Love & Entropy

Chapters

Thoughts of a Lonely Dragon
In The Lost City
A Complex Creature
Awkward Reunions
Home Is Where the Heart Break is.
Awkward Dinner
Bonding Tour
Down The Road
Decision
The Magic of Birth
Prologue: Not Looking Back

Thoughts of a Lonely Dragon

Spike flew the entire night & only stopped as the sun rose above the horizon. He was far from Ponyville at this point. The dragon tried to rest but as was usual as of late found it difficult. He awoke feeling as though he had been out minutes instead of hours. Conceding defeat he decided to eat, he had a fair sack of gems but knew they wouldn't last long as he had a ravenous appetite to sate. He proved himself right, his provisions only amounted to one satisfactory meal. He would need to find a good area to hunt the next time he needed fed. He had taken to eating animals several years ago as he found it necessary to his survival upon reaching adolescence, if he went to long without it he would become tired & ache all over. Twilight had defined it as a growing need for protein due to dragons phenomenal growth spurts & need to fuel their immense strength.

Spike took in his current surroundings, a forest of regular trees surrounded the clearing he was in. That meant there would be non magical prey for him to take as his next meal. He often wondered why he felt so empty in the recent past, the reason he kept coming back to was most likely.

"I'm all alone." He said aloud to no one but himself.

The realization struck him hard. Ever since he had been hatched he received loads of attention & love from his friends even early on when it had only been Twilight. Dragons are normally solitary creatures but Spike had been raised with the mindset & morals of ponies. Instincts & beliefs raged inside his head with neither gaining significant ground over the other. Spike decided he would take the rest of the day off to explore the woods he found himself in to clear his head. As he walked through the forest he still questioned himself repeatedly over his unhappiness. He was completely unsure of what to do, he had no goals, no home to speak of, no hoard, no mate, & none even knew of his depression that had waged war on him for several years now. He needed an outlet & unfortunately for the forest all to be found were trees. He slashed one in half with a single swipe of his claws that could cut diamond.

Brutalizing foliage brought him no closer to the end of his vague quest. After crunching a tree with his hand he quickly decided as such. Sighing he continued onward on foot with only his pack that now contained only his photograph of a happier time. He stopped when he came to a river & took a several large gulps to slake a thirst he only now realized he had. He decided to follow the river further in the direction of the Equestrian border.

"Am I destined to wander forever?" Spike thought aloud as the scenery didn't seem to change as he kept following the river. He could have walked meters or miles for all he could tell. It seemed a fitting metaphor for how lost he felt on a regular basis. Always moving but never getting anywhere & nothing ever changing.

Eventually however the river came to a bend leading out of Spike's chosen path, he kept moving forward regardless of the river's course. Without the river coursing alongside him the walk was deathly quiet, he thought it strange that he had not felt the presence of any animals whatsoever with any of his super powerful instincts. He decided it wasn't a big deal but the unnatural silence left him alone with his thoughts once more.

"How long will it take for somepony to realize that I'm not around?" He thought to himself. He had left his few possessions in a locked box hidden underneath the floorboards below the ancient Equestrian history section of the library where nopony would ever look. The library itself was unlocked but there were never any ponies checking out books since the Daring Do series had ended. The only one who ever visited him at the library was Fluttershy & Zecora but those visits seemed fewer & fewer until he had left.

The more he thought about it the less he could blame his friends for drifting, ponies needed to live their lives at a faster pace than he did.He could sleep through a couple generations of ponies were he several times his current age. Spike always knew his species had an indefinite lifespan, Equestria had no records of a dragon ever dying of old age. The older he grew the more aware of it he became. Even if he did find love amongst ponies they would die in less than a century while he barely aged.

"Maybe that's why I left?" Spike said to himself somberly as he continued down his undefined path. Suddenly he stopped, his finned ears had picked up the sound of movement. He took a predatory stance & aimed himself in the direction the sound originated from. He stealthily crept toward the source, a large shrub that trembled slightly every so often. Spike was within range now, he pounced swiftly grabbing the creature in question in his powerful clawed hands. He left his prey alive to see what it was, if he didn't wish to eat it he had no desire to end it's life. He found it was a dirt colored rabbit but upon it's head was a set of antlers that would have been more at place upon a deer.

"Bluh?" He said upon seeing the strange creature.

"What in the world are you?" Spike uttered not expecting answer. However he received one.

"I'm a jackalope & I was on my way to dinner with the wife! If you're gonna eat me get it over with, if not let me go so I can explain to my wife why I'm late before SHE kills me!" The creature stated in Bronx accent.

Spike not expecting this quickly dropped the beast in surprise. The creature merely shook it's head with a look of disgust on it's face before saying:

"Tourist." After which he raced away, seemingly to meet his wife leaving a very confused Spike standing there.

"Where the buck am I?" Spike asked himself aloud. After some debate he headed in the direction the "Jackalope" had fled. Not long after taking his new-found path the scenery began to change gradually, the trees trunks gradually grew paler until they where bone white while the leaves seemed to become electric blue & went from being cedar trees to pine. These crazy trees were all bearing bright pink fruit that looked like apple sized pumpkins. Spike grabbed one of these mystery fruit & sniffed it, it had no scent whatsoever to his surprise. Being a dragon spike could digest absolutely anything he wished to eat with little side effect, so he decided to try it. He threw it upwards & tilted his head catching it. He chewed it thoroughly to get it to release it's full flavor. The taste surprised him greatly, the fruit's rind & meat tasted like bacon.

"I think I must have died somewhere along the way, this is heaven & Faust has granted me magic bacon trees" Spike said taking an armful of the wondrous fruit. He spread out his harvest & popped one in his mouth. He immediately deemed that he was not in heaven upon tasting it.

"Blech! Alfalfa? What happened to bacon?" He said said grumpily. He decided to try another at risk of more terrible vegetable nastiness.

"Mint chip ice cream? It even tastes cold!" He said greedily finishing the fruit. He repeated the process several times to find each fruit tasted different from the last. After several dozen of the strange treat he shoved some into his pack to replace his gems & headed further into the strange forest. After several hours walking he came upon a chasm of immense size. he couldn't see the bottom whatsoever, he had lived in a library with the smartest mortal in Equestria for ten years & had on several occasions aided her in studies involving maps. None of the maps depicted any blue forests with enormous chasms at their centers. Upon closer inspection either side of the chasm had a three indents in the center leading a fair distance down though the indents seemed thinner on one side. It looked like a set of enormous hands had pushed themselves into the earth & ripped it like fabric.

"This is impossible, nothing is that strong & it wouldn't tear so cleanly." Spike said half fact stating, half trying to convince himself of it. He was so confused at all that had happened today his mind was adrift. He never heard the vengeful Jackalope sneak up behind him as he stood at the precipice of this oddity. All he knew was that he found himself falling into the blackness after an unseen force pushed him into the mysterious pit.

Author's Note

So yeah, I suck at transition. But whatever, what'd you guys think of the trees? Give you one guess on who made them.

Also if you wanna get a good idea of what spike looks like at this point go here.
http://shadowgtr.deviantart.com/art/Adolescent-Spike-309038295
All credit for the artwork goes to ShadowGTR I own nothing.
This however is my drawing of current timeline spike.
http://wulfricashbell.deviantart.com/art/spike-368305287

In The Lost City

Spike quickly snapped out of his delirium & opened his wings to slow his descent, he didn't know who had pushed him but he decided that he might as well see what was down here. As he continued his trek downward he began to see lights lining the hole's walls, sickly green lights emanating from crystals he couldn't identify. He slowed as the crystals grew more numerous brightening the hole better, then he saw it. At the bottom of the hole was a city, a strange & beautiful city with buildings of all shapes & sizes all seemingly lit with the aforementioned crystals.

As Spike flew lower he could see the inhabitants of the city, minotaurs, diamond dogs, changelings, zebras, various bovines, goats, deer, & many chimerical creatures Spike couldn't identify. He landed in an alleyway hoping not to draw much attention to himself. The city wasn't quite as bright as it would be from the sun but the numerous crystals dotting the city kept it just as well lit as anywhere above would be at sundown.

