Darkness Remains

The mane six and Spike retired to their room and started to discuss their current situation.

“What do you think girls? Think we can do it?” Asked Twilight.

“Ah dunno sugar cube, Discord was one thing and ah'm still not to sure about him. This Frigidos is a whole different story, he actually murdered ponies where as Discord only caused chaos. Can we be so sure we can reform him” asked Applejack in return.

“There has to be some good to him? I mean, its not like he justifies what he does” Said Fluttershy barely above a whisper.

“But he doesn't seem exactly torn up about it either” said Spike.

“Spike. Would you please wait outside? This is grown pony talk” Said Twilight and ushered him out.

Frustrated to be left out he exited the room, steaming with frustration he slammed the door behind him.

The ponies were slightly taken aback by his outburst and faced a slight difficulty moving on with the subject at hoof.

“W-Well * cough * I think that we ought to give him a chance” said Rarity. “I do not know much about this stallion but from the short time we spent together he seems to be a genuine gentlecolt. It might be difficult and take some time but I don't see it as such an impossible task”

“That could just as easily been an act to get on your good side, Rarity” Twilight scowled

“Could have been, but if we are to reform him then maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt” she asked hesitantly beneath Twilight's disapproving stare.

“Sure we can do that and after that we can invite him home and wait for him to slit our throats in our sleep” protested Rainbow Dash.

Just outside the door stood a very curious dragon, ear-fins pressed against the door, listening in to everything that was said. Whether they wanted him there or not, he was not going to be left out this time around.

He was so focused on listening in to their conversation that he failed to notice the hoof steps that was slowly approaching him from behind.

“Didn't your mother ever teach you that peeping and tuning in to private conversations isn’t very nice?” asked a voice from behind.

Startled, Spike spun around, claws up in the air ready to attack. But his blood froze and all courage was shattered to pieces like how a rod smashes a pot. Frigidos stood there, clad in only his own fur, cyan eyes staring down at Spike. In an instant, Spike was overcome by an overwhelming desire to run for his life.

“Well? Are you going to answer me?” Frigidos asked.

As a response Spike turned on the heel and made a run for it. But his efforts were futile as he heard the flapping of wings behind him and the stallion quickly landed in front of Spike, blocking his way.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Settle down little dragon. I only asked a simple question. Why the hurry?”

“You're Frigidos” Spike said.

“The one and only” Said Frigidos proudly.

“Then I’ll give you three guesses why I'm running”

Frigidos just simply smiled at the little dragon. “Are you afraid that I will hurt you”

Spike hesitated. A smile was not what he expected from the assassin. A cruel or malicious smile, sure, but not such a genuine and kind one. It threw him off guard, not sure what to do or say next.

“I will take your silence as a yes. Then let me tell you right away, little fellow, I have never nor will I ever harm a child” The tension seemed to grow lighter as he spoke those words. Frigidos continued to walk down the hall and suddenly came to a stop. He turned around and spoke: “Would you like to accompany me?” asked Frigidos.

“Accompany you where?” asked Spike suspiciously.

“I am heading for the royal garden, get some peace and quiet in a more elegant surrounding. That is if the prince and princess have been tending to it like they should”

“They have a garden here? I've never seen it”

“Well maybe not a garden, its more like a greenhouse in the castle. It is filled with exotic plants and animals. So, would you like to make me company?”

Spike thought back to what the princesses had said. To be friendly and helpful to Frigidos and set the foundation for what could hopefully grow to become a friendship. He had also heard how the other ponies debated whether this was a good idea or not. So he came to the decision that he should set the ball in motion and be an example for the rest of them, maybe even impress Rarity.

“Sure, i'll come with you” he said as he motioned for him to follow him down a hallway.

The silence that followed was so intense that you could hear the fall of a feather. Spike wanted to lead a conversation but he was not sure what to say. What do you even talk about with an assassin? Then he took notice to something different.

“Hey, where are your tattoos” asked Spike

“Hm? Oh, you mean these” Frigidos said and suddenly the blue tattoos appeared on his body in a flash and then disappeared just as quick. “They come out and disappear at will. It is thanks to them that I can cast spells”

“How does it work?” asked a very curious little Spike.

“Do you know how a unicorn horn works?”

“Yeah, I read it in a book from Twilight once. It has something to do with the ley lines in the horn that allows magical energy to flow, right”

Frigidos gave a nod. “Precisely, and while I do lack a horn myself, these markings allow me to use magic just as well as a unicorn”

“That is amazing! Where did you get them”

“A friend of mine made them a very long time ago”

“What was his name”

Frigidos halted in the middle of his step. Spike looked at Frigidos and got worried. Frigidos was staring into nothingness and breathing heavily. The dragon's worry soon turned into fear as Frigidos condition worsened. The marks appeared again and his eyes glowed similarly to how Sombra's eyes looked and the air grew cold. His gaze hardened and he started to mumble something in a foreign language.

