-=1001 years ago=-
The moon was slowly starting to dip into the horizon, as an eerie silence stood across the dark battlefield, each side stood their ground. One side, made up of many thousands of trained stallions, proudly held the proud flag of Equestria. The other side, made up of mere hundreds of soldiers of night ponies, forming a wall between the Equestrians and a large castle behind them. While the night ponies were heavily outnumbered, they boldly stood their ground. Neither side moved until the sun began poking its head, bathing the field in its rays. The drums of war sounded, and the equestrians began their charge.
Blow was met for blow on the battlefield, but surprisingly the Equestrian soldiers were the only side experiencing casualties. When one stallion would charge with a spear it was swiftly cut and then he would be struck back at, the defenseless soldier falling before he even knew what hit him. Another soldier would shoot at his target with a powerful magic blast… Only to have it cancelled out with an even mightier blast, which would go on to incinerate the poor Unicorn and several others alongside him. A Pegasus would fly high into the air in an attempt to use his wings to his advantage, only to be shot down by precise archers.
While the blood and carnage went on outside, a grey alicorn watched from a high tower of the castle. He resided in a magnificent throne room, which was filled with 10 night soldiers similar to those defending outside. He looked away only when a Unicorn rushed in, shouting at the top of his lungs “My lord! The battle outside It’s” but was cut off by the Alicorn.
“I can see for myself, we are effortlessly fending off the invaders. Perhaps this turn of events will finally convince those wretched witches to leave my kingdom and its people alone.” He smiled and touched the red gem of an amulet around his neck. Turning back he resumed watching his victory unfold.
However, the unicorn was not as confident as his king. “No, my liege, it’s a distraction! The sisters have infiltrated the castle; they’ve almost made it to the throne room!”
Shocked and infuriated the Alicorn turned around, bloody daggers in his eyes, and in a loud booming voice roared “WHAT?!” his voice shook the very foundations of the castle, but shortly after another outside force made the floor tremble. After a few moments the heavy iron doors were whipped off their hinges by a powerful explosion. As the dust settled two figures gallantly landed on the red carpet leading to the throne. The guards rushed to arms but were quickly waved off by the king. “Leave us; I will not have any casualties this day, especially those I can prevent.”
The guards stood unwavering, one of the stallions suddenly spoke up “My liege, it is our solemn duty to protect you, and we will keep our vow until our dying breath.” Holding up his lance, neither he nor the other guards flinching as the alicorn figures walked out of the smog. The taller one had a snow white coat and a long, flowing pink mane. The other was dark blue in color, with a light blue mane.
“I said stand down,” The grey alicorn said, his voice calm yet commanding. “I will not have my most loyal soldiers be caught in the crossfire. I command you all to leave this room at once!” after that, one by one, the guards lowered their weapons and left the Alicorns to themselves.
“I must admit, the loyalty of your soldiers is impressive.” The white alicorn remarked, while the blue one stood silent.
“We are a loyal people, Celestia.” The Grey king replied “Your surprise only goes to show your great lack of knowledge about us. Perhaps this is why so many of your soldiers have been lost, and as so many more will be… unless you order them to retreat.”
Unimpressed, Celestia retorted “their death will not be in vain, this day you will stand down or face judgment.”
“Another item of information you lack…” the grey Alicorn sighed. “Perhaps if I explain it to you again than you might be able to understand, just because we are different, a world apart even, does not mean it has to result to this.” He spread his wings, which were more like a bat’s then that of a bird’s, to their full length. As he continued the blue Alicorn seemed to pay deeper attention to his words, while Celestia seemed to just be annoyed. “When we captured this castle, it was out of retaliation of the oppression the rest of the world gives us. It is because of your people that we take to the night… but then again, I guess we should thank you, for otherwise we would not have seen the beauty it holds. Something I would not expect you ignorant fools to even understand. Perhaps it is better that you call yourself a princess, the title of queen would be wasted on pity of a ruler like you.”
This was the last straw for Celestia; she spread her own wings and fired a stream of magic. The king retaliated with his own blast, and just like the battle raging outside hopelessly overpowered her. “Did you actually think that you could defeat me? Just how foolish are you?” The king inquired.
