A hundred yards beneath the soaring archways and towering buttresses which supported Canterlot, along the winding silver ribbon of the Canterlot river, six figures clad all in green crept surreptitiously toward the sheer side of the mountain on which the royal city was built. As the setting sun drew nearer and nearer to the horizon, these six travellers would be all but invisible to any who gazed down upon them from the many hundreds of windows and balconies in the city above.

One of the cloaked figures, a midnight blue pegasus, carefully drew back the corner of her hood and turned her head skyward, gazing up at the enormous overhanging mountain city with one indigo eye. She found the silence and emptiness of the usually festive city to be dismal and a bit disconcerting. Right now, the joyous shouts of frolicking foals, the merry music of minstrels, and perhaps even the rhythmic marching hoofsteps of the royal guard should have been floating down from Canterlot. Lights ought to have begun to appear, winking out like thousands of tiny fireflies from windows and street lamps above. However, all was dark and silent.

“Moonlight!”

The urgent whisper from beside the pegasus made her jump with surprise.

“Pull that back over your head!” came the urgent whisper again from beneath another one of the green hoods. “You don’t want anypony to see you.”

A bit embarrassed, the pegasus hesitantly pulled the hood back over her ears and forehead and said with a hint of longing, “Sorry, Windy. I just wanted to see Canterlot. It’s been so many years since I was here last.”

The other pony sighed and replied, “It’s fine. Let’s just get into the caves, find Spike, and boot this Black Rose witch off Twilight’s throne, then you can spend as much time here as you want.”

Moonlight simply nodded in reply.

Forty minutes later, after the sun had well and truly set and the inky darkness of night had set in, the six ponies passed beneath the enormous terrace on which rested the royal palace. The roar of the waterfall, which cascaded down in crushing torrents from the city above, echoed off the side of the mountain and underside of the terrace above as it crashed into the churning water of the basin below. Around this basin marched Wind Song, Moonlight Whisper, Willow Reed, Snow Star, Honeybell, and Orange Blossom.

Drawing near the sheer rock wall, the six friends beheld a gigantic jagged crack in the mountainside about twenty yards tall and six yards wide. The crevice was even blacker than their surroundings and strange echoing whispers seemed to issue from within the crack that had nothing to do with the rushing of the waterfall behind them. This only served to strengthen the six ponies’ sense of trepidation as they stood before the entryway.

Orange Blossom gulped, “So...we goin’ in there?”

“Yup.” replied Honeybell.

“Crystal Caves?” asked Orange Blossom.

“Yup.”

“Spike?”

“Yup.”

In spite of this exchange, it was still several minutes before Wind Song took one tentative step forward.

“Well, Spike isn’t going to find himself.” he said with a little too much bravado.

As the six ponies crossed the threshold, they never allowed more than a yard or so to come between them. As they plodded along, Willow and Snow Star struggled in unison to cast an illumination spell. Their grunting and straining efforts were rewarded a short while later as an insubstantial glowing orb of warm yellow light popped into existence and hovered, like an enormous firefly, just above the heads of the little group.

Panting, Willow and Snow Star drew apart. They looked up at their little floating light with a look of deepest sadness. Wind Song couldn’t blame them. After all, this simplest of spells was one of the first which young unicorn foals were taught. To have gone from being two of the most talented unicorns in Equestria to barely being able to create a light had to be a difficult burden to bear.

The light, which flickered uncertainly like a candle about to go out, wasn’t much to behold and was barely strong enough to illuminate the walls to their left and right. The stone-laden corridor ahead remained black as ever as the little group picked its way slowly forward in silence.

“Aren’t there supposed to be crystals here? After all, it is called the ‘Crystal Caves’.” Willow asked from the front of the column thirty minutes later.

“You know” replied Wind Song, “I’ve been wondering that myself. I haven’t seen a single crystal or gemstone since we got in here.”

“I wonder if…” Moonlight began when the path they were on, which had become narrower and lower as they walked, suddenly opened up into an enormous natural cavern.

Far overhead, the weak light of the unicorns’ magical lantern was reflected and refracted in hundreds of gigantic crystals whose size was in proportion to the vast chamber that surrounded them. The light seemed almost to be magnified as it was splashed across the walls in a thousand fantastic shades and shapes, shifting and moving as the ponies who controlled it moved. Only the far end of the chamber was hidden in darkness.

“Woah.” Honeybell gasped. “Now whaddaya s’pose this is?”

“I think we found the ‘crystal’ of the ‘Crystal Caves’” said Orange Blossom, looking about in awe.

Wind Song and Moonlight, meanwhile, inspected the rest of the chamber. With the enhanced eyesight of the pegasi, they were able to pick out the pale outline of something at the far end of the room which extended from the floor and vanished behind a few of the large crystals which hung in front of it.

