The library was pleasingly quiet, no sharp whisper or stray footstep echoing from the silent, book-filled chamber. Through the windows, warm sunlight streamed in, casting spotlights on tendrils of dust that traveled lazily through the air. Calling the scene peaceful would be an understatement- no, this was perfect, at least to the one person in the library, who was enjoying her day off curled up on a cushioned chair next to one of the windows, a book rested in her lap and several more, thick volumes stacked up beside her.
It made Twilight Sparkle- the librarian and owner of the Ponyville library- more than happy when people came to visit- people who were willing to learn were definitely her type of crowd. But, every once in a while, she enjoyed the silence that came from there just being her and her endless array of books just waiting to be read. There was no one to call her away from an interesting tome or stress of having a damaged book returned. No shushing, no need to pick up stacks of books after visitors had left them behind, no monitoring- all that needed doing on her days off was relaxing and reading. She exhaled a relaxed sigh, gently turning the yellowed page of the aged book she happily was digging into.
"Ah!" A surprised voice exclaimed, breaking the silence. Twilight's face twitched slightly in annoyance as the cry was followed by the muffled noise of books flopping and clattering to the floor. The interruption didn't call for attention like it should have, and instead she simply hoisted the book she read higher so that the volume blocked her vision. Aside from a light rustling and nervous mumbling, it seemed the problem was resolving itself anyway, so Twilight continued to read.
"Oh no! Oh no, oh no!" A chaotic fluttering noise echoed from somewhere in the library as the same voice from before quietly panicked. Twilight added to the hushed chaos with her own, muffled groan as she tried to delve deeper into her reading. But she found herself reading the same sentence over and over as her concentration was pulled away from her reading and more towards the din that was only getting worse the longer she tried to ignore it. Frustrated, she turned the page of her book, only to gasp in shock and pull her hand quickly away from the page. Flinching in pain, she looked to her finger just as a small, bead of red began to form from a newly inflicted wound.
"UGH!" Twilight furiously grunted as she closed her book harshly despite its' age and thrust her injured finger into her mouth to nurse it as she stomped angrily to the source of the noise, the sharp tang of blood touching her tongue. What she ended up coming to find was books scattered around thoughtlessly on the floor and loose papers that were once perfectly organized fluttering around and landing at her feet. And, in the center of it all, was the offender, trying helplessly to snatch papers up from the ground and air. He didn't notice his boss at first, and only did so when she loudly cleared her throat, which caused him to loose grip on the papers he had crumpled in his arms.
"O-Oh! Twilight, I didn't see you there!" He nervously chuckled- a mood that quickly dissolved into guilt as Twilight narrowed her eyes before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I'm so, so sorry! I can clean this up myself, you don't have to worry about a thing!" The young boy, no more than thirteen years, bent over and returned to retrieving the papers before Twilight sharply barked,
"Spike!" She spoke through clenched teeth. Spike jumped in response, straightening up like a soldier being scolded by his commanding officer. His boss heaved a heavy, cleansing sigh as she closed her eyes and prepared further words. Part of her didn't want to open her eyes back up and review the mess her junior had made.
"Those are very important papers, who in the world said you were supposed to move them?" She asked, her tone of voice cold, sending shivers up the young boy's spine. Her voice was calm, but there was killing intend in her eyes.
"I-I just figured it would help if I moved them to the back room. I mean, you mentioned it yesterday how you were meaning to, so I thought-" Spike rambled, not pausing from his excuse to take even the shortest breath as her nervously rubbed the back of his head. His eyes were averted to the book and paper covered floor.
"Those papers were to Princess Celestia herself, Spike! I've been working on that research for months now, you know I have!" Twilight shouted, her eyes also surveying the mess, only making her increasingly more upset. "And now I have to organize them all again myself, all because you 'thought'. You didn't think, Spike, you didn't think at all!" A hush fell between the two of them before Twilight made a sound like she was choking back a sob before she crouched down and absorbed herself in collecting loose papers. Spike stood stalk still at first, not sure of what to do, but in his guilt tried, once again, to help pick up the mess he'd made. His attempt to try and get back into Twilight's good graces failed as he immediately caught himself on a stray, undone shoelace of his and crashed down to the floor, sending a pile of papers back into the air.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He immediately apologized, trying to regain his bearings.
