Chapter 3 The Book of the Dovah

*Dragon Lands*

He was angry and furious most of the time since their encounter with the little whelp and the ponies who had humiliated him and his friends during the dragon migration. Luckily, his father did not find out as to what he did, and neither he nor Boiler or Matchfire told anydragon about their humiliation, until now.

Garble wanted revenge, or at least, some sort of reprisal against the purple hatchling more than anything. So here he was now, before his father, second in command of the Fire born clan, ready to tell him everything he knew.

“What do you want this time, Garble? I hope you aren't asking for more gems for your hoard,” a big, red dragon almost identical to Garble, though far larger than him.

“No, father.” Garble bowed. “It has to do with some... events during the Great Migration.” He hated speaking so formally like this, but he had to. His father hated the way he normally spoke around his friends.

“You will address me correctly, son,” the deep voice of the dragon echoed inside his cave, which was illuminated by a series of torches.

“I ask for your forgiveness, commander Deathglare.” Garble bowed once more. From what he could see, his father was pleased.

“Very well. Tell me, of what 'events' do you speak of? Surely, it must be related to your idiocy and your ability to bring shame to your family and clan, seeing it took you almost a year to come to me, is it not?” Deathglare asked in a nonchalant tone.

“... Yes, fa-commander Deathglare.” Garble got up to look at his father directly. “But it wasn't my fault. It was the fault of a damn pony hatched th-”

“GARBLE!” His voice made the entire cave shake for a moment. “How many times have I told you to respect the pony hatched dragons? We are thankful to the ponies and their rules for their aid in hatching our eggs!” Deathglare took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer tone. “They hatch two thirds of our annual eggs. We are in debt to the ponies for that. Remember, you are lucky to be dragon hatched, Garble. Don't ever forget that, you imbecilic hatchling.” A moment followed his scolding. “Now, tell me what happened.”

Garble was always afraid of his father, who was powerful and commanded in great respect within the four dragon races. Deathglare was a great warrior, and in his youth, he fought against the tyrannical reign of Valtach, the previous dragon king. At the same time, however, Garble respected him for that, and wanted nothing more than to be like him someday. He could never understand why he was so protective and respectful of such weak species like the ponies.

“O-Of course, Commander Deathglare.” Garble took a moment to collect his thoughts and to stop his shaking. “You see, me and my friends were having some fun practicing rites and exercising our way of life.”

“Play King of the hoard and laving diving and such?” Deathglare watched his son bow a bit cowardly.

“Y-yes, commander. All of a sudden, a little, purple hatchling came from the side of the mountain and asked if he could join us. We challenged him to prove he was a real dragon, and he tried so hard to do so. He did everything we asked him to.”

A simple raised claw from his father signaled Garble to stop talking. “Are you telling me... you let a mere, baby hatchling join you and your idiotic friends in your games?” When Garble nodded in response, he continued, “My son... your stupidity knows no limits. He could have died, you idiot! Haven't I told you baby hatchlings are still developing their natural resistances and strengths at such young ages?” Deathglare's voice was strong and filled with anger, but at the same time, with shame and concern.

“B-but he was super strong, dad!” Garble said, forgetting his respect. “H-he even managed to push me away from the top of the hoard, and he was just fine after his belly-flopped-lava dive. He was even playing in it like it was nothing!”

“That's impossible, Garble. How old was he?” Deathglare asked, now a bit curious about this dragon.

“I didn't ask him, but he seemed to be fifteen or sixteen years old, commander.”

Deathglare said nothing, looking for a trace of a lie in his son. ‘that’s impossible, no baby hatchling should be able to……….’ “Garble, tell me what happened next.”

“We ate some gems and then phoenix hunting.” He stopped, looking at his father, but saw no sign to stop. “He refused to crush an egg. W-we were about to beat him up when three ponies disguised as a dragon came to us. He claimed they were his family and... they defeated us.”

“Hmm. Anything else in particular about the baby hatchling?” Deathglare asked seriously, curious about these ponies and why the baby dragon called them family.

“Y-yeah, he was able to talk really well, like a teenager hatchling can, or even better I think. He had no wings or sprouts on his back. He ate gems like they were candy, and he also received a letter from a Namby-Pamby pony princess.”

Deathglare was about to shout as his son for his insolence but the previous line confused him, ‘Received a letter? There is no magic capable of doing that except for the mother-egg connection………… did Princess Celestia keep one egg for herself? If so why didn’t she tell us about it?’ Deathglare was deep in his thoughts trying to find an answer to this strange situation ‘If by any chance Princess Celestia does have this baby hatchling under her command and he sees her as his mother then………wait, he is too young to be even breathing fire like that and with no wings or sprouts? He couldn’t be a Drake and he couldn’t be a Wyrm either, Sea Serpent is out of the question but he is too…..strange to be one of us and eating gems like candy sweets at his age? Just what in the name of tartarus is that dragon then, some sort of experiment?’ Deathglare continued to rant inside his head until he got up and started to move out of his cave.

“Garble, you may retire. This information you brought me is indeed unique and more valuable than your reckless and imbecilic actions. I'm going to see the Dragon King and discuss this.”

Without another word, Deathglare began to fly towards the east.

Garble smiled evilly. He was going to get his revenge after all!

That, or he was going to be royally fucked.

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*Dragon Lands, Dragon King Mountain*

“And that's what I know, my king.”

Deathglare bowed before his king, a massive red dragon almost twice as big as him, with scales so fine and so thick, it almost looked like he was wearing an impenetrable armor. His snout was smooth and defined, like that of polished glass. Those yellow eyes were full of power, authority and nobility, and his claws were sharp and deadly, enough to even cut diamonds like a blowtorch through paper. The Dragon King Euphrinos was really something to behold.

“Deathglare, are you absolutely sure about this?” His voice was soft yet masculine, almost like a male version of Princess Celestia's. Deathglare nodded. “It is troublesome, to say the least. A dragon under control of the ponies is not what worries me, but this particular baby hatchling is what disturbs me. I have never heard of something even close to that—not me, not my father, that traitorous Valtach. Not even my grandfather Erebain or Sabarius the Sage knew about a dragon like the one you speak of, Deathglare.”