“Foolish enough to have almost given you a chance…” Celestia grumbled. Looking over to her sister she suddenly called out “sister, the elements of harmony!”
Almost reluctantly, the blue alicorn revealed the artifacts she had been hiding from behind her wings. Combining her magic with that of her sister’s they tapped into the ancient magic residing within the elements. The elements released a huge rainbow of color, and sent it spiraling towards the king. Before it could reach him, he emitted an aura as black as night and retaliated with the most powerful magic he had at his disposal. For a while, it appeared that the two sides were equally matched. “Perhaps you not only underestimated me and my people, but you overestimated your own precious elements.”
“It is true that your power as a whole is on par with even the elements… but that is what we planned for.” Suddenly, the elements glowed brighter, and his aura began to drain, and with each passing moment the power struggle was edging closer and closer to him. “We have agreed that you would be split into three separate parts, your anger and command of loyalty will be sent to the king of the crystal kingdom. Your love and sense of leadership will go to my sister, Luna. And what is left of your conscious, confined within your own amulet.
More and more of the dark aura drained out of him, half of it being drained out of the windows and heading north, while the other half floated towards the blue Alicorn. When the last of it was drained out of him, he had lost all strength, and fell to his knees. He could do nothing but watch as the rainbow of energy rushed towards him.
“No” He whispered, and even though he was now enveloped in the elements magic, he pushed himself with every bit of strength he had left to stand back up. Struggling he could do nothing else but watch as his own body slowly dissipated. “You won’t get away with this.” He cursed under his breath as he saw that what was left of his physical form was a mere shadowy illumination. Then, in an instant, everything went black.
Outside, a brilliant light flashed from the top of the castle, once so bright it could be seen for miles around and so luminescent that it blinded the combatants down below. The Equestrians retreating back to lick their wounds, while their opponents retreating to the castle fearing the worst for their king.
Just as Celestia had said, all that was left where he once stood was the golden amulet that he once wore around his neck. Walking over to it she sighed and levitated it up to her eye level, not daring to even touch gem that now held untold evil. “Are… you sure you are ok, sister?” She asked, worried about her sisters wellbeing. “I hate to think what you might have absorbed from him…”
“No, I am fine sister.” Luna waved her off, but truth be told, what he had said spurred thoughts deep within her… thoughts that would lead to her corruption a mere 12 months later. “Perhaps we should worry more about king Sombra and if he can truly hold that kind of corruption, I think you should go see how he is handling things after you spread word of the victory.”
“Right… are you sure you can handle things here?” Celesta asked, leaving the amulet with her sister. Walking over to the door she looked back as her sister shook her head, waving away Celestia’s worries.
When her sister was gone Luna looked at the amulet, getting a warm feeling simply gazing into the reflection off its red crystal. Loosing herself in its beauty she almost didn’t notice the night-unicorn walking up from behind her. However instead of the outrage and violence she was expecting, the stallion simply looked at the amulet with her. As she watched him she noticed a tear in his eyes. Without a moment’s hesitation she wrapped her own wing around him and pulled him closer, he didn’t resist. Together the two stood and watched the amulet as Luna levitated it in front of them. After a few moments another night-pony walked up to her left, followed by another, and another. By the time the moon had risen the princess was surrounded by her new unwaveringly loyal subjects.
-=Modern day=-
Traded from day to day, hoof-to-hoof, it was natural to be a priceless artifact in a merchant’s eye one day and worthless junk to be cast aside the next.
“1 Million bits”
“Throw it in with the other junk.”
He had learnt to keep his mouth shut, to talk only to those he could trust. As soon as he made contact with them he would be able to read their soul… he would be able to tell who was a heartless criminal and who was a worthwhile friend.
During his travels across the world he would over hear the modern events, the return of Discord, the disappearance and reappearance of the crystal kingdom, the royal wedding, and the return of Nightmare Moon. He had heard it all, and from a thousand different perspectives. For example: the criminal underworld took a great blow when Luna resumed her duties… while the average bar constantly spewed out wild gossip about the royal couple.
