*Year 0*

And what a long weekend that turned out to be.

First thing next day, the train from Equestria arrived with some much unexpected visitors, I wish I hadn't been there when it arrived, but I knew it was going to be me who had to deliver the news, even after two long months, I was not even remotely ready for what I had to do.

Big Macintosh was the first to step out, behind him was Thunderlane and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Big Mac took me up and shouted, yes SHOUTED, at me, demanding to know what happened to his beloved marefriend.

If having five ponies in my face, demanding answers wasn't enough, soon came three other familiar faces as well; Winona, Angel and Tank. I couldn't hold it in and told them everything, no short versions or something soft, just the truth.

Once I was done, I expected somepony’s hoof in my face, shouting at me or anything but what happened, Thunderlane just stood there, paralyzed, before asking me where Rainbow’s grave was, and walked away slowly, followed by a bellowing Scootaloo. Soon afterwards, Big Macintosh hugged me, he actually hugged me and thanked me for saving Applejack’s life, but I could feel how devastated he was for the loss of his beloved Fluttershy, then he went on his way to visit Applejack in the hospital, followed by Apple Bloom and Winona. Sweetie Belle didn't say anything and just left to where Rarity was now living.

I don’t know if I should be lucky or not, but Angel Bunny didn't do anything to me, he just stood there, in front of me, crying his little bunny heart out for the loss of his master, and by the sounds of it, Tank wasn't faring any better.

I took Angel and told Tank to follow me, in an instant I adopted the pets of my two dear friends, I didn't even bothered to cover up my tears.

That night, while lying on my bed, I received a summons to see my mother. I rushed my way towards the meeting room and was greeted by hail of hugs and kisses.

She talked to me and tried to personally help me with my training, but I declined; Gods can’t interfere with the training or the trials of champions. Then she did something I thought was impossible for her; she begged.

My mom begged me to accept her proposition, to run away to Equestria, to ANYTHING other than to fight, and she told me why; not because there was an ultimate price to pay, or anything like that, but because she was afraid she’d lose me forever. Me, the child she could never have, and the one she had come to love as much as her own sister.

That night I slept with my mother, holding her close and comforting her, reassuring her that I was going to be fine and that I was going to win. I kissed her forehead goodnight before falling asleep surrounded by her warm, loving embrace.

The next day I went to see Applejack, just to make sure she was alright, and the scene I saw filled me with joy for the first time in months; Pinkie Pie atop Applejack, making out as if their lives depended on it. I took out one of my cigarettes and walked away, embarrassed as the situation turned out to be more intimate by the moment, after all, they at least deserved some privacy.

Later that day, while I was studying, a group of colts and fillies approached me, cheering me on to tell them the story of how I defeated Sombra. I took no pleasure in telling them the story, but they seemed to be just so fascinated by it, that I really couldn't understand it.

Also, even after these two months, I still found it hard to adapt to the amount of respect and... well, should I say gratitude from the general populace.

It’s rather strange to me, for all my life I've lived like a normal subject and not like the prince I am, doing chores, being an assistant, and a tag-along friend, but now I am bowed at and showed respect every direction I look. It’s, well... odd, to say the least, not unpleasant, but it sure is odd.

I saw an elderly couple before entering the castle that night, they trotted to where I was and showed me a crystal photo of a teenage filly, they told me she was enslaved instead of them and worked until her death in the crystal mines, she died just the day before mom and aunt Luna showed to stop Sombra. They thanked me for killing the bastard that took their daughter away from them and saved all the young colts and fillies from such a fate.

I couldn't sleep that night, so I went to the library to check the ‘labor’ files of the crystal mines. From that moment onward, I was finally glad I had killed that bucking monster; more than five thousand ponies died during his reign, and that night I promised to myself that the crystal ponies would never suffer such a fate again.

The next day my real training began.

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*Year 1*

It was a good first year.

The production of the crystal berries not only reached the expectations of the merchants, it surpassed it greatly! Far off kingdoms like Saddle Arabia and Ursania fell in love with the berries and became our two main consumers while the earning for them went up faster than a weather Pegasus during tornado duty.

The farms and the ‘defrost’ process of the original land of the Empire marched on swiftly, providing space for more homes, more farms, and more space for animals and plants to live.

When General Crystal Shine told us the army was weak, he meant it. We had few to zero troops, we barely had enough royal guards to fill the most important roles, and even they were still young and fresh. This was going to take some time to recover, thankfully Shining was still able to train rightful guards and soldiers, even if he couldn't move his hind legs anymore, he could still bark orders and perform great shields, he may be a complete asshole to me, but I had to admire his spirit for being true to his word, if anything.

Applejack has proven herself to be a tremendous fighter and a very fast learner, General Crystal Shine had took her under his care and was personally training her, while her hind legs would never have the strength and durability they once had, she could still deal terrible amounts of pain.

Her life in the farm proved to be a tremendous asset for her, she masterfully took three weapons: the whip, the spear, and the sword, all with deadly accuracy.

Furthermore, her relationship with Pinkie only seemed to grow with each passing day. Speaking of Pinkie, she decided to open up her own bakery in the empire, and needless to say, it was a total success, and with her being around proved to be a huge blessing, thanks to her happy attitude and personality, she had no problems keeping everyone happy and content.

Rarity’s case was something hard, to say the least, because earlier that year, Sweetie Belle had moved in with her, since Rarity’s nightmares were terrible. I talked with her about it and she told me that it was because she blamed herself for not trying to do something to save Rainbow and Fluttershy, and the news of Applejack’s attempted suicide only made it worse.

I told her that if she felt truly that way then she should do something about it, something productive, something to make them proud, and to always remember them as they lived, not how they died. She asked me how she could do that, I told her that was what I was doing.

