A Drake's Fable

by Wyverntooth

A dragon that has lived a hundred lifetimes, a nation of equines and a world that's oppressive; what could be better. Sparks will fly once more as War's son places his paws on soil once more and walks amongst the mortals he'd killed millennia ago. Going to get dark, AU, seemingly ooc characters, language, suggestive content, and my unique manners.

1. Hatching Into a New Mentality

Whaz up ladies, gents an' other! Not sure I'm if going to post this or not, but I needed to get this outta my system. I'm not gonna lie when I say I'm a bit of a brony, however that's not enough of a reason to give me shit. This idea has bugged me ever since I read Vacavung and Metal-Kitty's MLP comics. The stories they've made are pretty far from what MLP is an' has been. That got me thinking what it would be like if certain characters knew of the other timelines and if they could, what would it do to their personalities. The characters who'll be aware of the other universes will be somewhat obvious in the case of a certain pair, while the other's will be explained.

The other part of my idea's to give characters more depth than they already have. Most of the Mane 6, the Royal Sisters and other such characters are fleshed out pretty well, but a number of the MLP community-young and old-have commented that they didn't feel as three-dimensional as they were hoping. Hopefully, I'll be able to flesh out this creature I'm planning to call a story. If it gets too dark for anyone; sorry, but this story might not be for you.

Forewarning, I might not capture my idea very well or I might make it too much in some instances, but I enjoy the idea behind the show and it's teachings and I'd like to see more mature takes on the show and the things going on in it. I don't own MLP or anything else I bring into this story, if I post it at all or make it an ongoing series. Also, most of the ideas behind the appearance(s) of characters are gonna partially be based on the headcanon images made by Earthsong9405 on Deviantart.

Thoughts or emphasis

'Paraphrasing'

"Normal speech"

"Abnormal speech"

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Am I going to wake up soon? I thought to myself, knowing I wouldn't be answered as I floated within thick and thin albumen, my form still barely that of the dragon I was yet I remained completely and utterly self-aware. Conscious of my state and unable to hatch as I was in a perpetual stasis as an egg, I had little to do but question and remember. Defining myself was an utter nightmare and I had done this for so long, I'd driven myself mad on numerous occasions if only to be sane once more thanks to the company of nearby creatures that would come close enough to give me the time.

I'd been inside that egg for a while now. How long?...I didn't know at that point. Time didn't really hold any actual meaning to me at the time. Whenever someone made contact with my eggshell I could use magic to see the world outside of my egg. Such beautiful, amazing, strange and uncertain things awaited me outside my egg. Waiting was the only thing I could do, but I still felt impatience at the knowledge that if I could just crack the shell even a little bit I could be among those things I'd seen.

Where did I learn magic? I asked myself, the answer coming to me quickly in the form of a memory of a pink haired man, a white haired woman, a blue cat and a small girl being around me after and before I was an egg. Right. Dad taught me.

"WE HAVE TO STOP THIS BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF HAND!" A voice? Something was happening.

What's going on out there?

"NO! I CAN DO THIS!" Said a different voice, a great surge of power garnering my attention with the added bonus of giving me my answer and my ticket out of my egg!

Celestia's testing a potential student, seeing if they can hatch my egg! YES! FINALLY! I felt the strange pony's power envelope me, giving me the strength to develop and hatch with a vengeance. I took that without a moment's hesitation, breaking through the shell and subjecting my senses to so much at once I nearly went into shock, but I didn't stop until nothing remained of my eggshell.

It didn't end there, either. Oh no, so much more happened! My 'hatcher', a purple unicorn filly, caught my eyes briefly but in that moment I felt my chemistry kick in as my infantile brain imprinted on her. The little filly's power was so great I began to physically mature at an alarming rate, getting me to grow until I broke through the low ceiling with my expanding wings and body. The ceiling gave and I was exposed to the fresh air I'd wanted for so long. AT LAST, I'M FREE! I could've danced for joy had I not been marveling at how things had changed from the last time I'd seen Canterlot. Looking towards the early day sun, I basked in the warmth every reptile treasured.

The top of the mountain Canterlot was on touched the clouds, breaking through them and creating a cut in the clouds that passed by. Not far from the city, I saw a large mountain range with ice capped peaks and beautiful wilderness about them. Had I not been marveling at the surroundings I would have noticed that the source of my growth was fading until it was too late.

By the time I realized I was reverting to my infantile form, I had already descended into my early adult form and at that point I was reverting too fast to even flap my wings before they too became too small to use. A snarl escaped my maw, garnering only a slight frown from the adults as I was once more a hatchling and frustrating me to no end. Gold covered hooves met the floor as the tall, divine-white mare who'd kept my egg approached. Struggling, I righted myself until I was sitting on my rear, ire in my 'young' eyes at being forced to grow up all over again! Damn it, Celestia! Why?! I've given you some of my best years, and this is how you repay me?! Leaving me weak and defenseless, using my vulnerable egg-form to test potential students?!