"Spike… just… just leave, okay!?" Twilight yelled, her gaze still cast to the floor, her neatly cut bangs hiding her eyes. "I don't want you here, so go bother someone else!"
A lump grew in Spike's throat as he got up, but didn't immediately leave. He stood before Twilight, who was angrily snatching up papers, feeling the warm lump grow larger by the second. This wasn't the first time he'd managed to inconvenience his boss- his companion of many years- and every time he promised it would be his last. With each passing accident, he was left wondering if he could ever do anything right. He'd been appointed specifically by Princess Celestia to help Twilight, her star pupil, but so far he'd done nothing but trouble her. Why had the princess chosen him anyway?
"I thought I told you to leave!" Twilight spoke suddenly, causing Spike to first jump and then stumble out of the room, careful- but unsuccessful- not to step on any books or papers.
Of course, Spike didn't get very far once he'd left the library. The library was closed on Sundays, but everywhere else in Ponyville was open for business, taking advantage of the fare weather. Everyone else Spike knew was probably busy with their own jobs, and he figured he'd only get in the way, just like he had with Twilight. Sighing, he leaned against the outer wall of the library that had been fashioned out of an old, gargantuan tree that had grown in the center of town. It was a horrible waste to have been so depressed on such a fine day.
The small town of Ponyville sat nestled in a valley that bordered the grand, royal city of Canterlot, and aside being used as a small base for its' military, the town was happily secluded from the rest of Equestria. The only things that mattered were the events and goings on within their borders: what crops were doing well, who was ill, what travelers were passing through and where they were going- that sort of thing. All chaos that happened outside of the valley was none of their concern, and it made for an overly peaceful life. Even the members of the military (a few of them being close friends of Twilight) seemed a lot more happy and lax being stationed there. Ponyville was certainly a place tucked away from the world's troubles.
None of that did much to perk up Spike's mood, however. He slid down to the ground and drew his knees close to his chest. Times like this surfaced something he normally didn't bring up to anyone. At first, he figured it only to a heightened sense of empathy, but it went a lot deeper than that, and it usually only happened when someone around him was upset. He'd try and ignore it, but he'd be able to feel their emotions like he was feeling them himself, and it was incredibly upsetting. It felt like he was looking into something he wasn't supposed to- reading emotions of people and feeling every last, painful needle of sadness and frustration even when they tried to hide it. Twilight's frustration burned him, leaving him with an uncomfortable feeling in his gut and a weight on his shoulders that could crush him, but even more-so, her sadness was just as overwhelming. She must have been crying inside as she picked up the mess he had made, seeing as tears were starting to build in his eyes as well. Twilight probably didn't want anyone to know she was so upset, which made him all the more uncomfortable about his ability.
"Oh, dear, Spike! Whatever is the matter?" Before he even looked up to see who has spoken, the younger boy immediately began wiping at his eyes, trying desperately to fight off the tears in his eyes. He recognized the person standing over him without having to look, anyway, and they were someone who he would rather die than cry in front of.
"N-Nothing, Rarity, I just got dust in my eye." He flimsily lied, and a light tsk from the older woman proved she hadn't bought it in the slightest.
Rarity owned a boutique in town, and provided Ponyville with suits and gowns that were better suited to be worn in the city rather than their tiny town. She'd often complain about this from time to time, referring to the town's inhabitants as a "bunch of tasteless bumpkins". Nevertheless, aside from the occasional outburst, she was overwhelmingly kind, especially to Spike. Needless to say, her treatment of the young boy had left him with feelings for her of a rather embarrassing nature he would rather die than admit.
"Both eyes?" She questioned, setting down her bags of fabric so she could kneel down and pat him on the head like a puppy. "You and Twilight had another spat, didn't you? Why else would you be out here, crying?"
"I-I wasn't crying!" Spike denied blushingly as he looked up at Rarity with still-watery eyes. "And… it was my fault, really. I made a mess of some really important papers of hers- I shouldn't have even touched them." He looked down at his knees sullenly, away from the sapphire eyes of the woman he had grown to have feelings for. He heard her sigh as she stopped running her fingers through his messy, grassy-green hair, but kept her hand warmly placed on his head.
