Chapter 1: A Crack in the Glass
It was too early for Spike to be out looking for gems. Heck it was even too early for him to be awake. The sun had just begun to creep over the mountains bordering Equestria, illuminating the plains below where Spike was looking around. He had woken up to a smell of a gem and soon found himself running toward the source. Only a huge gem would give off such a strong smell.
"Man, this place really looks different in the morning" Spike said to himself. " I would never guess that these were the same mountains where I...." He cringed. It had been two years since he went into a greed fueled frenzy. This is where Spike had lost control over himself and rampaged throughout Ponyville as a gargantuan monster. If he really concentrated he could recall which cave he had stuffed The Wonderbolts in while Rarity screamed in a panicked frenzy. If it wasn't for her, Spike would've never returned to his normal self.
Twilight Sparkle had to spend countless nights after that holding Spike, rocking him gently. "Memories fade over time Spike." She whispered. "As you grow, you will find that these memories that haunt you at night will become a like a dot in sky. It will be a small insignificant point in the past." Spike had indeed grown. It was often hard for him to walk on two legs as he had used to but once in a while he still did so just so he could show off his new found height to Rainbow Dash whenever she would go bragging about her flying speed. Of course he would still get punched in the shoulder whenever he did. Spike had grown a lot over the past two years but the memories still felt as if they formed yesterday and the nightmares still remained.
"Come on Spike. Snap out of it already!" He slapped himself on each cheek. The stinging sensation overrode any feeling of guilt. "That gem has to be around here somewhere. The smell is way too strong to not be." Spikes ability to smell gems had developed to the the point where he could see a trail whenever he focused .Now was a perfect time to put his ability to use. Spike let the world around him go dark and thought of the gem buried under pilled of rocks. A blue trail rose from the surrounding darkness like smoke. It stretched several feet beyond where Spike stood and pointed down.
Spike came to senses and turned toward the path displayed in his mind. "It's right there." he muttered. He got on all fours and walked over the rocks to designated point. A faint glow could be seen a faint light could be seen through the cracks between the gravel floor. After a quick check of his claws, Spike dug through the rubble until he felt something solid collide against him." A quick brush revealed a giant orb resting in the hole he had dug.
"No way..." Spike could not believe his eyes. "This gem has to be at least the size of my head" He slowly lifted the mass out of the ground. "This gem is going to be the best tasting thing in existence. I know it." As excited as Spike felt, he began to suspect that what he was holding wasn't a gem at all. Spike had found hundreds of gems before and and not one of them was shaped like an orb. It was dull and was composed of a color Spike could only describe as a misty gray. He could not detect any imperfections as he rolled the orb around in his hand. It soon became apparent to Spike that the orb was made of a material that was not of this world. Much like the gems Spike had found in the past, the orb was translucent but it lacked the weight that would be associated with a gem of similar girth. The orb did not glow whatsoever nor did it reflect light. Glare would not cast into his eye no matter what angle Spike held it to the sun above. The orb couldn't have caused the glowing he had seen before. Spike look around for any sign of the light around him to no avail. He talked to himself. "What would've possibly cause that light I saw?"
Spike soon wished that he had planned out his journey. The bag he had brought along with him would not be able to hold the orb he found. Spike was lucky to even have the bag to begin with. Derpy had gone on a morning mail delivery around the same time Spike woke up. He was in such a rush that morning that didn't pay much attention to his surroundings and soon found himself lying on the floor next to a confused cross eyed pony. Derpy had been kind enough to lend him a spare mail bag. It would've been big enough for the gems Spike usually found but this was no gem.
The plains had become brighter since Spikes arrival. He stared at the orb. "This is your doing isn't it?" he whispered. It wasn't. The sun had simply risen above where he stood. He had been searching for a bit too long. "By Celestia I'm late!" he screamed. " I promised to help Twilight clean the library today!" Spike had originally planned to return with enough time to finish helping Twilight and visit Rarity at her home. Time had not worn away Spikes emotions for Rarity. Instead Spike was even more certain that he loved Rarity and that she needed to know. "The one time I finally get the courage to confess to Rarity and I'm late" Spike moaned. "Guess I'll have to make up for lost time."
Since he would be unable to carry the orb with him Spike haphazardly reburied the orb and marked its location on a map Twilight had given him the previous day. "Don't worry my sweet." He yelled as he turned towards the direction he came. "I promise to be back soon! Just you wait right there." Spike ran off towards Ponyville without looking back again. Time was of the essence. The sooner he got back, the sooner Spike would be able to search for the source of the light he had seen before. If he had looked back he may have seen the very light he wanted to find begin to poke through the ground. The very orb that a few moments ago showed no radiance, had begun to glow.
Many ponies in Canterlot would soon report of a statue that had seemed to appear in the very center of town overnight. Some would claim that the statue was of a monster made up of many fierce animals. Others would claim that a voice could be heard from within the statue itself. None of it would ever be confirmed. The very ponies who made those claims would soon disappear without a trace. An investigation would never be done and no pony would be able to discover the cause of the phenomenon that day because the statue would be found broken from the inside the next day. Guards would be unable to translate the only clue found, a name written in a foreign language. Perhaps if the guards had been able to translate the name, Spike may have not faced the future that would befall him and six of his close friends. But this was not to be for Ataxia had already began to move.
To be continued in Chapter 2
