Chapters Elements of the Past
Prologue
The great, blinding flash dissipated, leaving Princess Luna on the hard stone floor of the ruins, deep within the Everfree Forest. A great sense of bewilderment was felt by the Princess as the evil essense that overtook her very being dissipated outward. As it did so, at a volume of not more than a whisper, this essense did speak. It resonated throughout her scrambled mind.
"I'll be back, when your foolish Elements are no more. Do as you wish, but in a century and a half, I will return, and Equestria will know eternal darkness. " The whisper cackled as it faded.
The Princess opened her eyes, to reveal her sister, as well as her saviors, standing before her. The two sisters hugged in an embrace of relief and sisterly love, her immediate worries put to rest by her elder sister's words. With promises of ruling Equestria together, as sisters, fairly and forever, the two royal ponies departed the ruins, giving thanks to their heroes, the six mares that were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony as they flew off toward their home in Canterlot. Much had changed in her absence, and her sister proposed they take the long way, flying, as opposed to teleporting to the site, so she could be told something of what had transpired in the vast stretch of time that she was trapped within the moon.
*****
The Sun Princess had to take action. Luna had told her everything; the Mare in the Moon was coming back. All she'd said in reply was that they'd cross that bridge when they came across it. Looking back, it was a close scrape this time, and for the sake of Equestria, they would be more cautious this time.
Princess Celestia entered the basement of the Canterlot Archives, a place within which only the most sacred and important spells were kept. It was heavily guarded, not by sentries or locks, but other mysterious--and thus far reliable--forces. Any hidden and ancient security simply allowed the Princess to pass. The security in question included self-sealing doors and other magical traps, the exact nature and potency of which none would dare test. There was no such thing as being too prepared, in case any pony of malicious intent were to enter this place and use its secrets against Equestria.
The Princess was looking for a specific spell, one even she only faintly remembered, and one she had not seen since she, along with her sister, defeated Discord. It was the spell of Elemental Heredity. A failsafe devised by an unknown spellcrafter, even before she and her sister wielded the Elements. This spell would be vital to her plan. In a hundred and fifty years, she'd need the Elements again, and she couldn't possibly rely on those that currently bore them, which--as of just that night--included her most faithful student, to still be alive then, nor could she rely on herself to wield them again.
So many personal students, the Princess had taken. Dozens of them had lived and died throughout her reign. Each one had been a great friend. A tear came to her eye as she thought of each and every one of them. Immortality was a double-edged sword, and one of the few things the Princess feared now was forgetting those she'd taken as students over her long life. She shook the thought, and proceeded deeper into the basement. She was looking for something. Celestia had decided not to inform her sister of her plan; it was risky to let anypony know. Only those not in danger of being possessed by Nightmare Moon, and those that would live very long could know about this, and only if they were willing to keep it a secret for a very long time. And besides, she'd kept Equestria well for centuries without catastrophe, she could handle it without her sister. But she might need help, for one reason or another. She thought of one being that could surely assist her with this plan. Not a pony, but a dragon, the assistant to her personal student. There were few as suited as he, the Princess thought.
Chapter One: Magic
One hundred forty-nine years, eleven months, and three weeks later.
Bookworm awoke with a jolt. He shook his head, and looked around the room. It was the same room he always woke up in nowadays, and the same nightmare he'd always had nowadays. He got out of his bed, and passed into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror. As usual, the nightmare had been entirely correct once again. The whole truth was laid bare for him for about the billionth time; he was an earth pony. He'd never be as fast as a pegasus, or as powerful as a unicorn. For some, this was a source of pride. For Bookworm, it was a curse. Around half of his ancestors had been unicorns, another third pegasi, and the small portion remaining, earth ponies. Why couldn't he be magical like any of them? It would certainly serve him better. With a name like Bookworm , not much else was going for him, either.
Bookworm was, as his name implied, a very heavy reader. Since he learned how, his favorite--and only--regular pastime was reading. From this reading came a significant amount of factual knowledge, the likes of which nearly no pony his age--or even a few years older--could match. Or at least, that was what he thought. This was his only real accomplishment, his book-smartness, and the reason for that was the fact that he had nothing else to do. Another brutal fact of life crossed his mind; he had no friends.
It was a shame, to be sure, but why bother with others when you can learn about the past? His attention turned to his recently-aquired dwelling. It was an old place, and a place of historic value, a place of the past. He lived in Ponyville's library. How he had come to own it, exactly, he didn't really know; the deed had come in the mail a short while after he was ready to move out of his parents' house and find a place of his own. The convenience was startling, and for Bookworm, it was exciting. Not only did he have a home, and a decently-sized one at that, he lived in the very place that the mare that had wielded the Element of Magic had lived, almost a century ago.
