto his paws. It was as he and Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs had assumed and what he had hoped. The changeling suddenly paused and looked over his shoulder back to Šizra, his eyes glowing bright. "Oh, and Stormcrow? Please do not darken the Sanctum again."

Šizra shook his head as he barely resisted the urge to growl in irritation. It wasn't like he wanted to darken the Sanctum this time. With a sigh he went to look for Thorax who he quickly found curled up and shivering in fear within one of the many sleeping alcoves that dotted the walls. Several changelings were gathered around the young royal changeling who at one point had dropped his disguise. The longma coughed to get the gathered changelings' attention, who upon seeing him quickly parted. Šizra slowly reached down pulsing comfort, love, and understanding as he did and waited for Thorax to visibly calm down a bit before speaking.

"Come. Disguise yourself as you did before. It's time, once again, for us to leave."

Chapter 25 Cktrātu Cītha (A Battle of Wits)

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Hold thy tongue with a dragon for flattery is the tool of the thief. ~ Ancient Dragon Proverb

Šizra muttered as he attempted ascertain exactly where they were from the ley lines. He felt a bit of pity as he looked over to Thorax who was lying halfway in the pool of cool water where they had stopped to rest at, half asleep. They had been forced to slowly traversing the jungle on hoof for most of the past ten days as the heat and humidity had not been kind to the young royal changeling. Clearly the changeling had become accustomed to his hive's much cooler climate.

Not that he himself was much better, his own strength quick to wane. His recovery from the events in the Crystal Empire and before were proving to be agonizingly slow. It could be very possible that this was going to be his new normal. But, at least, to his relief, if he was feeling the ley lines right, they were finally getting close to Lord Spinster's hive.

Walking over the the changeling Šizra gently nudged the changeling's shoulder. "Wake up." Thorax, although he grumbled under his breath, thankfully did not need anymore encouragement as he slowly getting onto his hooves. "We are close to Lord Spinster's hive. And if I am correct, we may very well arrive while we still have sun."

"Finally..." Thorax breathed out as he stiffly walked behind Šizra.

Šizra ignored the comment and was about to step back into the treeline when he noticed that the jungle had gone quiet, too quiet. There was many dangers in the jungle and it was not unheard of for silence to be the only warning before it struck. However, given the proximity to the hive, he had a feeling that the silence was not due to danger... at least not towards them. His suspicion was confirmed only a moment later when he could just barely made out a slight rustle and the touch of air passing by before the sound of Thorax's heavy breathing disappeared. With a smirk, and without looking back, Šizra stepped into the darkness of the trees, softly singing as he did.

Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo
Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo...

Šizra singing quickly faded into humming as he carefully ducked under a downed tree. His humming than faded to silence as he came to a stop. He could sense something or someone watching him from above. Interesting... When Thorax was taken Lord Spinster's changelings had left as fast as they had arrived. This one, who ever it was, was merely watching...

"Do you take me for a fool Stormcrow?" A gruff and angry voice spoke as six yellow glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.

Fool? Stormcrow? Šizra stumbled back a step, stunned as he felt waves venomous hatred pounding into him. Why would Lord Spinster call him by that epithet? Why such hatred!? Lord Spinster, along with his hive, had always been cordial with him going all the way back to the time of Lady Araneae. In a small way, he could almost consider those of the hive a friend... So while he had expected some mild annoyance, maybe some exasperation for his stunt in the Sanctum, he had not expected this.

"So, you can be caught unaware..." Lord Spinster mused, his glowing eyes tilting from one side to the other. "Let see if you can also be defeated."

A glint, thanks to a small shaft of light that managed to pass through the canopy, was all the warning Šizra got. With thought and a quick flick of his paw he summoned Leafcutter, barely managing to block the wad of changeling web that was shot at him. Šizra tensed and shifted into a defensive stance as Lord Spinster's eyes faded back into the darkness. He could hear the changeling skittering about in the trees but as the changeling was making sure to stay away from any shafts of light. This left him, once again, with next to no warning when another volley of changeling web flew at him. He had not a second to breathe before Lord Spinster sent two more attacks, one right after the other.