Twilight continued her studies normally, wanting to be as ready as I was to face any future problems we would see. To say her presence was what I needed to keep going during my studies and training would be a dire understatement, for no matter what, I was going to fulfill my promise to the Cadence and the Crystal Empire, but Twilight gave me the strength to keep going each day.

Also, her studious and brilliant brain helped us deal with all sorts of problems, from the most mundane to the most critical ones, but I’m also worried about her. I don’t know if she can complete this ‘higher destiny’ that my mom always talks about, mainly because we both tasted a bitter part of friendship: the loss of a friend.

Even though our economy was growing greatly, we still lacked what we needed to start a proper army... All we needed to do was to work on the crystal mines, but the fear of the crystal ponies was still fresh and evident, just a clawful of ponies even dared to get near said mines, so it was no surprise workers for the mine were nonexistent.

I took a helmet, a pickax, a shovel, and a lantern, and went inside myself to dig out some crystals, we needed them directly or else we wouldn't have enough money or time to even prepare decent defenses.

The next day I went to the mines a group of five hundred crystal ponies were waiting for me, ready to dig at my side. I thanked them and went inside with them, to give them strength and the courage they needed to face that dreadful place. I dug with them for the rest of the year before the two thousand workers begged me to continue with my training.

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*Year 2*

Mathematics, philosophy, writing, literature, meditation, exercises, training, diet, astronomy, military tactics, and much, much more now filled my daily life. I barely had time to rest or eat, but I knew this was needed.

Cadence had brought forth the best teachers in each field she could find and I eagerly learned, that’s when I discovered just how much of an egghead I truly am, one that could give my Twilight a run for her bits. I literally sucked away every little bit of information that was thrown at me.

Aside from my training, there were also two major events that year.

The first one was that Big Macintosh came back, but not alone, alongside him came Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Thunderlane, and ALL of the apple family. With Applejack here and with Granny Smith too old to make any real decisions, Big Mac sold every piece of land owned by the Apple Family and decided to move to the Crystal Empire, bringing with them all the apple trees they could. They were received with open arms... or legs, as was the case.

This meant so much for the Empire, since apples were a real luxury here, most of the Apple Family spread out into different locations in the farm lands to start their own apple farms. Not only that, but the Zap Apples could be harvested monthly instead of yearly while in the lands of the Empire, thus providing the amazing Zap Apple Jam regularly and bringing our second highest income.

Thunderlane had graduated Wonderbolt training in record time and quit the very next day, giving us a great advantage on aerial tactics, since the Crystal Ponies have a very limited amount of Pegasus and unicorns; every single little advantage we can get is welcome.

Big Mac also joined the army and began to train alongside his sister, while he wasn't a very skillful fighter, aside from the spear, he has the endurance and strength that can even rival an Alicorn; in the words of Cadence, “He might just be the most powerful earth pony alive”, and don’t even get me started on his mathematical prowess. Let’s just say that with him in charge of our financial situations, we don’t have to worry about corruption or any ‘missing bits’, and thanks to him, my math lessons were soon dealt with.

The rest of the family that joined the army were also surprisingly talented in melee combat and had some military knowledge, it seems that in one point in the past, the Apple Family was the backbone of the Equestrian Army and that ancient knowledge passed down generation to generation, no wonder mom gave them the land of Ponyville without problems.

Thanks to them, we suddenly got good officers that were respected by the majority of the inhabitants and had enough training and skill to actually train decent soldiers in great numbers, the only two real problems now, were the equipment and the troops.

The former was that the extraction of the Red Moon Crystals came to a sudden halt, it seems like the crystal grows inside the cavern on a steady phase, albeit slow, it meant it would provide us with a great supply of said crystals in the future.

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*Year 5*

My training carried on normally, each day making me faster, stronger, smarter, and now deadlier. and soon enough, my daily routine included things like archery, brawling, deep meditation, swordsmanship, though I always preferred two swords held in reverse over one, craftsmanship, and smiting, but on my weekends, I was taught by a lion how to hunt, kill, camouflage, torture, psychoanalyze, and many other arts that would help to either escape from a sticky situation or gain the upper claw in a dire moment.

At first, it all seemed so dark and bizarre... but he explained why was this so necessary: usually the fights were held in a public arena or some designated terrain were the leaders of each country could see their display, but in some rare occasions, the champions were left alone in the wild, forcing them to hunt the other. It was rare, but the situation could arrive and it was better to be ready than sorry.

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*Year 8*

Project Crystal Phalanx was born this year, after many tests and experiments we could finally use the Red Moon Crystals as weapons. Sadly, the quantity was low and we couldn't form the army I had in mind, but something better was created.
My Crystal Phalanx Units were only six in number, but by the end of the twenty year period, they would become eight.

From the moment I read about these Red Moon Crystals, I knew they could be used as a weapon, a deadly weapon and a great armor, and boy was I right. A unit of Crystal Phalanx is a traditional formation of sixteen by sixteen ponies formed in the ‘Phalanx’ formation, but imagine this for a moment.

Imagine you are the enemy, imagine you are facing a single unit of my Crystal Phalanx; a deadly, literally unbreakable wall twenty two hoof steps long with crystal spear points in front of you, crystals that are harder than diamond, crystals that can pierce and cut through the scales and teeth of dragons, crystals that can dispel any kind of offensive magic.

Crystals that can also be used by unicorns to create powerful barriers around the unit from all directions without exhausting them in the slightest, making arrows, rocks and aerial assaults on them useless, said crystals can contain a limited amount of magic inside them to fire three short range bolts of energy powerful enough to break through a metal door easily, three for each spear.

