"Look, now, Wrym. I'm twenty seven thousand years old. I have seen things that would screw up your mind. I have fought my own self, again and again and again . I have probably done things more twisted and cruel than you could ever scheme up, and do them on a daily basis." Dark said. He wasn't really annoyed, but he felt the situation elicited a harsh response.

"So, please, for god's sake, take your petty politics and shove it up there. I am not in the mood." He finished.

" I am not here for politics." The black dragon replied. He was an unusual one, not too big, with wings twice the length of his body, and deep green eyes that shone in the night. Only a little larger than an average pony,his talons were hard as diamonds and as sharp as an surgical scalpel. His face, a mix between danger and cold beauty, easily what you could call handsome. A beautiful piece of work, that body, Dark had to admit.

The dragon grinned at the human's stare. "See something you like?" he said slyly.

"You could say that. You have taste."

" Well, too bad. " The dragon's body began to warp and shrink into itself. Muscles' tore and compressed. Bones snapped and moved around, rearranging themselves into a different skeletal structure. Even the face twisted into itself, turning into an adorable baby dragon face.

"Killjoy." Dark muttered to himself.

"Colt coddler" Spike shot back. His voice was much higher now.

"I suppose I was." Dark said. " Wait, why are we here agian?"

"Can't you tell? The same reason you are here. Two, the usual." Spike said to the bartender (barpony?) . The makeshift pub had come up on the edges of the city, on a small mountain outcropping. It was completely under the shade of the real city, and was quite close to the bad parts of town. Which made the whole situation all more interesting to Dark. A little dragon who was seen mostly in a princesses company could just waltz in here, into the most dangerous part of Canterlot, and be unharmed? The little dragon was a royal, and a noble. A prime target for ransom. He was also a defacto brother to the Captain Shining Armour, who, from Dark knew was not well liked by the folks around here.

"I am here because Pinkie brought me here, speaking of whom.....?"

"She's probably at the black market." Spike replied. "You know, cupcakes! Here we go. Thanks Clear." the bartender just nodded.

"What's this then? Alcohol?" Dark asked. He wondered if it would be polite to say that it was literally impossible for him to get drunk.

"If you can call this alcohol. Prohibition laws have turned everyone into prudes. There's something seriously wrong when even the illegal stuff tastes like water."He took a sip, and continued " Well, here goes."

<><><><><><><>

One year ago, Canterlot Royal Palace, Starswirl suite.

<><><><><><><>

"And done." I said, looking around the room. I had finally put back every single book, and I had finished binding the ones Twilight destroyed. It's been six years since I started, and I still can't understand how you can do that to a book overnight. And now that I could see the floor again, what was next on the list?

I stepped down from the ladder, and started searching. "Where did I leave.. oh!"

There, got the gift. I checked the clock. Good, an hour more to go. Now all I needed to do was get Twilight to the party in time.

I have to admit, those ponies are way too patient with Twilight. I'm grateful and all, but who would want to be friends with a shut-in bookworm like her? Hopefully, this party knocks some sense into her. She really needs friends. Real friends, not me or Shining or books.

Looking out the window, I spotted Twilight rushing back home . Huh. Hoping for things is a premonition to disappointment, but maybe I don't need to bribe her this time.

In that moment, I'll admit I wasn't thinking. I grabbed the present, and went to the front door, forgetting about Twilight's door tendencies.

My punishment was a solid smack in the face with a heavy wooden door. The usual, really. I will get back at that door someday.

"SPIKE! Spike?! Oh, there you are! Quick, give me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies " Well, my plans are shot. I have seen that expression before. She's obsessing over something again.

"What's that for?" She asked me. What's what.... oh. I might need a new present. Then again...

"Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer, but......." I started, but she cut me off.

"Oh Spike, you know we don't have time for that sort of thing"

'You bet your arse we don't.' is what I would've liked to say, but I rather not spoil this innocent little creature I've worked so hard to protect. Not yet, anyway. Instead, I chose a diplomatic reply.

"But we're on break!" I don't think she heard me. Probably because she was busy throwing out all the books that I had just put back in place.

"No no no no no......." She kept muttering, throwing every single book on the ground in frustration. "SPIIIIke!"

It was adorable. I do wish it could be like this for ever, her never bothered by this harsh world. That she should never know true suffering. Wishfully thoughts. I went to get her book.

Let's see now, Predictions and Prophecies... ah!

"It's over here." I told Twillight, then it hit me.

I was high above the ground.

I was waving a book at Twillight.

I was on a wooden ladder.

I was waving a book at Twillight.

The floor was hard wooden.

Did I mention I was waving a book at Twillight?

"WAI..."

Crash!

"owowow...." It was a familiar pain. A hairline fracture. On the bright side, it was the first one this week. And it was already Thursday. Twilight's getting better.

Sighing, I got back up, and began to put back the books that Twilight had thrown around. She seemed to be researching some 'Element's'? I got back up on the treacherous wooden ladder with the book and began to place them back one by one before I heard something.

"...See: Mare in the moon!"

I fell off the ladder again.

<><><><><><><>

Canterlot Palace nursery, Eight years ago.

<><><><><><><>

This was ...... unexpected, to say the least. Celestia knew that much.

The parakeet egg had actually been a dragon egg, that much was a given. It would explain the dragon hatchling, but it would not explain why a dragon egg had been mixed up with the entrance test samples. It wasn't a taxing mental exercise to know that the egg had been purposefully added into the collection by someone, or it would have been removed and destroyed.

It was either a powerful disguise spell to fool the Unicorns in charge of collection and authentication, or a ploy by one of the higher ups in administration.

As if any of that mattered now. The dragon popping out was unusual, but it was hardly the first time.

But this, this merited the word 'unexpected'.

The baby Dragon had destroyed the crib and the walls. With his bare claws, he had carved runes into the ground. Runes of the ancient language. And yet they were confused, as if made by a pony who had once known the language, but could no longer remember what the characters meant anymore, only a hollow spot in his mind where that knowledge once was. He had long abandoned drawing the runes, and instead he scraped fissures into the marble flooring in Equestrian.

"Who am I?"

<><><><><><><>

Canterlot Royal Palace, Starswirl suite

<><><><><><><>

I got up slowly, still trying to process what Twillight just said.

'The Mare in the Moon?!?! How does she know about that!' This was not good. Vision tunneling. Fear. Panic.

'How the fuck does she know?How the actual fuck does she know this!!

"Bu..but that's just ... an old ponies tale. Yeah, that's just an old ponies tale, Twillight." I managed to say.

I don't think she heard me. Too busy ranting out the prophecies in the old tome.

'Deep breaths, deep breaths.' Who could have told her? Celestia? No, she's dense, not stupid. Flash? Not, definitely not. What about Trixie? That mare can't keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. But she's in the Everfree already, isn't she? Blue? Why would Blue do such a thing?

"Do you know what this means, Spike?" Twillight asked, snapping me out of my daze.

"Wha..? Aaa,... No. No, I don't."

"Take a note please, to the Princess."

"Aaa, yeah!Okay." A chance !

I summoned my quill and a scroll with my seal. I needed Celestia to bluff our way out of this.

"Dear Princess Celestia..." Twillight started. I completely ignored her, and wrote my own letter.

Celestia, I need a favor. You see......

Author's Note

And thus begins Spike's tale. I seem to have a fetish for stories with big things going on.

Criticism is welcome and appreciated.