Night had fallen over Equestria. Stars twinkled and shone and danced with the moon, providing minor nightlights in a land that was covered in darkness for hours until dawn's glow. All had been silent...except for the Everfree Forest. The forest was never quiet, not even for a moment. There were owls hooting into the night and crickets and other insects singing their song regardless of whether or not anypony was listening. Bats and other nocturnal creatures went about their business as usual, hunting for prey or playing or singing like the insects they shared the night with. Wolves would howl now and then, and the drumming of toads and frogs completed the orchestra.
In the center of the forest lay a previously abandoned palace of stone. It was old and worn and cracks crept upon the ruins. A fire pit was roaring in the middle of it, illuminating and warming the cold stone. A purple dragon was curled around it, tranquil and snoozing. The hide was dark purple and her belly and spikes were a soft lavender color. Her claws were wrapped tightly around a light purple egg with darker purple spots, which she held up against her body. She let out a small snore now and then, warmed by the fire pit, which crackled and popped. The music of the night was a lullaby to the egg and herself, but when soft swooshes and flapping came, she creaked her green eyes open and raised her head up groggily to the cause of the noise. The dragon smiled when she saw what it was that made the sounds- a green dragon with blue eyes and arms full of gems was flying down to her. The egg was moved to a cradling position in her arms and as the other dragon landed, he placed the gems down and grinned. "I found some extra gems for dinner tonight, Amethyst. So glad to be home." He nuzzled her affectionately. Amethyst looked to the pile of gems.
"You really outdid yourself this night, Moss. What's the occasion?" she asked cheerfully. Her mate merely chuckled.
"Nothing, dear. I just found an extra deposit on the way home and thought we could always store whatever we don't finish for later. Besides, we might need some extra in a few weeks when we become parents!" Moss looked to the egg Amethyst was cradling. "I just can't wait...little Spike or Spikette will be wonderful..."
Amethyst sat down with Moss and held the egg in one arm as she grabbed a few rubies from the pile. "So how was your day?"
"Good. I got some fascinating new studies on the behavior of ponies. Wonderful creatures they are. So willing to answer questions when asked. Oh, it would've been so hard today to be studying them if I hadn't told Princess Celestia about some stupid dragon raid that the other dragons were going to try in Canterlot for gems. Foolish. I can't believe they're not at all interested in the ponies. So much can be learned for scientific research." Moss said. "Of course, it kind of led to us being exiled from all the dragon roosting areas and migration, but I like living here better."
His wife leaned backwards. She ate the rubies and handed her husband a handful of gems for him and spoke. "That's why I fell in love with you. I wanted something different than the other dragons. And that was you. Of course, you were never into King of the Hoard or Tail Wrestling or Lava Cannonball...but your fascination in science and animal behavior actually proved to me you were more than just any other dragon. No other dragons would be caught dead acting like you- studying things, being reasonable, or even being mildly civilized. I don't regret leaving the rest of the dragons with you. I love you, dear. And we're going to teach our child to be just as smart and just as kind as us. To be a friend to ponies and other living creatures."
Moss looked up to the sky. "It sure was nice of Celestia to give us a place to stay- her old castle. Very rewarding princess, her. She's always so happy to hear from me on my studies. I am proud to be possibly the first dragon scientist...ever, really. But I always..." He paused and then continued nervously. "I've had this sense of foreboding ever since I stopped the other dragons from that raid by telling the princess of it. What if they find us here?"
"Dear, relax. I doubt we're even worth the trouble. They're probably just happy to have us out of their scales."
"You're most likely right..." Moss replied. An awkward quietness fell over them again for a moment and then they continued eating. Soon they both decided to turn in for the night, and everything was peaceful for awhile. A little ways away, a group of dragons had been watching. They didn't move nor make a sound, acting the part of statues. Their faces had stony expressions with no emotion. The group watched until the fire went out in the castle and everything was silent save for the typical nighttime music of nature. The leader of the dragons, a husky dark blue dragon, turned to the rest.
"Timber, Yodel, Brine, go wait at the edge of the forest. You know what to do."
The dragons he addressed nodded and flew off. He then turned to the rest. "Wait for a few minutes for them to land. Then we go. Tonight Moss pays for ruining that raid."
They waited around for about five minutes and then the dragon nodded to them. All opened their wings and flew up into the sky and towards their victim. Moss, who had been taking a moment to fall asleep while thinking over the day's events once more heard the sounds of wings flapping. He turned his head to see a group of dragons coming- and he recognized the leader. His eyes went wide and shook his wife violently. "Amethyst! Wake up, wake up!"
"Huh- what?-"
"Tornado- the dragon- he's coming. No time to waste. Go!"
Amethyst jolted up and stared at her mate. "But, I can't leave you, Moss, I-"
"I never wanted to get cross with you, but you can't argue with me! Take the egg and run! Now!"