“Is that...a door?” Moonlight asked.

“A door?” asked Willow. “Where?”

“That’s sure what it looks like.” Wind Song said carefully, taking a few tentative steps forward.

“I can’t see anything.” Snow Star said, squinting into the darkness and tilting his head in different directions in an effort to see beyond the veil of blackness.

Moonlight and Wind Song stepped in front of Willow and Snow Star and began to lead the way up the grand cavern. As the little group progressed up the colossal corridor, the reflected light of the unicorns’ magic illuminated a massive closed door ten stories high. As they drew nearer, the ponies noticed that it wasn’t one door, but two doors which drew together at the center. Each one was made of what appeared to be dozens of whole tree trunks squared and stacked together to create each solid piece and a faint light shone from the hair-thin crack beneath them.

Bound in bands of iron as wide as an apple cart, the huge doors were divided into six panels, each depicting an intricately carved scene from the lives of one of the six extraordinary ponies from old Equestria: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. Where the doors met at the center, the form of a great dragon was carved. The dragon, which seemed to be reaching out to envelope the six ponies in its embrace, could be none other than Spike.

“A bit ostentatious, you think?” Willow asked with a touch of sarcasm.

“I think that depends on who you ask.” Snow Star replied. “Feel free to ask Spike that, though.”

“Assumin’ he’s even in there.” Honeybell said.

Wind Song turned to Honeybell, “Why wouldn’t he be?”

“Well, supposing Black Rose has been looking for him…” Honeybell said. “What’s to prevent her from havin’ found him and captured him like she did Twilight?”

“That’s a terrible thought.” Moonlight replied.

Wind Song stepped forward.

“There’s only one way to find out.” he said firmly before turning back to the door, lifting one hoof, and pounding on the solid wood of the door three times.

Thirty seconds elapsed before the echo of the knocks finally faded to silence.

“Maybe he’s not home?” suggested Orange Blossom.

“Or he got himself captured.” said Honeybell.

“I dunno.” said Wind Song nervously. “Maybe he’s just sleeping?”

As Wind Song raised his hoof to knock again, the sound of a low rumble came from within and a voice like the voice of the mountain itself shook the ground beneath the six ponies as it said slowly, “ENTER.”

The loud CLANK of an enormous bolt being drawn and a latch opening again filled the cave in a myriad of confusing echoes. Wind Song marvelled at the prospect of the sheer size of the implements that could make that kind of clamor, and how large a creature would need to be to even come close to moving it. With a deafening groan and grinding, the doors began to swing slowly inward.

As the crack between the pair of doors widened, a cool blue light spilled out, blinding the six ponies after their journey through the dark. The faint odor of brimstone which wafted over them was quickly subdued by the much stronger scent of wildflowers and honey. The distant swishing and bubbling of running water also met their ears just before they heard the rustle of scales as they scraped against stone.

As the now open doors ground to a halt and the ponies’ eyes adjusted, they beheld a room even larger than the antechamber they were standing in. Hanging from the ceiling hundreds of feet overhead they saw what appeared to be a colossal chandelier made entirely of natural crystal. From that chandelier came the cool blue light which illuminated the vast chamber. Beneath that mystifying array of glowing crystal stirred the single largest creature any of the six friends had ever laid eyes on.

The thousands of purple and green scales of Spike’s armored hide glittered like gemstones as they caught the light of the glowing chandelier above. The dragon lay languorously upon a massive velvet cushion, his wings, each segment the size of a ship’s sail, were folded neatly at his side. The sinuous length of his tail stretched away from the six understandably nervous ponies and into the darkness behind him.

As soon as the ponies crossed the threshold, Spike leaned forward and uttered a single sharp word in a strange language. Nopony had any opportunity to ponder this, however, for the moment the word had left Spike’s mouth, a glowing circle of light flared to life beneath each of the six ponies as they were frozen in place, unable to speak or move save for blinking.

At once, Spike’s gaze fell upon Wind Song. The pegasus felt as though his soul had suddenly been laid bare beneath the dragon’s scrutiny. Memories from the last few days...the tryouts at Canterlot, the Draught Horse, Black Rose’s speech, the journey through Bell Meadow, the hermit...all flashed before Wind Song’s eyes in a span of mere seconds. As Spike’s attention moved on from Wind Song, the pegasus felt suddenly incredibly weak and utterly drained of energy. Had it not been for the spell holding him in place, he would have fallen to the ground.