He had never seen such a diverse population anywhere before, & everyone seemed friendly with one another, chatting & waving just as ponies would. He decided that he was in no immanent danger & removed himself from the alleyway. Spike quickly found himself wondering why he hadn't been aware of such a beautiful place before now. None of the creatures he passed gave him looks of distrust or fear as went by, in fact he received several smiles or waves from some. He decided soon that he wanted to know more about this place so he stopped a changeling he passed.

"Excuse me, I'm new in town. Could you tell me where I am? I've never even heard of a place like this before." Spike told the changeling who looked at him with raised brow before answering.

"This is the lost city, it doesn't have a real name. Anything troubled or in need that passes by will eventually find themselves here where everyone is welcome." The changeling stated in a voice that Spike assumed was male.

"If everyone is welcome why haven't I seen any ponies down here?"

"Ponies have their princesses & each other for guidance & protection, other species like us have no benevolent gods to aid us so many wander from our homes in search of better things. Several years ago the chasm appeared & with it the city. We all owe much to the king, he used his might to open the earth & build a home for all who needed it. New faces show up often enough that the city grows each year. My entire hive migrated here after the Canterlot fiasco left us crippled. He came to us & offered us sanctuary here when Queen Chrysalis starved to death." The changeling explained this with joy at first but sorrow toward the end. Spike thought about it for a moment & decided on his next course of action.

"Can you tell me where the king is, I'd like to meet him. I know the princesses personally & I think they'd wanna know about this place." Spike asked the changeling.

"I don't get involved in politics but the king lives in the palace over that way, he sees anyone if he's free." The changeling motioned with it's holed hoof to a tall building that almost looked like a tree, a tall column with several protrusions along it with a large top. The top of the building was covered in the light crystals making it green, adding to it's tree impersonation.

"That's the palace? I don't think I've ever seen a weirder building before." Spike said looking at the bizarre structure.

"The king is rather... eccentric I admit but he is a very powerful being."

"I suppose he must be, this place is incredible. I'm going now, thank you for the help." Not waiting for a reply Spike took wing & was off. He noticed many other winged creatures flying through the city, several changelings, manticores, & a few of what appeared to be giant snakes with feathered wings.

Not long after take off he found himself close to his destination, the flight hadn't taken long as the city was only a bit larger than Canterlot. As he landed he saw a large opening before the structure it was some sort of square that housed a gigantic light crystal surrounded by a pool of water with small upward jets. Going around the decorative fountain Spike walked up to the strange palace to find it's doors wide open. Spike was unsure about this strange seemingly almighty figure he had yet to meet, the princesses were immortal but they still kept their palace heavily guarded & the doors closed tight.

"Who could be so sure of himself to leave themselves wide open?" Spike thought to himself as he stepped through the doorway into the structure. The inside of the palace was more well lit than the city itself as it had torches spaced evenly along it's walls. Spike immediately understood every odd thing he had encountered when he saw who was upon the throne in the wide open chamber he entered. There sleeping across the arms of a tall horned throne was Discord the god of chaos, the being that defined entropy. Spike didn't move for several minutes while he processed everything, the impossible forest, unnatural chasm, chimeras, ridiculous palace, it all clicked together. Spike actually wondered how stupid he was to not put everything together himself.

"Discord?" Spike said drawing nearer to the throne.

"Who is it, I'm kind of busy sleeping right now." The draconequus in question asked without opening his eyes.

"I'm Spike from Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle's assistant?" Spike answered unsure if the mad god would remember him. Apparently the crazy spirit did remember him as he shot upright & examined the newcomer carefully.

"Well now, I never expected to see you here Spike! You were always the voice of reason amongst the ponies, how did you find your way to my home for troubled youths? My how you've changed too! You used to be such a pudgy little guy, the last time I saw you you didn't even have your wings yet." The god said in a chipper tone that Spike thought was a bit odd to hear from someone powerful enough to take over the world in a few hours.

"What do you mean troubled youths? I saw creatures out there way older than me." Spike said ignoring the actually sincere compliment.

"Oh, Spike. When you've seen entire species crawl out of the muck & fade into legend everyone seems young to you. Though I suppose you'll learn that eventually given your situation." Discord's expression fell considerably as he spoke these words, as if he had just reminded himself of something terrible. Spike realized that he most likely had done this after thinking about it. But decided to press on with the questioning.

"Is this where you've been all this time? After we solved all the big problems in Equestria you vanished without a word. Fluttershy was really upset you know?" Spike said pointing a claw accusingly at him. At this Discord's expression deflated & he sunk down low in his throne.

"I'm well aware that Fluttershy was worried but I couldn't go back to her, or any of you. She was the first one who ever showed me any kindness but I knew she wouldn't be around forever. I offered her Immortality once, she declined saying that she wanted nature to run it's course. So I helped her & the others until there were no major evils left to shoot with love & tolerance. Then I ran away so I didn't have to see her die in front of me like everything else. I made this place to spread the kindness she taught me about to whomever needed it." He said with his head hung low.

These words hit Spike hard, he knew deep down that he had done the same. Discord had seen everything there was to see & made much of it happen but had outlasted it all. Spike couldn't imagine seeing so much pass him by. But Discords words had made him realize that he could be the same in a few thousand years.

"Discord, I know we're pretty different & all but I'm a dragon, time doesn't mean a whole lot to me ya know? I could be your friend if you want. We wouldn't have to be alone forever, sounds pretty good right?" Spike said tears in the corners of his reptilian eyes.

"You'd spend forever with me?" Discord asked uncertain if he should believe such a claim.

"Who else would keep things interesting for me for eternity?" Spike asked forming a smile. Discord thought about it for a moment before answering:

"Alright then, but I hope you can stand the boring legal junk I have to deal with being a kind king." Discord said with a small smile.

"I lived with Twilight Sparkle for 18 years, I have an astonishingly high tolerance for boring." Spike retorted leading them both into a laugh. This was the beginning of an interesting friendship & eventually more in the years to come.

Author's Note

Ok so Discord rules a utopian underground city with tons of diversity & subjects that like him. Who saw that coming?

A Complex Creature

A week had passed since Spike had wandered into Discord's "Lost City". Discord seemed to have issues with problems he couldn't simply magic better. Spike was amazed to find that these problems seemed surprisingly few in number. Discord's city-state had no formal military, & no police force of any kind. But the city had astonishingly low crime rate according to the people of the city Spike had talked to.

"Discord? How are you running this place? You don't really have much of a government, & honestly I'm surprised there isn't mass panic & looting in the streets." Spike said with a serious tone.

"I only have a few laws, no stealing, no discrimination, no violence, & don't make others unhappy intentionally. If you can't live in peace here you get sent back wherever you're from, sometimes that's the worst thing you can do to someone. Otherwise everyone is allowed religious & cultural freedom & is free to love whoever they choose. If you leave you can only tell those who need it like you did. This isn't an empire Spike, it's a home." Discord's tone was more serious than he had ever heard before. Spike thought about it for awhile, the place felt inviting despite appearances, & everyone cared for one another unconditionally. Discord's city was really like a big home.

"You know, I never thought of you as a caring individual but this may be the greatest thing anyone has done, like... ever." Spike said completely sincere. Discord eyed him like he had lost his mind without saying a word.

"Does he really think I'm a good person? After I ran from my friends & conquered a country... twice?" The entity thought to himself.

"I was wondering, how did you do all this? The princesses might not have been able to do this in a century if they worked together & you did it by yourself in no time. How much more powerful than the sisters are you?" Spike asked slightly unsure he wanted the answer.

"Roughly 250 times give or take." Discord said as if it were no big deal.

"You're messing with me, there's no way that's possible. Celestia & Luna throw the sun & moon around everyday!" Spike said in disbelief.

