Within Equestria there was a modicum of peace and tranquility, a sense of normalcy and repetition of daily menial tasks that allowed for vulnerability. The eyes and ears of everypony was focused on the future and present of their kingdom; with the biggest threats of to their livelihoods subdued and/or vanquished, soldiers were allowed to return to their families, and the horns of war placed away, replaced with instrument of entertainment to ease and lift the spirits of the ponies once caught in conflict, now allowed to breathe easy.

Sounds of laughter and jovial cheer echoed within the dwellings of Equins of across Equestria. For the age of peace had truly been felt, and the hopes of all were of a lasting sobriety. It’d been a small collective of mares, whose names were forever archived into the annals of Equestria’s history, to usher forth this new era. Their quest, their purpose has been fulfilled, serving their home and truly uniting their kingdom under a common idea. A shared goal.

“INCOMING!” Or, that was the hope. Peace is always like that; a fickle thing, enjoying the moments of silence and sobriety, yet always yearning for the antithesis of its name.

Within the border between the unmarked territories of the west and the Equestrian kingdom, a village that was once embedded in the heart of a fjord was now nothing more than a heaping pile of burning rubble. Strewn across the ashen earth were the corpses of the defenders who called this land home, soaking the dirt and rivers in red as the screams of their kin echoed within the fjord. Hooded individuals treaded over the burning wreck slayed all that stood in their way, if the bloodied bodies were anything to go by.

Draconic warriors were still charging at an unknown number of cloaked bipedal creatures, though smaller than the bulkier beasts, these unknowns showed great strength and prowess, much so when the one at the helm, whose black cloak was outlined with vibrant salmon colored streaks, rose a single arm enveloped in flames. With a single swipe, their fire coarsed through the air, incinerating any of the beasts unlucky enough to have not strayed from the attack. Normally, where many would assume that dragons were immune to fire, and indeed they were, it came as quite a shock when these unknowns used the pyro element to slay a great number of their kin.

Three draconic warriors ran to the front of their lines, breathing in deeply.

“WAIT! DON’T!” One of their battered kin shouted, alas, there was no ceasing what would follow. A torrent of flames united in one engulfed the pink-streaked unknown. The roaring flames struck with such force and ferocity, it vaguely boosted the morale of the tired and bruised warriors.

However, per the kin that warned beforehand, called for all to find cover. Those who remained standing, confused of the sudden urgency, were met with a harrowing sight; the flames were spiraling, no, enveloping. Concentrating on a single point, growing smaller as the unknown consumed the flames in a manner one would breathe air. And there stood their attacker, with nary a scratch, and visibly feasting on the flames that were supposed to be their last hope of fighting off these creatures. It was a sight that broke all hope, more so when the eyes of the unknown shone through their hood. A pair of crimson orbs would be the last sight for these warriors as with a single exhale, the flames meant to halt the pinquette’s progress were now used against the dragons. The torrent flooded the area with unprecedented speed, and the kin who had managed to seek shelter in time poked her head out when the attack had ceased, her eyes widened at the sight that befell her. Her fellow warriors lay at her hoofs, burnt to the point of no recognition. An entire platoon, wiped in a mere second by their own attack, at the hands of an unknown who treated them as if they were nothing more than a nuisance.

A sudden tug at her left brought her with a raised claw, droplets of tears escaping her eyes as she turned to face whatever dared approach her. And yet, she froze at the sight of a younger dragon, clutching tightly at her right hoof with half their face scorched.

“I..Idu…na…run…” He managed to croak out before inevitably falling, forever laying still upon his scorched home.

And with his death; she was now the last of her team, the others she assumed were not faring well against these foes. There was nothing left…she was alone now. Sensing the folly in continuing to fight, she was about to take flight when she felt a claw grip her shoulder. Before even being able to greet the owner of the appendage, the draconic survivor was thrown and subdued unto the ground. Held tightly by one of the cloaked figures, though, this one’s cloak was streaked with navy blue and silver. From what little exposed skin the warrior could tell, there were scales, which meant these unknowns were some form of reptilians. And yet, the grey scales encompassed only a fraction of the exposed skin. The claws and arms were indeed draconic, however, the upper forearm lacked any form of reptilian feature. If anything, the warrior would chalk it up to either a form of molting, or an injury of sorts that left this one with no scales. It seemed smooth, something akin to a mammal of some sorts, yet hairless.

