“What do you mean you don’t have to explain your-“Twilight stopped and thought for a moment. “Okay, actually, with you being a princess, that makes perfect sense…but what just happened in there?!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t explain everything to you, Twilight Sparkle…but Spike needed to release Onyx now. If he hadn’t-”

“Onyx would have awakened after the other Riders had been chosen, and by that point, he would have been unstoppable.” Discord flashed into being, a serious expression on his face this time. “That ruthless dragon caused more destruction than I ever could, but only at his full power. As long as he remained sealed in that book, he would only grow in power. He will still grow stronger, but not nearly as fast as if he were still locked away in that book.”

Celestia stepped forward and continued where Discord left off. “But he could not just be released immediately, or he would have destroyed the world regardless. Only a Rider is capable of standing in his way.”

While Twilight sat puzzled, Spike asked, “But why? Why can only a Rider stop him?”

Celestia held up one of the jewels Spike had presented to her mere hours ago. “Because he’s attuned to the power of the Dracogem s…If anyone who cannot tap into the power of a Dracogem attempted to face him, they would not even be able to touch him. And since the Riders are the only ones able to resonate with the power of the gems, only Spike and any other chosen Riders will be able to defeat him.”

Twilight simply nodded. “I think I’ve finally got my head wrapped around all this…so, how do we find these other Riders?”

“You’ll have to wait for them to reveal themselves in time, Twilight.” Celestia held a gem in her hand and levitated it over to Twilight. “But if you hold onto this, it should help you determine when a potential Rider is nearby. The jewel itself is not a fully-powered Dracogem, so it will not activate any latent ability or knowledge within a chosen one.”

“If you’re lucky, all the chosen Riders will wind up in Ponyville at some point or another…whether they came their on their own will or not.” Discord chuckled and summoned a plate of cake. Celestia immediately fumed.

“Discord, what have I told you about stealing from my private dessert closet?”

“Well, I’m almost certain you said, ‘don’t do it under any circumstances’, but…” Discord tossed the cake into his mouth, then shook the plate into a napkin and wiped his mouth with it, moving it away to reveal a toothy grin. “You know how I have problems with big red buttons that say ‘do not push’.”

While Celestia stared down the chaos spirit, Twilight and Spike began to slowly back away. “Well…I think we should probably go back home now. Celestia, Discord, you two have fun now…” Spike was the first to go rushing out the door and Twilight swiftly followed.

Discord chuckled a bit. “Well, that got rid of them. I just simply cannot have my fun with Sparkle around. She’s more of a buzz kill than you used to be. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m putting on an all-topiary performance of Snow White this evening, and the gnomes in the hedge maze are very adamant about the cast list. Ta!” With a snap of his fingers, Discord was gone again and Celestia was left with a shattered cake plate on the floor. She sighed and glanced out the window.

“What have I pulled them into now?”

“What have we gotten ourselves into now?”

Spike walked slowly along the dirt path back to the library, examining the Jade gem over and over again as if he expected it to give him a hint. “This is all totally unreal, but…it’s really happening, isn’t it, Twi?” He slowed down as he realized that his friend had come to a halt several feet behind him. “Twilight, are you okay?”

“It’s just…” the librarian stared at the ground, her brain racked with thought after thought. “It’s all so much to take in.”

“How’d you think I felt for the half hour Rarity left me alone with the gems? I spent that whole time just…thinking. I thought about our friends...family…the princesses, Ponyville…all of this is in danger now. And it’s not like I could have stopped it either.” Spike turned his focus back to the gem, the light of the sun projecting a reflection of green light across his face. “One of the last things Jade told me before fading out completely that this had been a long time coming. The Dracogems just needed to be found. And if the strongest of the dark dragons is already awake…”

“Then he’s probably out hunting down his underlings right now.” Twilight gave a nod and began walking again. Spike followed as she continued to speak. “But at this moment in time, I’m more focused on you and that belt. Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle this kind of responsibility?”

Spike sighed. “Twilight, I’m not a little kid anymore. Besides, I was chosen for this…it’s not like I’ve even got a choice.”

“But what about the Royal Guard? What about the Crystal Empire? Celestia and Luna, and even Discord-“

“Discord himself said that Onyx could wipe the floor with him. When the spirit of chaos itself admits defeat to something like that, I don’t think even all of Equestria and a five-squad battalion of griffins could fight back against him and his minions.” Spike reached the library first and held the door open for Twilight. “I just hope those other Riders pop up soon…even though I’m pretty confident about this…” He walked in after Twilight and glanced out the door. “I’m terrified of what might happen to all of it if I…if I lose…”

Spike shut the door slowly, and Twilight could see his mood starting to drop. She put on as supportive a smile as she could and wrapped her arms around him. “You won’t lose. I’ll help you every step of the way. Even if I have no idea what weird powers that belt of yours might give you, I’ll stick by you. We’re family, after all.”