"I can put them on shuffle by myself, It's just as easy as breathing for me. Celestia gets power from the sun & Luna gets hers from the moon & the ambient radiation that hits the atmosphere produced by other celestial bodies. I take power from Thuban, the earth's original pole star. It's much more powerful than earth's sun. It just looks like any other star because it's 300 light years away. In the year 20346 it will be in position to be our pole star again." Discord stated factually with numerous charts & diagrams appearing as he spoke. The lecture was preceded by a white lab coat & thick-rimmed glasses appearing on the draconequus' face.

"You're connected with the heaven's like they are? Can you move Thuban around?" Spike asked curiously as the lecture gear disappeared, although Discord kept the glasses & placed them in case which he then proceeded to eat.

"Yes, & yes but I don't. Thuban's light & heat supports it's own system. Moving it would freeze everything." Discord stated seriously again.

"Are you telling me aliens exist?" Spike asked skeptically.

"No but I heavily implied it didn't I?" Discord replied with a smug smile. Spike still had trouble figuring out exactly what was fact or fiction when dealing with Discord, but he had to admit things were never dull. The pair continued hanging around the main hall of the palace answering requests of the civilians. When something needed repaired or adjusted to better accommodate the citizenry Discord used his magic. When Discord couldn't magic away a problem Spike offered him council. This happened often enough that Spike had begun being called "The Royal Adviser" by everyone even though he held no real title.

Eventually the two became very good friends & after 2 years of the same routine (Excluding the first of every month which was city-wide chaos day) Spike had become just as tall as the mismatched god. Things were going well in the city, everything was now running more efficiently & some small contingents of citizens became peace keepers, a fire department, & a union of construction workers. All because of the various suggestions of Spike, but through all of it the city kept it's homey feel.

Spike was feeling happier now but realized that he was going to outgrow the city within the next decade or so. He confronted Discord about it.

"Discord, I know this is the place for me but I'm going to have to leave eventually, I'm just gonna keep growing year after year. The city will be too small for me." Discord visibly grew worried as soon as the question was asked, his eyes darted back & forth wildly for a moment before he came up with an answer

"What if it didn't have to be? I could stop your time, you wouldn't change anymore you'd just go on & on like me. Would you be alright with that? You could stay here... with me?" Discord said with a nervous expression. Spike for the first time could read Discord's expression with absolute certainty: worry, fear, & longing. Spike had been blind not to notice before, Discord had shared things about himself that Spike was sure nothing on the planet knew but him. Discord laughed at his terrible puns & let him stay in the palace & gave him gems whenever he desired them. He knew Discord could make them out of nothing but he had never seen the draconequus share with anyone else directly before. The god of chaos was falling for him.

"Discord, I-I didn't know you felt like that... I hadn't considered that you felt like that. I need some time to think about this, okay?" Spike said unsure of what would come next. Discord merely sunk down into the throne & nodded. Spike did the only thing he could think of, he took wing & flew away but not to run away. He was going to see some old friends hoping they would have the answers he needed.

Author's Note

So... I had a hard time deciding which direction with this. I think all Discord really needs is a special someone to set him straight (so to speak).

Awkward Reunions

Spike flew the entire night without stopping once, when Ponyville came into view he headed straight for the library. He landed upon the balcony swiftly without making much noise, he didn't want to wake anypony as it was still very early. Spike decided he was too big to enter easily now & curled up on the balcony for a rest. He slept several hours into the day without interruption. This changed however at 9AM when he was awakened by the sound of screams.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!! Dragon! Help!" Screamed a purple-gray unicorn mare. Spike shot up & covered her mouth with a claw.

"Shhh! This is a library! MY library. So would you please not try to alert the whole town that I'm here?" Spike said whispering loudly. The young mares expression went from fear to surprise as she began to nod her head. Spike hastily removed his claw from her mouth.

"Spike! It's me Dinky! You've been gone for two years! Where'd you go? The whole town was so worried, we couldn't find a trace of you." Dinky said hugging the dragon several times her size.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Does Fluttershy still live outside of town with Zecora?" Spike asked seeming slightly downtrodden.

"Yeah, they even h-" Dinky managed to get out before Spike was in the air already headed toward the Everfree. She sighed but waved toward the dragon before returning to open the library for the day. Spike was already out of view before she knew it.

Spike arrived after only a few moments of flight, Fluttershy's cottage still seemed exactly as it had over a decade ago. Spike sighed knowing he needed to do this to set everything right & figure out what he wanted from life. He hesitantly knocked on the door trying not to damage it. The pony that answered the door took him by surprise. Before him stood a small zebra colt that couldn't be more than 5. It was looking at Spike who towered over him with enormous frightful eyes.

"Uh... Is Fluttershy home?" Spike asked unsure of what else to say. Causing the colt to run back into the house screaming:

"Mooooooommmmmmyyyyy! There's a monster at the doooor!"

Spike just stood there unsure of what to do until a familiar butter yellow face peek out from one side. Spike was immediately knocked over into a powerful hug by the usually timid mare.

"Spike! Oh I'm so glad to see you! You just vanished! You've gotten even bigger! Where have you been?" She fired so many questions at him so fast he couldn't keep up. Pulling himself into sitting position he began to say:

"It's good to see you too Shy, did you two adopt a foal? I think he doesn't like me."

"Oh! yes we got him from Zebrica on a trip, we had been planning it for a long time but you left before we could tell everypony... Zecora! Akutchi! Would you please come outside?" Fluttershy said as she turned her head toward the house. Before long Zecora with a frightened colt on her back stepped out. Zecora immediately put on a smile & said:

"Greetings to you my dragon friend, I had begun to think you're absence would not end."

"Still rhyming Zecora? So who's this little guy trying to hide from me so badly?" Spike said with a slight smile.

"This is Akutchi, Akutchi, this is you're uncle Spike we told you all about." Fluttershy said while placing the colt on the ground before her. The colt eyed him suspiciously before saying:

"I-Is it true you eat diamonds & breathe fire?" Akutchi managed to stutter out. Spike smiled & tilted his head back & let loose a small jet of his emerald flames.

"That was the coolest thing ever!" The colt said suddenly losing all apprehension toward the dragon. After that the four of them caught Spike up on things before he needed to explain himself. He agreed to tell them everything but asked first for a paper & quill. Fluttershy immediately retrieved the requested items. Spike only wrote one sentence:

I'm at Fluttershy's house, I need to see you.

He then reopened his flame channel for the first time in two years & incinerated the note, it's ashes flying through the air toward Canterlot. Within seconds Twilight Sparkle the newest crown princess of Equestria teleported before them. She didn't wait a second before smacking Spike across the face with tears in her eyes.

"Where have you been! I looked for you for months! We all did! We thought you were dead! You shut off the flame channel!" Twilight screamed at him. While this was going on Zecora took Akutchi back into the house as this was a bit much for the toddler.

"I left because there's nothing here for me! You had no time for me, everypony lost touch with each other! I hadn't seen anypony in months! I was depressed & nopony even noticed! I needed to leave to find my own place in the world!" Spike screamed right back with tears that scorched the ground streaming from his eyes. Nopony spoke for several minutes before Twilight broke the silence.

"I didn't know, I should have been there. You're the closest thing I have to a son & I love you. It took you leaving for me to realize how much you mattered to me. I sent dozens of letters but they all just burned up. I was so afraid you were gone for good. I'm sorry we abandoned you Spike, I should have never gotten so wrapped up in work. I should have been there." She said tears streaming from her own eyes. Spike lifted her into a hug as powerful as he could muster without harming her.

"It's alright Twilight, I've been living happily outside Equestria for the last couple years." He said patting her back. He proceeded to tell them all about the nearly utopian city created by Discord & the multitude of races living there. He left out the parts where Discord explained the source of his powers & such. He then explained the new found romantic tension Spike had been previously unaware of. All was silent as they pondered the situation.

"Well... I can honestly say that wasn't something I expected to hear about. I wasn't even aware Discord was gay." Twilight said looking to Fluttershy who merely shrugged.

"Are you attracted to him?" Fluttershy asked after a moment. Spike was silent for a minute before answering.

"I'm... not sure, I'll admit that he has an... exotic flare that I like the look of. I thought it was kinda awesome when I was a kid after he joined our side." Spike said still unsure of himself.