Next, the dragon’s gaze moved next to Moonlight who stood next to Wind Song, and then to Honeybell, and so on. A full two minutes had elapsed before Spike finally seemed to be finished. He gave one slow blink, the enormous emerald irises momentarily covered by his eyelids.

Instantly, the spell holding them in place released them. A gasp ran through the little huddle of ponies as they struggled to keep their balance and shaking all the while.

“Wind Song, Moonlight Whisper, Honeybell, Orange Blossom, Willow Reed, and Snow Star.” Spike’s voice rumbled as a plume of smoke and steam rose slowly from each of his cavernous nostrils. “I am truly sorry to greet you like I did, but dark times such as this don’t forgive a lax sense of security. I had to examine your minds to ensure you weren’t impostors.”

Still shaking, Honeybell replied, “It..it’s fine, mm...mister Spike, sir.”

The others nodded in agreement as they wobbled into a sloppy bow.

“W...we understand.” said Moonlight. “We’re just sorry those kinds of precautions are necessary. W...where e...exactly are we?” she asked, looking around the enormous cave.

Spike replied, “Please don’t bow to me, ponies. If my hopes prove true, it will be you to whom I will bow in thanks should you manage to save Equestria. As for where you are, you are in my home under Canterlot. It was prepared for me many centuries ago when I grew too large to live in the palace above.”

“You live in a...a cave?” Wind Song asked, incredulously and the scaly ridges above Spikes eyes rose. “Spike, royal advisor, elite tactician, and one of the most fearsome dragons in the history of Equestria lives in a cave? Meaning no disrespect, but how could the princess do that to you after all your years of service?”

A sound like two enormous boulders grating together echoed in the cave as Spike laughed, “You misunderstand, Wind Song. Taking up residence here was actually my own choice.”

The retort Wind Song had been about to utter died on his lips at this pronouncement.

Spike continued, “As I became older, my desire for action and inclusion in society waned until I wanted nothing more in life than to live in peace and quiet. The company of others, including that of my own kind, became tiresome, save for that of Twilight and our five other friends. Of course I didn’t want to tell Twilight that, for fear she would take offense and think I didn’t want to be around her. When I became too large to house in the palace, Twilight offered to repurpose the east wing of the palace for my use as a home. I knew that Twilight had been intending to extend her library into that wing as she continued to collect books from around Equestria and was amazed when she offered to give it to me instead. Instead, I suggested the use of the caverns under the city, which had lain unused since Canterlot was built.” Spike chuckled again, parting his lips in a grin and exposing dozens of razor sharp teeth, each as big as a pony. Looking thoughtful, he continued “I think she was extremely relieved when I made the suggestion, although she felt bad that I would no longer be close to her.”

The ponies released a collective “Aah” of understanding.

Snow Star, who had been thinking to himself, finally asked, “So, we met a strange character in Bell Meadow...he called himself the…”

“The Hermit of Harmony Hill.” Spike confirmed, interrupting him.

“Yeah. That’s him. Who exactly is he?” asked Wind Song.

Spike looked thoughtful as he replied, “I do not tell you this lightly, for it is a great secret, but the hermit was once a pegasus of Cloudsdale several hundred years past. It is still debated as to exactly what he did to merit his fate, but it is said that the crime he committed was so terrible that his death would not sate the pegasus race’s desire for vengeance. His wings were lopped off and his very name erased from history. He was then exiled to Bell Meadow where he has lived ever since, his sole task to keep watch over the Bewitching Bell of Grogar, where Discord hid it after the defeat of Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek. It’s said that his extended life is a result of the bell’s magic, though nopony knows for sure.”

The six ponies looked at each other in wonderment.

“He told me you were almost here, and none too soon. Though I’m not sure why, it seems Black Rose is set to begin mining these caves of their crystal in short order.”

Willow and Snow Star looked at each other knowingly.

“Should she do that, I’ll be lucky to escape with my life. The magic of the race of dragons that protects me from magical detection is the only reason I have yet to be found here. It’s only a matter of time, however before I’m found and slaughtered like the rest of Twilight’s court.”

Any hopes the six friends had been entertaining that Spike might be able to defeat Black Rose died as he said this. What creature in all the land could possibly be so terrible that it could scare a dragon? Much less the advisor to the princess.

“Before that happens, it is crucial that I impart to you essential information regarding what little I know about Black Rose.”

“Excuse me, sir.” Wind Song said.

“Just Spike, please.” interjected the dragon.

“Umm...sorry.” Wind Song continued awkwardly. “Spike, then. Not to underestimate you, but how could you possibly know that Black Rose is planning on mining here? Do you have friends in the city who bring you information or something?”