He hissed in pain as he stumbled, tripping over something in the darkness as he jumped away from the final attack. Reaching out with a bit of mana and he nearly swore, he had unknowingly stumbled into a thread of sharpened web. And worse, as far as he dared to sense, was even more sharpened changeling web. Sharpened changeling web, especially if charged with mana, had the potential to cut through dragon scale like butter and with the amount of that he sensed he could find himself at high risk from death of a thousand cuts.

Now Šizra could cut any web away with Leafcutter, but the sword was already becoming heavy his grip. Not helping was he couldn't dip into his lifeforce like before as he did not have enough left nor could he use a heartsong as that would only strengthen his changeling attacker. He needed to find a way to get on the offense and end the fight quickly before his strength fully gave out. But how? His opponent had all the advantages: better mobility, high ground, 'sight'...

Sight...

Šizra really did not like that he had to resort to what he was about to do, but he was out of options. Careful to not let his emotions tip off Lord Spinster, the longma sent Leafcutter out in a series of wide arcs. To anyone not in the know it would look like he was swinging Leafcutter wildly about to clear the area of web but in actuality it was a cover for him to carve the rune for light onto the jungle floor. He had to dodge a counter attack but was quickly able to finish the rune. Hopefully it would stun the changeling and allow him the opening he needed to end the fight. Masking his next movements as another dodge he stepped on the rune he created closing his eyes while also sending a pulse of mana to activate the rune.

Šizra bit back a grunt of pain as a brilliant, burning flash of pure light exploded outward flooding the entire area in light that pierce through his closed eyes as if he had not even closed them. His ears swiveled at a sound a hiss of surprise and pain that was followed by a loud thud as something large fell onto the ground nearby. Quickly moving towards the sound, he found on the ground, only a few hooves away, what would look like to most, a large spider in a crumbled heap, legs twitching. Thankfully, unlike the changeling, Šizra had anticipated the light so he was able to recover much faster. He swiftly brought Leafcutter down upon Lord Spinster's neck pressing nearly hard enough to cause bleeding.

"Yield." He growled through heavy breaths hoping that Lord Spinster would not notice how weak he truly was.

"I may die..." Lord Spinster hiss in defiance, "but my hive will survive. You... on the other hand..."

Šizra's ears twitched as the sound of rustling returned. When he looked around he saw at least thirty changelings surrounding him, every single one with a crossbow primed with glowing pale yellow manabolt. He closed his eyes and dropped Leafcutter, desummoning it, beaten.

...

... ...

"Wake up."

Šizra groaned as he painfully opened his eyes. His mouth tasted of ozone and copper and his whole body ached like he had belly flopped into lava from a great height a few dozen times. But when he tried to move his leg to relief the ache, he found he was unable. Looking down, he saw that his right front paw was chained to the floor by an adamantine shackle. When he looked to his other legs, to his surprise, he could see that they were instead glued to the floor with changeling resin that glowed a pale yellow. Moving his gaze to up and out he could just make out in the corner of his eyes two glowing threads coming down towards him from the ceiling, judging from the way the web strands moved they were most likely attached to his horns. Finally, he could feel something heavy weighing down his wings preventing him from extending them out from his body. Although he was unable to move his head enough to see for sure, he was sure that his wings were being held down by glowing changeling resin.

This again... He groaned as he noted that his was the second time in ten years that he had been caught and imprisoned. At least this time his 'cage' had no runes... he hoped. I still need to find out how Celestia learned of the contain rune... Looking past his restraints to the room at large he could see the tops of a jungle canopy past large archways that ran the entire length of one side of the room. If he was not mistaken, he was in the loggia that served as Lord Spinster' throne room, an odd place for an interrogation.