“But I assure you, my king, it is true. My son, Garble, is an idiot, but he is no liar.”

“I shall consult this with Sabarius personally, Deathglare. You may go.” Deathglare bowed once more and then turned to leave when Euphrinos said, “Oh, and Deathglare?”

He turned around to look at his king. “Do try to treat your hatchling with more love. He might even surprise you if you do.” A small smile appeared on his lips.

“Of course, my king, I shall try.” With that said, Deathglare turned back and departed.

King Euphrinos's smile fell into a serious expression the moment Deathglare left. He was in deep thought when another dragon smaller than him with green eyes approached him.

“Why do you trust Sabarius so much, uncle? He is an old fool who follows dead rites and insignificant alliances.”

“You shall talk of him with the respect that he deserves, Eukrarius. Your mother would be ashamed if she heard you talk like that of her brother, you uncle.” Euphrinos looked sternly at his nephew.

“He is no family of mine; he left my mother to die all those years ago, and for what? To help Princess Celestia on her quest to gather the Elements of Harmony so she could save HER nation?”

Euphrinos's gaze hardened more, and his voice became harsh and strong as he answered, “Sabarius knew that if he didn't, the whole world would die. One side would succumb to eternal cold and darkness, the other side to eternal heat and light. Only he knew where the Elements were, nephew. He sacrificed his own sister in order to save not only our home or Equestria, but to save the entire Equis. Why can't you understand that? His pain is greater than yours.”

“I don't care, uncle. Because of him, my mother died at the claws of those rebel dragons. I was lucky enough to escape with my own life,” Eukrarius said, almost glaring at the king.

“You truly inherited my brother's stubbornness, Eukrarius.” Euphrinos let out a sigh. “Even so, you must understand that there is no wiser dragon alive than him. He is not only one of the few honor bred dragons in our history, but he knows many secrets, and many rulers from different kingdoms trust him and ask for guidance. Aside from me, he is the last honor bred dragon alive, and you fully well know he is stronger than me.” A moment of silence followed his pause only for him to continue, “You may think he is old, and that his honor is bound by old traditions and alliances. It may be true, but we owe our survival to the Alicorn face. They sacrificed everything they had—their kingdom, their land, their homes, even themselves—to help us. Don't you dare forget that, Eukrarius, and if Celestia is truly keeping a baby hatchling behind our backs, then I want to hear the reasons behind it.” Euphrinos walked towards the end of his mountain, his nephew following behind him.

“We are different from my traitorous father, nephew.” Once outside the mountain, Euphrinos spread his wings. “We don't want to control everything and desultory everything that stands in our way. We want to live in peace and harmony, like the ponies do.”

Finishing their talk, Euphrinos took flight, leaving Eukrarius on the ground, alone with his thoughts.

‘No uncle,’ he thought ‘Dragons are superior, once you see this is true we will finish what grandfather started once and for all,’ Eukrarius smiled and reentered the mountain.

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*Canterlot Palace, Chariot port*

Three carriages landed with a soft thud on the port platform. One pegasi guard from each carriage walked to the doors and almost simultaneously opened them. From the first carriage, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stepped out. In the second one, Twilight and Applejack got out, with Rainbow Dash flying out of it, and from the third, Spike.

After hearing their friend about the news, they all followed Twilight instantly. Applejack was working on her apple trees as usual; luckily, she had started extra early, so that bad, she let Big Mac handle the rest. Rainbow Dash was by far the most content with the news, even more so than Rarity. It was a good excuse to skip protocol and archive duty, a treasure more valuable than her precious naps. Rarity was giddy about this and miraculously only packed five suitcases for the occasion. Fluttershy accepted gladly, as well, wanting to see Discord again, leaving Angel in charge of everything. To no one's surprise, Pinkie was already waiting for them outside the library.

Twilight went inside to wake up Spike, only to find him already closing the windows of the library. He had read the letter ten minutes earlier, after he woke up. With the library closed, they waited only a couple of minutes before seeing the three carriages in the distance.

“Ahh, feels so good to stretch out my wings after being cramped inside that thing for nearly two hours,” Rainbow sighed, doing a trick or who at the same time.

“I have to agree with you, darling. My back was starting to hurt,” Rarity said, massaging her back. “They could at least provide a lady with softer seats.”

“I enjoyed the ride... most of it. I think... I really like the scenery,” said Fluttershy softly. Like Rainbow Dash, she started to stretch her wings every now and then.

“Ah'm just glad we finally got to land. Ah don't really like flyin',” Applejack told them, looking a little green. Balloon rides are fine, but chariots or carriages? No, ma'am, she likes to feel the ground beneath her hooves.

“Wee! I wonder if the Princesses are calling us for a secret party! Or maybe a birthday party!” Pinkie Pie gasped loudly. “Maybe one of them is getting married... I WANT WEDDING CAKE!” The pink call of hyperactivity known as Pinkie bounced from one place to another, grabbing random guards and asking them incoherent questions. The guards did not answer or moved until Spike came close to Twilight.

“Princess, Twilight, Elements of Harmony, and Spike the dragon, please follow me. The Princesses are waiting for you inside the Librarium,” a Pegasus guard said, one Twilight and Spike knew well.

“Certainly, Phalanx. Girls, we need to go now,” said Twilight.

All of them followed her in silence. They passed the gates leading inside the castle. When they shut behind them, Twilight turned to the guard. “Now that we are alone, what in the hay is going on, Phalanx?” she shouted, startling the girls and Spike.

“I can't say anything, Twilight. I don't know anything.”

“Oh, please, Phalanx. Do you really want me to believe you know absolutely nothing about what's going on? The personal bodyguard of Princess Celestia doesn't know anything about her plans? You personally went to Ponyville to retrieve us!”
“Twi, please chill out. What's wrong?” Rainbow asked behind her.