"Well done, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said, her flowing mane of pink, sea-foam green, magenta and light indigo waving like it were the clouds themselves. "You have passed and shall begin your studies as soon as you're ready after you recover from the exhaustion." Her eyes purposefully avoided mine, having known me long enough she was all too aware that I was aggravated with her using me as a test for unprepared foals. It wasn't that I was mad I was free. I was mad that she hadn't hatched me herself or had someone hatch me sooner.

"What about the baby dragon?" The now named Twilight Sparkle asked, her eyes and hoof directing the attention of the room's other occupants, specifically Celestia's violet orbs to me. As soon as Celestia saw the look in my eyes, she froze. Being a dragon-specifically my father's-whelp, I had fierce eyes and she knew that when I chose to I could rival a cockatrice in their ability to petrify their targets. "What's going to happen to it?"

Celestia stared into my eyes, her expression a mask of thought for the sake of the others in the room, but I could tell that she was trying her hardest to look away from the eyes that had changed the tide of battles. Don't you look away, Celestia! Not for a second, or I will hold this over you for the rest of eternity! Come on, Queen Celestia! Assert your dominance over your subject. Over your soldier!

The others in the room were no doubt aware that whelps were feisty, and I felt my strength return to my muscles, giving me a chance to make sure they didn't make the mistake of leaving a newly hatched whelp wyrmling unguarded. "HSS!" I hissed, rising to all fours and dashing towards Celestia, getting her to flinch, no doubt surprised that I wouldn't wait until we were alone to take out my aggression. I leaped for her, getting her to use her magic to hold me in midair with her horn acting as a conduit for her powers.

I struggled against her telekinetic hold over me to no avail, Twilight Sparkle giggling naively and nervously at my fervor. "..." Celestia lifted me up higher in the air, looking over me like I were a pet she were thinking to buy or like I were a finished project that needed to be observed. "I think I'll study him tonight and, after that is finished..." She looked to the purple filly with a gentle smile I had seen many times before, only then noticing that the filly had a six-pointed star with sparkles around it on her haunch. "You may have him as your responsibility."

The filly did a little dance, bouncing in place before noticing the mark on her haunch. "I got my cutie mark!" She smiled so brightly, staring into the eyes of the mare who held me in the air as well as two ponies I assumed were her parents. Her eyes soon found their way to stare into my no longer glowering orbs that now held exhaustion from struggling against the alicorn princess's powers. Yawning, I let sleep overtake me...

Later

I opened my eyes, finding myself in Celestia's study. Books were shelved in no particular order, scrolls were piled neatly in areas where books would fall, and her desk had a journal she was writing in with a small inkwell that she dipped a quill in. "You're awake, I see." She said, continuing her penwork, leaving me to my devices.

"Wux re vi riika, wux vucot batobot? Si tepoha majaktor wux creol di sia bensvelkilti eorikci, vur Si xkhat vi tirnlg cekip ihk ghergo iri!" I snarled out with difficulty, control over my small body becoming more dependable even if I still couldn't make a difference with it.

"You're not a field test, Spike," Celestia responded, resting her quill in its inkwell for the moment to turn and face me. "You're a dear friend who hasn't walked as a mortal for centuries."

"Vur svaust ui wer dril ihk batobot? Wux tira ti origato ve jimos, Celestia, vur Si mi ti petranasgarh!" Came my heated reply, words coming out smoother than they had earlier. "Si tepohada ekess itheik ihk creolna ekess majak ve wer dastudr ekess jimos, Si tiliw ti shafaer sia kurjh! Shio di sia thurirli, sia irlymi, sia thurirli re gethrisja vur Si tiliw ti yenta veyet'toon tagoa wux ornla ti jimos ve!" I said the last part with pain in my eyes at the knowledge that anything I'd done before being entrapped in my egg meant nothing.

She looked into my pained orbs with guilt, lowering herself to my level to say to my face, "I know what I've done to you was wrong, but your sacrifice has lead to many discoveries in science, magic and medicine through the years you've been an egg! Also, I didn't hatch you because I couldn't bring myself to bring you back into this world after I'd regained my strength from my battle with Luna. Had I hatched you, you and I would be the only immortals left from the war." Ears folded back and head bowed in shame at her actions, she awaited my response.

"Si tira ti xkhat vin vrantvrak tenamalo filki ekess cekip lyriki, Celestia...tepohada wux tora, tepohada wux majaktor ve wer krehl ekess douhvy, Si ornla tepoha authot zyak." My small fists were clenched in anger. I'd given so much to this mare and her cause(s), but always had it been with my consent. Now, here I was, before my old friend who had used me in my vulnerable, egg-form without my consent for years. I felt violated. I felt used. I felt hurt. "Si enela wux, Celestia. Kii ornla wux tir nomeno ekess ve svadrav wux vucata Si ornla qe hefoc nomeno?!"