"It's her own fault for leaving them where you could get them. You only wanted to help, so she had no real right to yell at you like she always does." She assured him.
"Yeah right." Spike sadly rolled his eyes and rested his chin on his knees. "I never help anyone."
"Nonsense, dear!" Rarity scolded, bopping him lightly on his head. "I for one think you're a very big help. Whenever I need an extra hand, I'm always happy to have you around." She paused, a thoughtful "hmm" escaping her before she gasped. "In fact, you can help me right now, if you're not too busy. I can always use an extra pair of hands, and you can do something for me no one else can do."
"What's that?" Spike asked, though he had an idea of what it could possibly be.
"Well, I'm putting a dress together for a very wealthy customer, and I need materials that will make the gown really sparkle." She explained. "Of course, I mean gems from the local mine, but you know how I hate getting my hands dirty." She paused, giving Spike a very convincing pout. "That's no work for a lady, it's a job for a big, strong man like yourself- and you always find the biggest, most brilliant gems for me." She only needed to add a feminine bat of her eyelashes and Spike was sold, struggling to get up to his feet, eager to help Rarity.
"I can help you, Rarity!" He piped up, wiping away the remaining tears from his eyes. "You can leave it to me!" Rarity happily squealed as she rose to her feet as well.
"Back to your happy self, I see." She smiled as she leaned down, first to pick up her bags and then to press a gentle kiss against Spike's forehead. He heavily blushed, lightly tracing his fingers over where her lips had touched, and the older woman laughed daintily in response. "I'll be at my boutique when you return."
"Right!" Spike enthusiastically nodded, and only waited until Rarity had given him a proper goodbye and turned her back before he went running off to the mines near the edge of the town. He frequented there a lot, mostly on errands for Rarity who had either bribed or flirted her way into allowing him to enter such a potentially dangerous place. Most of the workers who worked in the mines at that point knew him by name, and would hold friendly competitions with him over who could find the better gems. Spike was rather good at finding gems and being careful about it, so there was no real need to constantly monitor him.
"Boy has a natural born talent." They would say. "Why he's apprenticing at a library instead of here we'll never know."
Spike couldn't quite explain his skill with finding gems himself, just like he couldn't quite figure out how he could sense people's emotions so vividly. He tried explaining his methods to the miners, but he'd only get confused cocks of the head in response. Whether they be big or small, Spike could feel where the gems were buried deep inside the earth. Each one seemed to call out to him, and each one seemed to bear something like an emotion. Some would cause his heart to ache, others would fill him with calming warmth- he could never properly convey it to anyone. Stranger still, it was only in the Ponyville mines. He'd traveled to other towns with Twilight when she was on official business for the princess, and any other mine he would come across, he would feel nothing at all. He feared for the day Rarity would send him somewhere else and he'd come back empty handed.
"Hey, little man." Surprisingly so, once he reached the entrance to the mine, one of the workers stopped him, putting their mud-covered shovel in his way. "I'd hold up on diggin' for gems today if I were you. There's been a whole lotta weird tremors down there lately- the whole place just might cave in and squash you."
"Thanks for the warning, but I really need to get down there- it's urgent." Spike explained. The miner raised an eyebrow in response, and Spike couldn't help but hold back a chuckle over calling finding gems to win Rarity's affection "urgent". However, with a tired sigh, the miner moved his shovel out of the way, making way for Spike.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." He told him sternly. "If you find yourself trapped down there, don't go blaming us." As an afterthought, he removed his helmet from his head and placed it on Spike before unwisely sending him off into the darkened cave. Most kids his age would be frightened to set foot inside the cold blackness that was the Ponyville mines- especially after being told they could get trapped- but Spike ventured in as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. The far-off call of the gems buried in the earth was enough to calm his nerves and keep him company.
It wasn't long before the light from the entrance no longer reached him, and Spike had to resort to using the light attached to the helmet he'd been given. Every now and again, he'd swear he felt the earth beneath him move, and there was visible evidence there had, in fact, been activity before he'd arrived. Several tunnels that had been fully dug when he'd last visited were blocked by freshly-fallen rubble, blocking his path and forcing him to travel deeper and deeper into the darkness. Something within was calling to him- possibly a ripe cache of gems just waiting to be found- so he ventured on despite the danger. Once he found them, he'd be in and out in a snap.