“Everything is wrong, Rainbow! The mysterious letter, the urgent gathering, the carriages and Phalanx himself!” She took a deep breath, also while doing the exercise Cadence taught her to keep calm. “Don't you think it's strange that they send carriages and not chariots?” she asked in a calmer tone.

“Why should it be strange, Twi? Ah reckon the Princesses just want to see us right away.”

“That's just it, Applejack! Every time we are summoned, they never send carriages or chariots to pick us up. We always come by ourselves. Not even when Discord was freed the first time, did the Princess send any form of transportation.”

“And your point is, darling?” Rarity asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Simple. If Princess Celestia wanted to see us like she normally does, she wouldn't have sent anything to pick us up. Chariots, I understand, but carriages? They only use those when something big happens, and they try to protect those inside them. Am I right, Phalanx?”

Phalanx looked at Twilight with an emotionless expression before turning his gaze to the side. “... Please, Twilight. I can't tell you anything because I really, really don't know anything. The only thing I know is that the Princess is impatient to see you. She would have gone herself if it weren't for the fact she called a summoning for not only you but your brother, Princess Cadence, Princess Luna, Miss Doo and Discord, as well. I really wish I could tell you more about it, but I can't.”
Twilight let out a little sigh. “Alright. Thanks for the information, Phalanx.”

With that, they began to walk calmly again. They murmured and speculated things between themselves, expect for Spike. He was worried as to why his mother called him and his friends like that. She never did things so out of the blue. This meant business; he was sure of it.

Rainbow Dash was hovering over them and approached Phalanx. “I thought you guard guys never spoke. What's up with that? Is the pay good, anyways?” she asked, smiling at him.

“I like my job, and I do enjoy my role playing, but I hate the silence oath. I like my voice. And yes, the pay is good; around seven hundred bits per month,” Phalanx answered, not even looking at her and not smiling.

“Seriously!? That's almost three times what I earn! You guys get to wear cool armor, and you get paid that much? Where can I join?”

“Do remember we barely move or have any kind of action besides routine patrols.”

“Ooooon second thought, I think I'm fine as head weather manager.” Dash landed and stood at Applejack's side, who was snickering slightly at her.

A good five minutes passed in silence. Feeling a bit talkative, Spike walked up to Phalanx. “So, hey, umm, how are things going around here lately?”

“Same old, same good, Spike. Glad to see you again after all this time, buddy.” Phalanx gave him a weak smile.

‘HE SMILED??’ Twilight shouted inside her head for she had never seen “The never moving lips” get angry or smile before.

Spike returned the smile, but more cheerful. “Glad to see you haven't changed, pal.” Both of them brohoofed. “So tell me; what's new in Canterlot. Last time I heard a new bad just formed, and it was getting pretty popular.”

“Yes, they call themselves Bows N' Roses. You will not believe who the lead singer is, or the guitarist.” Phalanx used his right wing to get a paper out of the confinement of his armor and gave it to Spike.

“Is that... and is he? They actually did it, Phalanx?” Spike gave the guard a surprised look.

“Who, who?” Pinkie questioned, suddenly beside him. “I love meeting new bands that make cool music! That way, my parties can be even more super-duper extra fun!”

“They are some friends I made when I was living here at the castle, Pinkie. They were guards, too, but they always wanted to form a band. I never thought they would actually do it. This one here,” Spike said, pointing to the lead guitarist with a limp, blond mane, “is Axe Rose, and he,” Spike now pointed to the guitarist with a messy mane and sunglasses, “is Soul Hoovesdon.”

“Oooh, they look like fun! Are they good at partying?”

“If I remember correctly, then yes, Miss Pinkie. They are good at partying.” Pinkie just shouted a happy 'WOOHOO!' “What put them in the spotlight is their new song called 'Sweet Foal of Mine.' It's great; you should listen to it, Spike,” said Phalanx.

“Oh, I will! Any other news?”

“Now that I remember, 'Princess' is going to give a charity concert next week.”

“PRINCESS?!” four voices yelled out, as if in sync.

“You're a fan of Princess, too, Fluttershy?” Spike asked her.

“Oh, my yes. Their songs are lovely and so full of meaning. My favorite is Neighiam Rhapsody,” Fluttershy said, rather excited.

“I must admit, I would most likely faint if Coldie Mercury entered my store and asked moi for an outfit. I'm surprised that you like their music, though, Rainbow.”

“Hey, what's that supposed to mean, Rarity? I'm surprised that you like it, considering you, as a LADY,” Rainbow made a pose Rarity often used whenever she called herself “a lady of perfection.” “would like Rock music. Beside, you faint almost every time a celebrity goes to your ship.”

“I am a lady, Rainbow darling. A lady must enjoy and love beauty and grace. Princess has it,” Rarity replied, ignoring Dash's last comment.

“Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm totally going to that concert. I always wanted to go to a Princess concert, but you know, saving Equestra always gets in the way!” Pinkie said, frowning and puffing.

“Can I go, Twilight? Please, please, please? I promise not to eat ice cream on your bed again!”

“So it really was you all along! I had to buy new sheets!” Twilight's wings snapped open angrily.

Suddenly, the trip to the Observatory tower and the Librarium became filled with conversation, dares, bets and discussions between the seven guests. Phalanx, on the other hoof, only asked himself, “What have I done?” and let out a sigh.

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*Librarium*

Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, Princess Luna, the Doo sisters and Princess Celestia were waiting in the Librarium for the rest of their guests of this summon. This room was one of the biggest in the castle, only reserved for important and private events, usually military plans or discussion of new treaties.

In the middle of the room was a round table that could change size with a simple spell to fit the occasion. Right now, there were fourteen seats surrounding the table, six of them occupied by the present members. They heard a knock at the door, and they knew their guests had arrived.

Princess Celestia stood up and walked to the doors. She opened them, revealing Phalanx, the Elements of Harmony and her son. They were talking between themselves but stopped and bowed at the sight of her.