Now imagine you are going to attack them, but the barrier is up and so they can’t be attacked from above, behind, flanks, or beneath them, but you can’t play the waiting game either, since the unit can still move towards you and leave enough space in the barrier to perform their frontal attack without troubles.

The Crystal Phalanx unit is at its strongest when formed up as the unit they are but imagine you somehow managed to disrupt them, forcing them to battle outside their unit they still have one more surprise, their armor is covered by a thin layer of said crystal, making all of your weapons useless against them, and a sword made of the same material, a very sharp-dragon-cutting material, plus the commanders of each unit carry a deadly weapon made specifically for them, the one they are most deadly with.

And that’s just one unit... ONE! And I’m in direct command of ALL of them; all of the six, soon to be eight, units. Each unit is lead by a personal friend or a great leader, and the troops of said units are mostly formed by the still young and still training soldiers of the Empire, soldiers that saw me defeat the tyrant that enslaved them all those years ago. Back then, nothing but colts and fillies were not becoming a great and powerful force under the direct command of the one they held as their hero and their beacon of hope and strength. Morale? I have it.

So, basically, you are facing a bristling hedgehog of deadly, harder than diamond sharp-dragon-cutting spear points, that you cannot go under, around, or over, and the ONLY way to attack it is from the front, where you most likely will not even reach inside of, and if you do, the soldiers are armored, armed, and trained to be a force to be reckon with, who will follow their hero, their commander, their prime general into battle without hesitation, fear or preoccupation.

NOW imagine you are facing eight units of Crystal Phalanxes, leading an even greater army that also have range support, healers, covered flanks and some aerial support, even if limited strong enough to hold their….errmmm, sky.

Why am I the General in chief of these powerful units whose only weakness is that they are very slow when using the armored barrier? Simple; I came with the idea, the formation, the tactics, the armor, the weapons, everything. I discovered what a tactical genius I am, and I will use it all to defend the place I have learned to call my home.

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*Year 13*

Twilight passed the test of mom and now she has become an Alicorn as well, GODS I’M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW! As a gift, I promised my beloved that I wouldn't’t smoke for a month, hopefully she doesn't find out I have.

On the other claw, my body has FINALLY began to change: my arms, legs, and tail are getting longer and a lot stronger while my body is adapting as well, I’m now tall enough to look Cadence eye to eye.

Hey, compared to the small dragon I was for so long, this change is very welcome, now my training is easier and I am far more accurate with almost everything.

Also, I can’t wait to grow up a little more and finally try the nasty with my beloved, because seriously, we've been together for thirteen years now and we still haven’t had sex! Sure we've had our little touchy moments here and there, but my, let’s say, anatomy was still underdeveloped for proper intercourse.

(As a side note I can tell I’m getting muscles under my scales... looking good, Spike! Looking reeeeaaaal good!).

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*Year 15*

Last night, an assassin came into my room while I was sleeping, or so the idiot thought, and for the first time in years, I could see the payoff of my training, I ended the Zebra assassin in less than twenty seconds.

I did not enjoy taking his life, but I did enjoyed the feeling of seeing all my training and hard work in action like that, I felt excited to face my first opponent.

We have finally managed to gather the materials for four Crystal Phalanx units, but only one so far is ready for use.

The first one will be led by Applejack, now known as the “Orange Slicer”, known for her capability to give orders and think quickly, making her a great commander, not to mention that they are very respectful and loyal to her as well, no wonder she is my second in command.

In battle, she will be deadly, her ability with the tail-whip and her sword make her title proud and her skill with the spear could make her the best darn surgeon in the Empire. (on a side note I must congratulate her on the birth of hers and Pinkie’s first child. Also, must ask Twilight how was she capable of completing the temporal Gender-Swapping spell).

The second one will be led by Big Macintosh, known as the “Silent Strategist.” His leadership skills and authority makes him perfect for this position as well as my personal adviser and strategist.

The third unit will be led by Pipsqueak, the youngest commander in the army, and even younger than most of his own subordinates, he seems to be cute and innocent, playful and good natured but don’t let that fool you for a second, he was personally trained by aunt Luna for ten years, many fear him and they are right to do so, for he is the “Moon’s Shadow”. May our enemies remember his title; for it will be the last thing they’ll see, and I have to admit that I’m aiding the poor young stallion in his quest to win my aunt’s heart, I’m hoping it goes well for he asks her out soon.

The fourth will be led by Scootaloo, named “The Flightless Terror”, and is nothing to poke fun about, one of the few Pegasus in history without being able to fly she makes up for tremendous speed and agility, her weapon of choice is odd as well, a hammer.

I, personally thought she would take a whip or maybe even daggers, but she chose the hammer. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but after seeing her train with the thing, I realized it was the best mistake ever.

I have already decided who shall lead my other four units.

The fifth shall be led by Rarity, the only commander without a title, but it’s not necessary, she is well beloved among her soldiers, her ability to detect the weak spots on any kind of gear, armor, weapon, structure, or machinery makes her, by far, the most deadly for our enemies. I may have thought about the armor, but she was the one able to create it, as she says, flawlessly.

The sixth will be led by Apple Bloom, who’s not only a brilliant strategist and a wild fighter, but also loyal to death and hell bent on building the best of the best for our armies, named “The Master Builder”, she is the brains behind the Crystal Phalanx. Who do you think was the one able to forge the Red Moon Crystals?

The seventh will be led by Sweetie Belle, the “Voice of Life”, her talent as a singer is my secret weapon, the power of her voice is capable to reach the hearts of anypony or anything, able to strike doubt in just an equal amount, she will be my ace in the hole if an enemy dares to attack the empire during my fights or if I die in them.

