The Shadow Shard Epilogue

Celestia's eyes turned to the northern window of the throne room, and beyond it, as if she was trying to reach the Crystal Empire with her gaze.

"The Ponies of the Empire were dying, Spike," she said at last. "We had to do something. The Heart was the only artifact powerful enough to stop the magical storms."

Spike tapped his claws together and looked up towards the princesses. His eyes met Luna’s unfathomable stare. His throat ran suddenly dry. 

“And… the egg?”

“At first, we only wanted to use it to hold the dragon at bay,” said Celestia. “But then my sister realized what was really happening.”

“The beast had not enough magic flame to keep the egg warm,” Luna spoke, her voice at once chilling and soothing, like soft falling snow. “Sooner or later, it would succumb to the same storms that threatened the Crystal Empire - and perish.”

“We promised to take it to safety,” added Celestia. “To warmth. And we swore to use any means at our disposal to find a way for it to hatch. It was the least we could have done to repay for the gift of the Heart.”

“But then, why did you keep it all a secret?” asked Spike. “Why not let even the Crystal Ponies know what the Heart really was? Why let them believe in that fairy tale about evil dragon thief?”

Luna scoffed. “Can you imagine what would have happened if everypony knew dragon hearts could be transformed into such powerful magic”? 

She probed his mind and planted in it a terrible vision. A war between ponykind and dragonkind. Canterlot in flames. Dragon Lands shattered by unicorn magic. 

“Now do you understand, little one?” Celestia’s voice broke softly through the nightmare. “Nobody could know. Nobody can still know.”

“It was the first and only time we dared to try something like this,” said Luna. “And even then, only because of lives of thousands of ponies were at stake.”

“We’re so sorry, Spike,” said Celestia. “And I’m so sorry it took us so long to find a way to hatch your egg.”

Spike gazed up. Astonished, he saw tears gathering in the princess’s eyes.  

“It’s… it’s alright, really!” he said, hastily. “After all, if you hadn’t done all that, I… I wouldn’t have been born.” He paused. Then smiled.  “And - and if you managed to hatch my egg earlier, I would never have been hatched and raised by Twilight.”