"What about his personality? It sounds like he's changed a lot in the last few years. The responsibility must have been good for him." Twilight said still a bit reluctant about her son being so involved with the incarnation of disharmony.

"Yeah, he's still random but his outlook is way different, he left for the same reasons I did so we can relate to one another. He's definitely my best friend right now, I just hadn't considered him like that before. Or anyone since I lost my crush on Rarity. How do I know this is really what I want?" Spike said looking back to the ponies that he called family. Twilight being herself wasn't the best at romantic situations, so Fluttershy was left to field the question.

"Spike, you've never had a thought about this before or with any male right?" She asked in a caring tone. To which Spike nodded.

"But you aren't against it obviously, & you seem to like him a lot. Why not just test the waters? That's what I did when Zecora started flirting with me when I went to learn about different herbal medicines." Fluttershy said with a smile that told anyone with eyes she was revisiting fond memories. Spike thought about it for awhile before coming to a decision.

"I've come to a decision, but I want to hear what everypony else has to say on the subject." He said after a moment. Twilight & Fluttershy nodded & said nothing else on the subject. They chatted for several hours before Twilight needed to return to her duties & making Spike promise to keep the flame channel open. Hugs were exchanged & tears were shed by all. Spike bid farewell to Fluttershy before heading toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Spike opted out of the flying option & walked the path to the farm. He passed the old crusader's old club house thinking of how sad he was when the fillies had each left for their new lives. Sweetie Belle to Canterlot for her record label, Applebloom to Apploosa to become a carpenter, & Scootaloo to wherever the extreme sports took her. He sighed as he passed by & continued onward. When he arrived he could see that the Apple family had expanded their operation as there were trees as far as even Spike's powerful eyes could see. He walked up to the farmhouse where he could hear foals crying, most likely Big Mac & Cherry's children. He knocked upon the door after ducking to be able to stand on the porch. He was greeted by the very mare he had come to see. She pushed him back off the porch & walked back up to him & helped him up. She then turned & bucked him in the chest, however to her surprise he held firm & she felt as though she had just bucked a steel wall.

"Well, ya definitely ain't gone soft on me, but ah'm still mighty cross with ya for up'n leaving without saying nuthin." She said trying to regain feeling in her back hooves.

"I know AJ, but this was my Manehattan trip. But I'm sorry I didn't tell anypony. I'm not back for good, I just needed to talk to you girls." Spike said with his head hanging low. Applejack immediately knew what he was talking about at the mention of her cutie mark story. She couldn't fault him for doing something she had done herself, but was disappointed that he had found home somewhere else.

"Ah can't fault you for goin' off to find yourself, but are you sure this isn't were you belong?" She asked with drooping ears.

"I've lived there two years & I've never been happier. But I may have found a special somebody, & I needed to ask what you girls, my family thought about it." Spike said with a firm but warm tone. He told her all about the city he called home & the questions he had to ask himself. She seemed blown away a bit by the influx of unusual information.

"Ah dunno know Spike, Ah can't make decisions for you but you seem awful fond of the varmint from what yer telling me." She said trying to console the dragon.

"Thanks AJ, I already made up my mind but it's good to hear your opinion. I wanted to see you all too, I left because I was afraid of watching you all grow old around me but when I came back I realized not seeing you made me feel just as bad." Spike said guiltily.

"Now, ah know you're gonna be around a long time but don't you ever think we'd be cross with you for something you can't help. Now come on, I'll bring you out some supper it's getting late & I don't think you'd have an easy time gettin inside." She said getting up from where she had been sitting. She returned awhile later with food for the two of them. Everything from then on went well & Spike was given the barn to sleep in for the night. The next day he had more friends to talk to.

Author's Note

ugh my pacing sucks. I'll probably come back & edit this eventually.

Home Is Where the Heart Break is.

Spike over the next few days had visited each of the girls & talked to them about his situation, all had been supportive of the issue & told him to follow his heart in their own way. The conversation with Rarity had been the most awkward out of the bunch as she had been aware of his past affections. The conversation had gone well after the initial weirdness, & Rarity even thought the two would make an interesting couple.

Spike had spent the better part of the week tracking everypony down. Pinkie wanted to throw a party & Rainbow consented that she wasn't the person to ask about "mushy stuff". He reminisced over seeing his family again as he flew home to the lost city. He stopped in the forest to eat some of the magical fruit as ponies didn't keep enough food to sate his hunger for long. He picked one & shoved it in his mouth only to find it tasteless. He plucked another one and bit it in half to find it too was tasteless & the inner flesh of the fruit was a dull grey.

"Something is very wrong here." Spike said to himself. He made a mad dash for the chasm & without hesitation dove in quickly accelerating to the best of his ability. As he continued his descent into the pit he noticed it was significantly darker, he looked around to see the light crystals were much dimmer than he had ever seen. The city soon came into view, it seemed nearly dead. The crystals were flickering in some places & the various inhabitants were arguing or locking themselves in their homes to avoid the trouble the colors of everyone he saw were considerably muted with gray.

"Hey! What's going on here? Everything was fine when I left a few days ago." Spike said separating a diamond dog & a minotaur who were having a fight. They recognized him immediately.

"Sir! We were just... uh settling a disagreement about loyalty to the king, I support him still but he thinks the king is incompetent just because the magic around the city has been faltering since the king locked himself away two days ago" Said the minotaur as he pointed to the diamond dog.

"What? The magic is failing? Why isn't Discord fixing it?" He bellowed at the malcontents before him. They merely shrugged & Spike waved them off & sighed.

Spike rushed as quickly as he could to the palace. The palace lights were completely dim & what Spike recognized as plunder vines were encircling the now closed doors & the entirety of the structure. Spike tackled the doors to little effect. His claws did more but the vines grew themselves back before he could make any headway. Spike inhaled as deeply as he could & blasted a torrential stream of fire directly onto the door. The vines burned away & couldn't regenerate their burnt stumps. Spike ripped the door open as quickly as he could & ran into the palace. The entire building was dark as could be Spike felt around until he found a wall torch & ignited it himself. The walls were also covered in the vines. As he made his way to the main hall he could hear sobbing.

There in front of his throne was the spirit of mischief his hair disheveled & colors all faded into gray. There was several empty bottles laying around the huddled draconequus as well as a ripped bag of black seeds & discarded cupcake wrappers. Spike realized that all the issues the city was facing was result of an extremely depressed god. Spike knew that magic was directly effected by emotions. Spike could feel the magic seeping from the crying draconequus feeding the plunder vines he had planted to keep others away. Discord's seemingly endless magic supported the entire city & the impossible forest above. The magic's user was in turmoil so the magic itself was seemingly sick.

"Discord? Are you alright? I came back." Spike said worriedly.

"Go away, you don't want me. I'm just a mismatched monster & you're a dragon, you're beautiful & perfect & you have an amazing personality. All I have is magic that causes trouble all the time, & I can't even die right! The wounds heal, the poisons just make you pass out, & there's nothing I can do about it!" The chimerical king bellowed.

"Discord... you tried to... end it all? Over me?"

...

The draconequus was silent. Spike was in tears, he rushed over to Discord & grabbed him, pulling him close.

"I'm sorry I overreacted Discord, I should've come back sooner. I went & saw the girls, they all miss you. Rainbow Dash even asked how you were. Fluttershy was so proud of you when I told her about the city, I know I broke the rules but I needed advice." Spike said through his burning tears. Discord turned his head to the dragon, even his eyes were dulled considerably.

"They really missed me?" he said softly. Spike was unsure but he thought he saw some color return to the depressed creature's eyes.

"No, WE missed you." Spike said before pulling him into a kiss. It wasn't a great kiss as it was both of their firsts but there was definitely something there between the two. Discord's body flashed brightly & the light blasted outward righting all the wrongs of the city. The crystals returned to normal, the vines vanished, & all the color of the inhabitants were returned to their normal luster.

"Spike, I... do you really want to..." Spike stopped him with a claw to his lips.

