Of Scales and Feathers

"A week?" Spike exclaimed, nearly choking on the herbal concoction Zecora had given him. "How were we gone for a week? The sun only set like, twice! I think," he added, his mind struggling to comprehend the anomaly that had apparently occurred whilst he and Gilda were within the Everfree.

"We did wake up in a totally different place though, remember?" Gilda commented, casting an uneasy glance towards the young dragon. "Maybe that is what she's talking about; some spooky-magic-thing that the Everfree does."

"Actually, that's not too far off," came the reply to the notion. Twilight walked into the room with a smile on her face and a book levitating by her side. It had no title, no decoration, and looked as if it were torn from the dark ages.

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed as he rushed from his seat to meet her, arms outstretched. She eagerly met the gesture with equal affection, nuzzling against his neck ever so gently. This earned a bit of an uncomfortable twitch from Gilda, but she held her tongue and it went unnoticed by all but herself.

"You had me worried sick," Twilight said as she pulled away from the hug and turned towards the gryphoness sitting at the kitchen table. "Both of you," she added with a concerned frown. The gesture blindsided Gilda, who had considered herself invisible in this whole exchange.

"Who, me?" she asked as cocked an eyebrow in confusion. It hadn't even occurred to her that she was important to the job - most employers saw her as something of an expendable resource when it came to mercenary work. The fact that someone - a princess no less - would consider her valuable was something she wasn't mentally prepare for.

"Of course, you!" the unicorn replied, laughing as she did. "You went in with Spike when nobody else would - and you got injured to boot. If anything, I should be apologizing!" Her voice fluctuated between something of worry and admiration. She then moved towards the shocked gryphoness, her eyes dead-set upon the offending wing. It was now wrapped in a proper bandage, with medication seeping its way through the cuts and bruises and soothing the pain.

"How is it, by the way?" Spike asked, giving voice to Twilight's silent concerns. "Still giving you trouble?"

"It's.. Well, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. It itches a little bit, but besides that I reckon I'll be A-okay," Gilda answered with her eyes focused upon the broken and beaten limb that had caused such a large problem in the first place. She tried not to think of what a burden she might have been had Zecora not come along, instead remembering how kindly she was treated by her newest friend.

The entire situation still perplexed the gryphoness, actually. Here she was in a stranger's house with people she had offended, insulted, and utterly mistreated. And here they were, doting over her wing like she was a long-time ally and companion that had saved their lives countless times. Were she in the same position, Gilda wasn't entirely sure she could even muster up enough tolerance to speak with someone like herself let alone care about them.

"I'm amazed the you did so well out there on your own, actually," Twilight commented, turning around to face Spike with a sly grin. "I told you that those books on medical techniques would be useful one day."

"Yeah, yeah! I'll be sure to make it up to you later," the young dragon replied with feigned-annoyance, rolling his eyes. His expression changed back to a smile and he placed his hands upon his hips as he let out a tired sigh. "Right after I make sure Gilda's set up and comfortable at my place," he added, his smile turning into a wide grin as he noticed the shocked expression upon both Twilight's and Gilda's faces. Zecora, however, only smiled.

"Wait, what?" Gilda said, cutting off Twilight's question and inserting her own. "No, no, it's fine. I'll just stay here at Zeco-"

"No way. I for one know that you have a bit of trouble sleeping, and my house is the closest thing you'll find to a gryphon's house. Besides! I promised you a meal didn't I?" he said through a quickly-brightening smile, his mind racing with the knowledge that he held the upper-hand here.

"You didn't promise me anything like that," Gilda shot back, her expression softening as she came to the realization that he did. She remembered their little moment at the lake and understood all-too-well that this wasn't just for her benefit - maybe he needed a bit of company just as much as she did.

"I didn't? Well I promise to make you a nice, home-cooked meal tonight. At my house," Spike said with finality, letting loose the laugh he had been holding in throughout the conversation. It wasn't an uproarious, belted-out laughter but it was enough to get Twilight smiling and shaking her head.

"I swear, Spike. You have the most peculiar ideas and logic," she commented, but made no move to protest. Whether she understood the situation or no, neither Spike nor Gilda could tell. But they did understand one another, and that was enough to seal the deal. "In that case, you two better get going; the market closes soon and I know you don't have anything to suit a gryphon's tastes."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Thank you again, Zecora. I'll find a way to make it up to you, I promise," Spike vowed, bowing his head in respect. She returned the gesture with a knowing, sage smile and waved his worries off with a hoof.

"Don't be overcome by a burden of debt; I imagine we have not seen the last of each other yet," the zebra rhymed out, essentially wiping the slate clean in favor of future services. She had a way of making everything seem mysterious and tranquil, even when the debt that weighed on Spike's mind was immense. Zecora did not know it, but he would take it upon himself as a Dragon Code; it had to be repaid.

"You bet we haven't! C'mon, Gilda. We oughta get moving if we're gonna snag anything good at the market tonight," Spike said whilst moving over to the gryphoness and offering a hand to pull her to her feet. She stumbled for a moment as she took in the sudden movement, but soon found her bearings and nodded.

"I doubt we're gonna get any meat - no offense," Gilda commented, casting a glance to Twilight. The unicorn took no offense and held up a hoof with a smile to show as much, much to Gilda's relief. "So I hope you can make a mean salad. I like a bit of a kick to my food, just a heads up."

"Just you wait," Spike fired back, Gilda's subtle challenge being taken happily. "When I'm done, you'll want to be a vegetarian." A laugh was shared and both parties were making their way out the door just as Spike remembered something. "Oh! Twilight! Be sure to send me a letter when you figure out just what all of this was about, alright?"

