Jack of Hearts

Ponyville was, at its heart, a farming community. Sure it had grown rapidly (particularly since the appearance of a princess and her giant crystal castle) but it had begun as a farming village and remained that at its core. So by eight in the morning, half the town had been up for two hours and was well into their working day.

This made some qualifications difficult. Cranky hated morning ponies. But when around a third of the town was up before dawn, he wasn't entirely certain what counted as 'morning'. Another person might withhold their judgements in that case, but he opted for the other direction and grumbled about all of them instead.

It also meant that he was less than happy about being up and about at a time he qualified as 'morning'. Agape appeared bearing two cups of hot chocolate - inappropriate for a late spring day, but at least he was trying. Cranky took one but didn't drink it.

"So," he started slowly as he watched morning Ponyville swarm around the square like a school of fish, "Have you thought more about what Discord showed you?"

Agape considered that, not yet sitting on the fountain's rim. Instead he stood beside it (and in more than a few ponies' way), eyes slightly distant. "I have but I'm not convinced. Discord is… strange. Not as frightening as I first thought, either." A tiny bit of a smile turned the corners of his lips. "You're right that he sees the world and all of us like playthings - I'm just not sure that's love."

Cranky set the hot chocolate he had no intention of drinking aside. "Then what is it?"

"I don't know," Agape admitted with a shrug. "I don't know any word to describe it, but it isn't love. Love requires someone to be loved and to return that love. You can't love air or trees or hot chocolate. Maybe you would use the word love but it's something different."

"Mmm." Cranky hummed. "So to be loved and to return that love."

Agape was quick to confirm that - almost zealous. "Of course! That's the center of everything King Thorax has taught us. True love is reciprocal. If it's one-sided, it's just stealing again." His expression darkened, likely remembering the times before Thorax. "Love is to be returned and shared, otherwise it isn't really love."

That managed to actually shut Cranky up. He went silent in thought - and Agape stopped speaking, too, instead staring into his hot chocolate. The square continued with the early morning bustle around them, Ponyville's ponies living their lives without minding the changeling and donkey.

After several minutes, Agape was the one who broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Sir Cranky. That was–"

"Totally justified, given your past," Cranky interrupted. "Look, kid." He stopped himself. "Agape. I think I understand better why Cadance said you needed my help. When you showed up, I figured you were just some idiot who needed a smack on the head to set you straight. But what you just said? There's more going on here and I should've figured that out sooner." He put a hoof on the changeling's shoulder. "I won't make that mistake again. Will you let me keep going?"

Agape's eyes lit up and the excited near-bouncing of the day before returned. "I would be honored, Sir! How could I say no to your generosity?"

A little warm smile managed to worm its way onto Cranky's face. "Good. And your next teacher's coming now, so it's time you braced yourself."

"Brace myself?" Agape tilted his head slightly to the side. "For what?"

"Hey, Cranky Doodle!" The question was answered - in a way - by the interruption as a short purple drake toddled up to them. "And who's your changeling friend?"

Before Cranky could respond, Agape gasped. "Sir Spike the Brave and Glorious?!"

"Uh. Yeah?" Spike squinted, then looked to Cranky. After the donkey shrugged, Spike's eyes went back to Agape. "Sorry, most changelings go for the part about being Thorax's friend first. You surprised me!" He held out a claw. "It's good to meet you, though. What's your name?"

The changeling eagerly shook. "I'm Agape! Are you my next teacher?" He turned his head back to Cranky. "Please say he is!"

"Teacher?"

Cranky held up a hoof. "Spike, I could use a favor. Agape's a changeling, but he's been living in the Crystal Empire."

Spike - quick on the uptake despite his young age - nodded with understanding. "Ooooh, that makes sense."

"He's been working with your sister-in-law," Cranky elaborated, "And he's come here to learn more about life outside the changeling hive. Could you just take him along with you while you do your errands today?"

That request was all it took for things to become clear. Spike flashed a broad grin and a thumbs up (with Ponyville's only currently existing thumb.) "Sure! I'd love some company! And who knows, he might help me get a few things done quicker!"

Cranky grinned. "Thanks, kid. Lemme have a quick talk and he'll catch up."

"Okay! I'll just get started then - meet me when you're ready!" Spike waved goodbye and trundled off in the direction of Golden Harvest's produce stand.

Once he was gone, Agape - wonder still in his eyes - whipped back to Cranky. "You didn't tell me he was going to be my teacher!" The changeling cantered in place, excitement spilling off him in waves. "It's such an honor! He's so noble! And cool!"

"And still a child," Cranky reminded firmly. It took the wind out of Agape's sails - at least enough to get the changeling to stop bouncing. "That's why I don't want you to tell him what you're trying to learn. Spike's a great kid, but he's a kid. He hears what you're after and he's going to misinterpret things. I want him to show you how he loves honestly, not for him to spend hours talking to you about his crush."

Without hesitation, Agape put complete faith in his teacher and saluted. "I understand, Sir!"