It was a sad life really… but after a millennium of the same thing, one gets used to it. It was nice to talk to somepony every now and again, but those times were sparing and few. Say, for example, he was to speak up, they might cry out, they might report to the authorities, he might be discovered, and if that were to happen… it would be the end. The fact of the matter was, no matter how many “friends” he came to find, he was truly alone in this world… even if he would think he had found a solace, in truth only a return to his people would end his living Tartarus. However, chances of that were slim and null. Where was he now? He was around the neck of a blue unicorn.
Oh, apologies, THE AMAZING AND FANTASTIC TRIXIE. She had picked him up from a trader who was looking for some quick coin. Sometimes he would worry that she actually knew that his soul was captured within the amulet, because she would simply not shut up about herself and how great she was(n’t), even when nopony was around.
Cursing his luck, he, sighed and simply accepted his new warden, a skill he had mastered so many centuries ago. After a few more hours of horrific bantering later she finally let slip that she needed some more bits for something or other. Using this to his advantage he decided it was time for another skill he had mastered along the way, “suggesting” thoughts to the weak of mind. It was a simple task really, slipping a line like “Maybe I should…” or “it would be a good idea if…” or etc. and they would go along with it, as long as it was phrased correctly.
Needless to say this mare was… not exactly up to high wizard knowledge pools, so it was an easy procedure. As she was looking around her own cottage for something to sell he casually slipped
“The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie believes that the old dusty necklace could fetch a fair bit of coin.” He whispered, and she went along with it, just as he had planned.
“Yes. And this dusty old thing IS a bit tacky for the WONDERUS and near POVERTOUS Trixie." she nodded, "Yes, it is settled then. I will find an appropriate appraiser for it tomorrow. It is a bit late and the BRILLIANT and…” She paused to yawn for just a moment. “And sleepy Trixie needs her beauty sleep.” Taking off the golden amulet she placed it on the drawer and went to bed.
‘Good night Trixie’ he thought to himself ‘and good riddance.’
Another sad fact about his predicament is that he did not need to, and in fact was unable to, sleep. Sometimes he questioned how he was able to keep his sanity, but other times he was simply caught up in the endless task of keeping himself out of danger. Sure he was nearly invincible (an unfortunate run in with a group of dragons proved that fact) but he didn’t want to test his limits… especially not in the same manor. It only took a suggestion or two every now and again to ensure his safety, but it was still something to occupy his time.
It seemed like the blink of an eye for him, the night passed and the sun rose from the horizon. Trixie eventually awoke and took him from his perch, and together they walked into ponyville. This was a common place for Trixie to go about business, so he had been able to take note of the ponies that lived there. There was Lyra Heartstrings, who lived with Bon Bon. Berry punch was the owner of the local bar, and Derpy was the towns... dedicated mail mare. However there was one pony that had caught his attention, a purple unicorn that went by the name of Twilight Sparkle.
Yes, Twilight and her friends seemed like just the right ponies for what he planned. They were just the right mix of trustworthy and gullible… Easily manipulated,
maybe, JUST maybe he would be able to end this torment.
Freeing himself from his prison was the only thing on his mind, and even if it would take years before he finally achieved this, that was nothing compared to how long he had already waited.
Trixie walked through the streets of Ponyville, wondering who she might be able to sell her necklace to. She hated to part with it, it did have a certain beauty to it… however when ones pockets were empty, true beauty comes in coin. ‘None of the local stand owners would possibly have near enough coin to suffice for this’ She thought to herself ‘so perhaps I should check in with ponies with more suitable wallet sizes.’
As she approached the museum, an idea came to her out of the blue; she would show the amulet off as an ancient relic of long ago, that would surely fetch a fair price. She was great at playing things up much greater than they actually were, so this would be a walk in the park for her. Smiling to herself she prepared the speech in her head, “Consider yourself lucky, for the amazingly generous Trixie has the deal of a lifetime for you, and your museum.”
Unfortunately, this same boasting hadn’t exactly given her the best name around town. Everywhere she went, the door was slammed in her face as soon as it was opened. Time and time again she was cast aside, and whenever she got somepony to listen to her for more than three seconds the price she offered was deemed ludicrous. Even the one she had expected the most to take her offer, the fashion Expert Rarity, denied her any service. After hours of sales pitching, she walked out onto Main Street yet again… defeated, drained of energy, and worst of all: hungry.
