AN ELDER PROPHECY

Book One : The Fifth Legacy

A/N : Beware! This story will span quite a long time, and will probably take me a few years to complete, especially since this is only one of the many stories I'm writing simultaneously. This story is not for everyone, but for those that enjoy fantasy-style adventures with a romance subplot, read on! I promise not to go J.R.R. Tolkien on this, but we are in Equestria!

AN INTRODUCTION

Silence. It was so basic, so simple, so primitive…

So essential.

The rustling of the grass beneath the frozen winter breeze, or the labored breathing of a wounded animal, it was enough to make silence invisible. It was enough to give him the advantage. The moonlight streaking through the snow-covered canopy up above was just dim enough so as to keep wary eyes blind. Not a single living soul knew of his presence.

Until it was too late of course.

The night was frozen, the cold appearing to have stopped time itself. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, nothing lived. He lay nestled in a pile of snow, watching the dark forest live, or rather die, through the heartless night. No princesses here. Only the cruel laws of nature to take their toll on the world as the heavens stood by and watched. Despite the years, he couldn’t help but quake a bit. He was experienced in such weather, but not immune to it.

The winter hadn’t been as harsh as this since he’d first come, but even then it had been mild, only accentuated by the fact that he was unaccustomed to such harsh conditions. His blood had grown colder now. As cold as his heart. That still didn’t stop the occasional shiver or clacking of teeth when he remained still, but the dragon blood pumping through him every second gave him an advantage over his prey.

He shook his head, the frost that had been accumulating on the sharp tip of his nose falling gently to the ground. He could smell her already, despite the scent being reduced by the cold. It was definitely a decent doe, probably searching for one of the few surviving berry bushes that could still be found in the forest. He tensed his muscled, squatting low to the ground, and pounced.

With a silent flare, he spread his wings, and dashed up the nearby tree, bare other than a few straggling boughs, and strong enough to support his weight. Extending sharpened claws, he grasped the trunk firmly, and held on, scanning the snow padded ground below him. The scent was growing stronger, he was sure of it, and it would be no more than an hour before she arrived somewhere nearby.

Time passed, but he held still, motionless, a gargoyle grasping a tree some thirty yards above the forest ground. The only sound was still the cruel winter breeze, dropping the temperature another good twenty degrees below absolute zero, and his own steady breathing, which he’d learned to disguise with the patterns of the wind. Months of famine from startling prey could make one learn things pretty quickly. Still, there was no time for nostalgia, the moon was at its zenith, and the time had come for a midnight meal. His stomach wanted to rumble at the thought of a meal for the first time in days, but it knew better. Any sign of anticipation, any unnecessary noise, and he’d go hungry for another day.

Silence. As dark as the night itself. One with the gentle breeze. Patient as the mountains.  Swift and deadly like an arrow striking its target. One opportunity. One target. He was the predator in these forests, he ruled what he wanted, and he decided what lived and what would never see another night again. The doe that suddenly stepped through the underbrush would not see another night.

He narrowed his eyes, shielding his sight from the devastating flurry of snowflakes that impaired his vision. He had to make sure that it was all over as quickly and efficiently as possible. If he was lucky another meal might present itself later on. It wouldn’t happen if he frightened it off with the sound of a kill being made. Silence. That was all.

The doe had stopped just below the tree in the small bush-filled clearing below. It wouldn’t, couldn’t possibly, catch his scent, so high up above. Once she felt safe, she approached one of the healthier Cicaia bushes. He watched her as she approached the opposite end of the clearing, her back to him. She was limping. He had already smelt the blood, and now he could see its source. A single gash on the doe’s left flank, possibly from an accident or a fall, a tree branch. Possibly from a narrow escape from another predator. No chance of escape from him though.

Now was the time. Silence.

His claws clutched the rough bark of the tree, not making a sound, his leg muscles tensed, his mind focused. He looked up at the night sky, the wiry canopy above, and jumped. He hoisted himself off the tree with barely a whisper of noise, easily mistaken for a soft breeze, and jumped straight up into the air. As he reached the zenith of his jump, he closed his eyes, and with an elegant flip, began to fall.

He tucked in his limbs, his wings, twisted his tail and turned his body into an aerodynamic projectile, now falling at all speed towards his victim. He gave his wings a quick flap, gaining a quick boost of speed. The air rushed past him, cooling his body even more. It would all be over in a second. The doe hadn’t noticed him, and by now it would be too late. He opened his mouth, exposing his fangs, and outstretched his claws. One hit, the base of the neck, painless and instant, and there would be no reason to go back to his cave with an empty stomach.

Every single time he hunted, every single time his mind switched into this primeval state, every time he sought blood, he felt time stand still. Everything moved so slowly, yet he moved so much faster. His mind processed every detail with extreme efficiency, nothing escaped his senses. He could taste the blood and the humidity in the air; smell the ancient timber that had long ago fallen southeast of the forest. He could see owl perched in its nest high above in the trees, sleeping with its eggs. He could hear the breathing of his victim, and already imagine the sounds of him impacting the doe, stunning it with a thud, twisting with his claws before she had a chance to squeal. He could feel the false sense of security that the poor creature had. What he failed to sense, was the future.

Only two yards from his target, he felt a tingling sensation, and before he could react, the entire forest was absorbed by a blinding white light as he collapsed against the forest floor. He missed his target, striking the doe bluntly on one side, knocking the wind out of her, but giving her an unneeded opportunity. Still blinded and confused by the light, he quickly realized his failure, and lashed out, hoping to catch the animal before it escaped, but it had immediately lifted itself to its hooves, and escaped through the forest to become someone else’s meal.

