Glistening Spear beat her wings hard against the relentless torrents of sleet and hail. The weather burnt as it permeated her powder blue coat and blistered her skin. Still, she pushed on, much too far to turn back. Within the massive storm, Glisten wasn't even sure where that would be. The winds blew her in every direction, despite the beating of her wings in protest, and the sleet reduced her field of vision to no more than a meter or two in each direction. If she were to turn back now, there was not a doubt in her mind that she would die. No, she had no choice but to push forward. Her only salvation would be found within the eye of the storm.
The plan was clear, but there was one problem Glisten had with its execution; she couldn't be sure she was headed in the right direction. If, in fact, she wasn't, there was no hope for her. Even the fastest flyer in Equestria couldn't outrun a hurricane that large with wind speeds of an unimaginable caliber. Glisten screamed in frustration as she pushed forward, cursing herself for being so ill-prepared.
Glistening Spear was an elite member of Celestia's royal guard, a war hero in her own right. After the thirty-year-war with the Diamond Dogs had been won, Glisten was often commissioned for special missions of a more benign nature. Much of the Diamond Dogs' land was acquired for Equestria in the treaty that ended the war. Primitive warlords as they are, the dogs had little need for maps or charts of their land, and so they made none. They instead committed the quarries that dotted the badlands and their locations to memory, and they would travel from one to the next to prevent becoming lost.
Having not grown up in the badlands and mountains acquired, the ponies didn't have the luxury of traveling in such a way. As such, it was Glisten's duty as a royal topographer to scout ahead and chart these regions unknown. Unfortunately, the land was not the only unpredictable factor in these regions. There was the issue of the weather as well.
The Equestrian border with the Diamond Dog territories once laid upon the far edge of the Everfree Forest, but with the recent acquisitions, that was no longer the case. On one side, there was the relatively new settlement of Ponyville. It was once strictly an earth pony settlement, but a group of pegasus ponies from the guard was recently dispatched there to control the weather that billowed out from the Everfree.
Unfortunately, there were no such settlements in the badlands, and as such, there were no pegasus units to control or contain the rogue weather before it spun out of control. The results were hurricanes, dust storms and monsoons the likes of which would take a veritable army of pegasi to control. Glisten had the misfortune to fly headfirst into an area one such storm would soon form, high above a mountain range to the East.
She wiped a hoof across her face to remove her sopping wet, sky blue mane from her eyes in a vain attempt to increase her field of vision. The sad truth of the matter was that without the curtain of hair before her eyes, they were left unprotected from the harsh weather conditions. She could hardly open her eyes at all with hail and sleet alike pelting her face.
How she longed for her helmet. She'd seldom worn it since the war, and it was still painted with the dried blood of her enemies. It was a special helmet with a sharp edge on either side of the pointed muzzle guard, very much like a blade. It had a shining eye shield made from one of the last crystals mined from the Crystal Empire before its mysterious disappearance. It was once used to slice directly through her enemies at high speeds. Like her namesake would suggest, she looked like a glistening spear soaring through the air, but now it would serve well to protect her from this onslaught of damned precipitation.
Glisten's ears twitched upward at the all too familiar crackle of electricity from the dark clouds above, followed shortly after by the sound of rolling thunder. There was an electrical current surging just above her. The curse barely had enough time to roll from her tongue before a bolt shot down from above, followed by yet another boom of thunder. While it didn't hit Glisten, she was surprised to see it illuminate the peak of a mountain just meters ahead.
When the storm began, she had been far above the mountain range. It seemed now that the storm had weakened her enough to beat her closer to the ground. Her situation had just become far more dangerous. Not only could she not see what was ahead, she could no longer feel at ease knowing that the path was at least clear. She would be forced to make last minute evasive maneuvers to avoid smashing into the earth. If she were to push to fly higher, she would be the most likely target for a lightning strike, something that would most assuredly mark the end of her life.
Another flash of light illuminated Glisten's surroundings as lightning struck the cliff side to her left. With a sound that would normally embarrass a soldier of her stature, she veered away from the cliff as its edge became rubble. She tried to track the dirt as it fell, but she couldn't determine the depth of the valley or canyon below in this weather, nor could she hear it hit the ground with the harsh winds rushing past her ears.
