The Tale of Jilocasin
I do not own the right to My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic, it is the property of Hasbro. The story was inspired by tales from France, the time of Charlemagne.
Stories For Spike; Tales From the storyteller
MLPFIM
Chapter 1; The Tale of Jilocasin
It was late night when I heard a knock on my door. Hobbling to the doors, I was still sore from helping Peach Bottom on her farm. I had been working two days non stop hopping and I finally got back home. I was tired and I needed some sleep, but in this town if someone was knocking on your door they need help. When I answered the door I found the young dragon Spike standing there.
This familiar purple dragon with green spines was sort of like a kindred spirit. He was a dragon who lived among ponies and who was brought from a far away land, as an egg at least. He had to find his own way in the world but he was respected and had friends. He was Librarian's little brother, adopted son, and number one assent. He was also Nyxs' brother, uncle, best friend and her protector a strange relationship.
I looked at him concerned. "Is everything OK Spike?" I asked.
"Well, mind if I come in?" He asked as he scraped the ground with a foot claw.
I nodded and let him. He took a seat on the sofa and I brought us some snakes. "So Spike what is this about?"
"Well I know you've been out of town helping that peach farmer, what's her name?" He tapped his chin with a claw.
"Ms. Peach Bottom." I answered.
"Well the Mayor had a huge festival, a Storyteller Festival where storytellers came from all around Equestria. For several days Storytellers were all over the place telling stories." Spike Explained.
"Sorry I missed it." I mused.
"Yeah, well I'm sure you would have won one of the many competitions for storytelling they had. But that's not just that I mean all the stories that were told had... When the stories about dragons they were all bad. The dragons were all bad, know that a lot of dragons are bad, and I know that there aren't a lot of dragons like me. I thought that there would be at least one story with a good dragon but there were none." He sighed.
"Ah, so when I came back you thought that I might have a few that have a dragon are the hero?"
"Or at least not some super evil bad guy." Spike sighed.
I smiled at him. "It's just so happens I do."
Spike's face lit up. "Really! That's great."
"Yah, Dragons exist in ledges, mythology in one form or another in my world. Almost if not all cultures as some sort of stories about dragons. Not all are about bad dragons, some of them there are heroes and some well they are about dragons, but I can't explain easily. Would you like to hear some of them?"
With a wide grin he nodded. "OK, I would like that."
"Well I think we'll start with The Tale Of Jilocasin.
In the human world there was there was once a great Empire ruled by a man named Charlemagne, that is where this story came from. In that time there was a great troubadour named Jilocasin. He was very famous for his poetry, it brought him renown from far and wide. What people did not know was Jilocasin was actually a wise dragon noble who had a flair for poetry. When his royal duties became too much, he would take his latest poems he composed and disguises himself as a human and visit the king's court. There he would stay on his sojourn until he had finished singing his verses and listen to other poets.
"Well I guess that sounds a little better than what I was hearing before at the festival." Spike interrupted.
"Will I thought you would like it, the best parts are yet to come," I smiled at him. "Now let sit back and listen to the rest of the story."
One day, as he was traveling through a forests of Gascony in his human disguise he heard a cry for help. Without losing a moment, ran in the direction of the screams until he found a poor woman who was trying to defend herself from bandits. Jilocasin changed back into his dragon-self and finished them all off. Unfortunately the woman had fainted from her injuries, so the dragon took her back to his home as fast as he could.
In his home Jilocasin gave the order to his servants to take care of the lady. It was then that Jilocasin noticed that the lady's clothing, all though torn and dirty seemed to be those of a lady of high rank. The servants soon brought their Lord a baby boy only a few weeks old slumbering peacefully. They explained that they found him while they were undoing a bundle that she was clasping close to her breast.
Thanks to the care the lady soon came to and Jilocain took his human form to visit her. The lady expressed her gratitude and told him her story. She had been widowed two years ago and her family forced her to marry her cousin before the mourning period prescribed by law. Her cousin was an unscrupulous man who only wanted her title and wealth of her deceased husband. "I was pregnant by my first husband, but my cousin did not know," explained the lady, bitterly she wept as she continued. "When the baby was born, six months after the forced wedding, my husband tried to seize the baby to prevent him from claiming his inheritance. Desperate and fearing for my life and my son, I ran away. The villain pursued me with his henchmen, and he would have succeeded if not for you. You saved us now my life belongs to you."
"That's sad, how is this the good part?" Spike broke in. Giving me a skeptical look.
"Not yet be patient." I smile. "Why don't you have a couple of cookies." I passed him the plate.
"Don't mind if I do." He tossed a couple of cookies in his mouth.
Touched by the grief and beauty of the woman, Jilocasin offered her sport, comfort and shelter in his house. As time pass, the dragon-troubadour and the lady became inseparable even knowing the true state she was taken by his kindness and amiability that it did not affect her love for him. Jilocasin found her understanding and friendship had he always sought. Together they would take long walks and ride to far-off lands singing and composing poetry together.
Three years later the lady became pregnant. They both looking forward to the birth of their son but sadly she died in childbirth. Jilocasin was heart broken, he had lost a truly irreplaceable companion, the only one to ever have love him as he was.
Jilocasin cared for both boys without making any distinction between his adoptive son and his own. He taught them the highest ethical principles. In the end they became knights and end they avenged their mother's memory by capturing the castle that their villainous uncle had stolen. The two brothers, who chose to be called the Knights of the Dragons soon became famous for their nobility and honor.
Finishing my tale I looked at Spike with a smile. "So does that make you feel any better?"