Shifting his enormous muscled bulk slightly, Spike looked upward toward the crystalline chandelier overhead and said, “Throughout the stones in these caves and the city above lay a network of crystals said to be more perfect than any in all Equestria. Crystals like these, in fact. It is said, and I happen to agree, that they are the perfect conduits for magical energy and, with the right enchantments, can be linked to each other. It was a secret Twilight discovered centuries ago when she was trapped down here by Queen Chrysalis of the changelings, who mocked her through the crystals as she and the princess Cadance tried to escape to save Twilight’s brother from Chrysalis’ evil enchantment.”

“Cadance?” Wind Song and Moonlight asked at the same time.

“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza” Willow and Honeybell replied simultaneously.

The two pegasi let out a long “oh” of understanding as Spike continued.

“Well, shortly after she ascended to the throne, replacing Celestia and Luna, Twilight made the enchantment Chrysalis had used permanent so that while I was down in these caves, I could communicate with Twilight at need. Recently, however, the crystals have been put to a different use. I’ve been using them to quietly monitor Canterlot and the goings-on there. I know nearly everything that happens in the city above and only yesterday I overheard Black Rose laying out her plans to mine the Crystal Caves.”

Willow, who had begun to shiver nervously, said shakily, “Um. Spike.”

The dragon’s iron gaze turned toward her.

“We...that is, Snow Star and I, know why Black Rose wants to mine the crystals here. And possibly what her plans are for Equestria.”

Spike’s eyes went wide with amazement. His diamond-hard scales scraped against the stone floor as he leaned forward suddenly, startling the six ponies and making Orange Blossom let out a little scream of surprise.

“You do?!” Spike asked urgently. “Please tell me everything you know.”

Willow and Snow Star were now shaking so much that they had to sit. Snow Star was breathing heavily as though he had just run a mile at full gallop. A tear trickled down under each of Willow’s tightly shut eyes.

“Can’t you...I mean...would you...just take it from our memories?” Willow asked tremulously, still not opening her eyes.

Spike cocked his head on one side in confusion when Wind Song spoke up, overriding the dragon’s forthcoming remark, “I can tell you, Spike. I just ask that Willow and Snow Star be allowed to go elsewhere while we do.” He looked at the two trembling unicorns sympathetically. “I wouldn’t want them to have to recount that experience again for any reason.”

Spike now looked more confused than ever, but he nodded anyway.

“Very well.” he said after a moment’s consideration. Then, turning his attention to Willow and Snow Star, he continued, “There is a small room at the back of this hall with food and water as well as a bed that Twilight uses when she comes to visit me. You’re welcome to use whatever you find there.”

The unicorns didn’t need to be told twice. They nodded their thanks to Spike and hurried toward the back of the hall and out of sight. Spike watched them as they went, shifting his enormous tail slightly so they didn’t have to go around it. Then, he returned his attention to Wind Song.

It was thirty full minutes before Wind Song’s recollection of the horrors Willow and Snow Star had experienced concluded. As he spoke the last words of the horrific affair, the whole room lay silent for a long while. Spike looked like he was going to be sick. Even Wind Song felt his stomach turn slightly after recalling it.

“So.” Spike began quietly after a long while. “She intends to garner power for herself by sapping the magical energy from FOALS?” His voice shifted from one of shock to one of outrage. “That witch kidnapped Twilight, scattered our friends, and intends to murder the foals of Equestria for no purpose other than to gain power?!”Spike’s fury was now like a thunderstorm.

The dragon’s fury was like a thunderstorm. He rose and let loose a deafening roar which made the ponies cower in fear and shook the entire cave like an earthquake. A rippling jet of green flame hundreds of yards long licked the stone ceiling above the giant doorway and blinded Wind Song who, in spite of his better judgement, could not bring himself to look away from the dazzling spectacle.

Willow and Snow Star, who had heard Spike’s roar, came galloping at full tilt back to the front of the chamber, looking beaten but alert.

Spike gradually calmed himself, though a cloud of anger like a distant tempest still suffused his every word as he eventually replied, “This is far worse than I thought. If her purpose was to simply conquer the land, then that wouldn’t make her any worse than Chrysalis or Tirek or any of the other villainous creatures we’ve had to deal with. But to murder innocent foals…” Spike stopped short and shook his head from side to side. “And from one of our own kind.”

All six ponies’ jaws dropped open, dumbfounded.

“Wait!” Honeybell said, utterly stunned. “You don’t mean Black Rose is a PONY do you?!”

It took Spike, who was seemingly preoccupied with his own thoughts, several moments before he looked over at Honeybell.

“Tell me.” the dragon said slowly. “Are any of you familiar with the name ‘Rose Bud’?”

Author's Note

The Thorn of Equestria

Chapter 9

By Wind Song

REVISED 14DEC20