Giving up, Glisten turned her eyes forward once more just in time to see another peak speeding toward her. She managed a barrel roll to the left just in time to evade it, only to come face to face with the cliff from before. Just before she meant to angle her wings upwards, a gust of wind sent her hurtling toward the cliff side with back-breaking velocity.
There was an audible crunch as Glisten's hoof contacted the rock. She'd extended it to slow the impact, but not enough to prevent her head from impacting the rock soon after. The world was spinning as Glisten fell. Her vision darkened, bright lights traveling from the corners of her eyes to the center of her field of vision before disappearing. The smell of iron permeated her senses before she closed her eyes completely. Her back hit another cliff with a sickening thump.
Glistening Spear's lime eyes opened several hours later. The storm still raged on, but it seemed distant, certainly not all around her as it had been when she blacked out. Her eyes scanned the area she found herself in suspiciously, but she couldn't discern more to the damp, dark cave than what could be found at first glance from her position on the ground.
With a sigh, the mare attempted to rise to her hooves, but the slightest twitch caused her to cringe in pain. She was suddenly reminded of the circumstances that found her lying there. A groan escaped her lips that echoed off the walls of the massive cavern. Her head was pounding, and the searing pain in her hoof and back were nigh unbearable.
Slowly, she turned her head to inspect the hoof, only to note with surprise that the appendage had been splinted between two sticks with some cloth from her own saddle bags. She turned her head to look toward the cave mouth. As she expected, there was a cliff just outside and a trail of mud that indicated she had been dragged to safety by someone.
"Hello?" she called out. There was no answer, from her savior or otherwise. Still, she tried again. "Is anypony there?"
This time her cries were met with a terrifying growl. The sound of a large creature exhaling from its nose permeated the airspace within the cave, and a rush of warm air enveloped Glisten's body. A booming, yet gentle and reserved, voice called out. "I am no pony," it answered, "but I am here, yes."
As realization of this voice's nature set in, Glisten suddenly felt much better about standing. As quickly as she could, she rose painfully to her hooves, careful to keep pressure off the injured one. With fear in her eyes, she found herself face to face with a rather bored-looking dragon. Smoke billowed from the corners of its mouth. Its scales were purple in color with pink spines running down its back, and its emerald eyes seemed to glow in the low light of the cavern.
"Are you going to eat me?" Glisten asked, shivering where she stood. She was unsure if she could even run from this dragon in her current condition, much less fight for her life. Still, she prepared herself for the worst. If she was to go down, she'd go down fighting, even if that meant biting the dragon as she was chewed to death.
The dragon merely raised a brow ridge in return, wondering if the mare was actually serious. "If I planned to eat you, young one, you would not have woken, nor would I have splinted your leg." The dragon's voice was clearly female, and her eyes, as terrifying as they could be, had a kind and wise look to them. They were old, tired eyes, not those of a savage killer. She had not once moved from her spot, resting peacefully on the cavern floor, nor had she made any move to block Glisten's escape to the cave mouth.
Her scales seemed to be molting, exposing several large areas of angry-looking red flesh, and upon further inspection, she had no wings to speak of. "Lie down, young mare. Your wounds have not properly healed, and you can go nowhere in this storm," she demanded, but it was her wounds which looked the most severe. There were spots at which the scales had completely fallen off, and it seemed they'd pulled quite a bit of flesh with them as they went. In several places, the dragon was bleeding where claw marks had dug into her flesh from constant scratching.
As much as Glisten wished to protest, the dragon made a solid argument, and she didn't seem to hold any ill will or aggression toward her. Glisten's body helped her in her decision as it suddenly became much too heavy to hold up, and so she soon found herself doing just as the dragon ordered. As she calmed down a bit, she heard no less than two dragons' ragged, pained breaths. Glisten cringed. She knew the agonal breathing of a dying creature when she heard it.
Still, the dragon had the strength to be a pleasant hostess, and she gave a toothy grin to her guest. "My name is Spira of Kratoa. You are lucky you landed where you did. Had you missed this cliff, as you very nearly did, I could not have saved you from the canyon below."
