It was a long, long time ago before the two sisters began ruling over sun and moon. Long before there was any other kingdom. The Crystal Empire was not there, Sweet Apple Acres was not built and even the throne of the Dragon Lord wasn’t constructed. But there was a kingdom. Far away, beyond everything a pony could ever imagine. Beyond the furthest corners of the north there was a kingdom. Beyond the mountains and past the villages of the yaks. There was a kingdom made of ice, dark-ice, and sapphire. Magnificent arches, bridges, and homes.
This was the home of the ice dragons. An ancient folk, which lived past anything we know. Their scales were all made in shades of blue. They were very sturdy and strong. Everydragon of this folk has its place, where it is needed. And the family of the king, was made of sapphires. Entirely pure blue sapphire. They ruled the land of the ice dragons with wisdom and peace. But one day, a creature only known as the Arctigos invaded the beautiful city. The only thing we know is that they fed from the peace and life of other creatures. Soon there were no ice dragons left. The king fell, and the city transformed into a ruin. Many buildings were no longer left. There only was the palace and its library which were still intact.
A long time ago, the city was breathed with life. When you walked through the middle of the city, the marketplace, you could hear many different sounds. You could hear the blacksmith forged shields and other objects with his hammer, the various dragons that sold all sorts of goods from all over Equestria, or even the guards who patrolled the paths and streets at regular intervals.
The closer you got to the castle, the more peaceful it became. A direct path led from the market square to the main gate. There were trees made of pure crystals everywhere you looked. They bore crystal fruits in red, orange, and green. These crystal fruits were an important ingredient for many dragon things. They were eaten, used for potions, and various other things. These fruits were like apples to ponies. Behind the palace was a magnificent park. It bordered on a huge mountain in which countless secrets slumbered.
Many centuries ago, the castle, much like every other part of the city, brimmed with light and joy.
Stepping through the huge sapphire doors you were greeted by a breathtaking view. Daylight shone through the high windows, giving the entrance hall a sparkling and colorful atmosphere. On both sides of the aisle there were huge statues of the previous rulers of this empire. They were majestic statues of this dragons. They were not made of ice, but of colored crystals. So, there were dragons in orange, purple, light blue or just sky blue. The dragons' eyes reflected the colored light from the window, making them look even more menacing and majestic than they already looked. Dragon guards stood at regular intervals. They were supposed to maintain order and peace in these long corridors. If you continued down the hallway, you came to another large door. Four dragons protected the door. It led directly into the throne room. The door could be opened by special dragon magic. A blue carpet ran from the door to the throne. At the throne we went up a few steps until we finally reached the place where the Dragon Lord was sitting. He was protected by several different dragons. This included, among others, the Dragon Guard, and the Dragon Alchemists. The dragon magic was special. It either involved a special personal item or potions.
After many long and winding corridors, you came to a library. The most important and best-known library in the entire empire. When you approached the library, you could read the following sentences on a huge ice tablet:
The Library of Elysian
Named after the first ruler of the empire.
Lord Elysian.
May his wisdom always help.
The library stretched extremely far under the castle. Some dragons rumored that it even extended beneath the entire city. It was larger and more extensive than the Crystal Kingdoms and Canterlot Library combined.
When you entered the library, you found yourself in a huge room in which shelves were stacked upon shelves and books upon books. At the very top, and on the top floor, there was a reception where the librarian sat. If you were looking for a book, you would either ask her about it, or you would tell her an umbrella term and she would search in an exceptionally large index, sorted alphabetically. Then you were given a floor between 1 and 25 and a row. This narrowed down the area by being able to search. The main part was very brightly lit. But the further you got into exotic areas of the books, the darker it became. There were also a lot of parts where you could not see anything anymore. There are many secrets hidden in the darkest corners.
