The Grand Galloping Gala on of the largest events in all of Equestria. Held in the glorious capitol city of Canterlot, home to some of the most famous and most influential ponies in Equestria. Most notably the royal sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Unfortunately this years gala was finally drawing to a close. The majority of its party goers finally heading home for the night, save for a handful of ponies. These ponies weren't just anypony mind you, these were the latest representatives of the elements of harmony.
As these young ponies were still conversing amongst themselves, a tall white alicorn walked back into the room, her multicolored mane flowing in a nonexistent wind. This pony was non other than Princess Celestia herself.
“Twilight.” Celestia said as she addressed her faithful student. A young purple unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle. “May I speak to you in private for a moment?”
“Of course princess.” Said Twilight as she quickly excused herself from her friends.
“Whatcha suppose the princess wanted to talk to Twilight about?” said Applejack the orange earth pony of the large apple family.
“Probably about some lessons or possibly a new spell of some sort that she'll need to study for.” Spike said as he crawled out from under the table before letting out a very tired yawn.
“Oh Spike there you are.” said a very beautiful white unicorn known as Rarity or to some as the lady of Carousel Boutique. “I was hoping you could be a dear and get us some punch.”
Spike instantly perked up and headed off to do the task for the lovely mare. For it wasn't any surprise that spike had a crush on her and that he would do anything to please her.
“Um darlin' I think we need to have a talk.” said Applejack to her long time friend after watching the little dragon speed off. For this was a talk she thought was long overdo.
“What about darling?” said Rarity absentmindedly as she was winking at a young stallion that was eying her from across the room. That was till he got smacked upside his head by his date before being pulled away.
“Well it's about spike.” said Applejack. This comment however, gained Rarity's full attention.
“And what about the little dear?”
Now Applejack was known for her honesty, but she knew that in this talk she was going to have to get straight to the point. “Well it's about his feelings for you. I mean you do know the little fella has a crush on you, right?”
Spike who was just returning with punch in hand quickly hid behind a nearby table after he heard Applejack's question. He knew it wasn't nice to ease drop, but he also wanted to know why the subject has been avoided. Especially after he tried to confess to her when the were going to die, during the whole incident on his birthday.
“Yes I do and I happen to find it quite flattering, but like all the others he'll eventually get over it and move on. Besides he's a dragon and I'm a pony. It would never work out between us.”
Hearing this Spike slowly crawled out of his hiding place and started to head outside, his head hung in sadness as he tried to hold in the tears that were starting to sting the corners of his eyes.
“No sugar cube. What I mean is do you return those feelings?”
“Well I don't hate the little dear he's actually quite charming, but it just couldn't work. You know what everypony would think if they seen us together. Not to mention the age difference. As much as I hate to say it, but I'll probably be an old nag before he's even close to being of age.” said Rarity in a slightly depressed tone.
“ Well darlin if he actually means something to you. Then age or whatever anypony thinks shouldn't matter to you.”
“You're right Applejack, but I still need to figure that out on my own.” said Rarity in a slightly more cheerful mood.
“Take as much time as you need sugarcube, but don't take too long or somepony else might just take him for themselves” Applejack said playfully before excusing herself to join the rest of their friends.
Spike now found himself in the palace gardens. The surrounding statues dedicated to courage and victory did little to help his mood.
Barely any noise was around due to how late it was. Any native creatures were already asleep in their little nests or dens. Not even the nocturnal creatures seemed to be about. It was as if the garden knew that he wanted to be alone.
This silence however was short lived. When Spike noticed the faint sound of what he believed to be a piano, as the music increased a voice softly joined in.
“Don't turn away. I Pray you've heard the words I've spoken.”
Spike, wondering what pony might be sharing his pain, started to follow the voice.
“Dare to believe over one last time. Then I'll let the darkness cover me.”
If Spike was paying any attention, he would have noticed he had entered the palace labyrinth. Unknown to him as he was venturing further, the paths behind him were slowly being overgrown as if they were never there to begin with.
“Deny everything. Slowly walk away to breathe again on my own.”
