Prologue

(~Over a Millennium ago, at the gardens of the newly constructed Canterlot Castle~)

A large, fully grown dragon stood on the edge of Canterlot Castle's main garden on his rear legs. He was as large as a normal dragon, but did not have any wings. His outer scales were a solid green while his belly scales that ran up and down his mid-section were a very light-gray. His tail was of average length, except it was barbed at the end with four spikes protruding out just before the tip of the tail. His spines that ran down his back were green like his main scales, but only a slightly brighter shade of green. He stood there for a few moments, his mouth agape and his eyes wide as he watched a horrific scene play out before him.

He couldn't believe it to be true, but there it was, right in front of him. The dragon watched stunned as his six best friends in the entire world were encased in magic, their bodies shining brilliantly before dissolving and being sucking down into the gems laid out in the middle of the garden. The gems glowed brightly for a few moments, and then faded back to their original brilliance as the energy subsided. They were gone... Cecil couldn't believe it, but his friends were gone. He looked up, tears beginning to stream from his face as he saw the two responsible...

"Celestia... Luna...!" Cecil gasped as he took a half a step backwards, still in shock of seeing his friends taken away from him.

"C-cecil!" Luna gasped as she noticed Cecil on the opposite side of the garden, surprised by his presence just as much as Celestia was. "We, we did not expect thou to come at such a time!

Cecil looked down at the six gems on the floor again, and then back to the princesses. Blaasz was right... he thought to himself as anger began to feed through his body. They... it's all their fault...! They're the reason Hyrilate became what he did, and now they've taken the next step, and banished my friends too, just as he said they would do! Cecil clenched his claws and lowered his head, huffing thick clouds of hot smoke through his nostrils as he glared at the pony princesses.

"You... you monsters," he growled in a low voice. "Blaasz was right, he said you would imprison my friends for a crime they did not commit, and you did!"

"Cecil, no, it's not like that!" Celestia called out as she tried to explain herself.

"To Tartaurus it ain't!" he snapped back, his sharp teeth showing as he scowled. "You betrayed me, you betrayed them... you betrayed all of us!"

"We did what we had to do!" Celestia responded, her voice pleading. "We didn't trick anyone, your friends gave themselves up in an effort to restore the balance as guardians of the-"

"ENOUGH of this balance shit!" Cecil yelled in rage, his tail smashing against the ground hard, leaving a heavy print. "How ridiculous you both sound, constantly preaching about this 'Nether and Rethen' crap. Blaasz told me everything, I know you are the ones that created Discord, and I know you tricked my friends and locked him away to make up for your mistakes!" he pointed a claw at them accusingly as he suddenly felt the desired to see them torn to shreds.

"What has given you these ideas?" Celestia asked as she felt herself suddenly regretting her actions, but quickly push those feelings aside as she knew it was the right thing to do. "Cecil, this 'Blaasz' you speak of, is it the being responsible for implanting these fabrications of the truth into your mind?"

"Everything Blaasz has told me so far has come true..." Cecil looked down, his fists shaking as he tried to come to terms with what he was about to force himself to do. "He's known all along, somehow, some way... but if he's been right so far, then I know he's right now when..." he barely held back a whimper as the next thought in his mind crushed every part of his moral being. "...When he tells me that you are responsible for the death of my beloved..."

Celestia and Luna froze, their eyes wide in pure shock. Tharin, dead? No, how could she... this didn't make any sense. Last she heard of her was a few days ago, and she was doing fine. She had even just laid her very first egg...

"Nothing to say, have you?" Cecil grumbled just loud enough for the two to hear. "Then it seems he was right again..."

"But, Tharin... we did not know of her, expiration-" Luna began, but was quickly cut off as Cecil slammed his foot into the ground, making a small tremor.

"SILENCE!" he yelled, flame spewing out of the corners of his mouth. "That last part I did not think he was truthful about, but after what I just saw, and the look you both gave me, I know that I had found you out... your secret is out! I know, and now that I do, you're going to try to kill me too!"

"Cecil, no!" Celestia begged as her and Luna took a couple step backwards, feeling the anger in him rise. "We did no such thing, you have to believe us!"

"I won't let down my guard again..." Cecil muttered as his whole body started to tremble. "I won't... not again... not here, now now, and not ever!" He yelled out with that last bit as he pushed his body forward, claws and teeth displayed and ready to be used as he charged the two sisters. "I WILL DESTROY YOU BOTH, BEFORE YOU DESTROY ME TOO!"