"I couldn't stand the idea of losing you to some external force like I did Luna, Amore and the others! I just couldn't let that happen, not again!" She was actively crying now, like her tears would undo what she'd done to me! Looking back on it, now, I understand why she did what she did. Our fellow immortals had all either left, died or betrayed us and I was the only one who'd stayed by her side throughout the centuries. The same could've been said for her sister, Luna, had Celestia's depression at so many losses not made her desperate and greedy with the adoration of the citizens.

"Wux re wer dril Si geou jaseve, Celestia! Si ornla tepoha coanwor unsinti wux halkvri wer sulta, shar wux tiliw ti enel ve, tiliw wux?!" I demanded the last part, angry and hurt beyond belief that one of my oldest remaining friends had taken advantage of me in my weakened state and that she didn't trust me enough to let me walk under her sunlight beside her. "Svadrav wux 'nahilnop' kemir ve, Si mi gethrisjir ekess qe sva wer symba di dout z'ar bautwael de hak shafaer! Coi ui clear Si mi ti xihuuli enelir sjek wux geou ti origato ve trekis wer diieson thrae wux tir..."

Saying the last part sourly, tears fighting to escape my eyes, I glared Hell at her while she stared in shock at my decision before bowing her head once more with a nod. "Very well, Spike...I'll abide by your decision. Just know that," She sobbed. "I'm sorry for what I did to you as an egg. I'm sorry for leaving you in the dark, alone! I'm sorry I wasn't there when Silverclaw did to you!"

My eyes, already welling up with hurt tears, flooded over the 'marking' I had over the right side of my face. "ZYAK WUX ZULF VE MOBI EKESS?! BATOBOT JAHUS KII WUX TIRA TI GEWJ XIHOODA?! SIA BENSVELKILTI EORIKCI JAHEN TI AURTHON IHK WUX, WUX TEPOHADA EKESS JASEVE IHK LOEX VE KIRI?! KII, SI JALLA SVENT WUX SIO!"

"I'm sorry..." She murmured, tears rolling down her chin as I vented my anger at her.

Tirade almost over, I slowly began to merely sob and chirp for my mother like the whelp I was. "Si jalla svent wux ihk froneel wux tepoha authot ekess ve, shar...Si shilta ti usv Si geou qe shio loaw..." We both began to openly weep, immortality taking its toll on us at last as we held each other as our only source of safety from the solitude we'd experience otherwise.

After our tears ran dry and night had fallen, Celestia weakly placed a chaste kiss on my head like the maternal deity she was to Equestrians and jokingly said as she brought me close to her in a hug, "I miss Chryssi 'invading' us..." I fought to stay angry at her, as I still felt betrayed, but I couldn't stop myself from audibly chuckling at the fond memories I'd made back then.

"Ve kiri, hehe!" I continued chuckling until I was softly laughing at the fond memories I'd had with the Changeling's god-queen. "Tir wux jinthil svadrav si lowda jacioniv persvek wer quellar di vi coce?" She nodded, chuckling at our antics all those years ago.

"It's nice having someone to talk to about these things after so long. I wish the others could see you again, at least once..." She said this with a nostalgic smile as we remained close together for warmth, the air around us feeling colder and crueler than the winters after the Crystal Empire had vanished. That feeling was one that all immortals felt, wading into Time's river to wave goodbye to those who were carried away on its current...

The next morning

Yawning, stretching my small body out with mild surprise occurring at the realization that I wasn't in my egg anymore, I untangled myself from the still drowzy Celestia's limbs as she strode out onto the balcony overlooking the city to 'raise the sun'. I shook my head at her continuing the charade. Ever since we'd met, I'd been immune to the effects of her and her sister's spell that would dilate the perception of time for other creatures. Neither of the royal sisters could actually alter the orbit of the planet or the moon to change the sun's position in the sky, but whenever they needed to show off their powers they'd cast their spell and make it appear as though the sun and or moon was rising or setting faster than was normal.

Moving to follow her, I noticed a small disk of assorted gems which I ate with gusto as my teeth had already grown thanks to Twilight Sparkle's hatching me. A smile creeped up my face as I thought to myself, I need to thank her for hatching me, one day. Maybe an assorted bouquet of edible flowers, or maybe a nice dress? Or maybe, I should get her some books on powerful spells? Eh, whatever. I'll figure it out later, right now I've got a platter of gems to eat.

I climbed onto the railing to crouch beside her, unsure of how I felt still. On the one hand, she had left me vulnerable as an egg for years, had used me in that state for research without my permission and had known of Silverclaw's betrayal. On the other hand, she was the only other immortal left and if I treated her poorly, we'd both hurt. Then again, she did leave me to do most of the fighting back when we were still at war...But because she didn't tell me about Silverclaw's betrayal, I got this badass scar... I gripped my head as it shook back and forth, scowling to myself, annoyed to say the least. AGH, GODS DAMN IT! I CAN'T DECIDE WHETHER TO HATE HER OR FORGIVE HER!