“Not so fast.” The pink one taunted, kneeling down to face the warrior. “I still have a question to ask.” She chirped, earning a chilling tingle to crawl up the warrior’s spine. Unlike the grey one, the pinquette’s scales were deep crimson, slick and refined. Though, her claws, if anything, were pressed too comfortably against her neck, tilting her head upwards to peer into the abyssal pinquette’s shrouded face with only crimson red orbs staring back at her. “Where is the jewel?”

There was a pause, a moment of silence for the warrior Iduna to gather her thoughts. “Jewel?...” She whispered, still processing what she had just heard. Was she hearing them right, did they come for some jewel, a mineral you could acquire in any mine of lesser life form settlement? “You destroyed my home for jewels?” A growl nearly escaped her lips, instead opting for a faint whisper, as if begging to be have misheard the request.

“Not jewels, love; a jewel. Your ilk stole it, and we’ve come to reclaim it.”

Another plethora of questions surfaced, irking Iduna to a great degree. Of all the gems in their possessions she was unaware of any that held any sort of unique significance, at least none that would catch the interest of this group. And to accuse her people of theft, it was absurd, especially since her kind had not attacked any draconic or reptilian settlements to her recent memory. “…we haven’t taken anything from yo-“ A swift jab from above silenced the warrior’s words with a single claw digging slowly into her hide, cutting through her scales like butter.

The pinquette was visibly unpleased with her answer, her claws fidgeting inside Iduna’s wound, causing the warrior to foam at the mouth from the pain. “Oh no? That big temple near the southern mountain east of here, just shy of the border of that Equis kingdom…you know, the big lovely purple jewel atop a sarcophagus; ring any bells?” Oh it did, if the warrior’s widened eyes and forming tears were of any indication, she realized fully the downfall her kin’s greed had driven them to, to have committed such sacrilege. There was no escaping it now, more so if these individuals were a part of the stories passed down by their kin from the east and west.

“We didn’t…we didn’t know…” She mumbled, a muffled whine escaped her lips as she felt the claw embedded in her shoulder twist and turn.

“It doesn’t matter…where is it?” The pinquette’s voice grew darker with each passing second.

“Gone.” The warrior muttered, momentarily ceasing the unknown’s torture at the sudden revelation.

“Explain.” There was a noticeable growl from the one pinning the warrior down, increasing their grip on her to the point of nearly twisting the limb.

“It was stolen...” The warrior managed to shout out, ceasing all of the pain being inflicted on her for a moment. “M-m-my clan was celebrating our raid when a carriage from the east came. There was a performer, pulled off some simple tricks and slight-of-hands. Bit of annoying, and full of herself, but entertaining enough that the chief allowed her to stay…it wasn’t until after she left that we realized she’d taken the jewel. That’s all I know.”

There was a moment of silence from the unknowns, the pinquette didn’t move for what felt like eternity. In the span of a few seconds she felt the unknown’s hold on her release, and the claw in her shoulder remove itself, albeit painfully.

“Oh, I find it really hard to believe a tribe of dragons would just allow a traveler, a performer no less, to just run off with such a treasure.” The pinquette’s claws danced along the bloodied scales of the warrior, cutting through the hardened hide like butter.

And each passing second, the act was felt with small stings across each cut. “…my tribe was in the middle of celebrating, there was so much drinking…we only noticed it until recently, and even then we already knew where the pony came from.” It was then Iduna felt the claw on her back cease, a coarsing fear reverberated through her battered body, laying limp, waiting for these unknowns to further this conversation with a small tint of hope that her death would be quick and merciful.