He charged with all his might, closing the distance in only a few moments. Fire was already whisking out of his throat, readying a heavy burst of his signature green flame. All he wanted then was blood, their blood, and no matter what happened, he promised himself he would get it. The two princesses back up frantically, but they did not react in time as Cecil closed the distance.

But just as he reached over the collection of gems on the ground,time seemed to slow down to an almost standstill for a few moments. Everything for the three beings turned near colorless as a strange presence seemed to make itself known. The energy came from the gems, but before they could realize what was causing it, a voice spoke out from almost out of nowhere.

"Yes..." it said, its voice sounding somewhat old. "This one will do perfect to restore the balance."

In a bright flash the gems ignited once again, its energies swirling around in the near time-stop. Its powerful grasped reached out and grabbed onto Cecil, pulling his body into a swirling vortex in the center of all the diamonds. Cecil couldn't move, he couldn't fight it, all he could do is watch in horror as his body was sucked into the void, and all went black for him.

As soon as he was gone and the vortex shut, the time-slow ended, and color and regular speed returned to the two princesses. They stared at nothing for a few moments before sharing a glance towards each other. Their expressions clearly asked themselves what they could not bring to their throats, 'did that just happen?' And indeed, it did... Cecil was gone, and judging by the vortex and the voice that spoke out, they had a very good guess as to just where he went...

...To the Nether.

(~Later that day, in an abandoned nest on the edge of the Dragon Domain~)

"Here it is," Celestia said as the two goddesses approached the nest.

It was in the evening, the sun only about an hour from setting. The nest with the single egg was perched mere feet below the very tip of an isolated mountain with vasts forests spanning out as far as the eye could see, even from such an elevation. It was a very shallow cave with an assortment of dead plants and set around as padding for something the size of a dragon, or perhaps two. It was a simple nest with a lonely tree stretching just above it with the center of the mesh pile composed of carefully layered hay.

"What shall we do with the egg?" Luna asked as her and Celestia stood before the purple and green object.

"...We should keep it for him," Celestia replied after a few moments.

"But, that doesn't seem right, sister. A dragon egg is not something to be tampered with, especially by ponies!"

"It's all that's left of him Luna... do you really want that to be lost as well?" Celestia shot a look at Luna as she continued, "Cecil was our friend... and whatever it is that twisted his mind, it might come back for this egg. We should keep it hidden... keep it safe."

Celestia's magic wrapped around the egg and levitated it into the air. She could feel the life inside of it growing, maturing, working to the day when it will hatch.

"What will we do then when it hatches?" Luna inquired.

"We're not going to let it hatch," she replied bluntly.

"W-what! But why?"

"We can't let it hatch... not now, at least."

"Sister, are you talking about... enchanting this egg?"

"...Yes."

"But that's like heresy!" Luna said with a stomp of her hoof. "It goes beyond our treaty between ponies and dragons!"

"We must keep it Luna, You remember what the elder being said..." Celestia approached the egg as she stared down at it, stopping as her hooves were just inches from it. "If a spawn of the guardian, a species decides to create..."

"...Then the power of balance, that spawn will be forced to take." Luna joined by her sister's side as the two kept looking at it. "One day this egg is going to be very important..."

"And when that day comes," Celestia began as her horn lit up, working a spell. "We will hatch this egg and allow it to thrive and grow in the world, so that balance may continue for both worlds."

"But how will we know when to hatch it, sister?" Luna looked up at Celestia, her expression conveying much worry. "What if we hatch it too early, or too late?"

"When a new set of elements to balance our world comes forth, we should be able to sense it. I believe that will allow us to decide the time to hatch it."

"I see..."

Luna and Celestia both exchanged glances before once again staring down at the egg. It was theirs now, theirs to protect and to nurture until the right time, almost like a baby to them. And with that last thought, Luna got an idea, one she knew she had to bring up with her sister...

"...Tia?" Luna looked at Celestia.

"Yes Luna?" Celestia looked back at her sister.

"What should we name it?"

Celestia looked back down at the egg, a few thoughts running through her mind. It should have a name... but something simple, perhaps. A dragon name, perhaps one that will allow creatures to remember it around the world. It is destined to be a guardian of balance, to make a mark on this world like a sharp chisel on stone. And with that, a fitting name came to mind.

"...Spike."