Before I could have an internal rant, Celestia gave a slight puff of exasperation at her old habits. "I should really start making more varied public appearances. What do you think?" Opting not to speak as I didn't know whether I'd yell or speak normally at her, I gave her a face that merely said 'does it look like I give a fuck' which got her to stare at me with a face that told me that I wasn't being helpful. "You know you're going to be trained to be the best assistant possible for Twilight Sparkle."

The use of her newest student's name kind of grabbed my attention. "Batobot xurwkic ve siofme, ui jaciv wer ergriff ir svaust wux cekipa mrith sia vrantvrak?" I raised a single eyebrow at her as I asked her that question, getting her to nod in answer.

"I didn't trust fate, so I looked into the filly with magic being a common strength in her family history. I had thought to myself, 'if you're to be hatched, you're going to be hatched by the strongest unicorn foal with the greatest potential', and I started sorting through the unicorn foals in Canterlot to find the strongest one with the greatest potential." She said this with a straight face, no worries as to whether or not anyone was listening.

Sighing, I hopped down from the railing back onto the balcony and started to make my way back into the castle to find myself something to eat before I stumbled which made Celestia finally crack. I turned my irritated eyes to her, glaring my annoyance at her which made her crack up harder. The whole time we'd been talking, I'd noticed that she'd been purposefully avoiding looking anywhere but my eyes due to my infantile appearance. My voice had made her smirk a few times beside herself, but my stumbling finally did it. "I'm sorry, Spike, it's just...You're so little, again!"

She lifted me off of my belly, bringing me up onto her back with a begrudged 'thank you' from me which only made her chuckle at my adult intellect and vocabulary being disrupted by my infantile voice. "Si dartak nomeno luh di xkhatir sio!" I groaned, getting her to crack again at my soft, whelp voice that I had no choice but to use. I hate being a baby again.

An idea hit me all of a sudden, getting me to smirk evilly. Deciding to do it no or never as my chemistry would be problematic sooner versus later. I lifted my tail into the air and began to empty my bowels, getting Celestia to start as I defiled her once clean, pristine floor by leaving a small log of excrement on it. She glared at me in annoyance and disgust at my behavior, getting me to smirk victoriously as I knew that she hadn't been expecting me to stoop so low and she wasn't sure how to take the 'blow' in stride with grace like she usually did. Spike;1. Celestia; 0 so far. Her glaring continued until she took a fireplace shovel, scooped and tossed my feces over the balcony where the sound of a small fit of mass hysteria began to stir. Touche, bitch.

"Anymore little 'strikes' at me?" My answer came in the form of me starting to chirp like the whelp I was, tears starting to stream from my eyes at the separation between myself and the one I'd imprinted on. Placing a small, weak claw up to my scaled cheek, I pulled it away to see them wet with my teardrops. Realization dawned on Celestia as she used her telekinesis to lift me onto her back and started strolling through the castle towards the exit where a small escort of guards was waiting for her arrival. "It's time for this one to be given to his caretaker."

We strode through town, I was on Celestia's back between her wings as I played with her tail feathers, and not much was happening other than her tail feathers ruffling in a way I found entertaining. The way her feathers ruffled was funny to me as it was similar to the way a phoenix chick flaps its wings in alarm or excitement, something I couldn't stop giggling at. After a while, she decided to thwap me in the face with her wirey tail's duster-like poof at its end, getting me to change my target of entertainment.

After a while, she chose to use her telekinesis instead so I would stop playing with her feathers and hair. I was floating above her head before I grabbed onto her curved horn and pulled myself down onto her head, getting her to groan at my antics. Eventually we reached the home of Twilight Sparkle and her family, getting me to start memorizing everything I saw. The roof was tiled in a fishscale pattern that was pretty common in Canterlot's upper middle class, but the thing that caught my attention was the coloration of each tile. Each tile was a different color from the rainbow, the shades were vibrant and very pretty which kept my infantile brain preoccupied for the moment.

The brickwork for the house wasn't too bad, in my opinion, but it was the material that I recognized mountaintop the scent of. Clay found in the mountaintop river after the snow melts, interesting... I let out what, to those who didn't understand me, sounded like just reptile noises. "Si llewarin trinntele..." I growled quietly, getting Celestia to sigh in agreement. She no doubt had to give up a many great, enjoyable things when wartime passed after I'd returned to being an egg.