“I believe you…” The pinquette answered, wiping her claws off on a piece of ragged clothing from a fallen soldier. The warrior allowed a gentle sigh to escape her lips. “but…” From the flames, the warrior watched as several more figures emerged from the flames, each appearing in different sizes and colored cloaks in a fashion one would delegate to factions. “We are far from finished with you.” The pinquette’s arm once again was engulfed in flames, tilting the warrior’s chin upwards. “Now, you’re going to tell us everything you know about this performer, in great detail…” A jagged smile formed on her lips, shining through the abyss of her shrouded face. “Let’s start with a name…”

With even so little time, one would be hard pressed to recognize the small lot of Ponyville from its former self before the crowning of its resident princess. And with her ascension came the formation of the small city-state, with Twilight Sparkle acting as the sovereign in place of Equestria’s primary rulers. Though a daunting task, the young apprentice had taken her life experiences to heart, putting into action her own method of ruling. And the result speak for themselves, Ponyville was ushering ever closer into a thriving minor city, and for a small while, there was a small surge of non-equis migrants. With it came many more issues to handle, problems arising from the rather militant pony factions.

Still, with each passing year the concept coexistence in Ponyville was becoming the norm, and not simply the exception.

Then again, progress, be it industrial or social, would always be a slow process.

Each side has to play their role in this endeavor, though for some, acceptance was a difficult concept to grasp. However, for a great number of the denizens of Ponyville, there was one clear exception. A young drake that was always seen with alongside their current royal, and known to a very select few; the adopted child to the Equestria’s beloved princess of the sun was indeed accepted amongst the majority of folks who knew the young dragon, either personally or through the many deeds he had accomplished with their princess.

And yet, it was a sight to behold for many, to see the young drake be so chummy with…

“Behold! As the great and powerful Trixie dazzles you all!”

To be associated with a marred individual.

“But, before she leaves you all in shock and awe, our opening act...”

Given the time that had passed, only the older Ponyville population remembered this particular pony, fewer with little if any, pleasant memories of her. As such, when this performer made her usual returns, she was met with an audience of young colts and fillies captivated by her tricks. Of course, what brought in the adults, even if for a small while, were the occasional special guests that were added into the blue mare’s show; the more common addition being the bit of a young purple drake, now into his late teens, strumming a cord or singing a tune. His voice had grown slightly deeper, still etched with signs of his adolescence closer to being lost to adulthood. His hair was streaked back, wild and sharpened; as his namesake implied. His baby fat was long gone, replaced with a sleek form, defined and hardened by years of labor and odd jobs around his home town. And with his growth spurt came another defining trait; height. Though still relatively young by dragon standards, the drake had grown to just a little over 6’1. It was a worrying thing, mostly for the lad who feared his body would hasten and become a mirrored image of a moment in his life he deeply regretted.

But, as time passed, his height remained consistent, albeit with him towering over a great deal of his friends, being only beaten by the eldest of the apple siblings by a few hairs.

Though only playing a small part in the magician’s shows, the charisma showed by the young lad was enough to garner a small gathering to hear him play.

With a swift bow, the blue mare stood back, allowing the curtains to part and a purple drake to be seen with the CMC ready just behind him with a small ensemble of instruments. The mares were just slightly younger than the drake, though, even with the passage of time their bond remained strong, as well as their friendship with the lad. Opting to assist him in his little escapades, especially ones that would leave their siblings with raised brows.

“Theres~”

Of course, there was a common topic many of the parents did indeed enjoy, but would rather not have their little ones repeat. And noticing the mischievous smirk on the lad’s lips, it was evident what was to come, more so when the little ones caught on and began stomping along with the tune.

“…an inn, there’s an inn, there’s a merry old inn beneath an old gray hill.

And there they brew a beer so brown the mare in the moon herself came down one night to drink her fill.

Oh the ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five string fiddle. And up and down he saws his bow now squeaking high~,

Now purring low~

Now sawing in the middle.”

Though there were a fair few parents obviously disgruntled with the choice of music being sung, there wasn’t much done as the boy’s singing kept their little ones distracted, resounding fits of giggling and murmurs followed as the little ones sang along best they could. At some point, a few of the parents played along, stomping their hooves to the rhythm of the song, which in turn only fueled the lad’s desire to continue.

“So~

The cat and the fiddle play ‘hey diddle diddle’ a jig that will wake the dead.

He squeaked and he sawed and he quickened the tune and the landlord shook the mare in the moon

‘It’s after three!’ He said

The mare in the Moon took another mug,

and then rolled beneath her chair;

And there she dozed and dreamed of ale,

Till in the sky the stars were pale,

and dawn was in the air.