The song's soft and mournful melody started to make spike's eyes begin to droop as he reached a circular clearing. The light of Luna's watchful moon illuminated what appeared to be a statued figure that sat in the very center of the clearing.
Unfortunately do to his current state of mind he was unable to place his claw on why it seemed to look so familiar.
“Um girls?” said Twilight as she reentered the main room. “Where's Spike?” The question gaining her friends full attention.
“He went over to get Applejack and I some punch.” Rarity said slightly worried as she realized that it shouldn't take this long to get a few drinks.
“That can't be. I was just over there and there was no sign of the little guy.” said a blue pegasus pony, otherwise known as Rainbow Dash.
“Oh this is not good, not good at all.” said Twilight as she started to pace back and forth a concerned expression growing on her face.
“What's the matter sugarcube?” said Applejack as she showed genuine concern for her friends discomfort.
“Well spike's going to need to go to sleep really soon.”
“Well Duh.” said the exuberant party pony known as Pinkie Pie. “He is just a baby after all. I mean we all probably are, especially after a super terrific party like that one.”
“No no no no!” Twilight said quickly. “What I mean is he's going to be entering his first hibernation.”
“What you mean like the dragon that Fluttershy scared off?” The pony in question quickly hid her face in embarrassment as she remembered that incident.
“Sort of, but Spike's hibernation is going to be a lot shorter, maybe a little more than a year at most.” said twilight as she was quickly checking any possible place the little guy could have chosen for his resting place.
“So what's the big deal? An extra long nap actually sounds kinda nice.” said Dash as she lazily flew backwards as if she was lying on her back.
“This is no simple nap Dash. This is a key hibernation in a dragons life. It could completely change who he is if the wrong things were to happen!” said Twilight as her searching became more and more frantic.
“Like what kinda things dear?” said Rarity, concerned for her little Spikey Wikey.
“Well as the princess explained to me. It can be simple things such as location, length of time, or more serious things such as mood or if there are already stronger or more powerful beings already there.” She said as she was now looking out the windows to see if she could spot him out there.
“What exactly does the last thing have to do with it?” said Dash who was slightly more interested now.
“It's more of a territorial thing more than anything else.” said Twilight who was looking out the window, her eyes now full of concern. “Oh Spike I hope you're okay.”
The need to sleep started settling into his mind. Spike started to approach the familiar statue. Oddly enough it seemed to be exuding an unnatural and calming warmth. Figuring it would be the best place to rest he curled up as best as he could against the warm stone.
As his eyes closed Spike failed to notice as the grass around him seemed to come to life as it grew till the clearing was no longer visible. The last bit of the moon's light seemed to only still illuminate the frozen visage of the horrified and contained spirit of Disharmony.
Three years, it has been three years since anypony has seen Spike. It was only supposed to take about a year, or a few months longer at the most.
Princess Celestia sat in her throne room, as she was trying to think of why it was taking so long to know what happened to the young dragon. As soon as she found out that he was missing, she sent any and all guards that were nearby to hunt for the little guy. She knew that he couldn't have gotten far, but when all of the searches failed to find him, she started to wonder. They had searched all of Canterlot. How could one baby dragon be able to elude all of them? It didn't make any sense.
All of the sudden she remembered the one other time she said those words. “Make sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?” She could hear him, as if he was mocking her once again. Wait, could he somehow have something to do with Spikes disappearance. No that would be impossible. He was sealed away and it would be a long time before he'd even have a chance to escape, but as the saying goes, it was better safe than sorry.
Just as she was about to head out, a large explosion rocked the castle. The sight of smoke could be seen billowing into the sky. The source seemed to be located somewhere within the palace labyrinth. She could vaguely see a form hovering just above, before flying off to who knows where. Quickly getting over her shock she flew over to the scene, her guards following close behind. As they approached the smoke seemed to clear away, showing what happened to the once beautiful clearing.
The grass had been burned away to nothing, but a smoldering black ash. Traces of green flames spread about, being quickly snuffed out by her guards before they had the chance to spread to the rest of the maze. To her relief the statue was still there. She quickly inspected it for any physical damage, for she knew that even the slightest crack could mean their destruction.