"I came back to you didn't I? I'm still new to this, but I want to try. I just gave you my first kiss, it wasn't under the circumstances I had ever imagined but I don't wanna take it back. It did a lot of good for everyone, including me. But, no matter how this turns out, just know that I care about you & I never wanna see you like that ever again. You scared me Discord, I know you're immortal but that doesn't mean your head is always in the right place." Spike got up & helped the restored god to his mismatched feet.

"I'm sorry how I reacted Spike, I've never been in love before & when you left I felt broken. I just wanted everything over with I've lived for longer than anyone else on the planet but I haven't dealt with emotion very often." Discord said as he snapped his fingers ridding the floor of the clutter & summoning another bottle to calm himself.

"What is that stuff you went through so much of anyway?" Spike asked curiously.

"Peppermint schnaps, a grateful citizen gave it to me once & I grew to like it. Want a sip?" Discord asked passing the bottle to Spike. He took a quick swig after examining it for a moment.

"That's pretty goo- Buuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrp!" He was interrupted by a huge torrent of flame that emerged from his mouth. A slightly ashy letter fell from the smoke.

"Perhaps you should notify ponies not to send you mail the next time you decide to have a drink?" Discord said after snapping his fingers to restore his immolated eyebrows.

"Heh, lets just see what the letter says...huh? It's some kinda drawing & a date & time." Spike said showing it to Discord.

"Your mother just sent us a locator seal. She's coming to the location of the letter at... 7PM three days from now." Discord said suddenly shaking.

"Discord? What's wrong?" Spike asked with raised brow.

"I'm going to meet you're mother & we've only been going out for... 13 minutes!" Discord said while materializing an oversized pocket watch. Spike merely rolled his eyes.

"You've met her countless times Discord, you even knew her before she became a princess." He said.

"Oh Horseapples! I forgot she was royalty too! I need to class up the place, maybe solid gold mini-fridges in every room?" Discord was beginning to panic. Spike merely took a long drink of the bottle in his hand & belched another blast of flame at the draconequus, this time on purpose.

"Better now?" Spike asked semi-sarcastically.

"Much, but I don't feel great about you having to be the voice of reason so often, you've had to do that since you were little. I'm quite literally a thousand times your age & I'm the one acting like a foal." An ashen Discord stated as he dusted himself off.

"It's the role I was born to play, besides I think you're funny. Plus I don't think I could torch someone else when they got out of hand." Spike said with an evil grin.

"You're terrible." Discord said sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, now let's go clean up you're political mess before we get an auditorium full of petitioners." Spike said waving his new love interest's jest off, & with that they went to fix their home.

Author's Note

So, yeah I suck at using canon characters but if I don't practice it's not going to get better.

Awkward Dinner

Spike & Discord had managed to sort out the incident with the failing lights & mood altering magic by way of public apology. Discord's way of public apology seemed to be granting each family in town a request so long as Spike deemed it reasonable. This took quite some time but everyone seemed legitimately pleased with their wish. Spike also had Discord install a lift so that the non-flying creatures could reach the surface easily to harvest the impossible fruit that seemed to replenish quite often. Spike had asked him about it & Discord explained that he was continually sending out small amounts of magic to keep everything running smoothly, this is why everything went south during his episode.

The requests took up most of the time they had before Twilight's visit. Spike kept telling Discord not to worry but the draconequus had already magically sterilized the city four times, doubled the kitchen staff for as long as she was staying, magically produced complete records of the city since it's creation, & quadrupled the size of the palace library in an attempt to impress her.

"Discord, you need to calm down. It's not like she's going to turn you back to stone or anything." Spike said to the chimera who was currently repainting the palace by hand for some reason.

"I know that! But she's never liked me! If we're going to work out I need to show her that I'm really a good guy." Discord stated looking at Spike.

"Why do you think that? I don't care if she doesn't like you, we still have a shot no matter what she thinks." Spike said taking the paintbrush from Discord.

"You mean that?" Discord said with his best attempt at puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, now change the walls back to normal. All the orange plaid is giving me headaches." Spike said pointing at the offending wall. To which Discord smiled sheepishly as he snapped his fingers.

"Now, did you tell the cooks to make veggie lasagna? That's Twilight's favorite dish." Spike inquired.

"Yes, but I still think making it myself would have more meaning to her." Discord said slightly irritated.

"No, not until you learn that not everything needs sugar or chocolate or whatever." Spike said in a similar fashion with a wag of his finger at the ancient child.

"You liked my licorice spaghetti though." Discord countered.

"Yes but I can digest anything, Twilight can't." Spike said flatly.

"It's surprisingly difficult to argue with someone when they know you're not about to turn them into a radish. I miss the old days sometimes." Discord said sighing.

"Tell you what, tonight goes off without a hitch & you can have another kiss when mom leaves. Sound good?" Spike asked blushing slightly.

"Do you think Celestia would notice if I sped up time a little?" Discord replied with complete seriousness.

"That would be a pretty sizable hitch Discord." Spike said through a smile brought on by the spirit's enthusiasm. The two continued on with some more idle chatter for awhile until it was time for Twilight to make an entrance. Spike placed the paper with the odd designs on it in the center of the throne room at 6:59PM exactly. Within a second's accuracy the air began to shimmer & then the familiar light & sound of teleportation occurred in a flash that left a purple alicorn in it's place. Twilight scanned her surrounding & looked at the two tall draconian figures before her.

"Spike, Discord, It's good to see you again." she said in a slightly hesitant tone.

"Hello, Twilight Sparkle. What's it been? Seven years?" Discord said in a matching voice while avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." she answered also avoiding the much taller figures gaze.

"Sooo, how about we head to the dining hall. Dinner should be about ready, & that should give us time to talk." Spike said trying to cut through the tension in the room. Both of them merely nodded & Discord took the lead. The walk was silent until,

"So, Discord... your palace is much less... random than I expected." Twilight said trying to ease into conversation.

"Yes, I based it off of Atlantis' capital building. It was a beautiful place, you should ask Luna about it sometime." Discord stated still worried about the evening.

"You mean it was a real place?" Twilight asked genuinely intrigued, which Discord picked up on.

"Oh yes, I visited it often before it sank. A tragic incident with the tides, they were nearly as advanced as Equestria is now."

The two chatted away about history & myth like old friends until they reached the dining hall. Spike could only smile at this but didn't pay much attention to their conversation as it seemed a bit dull to him. They were seated at the table to one corner, Discord's kingdom had no nobles to speak of so the impressive table was terribly wasted. The awkward silence seemed to catch it's second wind at this point, but after a moment Twilight slew it once more.

"So... Spike informed me of the situation but I assume it's been resolved since you two seem to be getting along well?" She asked with some hesitation.

"We're trying it out to see how it goes but what with running the city we haven't had a date or anything." Spike said much to Discord's relief. Twilight was visibly unsure about this but didn't condemn their decision. Instead they were quiet as a diamond dog brought out a large rectangular covered dish. It was then placed adjacent to the three & the lid was removed. Twilight's eyes widened as she saw a gorgeous looking lasagna steaming up from the dish. The diamond dog cut pieces for each of them & took a place at the wall behind Discord to await any instruction. As they began eating Twilight was visibly pleased by the dish. After awhile however her curiosity began to eat at her.

"Discord since you're entering a relationship with my son I'd like to know more about you." Discord obviously began to sweat at this but Spike unbeknownst to Twilight shot him a reassuring look.

"W-what would you like to know?" He managed to stutter.

"Where do you come from? Do you have any family?" she asked in a semi serious tone. Discord sighed but answered none the less.

"I was born in Equestria long before ponies came to it, I had started traveling the world by the time your ancestors had migrated here. Eventually I returned to find your race here." He said with a seemingly sad note in his voice.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed that, what about family though?" She said genuinely curious.

"My mother was a powerful demon named Echidna & my father the most powerful creature in existence & the son of the earth herself, his name was Typhon. I was the youngest of twelve children though none of us looked like each other at all. all but a few of them were killed, but they have many descendants running about still. I haven't seen Mom & Dad in nearly 3000 years but they're immortal so I know they're alright." Discord said. His ears were flat on his head & tears were forming in his eyes. All was silent for a moment as no one knew what to say. Spike had been just as unaware of this story as Twilight & was now just as silent.