Glisten gulped at the morbid thought. Any night in which the best option was to spend it in a dragon's nest was a bad night, no matter how pleasant the dragons were being at the time. "I'm Glistening Spear, member of Equestria's Special Forces and Royal Topographer," Glisten answered, thinking it polite to introduce herself in return. She still had an undying urge to turn and run, but she knew any attempt to do so was futile, just as Spira had mentioned. She took a deep breath to calm herself. It was clear that neither dragon in the room intended to slaughter her, and it did none of them any good for her to be frightened of that possibility.
Spira seemed intrigued by Glisten's introduction, and she quirked a brow ridge in curiosity. "A soldier and a scholar, eh? That is a rare combination," she commented whimsically.
"I'm a scholar by profession, a soldier by heart," Glisten quipped, obviously adamant to make that fact known.
Spira laughed in amusement. "Oh ho, and such spunk! It is rare to see a female with such fire in her veins. You have the heart of a dragon, Glistening Spear of Equestria. I should have expected no less from a mare with the gall to fly in this storm."
Glisten grinned cheekily at the dragon. "I guess I'm just a different breed," she said, only to frown once more as a thought formed in her mind at her own words. "Speaking of which," she added, "you said you're from Kratoa, right? And you don't have any wings. That makes you a Fell Dragon, doesn't it?" With but a nod from Spira, Glisten continued on with her questions. "Weren't all the Fell Dragons wiped out nearly one-hundred years ago? How did you survive so long?"
Spira smiled sadly, remaining silent for several moments before responding. She was less prepared for this natural turn of conversation than she should have been, as most of the ponies she'd met previously were not so well educated on her kind and their history. "Indeed, most were," she finally answered, a gentle sigh escaping her lips, "Fortunately, my husband and I had been gone for quite some time. It was not until recently we heard word of such things. We could not believe our ears! An entire race, our race, wiped out? How foolish we were, for it was in that disbelief that we made our fatal mistake."
The pegasus knew all too well what Spira meant. She had suspected it already for some time now. Glisten had spent quite some time listening to Celestia talk about the friends she lost in that plague, and she knew the symptoms by heart, and the pathogen was airborne. "You went there, to the Fell Graves. You returned to Kratoa, the land said to be cursed by the gods, themselves. You're... dying."
With yet another sad nod, Spira spoke once more. "Yes. I am afraid I could not save your life. I only served to prolong your inevitable end. You were destined to die in this storm, however..."
"Now I'll die of the same plague that afflicted your kind," Glisten interrupted, finishing the dragon's sentence for us. She hung her head, and a single tear flowed down her muzzle, glistening in the low light as it struck the dirt floor below. "How long," she asked, her words hanging heavy in the air between them. She seemed accepting of the situation, at least.
"For your kind, three days at most," Spira answered, "I am truly sorry, young one."
Glisten wiped the tears from her eyes, and with a sniff, she looked up at Spira with a smile. "No, no. Don't be sorry. You've bought me three days, at least. I'm in no position to complain." She laughed her tears away, putting on a brave face as she had in the face of impossible challenges so many times before. Now though, she knew in her heart that a brave face would do her no good. Her enemy was not a tangible one, and it knew no fear. It would take her in the end.
Glisten's laugh was met with one other, and there was a slow stirring behind Spira. A sickly husk of what was obviously once a proud dragon rested his head upon his lover's shoulder. "You impress even me with your bravery, Glistening Spear," he rasped. "I am Ke'tal of Kratoa. I am pleased to have met one such as you before my passing. I had no idea that ponies could be as brave and wise as you have proven to be."
The aged mare bowed her head humbly. "Thank you, Ke'tal. It's an honor to have been saved by you and your wife." She raised her head to meet his orange eyes with her own. "If I thought I could repay your kindness in any way, I would. Unfortunately, it seems we're collectively damned."
Ke'tal's shaky laugh sounded through the cavern once more. Slowly, but surely, his tail extended to her, cradling a small, lavender egg with purple spots. For the most part, his flesh was exposed, red with rashes and black with scabs, but upon his tail it could be seen that he had once had emerald scales with the beautiful golden spines indicative of an elder fell dragon. The egg was laid gently at Glisten's hooves, and the elder smiled warmly at her. "If you can still fly when this storm is over, there is something you could do for us."
Glisten was at a loss for words. An egg? Their egg? She was dumbfounded to think that dragons would entrust a pony with something so important, no matter their situation. She slowly brought her wide-eyed gaze from the egg back to Ke'tal. Her mouth sagged open in a small "O". She stammered to find the question on her lips, "W-what would you h-have me do, Ke'tal?"