However, the further he went into the mine, the more chaotic the call of the gems became. They were overwhelmingly joyful, but at the same time cripplingly sad. They were furious and they were frightened and some altogether insane. The very feeling gave him pause several times, and further in began to make him feel dizzy and nauseous. Slumping against the cool, rocky wall of the cave, he attempted to catch his breath and keep himself from vomiting. The gems were calling out much louder to him now in voices that hurt his head in ways he'd never felt. Part of him longed to head back to the entrance of the cave, but before he even took his first step backward, he remembered the crippling feeling of Twilight's emotions- of how sad, furious and disappointed she was. He felt that enough, he refused to feel that even more than he had to. So, instead of following his own, bodily instincts, Spike pressed forward.
But, before he took his second step, a low, threatening rumble resonated through the cave as small bits of rock and earth fell from the ceiling of the cave. Spike looked about in panic as the rumbling grew louder and it became increasingly difficult to stand upright. He clutched the rocky wall of the cave and braced himself, knowing it would be just as unwise to try and run away when he could hardly even stand. All the while, the voices of the gems became louder, so much that they rose above the chaotic shifting of the earth all around him. But no matter the emotion, they all shouted for him to press forward despite the tremors, and their volume alone was enough to convince him.
No sooner did he take a second step did the shaking earth beneath his feet suddenly give way, as if it were nothing but a thin sheet of ice. Spike's cry of surprise didn't make it above the loud rumbling all around him as he plummeted into a dark abyss that swallowed him up. The helmet that was his only light slipped from off his head as his body slammed against rocks on his way down, leaving him in suffocating darkness as he tumbled downward. Descending deeper and deeper downward- the sounds of the earth around him furiously reverberating growing fainter from either distance or his own loss of consciousness- he was certain he would die. However, it wasn't his own life that flashed before his eyes, fears of what awaited him after death or regrets of things he'd never done. And all he could think of were Twilight's tears.
It wasn't often that Twilight felt like a fool, but trudging her way through the sunbathed streets of town she couldn't help but feel very foolish indeed. The papers Spike had practically tossed all over the ground were actually easier to reorganize than she figured, and she even caught some errors in her own notes while she was reorganizing them. It made her almost embarrassed that she'd been bothered enough by it to cry when the task of reorganizing them had been so simple. Not only that, but she had absolutely tore Spike down without a scrap of mercy, and now she felt like crying for a completely different reason. Before her crippling feeling of guilt ate away at her completely, she had to find him and apologize- and she had a pretty good idea of where he would be.
Rarity's boutique stood out among the simple, old fashioned houses of Ponyville. It was a heavily decorated building built to resemble a carousel and painted in various, feminine pastels. It was easy to tell from her boutique alone that Rarity enjoyed being the center of attention, and would go to great lengths to achieve being so.
"Hello?" Twilight called as she entered the boutique, a small bell above the door announcing her arrival. "Rarity, are you here?"
"Ah, Twilight, I figured you'd come by sooner or later." She heard Rarity call before she emerged from the backroom, pushing up her glasses she only allowed herself to wear while sewing. She looked back at Twilight with a look that resembled a disappointed mother about to dish out a scolding. "I assume you're looking for Spike?"
"Oh… y-yeah…" Twilight muttered, turning her gaze to her feet. "I'm guessing you heard?"
"About how you yelled at the poor boy again? Yes, I heard all about it." Rarity sighed, carefully setting down a roll of cloth she'd been cradling in her arms. Twilight remained silent instead of trying to deny Rarity's accusations (they were more or less true). "You really should watch your tempter around him, he's only a child."
"I know, I know!" Twilight groaned, balling her hands into fists. "And I'm sorry… I've just… Been really uneasy lately."
"That's still no reason to lash out at the boy for making a small mistake." Rarity scolded, folding her arms. "And I'm not the one you should apologize to. If you wait here for a little while longer, Spike should get back soon."