Pounding. There only was a soft pulsing below the huge icy ground. And the pounding got louder every second. The sunshine was slowly melting the coat of the ground down. The dark and stormy clouds were slowly vanishing, and the sky was all clear. The sun covered everything in a warm and bright light. Out of the ice shimmered a dark blue sapphire egg. And as the sun shone brighter and brighter the egg cracked and got more and more cracks all over. After a long and fateful moment, the egg opened, and a cute, blue baby dragon slipped out of it. He yawned once and looked around confused. “Where am I?” and “Mommy?” he whispered. His eyes were almost as big as his head. And he looked around him lonely. Nodragon was around him. He looked like he was about to cry. He just sat in a cold and empty ice desert. He was just called into existence by the universe somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
In the next moment he saw a glim of something that dragged his attention to it. A shiny point on the horizon. He felt something. It almost was magical, and it distracted him so much that he wanted to get closer to it. He started to walk to it, but it was more like he was falling forward and getting up again. This lasted for a few hours. And he got closer and closer towards the point so he even could recognize a big tower in the distance. And the more he walked, the more confident his steps became. At first, they were small steps, but they became bigger and bigger. Soon he started to run properly. He really wanted to know what this magic point was. He ran past thawing crystal trees. They looked sparkling and colorful. The sunlight made fun-colored shapes on the ground. His breathing became faster and faster, and soon he was out of breath, which made him stop. He sat by a tree and looked to the point. It was so near but also so far away. As soon as he sat down in the shade of the tree, something hit his head. He was confused and his head hurt. He made a cute sound like “Ouchie”. A small tear ran down his cheek, making him a bit sad. “Who am I? Why am I here? And why am I alone?” he muffled to himself. Then he realized there was something next to him. “What is that?” he thought. It was a red, glittering something. It almost looked like some fruit. He didn't know how he knew that. He just knew it. He grabbed the fruit, and it felt a bit hard. It is almost as if it was made from a crystal. But since his stomach was growling, he gathered his courage and bit into it. The fruit was slightly crunchy, it tasted sweet, but it had a slight hint of acid in it. He felt the crystal structure in his mouth. He also tasted that the fear was fresh and juicy. It gave him hope and strength.
So, he stood up again. With the goal of finally reaching the glittering point. Even if he still had to walk a lot to do it. He knew he could do it. He had that spark of magic in him again. He felt that spark guiding him.
In the meantime, the ground had almost completely thawed. The frozen trees had thawed. But you could feel that something bad must have happened here an eternity ago. The closer he got to the point, the colder it got again. Even though the little dragon didn't mind the cold. Quite the opposite. He liked this cold. He kept going. And now he could see better what was in front of him. It was a gigantic castle. But the closer he got, the more the beauty and splendor faded. The whole castle looked like a ruin. Parts of the wall, which was made of ice, had collapsed. And the gigantic tower that he had seen from afar was completely frozen. Even from outside the city, you could see huge icicles sticking out from all over the tower. But he hadn't quite arrived yet.
He came to a river. But this was also completely frozen. He could see the fish in it. They were still. They weren't moving. The flowers on the other side of the river were also frozen. Even the butterflies that once flew around them were frozen. “What happened here?” the little baby dragon asked himself, frightened. He didn't know exactly what had happened here. But he knew it was bad. It couldn't be good.
When he stepped onto the bridge, it got a little colder again. Suddenly the little dragon slipped on the bridge, rolled forward, did a roll, and slid down the other side of the wooden bridge. He couldn't catch himself and kept sliding. He saw the walls of the ice castle getting closer and closer. In front of him was a huge gate. The gate was also made of ice. It was beautiful, light ice. And it glistened slightly. He slid right into the high gate. It made a “bonk” sound. And the little dragon remained exhausted on the ground. Then everything went black.
When the little dragon came to his senses again, it was already night. Several hours must have passed since he hit the huge gate. It was pitch black. The only thing he could see were the stars in the sky. And in the distance, he saw the northern lights. They shimmered gently in the sky, in blue, purple and green tones. The dragon turned back to the front to sit down. He looked into the distance. He saw the wooden bridge and the crystal fruit field. The moon illuminated everything in a bluish light.
