Prologue
Drip. Drip. The sound of liquid dripping into a larger source filled the night. There was no moonlight. The liquid did not glisten here, here in the Everfree forest. As the stalactites steadily dropped the liquid into the pool, a tired and thirsty animal made its way into the cave.
The animal saw the liquid, and prepared to lap it up. It paused, sensing something wrong with this liquid. The animal's night eyes saw a glow around the liquid. This was certainly not water. Whatever this was, it was ancient and mysterious. The animal left, meaning to find a better source of refreshment.
By chance, the cave had an opening where, rarely, some moonlight or sunlight could get through. As the moonlight filtered through, the pool shined, its color orange. But also, along the mouth of the cave and all around the inside, were pristine orange crystals. They sparkled beautifully, certainly a delight to any eye.
These crystals happened to be located right near the entrance of the Everfree, where possibly somepony might accidentally discover them. That is, if that pony were to venture in at all. Only a few brave or ignorant ponies might find this spot. But what were the chances of that?
These crystals and the liquid were very ancient, and had an unusual effect on whatever touched them. It was a magic unknown to anypony. Although, some had a close second. An Age Spell might have been somewhat like this magic, but not fully.
The Age Spell was merely the start of one of the most complicated branches of magic known to ponykind. Only true masters of magic could get it right. But with the crystals, this magic was far more potent and complex. An Age Spell could turn back the clock, or fast forward it. These crystals went in one direction, but much more slowly.
An Age Spell did not usually effect the mind, but the crystals? They always did. They changed the mental functions of whatever was unlucky enough to touch one. Unlike physical change, the mental changes were unnoticeable by the victim. The worse thing was that with an Age Spell, transformation took barely a minute. But the crystals? They took a long time, but potent enough to do the job.
Unfortunately there is no cure for these crystals, as they have never been discovered by anypony save one. But Sombra knew not what enchantments these gemstones held, and did not find out. These crystals had kin, a purple variety. But those kind had gone extinct over two thousand years ago. They could have been a cure for their orange cousins, but they are one of the rarest of all things, and none have ever been found.
The orange crystals are extremely rare also, but still exist, if barely. Not many creatures could find these crystals, only dragons, with their natural love for gems. And luckily for them, their iron scales protect them from the magic. But if eaten, dire consequences follow.
Nothing in Pony History has ever recorded such crystals. Not even the princesses knew of them. Which is why if they were discovered by anypony, that pony would be best off not touching nor saying anything of these magical stones.
But, as cliché as this sounds, that is not what happened. A dragon did find these crystals, and protected by his scales, brought them to his friend. Said friend sensed the magic within them, and did not touch them. That friend warned everyone. At least, she thought she had.
One certain pegasus had not been present, and no one knew that the pegasus hadn't been warned...
Author's Note
This is MY trademarked Orange Liquid/Dust! No stealing it! I made it up! Anyway, Thanks for Reading! I hope you enjoyed. Sorry if it's short. Hard to stretch out a prologue without ruining it.
Chapter 1
A light rain was upon Ponyville. Of course, it was scheduled by the Mayor. If needed, the weather team could have gotten rid of it. But right now the team was unneeded, and had a lot of free time.
Spike was searching for some delicious gems to bake in a cake, as his previous attempts had all failed. Hey, it wasn't his fault, the gems kept disappearing! Seeing as it was raining, he decided to abandon his search until tomorrow. The last thing he needed was to get lost.
Especially since he was near to the Everfree forest, where many gems were. He doubted Applejack could save him this time if another Timber Wolf came. So, he got back to the library, where Twilight was reorganizing the books in order from least to greatest. (In her opinion) Spike snickered. Twilight reorganized those books at least twice a month. Mainly they were in alphabetical order, or from the oldest date published to the newest.
Spike helped out where he could, but he didn't have too much of an idea of what Twilight's most important books were. So he decided to cook dinner. Unfortunately, desert would have to wait until tomorrow, but at least he had some hayburgers. Spike didn't care for hayburgers, but he had a boatload of ice cream hidden deep within the freezer.
He'd probably eat and then go to bed. Although, maybe he'd add to his future plans. He'd already done the calculations in saving up for his and Rarity's home once they were married. Unless he went to live with her. But what self respecting dragon would live in his wife's house when he could afford better?
As the hayburgers neared perfection, Spike heard Twilight come in. "Aw, thanks Spike. I'm famished. " He grinned. "No problem. Chef Spike is serving tonight." As he laid out the meal, Twilight had her nose in a book. "Twilight, what are you reading?" Spike asked. Twilight looked up. "Oh, not much. I was just reading about various new magical spells I can learn. Maybe something that will help you find those gems." Spike grinned. Wouldn't that be something?
As the duo ate in peace, a knock sounded on the door. Twilight opened it, revealing Fluttershy. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?" Fluttershy asked quietly. Twilight smiled. "Not at all. Come in Fluttershy. What brings you here?" Fluttershy stepped in. "I came to tell you that Rainbow Dash won't be around for a few days. She's doing a application test in Cloudsdale for the Wonderbolts." Twilight nodded. "I hope she makes it. I know how much it means to her."
Fluttershy bobbed her head in agreement. "I am watching Tank for awhile. Do you want me to watch Owlicious?" Twilight smiled. "No, I don't think so. But if I need you to, I will be happy to tell you." Fluttershy nodded. "Okay. Well, I'd best be going. Angel bunny will be waiting." She left.
Twilight watched her go, and then returned to dinner. She saw Spike stuffing his face with ice cream. "Spike! You'll get sick!" She chastised him. Spike paused. "What in Celestia is THAT?!?" He suddenly screamed, pointing past Twilight. As Twilight whipped around, Spike ran off with his precious ice cream.
"Spike! You'll be sorry!" He heard Twilight yell from the kitchen. He snickered, safe in his hiding place. Good thing it was comfy, because he was going to be here a long time while Twilight blew off some steam. While he waited, he planned his excuse and also practiced an 'I Do', for when the marriage to Rarity happened. He was sure it would, Rarity couldn't resist his charms for too much longer.
About two hours later, Spike ventured outside the safe zone. The house seemed empty. That made it eerier when he began the trek back to his room. Once inside, he closed the door and locked it, breathing a sigh of relief. Too soon, for as he turned around, a smirking Twilight greeted him. "Oh. Uh, hey Twilight. What brings you here?" He laughed nervously.
Twilight smiled. It wasn't the nicest smile she'd ever had. "Don't worry Spike. You won't get hurt. Too bad." She laughed. Spike steamed and hurriedly opened the door, racing away. In truth, Twilight only wanted to scare him, not hurt him. But he didn't know that. He heard Twilight laughing as he ran away.
Eventually they both went to bed. Spike remembered his plan to gather more jewels for another gem cake. So, he made a mental map of where he knew gems grew the most. Although, maybe he'd bring some sort of weapon, just in case. Or rather, somepony to go with him. Maybe Rarity! Yeah, that'd be good. He closed his eyes, dreaming of gems and the most beautiful pony.
Author's Note
I hope that was enjoyable. I try to proofread, but of course, I may have missed something. If you see anything, please bring it to my attention. Thanks and Review!