“Come in, my little ponies. Phalanx, I'm going to soundproof the room. Nopony is allowed to enter this room under any circumstances. Am I clear?”

“As you command, your highness.”

The doors closed, and Celestia's horn lit up to set up the soundproof spell. After finishing, she looked to one of the guests.

“Princess Twilight, it's so good to see you again,” she said, smiling and nuzzling her student and now fellow Princess. “It's good to see you all again,” she added to every other pony that just arrived.

She saw Spike looking at her expectantly. The Princess just smiled and winked at him. Spike opened his eyes in realization, and a smile spread over his mouth.

“Please, my little ponies, take a seat. There is much we have to discuss.”

All the Elements took a seat, and Twilight went to greet her brother and sister in law. Rainbow Dash, however, upon seeing Daring, looked at her, her jaw almost hit the floor. Twilight finished greeting her family and then noticed Rainbow looking at Daring, who was just sitting there, smiling at them. Twilight thought it was a good idea to copy Rainbow Dash's reaction.

“Whoa, nelly, this may take some time, yer' highness,” Applejack said.

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*Dragon Lands, Sabarius the sage mountain”

Every dragon in the Dragon Lands was graced with a glimpse of their might and powerful king flying above them right to the home of another great dragon. Euphrinos rarely leaves his mountain, for he was very busy, but when got out, he always loved greeting his subjects. This time, however, he could not. He needed to ask Sabarius for advice.

He was greeted by Sabarius's guard and instantly guided to the dragon's chamber. He ordered the guard to leave them alone, and to let no dragon disturb them. The dragon guard bowed and leaved. Sabarius was reading some scrolls and didn't notice his king walk to his side.

“Anything interesting?” Euphrinos said, smirking.

Sabarius jumped a little in surprise and gave a little fearful scream. “Gwaaahh—oh... my king, you startled me,” he said, now looking at his chuckling king. “I'm glad to see I'm still useful to you, my king.”

“Hahaha!” Euphrinos's laughs echoed in the mountain. It had been so long since he actually laughed! “Y-you should have seen your face. It was priceless, haha.” He snickered.

“Indeed, your highness. Have you come to laugh or talk with me?”

“Don't be like that, my friend. I needed to relieve some stress.” He took a few seconds to regain his composure. “I have come, in fact, to talk to you about a rather interesting dragon.”

“Celestia's baby hatchling, is it not?” Sabarius said, looking at his king.

“So it's true, then. Why didn't you tell me about it?”

“She asked me to keep it a secret and also to keep an eye on him. I'm actually surprised it took so much time for word to reach you. Tell me, my mind, what do you know about the hatchling?”

“I will tell you, but please, let's skip the formal talk. I should be the one showing respect; not the other way around, old friend.” Euphrinos smiled at Sabarius, and he only returned the smile.

Euphrinos told Sabarius about everything commander Deathglare told him without skipping any detail. To his surprise, Sabarius was unaware of most of what he told the dragon. Sabarius revealed what he knew to the dragon king, of the hatchling's intelligence, his ability to breath fire the moment he was born, the resistance to ice, his age and of course, his encounter with Celestia over four centuries ago. To say he was skeptical was an understatement.

“Enough for one hundred years, and still it didn't hatch, you say? I really don't know if I should believe you or laugh, Sabarius. Are you absolutely certain that all you have told me is true?”

“She personally told me, and I trust Celly with my life.”

“Mmm. This dragon troubles me, Sabarius.” Sabarius crooked an eyebrow. “I have never heard of a dragon with his capacities before. Not even the drakes mature or are born with such potent resistances.”

“There is also one more thing, Euphrinos.”

“Do tell,” he said curiously.

“When Celly came to me that day, I felt something inside the egg. I'm going to be honest with you...” Sabarius turned around and shut his eyes, remembering his feelings that day. “I was scared of it.”

“Scared of it? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly that; I was scared of it. The moment I tried to see inside of it, whatever was inside, rejected me. I even used my clairvoyance, and it still did not accept my advances. I could feel the darkness inside of it, but at the same time, the light.” Sabarius turned around again, his eyes still closed. “I have never felt something so potent in all of my life before or after that.”

“So the creature is a spawn of darkness and evil?”

“No. I don't know how to explain it, but as far as I can comprehend, I can assure you he is not a Tartarus spawned monster, nor is he a divine beast of any sort. All I can say is that that baby hatchling, whose name is Spike Solaris, is a monster.” Sabarius finally opened his eyes, looking straight into Euphrinos, who was actually looking a bit nervous.

“What... do you suggest we do, Sabarius?” Euphrinos asked, putting his claw under his chin to think of an answer himself. “Should we interfere?”

“Truthfully? Let Celly handle it.” Euphrinos stared at him. “It seems that she has everything under control.”

“I don't like this idea, Sabarius. What if things get out of control? What if he becomes a bloodthirsty monster? If he truly is as powerful as you speculate, then we could have another Valtach on our claws-”

“But if he becomes an honor breed, then we'll have another companion and maybe the most powerful dragon alive. The decision is yours, my king. Whatever your decision is, I shall follow it.”

Silence reigned inside the cave for several minutes. Euphrinos walked around it from one side to the other, thinking what would be the best decision to make. All the while, Sabarius watched him closely. After almost five minutes, Euphrinos stopped and turned to the other dragon.

“Very well. I shall follow your advice, my friend. We shall let Celestia handle this, but if things start to get out of her capable hooves, then we will intercede.”

“By your command.” Both of them stood up, looking at each other. “So... aren't you getting back to your mountain now?”

“Are you crazy, Sabarius? It's been almost fifty years since I had a good break. I didn't say how long I was going to take.” Euphrinos smiled, and it was greeted back with one from Sabarius.

“Very well. So Rocky Flames, Ice Momentum, or Lava Pits? I also have a large delivery of a pony drink named 'Extra Hard Cider.' Sounds quite delicious,” he said as he opened a vault full of enormous bottles of drinks and two giant cups made of diamond.