“F-Frigidos? You're scaring me”

The words seemed to snap him out of his trance and he soon returned to his earlier more cheery self. “Forgive me, I easily slip into my own little world and forget everything else. HER name was Ruby Rose. We... did not part on the best of terms”

“What just happened”

Frigidos waved a dismissing hoof. “It's nothing. A side effect from using dark magic. I hope that I didn't scare you too badly”

Spike shook his head, shaking the uncomfortable feeling out of him. “No, it's ok. No harm done”

“Thank you for your kindness and understanding, Spike. But enough about me, what about you? Why are you in the custody of a pony?”

“Oh, I could go on for hours”

“Would you care to share?”

“Ok then! It all began when Twilight hatched me from a purple egg...”

“... and that is how we defeated Nightmare Moon” said Spike, beaming with pride.

“Amazing. And you were there all along? Your mother must be a very irresponsible parent if she allowed a baby dragon to come along on such a perilous quest”

“W-Well... I wasn't actually there. I was home and asleep through the whole thing. I only heard about it from the girls later. And Twilight is not my mom”

Frigidos sighed. “Sorry for mistaking her as that but moving on, Spike, lying is not acceptable in any way”

Spike glared at him angrily. “Don't you patronize me. You are not exactly clean yourself”

“What do you mean?”

“You tricked everypony into thinking that you was Sombra”

Frigidos looked insulted. “I have done no such thing. You and your friends just assumed that I was someone who I am not”

“Can you blame us?”

Frigidos intended to protest but halted himself as he thought back on his actions. He thought of the magic he used, the things he had said and the way he had appeared to the ponies and even to the prisoners. “On second thought, no I suppose not. With the way I was behaving I suppose it was only natural that you jumped to conclusions” He looked up from Spike and saw that they had arrived at the right spot. “Here we are” he said and gestured towards a door.

They both entered through the door and what was on the other side was stunning. Thick and twisting trees, lush green bushes, flowers and plants of every color imaginable. Birds could be heard close by and in at a distance, singing a hundred different tunes at the same time together with the croaking of frogs which mixed together into a pleasing but incomprehensible melody. Lizards and snakes climbed the trees and slithered across the ground. Spike was enthralled by his surroundings, swirling around, trying to take it all in. Never before had he seen so much life in such a small place. The air, the colors, the sounds it was nothing short of magical. A small croak pulled him out of his trance and made him search for the source of the sound. And to his left, not far away from him, sat a tiny multi colored frog on a branch and made its own form of music. Spike got closer and eyed it curiously. “What is this?” he asked Frigidos.

Frigidos turned to him and saw what he was talking about. A small smirk spread across his lips. “That, my little dragon, is a Color Rana. Very rare but oh so beautiful”

“Can I hold it?”

The smirk grew wider. “But of course you can. Just cup your claws around it slowly and carefully, so it knows that you mean no harm to it”

Spike did as he was instructed and soon he held the adorable little critter in his claws. “Omigosh, I'm holding it. I'm actually holding it” He whispered excitedly, scared that it might jump away.

“That you are”

“Ok, so who is gonna take care of him” Asked Twilight.

“If you mean to ’take care of him’ then i'm signing up” Said Rainbow Dash with a punch to her hoof.

“No, I don't mean like that. I mean, who is going to reform him”

The room fell silent as everypony started to ponder the possible options. For the most part, the ponies did not want to be the ones to receive the task of reformation so they pondered the other options for it.

“I have a suggestion” Said Fluttershy. Everypony turned to her, eager to hear what she has to say. Since they stand at a stand-still they are willing to listen to any suggestion that any of them might have. “How... how about we vote for who should take him?”

Twilight beamed up. “That is a brilliant idea, Fluttershy! Ok, lets be democratic, whoever gets the most votes will take care of Frigidos's reformation”

Fluttershy raised her hoof. “I vote for Twilight. I think she would make a good reformer”

Twilight was next. “Very well, I vote for you, Fluttershy. You have made an excellent work with Discord already, Frigidos shouldn't be that much more difficult”

Rarity raised her hoof eagerly. “I vote for myself. Through my little interaction with Frigidos I think that he and I have bonded pretty well”

“Then ah vote for her as well. Besides, she seems to be the only one who actually wants to do this” Said Applejack.

“My vote goes for Fluttershy. Nopony can do it better” Said Rainbow Dash.

“I say Twilight, Twilight is a good teacher, so who better to teach him friendship” said Pinkie Pie, surprisingly more subdued than normally.

Twilight groaned. “So, we are indecisive. How do we solve this dilemma” asked a frustrated Twilight.

“Why don't we ask Spike what he thinks? Let him act as a tiebreaker”

“I don't know, girls” said Twilight feeling hesitant to bring in Spike into this ordeal.

“He is going to get involved one way or another, darling. Best we prepare him right away before he is thrown into it all” said Rarity

Twilight intended to protest but when she saw the looks from her friends she sighed in surrender. “Ok, i'll bring him in” She went and opened up the door. “Spike, you can come in now... Spike?”

“What's wrong, Twilight” Asked Pinkie Pie.

“Spike is not here” She said. “Where could he have gone”

“Maybe he went to explore” asked Applejack.

“Possibly. Excuse me girls, I'm gonna go look for him”

“Twilight, he is fine, you don't need to worry or anything” said Rainbow Dash.