"I'm sorry I brought it up,but who would do such a thing?" Twilight asked before she could stop herself.

"Ponies. Ponies saw my family as monsters & destroyed the ones they could because they were afraid of them. All but me because I was away, Cerberus because they tamed him to guard Tartarus & Cadmea who could never be caught thanks to her magic. Dad is imprisoned under a mountain & Mom is in hiding deep underground being protected by Grandma Gaia. That's why I decided to rule over the ponies for so long before I was turned to stone, I wanted revenge but I didn't want to hurt them" Discord said without any emotion at all in his voice.

"I-I wasn't aware that you had such a history. I'm sorry that I brought it up, That must have been a hard time for you." Twilight said sincerely as she recovered from the shock.

"Don't be, my family wasn't like pony families. They did whatever they pleased, stole from each other, fought, & there wasn't any care between us. That's why I left, I wanted away from them so badly. But they were still family, so I overreacted to their fates & caused loving families pain. It took those same ponies to help me realize how wrong I was." Discord said his expression brightening a little. Spike had never seen Discord like this before, serious & sad with heavy doses of regret. Spike had never seen eyes so old looking before, they were the same as always but seemed so different while he talked about his own history. It seemed like he was seeing the immortal for the first time as what he really was, a sad clown trying to hide behind painted on smiles & childish games.

The dinner progressed normally enough afterward & the plates were taken away by various staff. Discord himself materialized the desserts, Twilight received a piece of black berry cobbler, Spike a slice of jewel cake with butter creamed pearl frosting, & Discord a large bowl of cotton candy flavored ice cream with chocolate sprinkles.

"How did you know what we wanted for dessert?" Twilight said over the sound of Spike greedily gobbling down his 24 karat confection.

"Magic." Discord said smiling as he clamped his hands shut & then parting them creating a small rainbow.

"That's as in depth as your going to be about this isn't it?" Twilight asked flatly.

"Most likely." Discord said before devouring his treat bowl & all. Twilight merely sighed & began enjoying her cobbler, which she had to admit was excellent. The conversation soon picked back up after the delicious treats were gone but Twilight soon tired & was offered a suite upstairs to which she accepted. She planned on seeing the city itself tomorrow but said she didn't intend on revealing it's location to anyone that didn't need a place to call home. As Spike & Discord headed to their own rooms Spike stopped the draconequus.

"Discord, you did great tonight. You didn't need to tell her all that if you didn't want to though." Spike said with a caring expression.

"If this is going to work I need to be completely honest Spike, & even though it hurt I feel better talking about it after keeping it to myself for so long. & without you there I wouldn't have been able to do it." Discord said with a sincere smile much different from his regular maniacal grin. Spike pulled the draconequus into a kiss which was accepted eagerly.

"You definitely earned that." Spike said as he passed the speechless chimera & entered his own chamber. Spike climbed into his bed & adjusted himself until comfortable.

"I'm becoming my mother. The more I learn, the more I want." He thought to himself as he drifted to sleep with a smile on his face.

Author's Note

So yeah, I think Discord's madness is just a mask he's worn so long that he forgot it wasn't his face.

Bonding Tour

Twilight had drug Spike out of bed much earlier than he was used to. Spike, to counteract the boredom of giving his adoptive mother a tour did the same to Discord. She was using her phenomenal magic prowess (& nagging ability) to get them to take her on a tour of the lost city. Discord objected a bit but Spike convinced him it was a prime chance to show off to his mother. The tour began directly in front of the palace.

"Whoa, I've never seen a crystal like this before." She said with wide eyes as she ran up to the glowing gem fountain in the square.

"Yes, those are my own creation. I combined many different chemicals & compounds in trying to get the perfect result. I then realized I don't know anything about chemistry & magicked them out of ordinary rocks." Discord said as he picked up a pebble from the ground, altering it to prove his story. He then handed it to Twilight who accepted it with a look of wonder.

"Do you know how long it's supposed to take to create crystal? Even with magic? Or how much energy it would take?" She said seemingly befuddled by Discord's near effortless bending of natural & magical law.

"No? I'm not a scientist Twilight Sparkle. I'm a wizard. If you want to know about history or magic, I'm your guy. But geology isn't my forte." Discord said shrugging at the question.

"You don't even know how you did that? That's impossible! You shouldn't be able to manipulate things that easily even if you did!" Twilight was beginning to become frazzled as she sometimes did.

"I'm the most powerful practitioner of magic I know, as long as I know what I want I can usually make it happen. But there are some things no one was meant to do, & those are where I draw the line. But I've never really questioned my power's limits & I'll admit I'm afraid to find out." Discord said as he flip flopped the stone between crystal & stone. Hearing Discord say he was going to be responsible with his powers in his own backwards way was enough to ease Twilight's nerves a little.

The trio continued through the city as Discord explained everything. He revealed that the unusual architecture was a mash up of every culture that had ever existed on earth until it was built to make anyone who found themselves here feel a little more welcome. He even introduced Twilight to city officials of various races who told her of life in Discord's city. Most were quite happy with everything & simply said:

"It's perfectly imperfect." Which appeared to be the motto of the place.

Their tour took several hours as Discord agreed not to simply teleport them everywhere. The tour ended with a trip to the surface to the impossible forest via the new lift. They soon arrived topside where Twilight surveyed the chasm in disbelief.

"It looks like you took a massive scalpel & cut an incision into the ground & it opened like flesh. It's even smooth except for the marks in the middle! How'd you do it?" Twilight asked having not learned her lesson from earlier.

"I made myself big & ripped it open with my hands." Discord said while doing jazz hands.

"No. That's even more unbelievable than the crystal!" Twilight said slightly angrily while poking him with a hoof. Discord rolled his eyes & snapped his fingers & seemingly vanished. Spike & Twilight looked around in confusion. Suddenly the clouds in the sky parted revealing an enormous yellow eye with a red pupil staring down at them. There was a loud sound that shook the earth itself & Discord was back in his former place.

"Any other complaints?" He said smiling. The alicorn & dragon could only nod negative.

"Good! Then let's go see the fruit trees!" Discord said excitedly. His surprised purple companions merely followed him into the forest of blue & white pine trees. Discord stopped at a particularly healthy looking tree & plucked a pink pumpkin like fruit from it & tossed it to Twilight.

"This is the only export of the lost city, although we don't trade with anyone currently but whatever. This is an impossible tree, The wood is oak but white, the needles are pine but blue, & the fruit are little pink pumpkins with mystery flavors." discord said with pride. Twilight examined the fruit & tree questioningly but Spike motioned for her to eat it. She took a bite & immediately her expression became followed by revulsion.

"Blech, I hate sauerkraut! Why give me a sauerkraut fruit?" Twilight said as she tried to get the taste off her tongue.

"They don't have any flavor until you eat them, you never know what it'll be. My first one was bacon." Spike said slightly amused at her misfortune. He plucked another from a tree & handed it to her. She warily accepted it & took a small bite. Her eyes widened in surprise & she happily began munching away on the rest.

"That tasted exactly like chocolate chip cookies! These are amazing! Are they good for you?" Twilight asked turning to an obviously pleased Discord.

"They have all the same nutrition as an orange. I have no idea why oranges but as long as they keep the city well fed I suppose it doesn't matter." He said looking at the chasm.

"Discord would you be interested in opening trade with Equestria? These would be a huge success back home. We'd provide the city with goods you can't get around here & money to help the city grow by itself without as much magic." Twilight said looking up at the draconequus hopefully. Discord considered this for a moment while he ran his talon like hand down his beard a few times.

"The people are happy but more come every year & families are having children. They need to have room to grow & money to support themselves. I'll do it for them as long as you handle the trade agreements between us & Equestria Twilight Sparkle. The royal sisters are still a bit wary of me." Discord said with a little embarrassment toward the end.