One of the guards escorting the two of us to Twilight Sparkle's house knocked on the door, getting a young, white unicorn stallion with a blue mane and a slightly curved horn to answer the door. Even with my eyes fading in and out of focus thanks to my difficulty in retaining complete control over my body, I could tell he was wearing the attire of a royal guard. Specifically, he was wearing the attire of a...I wasn't quite sure off the top of my head. Since I'd been risen in the military ranks in record time, I hadn't had time to get too familiar with the insignia for each rank. Come on, Spike, a private's badge is an arrowhead pointed downward. Corporal is the same symbol with another arrowhead going into it. Sergeant is that symbol with yet another arrowhead piercing the earlier one. Staff sergeant has a rounding on top of the earlier symbol, turning it into a push dagger with a rounded diamond shape in the center...

The guards were talking to him with respect while I had this trial of memory before I just gave up and made the assumption that he was a sublieutenant, before I found myself on the floor with the twelve year-old looking at me with excitement at having a companion besides the blue-maned stallion who I found to be her brother. I couldn't stop smiling myself as her gaze met mine, the excitement letting off of her with sparks being emit from her horn that got me to start giggling like the whelp I was. She started giggling too, wrapping her front legs around me in a hug that I returned, vibrating my vocal cords as a reptilian purr that she smiled at.

We remained in each other's embrace for a minute before I heard Celestia talking to her, getting me to realize that she had been listening to her new teacher. Knowing that, I started to feel ignored, almost neglected. I decided to fix that by chirping, getting Twilight's attention and getting her to start running a hoof gently over my head in a way similar to how my mother used to stroke my scales. I continued purring in my reptilian manner, not really paying attention to Celestia as I was enjoying nostalgia that Twilight was bringing out of me. Suddenly, after holding myself to her midsection and listening to her rhythmic breathing and heartbeat for a few minutes, I started getting drowzy. Being a whelp again might be...good for me...help...me remember what it's like to...live...

I began drifting off, much to Celestia's relief and Twilight's adoration at my cuteness. "Thank you, Princess. I'll take good care of him. What did you say his name was, again?"

"His name is Spike, and he should be helpful in the future. Trust me, dragons are quite stubborn when they're attached to something or someone."

A look of curiosity came across Twilight's face as she asked, "Why is he named Spike?"

"Because," Celestia began wisely. "He hatched when your magic spiked and because those scales going down his spine are round instead of sharp, so it's kind of funny in its irony." Her newest student, and not-so-secret protege, smiled at the answer, chuckling at the second reason and emitting sparks from her horn out of pride. "Would you like to go to your first class today or after you've gotten a handle on how to raise Spike?"

Her question was met with Twilight having a pensive look on her face before she said excitedly, "I'd like to go to my first class today! I've read that baby dragons, called whelps or wyrmlings, sleep for about ten hours a day and don't feel the need to eat very much after they've hatched due to loads of nutrients within the yolk of their egg." She finished the last part proudly, smiling at the surprised expression on the guard's faces as well as the approving look Celestia wore.

"I'm glad you've thought this through, Twilight. Come, let's go before the school opens today." With that, she turned and began her trek to the school she had founded with Twilight at her side. Twilight's older brother, apparently named Shining Armor, was leading the escort as he ranked above the pegasi at either side of us. Although I was asleep, I didn't dream which I was thankful for as that allowed me to be somewhat aware of everything going on around me.

We arrived there just as the school opened up for the students to enter, getting Twilight to be all sorts of giddy with anticipation at everything she was going to learn there. Shining Armor gave her her school things in her saddlebags and offered her words of encouragement before going off to do his duties as a member of the royal guard, getting Twilight to enter the school with Celestia giving her a small tour. After we reached the classrooms, I started tuning everything out besides Twilight's voice.

A week later

Sparkle and I returned to her house after her school attendance was no longer required today, the schedule of her school being based on the students actively searching for knowledge instead of being handed it. That meant that even though there were in-class assignments and lessons, the rest of it was based on the students going out to study for themselves. Students would sometimes be given specific lessons or assignments from Celestia herself. One of the other interesting things about Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was that the atmosphere was incredibly open and friendly, accepting anyone with the power and drive to learn more than regular schools could provide.

Grades weren't a huge determiner for whether or not a student graduated or not. They did determine whether students graduated, of course, but they weren't perceived as that by the staff or most of the students. To those at the school, grades were actually perceived as representation(s) of where they excelled and where they faltered and whether or not they needed to put more elbow grease into their studying. Surprisingly, this system and mindset worked magnificently. Of course, it had its flaws, like the students' attendance being recognized whether or not they were a part of the 'morning' or 'afternoon' class.

Another one of its problems was that the library wasn't incredibly big and varied in what books were there. This kind of worked in the school's favor, as it challenged students to think on where to find information and teach them to share knowledge amongst each other, as either there was only one copy of a certain book or there were too many copies of a certain book. However, that didn't always work out as some students were asshole elitists who assumed that their status made them privy to specific books or made them incredibly conceited when they withheld information as they said it 'proved' they were more intelligent.