The eighth will be lead Braeburn, aptly named “The Yeller” for his tendency to shout orders and some very unsavory things to enemies, his loud mouth and humorist nature makes him the most cheerful soldier you’ll ever see and the only one among my commanders who is more concerned about lifting spirits and joking than actual seriousness and training.

At first, I thought of Thunderlane to be one of my commanders, but instead, he will be the commander of our aerial forces since he is the only capable Pegasus to do so.

Our flags are all the same with some exceptions, the main army flag is a purple Crystal Heart, the archer units flag is a green Crystal Heart, the siege units flag is a red and black broken Crystal Heart, the aerial units flag is a rainbow striped Crystal Heart, the medical units flag is a blue Crystal Heart with three pink-yellow butterflies inside it and finally, the Crystal Phalanx flag, a red Crystal Heart with a smaller heart inside it, half green and half purple.

Our army, still small in comparison to other nations and barely thirty thousand strong, is an army of brave ones, now looking to the tomorrow I realize that only five years rest until the time limit expires, HA! I say, those who try to take my home, my friends and my family will perish at our doorstep, let their armies come, we will be ready, we still have time, we will prevail.

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*Year 17*

I like to call this year the “Year of Allies”, why? Some unexpected alliances were formed to the Crystal Empire, first were the Buffalo Tribes, portraying their admiration for my actions and my conviction, which we gladly accepted.

The short version of the proposal was that they promised economic and military help if we did the same for them.

The second one came from Saddle Arabia, since they were in love with our crystal berries and were unable to plant them in their own lands, they proposed to aid us military and economically if we lowered the price of the berries to fifty percent to them, in return they would lower the price of their coffee beans by thirty percent only to us. Only a fool would deny such an offering.

The third and final one was a total shock; the Changeling Empire offered an alliance proposal at the end of the year, they were a small and fairly weak empire that didn't even have the glory to have a champion for themselves, and ever since their failed attempt to take over Canterlot, they grew only weaker.

At first, I was doubtful, but after hearing their proposal, and despite the barking Shining did against it, Cadence and I came to a decision, we accepted their proposal.

It was a simple proposal; the Changeling Empire would merge with us, giving them free access of citizenship and be able to merge with the populace at free will, in return all their riches, lands and resources would be ours to take freely and they would also be able to join and help us in battle.

Queen Chrysalis, the Goddess of Illusions, as my mother explained to me, and her own little sister gladly signed the treaty and became one of the co-rulers of the Empire, much to Shining disgust. (as a side note I point out my concern at the speed Chrysalis, Twilight, and Cadence forged a friendship, it’s kind of scary what a ‘Girl Talk’ can achieve)

We mainly accepted because then our greatest weakness was dealt with; our aerial forces grew tremendously, plus the numerous magic wielders were gladly welcomed and the raw combat experience of the changelings was a vital key to finally complete our army, so to speak, strong offense, massive defense, good numbers, well trained soldiers, and a decent aerial force. We were ready.

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*Year 18*

No amount of foreplay, sneaky getaways or some of our most daring acts of debauchery could ever prepare me for the real deal. Me. Twilight. Room. Alone. All I have to say is:

1.-Nocturnal vision is good, fangs are great, claws and fingers are a divine gift (you wouldn't believe what you can do with those to your partner, especially if they don’t have them!), scales couldn't be better, but if you were to ask me about my ‘Little Spike’ I would answer; thanks to all the Gods for dragon anatomy!.

2.-SEX IS AWESOME!

That is all.
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“Year 20, probably Final Annotation.” Spike said while writing on a small parchment. “Today is the day of my first fight, it will be held in the Shattersand Coliseum within the Diamond Dog Kingdom, and my opponent will be ‘Rex, The Earth Crust’.”

“I can already hear the cheering of ponies and dogs alike. Mother, you gave me the most valuable lesson of all, never be cocky, never think you’ve won until you have indeed won, never underestimate your opponent, and most importantly, never let power and fame get to your head, I will hold this lesson dearly, I love you mom.”

Spike rolled the piece of parchment and set it alight with his fire, sending it to his mother back in Equestria.

Spike walked slowly towards the open gates of the Coliseum. Since it was underground, the artificial lights provided little to none as he left the darkness of the tunnel.

The moment Spike appeared, cheers and jeers filled the air. Up in the royal seats, he could see Cadence, Chrysalis, Twilight, and the three diamond dog rulers and co-rulers, knowing one of them was a God of the Diamond Dogs themselves, one of six, if Spike remembered what his mother told him correctly, of her Godly family line.

The biggest diamond dog raised a paw, silencing all the viewers.

“Today,” he began in a raspy voice. “We have the privilege to face the champion of the Crystal Empire, Spike, the Crystal Savior, against the champion of our kingdom, Rex, the Earth Crust.” As he said so a massive diamond dog emerged from beneath the earth at the other side of the Coliseum, facing Spike in the distance.

The mountain of a dog was wearing the traditional Diamond Dog armor just made of diamond.

“The rules for this battle are as followed: first, there are no rules, everything goes, and second, the winner will be the one that kills the other first and presents their head to their Gods as ancient law decrees.” The diamond dog king smiled.

"Champions, get ready.”

Spike and Rex traded glances. “Get set.” Spike stood still closing his eyes while Rex crouched.

“BATTLE!”

Rex went underground at blinding speed while Spike just stood there, unmoving and uncaring, suddenly he moved to the side as a paw as big as him emerged from beneath the earth, Spike was now as tall as Celestia, so the paw was really impressive to look at. Spike jumped to his front rolling on the dirt just as another paw appeared from where he was standing.

Rex emerged and saw something that made him growl in anger, his opponent was sitting in a very particular position in front of him, his eyes still closed, his opponent was meditating in front of him.