"And don't tell him about the whole knight thing," Cranky added. "I'll never hear the end of it if you do."

"Don't tell the dragon that you're a knight, got it."

Cranky paused. "...You did that on purpose."

Agape said nothing - he just winked and trotted off towards the market stalls.

The changeling didn't return that night. But he did remember that Cranky liked sleeping in and reappeared at ten the next morning. The long disappearance didn't worry Cranky - he trusted Spike far more than Discord and for good reason - but everything was explained when Agape again presented a bit of food as a gift when he arrived. Leftover cupcakes in a to-go box that perfectly matched Agape's chitin color translated to Pinkie Pie and that she had finally caught the changeling for his Welcome To Ponyville party.

Doing as they had the day before, both left the Donkey home after a few words of greeting and walked to the fountain to share a cup of sweet tea. They settled - and began.

"Tell me," Cranky started, "What did you do with Spike and how did you find love?"

There was no hesitancy this time for Agape - he quickly launched into the story. "Sir Spike spent half the day running errands of various sorts with me. We started by going through the market to purchase various things for the castle's larder. First it was carrots, then apples, then strawberries, then listening to the mare at the strawberry stall complain about the mare at the apple stall–"

Cranky rubbed his forehead. "You don't need to tell me every single thing you did. I know Spike's usual work list and I don't think either of us has the time to go through every single item on it."

Agape blushed a little, turning slightly purple. "Sorry. We ran a number of errands, buying things from a list at various stands and stores. Then we went back to the castle to drop it off and get a late morning snack before making a number of deliveries. Most of those were books from the Princess' library that she was lending out, but we also delivered two packages of food to an elderly pony, a stack of letters to the post office, and a box that I'm pretty sure was full of spiders to a cottage just outside of town."

"Fluttershy's," Cranky judged with a solemn nod.

That seemed to be explanation enough for Agape. "Once those were complete, we arrived at the schoolhouse where Sir Spike met the foals for recess, after which we had lunch. The afternoon was spent mostly within the castle as Sir Spike did a variety of housekeeping chores, including meeting with a number of ponies who came by with requests or notes for the Princess. Before I could leave for the evening, however, Pinkie Pie arrived."

It took considerable effort for Cranky not to smile, and instead he covered it with a sip of tea. "Oh?"

"The next thing I realized, I was in a party." Agape didn't quite look at anything as he spoke, still off-kilter from his first Pinkie Pie encounter. "Sir Spike was there to escort me and introduce me around, but it was just a blur of ponies and names and food. I danced to music unlike anything I've ever heard before, and eventually I fell asleep in a corner of the room." The changeling rubbed his neck. "I also learned the valuable lesson that crystal castle floors are not good for sleeping on."

Cranky chuckled quietly. "That sounds about right for a welcome party. But what about the other half of my question, hm?"

There, Agape paused to think. "All day, I could feel the love from Sir Spike. But it only was different when he encountered a few specific ponies like Princess Twilight. The rest of the day, he simply radiated it." Another pause. "Is this another example of what you called love from Discord? For the world?"

And Cranky shook his head. "Nah, Spike's different. A little close, but it isn't the same. Discord sees the world like something to possess and care for. Spike couldn't care less about the world. What he loves is his family."

"I…" Agape started to speak, then stopped.

Cranky gently motioned at him. "Go on. Say it."

"I don't mean what he felt for the Princess." Agape talked slowly, anticipating a trap. "That was love and something I understood. But the rest of the day, he was full of love seemingly without direction and without his family there."

"But they were." Cranky quirked a little smug smile. "Spike's got a past you need to understand to get it, I think. He's a dragon but he's also a pony. And I'd say we're all fortunate that he's got the best of both worlds."

Now it was Agape's turn to motion for Cranky to continue.

The donkey didn't rush - taking another drink first. "Dragons are solitary but hold on to what's theirs fiercer than a griffon to their purse. Ponies are herd creatures and share more than they really should. So Spike sees the herd around him and calls them Mine, like a dragon would their hoard." He neglected to mention a few incidents with Spike and hoarding - they were irrelevant and didn't help his point. "He loves his ponies. All of them. They're a culture that took an orphaned whelp and made him one of their own - and he returns that with love."

"But they…" Agape stopped. "Hm." And he thought. "Do they return it?"

"Sometimes," Cranky allowed with a shrug. "Usually not to the same way or level he does. Spike's just a great kid with a generous soul. Not many creatures - pony or otherwise - can match that. He's pretty singular."

Agape thought about that more, sitting in silence. Cranky allowed him, sipping his sweet tea and watching Ponyville meander by.

Eventually, the changeling found words again. "I'm still not sure I agree. Just because Sir Spike is generous with his love doesn't mean that others aren't taking it from him unfairly. He's simply that good."

Cranky rubbed his chin. "Mm. Well, I want you to think about that more and watch the town. I've got one more teacher for you." He stood up. "Come by tonight for dinner. You can eat with the last teacher, Matilda, and me. Food's on the table at five-thirty."

With that, he left Agape to think and observe the herd as it went through its day.