Other than that, the school was perfect for a pony like Sparkle, who had actually found a book on the Draconic language to speak to me as I still couldn't control my body enough to speak Equish. When she first spoke to me in Draconic, I had told her that her use of magic to hatch me had given me a large boost in my intelligence, so she wasn't surprised when I spoke in coherent sentences or full speeches. "Svabol re wux urcaxir, Nixeuta?" I asked her, yawning as she flipped through the pages of a book with I title I couldn't read thanks to my eyes still being those of a whelp. It's still crazy she knocked out the entire language in a week... I thought to myself.

"Kwi, Si mi urcaxir vi turasjir shafaer wer livaij di austratir rekisixi. Wer briquimchy ui wer ir Si mi vorqir sva harkt jaka." She said, smiling at me as I yawned cutely. "Tira wux vucot batobot astahii jahen vucat ekess slathalin svern svabolen kaden astahii ornla vdri shafaer? Coi ui shio zi halkiva."

"Ultroi hefoc coi...Si mi zaja, shilta Si vdri?" I yawned again, my body still recovering from the forced hatching, growing and returning to being a wyrmling. She merely nodded, nuzzling my head as I fell asleep with a smile on the pillow that she left on a raised platform next to her desk. Originally, I had been clueless as to why she put it there, but then she told me it was so I could sleep close to her without a; sliding off her back when she sat down after her legs got tired or b; getting in the way of her schoolwork while she was using her desk and still being in her field of vision.

In the past week, we'd gotten very close and come to understand how the other worked. Sparkle was a lovable know-it-all who preferred reading over social interaction with other ponies. On more than one occasion, she'd gone on long-winded explanations of things not many ponies knew when asked simple questions. For example, I had asked her if she would allow me to eat the mice in the house, and she had gone onto explain how mice and rats had been the lead spreaders of certain viruses and plagues. Seriously, I didn't need to be told how ponies contracted Leptospirosis, Bubonic plague or Salmonella from rats and or mice biting them, because I've seen it!

Either way, I'd found that in our short time together and in her time at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Sparkle had become increasingly social, enough to make quarter-decent conversation before ponies started to ignore her, and frighteningly knowledgeable about the anatomy of other creatures, so much so that she had become the impromptu doctor for her family. I was actually surprised her cutie mark wasn't a scalpel and an Asclepius, or something. She began reading aloud the words in her book, explaining why pegasi were so picky about what clouds to sleep on and why they slept so often. Honestly, they sound more like cats than they do ponies. I thought quietly, letting sleep overtake me again.

Suddenly, I was awoken by a loud knocking at the front door, getting me to start chirping and growling at my sleep being interrupted before it began, getting Sparkle to shush me like she was my mother. Picking me onto her back in case there was danger, we went to the front door and found Shining Armor inviting a unicorn filly around Twilight's age with a curled, purple mane and tail as well as a cloud-white coat with three diamonds being her cutie mark. She had saddlebags on her with books and crafting supplies inside of them. Shorter than Sparkle by what looked to be five inches, even though I could smell the country town on her she carried herself with the grace and manners of a pony groomed to walk among nobles.

The filly had cleft, indigo-violet hooves and a kind layer of meat to her bones which was clearly muscle if the way her nearly-ethereally shining coat moved over her muscles as she moved, placing each cleft hoof carefully like she was afraid to damage the tiles beneath her. When she walked, she placed each hoof intelligently, purposefully like she were preparing for anything, as she stood in a way that looked like a pony-fied version of the-HOLY SHIT, I THINK SHE KNOWS CAPOEIRA!

My assumption was proved true when a soccer ball came fly towards the doorway, being intercepted by a backflip kick from the new filly which sent the ball back to its owner who called out their thanks and received them a sweet smile from the pony before us. "Miss Twilight, I presume?" The foal before us asked, her voice carrying an accent of a country pony with a refined, blue-blooded spice in her voice. When she spoke, I noticed that her teeth were perfectly aligned as well as shiny as delicious pearls found in oysters.

"She's not here, ma'am," Sparkle said like a doofus, getting me to giggle and catch the attention of the filly at the door. A gasp of surprise from the filly made Sparkle move me behind Armor with her telekinesis, saying as disapprovingly as possible, "Shining, what have I told you about letting your pet dragon climb on my back?!"

Armor, as I'd come to call him since Sparkle used the first half of his name, had left the doorway to inspect the paperwork he'd left on the table when his sister pushed the blame of my presence on him. "What?!" He asked incredulously, looking to my hatcher almost indignantly.

"Mi Si vi selgtarn ihk wux, kwi Kappa di wer Shehad Shivi?!" I asked indignantly, sounding only like growls and hisses to anyone but Twilight who was also on my shit list. "Vur wux, Nixeuta, svabol wer Uoinota?! Si siofmea yth jahen svihelen!" My complaining got Sparkle to start shushing me, only for the filly to come up to Armor and begin questioning him excitedly.