“Bring it all!” called out Euphrinos. Sabarius grabbed the bottles and put them on his dining table. “Time to remember good old days, my friend!”

“Absolutely!” Sabarius cheered. “It's been far too long since we've last shared a drink, my dear old friend.” Sabarius grabbed the Lava Pits labeled bottle and filled the cups with a red, shiny substance. “So tell me, Euphrinos, how is my dear nephew doing?” He offered his friend a cup, which he gladly accepted.

“Stubborn as always and still hating you with every fiber of his being.” The two of them clanked their cups together and began to drink.

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*Canterlot Observatory Tower, Librarium*

After two major fangasms, reviving Rainbow twice, an explanation lasting twenty minutes, and what seemed to be the longest rant in history, Daring finally agreed to sign ALL of Rainbow and Twilight’s books and to personally tell them of her adventures. Daring also admitted Rainbow was an awesome lookalike, a comment that made the cyan Pegasus shine with happiness. The meeting was ready to begin.

“Umm, Princess Celestia, if I may ask; where is Discord? Shouldn't he be here, too? Of course, you don't have to answer... if you don't want to, that's okay.” Fluttershy tried to hide behind her mane, and at the same time, she heard a soft yawn behind her. “Discord, is that you?” she asked, looking around her and gaining the stares of everypony in the room.

“Uhhhaaaa, what a nice place to nap,” the voice of the Draconequus echoed in the room, but there was no sign of him. “I say, I always wanted to nap in your soft mane, my dear Fluttershy.” A mini Discord struggled his way out of Fluttershy's mane, right below her left ear. He stretched his arms and back. “It was about time you decided to start this.”

He flashed, and a second later, he was in his seat, on either side of Fluttershy and Twilight.

“DISCORD!” Three voices shouted happily at the same time before their owners tackled the master of chaos onto the floor.

“Ow! Haha, girls, please! Hahaha, not there, Pinkie! Please stop thi—that's against the rules, Derpy! … I'm happy to see you, too, but—oooh, that feelsh nissshhe, Fluttershhhgg.” His tongue lolled out as Pinkie, Derpy, and Fluttershy's combo defeated him. They were his best friends, and he was always happy to see them.

“For goodness sake!” He snapped his fingers, and he was free from the hug-tickle-massage barrage his friends gave him. “You cheated and tackled me before I could even react... I am so proud of you girls!” he said, making paper out of thin air to wipe his proud tears. He then ate the paper.

An aura of yellow magic appeared from him and the three mares, and a second later, they were teleported to their respected seats.

“Hum, party pooper. No cake for you,” Discord replied, looking at Celestia unamused.

Celestia let out a soft sigh, and finally the meeting could commence. “Thank you all for coming today on such short notice.” Everyone in the room looked at her, wanting to hear the reason behind her actions, except for Discord, of course, who looked quite bored. “While I know many of you have questions about this urgent meeting and what could have caused this. I assure you, though, it is not a threat against Equestria, nor a conflict of any source.” With that said, everyone in the room expect Discord and Spike gave a relieved sigh. “The reason I have called you here today is for a personal issue I must deal with as well as a confession. Spike, could you come here for a second?”

“Sure!” he replied, getting up from his seat to walk to Celestia's side. Once there, he was about to ask her what she needed, but her smile told him to stay quiet.

Her right wing unfolded and tenderly went around Spike, picking him up. “I have waited so long for this moment,” she said, grabbing him with her forelegs. Her eyes began to water as she felt him in front of her. His eyes teared up as well, a small smile growing on his face.

The rest of the room was looking expectantly at the two of them, wondering what they were going and what Celestia was saying. Even Discord was curious, even if he already knew.

“This day, I can finally stop acting,” Celestia continued. Some tears started to fall down her eyes. “I can finally call you what you are to me.” Spike began to mumble things as tears fell down his face. In a swift movement, Celestia hugged him with all the love a mother could give a son, Spike gladly hugging her back. “I'm so sorry... I-I missed you so much, my son,” she sniffled, letting tears flow freely for all the pain it caused her to hide Spike from the public eye. All that acting from both her and him, to make him act in front of everypony like he was a mere servant, to hide the affections she should have shown him naturally and not behind closed doors—all the pain that it caused both of them was finally over. She could finally hug, kiss and love her son freely.

“I-it’s okay, mommy,” he said, hugging and clinging, as hard as his little arms let him, around his mother’s neck. “It’s *sniff* okay.” He soothed his mother while Celestia kept asking him for forgiveness, saying over and over a muffled, “I'm sorry.”

The rest in the room didn’t said anything. All they could do was watch the lovely display before them. Many of them were also crying due to the sheer emotion that radiated from the two hugging creatures.

For around five minutes, both Celestia and Spike did nothing more than hug each other in silence. Only a couple of sobs or muffle cries could be heard from either of them. Finally, however, the hug ended.

Regaining her composure, Celestia put her son right in the seat on her right. Cadence and Shining moved one seat to let Spike sit next to his mother.

“I—I guess everypony has questions about this.” Some nodded. “Well, before we continue with my confession, is there something anypony wishes to ask?”

“Just one, Princess: why?” Twilight asked in a low tone.

“Why, my faithful student? It’s quite simple. I had, and still have, many enemies inside this very castle.” The Elements and Derpy gasped. “Many of you believe all my little ponies love me or are happy under our rule, and for the most part, it is true. However, there are some ambitious ponies who want to take me down, because they see me as a tyrant, and they feel they should be in charge, or worse, that it is their ‘divine’ right to be the rightful rulers of Equestria, its inhabitants and its riches. Now, imagine what those ponies would have done if I had a son? Somepony vulnerable that could be used to get to my weak point?”