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:

'The black mare of the Moon,

She’ll neigh and champ her silver bits;

But the master's been and drowned her wits,

and the Sun'll be rising soon!’

The tempo had been easing slowly faster, allowing the children to keep up, and rising with joy and excitement with each gained speed. So much so a few had chosen instead to dance along rather than simply stomping about.

“Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;

the dogs began to roar,

The yaks and the ponies stood on their heads;

The guests all bounded from their beds

and danced upon the floor.”

He took a small breather, built the suspense just enough before upping the speed just a bit more for the final touch.

“The round Moon rolled behind the hill

as the Sun raised up her head.

She hardly believed her fiery eyes;

For though it was day, to her surprise

they all went back to bed!”

And with the end of the song came a round of applause and cheers from the crowd. Both the drake and the mare trio rose up and bowed, exiting the stage just as the blue mare took the stage once more.

From a distance, watching the drake perform his number, sitting in an uncomfortably quiet atmosphere were four mares and a stallion. The eyes of said mares were fixed on the stallion specifically, three glares, and one with a slight hint of amusement mixed in with irritation. The white mare’s glare was especially fierce, her hair bristled, more so when she had realized under what setting the song her son had sung was typically played. The purple alicorn beside the stallion gave her older sibling a mix of anger and annoyance, and a small tangent of fear that was mostly caused by the realization that her mentor’s son, the drake she had cared for and practically raised in the princess’ stead, was equally angered with her for this.

“Interesting tune.” The eyes of the table directed to the night-themed princess, her face showed no emotion, but the aura surrounding her screamed for all in the vicinity to vacate the area. “Shinning, would you care to explain how my nephew knows of a chant commonly heard in the dwellings of vagrants and drunkards.” Though her voice remained calm and collected, the underlying sentiment was anything but.

Of course, the colt already had a defense prepared. “I-i-in my defense, he didn’t drink anything he wasn’t supposed to.” Then again, there was no indication the defense would stand well.

“That isn’t the issue here, Shinning.” Twilight muttered, caressing the bridge of her nose as she mentally berated herself for allowing Spike to stay in the Crystal Empire with her brother for his seventeenth birthday. Which, in the Crystal Empire, meant the dragon was of age for most things he would still be limited to in Canterlot and Ponyville. Of course, he had yet to reach an age where he could drink, entrance into taverns and auspicious dwellings were opened to him.

“Indeed.” The eyes of the ponies at the table snapped to their Sun Princess, sipping calmly on a cup of tea she had ordered and maintaining what she could of decorum. “Though I know the laws of your kingdom, I am…” She paused, gripping her cup with barely contained irritation that small cracks began to form. “I am at a loss as to what drove you to take my son to a hovel, much less one that one play such an…unamusing piece.” She finished with a single narrowed eye focused on the stallion.

Though Shinning was attempting to formulate a response, an answer came from an unlikely source. “Should’ve seen him though…” The eyes of the four ponies glanced upwards, seeing a familiar Equis hovering slightly above them with a cup of tea in his hands. “Dancing and laughing the night away. And since our little Spike is well known in the Crystal Empire, you can imagine the number of lovely mares, and quite a few stallions, flirting with the kid.” The anger had seemingly increased, as Shinning felt the glares from the princess seemingly pierce into his very soul, threatening to make him a gelding.

A hand quickly shot up, barring the three Equestrian princesses from lunging at the nervous stallion. “Ok, before you three think of doing anything drastic, I’m pretty sure nothing happened, right, Shinning?”

“That’s right!” He exclaimed, almost frantically, mixed in with relief in the fact that the drake never left his sight throughout the entire ordeal.

Celestia’s side-glanced Discord, whom was snacking on an apple he pulled from…somewhere.

He merely shrugged, saddened by the fact that he couldn’t continue fueling the Stallion’s predicament with more little bits.

Meanwhile, with the end of the blue mare’s performance, the children gave a resounding applause, and a few half-hearted ones from the adults as the curtains closed and the crowd slowly dispersed. Within the carriage, the blue mare was prancing about, feeling extra giddy at the amount of bits earned from this little show, more so the rather warm reception she received from the crowd, it was a much better improvement as opposed to what her old reception was. It seemed being on the road for nearly a decade did wonders. There were the occasional visits to familiar places, seeing friendly faces, unfamiliar locations. But the biggest highlights to her visits to Ponyville were…

“Trixie.” The blue mare turned, greeting the ever cynical, yet soft-hearted, mare she called her closest friend.