"Where did you send him this time?" Twilight questioned, throwing Rarity an annoyed glance. She was kind enough to try and comfort Spike, but at the same time she was always using the young boy to do whatever odd chore for her. Maybe she didn't notice it herself that she was using Spike, seeing as she saw nothing wrong with what she'd done.
"Just a little errand to the mines to get a few gems, that's all." Rarity assured her, though her explanation did nothing to comfort Twilight in the slightest.
"What? The mines? Rarity, that's a dangerous place for kids! Spike could get seriously hurt in there!" She exclaimed, to which Rarity shrugged, looking at Twilight like she was some sort of killjoy.
"He always goes there, Twilight, and nothing bad has happened to him yet. I'm sure he'll be careful, so do try and stop worrying." Rarity sighed. "Maybe you'd like some tea while you wait?"
"I'm not waiting around for him, Rarity, I'm going to those mines and getting him myself." Twilight groaned. "And the next time you want someone to get gems for you, don't go asking children. I'm fine with you using Spike to do your mindless chores, but not with you sending him to such a dangerous place alone!"
"Goodness, don't get so upset!" Rarity gasped as Twilight angrily stomped out of the boutique. "At least tell Spike to bring back those gems for me when you see him!"
Wake up… Wake up… GET UP!
Spike sharply gasped, his heart pounding hard against his chest. The air around him was so thick with dust that it practically choked him, and his vision was horribly blurry- everything was just a mess of washed out shapes and shadows. His head- and his entire body for that matter- ached, making every little movement sting. Groaning in agony, he attempted to stand, only to have his legs give out from under him and sending him falling back to the gravely earth below. Panting heavily, he tried to regain his focus, looking down at the scattered rocks and dirt below as he attempted to catch his breath.
It became apparent as he focused on the ground that he was no longer consumed by the seemingly endless darkness he remembered falling into. A faint light illuminated the chamber where he had awoken, giving off just enough brightness to eerily light his surroundings. With another pained groan, Spike slowly lifted his head to attempt to survey where he was with eyes now only partially clouded. At first, all he could see was jagged formations of rock and piles of sand and dirt that had traveled into the cavern along with him. But one of the masses of rubble seemed out of place- a jagged structure that seemed to be made up of something else other than the surrounding rock that towered over everything else in the chamber. Lifting a quivering arm, he rubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe away the fogginess left within them so he could clearly make out the mass that lay before him that was just out of the reach of the faint rays of light that reached down into the cave.
"What… is that?" He muttered to himself just as the lacking light slowly drifted further back, slowly moving upwards and revealing the formation to Spike, who sharply gasped and was moved enough to stand on his aching, shaking legs. What loomed over him and everything else in the chamber was far from a simple pile of rocks.
The form seemed almost humanoid- a body covered from head to toe in thick, black and crimson armor like some sort of knight. The sheets of metal that were layered on top of it stuck out in jagged, menacing shapes with two more large slabs on its back that resembled wings. What could be considered the colossal thing's eyes peered out at him, almost like the strange, frightening metal beast was looking back at him- observing him. It reminded him of the mobile suits used by the military, but at the same it was something completely different.
"H-Hello?" Spike managed to stammer, his voice echoing all around him and the mighty-looking mass that lay before him. Whatever it was, it didn't answer back itself, but from the silence Spike began to hear harsh, desperate whispers; several voices that grew in number, quietly calling to him. Spike drew back a bit, not taking his eyes off the massive hunk of menacing metal.
"Were you the one calling me?" He questioned, only getting the chorus of whispers in response. Though he couldn't quite make out what they were saying, they seemed to be beckoning closer to the giant, like how they would have with the gems he found in the mines. Hesitantly, he took a small step forward, followed by another. The voices seemed pleased, growing louder the closer he drew, step after limping step. He feared they would grow just as loud as they had during the tremor that had sent him there, but the moment he stepped within arm's reach of the armored beast, they instantly ceased, leaving his ears ringing. Though the mental that coated the thing was dusty and scuffed, Spike could just barely see his reflection looking back at him.
"What in the world is this thing?" He asked himself, looking up at what could be assumed was the face of the gargantuan figure. Slowly, he lifted his hand, fingers outstretched as he reached out to touch the crimson armor.