After he had recovered a little, the baby dragon stood up again and turned around. The high ice wall towered in front of him. And he was standing directly in front of a large, high, light blue gate. When he looked around more closely, he spotted two big statues of ice. They looked exactly like himself. “That must mean something”, thought the little dragon. The statues, me and the ice, something must connect us. But he still didn't know exactly what.
Just as he tried to take a closer look at the figures, he noticed several shadows on the wooden bridge in the corner of his eye. They were slowly slinking towards him. And it was getting noticeably colder. Even though the cold hadn't bothered him before, he began to shiver. This cold was different from the rest. When one of the shadows had already crossed the bridge, he saw eyes. They glowed an intense blue and stared at him. The little dragon became more and more afraid, and his chest tightened. Out of fear, he tried to walk further and further backwards. Soon he felt the cold gate on his back. He had nowhere to go. He looked desperately in all directions to escape.
But suddenly, as he leaned against it even more, the old gate opened a small crack with a loud creak. It was just enough to slip in. He saw no way to escape the figures, so without thinking, he fell headfirst through the narrow crack in the door. It was dark. Only a narrow strip of moonlight fell through the crack onto the frozen ground of the city. He caught a brief, fleeting glimpse of the outside and was startled again. A single blue glowing eye peered through the crack at him and watched him. He quickly pushed himself against the gate again with all his strength. But this time from the inside. With another loud creak and groan, the door closed again.
As the little dragon's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he began to make out the shapes of buildings around him. They were made of crystal, their once gleaming surfaces now dulled and fractured. The grandeur of their architecture was still faintly visible, but the structures were worn and broken, a haunting reminder of a forgotten age. Curiosity sparked in his heart. Slowly, he took a cautious step forward, his claws making faint clicking sounds against the icy stone beneath him. He glanced around, taking in the desolation. A shattered spire leaned precariously to one side, while a fountain in the center of a small square was frozen solid, its intricate carvings barely discernible beneath the layers of ice and time. The little dragon moved further into the city, his awe growing with every step. He reached what seemed to be a marketplace. Broken stalls lined the square, their crystal frames cracked and overgrown with frost. Torn, tattered blue banners hung limply from a few remaining poles, their once vibrant color faded. He could almost imagine the lively chatter of dragons bartering and laughing, but the eerie silence brought him back to the reality of the present. Shivering slightly, he continued his exploration. A narrow street caught his eye, its path lined with crystal lampposts, though none were lit. He walked down the street, his small body weaving through the debris that littered the ground. Suddenly, something unusual caught his attention.
In one of the darkened buildings, a faint light flickered. His heart quickened as he moved closer. The building was modest compared to the grand structures he had seen earlier, but its presence felt significant. He tilted his head up to read the words etched on a worn sign above the door:
The Library of Elysian.
His eyes widened in wonder. Though he had no memory of it, the name resonated with something deep inside him, as if it held a secret he was meant to uncover. Without hesitation, he approached the door. It was tall and slightly ajar, allowing a thin beam of light to spill into the darkness outside. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should enter. Then, driven by an inexplicable urge, he placed his claws on the heavy door and carefully pushed. The door creaked loudly, and he slipped through the small gap he had created. Inside, the air was warmer, carrying a faint, musty scent of aged parchment and forgotten knowledge. The little dragon paused, his heart racing as he looked around. The dim light inside revealed towering shelves that seemed to stretch into the heavens, each lined with ancient tomes and scrolls. The atmosphere was both imposing and inviting, as if the library itself were alive, waiting for his arrival. And so, with wide eyes and a fluttering heart, he took his first steps into the Library of Elysian.
A voice whispered from the shadows, barely audible.
"Could it be... another?"
The little dragon froze. He could barely see her, but the weight of her words hung in the air, as if the entire library itself was waiting for his response.
Author's Note
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