As her eyes moved up she noticed a very large difference than when she had last seen it. In replace of the face of frozen terror, was now a viscous fang filled grin. Changes in appearance aside, as long as the statue was still present they remained safe, but something still didn't seem right. As she focused on it, her horn took on a yellow glow before the same glow covered the statue.
With a gasp the princess quickly pulled her magic away. Now this she just couldn't understand. While the statues presence proved that he was still imprisoned. The once chaotic and destructive aura that always surrounded it seemed to have just disappeared. Almost as if it was never there to begin with. Quickly breaking out of her stupor, the princess began to bark out orders “General I want your men to clean this place up, also I need you to send someone to retrieve Twilight and her friends at once!”
(Five minutes earlier)
Freedom. That was the first thing he felt as he entered the open air, the wind moving past him as he continued to beat his wings. It all just felt so natural to him. He began to wonder if the pegasus ponies felt the same way during their first flight. “Remember your mission boy.” Interrupted the voice of Discord.
“Yeah I know just let a guy enjoy something for once.” Spike sighed. “Besides, I need to find them first.” Spike said, before flying off in an impressive burst of speed, the sight of Canterlot quickly disappearing behind him.
His first targets should be easy enough to find, as long as they hadn't moved since their last encounter. In the distance he could see Ponyville. The sight of the little village made him wonder what things might have changed, or if anypony actually missed him. Quickly shaking his head of such thoughts, he quickly turned to the side and missed the town entirely.
As he spared one last glance towards his old home, did he notice the two royal guards. Had they been following him? “No... they couldn't have been.” Spike thought as he noticed that they were pulling an empty carriage and the fact that they hadn't changed course like he did. Somepony might just have an important meeting with the princesses, but there was no doubt that he would be reported to them as soon as they returned. Luckily, by the time they do he should be long gone.
Swiftly maneuvering through the mountain range near ponyville. His eyes searching for the familiar clearing. The search was short however, since he had been there so many times before, unfortunately it seemed somepony was already there. Sitting in the clearing was a white mare with a purple mane, beside her was a little red wagon full of gems and a small shovel propped against it. She had obviously finished the job here, so why was she just sitting there. Upon closer inspection Spike noticed that her coat was a lot darker than he remembered. Her mane seemed less taken care of, the usual curls it had seemed less bouncy somehow.
Pulling his head away, he knew he'd have to find a place to hide till she finally left. He quickly spotted a cave in the cliff side nearby. It didn't look big, but it looked big enough for him to hide in.
She still couldn't believe it, it had been three years since she had last seen him. Oh how she missed his caring face, his constant visits and how he'd always help her no matter the task, but most of all she just missed his company. Things like gem hunting had become repetitive and boring. After he disappeared she started to close herself away from everypony, staying locked away in the boutique, immersing herself amongst her work, or like now just sitting around and reminiscing all the good times they had together.
Luckily she wasn't deep enough in thought to fail to notice a winged shadow pass along the ground. As she looked up she felt a spark of hope, but also a bit of fear at the sight above her. Flying overhead was a dragon, at least from what she could see from how high it was flying. Its overall body was a deep purple and its belly was almost an emerald green. Oh how she hoped it was spike, but she didn't want to call out to him for a fear of it being a different dragon. Besides, it flew as if it didn't even notice her.
She continued to follow it with her eyes as it flew. “Rarity!” she heard from a voice behind her. As she looked behind her she noticed all of her friends in a chariot pulled by two of the royal guards. “Princess Celestia has requested our presence in Canterlot right away!” Twilight said in an urgent tone. Rarity took one last look back as she climbed on. Almost hoping it was still there, but of course it wasn't. Probably returning to its den or flying higher into the sky.
“Finally, they're gone.” thought Spike as he crawled out of his hiding spot, before slowly beginning his descent. “Though my assumption was correct, I should have known it was for them.” Spike quickly reigned in the sneer that started to appear on his face as he landed back in the clearing. He briefly noted the forgotten cart of sparkling gems. “Show yourselves you dogs. I know you're there.” Silence was all that greeted his command; a snarl briefly escaped his throat at not being answered. “I'll say it again. Come out or I'll burn down what little hiding spots you have!” He roared.