“Starlight!” She exclaimed with just as much joy as her steps with her sudden prance, landing just a few feet beside her friend. “You will not believe the stories Trixie has for you.”

A hand rose up, gesturing the mare to halt in whatever she had planned to share, and if her hardened gaze was anything to go by, it meant the young pupil to the princess was not in a pleasant mood.

“I’m sure you have a lot you want to share, but I need to ask you something.” Her voice was calm, leveled; never a good sign with Starlight. Trixie nodded, allowing her friend to continue. “That song at the beginning of the show.”

“That Spike sang?”

“…yes…” There was something of an exasperated sigh in her tone, though, it was blanketed by calmness. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a song like that usually played in inns, taverns…you know, drinking holes?” Trixie nodded silently, all the while smiling. “A song made by crystal ponies to be a jab at Princess Luna.” Again, Trixie nodded, which made Starlight’s eyes narrow. “So tell me, aside from the fact that you had Spike, our closest friend, and close confidant to Princess Twilight Sparkle, perform a drinking song to a crowd of fillies and colts, with their parents in attendance mind you, did you happen to notice the little group watching you little show by the Sugarcube corner?”

Now that she had mentioned it, Trixie did indeed spot a peculiar set of ponies watching her show from afar, but given the fact that she was filled with adrenaline at the sight of a welcoming audience in Ponyville, her eyes weren’t exactly roaming around. Her attention was focused solely on her magic, an assuring the little ones were astounded by her performance. When the mare shook her head, it was then that Starlight leaned over, whispered in her ear, and made the blue pony’s mane bristle, and her ears flop instantaneously. Her left eye twitched; all the while her smile remained etched unto her lips.

Without warning, a pair of arms coiled around both her and Starlight, bringing the two into a rather tight embrace. The culprit being the aforementioned drake, smiling widely whilst holding the two mares close.

“That was a great show, don’t you think so, Trixie?” he asked, though, the mare found herself unable to respond for a multitude of reasons, the primary being the idea of having Twilight Sparkle on her flank for allowing the young lad to perform something meant to poke fun at her idol’s sister. Not to mention, she wasn’t exactly all too prepared to be this close to the drake.

“Spike.” The calming voice of Starlight was all that remained of her previous calm composure, her face however was a mix of embarrassment and deprivation of air.

Realizing this, Spike released his hold on the two, with Trixie backing away a few feet, and Starlight still at his side, all though finally being able to breathe. “Ah, Sorry!”

A wave from Twilight’s pupil noted that no harm had been done, that she’d admit to. Though, unlike with Trixie, Starlight’s expression shifted to a softer tone as she glanced up to the towering drake she had known since his infancy. It was quite a sight, to see him grow so much in so little time. It almost felt like he was just a small ankle-biter, rearing his head in any direction where help was needed. Now? He was a developing drake, showing every ounce of training and dedication he had accumulated over the years.

“Oh, Trixie just remembered!” The blue mare sprung towards a small chest beside a makeshift bed, rummaging rather loudly before emerging with two items. One fit rather nicely in the palm of her hand, the other was a book, held carefully with the mare’s only free arm. With a spring in each step, Trixie face her closest friend first. “For you.”

Though initially hesitant, Starlight accepted the strange tome, only for her eyes to bulge at the sight. In her now trembling hands, Starlight Glimmer held a sacred treasure she never expected to get her hands on, at least not this early on before its release date.

Shinobis of Love

A smut novel, to the untrained eye. However, to those who actually took the time to read and think on its contents; they’d find a story worthy of recognition amongst other equally groundbreaking pieces of literature. Hell, Twilight thought the same thing, though, the princess would never openly admit it.

“Took a lot of string pulling, lots of bits too, but Trixie hopes you’ll like it.” Without warning, the blue mare was wrapped in a rather forceful embrace, cutting off her airstream as she could only peer down and see the ever so gleeful expression of her friend, clearly ecstatic about her gift. The hug lasted only a few seconds more before Starlight released her, allowing the magician to turn her attention to the drake waiting patiently beside them.