Ke'tal was evidently deadly serious in his conviction, and he answered her question in as serious a tone as she'd ever heard. "Our egg cannot carry the plague, but without us around to incubate it, hatching it will take centuries and a large surge of magic. I implore you, if there are ponies half as noble and wise as you, take my egg to them. Keep it safe."
It took Glisten a few moments to swallow the lump in her throat and respond. "This is a heavy responsibility to bear, but I understand its importance. Of course I will do this for you. I owe you what is left of my life." She bowed her head once more in respect, then slowly slumped the rest of the way to the ground. She would wait out the storm there and set off to travel in the morning.
Princess Celestia yawned and gave a feline stretch as she stirred awake beneath the mass of blankets and pillows she'd piled atop herself the night previous. As comfortable as she was, she groaned at the mere thought of getting up, but she knew it needed to be done. With a huff, the alabaster princess sat up onto her haunches, allowing the blankets to fall down all about her.
The gentle light of the moon washed over her through the glass of her french doors. They led out to the balcony at which she lowered and raised the celestial bodies, but for now they served as a lens through which to stare out at her sister's moon. Celestia let out a sorrowful sigh. "Good morning, my dear sister," she whimpered. The moonlight illuminated a tear as it trailed down her pearl cheek. Two hundred years after the fateful battle which had sealed the fate of Nightmare Moon, Celestia was regretting the decision she'd made.
The alicorn wiped the tear from her face as she rose to her hooves. She made no move to put on her shoes or breastplate as she made her way to the balcony, nor did she pull her flowing mane from its messy bun. She highly doubted anyone in their right mind would see her; she was the only pony crazy enough to be up so early, not that she had much of a choice in the matter.
Her golden aura enveloped the handles to her doors just before they were pushed open. Much to the princess' surprise, one of the doors pushed aside an object on its way open. She raised a brow in question. There was never anything on the balcony. Cautiously, Celestia stepped out onto the balcony and peeked around the door. What she saw there forced her jaw toward the floor.
There, resting in a small basket filled with hay, was an egg roughly the size of her head. Her eyes widened, and she rushed to look more closely at it. Under further inspection, there were more items in the basket. Celestia picked up the sheets of paper and read through them feverishly. Her magic wavered as she read through the letter attached to the package. She slumped to the ground as her legs gave out, and silent sobs rocked her body. Yet another dear friend had passed. That day the sun would rise late.
Dearest Spike,
It has come to my attention that you recently attempted something quite reckless in an attempt to discover who you are. I admire your tenacity in this endeavor, going so far as to join the Great Dragon Migration; however, I regret to inform you that your mission was doomed from the start. No doubt, you realized how different you are from the abrasive, ruthless beasts that dragons can be, but this is only in part due to your upbringing in Canterlot. Did you notice any physiological difference between other dragons and yourself? It seems to be a matter you've glossed over in the past, but now you must see it.
You have no wings, Spike. You never have. With the exception of insects and Changelings, winged creatures are born with their wings. Never in nature have they grown as a creature developed. Likewise, at your young age of fifteen years, you are still a "baby" dragon, yet you are larger and wiser than any other your age. You are not of their kind, Spike. Yours is an ancient, proud race, forgotten by history today.
I remember, Spike. I had many a friend among your kind, and another lost her life in protecting you from the same fate that befell them. Along with this letter, I have supplied you with a map. There is a cave in the badlands you will find marked upon the page. Travel there for the answers you seek. I will not be far behind.
Your friend,
Princess Celestia
After reading the letter for what must have been the hundredth time, Spike rolled it up along with the map and replaced them in the brown satchel he wore at his side. Staring forward, he saw his destination: the mouth of a massive cave, carved into the side of the mountain thousands of years ago by wind and water erosion. It was a marvel, much like the gargantuan canyon beneath him. Briefly, he looked back down toward his feet, past the red rock on which he stood, and into the treacherous depths. Miles below, a river surged past at frightening speeds.
Spike shook his head and looked forward once more, fiery determination in his eyes. This was it. He would finally learn who he was. His feet began to move him forward along the cliff before he knew what was happening. He felt his heart rate quicken along with his breathing, and he slowly sped up to a sprint, sliding to a stop just before the entrance to the cave.