The book Twilight had entered the room with levitated to her side once again and she smiled with determination in response to Spike's curiosity. "Zecora and I are going to get to the bottom of this right away, so don't expect to wait too long! I'll tell you all about what I've learned tomorrow, so get some rest tonight."

With a thumbs up for confirmation, Spike rushed back to Gilda's side and shrugged off the amused grin she wore from his eagerness to be there. He wouldn't lie if he was asked whether or not he was excited about dinner - he certainly was. Though he'd like to add a few gems to his meal, there was no way he'd pass up such a golden opportunity to impress Gilda. He just had to be sure to get it right.

One impromptu shopping trip and a bit of a brisk walk later, he and Gilda were at his home in Ponyville. Their legs ached and their minds were ready to shut down from exhaustion, but Spike was more than determined enough to wake their tastebuds up at the very least.

After a bit of joking and nudging from Gilda, Spike made his way into the kitchen while the gryphoness made a round of her new residence. It wasn't certain how long she would stay, but they had agreed upon her being there at least until her wing was healed enough for her to safely make it to her next destination if she chose to leave. While she was here, however, she needed to scope out her spot to sleep in.

While she did so, Spike carefully and skillfully tossed a variety of vegetables, fruits, and spices into a skillet in preparation of his next steps. He had purchased a few liquids that, when mixed properly, made a hot sauce that Spike was sure could burn even Gilda's tongue. It wasn't anything close to what Zecora had mixed up back in her hut, but he was assured within his mind that it could come very close. With a small burst of flame, the sauce cooked into the vegetables and gave a nice steam as he stirred them around cautiously.

Just as he was finished setting up the table he heard the gryphoness calling from another room. "Hey, Scales. I think I found my spot," she said a bit playfully. He had a hunch of which room she had called from, but couldn't check before he saw her walking into the kitchen and taking a place at his table.

"So is this the grub you cooked up for us? Hope you're not all talk and no bite," she challenged once again, elegantly picking up a vegetable with two claws. She inspected it like Rarity might have done to a jewel, then popped it into her mouth like Spike might have done to that same jewel. Almost instantly, she jumped up and opened her beak wide. Spike couldn't help but laugh at the success of his prank, watching the gryphoness chug a nearby glass of water with wild abandon.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. That plate's for me; I put a bit of an extra dose on it. This one," he said as he slid the plate before him over to Gilda's side and pulling the other towards himself, "oughta be a bit more suited to your palate."

She glared at him through a smile, admiring his prank and trying to predict whether or not this next plate was another step. He assured her otherwise and with a bit of caution, she picked up another vegetable to test it. She took a small bite out of it and waited a few moments before chewing. She then raised both eyebrows and bit into her meal hungrily.

"Not bad, Scales. Aren't many chefs that can make a spicy salad that doesn't taste like leaves dipped in pepper," Gilda commented between chowing down her meal and taking sips of a refilled water glass. Taking his compliment happily, Spike made small-talk whenever they weren't both busy digging into their first real meal since being back home. Neither had bathed since the pool back in the Everfree, and both were still exhausted.

But they were home. Spike was back in Ponyville, and Gilda was somewhere she actually felt safe - something she hadn't felt in years. They had known one another for no more than a week and it was insane to think how close they had gotten to one another. As they learned more about each other over dinner, they both grew to understand one thing very clearly, and that was that they were happier for their little adventure. Gilda's splint had been taken off and she was even able to move it ever so slightly without terrible pain - she would recover nicely.

It had been a good ten minutes since either had taken a bite of food; instead, they opted for talking on a personal level about how crazy the past few days had been, and what either party believed had actually happened within the woods. Suddenly, midway through her sentence, Gilda broke into a rather loud yawn. Spike followed suit, his maw of razor-sharp teeth exposing themselves as he stretched his jaws wide in a roaring yawn - which, of course, earned an amused and surprised chuckle from Gilda.

The two agreed that it might be time for bed and Gilda stood from the table to stretch out her muscles. She went one way and Spike went the other, with the dragon opting to place the dishes into his sink in order to clean them tomorrow - right now he could think of nothing less than curling up under his blankets and sleeping. Maybe for a day or two.

After doing so, it was time to head to bed. His body tingled and felt fuzzy at the prospect of getting a real night's sleep; just the notion was enough to fill him with enough joy to cause a small laugh to escape his lungs. It wasn't until he turned the corner and peered into the room did he give pause and take in what was before him.

Leaning against the doorframe, he looked into his bedroom and sighed casually at the sight before him. Gilda had chosen to sprawl out onto his bed and claim it as her own. "Comfy?" he asked sarcastically, to which Gilda nodded over-enthusiastically. If his bed was soft enough for him, he could imagine what it might feel like to someone with a softer hide. He did notice that the blankets still tugged at her talons, however. He'd have to ask Fluttershy about that.

"You know, Spike, I just remembered something," bringing Spike away from his mental checklist. She turned her eyes towards his and lowered her expression into that of a playful, affectionate one. "You started something and didn't quite get to finish. What say we right that particular wrong? I can tell a few feathers might need a bit of a do-over."

He laughed and shook his head at the sight, understanding fully where this was headed. No timberwolves, no Zecora, not any sort of interruption could intervene this time; they'd be left to themselves. And that was all that he needed.

With not another word of conversation between them, Spike made his way towards her and sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. What will I ever do with you?" Leaning over and into Gilda, he savored the feeling over a tail twisting its way around his and the heat that was beginning to rise between them.

There wasn't a doubt between either of them what this was, and it was definitely love. Not a spur-of-the-moment emotion that came from the adrenalin of a fight or the saving of a life. There was no major threat against them, and there was no reason to keep any secrets between one another. Love had seeped its way into both their hearts and it was making itself known here and now.

They had made it home. And they had done so together.