Magic. Magic was something he really, really wished he had. It was pretty much the only thing he wanted. Bookworm the earth pony, with no magic to speak of, really wanted magic. He'd looked at spells, he'd looked into almost every possible nook or cranny of literature on such matters, but it was all fairy tales or other useless junk. He wouldn't find magic by just sitting around reading about it, but what else could he do? Well, there was witchcraft, but that form of 'magic' was debunked by empirical analysis decades ago. It was hopeless, the same conclusion he always reached, every single morning. It was unpleasant to have such facts shoved into one's mind all the time, especially in the form of that stupid nightmare. It didn't matter right now, though. His savings weren't going to last forever, and he needed a job. He lived alone, so it was reasonable to assume that only a few bits a day would keep him from starving.
Getting a job was his only priority of the day. The rest of it would probably be taken by reading, as usual. The library's supply of books was immense, plenty enough to keep him busy for years. He had considered running the library as such--a library--but that took too much paperwork for his taste, and some of the books could be lost. The newspaper would have job postings. The stallion went to the door, noticing the newspaper just outside. He picked it up in his mouth. As he did so, a shadow covered the stallion, causing him to look upward.
Bookworm jumped backward and dropped the newspaper at the sight. Standing just outside his door was a relatively small, but still frighteningly large, purple dragon, with a greenish-white underbelly. It didn't look threatening, but frightening nonetheless. It was unusual for any creature other than a pony to appear in Ponyville, and a dragon had never before come to his door. Fighting an instinct to run or cower, Bookworm stood straight. After all, it was only polite.
"Hello," the dragon said in a somewhat-deep voice. "Sorry to surprise you. I'm Spike. Are you Bookworm?"
"Yes, I am," the stallion replied. "Spike..." Something was familiar about that name. "You're Spike! You were Twilight Sparkle's assistant! You used to live here."
"A really long time ago, yes, I lived here. May I come in?"
"Sure, sure. Make yourself at home."
Bookworm stepped aside, allowing the dragon entry. He looked around, as though inspecting the place.
"I see you haven't done much with the place."
Bookworm shook his head. "No, I haven't. Now, If you'd pardon my asking, why would you be here? You're kind of an important dragon, assistant to the Princess and all." He wasn't a good speaker. It probably came from his lack of interaction as a colt, or something.
"Yes, of course. Bookworm, do you know why you're here?"
"Here?" Bookworm gestured widely with his hoof to indicate the library. "I live here."
"Do you know why you live here?"
Bookworm shook his head again. "Come to think of it, I don't. Somepony dropped the deed in our mailbox some time ago." He brought his hoof to his chin. "Was that you?"
"It was. You see, Bookworm, there's something important I must tell you," Spike answered, his tone changing to a more urgent one.
"I'm listening," the stallion replied.
"Listen well, then. You are aware of the nearing one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Nightmare Moon's defeat at the hooves of the Elements of Harmony, I trust?"
"Yes, I'd taken note of that."
"Good. Now, what I'll tell you now must remain a secret, by Celestia's order. Do you understand that?"
Bookworm cocked an eyebrow. "Certainly, I do, but... what is the nature of this secret, and why are you telling me? In fact, why don't you explain to me what's going on and why?"
"I plan to. Bookworm, you are the heir to the Element of Magic. Twilight Sparkle was your great-great-grandmother."
Bookworm frowned and furrowed his brow, deep in thought. After a few moments, he had formulated his response. "Spike, that's impossible, you must know that. I'm an earth pony , not a unicorn, or even a pegasus. I haven't got any magic to speak of, I can't wield the Element of Magic."
Spike continued without any change in inflection or expression. He had apparently expected that response. "I think you'll be proven wrong on that. And besides, the Princess and I need your help, regardless of whether you think you're up to it or not. Nightmare Moon is going to be returning to Equestria next week, during the Summer Sun Celebration. All we need you to do is come with me to find those others who have inherited an Element. If I recall correctly, the closest one is here in Ponyville, the Element of... Generosity." Spike shifted uncomfortably as he said the last word.
"Hold on a second. Why can't you contact one of my cousins, or my brother? He's a unicorn. Most of them are unicorns, and they'd have the same genes as me, I'm sure."
"Bookworm, the Princess has been tracking those eligible, and you are the only one capable of wielding the Element of Magic. Maybe you aren't right now, but you're our only option."