It was dark, but soon his reptilian eyes would bring him clarity, and he would see everything. Celestia had made no mention of what he would find at this location, and the drake could only grasp at straws. He had imagined this moment for years now, and yet he could no longer dream about what lay before him. Hesitantly, he stepped toward his uncertain future.
As the shadow enveloped him entirely, his pupils became slits, and the cave lit up for him in a variety of shades of purple. This was the effect of his night vision kicking in. What he saw made his jaw drop. Just before him lay a massive skeletal figure, the likes of which he'd never seen before. These were the bones of not just one dragon, but two upon further inspection. Huge stalactites and stalagmites littered the cave and made the young dragon's journey further into its depths treacherous.
As Spike neared the bones, even his untrained eyes could tell they were centuries old. They had to be. The bones were weathered by age, but preserved by the cave walls. Spike believed he may have been the first living being in the cave since they died, until he saw the bones of a small pony, nestled between the dragons like a wolf cub, curling up with its mother for warmth. He gasped quietly in surprise. Of all the things Spike thought he would find here, this was the last thing he had expected.
"Her name was Glistening Spear, a dear friend of mine," Celestia's voice sounded off behind him, startling him a bit. She had been so quiet, and he so lost in his thoughts, he had hardly noticed when she entered the cave and approached him.
"What connection does she have with this place?" Spike asked, his breath heavy. He could feel the answers to all his questions. They were so close, they were nearly tangible.
"Oh, her fate was very much intertwined with this place, Spike, just as yours is. She delivered you from this place nearly eight-hundred years ago, in fact," Celestia answered him, almost as if she were telling a story he'd heard hundreds of times before.
This caused the drake to spin around in surprise. He wasn't sure if he should be excited or angry at Celestia for withholding such information for so long. "W-what!?" he sputtered. His thoughts were an unorganized mess, and even the monosyllabic question was a challenge for him.
Celestia took that as a queue to further elaborate. She walked up to the bones, staring into the vacant eye sockets of her late friend, causing Spike to turn and stare as well. After a few moments, Celestia finally spoke once more. "Glisten was a hero. She helped win a vicious war that won this land for Equestria. That war lasted several decades, and General Glistening Spear fought in every major battle, ensuring us a victory in each of them."
The princess paused for a moment, allowing the information to stew in the young dragon's mind for a bit. He just nodded and kept staring on, as if he was listening to a tour guide at some museum. "After the war," Celestia continued, "Glisten was assigned more benign duties. I made her the royal topographer, and she charted hundreds of maps in record time, including the one I supplied you with. Many of these maps are still in use today, but this particular one was her last, and I saved it for you."
"For me?" Spike asked, turning his head to look at Celestia with a curious gaze.
Celestia nodded. "It was her final wish that you would know your lineage when you were ready."
"So these are my-" Spike trailed off. The word hung on his tongue, but he was unable to let it free.
"Correct. These dragons are your parents, Spike." Celestia gave Spike a sad smile, one that showed this information had weighed heavily upon her shoulders for generations.
"B-but how?" Spike asked, unbelieving. "Eight-hundred years? I'm only fifteen!"
The alicorn raised a hoof to silence and calm him. "All will be explained in due time, Spike. Please, allow me to continue." With a nod from the dragon, Celestia continued. "While charting this land, Glisten was caught in a deadly hurricane that blew in from the Everfree Forest. Just as she was about to die, your parents pulled her to safety within this cavern. Unfortunately, they were afflicted with the Kratoan plague."
"Kratoan plague?" Spike interrupted once more, in disbelief now more than ever. "I thought there was a vaccine for that! Even I got it as a baby, right?"