"Destiny." Strange, it was almost like his own voice had answered. Spike jumped in surprise, the small, sudden movement enough to move his hand outwards so that his fingertips pressed themselves against the ice-cold metal. After briefly looking around for who could have spoken, he looked back to his blurred expression reflected red against the metal… and somehow, it seemed as if his reflection was widely sneering back at him.
In an instant, the metal that once felt icy to the touch suddenly flared up, feeling as if it were searing the skin off Spike's fingers. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't pull away- and instead, rested his whole hand against the burning surface before his mind began to reel. Memories that didn't belong to him flashed before his mind, replaying events as if he were actually there to witness each and every one of them as they flashed passed. In those brief seconds, he experienced countless wars and the weight of each and every one. He felt heartache and loss of thousands, the heat of countless explosions and the pain of multitudes of injuries. He hear screams- oh god, he heard cries of anguish and suffering the likes he had never heard before. So much death… so much bloodshed.
"You didn't think, Spike…" He could hear the words of his companion who's name and face were lost among the visions of fighting and suffering filling his mind far passed capacity. "You didn't think at all!"
The first thing Twilight took notice of was the frantic voices coming from the mine before she turned the corner to face just what was going on. It was common for fights to break out among the miners, so she figured it was simply that, and hoped Spike wasn't caught in the middle of the scuffle. However, instead of a little roughhousing, she came to find a few of the miners just outside the cave entrance, frantically trying to clear away rubble that was blocking it.
Twilight felt her blood run cold as she stopped dead in her tracks before hurling herself forward. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't!
"Spike!" She cried out shrilly as she approached the blocked mouth of the mine and began to dig at the rocks herself. She immediately damaged her own fingers- tearing away a nail or two before she was forced away from the entrance, kicking and screaming. "NO! LET ME GO! SPIKE!" The miners attempted to calm her down, but to no avail. Twilight continued to fight them, attempting to get back to helplessly clawing at the rocks that blocked the entrance.
The boy who she had grown up with… the boy who hadn't left her side since his infancy was… was…
In her panic, without warning, Twilight felt herself being suddenly flung to the side, meeting with the unforgiving ground ungracefully as she cried out in surprise. In the split second before she looked angrily to her offenders, she had to assume the rough men had simply tossed her away as a means to keep her away. But the shouts of fright and pain that resonated from behind her spoke otherwise and she whipped her head around in horror, feeling like crying out herself at what she saw after a substantial amount of dust had settled around her.
The first thing her eyes met was a mass of segmented, jagged metal that stretched across her vision from the ground to somewhere out of her line of sight. The miners, who had once been standing at the blocked entrance to the cave, were now on the ground, either lying motionless of moaning in pain, writhing beneath the strange, horrific object that had lashed out at them.
Twilight shakily stood and took only a few, ungraceful steps before she stopped dead in her tracks, the sight of blood and gore paralyzing her from possibly helping out the wounded. Throwing her hands over her mouth, she tried her best not to vomit at the sight as she stumbled back, instead choosing to look to where the mysterious attack had come from. She followed the alien weapon with her eyes just as it was retracted, flailing through the air before coming to rest at the side of what Twilight could only presume was some sort of monster.
The behemoth clung to the side of the mine, a silhouette against the red-orange light of the setting sun behind it. Green, emotionless eyes looked down at them, like some sort of god about to deal its' judgment. Behind it were shapes that could be described as unfurled wings jutting out from the finger in harsh, sharp shapes. Standing before the terrifying creature, every inch of Twilight's body and mind insisted that she run away before she suffer the same fate as the miners, but no matter how she tried to will herself her body wouldn't budge, not even a step.
Although terrifying, there was something oddly familiar about the creature… no, not the creature itself, but it was as if she were in the presence of someone she knew- someone familiar and close to her…
"No…" she squeaked as her eyes grew wide. Twilight shook her head in disbelief, stumbling backward and losing her footing as the creature dropped down to the ground. She flinched, bracing herself as the earth quaked beneath her as the monster landed before her. And no matter how she tried to convince herself otherwise, she kept on repeating the name of the person she felt was right in front of her inside her head.
It couldn't be… it simply couldn't be…
"Spike…"