In her closed palm, Trixie nervously fidgeted, her eyes purveying any which way but directly at Spike’s. With every ounce of strength in her, the mare held out her arms, opening her palms and revealing her gift.

Of all things one could give a dragon, of any kind, trinkets that were either hard to come by or unique held just as much value as common-day items. The reason being was that in accordance to their greed, there was also an appreciation for the gifts they received from others, albeit mainly from those they considered to be as close as kin.

“Trixie knows you’d rather eat this than wear it, but maybe, until your birthday, you’d be willing to hold on to it before consuming it.” Within the mare’s palms was a gem unlike anything the two present companions had ever seen. It was a sickly purple hue, with what appeared to be a droplet of some kind etched unto the surface. There was a faint aura of magic radiating from it, and a string wrapped tightly against larger jagged spikes that adorned the gem’s surface.

For Starlight, this raised all sorts of red flags, and the need to inform Twilight grew to exponential levels, to the point that she almost bellowed out her teacher’s name on instinct. Had she not had practice in keeping her cool, she likely would’ve. However, this was not a suitable gift for Spike, especially if he was to truly wear it as intended, wouldn’t the spikes pierce his scales? Actually, that would be rather difficult, considering ever steel could no longer pierce the drake’s hide so easily…that was not a very enlightening discovery the first time around.

As for Spike, aside from the fact that it was a possible rare gem being gifted to him, this purple anomaly’s features were almost akin to his own; jagged spikes running across its surface, a purple hue similar to his own, and small streaks of forest green mixed in. Steadily, Spike enveloped Trixie’s palms in his own, gently accepting the gift from her.

All the while, the blue mare’s face had turned a deep crimson, being noticed solely by her closest friend, whom was both resisting the urge to snicker at the sight, and laughing loudly at how Twilight would react to this.

“It’s beautiful.” He muttered, holding his gift up by its string and eyeing the gem closely. There was a sentiment he couldn’t describe, as if he was being drawn towards the gem, like a moth to a flame. Make no mistake, he intended to savor this little treasure, however, there was a piece of him that wanted to keep this gift intact. It felt like a waste to simple devour it. “Thank you, Trixie.” Spike once again hugged the magician, only further increasing her blushing face to levels none thought possible, and leaving her a flustered mess. Earning a small giggle from Starlight, and leaving the mare with a mental note to inform Twilight of this particular gem the moment she saw her teacher. Had she noticed it sooner, she would’ve immediately gone in search of her teacher, for when Spike adorned the jewel across his neck, the jewel vibrated, if ever so faintly, and his eyes glistened before fading.

As the denizens of Ponyville continued their day, laughing and enjoying the era of peace, the ever so sporadic Discord felt a shiver crawl up his spine, a familiar scent of magic caught his nose. He was not alone, beneath him Celestia and Luna were equally locked in a near frantic state. Though they were quick to recover and return their calm façade, there was no denying what they felt in that split second. An old magic none felt, nor seen, since a conflict from before the princesses were in power. It was faint, but they’d recognize it anywhere, and for Celestia, it was a forewarning of what would come next. She prayed she was wrong, praying what she felt was nothing more than an anomaly.

If not…

Author's Note

A/N: Let me start off by saying a rather common phrase; this is my first story on this sight. And also, i'm pretty much new to the fandom so forgive me if i either get something wrong or i if write a few characters out of character. The story itself is heavily inspired by a book i recently acquired, and if the song halfway through is of any indication, you'll know what story. However, that is not what the crossover tag is for, i shall reveal that within a few chapters. Although, the characters crossing over will have little ,if any appearance, but i'd rather not get into a discussion over what constitutes a crossover or not.
Ah yes, and two more tiny details, i haven't yet decided on a pairing but i'm slowly inclining towards a TrixiexSpike ending. Though, given how this story is going to play out, i'm not so sure it'll fit into the narrative.
And second, the name of the story is based of a song; Wake up by Eden. Taking a quick listen to it, you'll realize how it'll fit into the interactions the characters will be having, more specifically with Spike.
Regardless, i hope you all enjoy.