Spike still looked down but he nodded a little. "Yah, that make me feel a little better but one story."
"Well why don't you come back another time," I patted him on his shoulder. "I think I'll come up with some other stories if you're willing to wait. I'm just too sore tonight."
Spike seemed to think about it for a moment. "OK, that sounds nice. Oh, by the way Twilight would like to talk to you sometime tomorrow."
"I can do that," I rubbed my shoulders and cracked my neck. "I just need some sleep I'm beat."
"Will do. I think that she wants you to come with us to the Crystal Empire." Spike gave me a thumbs up before he walked out the door.
I hoped that he was doing better, now I had to try and remember more stories about dragons that didn't make them out to be the bad guy.
The story was inspired by tales from Spain
Chapter 2; The Cuelebre
I had come back from my trip form the Crystal Empire. I was still going over what happened there. Nothing agonizing just wondering about the strange creatures that had attacked the Empire.
Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a knock on my door. I was expecting this, it was going to be Spike. The little dragon was waiting for me to open the door, he was carrying some books. "Glad you guy made it back alright heard what happened." Spike began.
"It was a real party, sorry you couldn't make it." I apologized to him.
"Don't worry about it, The Princess need my help with something. Hay, by the way there Twilight told me to bring these to you. She said that you were interested in Changelings and Wendigos." He replied.
"Just interested in some dangers that I may have to deal with." I took the books from him.
"Nothing too difficult to deal with, Wendigos feed on hate and Changelings can become any pony or animal to feed off love. Neither ones will bother us, not enough hate for Wendigos and Changelings drones are easy to spot they can't hide there blue eyes."
"Still would rather know something about them that's all," I paused for a moment. "Hay Spike. You in the mood for another story?"
He smiled at me. "I've got some time, Nyx's is with the other Crusaders and Twilight wants me to clean and reorganize the whole library, again."
"So come it and lets have some cider and I'll tell you the story of The Cuelebre." I went into the kitchen and grabbed some cider flaggers form the fridge.
"The what?" Spike said as he came in and hopped on my sofa.
"It's a story about a dragon or rather... Well you'll find out are you game?" I passed him one of the flaggers to him.
In my home world, in a Country called Spain there was once a little village of Asturian there was a very beautiful maiden. She was very vain and spent the daydreaming. There was nothing she liked more than admire her beauty in a local spring, she would comb her long flowing hair for hours.
Both her mother and grandmother would warn the girl, in vain, that the limpid green waters of the pool held a danger. "It is dangerous to comb your hair by the spring. Be careful, because if one single hair falls into the water and ruffles the surface of the water you will wake the spirit of the spring. If you wake the spirit of the spring will bewitch you."
"Old wives' tales!" The girl cried. "There is no spirit in that spring."
"You mean old Mares Tales? Ha, shows what she knows." Spike interrupted me before taking a deep swig of cider from the flagger. "Twilight said the something about the mare in the moon and looked what happened with that."
I looked at him puzzled. "Mare in the Moon? Never heard of it."
"It's like the whole reason me and Twilight ended up here in Ponyville." Spike took another swig. "You see one day at Celestia school for gifted unicorn Twilight read an old book that had the tale of the Mare in the Moon."
"Mare in the Moon? Another similar with my world we have The Man In the Moon. Is she as bad as the Man in the Moon?"
"Yah, she was, I think. So anyways."
"Wow, hold up Spike. I'll tell you what let me finish my story and when I'm done. You can tell me it. Deal?"
He nodded. "Deal."
I restarted my story. "And you are right the girl was very wrong."
For in the pool the spirit a powerful nymph of the streams and mountains that were abound in Asturian mythology. The spirit watched angrily as the girl spent the whole day combing her hair and never helping her family. But the nymph could do nothing because the girl did not disturb the water she called home. The nymph was patient and she waited for her chance.
One day the girl's golden hair fell into the water. The nymph was free and she rose from the spring waters The nymph's long golden hair adorned with pearls and a crown made from moonbeams dressed in a magic cloak of green water. "Didn't your mother warn you not to disturb the waters of my spring?" The nymph asked coldly.
"Hair as beautiful as mine could not have ruffled the water." The maiden replied proudly.
"I will punish you for your pride, I am going to bewitch you." She exclaimed icily. The nymph stepped out of the spring and declared, "I am going to turn you into a Cuelebre dragon. A very ugly looking dragon. You will only turn back into a maiden if you meet a knight who is so brave that he is not afraid of you and has a heart so pure that he is able to perceive the beauty hidden in your soul, if there is any."
The girl's body grew to an enormous size and became covered with colored scales. He golden hair turned into glittering crests and two wings sprouted from her shoulders. With a howl of despair the new Cuelebre dragon slunk off weeping. The former maiden was inconsolable and she hid in a dark, dank cave by the sea.
Now, as all the youths who have set eyes on the poor creature have been afraid of her appearance to ever see the poor maiden as she truly is. It is said that she still lives in the cave on the seashore, waiting for a knight to see her hidden beauty so that she can become a maiden again.
Spike gave me a grin.
"Sorry if that was insulting." I apologized.
"Nay, that was good. The dragon may not have been a good guy but the dragon wasn't a bad guy. She was ugly on the outside and now her body fits her personality. I mean there are some pretty nasty looking dragons and she was a bad human so I think it's only fair."
I smiled. "I was worried you won't like it."
"It was not so bad, so do you want to hear the story of the Mare in the Moon?"
"Sure, as long as I can tell you the story of The Man in the Moon some time."
"Sure, anything to get me out of reorganizing the library, again."