"I'd be honored to. But what's the actual name of this place? This was unoccupied territory before so it's never had a name. If we're opening trade relations it needs country status & a name." Twilight stated in an official tone. Discord was good at magic but not politics & as such was getting nervous as he was unable to come up with something on the spot.

"This is Thuban the capital city of the newly founded Chimera Kingdom." Spike said surprising both the alicorn & draconequus.

"Yes, what he said." Discord said as he regained his composure & attempted to look calm & collected.

"Right then, this is probably going to take awhile to sort out & explain to Celestia & Luna so I should go. Is it alright if I take some fruit back to help reinforce the idea to them?" Twilight asked. No sooner then she had said it a large fruit basket full of the impossible fruit appeared on her back courtesy of Discord's magic hands. Goodbyes were said & Twilight pulled Spike into a big hug & told him she would be back in about a month & for him to write more often. To both serpentine figure's surprise Discord received a hug as well. He was told to take good care of her son. Discord's worries melted away at these words & he pinkie swore he would do so. Twilight teleported off to Canterlot leaving the two alone. they shared a kiss knowing they were becoming closer. The two stayed there for a moment before sending the lift back down & teleporting back to the castle to rest, for big changes were on their way to their home. But they were ready to face them, together.

Author's Note

Not over just yet. Who thinks I should give them a kid? I already have one designed & before you say how, MAGIC. deal with it.

Down The Road

Several years had passed since Twilight had opened trade relations with the Chimera kingdom. The new country was growing at a steady rate as it quickly grew in reputation as it would take in refugees freely. Many more underground cities had been founded to conserve space available to be farmed above. Ponies & several other species quickly joined the diverse society. Equestria even started following their example & made peace with the queenless changelings.

The most famous thing about the kingdom was the two kings. One of wisdom & one of power. Spike had accepted Discord's offer to live together forever two years after they began their relationship. His time was stopped until he wanted it to move again, since they waited Spike had grown more & was now fairly muscular & a foot taller than Discord. The wedding had been presided over by Twilight & all the elements & princesses had attended. Things were going well for the two rulers but the work of running a growing empire took it's tole on them.

"Ugh, I feel like we've been working for days." Discord moaned as he filled out form after form.

"We have been, Nemea & Corinth both still need approval for revisions to their new town charters. Thebes needs approval to modify the existing town hall to accommodate giraffe citizens & the minotaurs want holiday approval for the some weird holiday involving wearing green clothing & pinching citizens that don't conform to the rule." Spike said & let loose an enormous sigh after finishing.

"Don't we have elected officials everywhere to take care of stuff like this?" Discord said growing another pair of arms to motion to the paperwork his original were currently filling out.

"Can't you just make duplicates of yourself to do all this? You make them to cheer yourself on & stuff all the time." Spike said looking over to his husband.

"I can't make them smart enough to do everything properly or they'd object to having to do what I didn't want to. I'm a master of chaos, all this orderly paperwork is murder on my head." Discord said massaging his temples to alleviate his work induced headache. Spike groaned heavily as he continued on with his work.

The work slowly but surely tapered off after several days of work. The two slept in their shared bedroom for an entire day & worked the kitchens to the the point of exhaustion to feed their hunger. The two decided to have a date night to have some alone time without mountains of paperwork towering over them. They were going to the fanciest restaurant in the capital, "The Melting Pot" it serves all kinds of foods from many cultures & original dishes made from the impossible fruit the Chimera Kingdom was famous for. They didn't need reservations as they had a personal table on reserve at all times.

They teleported directly outside the restaurant as to not alarm the other patrons. When they walked inside the patrons merely raised their various limbs in the air three times in cheer as they had been instructed not to bow. The Minotaur at the front of the melting pot showed them to their table happily. The table was behind a velvet curtain away from the rest of the diners to give them privacy.

"What would you like to drink sirs?" The waiter asked as he handed them their menus.

"I'll have a changeling honey mead." Discord said

"I'll just have some wine, I trust you to pick a good year." Spike said. The waiter nodded & went of to fetch their drinks.

"What's changeling honey?" Spike asked Discord with a raised brow.

"Changelings store love for hard times in the form of a honey-like liquid that can be fermented like regular honey made by bees. It makes you feel giddy & warm & fuzzy all at once so you only need to drink half as much as regular alcohol." Discord said as he levitated the menu instead of holding it. Spike simply "hmmed" at this as he looked over his own menu. He payed special attention to the section designed for diamond dogs as they could also eat gems.

When the waiter returned they placed their orders, Spike was having a seafood tempura with a side of opals. Discord had opted for the macaroni & cheese with white truffles. The food arrived after awhile of small talk, Discord was being suspiciously quiet tonight. Spike didn't think much of it but as dinner wore on it was continually silent.

Discord, I know something's bugging you. You're almost as quiet as when you were a lawn ornament. What's wrong?" Spike asked when he couldn't stand the silence anymore.

*sigh* "I've been thinking about something, I looked over a lot of stuff during the endless paperwork. I had to sign a bill about children's healthcare & another for regulating the adoption policies for the kingdom. I never had a loving family before you & Twilight. I've been thinking... would you maybe want to have a child in the future?" Discord said with watery eyes. Spike was rendered momentarily speechless at the extremely serious question the normally carefree master of chaos that he had grown to love so much.

"I-I didn't know if you even liked kids, I don't know if I'd be ready to adopt a foal with you. I'm still not very old Discord I don't know if I'd even be a good father." Spike said still in recovering from the shock.

"I don't want to adopt Spike, the bill just got me thinking. I know we can't have a baby naturally but with some DNA from both of us & some magic we could have our own child. I read about the spell but no one ever had enough power to make it work. I have more than enough but it'd leave me drained for a day or so." Discord said without his expression brightening. Spike was again speechless for a moment.

"I-I'm going to need some time to think about this hun, this is a really big step & we've still got a developing country to run. I love you but I don't know anything about being a dad. I never had a father growing up, Twilight raised me mostly by herself until we moved from Canterlot to Ponyville & then it was nothing but mares. I feel like I wouldn't know what the baby would need to know." Spike said his expression sinking a bit. Discord looked at him slightly annoyed but still with tears in his eyes.

"Spike, just because you didn't have any male role models growing up doesn't mean that you wouldn't be a good father. You grew up with wonderful ponies & I know that our friends & your mother would give us plenty of support & I know you'd care for our child with all your heart just as I would with both of mine." Discord said placing his lion's paw on Spike's shoulder. Spike side barred the thought about Discord having multiple hearts & thought about his words instead. He knew that Discord was right that the ponies would be their whenever they needed them. He thought about it but still wasn't sure.

"Give me some time to think it over, okay sweetie?" Spike asked taking the lion paw in his own claw.

"As long as you need, we've literally got all the time in the world." Discord said as he pulled his husband into a hug. The two left the restaurant & returned to the castle. The pair had much to think about & in the morning Spike had a letter to write.

Author's Note

so you guys said I should give them a kid but I didn't wanna do it right away so probably next chapter after we hear Twilight's take on the situation.

Decision

Spike awoke before Discord & crept into their study & wrote a quick note to his adoptive mother.

Big life changing decision crept up on me, need advice again can you port over?

Spike quickly burned up the note & sprayed air freshener to dispel the smell of smoke & ash as if he was a teenager trying to keep his family from discovering that they were smoking. Which is what he felt like as he was trying not to awaken his husband with the smell. He received a reply telling him she would meet him in the throne room on the telepad. The telepad was invented by Twilight & was installed in the throne rooms of Canterlot Castle & the Chimerical Palace as well as the Crystal Palace. To those that knew the correct spell (Discord, Twilight, Luna, Celestia, Cadence & Shining Armor) it was a means of fast teleportation to any of the locations with one without using much magic. They could also be shut off by each ruler if need be.

Spike made his way to the circle of magical arrays that merely looked like a floor decoration to the unaware & waited for his mother to appear. The circle activated creating a pillar of light that touched an identical circle on the ceiling & Twilight stepped out with a smile. Spike opened his mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by a huggy purple blur.

"Spike! What's wrong? You're never awake this early anymore!" Said the worried lavender alicorn.