Rage coursed through his mind and body, clawing instinctively at the ground as if trying to wring the life out of the earth itself. He felt his stomach rumble, and in a flash of anger, he let out a terrifying roar, spewing green flames that scorched the canopy above. So great was his anger, he hadn’t noticed his body heat melting the snow around him, nor the figure that now stood, watching with fear, a few meters away.

The flame soon dispersed, minute sparks fading off into the night as he panted, trying to control his temper. Now there was absolutely no chance of catching anything, not after his outburst. Every creature within miles would have fled or sought shelter immediately. Who didn’t when there was a wild dragon on the loose? Shaking his head in disappointment, he turned around to return to his home, when he saw the source of the light, the cause of his failure. He blinked, trying to make sure his eyes weren’t betraying him as they did all those years ago, when he so often fantasized about what he’d left behind.

“Hello Spike,” the regal white alicorn spoke. She wore a warm, gentle smile, as she usually had, but her eyes. Her eyes were aged, dreary and tired, full of sadness and regret, grief and loss. “It has been long since I last saw you.”

Spike narrowed his eyes and tensed his muscled. Princess or no princess, she was in the Niveridian Woods now. No laws protected her, no guards would come rushing out from hidden barracks, only the heartless moon would witness her fate. His long-harbored anger towards the Princess of Equestria resurfaced, and with a savage snarl, he pounced, and rejoiced as he saw the fear in Celestia’s eyes.

He was bitter, angry, he felt justice was there just a leap and a claw away, yet when he met his target, he met air, and collapsed once again onto a heaping pile of snow. He spat the vile concoction to the floor, and twisted rapidly, expecting retaliation from behind. None came, and the princess stood where she’d been standing all along, now turned towards him with a sad expression. He didn’t understand, she hadn’t moved, and he’d gone right through her.

“I understood that you’d be upset with me Spike, but I never thought you’d try to take my life.” She said with a hint of disappointment. Spike had never seen her, such a powerful and slid leader, as upset as she clearly was now. Still, she had committed a heinous crime towards him, one that was not so easily forgiven.

“Did you expect me to greet you with open arms?” He retorted sarcastically, analizing her, seeking a weak or blind spot. She chuckled softly, whether at his remark or something else, he couldn’t know.

“This isn’t me Spike,” She said, leaving him frozen in place, confused by this latest remark. “I am projecting my image and voice to you, simply light and sound. You cannot kill me.”

“That’s a shame then…  What are you doing here? Come to hunt me down?” He cast an angry glare towards her, and much to his surprise, she looked genuinely downcast.

“I know you don’t understand…”

“Understand? What is there to understand?” Spike said, anger building up in him once again, as he recalled all the past events. The shouts of anger and sermons at no one in particular other than a dark, musty cave came rushing back to him. Except now he had the one responsible for all his anguish standing  before him.

“One year. One year I was gone, and when I came back, expecting my friends, imagine my surprise when I was hunted down by the royal guard!” He shouted, not holding anything back now, sparks flying out of his mouth as he spoke the utter truth.

“I ran through the Everfree for five months, running and hiding from your soldiers! Now eleven years later you come here and tell me I don’t understand?”  He’d started pacing, venting all of the troubling notions that had haunted him for years.

As he looked back up at the alicorn standing frozen beneath a ray of shining moonlight, he noticed that her expression hadn’t improved at all. He hadn’t expected her to smile warmly, but she seemed to be affected much more by the news than he’d have thought. Nonetheless, he continued his rant, now sitting in front of the princess, a bit taller than her. Had he opened his wings he could have hidden her from sight.

“One year sabbatical to learn how to be a dragon. I come back home to see my friends again, and I’m chased out of the kingdom, without the slightest explanation! So if I don’t understand, tell me something that will shed some light on the subject.” He had run out of fury, the weariness from days past catching up to him. He breathed heavily through his nostrils, steam filling the air. Finally the princess spoke up, ears lowered in defeat.

“You are right. I owe you an explanation. But not here. Return to Equestria, come to Canterlot, and I will answer all of your questions.”

“And why should I go back there? So you can make my execution a public spectacle?”

“Spike, we need you back…”

“Once again, you’re leaving me without an explanation!”

Celestia sighed. He wouldn’t budge without a reason why, and he knew she knew that. Not again. It had been bad enough he’d allowed her to convince him to “Discover his heritage”, to find out more about dragons. He wouldn’t return to Equestria, not for her, not for trust, not for his country. Not if his life depended on it.

“There’s a prophecy…” Celestia began to explain, not bothering to look up at Spike. She seemed ashamed of having just said it, but he couldn’t help but grow curious at this. Despite how much he despised the alicorn princess, something was amiss. She looked up at him with hurt eyes, on the verge of tears.

“It involves you… And Twilight…”

His heart could have stopped right then and there and he wouldn’t have noticed. A prophecy? Involving him and Twilight? Why hadn’t he known about it before? But most importantly, what did Twilight have to do with it?

“What about Twilight?” Spike approached the princess with the most menacing look he could muster. She simply looked at him with a sad smile.

“Come to Canterlot and I’ll tell you both. Please Spike…” Celestia said, almost pleading in her tone, quite unusual for a princess.

He was still wary about the entire ordeal. Why should he trust her after all that had happened. Then again, last time there’d been a prophecy, everything had come true, and if this one involved Twilight…

“I’m doing this for Twilight… Not you. I expect an explanation for everything when I get there, or else…” He said, crouching down and flexing his muscles, “Next time I won’t miss…”

With a mighty pounce he flew straight through the foggy image of a grieving princess which quickly dissolved into mere vapor as he flapped his wings and took to the night sky. There was a long flight ahead of him, towering mountains and raging oceans. But none of it mattered if his friend was in trouble. Like a deadly snake winding its way through the forest floor, Spike sailed in and out of the winter currents with blinding speed.

Silence.