"Where did you get him?! Are you keeping him?! Can I have him if you don't want him?! PLEAS-mph!" Armor carefully put a cleft hoof over her mouth to stop her from going blue in the face long enough to use his slightly curved horn to levitate me onto Twilight's back with a few words to say.

"If you didn't want Spike, Twilight, then why'd you keep him? He's a gift you earned, and pushing him to me because you think he's going to stop you from making new friends isn't alright." He said this frankly, getting Sparkle to bow her head in shame as she closed the front door, having made sure no one else was planning on entering while their parents were away.

"I know, Shining," Sparkle began sadly. "But after Red Herring and Road Block lied about being my friends, I...I just don't want to have a relapse of that." She said the last part plainly, accepting a hug from me as her brother spoke.

Nodding, Armor said, "I know, Twilight, but now isn't the time to talk about this, especially seeing as we've a guest. Introductions: Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Spike, this is Rarity Belle. Rarity Belle, this is Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Spike respectively." The now named Rarity extended her hoof out to my hatcher in greeting, getting Sparkle to awkwardly offer her own before shaking our guest's hoof softly, getting Rarity Belle to chuckle.

"You act like you've never shaken hooves with someone, Miss Twilight." Her words got said filly to fold her ears back out of discomfort in the direction this conversation was going as she spoke before her brain could stop her.

"Miss Belle, I've never shaken hooves with anypony besides my brother when we played house..." Sparkle's admittance of that fact got our guest to have a shocked expression cross her face while they continued to uncomfortably shake hooves before I crawled off of my hatcher's back and sniff Rarity Belle's hoof curiously.

"Oh...Um," She let go of Sparkle's hoof and tapped the floor nervously as the gears turned in her head, thinking of a way to salvage this suicide of a conversation. "Well, I like you mane! It's so pretty and the way you cut it suits you very well." Rarity Belle offered a weak, friendly smile to Sparkle, getting the purple-violet-and-pink maned filly to nod her head with an uncertain smile as this was the closest she'd gotten to casual conversation with another pony, especially one who wasn't a student or staff member of her school.

"I really like your mane, too." Sparkle piped up, stroking her mane cautiously as she looked to Armor and I in search of encouragement. The best I could do was give her a thumbs up and Armor had already returned to his paperwork. I felt sorry for the stallion. He was a sublieutenant of the Royal Guard, dating his sister's foalsitter who just so happened to be the reincarnation of Princess Amore, and here he was, watching over his LSBFF while his parents were away on business and while his marefriend was reconnecting with her past self's life.

He's probably going to be an amazing general when war rears its head again. I thought while crawling my way over to his side to inspect the paperwork as best I could with my shitty eyesight. From what I could tell, he was trying to organize a more efficient recruiting method for the Royal Guard. Oh boy, that's gonna be fun. What I could make out was that his best idea was to analyze the backgrounds of each individual applying to be recruited and to also give them an aptitude test as well as a neuropsychological test. Hm, that might actually work. Why the fuck didn't we think of that when we were fighting Sombra?! We could've saved hundreds of soldiers every time we attempted a siege on the Crystal Empire!

I was suddenly telekinetically lifted in front of Rarity Belle to be observed. "He's adorable! Can I keep him?" She asked bluntly, getting me to flail in a vain attempt to escape her telekinetic grasp. Sparkle had a momentarily contemplative look on her face before she shook her head with a smile which got me to sigh in relief. I didn't need to be a whimpering hatchling my whole life, and if I wasn't near Sparkle I'd become just that. I'd be mentally and emotionally stunted, which wouldn't help me anywhere down the line. Rarity Belle placed me on her silky back as she gave Sparkle pleading eyes, although I was too focused on the way her coat reminded me of the way the Crystal Ponies' coats were; supernaturally glossy and diamond-like in both thickness and beauty. I affirmed my suspicions by stretching out on her back, sinking my weak claws under her short coat to find that each strand of hair was actually quite needle-like in the way it felt stiff and by how the light coming in from the windows bounced off the hair I'd disturbed.

"Although you seem like a nice pony, I don't know you well enough to offer him up to you and he's also imprinted on me, so he'll be bawling his eyes out if he's not near me." Taking me from off our guest's back and back onto her own, she offered a not-so-apologetic smile to the pouting pony in front of her. "Oh, you must be a student from Ponyville's month-long field trip, right?"

"Yes," Rarity Belle said as she flipped her mane back in a fashion that emphasized her aesthetic appeal. "I am. I was told that I'd be staying with you for the month I'm here, and I thank you for your hospitality, Miss Twilight." She finished her statement with a bow that Sparkle returned.