Silence met her, until Daring asked, “So... so, that’s why you never truly build any kind of relationship with anypony who is—”

“Incapable of protecting themselves? You are quite right, Daring. As much as I would like, I can’t protect everypony precious to me all the time. Imagine that, just for a second, I lose sight of that precious somepony. What could my enemies do to him or her?” Daring shuddered in response. “It may seem cruel and selfish, but I can’t risk hurting somepony or someone because of my faults. Tell me; would you hurt a little filly with the position of my personal student, knowing there is an entire platoon of guards always near protecting her?”

Shining smiled proudly, while at the same time, nodded approvingly. Daring just moved her head from side to side. Celestia’s right wing extended to embrace Spike softly. “Now tell me; would you hurt a simple servant, who is just useful in their eyes to send and receive messages, to hurt the ruler who could easily replace him?” Discord chuckled, and everypony else in the room understood what she meant. “Exactly.”

“So that’s why you made Spike my personal assistant, Princess?”

“Not quite, Twi,” Spike said. “I agreed to be your assistant because I was your personal link to Prin—I mean, my mom.”

“Th—then... our time together, the games, the jobs, all those nights and all we shared… It was all a lie?” she asked, looking sad.

“NO! No, it wasn’t. Well, at first it was, Twi, but then I felt so good with you and Shining and your parents. I really, really like being your assistant! Please believe me,” he asked with sad puppy eyes.

“Of course I believe you, Spike. It's just that... it’s a lot to take in…” she said, smiling weakly at her assistant.

“Sorry fer interruptin', but if Spike is yer son, yer highness, then does that make him, I dunno, a prince or somethin’?” At Applejack's statement, all eyes turned to the little dragon, who just blushed.

Celestia giggled. “Why yes, Applejack. His complete name and title is Prince Spike Solaris of Equestria.”

With that said, Rarity became pale and started to mumble incoherently. A hint of sadness and regret could be seen in her eyes.

“Pardon me, Princess,” Shining said, “but there is something I don’t understand. Now don’t get me wrong, I adore the little guy. Prince or not, you’re still my little brother,” he said, smirking for a second at Spike, but returning his gaze to Celestia. “He's a dragon, so why did you keep him? Aren’t all baby dragons returned to the Dragon Lands after we hatch them?”

“My son, can you please tell us what the colors of your egg were?”

“A purple egg with green dots, mom.”

“That is not true.”

Spike looked at his mother, surprised. “This is another part of my confession I must make, and I must ask for your forgiveness, my son, but I know where you came from.” Spike opened his mouth, and so did Rainbow, Rarity and Twilight. “I found you in a small cave, over a shrine a little over four hundred years ago.”

“B-but that’s impossible!” Fluttershy nearly shouted. “Ohhh… sorry... go on. Don’t pay me any attention.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, why is that impossible, Fluttershy? Aren’t dragons supposed to live for thousands of years? So why not their eggs?”

"Oh goodness, Rainbow. It's just that... I sort of know that dragon eggs... they don’t survive more than one year if they aren’t hatched. But if I'm wrong then… I didn’t…*meep*” Fluttershy squeaked. She tried to disappear under the table. Spike was looking at his mother, really confused.

“You are right, Fluttershy. Normally a dragon’s egg that doesn’t hatch becomes dull and transforms into a hollow rock, but then I found your egg, Spike,” she said, looking at her bemused child. “I thought that would be the case. The moment I picked you up with my magic, I felt life inside it—you.” She nuzzled him for a second. “I tried to hatch you like any normal dragon egg, but you didn’t hatch. Then I tried to do it myself and failed.”

Luna and Cadence gasped at that revelation. “But my sister, if what you say is true, then how is my newly found nephew here with us right now?”

“Because I lacked the strength to do it. So I decided to wait, and each year, the foal that enrolled in my school with the highest score and power could try to hatch the egg. Only-”

“The Element of Magic could hatch him,” Twilight finished for her. “It was a test to find… me.”

“Not at all, my faithful student.” Twilight looked at her, puzzled. “Discovering you was, for the lack of a better term, an accident.” Twilight's groan at this made Celestia laugh. “And a fortunate one, too. I finally gained my son and my most trusted and faithful student” Twilight blushed slightly at that.

“If I may Princess. What does all that have to do with my Spikey-Wikey’s egg colors?”

“Oh about that. The true colors of his egg are lavender with deep purple dots, the most unique colors I have seen on a dragon’s egg. Do you remember the shape of the egg. my faithful student?”

“Yes, I think. It looked like a chicken’s egg and was very smooth, well sort of. I don’t remember it too well. Why, Princess?”

“The form of a chicken’s egg and it looked smooth? But dragon eggs are almost completely round and their surface is either rocky or sharp as sandpaper” Shining thought.

“Have you seen another dragon’s egg after that?”

“Actually... no.”

“That’s because I didn’t want you to focus any attention on anything outside your studies, my faithful student. You see, dragon eggs tend to have two colors, which define what colors the dragon inside will have. Spike has green spikes, but his egg didn't had any green on it,” Celestia said, turning to Spike. “I ask you, my son, can you please forgive this old, foolish mare for her selfish actions?” She lowered her head to be at his eye level.

“I'm a little upset that you didn’t tell me anything until now,” he said, crossing his arms. “But I know that everything you do is for a reason, mom. I love you, and nothing is going to change that.” He gave his mother a kiss on her left cheek and a joyful smile.

“Ugh, GAG,” Discord said, putting his eagle claw all the way up his throat. “Can you hurry up? All this mushy stuff is making me sick!” Everypony present glared at Discord. “Uhmm, pretty please?”

“Very well. Now we shall discuss why have you come.” Celestia lit up her horn, making the room darken. Only a ray of light in the center of the table remained.

A black box fell from the ceiling, slowly surrounded in her magic aura. Moments later, it landed on the table with a soft thud. “For many years, I have wondered why Spike was and is so special, so unique amongst dragons. He has developed many of their natural skills, strengths and resistances faster than any other dragon I’ve seen before. Many of you may not know this, but baby dragons can’t talk until they reach eight years old. Spike began when he was six months old,” Celestia informed them. Discord gave Spike a genuinely surprised look. “Also, Spike is even stronger than an earth pony, and his stamina equals it. Twilight, have you never asked yourself why is he able to carry up to twelve or more thick heavy books with his size?”