Speaking of Lord Spinster, the elderly royal changeling was a short distance away slowing lowering himself down from the ceiling via a single web strand, all the while eyeing him like a piece of meat in a butcher's shop. Šizra carefully steeled himself for what he knew was soon to come. This was not going to be like it was with Celestia. Not only did Lord Spinster know him far better than the pony princess but as Lord Spinster was an emotivore he could not only detect false emotions but would be able to far easier for him to find the right emotional buttons to push to get the reaction that the changeling wanted.

"There is something off about you." Once again, Šizra found himself on the back hoof with Lord Spinster as that was not even remotely any of the openings Šizra had expected. "Every mind has a certain feel to it. Yours always had this strange dissonance, a layering to it, almost as if you had two competing minds."

Šizra managed to keep his shock under wraps but a bit of grief still slipped out before he could stop it. He had told no one except Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs about Vorac and the artificial dragon soul had been so deeply bound within his soul that the only time he could sense him(much less hear him) without diving into the plane of his soul was in moments of extreme distress or detachment like during deep meditation or sleep. So how, by the Voice, was Lord Spinster able to sense Vorac?! There was no other explanation for the changeling's observation.

Šizra kept his expression and emotion as neutral as he could as Lord Spinster started to circle around him. It annoyed him slightly that, just like with the fight in the jungle, he was starting off the 'interrogation' on the defensive. What other things did the changeling know about him? How many metaphorical sharpened webs would he find himself being driven into?

Lord Spinster stopped circling his main, unblinded eye narrowed as he leaned in, close enough that Šizra could detect a faint amount of fear pheromone. The longma noted that he could work with that but he needed an opening. The changeling eyed Šizra a bit more before backing away. From the gleam in his eyes Šizra knew that Lord Spinster was about to make his next move.

"I am in the twilight of my years... far past my fighting prime..." Lord Spinster sighed as he lifted up and gazed at one of his legs, cracked and dull with age. "It will not be long before I become one with the Eternal Hive and a new Hive Leader ascends..."

Šizra kept silent, wondering where Lord Spinster was going with this as he knew that he knew this. The upper life expectancy of a royal changeling was about fifteen hundred years, and by his recollection, Lord Spinster had to be nearly thirteen hundred.

"Does your protégé know that you are training him to be your replacement?" Šizra snorted. It seemed that his former protégé wasn't the only one to make this mistake. He would not put a dragon's very existence in jeopardy to train them in the Staizāt tho CktüisSirts merely because his health was declining.

That snort, apparently, seemed to disgust the changeling as he stomped up to the longma hissing, his fangs clicking from the force of his anger. "You think your so clever but I can see, I can feel, I know."

It took everything Šizra got to not smugly retort. Oh, do you?

"A changeling who doesn't listen to the jungle's warnings by either dismissing them as superstitious nonsense or as mere trivial annoyances and not take them seriously will soon be a dead changeling. And the cowards always take others down with them. Good riddance to such weak filth! I will not and can not tolerate such weakness in my hive..."

"You want to die and don't try and hide it from me, Stormcrow!" Lord Spinster accused. Šizra kept his expression neutral, fully aware that his indignation over the accusation could be easily read by the emotivore. "You may be the master of many forms of magic including emotical, but I, I was born a hunter of emotions."

Šizra couldn't help but to chuckle. So you think you're clever little royal changeling? He darkly mused as now had the opening he needed. He could see from the souring of Lord Spinster's expression his reaction was not the one the changeling had expected.

"Do you know why changelings instinctually keep their distance from dragons?" Šizra asked as he tilted his head to side and up as if he was trying to recall only to quickly snap his gaze to Lord Spinster who flinched as their eyes met. He knew full well that Lord Spinster didn't know, no changeling fully knew. It was knowledge that had been lost due to the cataclysm and he never felt the need to give the full reason.

"Dragons, out of every sentient creature, have the most passionate of natures and thus the strongest of emotions. A carefully harvested mated pair could keep a small hive fed and empowered indefinitely. If anything, dragons should be irresistible. So, I ask again, o 'hunter of emotions,' why do changelings instinctually keep their distance from dragons?"

Lord Spinster frowned but said nothing, leaving Šizra open to press his advantage further. "Did you know that draconian magic, contrary over every other known type, including changeling, is born out their emotions not their will?"