"But-"
"This is for your and the baby's safety! Amethyst, just get yourself and Spike safe." Moss looked up to see the dragons getting ever closer. "Please. Please...I know you don't want to leave, but you have to go."
Amethyst began to tear up and gripped onto the egg as tight as she could. A large tear fell from her eyes and she whimpered. "I...I'll always love you, Moss!"
"I love you, too...now go!" he commanded. Amethyst flew as fast as her wings could take her. She could hardly tell where she was going as her eyes flooded with tears. Moss turned back the dragons, who quickly landed in front of him. He snarled and backed up.
"What do you want, Tornado? Why bother someone who the rest of the dragons have already exiled?" he snapped. Tornado approached menacingly.
"Because of you, all the delicious and valuable gems of Canterlot are out of reach for us to take. You signed your death warrant when you did that and you know it. We knew you were no good when you started being interested in namby-pamby ponies, Pony-Lover. You and your traitor of a wife are doomed. We end this tonight." he said. Moss snorted.
"How did you even find me here?"
"Your stupid brother, Fireball. He chose life over you when confronted. We asked him to come with us, but he said he had to take care of his son tonight. I think the wimp just couldn't take care of something he shouldn't even consider a brother any longer."
Moss attempted to bite the Tornado's neck and snap it, but the other dragons with him were prepared for this. They slammed into him and restrained him. They tore at his wings, making Moss howl in pain and destroyed what would've been his greatest chance at escape. The green dragon panted and grunted and stared at Tornado, who knelt down to him. "I'll be merciful and make this fast just because I'm friends with your brother..." He tried to grab onto his head, but Moss let out a powerful burst of fire. This caught Tornado by surprise and made him recoil for a second, but his tough, fireproof scales resisted it. Moss struggled in spite of the intense pain in his wings. His attempt to escape was futile, as four of the dragons that came with Tornado were holding him down. He was paralyzed.
Tornado merely laughed. "Ah, it's always more fun when your enemy actually puts up a fight..." He lifted his foot up and slammed it onto Moss's snout, breaking his jaw. Moss gave one last fleeting look up to Tornado for mercy- but the other paid it no heed and gripped onto Moss's neck and snapped it. The green dragon went limp and moved no longer. The other dragons let go of him and stared at the body for a second, then up to the leader. Tornado flapped his wings and lifted himself into the air. "Come on. We're making sure his wife doesn't get out of here safely."
Amethyst heard flapping wings not too far away that were getting closer shortly after she fled. She gasped and looked to her egg. They can kill me...but not my baby...
She shoved the egg in her mouth and swallowed. The dense undergrowth of the Everfree Forest was lit up as spits of fire tried to illuminate her position for the other dragons. Amethyst flew as fast as her wings could take her, vision mostly lighted up by the balls of fire that brushed her now and then. Soon she burst through the edge of the forest- but three dragons, signaled by the spits of fire in her direction, grabbed her as soon as she emerged. She gasped and struggled as hard as she could, but the other dragons were bigger and wouldn't allow her to move. Seconds later the other dragons that had murdered her mate landed before her. Amethyst gave a cold stare to Tornado. "Tornado, why are you doing this? What have you done to my husband?"
"He's dead, dear. Broke his neck most unfortunately."
He allowed her to absorb it for a second before falling to her knees. "No...no, why- why did you kill him? No!" She began to wail and cry violently. "Not Moss! Not him! No...no!"
Tornado extended an arm out and slapped her. "Shut up. You knew what was going to happen when you married that traitor. Now..." He leaned in to her face. "I'll give you a choice. Moss's brother told us that you two have an egg. If you give me the egg and allow me to dispose of it, we'll let you come back with us, and we'll forget everything that you did. Just give me the egg and it'll all be over, dear."
The female dragon, face fully decorated with tears, growled in response and spoke scathingly. "You can take me...but never my egg. I never want to go back with you all, ever. I hate you." she said firmly, still choking on a tear now and then. Tornado gave her a quizzical look.
"Darling, why-"
"I will not change my mind. I'll never tell you where my egg is."
Tornado heaved a great sigh. "Such a shame, that is. Alright. I've had enough action for one night...the rest of you. Don't kill her. Try to make her talk. If she refuses, we'll leave...but not without a fatal wound on her. If her baby dragon has no mother, it has no chance of survival anyways."
The others did as told. They beat her senselessly. First they ripped her wings apart, disabling flight, and then broke her two front arms. They beat her all over, beating her in the gut, her back, everywhere. Every now and then Tornado would halt them and ask her where the egg was, but she refused to talk. Finally, after what seemed a long time, Tornado snapped his claws again. "You all have beaten her to death. She hasn't got much longer. A foolish decision on her part. Not only will her baby die, she will too. Goodbye, Amethyst."