"So what you're telling me is that I am the Element of Magic, that there are five other heirs to the Elements scattered throughout Equestria, that you and I have to gather them all up to stop Nightmare Moon from plunging the world into eternal darkness, and that there is only one pony capable of holding each Element, which means that I must go?"
"That's right."
Bookworm sighed. "Why didn't the Princess just summon us all to Canterlot? That would have been so much simpler."
"I don't know, exactly, but you must know how Twilight Sparkle first met the other Elements of Harmony, right?"
Bookworm again brought a hoof to his chin. The bearers of the Elements had come together when a crisis loomed, becoming unified as friends, a force of Harmony. So he had to fulfill the role of Twilight Sparkle, who had brought them all together... to repeat history. It might have been far-fetched, but it just might work. Besides, he didn't have much to lose. He nodded slowly.
Spike smiled. "Then you have some idea of why the Princess wants this done this way. Will you need time to prepare? We don't have a lot of time, the Princess wants a few days of leeway before the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Leeway? What for?"
"I believe you know the answer to that. May I suggest that you start packing?"
"Right, right." Bookworm went to assemble what he might need. There wasn't much in the form of trinkets or anything he planned to take, so he focussed on a few things. He put a few apples, a pouch of bits, and a pair of books in his saddlebag before putting it over his back. Coming back to the door, he found that Spike was still waiting there. Well, of course he was, where would he have gone?
Spike really hoped this would work out. With his suspicion that Bookworm didn't think he could bear the Element of Magic confirmed, he really hoped that the Princess' plan could still work. What if the others didn't think they could bear their Element either? What if they couldn't become friends, and the Elements wouldn't work, as they hadn't with Discord the first time they'd tried to take him down? He had voiced all of these concerns to Celestia before, but she had told him not to worry, that she had taken precautions. Spike really hoped she did, because if this did not work, then Equestria would be done for.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked the dull blue-grey earth pony stallion he'd just met, noticing for the first time his cutie mark, a brown book surrounded by purple sparkles. A number of things about this stallion reminded him of his lost friend, and it brought back many memories. It had been far too long, more than fifty years, since he had a friend like Twilight. He fought back the memories and tears that wanted nothing else than to come out. It was time to focus, not the time to be sentimental.
"I think so. Where are we headed first?" the stallion asked him.
Another place to bring back memories was their destination. They were bound for the Carousel Boutique. Out the door the pair went, down the streets of Ponyville. Such a creature as a dragon appearing in the streets of the ever-growing city such as this were uncommon, and ponies' gazes could be felt by the two as they went.
"So, why is this all such a secret?" Bookworm said, trying to start a conversation. Ponyville wasn't a place known for eavesdropping, and who would eavesdrop on a being as large as he? Spike decided not to dismiss the question until it was entirely safe.
"Well, the Princess is trying to lull Nightmare Moon into a false sense of security so that the Elements of Harmony, which she will think no longer exist, can take her by surprise when she came along."
"I didn't know that I was related to Twilight Sparkle, my parents never said anything about that." Bookworm's tone was a slightly-accusatory one.
"I know that you feel a little betrayed, but the Princess had to take every precaution, so that only she and I would know who could hold the Elements of Harmony this time. You see, the way the Princess made it so that you--and the other five ponies we're looking for--could wield the Elements is a closely-guarded secret. Nightmare Moon, hopefully, does not know about it."
"But how will Nightmare Moon return? If I recall correctly from my books, Princess Luna doesn't feel any sort of anger for the ponies of Equestria anymore. In what form could she possibly return?" Bookworm had a point, and Spike's own answer to that question made even him uneasy.
"We don't know that."
"Huh," the stallion replied, flatly.
Carousel Boutique was close now, a sign that read 'open' was clearly visible from the outside. The pony and dragon approached the door. Bookworm looked at Spike, and he simply nodded. He opened the door, and they both stepped inside. It was time to recruit the new Element of Generosity to their cause.
Chapter Two: Generosity
Vafrous' shop wasn't overly busy at this hour, as the work day had hardly started. As such, nothing of note had happened today. All he'd planned to do was to repair a number of protective worker uniforms from one of the factories that had begun to spring up around the outskirts of town. It was a profitable venture, as the factories' methods weren't too well refined; injuries, wear and tear were common, and somepony had to repair the damaged uniforms. Being the only general tailor in town, his own Carousel Boutique was the only place with the services and materials necessary to repair and manufacture these uniforms in Ponyville. As such, Vafrous charged a premium; it wasn't like the owners of these factories had no bits, a bit of surcharge didn't really hurt anypony here. What mattered was that Vafrous' shop was making money, and that was the bottom line.