He didn't have to wait long before three dogs like figures crawled out from a nearby shrub. “What does an overgrown lizard want with us?!” Rover, the medium sized one of the group barked out. His moment of confidence however was short lived as he was knocked over, courtesy of a strong swipe of Spikes tail.
“A lizard? How dare you, you insolent whelp! I am a dragon and I should fry you where you stand for making such a remark!” To emphasize his point Spike flared his nostrils allowing a large plume of smoke to escape. This display easily got the desired effect, the three dogs instantly hunched over with their tails between their legs.
As hilarious as the sight before him was, he knew it was time to get down to business. “So tell me why exactly you were hiding from one little pony?” Said Spike as he turned away and approached the pile of shiny gems. He started to inspect a ruby he found on the top “Well? I'm waiting.”
Not wanting to be on the receiving end of the dragon’s wrath. Spot the smallest on spoke up. “Because the ponies’ whining hurts us, so we were waiting for her to leave so we could continue our search.” He said as he held his ears in mock pain.
Though Fido, the largest of the three chose this moment to speak. “Though for some reason miss Rarity has been very quiet lately.” He said as he looked like he was trying to think. He was however oblivious to the glare sent at him by his companions.
Spike allowed a brief chuckle as he remembered that day. “So it’s been three years and she still has you all scared.” his chuckle slowly turned into full blown laughter.
The laughter however quickly got on Rovers nerves. “How do you even know about that!?” he barked out in anger.
“Hmm, yes I guess it would be kind of hard to remember me since I was small then.” Spike said as he made a gesture to about the height of his waist with his claw. “It's amazing how much one can grow over the course of just a few years.” All three of the Diamond dog’s eyes went wide as they made the realization. Spike chuckled at their faces, but also realized that it was about time that he got to the point. “But as you can probably tell, I didn't just come here to brag about my growth spurt.” Spike said as he took a bite out of the ruby he had been holding.
“And that would be?” spoke Rover as his brow twitched after seeing the half eaten gem.
Spike briefly looked at the gem before tossing it aside. “Simple.” almost instantaneously Spike appeared behind the two larger dogs and threw his arms around their shoulders. “You see I have been given the job of causing chaos throughout all of Equestria. Now, I could easily do this on my own, however, it wouldn't be long before I'd be stopped. So my plan is more of a long termed stay, if you get what I mean.” Spike now started walking back to the gem pile. “This plan however will require help. So what do you say?” Spike said as he turned offering to shake on it.
Rover looked at both of his pack mates before responding. “What's in it for us?”
Spike let out a chuckle. “You almost made me wonder if you had any brains at all. Hold on one moment then.” Spike turned back to the gem pile and started to shift through it. “Aha! Here it is.” Spike pulled out a very flat and long gem. Its sheer size seemed like it shouldn’t have even been able to fit in the pile. “This is what I have to offer.” Spike said as he placed the gem in front of himself.
All three of the diamond dogs just scoffed. “We've got plenty like it in our caves.” said Fido
“Oh you thought this was it? Ha-ha how funny. No, what I offer is inside of it.” As they looked, the surface seemed to change so that it appeared as if they were looking through a window. From what they could see was a vast cave system full to the brim with gems and jewels of all sizes. “These are the caves underneath Canterlot, long forgotten by the ponies that live just above and can be all yours if you join me.” The Diamond dogs were practically drooling at the sight of so many gems. “So as I was saying… Are you in, or out?” Spike said once again offering his claw.
This time without any hesitation Rover gladly shook his claw, as they shook a brief light enveloped their hands. All three of the diamond dogs looked at their still connected hand, before spike pulled away. “Ah don't mind that, it was just a small spell to make sure that we both keep our end of the bargain. Now show me to your lair. I know you like your rocks, but now we're going to add some metal. Some very 'heavy' metal.” Spike said as they led him to their home. As they walked Spike allowed a very malicious grin to appear on his face.