All of the dragons flew up and away. Amethyst lay there in excruciating pain for a bit until she was sure the others were gone. A moment later she hacked the egg up with much effort on her part, weakening her further. She placed the egg down on the grass before her and stared at it for awhile before looking off in the distance. A ways away she could see the gleaming city of Canterlot glowing in the night. Picking the egg up as gently as possible, she held it in her mouth and began to use her back legs to push her a little bit each time, ignoring the pain. She became blind and deaf to the rest of the world, except for one thing- Canterlot. Nothing existed but her, her egg, and the city in the distance.
In the early morning, just after Princess Celestia had risen from bed and raised the sun up into the sky for a new day, two pegasus guards came rushing into the castle. They quickly bowed to her and stood up. "Your majesty," one of them said, "So sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but we have an emergency of sorts."
Celestia looked to them calmly. "What's wrong?"
"Well...it's a dragon. She's nearly dead and she's lying right outside of the city. It's a miracle she made it this far. When confronted by the guards, she asked for you- she said you would know her. She's big and purple and her name is Amethyst." he said. "Should I have the troops-"
"I'll handle this." Celestia said. Her horn glowed a golden and she transported herself with a spell to the front of the city. Usually it was hustling and bustling with ponies coming to and from the city, but the traffic had halted that morning. Instead, a large crowd surrounded a giant purple mound which the princess recognized. As she walked forth, the ponies in the crowd bowed in respect to her and parted the sea and allowed her to approach the dragon. Celestia turned to them. "My citizens, I ask you to disperse. Please continue on with your day. That is an order from your princess."
Guards came up to the crowd to enforce her command, and although reluctantly, the crowd dispersed. Amethyst cracked open her eyes weakly and looked to Celestia. "It took me all night to get here...but it was worth it..." Her voice was raspy and weak. "It's a miracle I made it this far. I've just about broken every bone in my body and it's likely I have much internal bleeding."
Celestia frowned. "My dear, what happened?"
"We were attacked, Moss and I," she said, "by dragons who were mad at us for stopping the dragon raid on the city...Moss was killed. I was beaten and left for dead. My front legs and wings are just about destroyed, so I had to use my back legs to push myself all the way here. I used the little I had of my energy left to get here." Amethyst moved her tongue and pulled out an egg she hid behind her colossal teeth and placed it on the ground. The egg was covered completely in saliva. She tried to summon a bit of fire to burn it off and clean off the egg, but after a few coughs and hacks, she realized it wasn't going to happen. She sighed deeply. "This egg...had I not hid it in an unorthodox way from the dragons, they would've destroyed it."
The pony princess used her magic to clean off the saliva from the egg and lifted it towards her. She examined it and looked to Amethyst, who continued. "I don't have m...much longer. The reason I d-dragged myself so far was to bring you our egg. Please, just grant me this wish...let my baby dragon grow up to be wise and kind, like ponies. Give him or her an education and a good life. And please name him Spike if it is a he or name her Spikette if it is a she."
Princess Celestia nodded. "We shall give your baby the best life possible among ponies. We shall educate him or her and make Spike or Spikette a good member of society. We shall welcome him or her into the world like one of our own."
Amethyst grinned weakly. "Thank you...thank you so much. If only Moss and I had been ponies instead of dragons, and this would've never happened. Celestia, if it isn't too much trouble, will you grant me one last wish?"
"Anything."
"Please lay me to rest peacefully with my husband. He is in the Everfree Forest, back in the castle."
"It shall be done. You and Moss have done Equestria great deeds." she said. Amethyst looked to her egg one last time.
"When our child is old enough to know what happened to their parents, tell 'em how much Moss and I loved...our...baby dragon. I love you so, so much, my baby..." She kissed it and then she let go. Her body fell limp and she said no more and her breath ceased. Celestia, even after a thousand years of life and being no stranger to death, allowed a tear to slip from her eye as she looked to the dragon body and then the egg. She tightly tucked the egg under one of her wings and turned around to go order for the bodies to be moved and to make funeral arrangements. With another look to the purple egg she wielded, she whispered to it.
"You shall be great..."
Years Later...
The princess had begun another day with her sister, who moved the moon for her for the sun to take its place. After breakfast, Celestia was headed to go take care of letters from other cities of Equestria when a letter popped in front of her. She smiled and picked it up- yet another letter from one of her faithful students. Celestia opened it and read. It was from Spike, detailing his adventure in the Great Dragon Migration- and how he felt more at home with ponies he called family.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Seeing the Great Dragon Migration made me wonder what it meant to be a dragon, but now I realize that who I am is not the same as what I am. I may have been born a dragon, but Equestria and my pony friends had taught me how to be kind, loyal, and true. I'm proud to call Ponyville my home, and to have my pony friends as my family.
Yours truly, Spike.
Her mind slipped to Spike's parents and she stopped short and stared at the letter for a long time. "It's time I tell him the story." Celestia muttered to herself. She quickly penned a letter asking Spike and Twilight Sparkle to report to Canterlot the next day, and as she sent it off, she muttered again to herself. "It's time."