All of the Elements realized it was true. He often lifted heavy objects without much effort, and he could really take up a beating and be fine after it.

“Since the day I found him in that cave, I have asked myself many questions about him and why is he so unique. Nearly two decades ago, I sent my now close friend, Daring, on a mission to find what’s inside this box.” Celestia opened the box, showing everypony a black book—twice the size of Star Swirl the Bearded book—with golden letters saying ‘Book of The Dovah.' The image was of four dragons, one from each corner of the image, bowing to a fifth dragon that was standing with its wings open. “This is a sacred, forgotten relic of all dragons. It is said that all you could possibly known about dragons lies inside it. I have already seen its insides and the secrets it holds.” She levitated the book in front of everypony slowly. “What my son is, where he come from, what caused him to be there, all is answered inside this book.” She put the book on top of the table, roughly making everypony gasp and lean closer to see it. Then she opened it in the first page. “And I cannot read it.”

Everypony in the room saw, in the center of the page, there was a message written on strange glyphs:

“What the hay is that suppose to mean?” Rainbow exclaimed. “I can’t understand a single thing it says.”

“But what about the rest of the book, auntie Celestia?” Cadence asked.

“It’s blank. It’s under a very powerful cloaking spell of some sort.”

“I have seen this glyphs before.” All eyes turned to Discord, except for Spike, who was looking at the book. “They belong to the ancient tongue of the dragons. The universal language that all creatures on Equis now speak was born from it. I can’t read it either; such a shame.” He grinned. “BUT I can transform it!” He snapped his fingers.

Nothing happened.

“What the--?” Snap. Nothing. “You have got to be….” Discord frowned, then snapped. Nothing. “OH COME ON!!” *SNAP* *SNAP**SNAP**SNAP* And yet nothing happened to the book.

Discord's face was hard to read with his mouth open in disbelief, looking between the book and his fingers. Either he was annoyed beyond reason or couldn’t process that his magic, the most powerful magic on Equis only matched by the Elements of Harmony themselves, did nothing to the book.

“Thou magic is ineffective against the book, Discord,” Luna said, gazing at him skeptically,. Everypony was so busy looking at Discord’s expression to pay any kind of attention to the moment Spike grabbed the book.

“I… I think I can read it.”

All turned to see Spike now, except for Discord, who was still in trance. “I mean, I don’t know how or why, but I somehow feel that I know what it says”

“Spikey. Do you think you can read it now?” she asked him sweetly.

“I can try, I guess. Let’s see… Hoeerr, no… fuuuooorgh… no, no that. It doesn’t make sense that way, either.”

For several minutes, Spike sat on top of the table, trying to decipher the glyphs. Discord came out of his shock a few minutes after Spike began with his work. While they waited, almost everypony began to talk, all but Celestia, who was looking at her son proudly. Who would have guess that he was going to end up as the very key of all her questions?

Suddenly, Spike jumped and shouted, “ I GOT IT!”

Conversations died, and all the attention was focused on Spike again, making him a bit nervous.

“Well, kid, what are you waiting for, a written permission? Go on, read it!” Daring called to him, making him even more tense.

“Take all the time you need,” Celestia whispered next to his ear.

He grinned. “Okay, here I go, it says:

Here I am. Your heir calls
The forgotten one claims this book
I call upon you, mother of us
Answer my call, clear my doubts
Tell the forgotten story, let me learn from it
And regain what once was ours."

After finishing, nothing seemed to happen. Spike, as well as everypony else, was about to sigh when the book began to glow. An explosion of several kinds of colors began to spin around the room. A mighty roar echoed through the room, making everypony coil due to the pain it had caused to their ears. Suddenly, everything turned black.

“… Discord,” Luna and Celestia said at the same time in a nonchalant tone.

“I swear to me, I'm not doing anything.”

A light purple light began to shine over Spike’s body, giving all in the room enough light to see each other.

“I didn’t know you could do that, Spike.”

“Neither did I, Dash.”

The unicorns and alicorns in the room used their magic to create enough light to see their surroundings. They weren’t in the Librarium anymore. The round table that was between them was gone, and outside their light, only darkness existed. Minutes passed, but nopony wanted to move. The most they did was close their distance into a small circle, keeping Derpy, Spike and Fluttershy near the center.

“I don’t like what’s going on,” Daring said, expecting an attack at any moment.

“Sister, what is the meaning of this?” Luna said, acting similarly to Daring.

“I don’t know Luna. Everypony be ready for anything.”

Everypony made an affirmative by saying yes, grunting or simply humming in acknowledgment. A full minute passed, and still nothing changed. Everybody was looking around keenly for any sign of movement or sounds.

Then a small whisper of a sound could be heard; a tune of a lyre or harp, followed by what sounded like a chant or chorus of some sort. And in a distance, there was the sound of something walking steadily towards them.

Click Here

Spike was not scared. He wanted to stay in front and help his friends and family, but his mother pushed him behind her, protecting him. All seemed to be worried and even afraid, but he wasn’t. He was actually really calm, and for some odd reason, this seemed to be just so natural to him. The moment the sounds and the chorus began, he perked up and climbed his mother, trying to figure out where those sounds were coming from.

The sounds became louder and clearer, letting everypony hear that the sound was, in fact, a song of some sort that also began to calm them. It was soft and soothing, reflecting tranquility. The walking steps also became bigger, and they were approaching Celestia. The chant grew a little more, until it was impossible to tell where it came from, and the clear steps could be heard. They were clawed steps, the kind of most dragons when they walked in a bipedal stance and their claws hit the ground.

A light made of orange, gold, blue, green and purple began to glow in front of Celestia. As the claw steps grew closer, the light also grew and became shinier. Slowly the glow was forming some sort of creature—or dragon to be precise.

It was tall, at least two times the size of Discord. Smaller forms made of green, blue, orange and red lights surrounded the dragon light-form in front of the group, who by this point were looking at the figure, dumbfounded.