Angered, Rex leaped towards him, but Spike didn't move. The moment Rex was over Spike, he used his gigantic paws to try and crush him, but found nothing but air. Landing skillfully, Rex scanned the area but didn't see his opponent.

“Diamond armor, heh?” A voice whispered behind him. “Too bad for you I’m a dragon.”

“AAAAWWWWUUUUUUURRRRFFFFFFFF!” Rex yelled as terrible pain struck on his back, moving quickly, he managed to grab the tail of his opponent and throw him away from him. Spike landed on the ground roughly but quickly stood up and closed his eyes again, this time adopting a fighting stance.

Rex fumed in rage as he charged against Spike.

Spike also charged with his eyes closed.

They were about to clash against the other when Spike suddenly stopped and with a quick and elegant spin evaded the charging mammoth.

Spike stood there for a moment before opening his eyes and bowing to the rulers of both kingdoms. “I have won.”

Behind him Rex stood up, ready to attack again. He snarled and ran towards Spike, only lasting two steps before he fell to the ground, squirmed for a few seconds, and then finally laid still.

Spike then presented his tail, adorned with red blood and the heart of the giant diamond dog.

The entire arena was silent, stares and mouths opened in shock, seeing the reptile before them, wounded but proud of his act to protect his kingdom, as it were, he then turned around and brutally ripped off the head of his fallen opponent, ignoring the blood flecking onto his scales as he then bowed before his rulers and his honored guest.

“As promised, the head of my fallen enemy, granted as a sacrifice to honor the agreement of the two kingdoms and their Gods.” He spoke softly, his head bowed in respect as no creature dared moved before it was violently shattered by cheers from his allies and jeers from his foes. Twilight was looking at her mate with sorrow at how he could so harshly take a life, even if it was only for the midst of a war soon to brew, if ever, but in time, as promised the Diamond Dogs would keep to their word... at least she hoped.

The king of the Diamond Dogs, Lord Gravel Vain, held up a paw, signaling his subjects to be quite. As all was once more in silence, he turned and waved a paw with grace towards his God, Lord Gemini, who scowled and narrowed his eyes in rage as small chunks of earth beginning to crumble to dust before Spike’s eyes, making both manner of creatures nervous and afraid, the three Princesses themselves starting to stand in case they needed to defend Spike before something unexpected happened, he laughed.

A full blown roar of laughter emitted from the God’s muzzle, holding a paw to his knee as he started to cough, and after wiping a tear from his eye, he chuckled at Spike with a sense of amusement.

“Ah, so, the rumors circling my fair country had not deceived me. You have proven your worth, reptile. Rex was a boastful, naive mortal anyway, and it was with great relief that he had been dealt with in a manner most appropriate... you, dragon…Crystal Savior, they named you. You may just prove us immortals with far more entertainment then we have yet perceived. Thank you for your service.” He spoke, his voice, though filled with mirth, was cruel, as he held out a paw and the heart and head vanished in a flash of white light before Spike’s eyes.

Dropping his arms, he looked at the God with an eyebrow raised, puzzlement on his features as to what he had meant.

“Entertainment? I just killed one of your own kind in a very violent manner, what kind of sick, twisted game do you play, you filthy-”

“That is enough, Spike. You have done your deed for the day, go and rest. Another challenge awaits you in three days times.” A harsh voice interrupted him as he looked to where Twilight sat and saw Chrysalis beside her, the queen of the changeling’s eyes were cruel and unrelenting as Spike snorted, spewing a small amount of green flames and narrowed his eyes at her before doing the same to Lord Gemini, whose smile was none gone from his face, a bored tone overtaking it as he casually waved a paw to a servant, who went to fetch a goblet of wine for the God.

As Spike turned around to do as he was ordered, he heard the Diamond Dog God yell out loudly, “your mother should have told you of our bargain, boy. It would make your death much more appealing to my family if you would have known and your spirit was crushed and lifeless, bah! Mortals, they never last.” He spat with another obnoxious laugh while Twilight and her ‘family’ glared at him, making him only smile and wink at the new Alicorn who recoiled in disgust.

Meanwhile, Spike stomped angrily to his tent, sitting down on his royal cot, his marefriend insistent on getting him with a loud sigh, rubbing his eyes with both claws to try to halt the tears brimming on the edge of his eyes as he closed his eyes and pondered the God’s words.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Spike removed his claws from his face and wiped the remaining trace of tears that were trying to resurface as he grabbed a lone cigarette on the brown dresser to his right, igniting it with a wisp of his flames he inhaled deeply before blowing it out his nostrils, suddenly feeling a sudden weight on his spine as he turned his head to see his mother with her head bowed, her royal attire forgotten.

“I should have told you, my son. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Spike.”

Spike cruelly swatted his mother’s wing away from him as he stood, narrowing his eyes in rage as he almost crushed the cigarette in his claw.

“You’re sorry, mother?” He spat, his voice near the point of breaking as he began to pace around the tent, taking another drag of his nicotine. “Oh, I’m sure that makes everything better, that my mother, Celestia herself is sorry to say that she’s sending out strong, brave mortals to their death for her own bucking amusement, I only assume-”

“Do NOT speak in that tone with me, Spike. I am still your mother and you will show me respect!.” Celestia shouted, causing Spike to freeze before looking at the Alicorn and seeing she had tears running down her furred face.

He sighed loudly, returning to his cot as he rubbed his temples and inhaled a larger drag of his cigarette, which was reaching near it’s end.

Exhaling it out his nose, he closed his eyes, rubbing his snout before placing a claw on his mother’s side.

“I’m sorry, mom. I didn't mean it. It’s just... I had no idea what was at stake with this competition. Why was I never told about any of this?” He questioned, taking one last drag of his cigarette and exhaling out the side of his mouth before flicking it to the dirt as Celestia closed her eyes, sorrow eminent on her features as she sat and told him the truth he deserved to know.