Caught off guard at first, Spike returned the hug and smiled. “Thanks, Twilight…so, what exactly do you mean when you say you’ll help me?”

Twilight slowly stepped back from the hug and smiled right back. “I’ll train you, plain and simple. It’s not like I haven’t taught myself any combat magic over these past years.”

Spike gasped as his mouth hung open in shock. “Wait…you mean…you want me to…Twilight, I can’t fight you!”

“It’s just training, Spike…besides, how are you going to learn what that belt can do if you don’t use it?”

“But you’re my sister! You’re the only family I know! What if I hurt you?”

“What if Onyx hurts someone else?” Spike’s gaze lingered on Twilight as he struggled to find something to say. “What if you’re not ready, or not strong or fast enough to save someone and Onyx hurts or actually kills someone we care about? Will a few scrapes and bruises on me mean anything at that point?”

Spike steeled himself and drew the gem from his pocket. “Henshin.” With a swift motion of his arm down to the belt, the armor formed around him and he assumed a fighting stance. Twilight smirked.

“There’s the attitude I like to see. Now…” Twilight waved her hand as a surge of magical energy filled the room. In an instant, Twilight became cloaked in violet and white robes and held a steel staff with a gem resembling her cutie mark adorning the top.

“Shall we begin?”

One brutal six-hour training session later, Spike lay sprawled across the library floor and Twilight lay back on the couch looking just about ready to pass out. Minutes passed without either speaking to the other, not out of resentment but from the sheer lack of breath and energy from both parties. Finally managing to at least sit up, Spike was the first to say anything. “Twi…you dead?”

The librarian produced enough energy to shake her head and sit up herself. “Not yet, at least.” With as little magic as possibly necessary, Twilight levitated a glass of water on the nearby table to her lips and drank more than half of it in a single gulp before carefully bringing it to the floor near Spike’s hand. “It would seem that the suit taps into your natural draconic strength…”

Spike finished off the water and set the glass down. “You mean my greed growth and all that?”

Twilight thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Yes and no. It may be a part of your greed, but not the part that grows strong to take and hoard, but the part that grows strong to protect your hoard itself.”

“But I don’t even have a hoard.”

She shook her head. “Yes you do. What you consider your treasure isn’t what other dragons would, though. You’ve lived in Ponyville for almost ten years now, and you can’t honestly tell me what your hoard is?”

His mind drew a blank at first, and then as if a bolt of lightning had struck him, it came to him. “Ponyville itself…my friends, and you…all of this is my treasure. I’ve been chosen to protect…my treasure.”

Twilight nodded. “Cliché as it sounds, that’s exactly right. And by that reasoning, the other three that are going to be chosen by the gems must have a similar treasure…something they care about just as much and something just as pure.”

“Whoever they are, I hope they show up soon…even if I am fairly strong, I don’t think I’ll be able to fight Onyx alone…”

“Oh, you are absolutely fabulous!”

Rarity practically swooned over the clearly-unique gem held in her magic: a bright sapphire that almost resembled a dragon’s scales. “I couldn’t possibly put a beauty like you in a dress and sell you. No, you’re too perfect for such a thing. Besides, as generous as I am, the karat count on you is enormous! I doubt anyone in Ponyville would even have such a wallet size. And…there’s just something rather beckoning about you, as well. I know exactly what I’m going to do with you.” Rarity walked over to her work desk, opened a drawer and carefully set the jewel inside. “Once I have some free time, I’ll bring you to Canterlot and have you set in a gorgeous gold amulet casing. But of course…”

She closed the drawer and rushed over to the cabinet behind her and opened it, revealing the one thing she held so dear: a heart-shaped ruby set in a necklace. “I’ll have to alternate with my prized possession. Perhaps I’ll wear the sapphire every few days…well, maybe twice a week…” She lifted the Fire Ruby necklace off its stand and held it close to her chest, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Well, maybe once a week. After all, this was a gift from my dear Spikey-Wikey!” She placed the necklace back and closed the cabinet doors, switching off the boutique’s lights as she headed upstairs. Just out of her view, however, a slight red glow shot forth from the cabinet for just a moment as night came in full once more.

Author's Note

Yes, to an extent, some of the characters seem rather OOC, but I had to Rider-verse tweak their personalities ever so slightly to match the general archetypes of the Toku genre characters they are meant to mirror. So Discord is taking things a bit more seriously, but still maintaining his ridiculous self.