"You're welcome, and I hope that you don't find our living conditions undesirable. I'll show you to my room, if you'd like?" Not waiting for an answer, Sparkle lifted our guest's saddlebags off of her back with her magic and took them to our bedroom, leading the new filly into the room where Sparkle spent her time studying in. Entering the room I considered home, our guest beheld the model solar system that hung above the center of our room, taunting me that I couldn't reach it with my little limbs and lack of wings. In the walls beside Sparkle's desk were bookshelves, 'shockingly' filled with books.

The color palette of the room was primarily purple, pink, violet and splashes of red every so often. Sparkle's bed had a canopy over it, crafted stars hanging by strings over her when she slept to simulate the starlit nights she enjoyed so much. At her window, which was right beside her bed, was a telescope and a checklist on a clipboard that has staying on the wall thanks to a sleeve Twilight Velvet, Sparkle and Armor's mother, had bought.

Putting down Rarity Belle's saddlebags, Sparkle pulled a sleeping bag out from inside a cedar chest she had in the corner of our room and unrolled it out on the floor. "Okay," She said with a soft smile at the idea of her first sleepover. "I've unrolled your sleeping bag, Miss Belle, but I'm pretty sure you're hungry after being escorted by my BBBFF."

"Your what?" Rarity Belle asked, smiling curiously with a raised brow.

"'Big Brother Best Friend Forever'." Sparkle answered simply before she heard me yawn, getting her to place me on the stool with the pillow so I could get the sleep our guest's arrival had interrupted. I fell asleep to the sound of awkward, girly giggling as they started chatting it up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That's a wrap ladies, gents an' other! ALRIGHT BEFORE I GET VERBALLY CASTRATED, LET ME EXPLAIN! First off, this is gonna bug people unless I address it: Spike calls Twilight by the second half of her name 'cause she shares the first half of her name with her mother, and since Spike isn't a part of the family, he doesn't wanna confuse the family by having to differentiate between the two Twilights every time he says the name and he's several millennia old, so he's run into families where the first name is regarded as the family name or surname.

Secondly, Spike's age. In this story, Spike's several millennium old and has an involuntary power that allows him to restart his life cycle upon death or during death. However, the reason he didn't hatch before Sparkle did was 'cause he had actually died, physically and emotionally due to Silverclaw betraying him. Right now, he's letting that rest in the past while he's a whelp as he's powerless to do anything about it. For the first few chapters, it'll be just Spike's being a whelp and getting used to the new world he's in.

Thirdly, I mentioned characters being aware of other timelines an' that's gonna come up later, not now. Fourthly, Sparkle's met Rarity 'way too early'. This is gonna be the hardest part for people to understand, but it's an AU where the world's not very kind to those in it. For example, Spike and Celestia are veterans of several wars and have experienced the downsides of immortality firsthand. Fifthly, Rarity's name is Rarity Belle. This is somethin' that I agree with Earthsong9405 on and that's that the name 'Rarity Belle' has a nice ring to it, and her name will play a role in the name of another character later in a way that coincides with a rarely touched on theory.

Moliminous touched on this, and explained that it makes sense, but I wanted to combine that theory with Earthsong's headcanon as I enjoy the content both create. Sixthly, I mentioned Vacavung an' I didn't explain what their part in making this idea was. I'm caught up on the MLP comics Vacavung's written (Minus the clop comics, but that doesn't matter) and I enjoy them a lot as they incorporate both comedy, references, multiverse theory and world-building very well.

In Vacavung's 'Chaos Future', Princess Twilight Sparkle mentions that their 'fourth wall is weak' which is why a monster threatened Ponyville. Her son, Alternate Dawn, mentions that three monsters came through their fourth wall from different universes/timelines and that they fused which created the monster that they encountered. Vacavung's comics tend to have a type of continuity that's interesting to view, as more than a couple of their comics are a part of the timeline another one of their comics is a part of.

A comic they made for their patrons is called 'The Adventure Logs of Young Queen' and it's a comment-driven story, meaning the patrons comments choose what decisions are made by the protagonist, the bastardess filly of Chrysalis and Shining Armor. In this comic, some characters admit they're not entirely from the world they're in and all of the decisions the patrons influence creates a new outcome compared to what could've happened. I'm rambling, but I can't emphasize this enough: Check out Vacavung and Moliminous.

The other source of inspiration that's birthed this idea is Metal-Kitty's MLP Project comic, which is not only entertainin' but well thought out and worth the long read. Basically, it's a story that reaps your feels in their sleep and has lots of plot twists that you'd expect in lots of shows but seem right outta left field with how it's portrayed. The characters feel like their canon counterparts in a dark scenario they weren't ready for and the antagonist(s) are relatable, organic and feel like real people you'd bump into in a crowd at some point. Again, I can't emphasize this enough: Check out Metal-Kitty.

Brown-nosing over, I'm open to constructive criticism and suggestions, but if this story isn't for you than that's okay. With that outta the way, not much else to say, so (As always, thanks for bein' here, R&R, no flamin' my ass, constructive criticism an' SEE YA-G'NIGHT!)