“I'm not worried” Twilight defended. “We just need him to decide who should take care of Frigidos and then he can go on and explore as much as he likes” And with those words she took her leave.

She unfurled her wings and took a few flaps so she could gain speed and height. She searched every level until she came across one of the ones furthest down. She passed by a room where she heard a childish giggle. She came to a halt and opened up the door. To her horror, there stood Spike, beside Frigidos, and with a brightly colorful frog in his claws. “SPIKE” she shouted and rushed forward.

Spike was temporarily startled and as such he scared the frog away. Disappointed he looked at Twilight, slightly angry. “Why did you do that for Twilight? I was jus-woah!” he exclaimed as Twilight levitated him beside her as she started to fuss over him. “Pupils unchanged, no heavy breathing, no swelling of the tongue, no skin sensitivity”. She let out a relieved sigh as she gave him a tight hug. At first he was confused as to why but he eventually returned the embrace.

Twilight glared at Frigidos with a gaze that could scare an Ursa Minor to submission. “What in tartarus were you trying to do” she screamed at him.

Frigidos stood stoically. “I don't understand why you are so angry, I simply showed him this wonderful garden and suddenly you come bursting in”

“That was a Color Rana, darn you! The most poisonous frog in the world”

“P-p-Poisonous” Exclaimed Spike before hiding behind Twilight.

Frigidos waved a calming hoof. “Indeed, that was a Color Rana but believe me when I say that I never intended him harm”

“You told me to pick it up” Said Spike, which only helped to fuel the burning anger within Twilight.

“No, you wanted to hold it. I just said that it was ok”. He shook his head. “You are a dragon, Spike. You have thick scales which protects you from its poison. You were perfectly safe all along”

“How would you have known” asked Twilight.

“I have studied dragons for a long time, even written a tome about them. I already told you, Spike. I have never nor will I ever harm a child”

“Frigidos” Shouted a voice from behind Twilight. She turned around and found Princess Luna standing there. “What are you doing outside of your room”

“Ah, princess Luna. I was simply exploring this wonderful garden. I am pleased to find out that it has been so well cared for still”

“We gave you specific orders to remain in your room for the remainder of the day or until we said otherwise” Luna said on the borderline to using the royal Canterlot voice. She turned her gaze towards Twilight and Spike and her look softened immensely. “Go back to your room, you two. I will deal with Frigidos” she said before looking back at said pony.

“Yes princess” Said the two of them and returned to their residence.

“Come with me” Said Luna.

He bowed ever so lightly but never gave any sign of true respect. “As you wish, princess”

Twilight and Spike returned to their room and shocked everypony when they told them about everything that had happened.

“He breaks the rules already? As if we needed any more reasons to not trust him” Said Applejack.

“I'll say. And I was going to throw him a party when we returned to Ponyville. Well, no party for him”

“Whoa, whoa you guys. You are jumping to accusations again. He is actually not that bad” said Spike.

“NOT THAT BAD!? Spike, he let you hold a poisonous frog” protested Twilight.

“And he knew that I wouldn't get hurt so it is ok. But either way, I think I know just the right pony for the job of reforming him”

“Really? Who” asked Rarity.

He pointed right at the mare beside him “Twilight”

“Me” she asked, slightly taken aback.

“Yes, while we were walking to the garden he told me about the different kinds of magic he can use and I think you would be impressed. He could possibly know even more magic than you do”

“But how is that possible? He isn't even a unicorn” protested Twilight, feeling almost insulted that someone that wasn't even supposed to be magically capable could possibly be more adept than her.

“I know, and wouldn't you just love to find out”

Twilight had to admit that she was intrigued. If he was as talented as Spike claims then she would indeed like to find out more. And if they are both talented in magic then that could give them something to bond over. “Very well, the votes have been counted and I shall be the one to reform Frigidos. Wish me luck everypony”

Frigidos and Luna entered his room.

“Is there anything we can offer to make you more comfortable” asked Luna

He scoffed and his voice grew much harsher “Don't act nice, princess, I am here because there is some money to it, nothing else”. He turned his back to her.

A normal pony would have taken their leave after that, but after a thousand years stuck on the moon she was hardly an ordinary pony.

“Inside the throne room you seemed so cheery, why the sudden change?” she asked while inspecting his features. The most prominent which her eyes ended up upon was his fangs.

“Oh, I am so sorry that my mood is not pleasing to you m’lady. How should I repay you for my inappropriate behavior, princess” he hissed.

She sighed. “You seem to have a problem with royalty, am I right” she asked growing a bit impatient with him.

He turned to her but he didn’t seem angry anymore. “I don’t have anything against royalty, though I am not overly fond of you or your sister”.

“Why” she asked frowning.

“You have caused me much pain in the past, pain which could have been prevented had you simply intervened”

“What sort of pain?” she asked growing ever more curious.

He stood silent for a long while before he spoke again. “Maybe another time. But for now I just want to be left alone”

“Very well, we shall grant you your wish. And remember, we will cut your income in half for this month. Refrain from further rule breaking unless you wish to see the decreased income become permanent” she said and walked out and closed the door behind her.

“Thank God, she is finally gone”.