Out of ideas, she hung her head began the long walk home, defeated. However her head perked up when another idea came to her ‘Twilight seems to take a liking to magical miracles and ancient artifacts, perhaps she will be my one saving grace… but just to make sure I shall cut down the price to a reasonable 100 bits.’
Renewed of energy and hope she set her sights for the Golden oaks library, nothing was going to stop her… until she flopped over onto her back out of hunger. ‘Better add dinner to the price tag’ she made a mental note and eventually got to her hooves. After a few more dramatic bouts she eventually made it to front doorstep of her old rival. Shoving her stomach into the back of her mind she calmed herself and knocked on the door.
A few minutes passed before a surprised purple unicorn opened the door. “Um… Hello, Trixie… what are you doing here?” she asked, unsure of Trixie’s intentions this time.
“Ah, Twilight Sparkle, the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie has the deal of a lifetime!” She boasted as she showed the amulet off. “She has come across a rare and powerful artifact and thought by chance that you might be interested in it.” However, something unexpected happened as she held it aloft, the gem in the center of it began to glow. Surprised, she quickly rolled with it as the unicorn eyed it suspiciously. “Yes, its untold powers could be revolutionary for our… our understanding of ancient cultures… but alas, I could not simply part with it so easily.” Bringing it close Trixie withheld a smile as Twilight sighed.
As she held it closer to play up her act, Trixie felt some sort of faint magic resonating from it. Unsure what was happening she imagined this was why Twilight finally succumbed and asked “Ok Trixie, what do you want for it?”
“Oh don’t worry darling, the Generous Trixie won’t ask for much, just a meager… 100~~~0 bits should suffice.” However when her stomach growled loud enough for even her business partner to flinch she added “And… dinner wouldn’t hurt either…”
________________________________________________________________________________________
Trixie placed him down on a pedestal, in a rush to finally eat a decent meal. Everything had gone according to his plans; the fool of a mare Trixie had followed his every suggestion… and hadn’t even questioned a single one of them. His whispers sending her around town, giving faulty sales pitch scripts… in which she played the part perfectly. Whether it was luck or skill, it did not matter. The hardest part of the plan was about to go underway.
Any minute now, Twilight and Trixie would finish dinner, Trixie would be sent on her merry way, and the pink unicorn would soon come to examine the new artifact. This is where it would be tricky… we would have to use every skill he has mastered to date, to not only convince Twilight to help him, but to keep her or her friends from notifying Celestia.
He played the scene out several times in his head, watching and waiting. About half an hour passed before the two ponies walked back into the room, the blue unicorn’s pockets/stomach no longer empty. After she said goodbye and closed the door, Twilight came over to the pedestal and inspected the amulet down to the last detail. However, a flaw in his plan began making itself apparent. The girl was using magic to handle his prison! If she didn’t at least make contact, he would be unable to communicate… ruining everything!
“Strange, I’m not sensing any of the energies from before… maybe Trixie really was just fooling me with some new spell.” She said to herself. The situation was deteriorating, and he would have to act quickly. Victory was so close, but was going to slip away just as it had so many times before. However, Twilight suddenly spoke up again. “But that magic I felt before, she was just as surprised as I was… maybe there’s just some way to activate it…. Maybe if I put it on, and concentrate on…” she placed the amulet around her neck, it was a surprisingly good fit.
This was perfect, but even though he had his chance, that he could scream out at any moment, he would bide his time for just a few more precious moments. He allowed the unicorn to flow just a few more drops of magic into the amulet before he finally spoke up. He decided to go with a more innocent approach. “Um….Hello?” he asked, in a quiet and scared voice.
As he predicted, the poor mare was caught off guard “What!? Who’s there?!” she asked, frantically looking around “Is that you Spike?”
“You… can really hear me?” He continued the charade, praying on her innocence, “Really?”
Confused and slightly scared, Twilight hesitantly answered “Umm… yes, now who are you? And um… where are you?”
He knew that his real name was probably written in the history books with blood, and using it around somepony as well read as Twilight was suicide… so he decided to the name he had made for situations like these. “Well I suppose I should introduce myself, my name is Starbright, and I am currently wrapped around your neck.”
Twilight’s face grew pale white, and after a few moments of silence. “…WHAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?!??!!1?”
“This is going to take a while… isn’t it?"