Ever patient with the young dragon, Celestia nodded and answered his questions promptly, "Indeed, modern medicine has cured the affliction, but eight-hundred years ago, it was an epidemic, one that started in the homeland of the wingless fell dragons, Kratoa. It is now known as the 'Tar Pits' to the South, when in fact there was never any tar there at all. The magical nature of the Kratoan spores, and the rate at which they spread saw the annihilation of all life in the land, even the flowers that emitted them. It also turned the soil a deep black. The fell dragons dropped dead where they stood, and the years saw them partially buried in the dark soil. Today, it looks as if they were caught in tar pits that have long since dried up. The plague is transmitted via-"
Horrified, Spike covered Celestia's mouth with a claw. "Stop! Please!" he pleaded, tears in his eyes. Celestia snapped back to reality from her history lesson, and her eyes softened. She bowed her head apologetically, and the dragon looked back to the bones. He dropped to his knees, staring at his parents all this time, though he could scarcely see them through his hot tears. "It's t-too much. Just... just tell me what happened here. I need to know the story of these three," he commanded, his voice wavering as he spoke.
Celestia laid down beside him, wrapping a wing protectively around his shoulders. For as long as he had been alive, Celestia was the closest thing to a mother Spike had ever had, and she took the role to heart. She was ashamed that she'd made him cry in such a way. It had been callous and cold of her. "I'm so sorry, Spike," she apologized.
Spike shook his head, letting her know that apologies were not needed. "Just tell me what happened to my parents," he repeated, his voice hoarse, "please."
Celestia hugged Spike tight and continued on, getting back on track. "Your parents had been away at the birthing grounds, and they were subjected to the plague later, upon their return. Fortunately, you had not yet hatched, and so you were not afflicted. They went into hiding here, away from the spores, to prolong their lives and protect their egg."
"That was me?" asked Spike. Celestia gave him a sad smile and nodded in response.
"They came here to die in peace and protect you from the dangers of the world. Without the magical heat of a mother dragon to incubate it, your egg would not hatch for several centuries. They needed a secluded place that would not be found within that time. Imagine their surprise when a pegasus mare, fairly small in stature, came crashing down at the very location they deemed secure!"
"D-did they... did my parents kill her?" Spike asked, interrupting once more. He feared the answer, and he wanted to believe they wouldn't, yet here were the mare's bones, lying just a few meters away.
"Oh heavens no, Spike. Just the opposite, actually. They pulled her to safety and splinted her broken hoof." Celestia hummed in humor upon hearing Spike's audible sigh of relief. "When she woke up, she managed to befriend the dragons; however, she did meet her end soon after. She had three days. During that time, she managed to complete her final map, write me a detailed report on all these transpirings, and deliver them to me along with your egg."
"Whoa," Spike replied, eyes wide in awe.
"Yes, that word was used quite often in reference to her. It was popularized by her actions, in fact!" Celestia giggled as she reminisced over her friend. "She was quite an awe inspiring mare, determined to prove that her size made her no less capable than any other."
"It sounds like she proved a lot more than that!" Spike exclaimed, "She was a hero!"
"She certainly strove to exceed, Spike, but not only in her physical capabilities. She was a wise, amicable and learned individual. She was certainly one of a kind, much like you." Celestia gently poked Spike in the chest with her shoe and gave him a motherly style. "She bet her dying days that I'd raise you to live up to her expectations. I'd say I've done fairly well, wouldn't you?"
Spike blushed and brushed a claw through the dirt bashfully. "I wouldn't go that far. I'm no hero."
"Au contraire, Spike. You've helped Twilight and her friends save Equestria on multiple an occasion, and you've never stopped being the humble drake I know and love. I'd imagine that if they were to see you today, Glistening Spear and your parents would be very proud." Celestia nuzzled Spike's cheek, then sat up and stretched her wings. "Let's get you back home. After all, it's a long flight, but it's a longer walk."
Content with what he learned, Spike nodded. He stood up and stared at the skeletal figures before him for several moments before climbing onto Celestia's back. As she took off into the darkening sky, Spike had to ask, "Who came up with the names on that map, anyway?"
Celestia looked back at Spike with a grin. "I take it you're referring to Dragon's End Cavern and Last Hope Mountain? Glisten named them herself."
Author's Note
I delayed the publication of this story for quite some time in order to ensure it was as good as it could be before posting. Maybe it'll be enough to make Obselescence look at it and go, "Meh." 
A great big shout out to the Spike Master Guru, FamousLastWords and Adda le Blue for prereading this and making sure my characterization was correct, as well as maximizing the feels factor.
I would also like to thank Sky_Wolf for proof reading this. He's a newbie, but he brought some things I'd overlooked to my attention, and put in a lot of effort to help me out. Thanks, man.