“We were young, foolish, and very arrogant at the time. For eons, we had known of no other creatures than immortals. When Mother, Fate as you call, or rather Creation, as her real name is, created the short living creatures who has the ability of free will we were in awe. As the years passed, they began to grow in knowledge and produce more of their kind. We Gods have never thought of having children of our own, being immortal so we could never understand what drove them to want a family to love and cherish.

Eventually, the mortals looked to us for guidance and aid, protection, strength, and love when they could not find any for themselves, we reveled in their prayers, those that did not, soon faded in body and mind as we had forgotten the curse Mother had bestowed upon us for defeating her second children, after Death of course, the Titans of Equestria, or the Windigos as you call them, but that is a tale for another time. In short, we spewed lies from our tongues to them, telling them that they could achieve victory in our names if they attacked neighboring countries. It worked, and they made statues and temples in our honor, then War, the second horse of the apocalypse was created.

After that, we never took into account how much mayhem and carnage the mortals would cause as they enjoyed taking other lives for their own benefit. We were not aware that they would need food, water, or medicine, for when they grew sick and they began to die before our very eyes. We could not allow the newly formed children of our Mother to go extinct, so we told them to steal from their enemies, they enjoyed that idea... more than they were willing to admit. Soon after, Famine and Pestilence were created, where Mother will send the four horses of end time to annihilate the world when she has grown tired of it.

With the Gods all but consumed with greed, revenge, and pride, we then formed an ancient bargain, the one you take part in today, my son. We were monsters, we had no idea what we would create, but now many are trying to make amends for our sins... unfortunately, Mother agrees with our dark deed and we can not go back on it, not to mention that many other, very ancient beings would not allow Cadence to forfeit, it would mean the end of the Crystal Empire and by extension, our allies.

I should have told you this from this beginning, Spike. But I was so ashamed of what you would think of me. I’m so sorry. I done so many evil things that can never be forgiven, I had my own sister thrown into the moon because of jealousy, I had my older brother, Discord imprisoned in stone for merely ruling our kingdom with an iron paw when I fared no better in the past, even though he created the Elements of Disharmony, six creatures that brought Equestria into a state of darkness that even a God would have had difficulty achieving, and now they are forced onto the mortals because I have lost connections with the Elements of Harmony. They have been dealt with and are now forever imprisoned into the jewels themselves until six mortals release them and I am still with my sins... I am the true monster, I can never be forgiven.” Celestia wept onto her son’s scales as he held her, shocked beyond comprehension of what he had been told.

He was not aware that the title he had been granted was permanent until he died as he pondered just how many more battles he could stand before he was slain in battle.

While Celestia finished her dark tale of her past, Twilight entered into her mate’s tent, followed by Cadence, Shining Armor, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Luna as they paused in shock at the sight before them, making Spike sigh loudly and clear his throat, causing Celestia to jump and slowly turn to see their guest, making her blush in embarrassment.

Turning her body away, she wiped her face with her hooves, ignoring the tears matting down her fur and kissed her son on his forehead before looking at her family and friends with a fake smile.

“I apologize for my sorry state, my friends. It was befitting of me.” She spoke slowly, her voice hoarse as she cleared it and put on a more serious demeanor before them while watching Twilight trot up to her mate and give him a deep, passionate kiss making Celestia smile as Pinkie Pie put her arm over Applejack’s shoulder who leaned into her embrace with a smile.

“I’m so proud of you Spike, you secured our alliance with the Diamond Dogs and they even agreed to allow us knowledge towards their felicities, think of all new history we could learn from their past.” Twilight grinned with a twinkle in her eyes causing the dragon to laugh before hugging his mate.

“Slow down, girl. We got centuries to learn of all the many different species around us, in ten thousands years we will no doubt learn everything there is in the world.” He chuckled, causing the Alicorn to giggle before Spike saw Cadence and Luna share an uneasy glance, making him frown at why they seemed so troubled.

“Is something wrong, Cadence and Aunt Luna?” He questioned, causing Cadence to turn her head away, a sad expression donning on her face while Luna sighed loudly.

“You did not tell him, did you Tia? Your own son and you never even told him of his species life span.” Luna spoke bitterly to her elder sister who closed her eyes and turned away, guilt all but apparent written all over her face.

“Tell me what? Mother what does she mean-”

“I had meant to tell you when you became a full sized dragon. But now it seems I have no choice in the matter, and it breaks my heart to tell you this... Spike, your species lives the longest of all the mortal races. Dragons lives up to ten thousand years, but not longer. If their age does not confirm their deaths, then either war, nature, or illness will. Only the Gods of your species live up to eons and even then... well, dragons by nature are extremely violent and impatient, if they do not kill each other, then they will fade, due to lack of faith from the mortals, which, to much regret, happens more often than you would think, never believing in more than one God at a time. I am sorry my son, but you and Twilight will not live forever as I know you hoped.”

Celestia’s voice was laced with pain as Spike’s body was frozen in shock from what he had been told. Twilight, being forced to hold him up as he almost collapsed to the ground, tears near the point of spilling on the corner of his eyes before he heard a snicker from Shining Armor who tried to cover it up with a cough.

Curling his claws in rage he pushed Twilight out of the way, and rushing forward punched the stallion square in the jaw who was thrown out of his wheelchair from the blow, blood dripping from his now busted lip who was about to crawl and ram the dragon with his horn but was held back by his mate as Spike was forcibly detained by Twilight and Rarity.