Money wasn't unimportant to Vafrous, not even a little. When he had enough of it, he'd expand his operation, make more money, and retire. A simple, though reasonable plan, considering the growth Ponyville was currently experiencing with the large increase in the availability of coal and raw materials from Canterlot's new mines, and the lack of room--or tolerance--for such factories in Canterlot itself. Being closest to Canterlot, Ponyville was the natural location for any factory that would use fuel and raw materials from Canterlot's mines. Along with the factories would come the need for heavy, protective clothing, which most ponies didn't need, and more buisness for Vafrous. The plan was working so far, and he could only hope for continued growth. Fortunately, his research on projections indicated a continued increase in Ponyville industry, so things would only get better. That is, if his optimistic side had anything to say about it.
As a buisnesspony, Vafrous kept a very pessimistic field of view. It kept him safe from making rash decisions, like taking on new employees or taking out loans for the buisness when unnecessary. From this point of view, there would appear factory-owned repair and clothing shops eventually, and he would have to cut prices to keep customers. It pays to be prepared, and Vafrous always made sure he was prepared. There were never less than five hundred bits in safekeeping, he had paperwork in case he needed to abandon his buisness within a day's notice, and he had taken many other small precautions, like insurance.
There had been significance to this building in the past, which was a major part of why the place was still called 'Carousel Boutique'. This major part was that it was once owned by a mare named Rarity, who, while still alive, bore the Element of Generosity and operated the shop as, well, a boutique. Oh, and the place was shaped kind of like a carousel, that mattered too. He'd bought the place from a closed auction he'd been mysteriously invited to after he finished school, though this auction had been a rather shady one; he neither knew nor saw any of the other bidders, and he got a rediculously low price on the building. This had only brought Vafrous good things, so he decided not to dig too deep and risk uncovering something unpleasant.
Vafrous spun about, away from the uniform he was busy fixing, as he heard the door open, as well as the accompanying ring of a bell, to see a stallion and comparatively-small dragon walk into the shop and look around, the dragon looking like he'd been there before, which struck him as odd. It was unusual for any dragon to appear in Ponyville, and even more unusual for it to want clothing. These two probably had other buisness here.
"Do you need something?" he asked, already impatient. There probably wasn't money here; he was wasting time talking to these visitors.
"We are here under the orders of Princess Celestia," the dragon began. "My name is Spike, and this is Bookworm. I must assume you are Vafrous?"
He blinked. There might be bits coming his way after all; the Princess and her colleagues had... expensive tastes. Then his other side offered a rebuttal to this thought; there were tailors in Canterlot just as skilled as he was, if not more talented than he was. "The Princess? Very well. I am Vafrous, you've come to the right place if you've come to find me, or need any clothing."
"We aren't here about that, Vafrous," the dragon spoke again. Immediately, his heart sunk. Had something bad happened? Had this building been obtained illegally somehow? There went another tendency of his; getting worried easily. He took a deep breath and swallowed the notion. "There is something very, very important that I must tell you. Can you keep this a secret?"
Bookworm noticed something different about how Spike approached Vafrous. Was it maybe because of Vafrous' profession as a buisnesspony, or perhaps something else? Bookworm didn't know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut as Spike continued.
Vafrous made a measured response. "Yes," he said slowly, "I can keep a secret for you, Spike. Now please, do tell. I do not have an abundance of time."
"Vafrous, you, along with five others, including Bookworm here, are needed to save Equestria."
The stallion's eyes lit up, as though he'd seen an opportunity. Not an opportunity for adventure, though, something else. "Do you mean to... aquire my services as a sort of... mercenary ?"
"No, Vafrous, not a mercenary. We just want you to travel with us."
"Well, what's in it for me, and what does saving Equestria have to do with me?" Vafrous interrogated.
Spike sighed. "This building, Carousel Boutique, was owned by the town of Ponyville prior to your having bought it. Do you want to know why?"
Vafrous swallowed. "Tell me."
"Rarity--the original owner--is your ancestor, and the Princess herself wanted you to have her dwelling so we could find you with ease," Spike explained. This made sense to Bookworm, to have kept the Elements' bearers in places where they'd easily be found. "That's your reward, in advance, for what I ask of you now. You are the only pony alive today capable of wielding the Element of Generosity, and what we need you to do is come with us in our search for the others."
"And what if I refuse?" Spike's expression turned to a frown.