That got a reaction from the changeling who smacked his lips before slowly shaking his head in a silent no.

"Now, I seemed to recall a saying, a saying that goes 'If you see a changeling at a funeral, better dig another hole.'" Šizra watched as the changeling started to tremble. He didn't blame the changeling for the reaction, death by grief was a horrible way for a changeling to die. But he was not finished, "So tell me clever changeling..." He paused, a small, smuggish smile forming, "Can you guess what is the number one killer of dragons is?"

The trembling changeling now quaked, fear pheromones becoming so thick in the air that Šizra could taste it. So, you are quicker on the uptake... He let his smile widen to the fullest, allowing every one of his sharp teeth to be on full display. The changeling's legs collapsed under him as he took a single step back. The longma waited a moment longer, just to let the horror really sink in, before leaning towards the fearful changeling and softly whispering, "Go on..."

"...You know the word..."

Lord Spinster gulped hard, trying to speak several times. In the end he was only able to mouth a single word which Šizra verbally voiced. "Grief."

"The truth is, young one," Šizra said as he turned to gaze out into the jungle unable to watch the suffering changeling any longer. The view was not unlike that at the peak of the Glittering Isles, all that was missing was sight and the faint smell of the sea... "While I have never actively sought it, I have been yearning for death for twenty... thousand...years... "

Sire...

Mother...

Father...

Lāckta...

Vorac...

Šizra closed his eyes, struggling to shallow the waves of grief of the loss of those he loved and cherished above all as to not hurt Lord Spinster and his hive. It was times like this that he found himself, if only for a moment, hating his dual nature. "But every time I have been on the edge of death, the whispers of The Voice audible in my ear, I get pulled back... First by Index and then by Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs..."

A bit of bittersweet happiness broke through his grief as he recalled the actions of Index and Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs in pulling him from the release into death. Even though he was still not happy about the loss of Lady Araneae's healing pod, thanks to Index he got to see the return of The Voice and to mentor the young dragon that was now his friend. And although Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs could never fully sooth the loss of Vorac he would forever treasure his role in completing the adoption he so longed for.

Šizra was so busy keeping himself emotionally subdued that he barely noticed Lord Spinster walking up to him, chittering as he removed his restraints one by one. His mood soured further as he caught the changeling uttering, "By the Enteral Hive, you could have killed me and my hive at any moment."

Šizra slowly let out a long breath before he admitted with a voice so soft to almost be inaudible. "Yes..."

Lord Spinster hissed a few choice curses before turning away and walking over to one of the windows. The changeling stared out into the jungle for a moment before he finally spoke, "Stormcrow..." Šizra slowly growled, not even bothering to control his thoughts on the insulting title. He could understand the use of the title during the farce that was his interrogation but the interrogation was over. Lord Spinster sighed deeply, bowing his head before speaking again. "Hermit Sage..."

"The mana drain... your sudden decline in health... a protégé... your outburst..."

"I knew you would be evasive in giving me answers... but I had to know... for the sake of my hive... I needed to know."

The changeling sighed then turned back to face Šizra. "Others may use Stormcrow in a derogatory fashion but I don't see a stormcrow as many fools do. 'Ill news is an ill guest.' Bah!" He spat. "You are the watchcreature on the wall ever watching and ever quick to shout warnings whenever you see dangers approaching. When you speak, I listen with silent thanks, for by your warnings my hive lives to see another day unlike the unaware thankless deaf fools that perish. More than ever, I find no need for the hidden knowledge of a hermit sage, I need the warning cries of a stormcrow..."

Šizra blinked, his mouth gaping as he found himself completely stunned at Lord Spinster's words. Very few ever saw him in that light, fewer still to be thankful for it? The words the royal changeling spoke set his soul aflame sending his emotions into a frenzy as a soul deep compulsion to jealously protect what was his enveloped him. The hoarding instinct had always been somewhat muted because of the nature of his soul and the ward that kept him and Vorac separated, but, now, for the first time, he truly understood what hoarding meant for a dragon. Whether Lord Spinster knew it or not what the changeling had said triggered his hoarding instincts even more then Lady Araneae had done all those years before. Never again would he be known as the Hermit Sage to Lord Spinster and his hive.