“You want to bucking open your mouth again, you cocky eyed bastard?!” Spike roared, flames spewing from his mouth as Shining Armor merely glared at him with hatred and was forced by Celestia to apologize to Spike who grunted after being told to do the same.

The two glared at one another, Celestia repeating her order to the two creatures, Spike even holding out a claw to shake in forgiveness before Shining spat blood into his face, causing the dragon to reach his claws out to tear the prince in half as Cadence angrily wheeled her husband away from the raging reptile.

“Buck your species, lizard!” Shining screamed as he and Cadence disappeared out of sight before Spike could rush out the tent to kill his enemy, not even noticing he was being restrained by Twilight, Rarity, and Luna’s magic.

It took twenty minutes and five cigarettes for the dragon to finally calm down, though it did nothing to stop the endless plans of how to kill the stallion from entering into his thoughts, each one more gruesome than the last as he wrung his tail into his claws, blowing smoke from his nostrils.

Just before he was about to summon Scootaloo and Pipsqueak to him to assassinate his most hated foe, he felt a worried, but loving hoof on his shoulder as he turned and saw Twilight, whose eyes held pity for him before she hugged him, allowing the drake to at last release all his rage in one long breath, knowing he could kill Shining at another point in time.

Hugging the Alicorn back, Spike then looked at his mother and apologized for his actions who merely smiled and said that Cadence is going to do much worse to her husband then he ever could, making him laugh.

Sighing loudly, he closed his eyes and fell back into his cot, exhausted by all the days events as he then remembered his mother’s words and lashed out his tail, almost knocking over the brownies Pinkie Pie had baked freshly for him after his victory with the Diamond Dog that rested on the nightstand at the edge of his bed.

Scowling, he then questioned what it took for him to be with his mate forever before getting off his cot and walking outside where his friends and family were conversing with other creatures around them.

Noticing his mother chatting idly with Chrysalis, he walked towards her and smiled as she hugged him and asked if he was alright.

“I’m fine mom, much better than before. I wanted to ask though, what will it take for me to be immortal?” he questioned seriously as the Alicorn’s smile began to slowly drop from her face and frown.

“Spike, you have no idea of the question you ask. It’s not for me or any creature to suddenly turn any mortal into one of us, it’s a very dangerous procedure and you may not even survive the process, I implore you, my son. To not ask questions you do not want to know the answers to.” She spoke sharply as her ears lowered along with her eternal flowing tail.

But Spike was persistent and very serious in this mindset of his, he would do whatever it took to be with his mate, no matter the price.

“Mother, I’m serious. I can’t bare the thought of Twilight living on without me, I’ll do whatever I have to in order to be with her... please.” He begged, taking her hoof and looking into her eyes with such focus and clarity that it broke her heart.

“Oh tell the boy what it takes, Celestia. After all, you should know more than anypony just how much our family enjoys ruining lives.” Chrysalis chirped darkly, causing Celestia to turn towards her and glare, her eyes even having edges of a golden glow to them, but she resisted her full Godly form for the sake of her child and all of the creatures around her with a sigh.

“Very well, but you must accompany me to a private location, Chrysalis.” She ordered, causing the queen to snort with a roll of her eyes. “And bring along the other three of our family, I suppose Twilight’s friends would also wish to hear this as well, go fetch them, will you, little sister?” Celestia asked with a wary smile while Chrysalis hissed and trotted away.

“It’s so enjoyable to tease family, come along Spike.” The sun Goddess spoke firmly as the reptile had no choice but to obey following his mother into the Crystal castle itself, standing on the left of King Sombra’s old throne before a flash of pink light blinded the two for a second and Cadence appeared on the throne itself with a tired look in her eyes.

“That unicorn may very well be the death of me, I dealt with foals less stubborn than him. Whatever you two must have done in the past, Spike may still have a dark imprint on him, I suggest you two make amends soon.” She spoke calmly while rubbing her tired eyes with her hooves.

Spike was about to open his mouth and retort but was interrupted by another flash of light, blinding him once more as Chrysalis appeared with Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Luna in tow as they walked towards where the other three were near.

“What’s going on, is everything alright?” Twilight started to ask frantically before Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder to calm her down as Rarity giggled.

“Everything is fine, my faithful student. Though it appears your mate is still troubled by the dark truth I was force to reveal for him and desires a way to... become immortal.” Celestia answered somberly, causing Cadence and Luna to gasp simultaneously in shock, their eyes widened as their mouth hung open as her words.

“You can’t be serious, Spike. You have no idea-”

“I had already warned him of the dangers, Cadence, and still... he is not fazed. Alas, if my son wishes to spend eternity with his mate, who am I to deny him? Who are any of us really?” She said softly causing the two Alicorns to rub their forehooves in shame.

“Ah don’t understand what the big deal is really, ya’ll made Twilight an Alicorn. What’s the difference with Spike?” Applejack questioned as Luna cleared her throat and answered.

“Simple; for one, Twilight had already defeated two Gods, normally a mortal would need to kill the God and gain the approval of another as well as the acceptance of Mother to be given the necessary ability to become immortal. Spike has done none of those, and even if he were to try to gain the approval of one of us, excluding Celestia, because she has already given Twilight her blessing and we can only grant Godhood to one creature every century, he still has yet to kill a God.” she spoke firmly with a gaze at the dragon who became nervous with all the eyes looking directly at him.

“But we have the Elements of Harmony and we did not-”

“The Elements of Harmony are very special weapons created by Mother herself, Rarity, made to imprison immortals, not kill them. She made them because she grew wary of our useless slaughter with one another and thought the creature the jewels would effect would learn their lesson in time, not that it did Discord much good. So the six of you are a very special case, other then that, other creatures must abide by the ancient laws.” Cadence interrupted sharply, making the unicorn frown and the four bearers to glance at one another nervously.