The light figure slowly began to take a more refined appearance, and at the same time, the glow from Spike’s scales grew more potent. At long last, the being before them revealed itself; the being was not a dragon, but a dragoness.

She stood there, unmoving, with her eyes closed. Her green-blue ‘hair’ moved by itself just like Celestia’s did. Four wings behind her opened in display, and she was wearing a golden armor on her chest, forearms and knees. The other beings, who were miniature dragons made of light, danced around her in perfect harmony.

With great care, after a minute or two of just staring at the immobile creature, Celestia stepped forward. “E-excuse me. Can you understand us?” she asked the dragoness. There was a feeling about this dragoness that she couldn’t quite place; nothing familiar, just a strange sensation of peace and tranquility.

The eyes of the dragoness opened in an instant, revealing a deep purple light staring at all who were present at the same time. “I do now,” she said with a voice so calm, so peaceful and so motherly, even Celestia's softest voice would sound harsh and brutal in comparison.

“At last, you have found the book, young one,” she said gently. “I thank you, sisters and brother, for protecting this young one’s life and existence.” She bowed before the alicorns and the draconequus.

“Errrm, excuse me, have we met before? Because I can assure you, I would never forget something as shiny as you. Kinda hard to forget someone who almost blinded us with that light show of yours,” Discord said.

“DISCORD!” Everybody scolded him.

“What? Everypony thought it, too.”

“… I see. How much time has passed since Echidna was defeated?” the dragoness asked.

“Excuse us, but who are you referring to? We are afraid we doth know who this ‘Echidna’ is,” Luna answered.

“So it was true,” she said to no one in particular, but a heavy sadness could be heard in her voice. “Tell me, sister, where did you found the book?” She turned to Celestia.

“It wasn’t me who found it, but it was founded in an ancient ruins buried deep into the desert itself, hidden from all common eyes.”

“Cervadrian.”

“Pardon me?”

“Cervadrian, dear sister. It is the name of the temple ruins you just mentioned. So, at least eighteen thousand years have passed, perhaps more. Do any of you know when the great Dragon War ended?”

“Around twenty three thousand years ago, if I remember correctly. Why? And while you are at it, just who are you?” Discord said.

“So much time has passed, and you are old enough to know of the Dragon War, brother, yet you don’t know who I am?” Discord just blinked at her “Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Waldarys, the Queen of all Dragons. What is your name, dear sister?” she asked Celestia.

“HEY!” A young voice called over Celestia’s back. “Why are you calling my mom your sister? She doesn’t even know you!” Spikes jumped off her back and looked up at the dragoness.

“Your mother?” she asked. Then she saw the glow Spike was radiating and looked into his eyes, then at Celestia's. “So it’s true. You share the link of fire in your souls.” She was silence before dropping to one knee to look at Spike more closely. “Young one, have you seen anymore of your kind?”

“Yeah, but they were jerks.”

“I did not meant other dragons, young one. I meant others from your own kind.”

“M-my own kind? But I'm just another dragon. I do cool stuff, and I'm not a jerk like the others, but—”

Waldarys grabbed Spike so suddenly that he couldn’t even scream or event react. She held him in front of her, looking at his very soul. Just then, a beam of yellow light went through her stomach. She looked down and saw a very angry Celestia.

“Put. My. Son. Down. Now” Celestia's eyes were shining white, her horn flared in yellow for another attack. Everypony around her was looking at her surprised at her sharp reaction.

“Do not worry, my sister.” She put Spike on the ground slowly, and her face turned sad and sour. “I do not plan nor want to harm this young one.”

“H-how did that not harm you?” Twilight asked her.

“It is simple dear sis—No, you are not a true born Alicorn, are you?”

“How did you—?”

“Then it is worse than I thought.” She looked at Luna. “Dear sister, please tell me how many of our brothers and sisters are still protecting life?”

“… We must apologize again, noble Waldarys. We do not know what you speak of, but there are only three alicorns in the world—four now, since Twilight Sparkle's ascension to alicorn form.”

“And you, dear brother. How many draconequus are left to protect the balance?”

“Balance? What balance? I'm Discord, the god of chaos! Balance is not exactly my thing, you know, ‘dear sister’, and I'm the only draconequus left.”

“I see… Dear sister.” She looked over to Celestia, who was no longer glaring daggers at her. “How many kinds of dragons do you know of?”

“The four kinds: Dragons, Drakes, Wyrms and Sea Serpents.” A silent tear of light fell from Waldarys's eyes to the ground, turning into little explosion once they hit it. “What's wrong... sister?”

Waldarys looked down at Spike, who was watching her with great concern. She smiled sadly at Spike before speaking. “Oh, little young one, I'm so, so sorry. Such loneliness you must have endured.” A quiet sob followed her before she continued. “Even in death, you managed to almost fulfill your goal, Echidna. Now this young one must face life on his own,” she said to herself, anger clearly shown in her voice. “Young one… you are not just ‘another dragon’ as you say. You are the last of your kind… our kind. You... are truly the last of the Gemstone Dragons.”

“WHAT???” Spike shouted surprised “G-gemstone dragon??”

“Gemstone Dragons, the leaders of all the dragons. We are different, unique from the other kinds of dragons, and even so from any other living being.” She got up, the music finally stopping. She held her arms above her, creating a blue orb. “I know why you are here now, but this goes beyond your simple questions.” The orb grew to be at least as big as her, and she dropped it. “Young one, you must learn about yourself, your kind, your power and your responsibility. Dear sister, brothers, friends, please watch closely, for I will show you the greatest kingdom ever to have existed on the planet. Our own civilization, our empire… and how it almost destroyed the planet itself."

The blue orb began to spin.

Chapter 3 end.

Author's Notes:

King Euphrinos

Sabarius

Waldarys

Special thanks to Bennet001 for proofreading!

Special thanks to Miss Dark Angel for aiding my low self with her awesome editing skills!