"Hermit Sage?"

"Never call me Hermit Sage again." Šizra growled out as a bit of flame bubbled up from his throat. How dare his hoard... He thought before he snapped out of his indignation. Blinking as he processed another stronger than before instinct, he softly added. "It is as you said, laths tārzuls, my treasure, you need a Stormcrow not a Hermit Sage."

Šizra felt a pleasant shiver go down his spine as his addressed his hoard in the words of Ancient Draconian. He then smirked in amusement as Lord Spinster stiffened, his eyes glassing over, glowing strongly from an overload of emotion. He was about to push down his emotion as to not poison the changeling when he noticed a dark blue shimmering along Lord Spinster's chitin. That was strange, because he knew that Lord Spinster's magic was yellow just like his eyes.

Šizra's jaw than dropped in disbelief as Lord Spinster's two blinded eyes suddenly slammed open a bright dark blue light pouring out before faded down to yellow. Then the changeling's second right front leg, which was a mere jagged stump shook violently before the stretching out, the end smoothing. Finally cracks along the changeling's chitin started to close and its color, which had dulled in places from age to a dusty light brown, brighten before darkening to a deep rich reddish brown. With that, the blue shimmer faded away.

Šizra mind struggled to process what he had just seen. In a matter of moments, Lord Spinster had not only been de-aged a good six hundred years or more, but his second right front leg and his two blinded eyes had been restored. This was an impossibility, not even Lady Araneae, the greatest changeling healer to ever live, could, outside of her now destroyed healing pod, do what he had just witnessed. That was why neither Thorax nor Lord Spinster had healed their blinded eyes or regrown antler nor leg respectively.

The only clue he had was the dark blue shimmering that preceded the healing. Could it be?! Šizra wondered in disbelief as he realized the color was incidentally same color as his flame. Draconian magic?! Had he managed to cast draconian magic?!

Üā Sūt Cktüis (How to be Dragon)

by Rammy

Chapter 1: Lūzt ar Vēstuli (A Request by Letter)

Chapter 2: Theaicithāts Viesis (Uninvited Guest)

Chapter 3: Cktüis' Tuslas Uzuths (A Dragon's Fiery Fury)

Chapter 4: Tu Esi Tas, Üo Tu Ēt (You Are What You Eat)

Chapter 5: Satraucošas Atülāsles (Disquieting Revelations)

Chapter 6: Thojauüt Süola Seüas (School Raze Aftermath)

Chapter 7: Acktšausāla Leülējuls (A Dubious Quest)

Chapter 8: Ieslotzījuls (Imprisonment)

Chapter 9: Thāvei Zājieths (Death March)

Chapter 10 Lirstošā Cerīsa (Dying Hope)

Chapter 11: Thezithālais (The Unknown)

Chapter 12 Izcktirüula Laüsa Cetha (The Ransom's Price)

Chapter 13 Cktazutušais Cktüis Atzriežas (The Prodigal Dragon Returns)

Chapter 14 Šausas (Doubts)

Chapter 15 Tzīve Caur Thāvi (Life Through Death)

Chapter 16 Tholiezuls (Denial)

Chapter 17 Velciet uz Zieleļiel (The Pull North)

Chapter 18 Vethtizo Aicithājuls (Call of the Windigo)

Chapter 19: Uz Cktretethzija (To Claim)

Chapter 20 Üavējot Taütiüa (Stalling Tactics)

Chapter 21 Ieüšējās Taļās (Into The Innermost Parts)

Chapter 22 Thoüavēts Zrēüsūtze (Overdue Confession)

Chapter 23 Acktcerīzs Sētas (Contemplative Sorrow)

Chapter 24 Šüērsojot Traxti Cktilsēta (Traversing Traxti City)

Chapter 25 Cktrātu Cītha (A Battle of Wits)