> Tides of Time > by Comrade Bagel Muffin > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > An Old Family Friend > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunny relaxed and took in the beautiful sight of the plains below, from the mountain side she could see for miles upon miles. She smiled sitting down on a rock and recalling how not even a year ago her and her friends had traveled that plain to get to Bramble Wood. That had been the first of many trials that had come, but so far, they’d pulled through each and every last one. Things were looking up the three separate tribes had begun reestablishing ties, and the skyport at Zephyr Heights was under repair, by the end of the month the sky ships would begin running again. She breathed in the cool crisp mountain air enjoying her hard-earned vacation, work at Maretime Bay had been just as lively, If not more so. They’d been working hard to build a landing area for the sky ships, and the entire town had worked tirelessly with their new friends to rebuild her light house. In fact, that was the reason that she was here now. As they had been working, she could have sworn that she had seen an eye looking at them from the crystal. And again, when they had finished the work. More and more she’d see the strange green eye watching her from the crystal, and just when she thought that she’d completely gone off the rails she started talking to it one night. She shivered a bit in fright recalling what it had said back to her. “Hello are you there? Or have I just gone crazy? I mean I’m talking to a crystal that I think’s been spying on me for the past couple of days clearly I’m crazy.” She said holding up the crystal while sitting on her bed. “Hello are this is Sunny who are you?” She looked back at her own reflection. “Geez maybe I am crazy.” “You’re not crazy,” The green eye appeared back in the crystal looking back at her. “I was just thinking what I was going to say to you.” The voice was soft but very, very deep. “I haven’t spoken to anybody in very, very, very long time.” Each word was spoken after a small pause, as though they were looking for the right thing to say. “You sound it, so hi I’m Sunny, who are you?” She asked. “And how do you talk through the crystal, are there other crystals we can talk through, why are you talking so quietly, are you in trouble?” The laugh the came through the crystal shook the room booming as though it was thunder. It wasn’t threatening just loud. “Sorry, you remind me of somebody else, an old friend long ago who would ask just as many questions as you.” The voice spoke softly again. “And no, I’m not in any trouble, I just have two volumes soft and loud, er-very loud.” He looked at Sunny. “It’s nice to meet you Sunny, my name is Spike, and I’ve been wanting to meet somepony like you for a very, very long time. It’s been so long since those crystals had been together. It’s been so long since the three tribes have been together.” His voice had become exceedingly sad. “Yeah, but were all becoming friends again.” “I thought I’d never see the day. And now, now it’s here. I wanted to say thank you. I’d like to meet you. To thank you properly.” “Sure, my door is always open,” Sunny said with a smile. “I’m sure my friends would like to meet you too.” "I don’t think I could fit through your door, and I’m not sure that your friends are ready to meet me, I’m not sure that you’re ready to meet me either, but I so want to thank you. Could you come meet me half way between my home and yours. On the mountain over looking the lone tree between Zypher Heights and Bramble Wood." "Woah!" She braced herself as a hard wind nearly blew her off the mountain side. She looked up and her jaw dropped. She would have started running but she couldn't feel her legs under her, as over head a gaint purple dragon with green spins past her circling over head. A second later the large lizard landed near her. "Hello Sunny, nice to meet you face to face." The dragon smiled and nodded. "SPIKE!?" Sunny pointed up at the dragon who gave her an amused laugh and nod of his giant head and pony sized teeth. "You're, you're-you're!" "Amazing, Magnificent, Awe-inspiring." He offered with a cheeky grin as Sunny stared at him in absolute shock. "A Dragon!" "Well yes, yes I am, Argyle Starshine was right you are quiet observant." He chuckled. "Dad, you knew my dad?" "Wait Argyle was your dad? I'm sorry. But yeah I knew him, I thought you were his student not his daughter. I'm sorry for you loss. But yes Argyle was a good friend to me, where do you think he got the Bewitching Bell or Twilight Sparkles Feather. But yes we used to talk for hours." Spike straightened up to his full height. "Any way would you like to come back with me to my cave there's something I'd very much like to give to you." Sunny nodded and was scooped up by the dragon. "Wow." She gasped as the landscape passed beneath her. "This is amazing!" "I know right." Spike smiled soon landing at his cave. "This way." He walked in. The cavern was full of book shelves, display cases, and frames all filled with strange memorabilia. "Here it is." He stopped she bumped into him. "This is it. A book to help you and your friends to fix things to the way they were. Written by my dear friend Twilight." He gave her a book that looked comedically small in his claws but was larger than any book she'd ever held. It's all the adventures she had with her friends heck I think I'm even in there every now and then. Just be careful with it." "Why me though." "Just keep being you, and you'll find out soon enough now. Let me give you a ride back to the tree you can head back from there."