"Then Equestria will fall into eternal darkness, and we will all die slowly . We aren't hiring you, Vafrous, I have the authority, as Princess Celestia's personal assistant, to take you with us, willingly or not. I'd rather have you come voluntarily. Nightmare Moon is coming back, and I think we know what happens if we aren't there to stop her." Spike's voice bore just a slight hint of anger.
Vafrous nodded slowly. "Alright, I get your point. If you would allow me to prepare some things before we leave, I'd like to do so."
"We have less than a week to prepare the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. However, we won't be coming back here. Take whatever time you need," Spike said simply. A few moments passed in silence. Spike took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, then turned to Bookworm as the other stallion left the room to pack.
"He's nothing like the Element of Generosity I knew..." he muttered softly. It was apparent that he missed the mare that once held it, about as much as he missed Twilight. Bookworm likened the comparison to that of him and Twilight Sparkle, and determined, from that, what to say.
"But he's not Rarity, and I'm not Twilight Sparkle, Spike. I... don't know what else to say." Bookworm's attempt to cheer up the saddened, nostalgic dragon appeared to work, despite its weakness.
"You're right, Bookworm. Those ponies aren't around anymore, that's how it's been for years. I can't expect any one of you to be just like them. It's just that... I miss them, Bookworm."
"Am I interrupting anything?" Vafrous said as he entered the room again, apparently having heard some portion of the conversation. He had his saddlebag packed, and was apparently ready to go.
Spike cleared his throat. "Nothing important. Are you ready to go?"
He laughed a little. "Yes, I am." He turned to Bookworm. "Are you going to introduce yourself, or do you just not talk to anyone but Spike?"
"Oh, yes. I'm Bookworm, Element of Magic, I guess. Pleased to meet you, Vafrous."
"Hah, Magic?! You're an earth pony!" Vafrous pointed and laughed.
"Thank you for stating the obvious," Bookworm replied, rolling his eyes.
"Well, that looks like a hole in our plan, but we'll see about that, won't we?" The stallion looked around. "Are we just going to stand here? Let's go. Spike, what do you suppose our next destination is?"
"That would be Manehattan. I've already got train tickets for us. There we will find two more ponies we need to help us; Sky Step and Frost Heart, those who will bear Loyalty and Kindness, respectively," Spike explained, then glanced at a clock on the wall. "The train is due in less than half an hour."
The group, now numbering three, exited Carousel Boutique. "A whole day's worth of bits," Vafrous muttered as he flipped the sign reading 'open' to one reading 'closed'. They began walking toward Ponyville's train terminal, which had only become more busy as the not-so-small-anymore town continued to grow.
"So... why is it that I'm the only one capable of wielding this 'Element of Generosity'?" Vafrous started the conversation again as they went.
"We don't really know that, the Princess might know, we'll be going to see her when we've gathered the rest of... us," Bookworm explained. Vafrous nodded.
"Why go through all of this trouble to get us all together? Why didn't the Princess just summon us to Canterlot and be done with it?" he asked.
"Bookworm asked the same question. You see, Vafrous, the Elements of Harmony can only work if certain conditions are met, most importantly that the bearers must be friends to each other." Spike answered the stallion's question.
"So... we have to make friends with each other?" Vafrous looked at Bookworm, then back at Spike, and shrugged. "We have a week."
*****
The train whistle blew, and Spike felt a jerk as the locomotive began to move. His thoughts turned to Frost Heart and Sky Step. From some observations he'd made from discreet peeks through official records, Frost Heart was almost invisible, but Sky Step certainly was not. Politics was the latter's game, something Spike had never imagined Rainbow Dash having had the patience for. A smirk spread across his face as he imaged it, the rainbow-maned pegasus giving a speech about how she was going to change Equestria. Well, she'd made those before, but usually they entailed her becoming a Wonderbolt and leaving all of the known world in awe of her skill at flying, or something like that.
As a dragon--still biologically a teenage one--Spike still did not have wings of his own. By fending off his natural greed with the assistance of his friends, his growth had become progressively slower, more stunted; for every fifteen years, he'd grow as much as a regular dragon did in one, or so he'd been told. He didn't mind. Being slightly taller than Princess Luna now, Spike didn't much relish the concept of growing much larger, as ponies might be more inclined to fear him, and that was the last thing he wanted. Thoughts such as these continued to occupy the dragon as the train continued to roll down the tracks at a great speed. The new-fangled 'magic-assisted electric' trains were far faster than their steam-driven predecessors, and they'd arrive in just a few hours to Manehattan.