“So how do I-”

“Unfortunately my son, you do not have the strength to kill an immortal. While we could lend you our strength and deal the final blow to the creature, we are forbidden from intervening in mortal affairs, even such an event as this. In order to truly gain the power to kill your foe, you would need a blessing from Mother herself which I’m ashamed to say is not an easy price to pay.” Celestia answered slowly as Spike thought long and hard of the answer he had received.

Turning and looking deeply into his mother’s eyes, he curled his claws, breathed through his nostrils, and answered that he would pay any price to be with his mate.

Chrysalis let out a dry, hollow laugh before she grinned at the drake, who was not encouraged by the evil smile plastered on her muzzle.

“You are such a bold, brave soul. It’s a shame your demise will end so swiftly, reptile. In order to summon Mother to us in her physical form though, we must first summon the first creature ever created, Death himself. Are you positive that being with this... Egghead, here, is truly worth that sacrifice?” She asked harshly as Spike turned and looked at his mate, noticing the fear and admiration in her eyes for his life making him turn and nod seriously at the Goddess who scoffed.

“With the amount of love you have for the mare, I could feast on you for eons if you succeed, drake, but if you insist. And what do the rest of you think?” she questioned looking towards the other four Alicorns who glanced at one another before nodding at the Changeling Queen, Celestia holding her child in a tight embrace with her wing.

“Ha, a ritual not tried in eons is going to be performed at last, this shall be entertaining to see.” Chrysalis laughed cruelly before telling the mortals around her to turn away.

“Under no circumstances must you look behind you, Death never was one for visiting the physical realm unless he had to, if you look at his form you be turned into ashes in seconds.” She warned, a very serious tone in her voice as Twilight’s friends and Spike himself turned their backs and covered their eyes.

“I suggest you look closely at what you are about to witness, Sparkle. Death never visits the Gods unless they are dying, so this might be your only chance.” Chrysalis barked with a cruel laugh as she alighted her horn with magic, gritting her fangs she closed her eyes, spread her wings and even stood on the tip of her hooves as she channgled the spell to an even stronger magnitude, beads of perspiration even begun to slide down her forehead as she grunted then with a loud shriek shot a beam of her green magic directly into the ground before her.

Panting from the exhaustion of using such an ancient spell, the Alicorn dropped to the ground, trying to catch her breath, surprised when she saw a glass of ice cold water being slid towards her by Pinkie Pie who still had her eyes firmly shut with a smile making the queen chuckle with a nod that went unseen.

As Chrysalis drank her glass slowly to soothe her dry throat, she felt an icy cold shiver run down her spine and saw before her very eyes as the water in the glass and the glass itself started to freeze, it shattered a second later in the Alicorn’s hoof and rained onto the floor making her look before her to see a black clothed Alicorn skeleton with a large black wooden, silver curved scythe being held firmly in a glow of black magic above him as the queen was at a lost for words and inhaled sharply, seeing her breath start to form into mist before her as she exhaled, a thin blanket of white mist surrounded the entire area, causing all the living creatures in it to shiver violently.

“D-Death... it is good to finally see you after-”

“Of what purpose do you have the right to have me taken from my realm by force, Sun Goddess?” Death rasped slowly, his voice alone caused Celestia’s heart to beat rapidly in fear as she swallowed the spittle in her throat and stood her ground firmly, despite the fact her knees were visibly shaking.

Beside her, Twilight was hyperventilating, her eyes growing to their full size as her whole body shook in terror, she was afraid she was going to die from a heart attack at the immortal skeleton stared at her, his sightless eyes piercing into her very soul and shifting through her entire life without hesitation before he turned away, making her gasp out loud and look away, allowing her to curl into a ball and weep her heart out while Celestia continued her conversation.

“We request an audience with Mother.” She replied quickly, knowing that the immortal had no patience with any of the Gods and held her breath as Death gave an emotionless chuckle making her to wince.

“An audience with Mother, Creation herself? Such a daring soul you are, Celestia. Very well, if it will get you out of my cloak, I suppose I could amuse you by giving Mother your message. I suggest you mind your manners, you should be aware that Mother is not a very... gentle being, after all. Do not move and keep the mortals from looking upon her when she arrives, none of them are on my list for quite some time now.” He demanded, and though his voice held no emotion in it, Celestia could sense the threat in his tone as she nodded.

Death vanished into ashes before their eyes allowing Celestia to give the all clear, every creature in the room began to release a breath they had not known they were holding in, Twilight wiping the tears from her eyes.

“What... was that really-”

“Yes, Twilight, that was the very first creature that Mother had formed when she created the galaxy. I should have warned you that he has a habit of playing out a creature's life for them when they look into his... sockets, though you fared better than I had thought you would, Cadence and Luna both wet themselves when he first appeared before them. I myself did not do much better as I had vomited blood the second he has disappeared and then cried into my bed for a week. There is no a soul alive that can be around Death for long periods of time, just be glad that I had not wasted any time, the last time we had talked to him we lost an entire forest from multiple suicides as the animals in it could not handle his presence, even lost a dragon once, a shame really. If you are to ever meet his brothers though, they are much more... pleasant to be around.” She spoke softly, wrapping a wing around the new Princess and her son, shielding them from the fading mist as Cadence got up from her throne and hugged Applejack with her wings while Chrysalis did the same for Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

“What do we do now, mom?” Spike asked as she sighed loudly.

“Now we wait for the creator of us all to appear in a form I had not seen for eons, my son.” She answered emotionless as they could do nothing more than wait in anticipation and fear of what they had yet to witness.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, we've been busy with real life shit. The first half of this chapter was done by my co-author, the second part by me and edited by the both of us, enjoy, chapter five to be done soon.