"Nothing is wrong... per-say. I just need some input about a really big question's answer... would I be a good father?" Spike asked after a slight pause. Twilight was wide eyed & open mouthed & seemed incapable of moving at all. This continued until Spike poked her in the cheek making sure she wasn't a statue. This awoke her from her comatose state & switched to full on panic.

"You're only 26! I'm only 32! I can't be a grandma! You should have used protection! I gave you that talk when you were 15! Where did I go wrong?!" She stated sobbing on the floor in front of him.

"Mom, Discord is male & I am not ever discussing our sex life with you, please snap out of it." He said pleadingly.

"Wh- oh, right. Don't scare me like that!" She said with a red face.

"Discord has a spell that can make us an actual genetic offspring, I like the idea of having a kid but I'm not sure I'd be a good parent. I don't even know what a dad is supposed to do." Spike said hanging his head slightly.

"Spike, gender specific roles aren't really applicable in this day & age. You just need to love a child & teach it what it needs to know & make sure it's needs are met until it can become independent. I may have freaked out on you a minute ago but I wouldn't mind being a grandma, & the girls & I will always support you two." Twilight said composing herself & entering mother mode.

"You're right, I was just over thinking things again, I can still be a foal sometimes. I wonder what our child will look like? Would it be a chimera too?" Spike more thought aloud than spoke.

"I have no idea, I did research on ancient myths that matched up with a lot of stuff Discord told me & it seems like everyone in his family was completely different from one another. Though several seemed to be chimeras or giant powerful animals." Twilight said offering what little input she could.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter, I know we'll love it all the same. Thanks for the advice mom." Spike said as he scooped up the much smaller pony into a hug. A cough was heard from behind them, Discord was standing there with a look of joy upon his face. He ran up to his family & joined the hug for he had heard Spike's discussion with Twilight. All was well between the happy couple as they stood there. Twilight ended the embrace as she was getting crushed by the larger figures, she said her goodbyes & asked to be informed when the child was to be born so she could bring the girls to see it. As soon as she was gone the kings shared a kiss & began the day's work, they found it hard to concentrate as they had more important things on their minds. After the day's tasks were completed the two began planning for the child. they would have it at the end of the month giving them time to set up a room in their personal section of the palace & take care of anything else that they would need. A letter was sent to Twilight that night telling her to ready the elements for travel on the 30th to see the miracle happen.

Author's Note

kinda short but I had a really busy day & I wanted it to be quick so I could get to the next one where the baby comes in.

The Magic of Birth

Everything was ready, The elements of harmony were standing several feet back from a table that looked much like a birdbath. At one side of the table was Discord & at the other Spike, the two shared a look & nodded at one another. Spike took a scale from his hide & placed it in the dish like table. Discord unfurled his wings & plucked one of his feathers from his bird like left wing, he then placed it directly next to the scale & joined his lion's paw with Spike's own claw. Discord took a deep breath & released it, he then raised his eagle claw hand into the air. Light began forming into a wobbly sphere above his talons as he spoke some indecipherable dead language that echoed around the entire room seemingly coming from everywhere at once. Soon the sphere was perfectly round & of a fair size about the size of a full grown pony's head. He slowly lowered the sphere to the dish & let it loose it's form becoming liquid that streamed into the tables opening covering the pieces of the joined kings. The light left the liquid giving it the appearance of crystal clear water, the scale & feather dissolved into the liquid changing it to a pale pastel yellowish green. The light returned to it & the water distorted itself shaping again into a sphere before elongating into an oval shape, when the light faded an egg of the same color green lay in the center of the table.

"Whoa." Was heard simultaneously from several of the elements & Spike himself. He had been briefed on the details of the ritualistic spell but seeing it was a far different experience. He could see the tired but happy expression on Discord's face, Spike himself was feeling a tad tired having contributed some of his own dormant draconian energies. Spike looked over to his mother who was desperately holding herself back from commenting on the impossibility of converting energy into matter.

"Spike, your fire will hatch the egg if all went as planned, turn off the flame channel just in case." Discord stated his tired expression becoming nervous & anxious with worry wondering if his magic had done it's job. Spike let go of Discord's paw & picked up the egg carefully with both hands. He took in a steady breath & let out a steady slow especially hot stream of his emerald flames.

"Keep it up for another minute at least, the embryo needs warmth & magic to completely develop, it will hatch when it's had enough." Discord said seriously. Spike gave no indication of acknowledgement but continued steadily in his task. A full minute passed but nothing happened, Spike would not give in he inhaled more through his nose & continued for another 3 minutes. Everyone in the room began too look worried until a audible *crack* was heard. Spike immediately stopped his flames & fanned his hands out so everyone could see the egg splitting.

The egg gave way to a curious pale green reptilian creature. It was serpentine in form but had skinny little forearms & cloven hooved hind legs. Upon it's back was a pair of whitish gray feathered wings. It had a chalk white underbelly with a tuft of fur to match it's wings at the end of it's tail. It's head bore three large spines in a horizontal row, down it's back from the center spine was little nubby spines.

"It's so cute!" Fluttershy & Twilight cooed simultaneously.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"It's a boy, we got to pick & we decided we knew more about boys." Spike said taking his son in his arms like any bipedal creature would do.

"ah think he looks more like a dragon than a... Discord." Applejack said meaning no offense.

"Yes he does seem to take after Spike more than me but he has my figure & some other details." Discord said as he gently stroked the little hatchling's cheek gently with a digit from his lion arm. The little tyke slowly opened his eyes revealing his rounded cat's eyes which were a dull pink rosey color.

"Do you have a name in mind?" Twilight asked with tears of joy welling up as the child viewed his family for the first time.

"We were waiting to see what he looked like before we decided on a name since there was no way to know til now." Spike said looking at his mother with his own tears already freely flowing from his eyes in bliss.

"How about Draco? Not a dragon but not a draconequus like me." Discord said thoughtfully. Spike thought about this for a moment.

"Do you like that Draco? You're our son, we want you to like your name." Spike asked the little sleek scaled newborn baby in his arms. His response was the little chimerical dragon sticking his little hand in his mouth & making a gurgling noise.

"I think he likes it." Discord said through a heavy yawn before summoning a warm bottle of milk from thin air. He handed the bottle to Spike who began to feed Draco who began sucking it down greedily. Discord summoned chairs for everyone including a very plush love seat for them. The two new parents shared a kiss as they sat on the little sofa but Discord had used a lot of magic & soon fell into a slumber as did Draco. Spike quickly motioned for the others to head out so his boys could rest.

The family was now a member larger & things could only get better from here. Spike soon fell into a sleep, joining his loved ones. They had all had a very big day especially the newborn prince of the Chimera Kingdom. The trio of interesting creatures had an eternity together starting now.

Author's Note

http://wulfricashbell.deviantart.com/art/Draco-421213932

This is Draco age 20 he's twice Discord's height but lighter. He breathes ice & his favorite food is pearls & coral. He prefers the water & the air to earth. He has no magic other than flight without wings but he prefers to use them. I may make another story about him in the future. Thanks for reading I already have another story in mind but I'm taking a break for awhile.

Prologue: Not Looking Back

Spike had grown significantly in the last decade as was to be expected. He was now a couple heads taller than Celestia last he had seen her. Things had settled down after a few years of Twilight becoming the princess of magic, but as the world calmed everypony drifted apart. Spike stuck with Twilight until he was of age to make his own path. Fluttershy surprised everypony by being the first to settle down the who also came as a shock. She & Zecora now lived together just outside the Everfree happily. Dash had become captain of the Wonderbolts to nopony's surprise. Applejack was still married to her work but Big Mac had found a wife in Mrs. Cherry Jubilee, they were expecting twins last Spike had heard. Pinkie had married a pony named Joy Buzzer who was a professional clown. Twilight now stayed in the castle full time, rumor had it she & Luna were an item but none dared ask. Rarity had moved to Manehattan to further her career.

"Rarity." Spike thought to himself not knowing what to say on the subject. He had once held her in the highest regard but as he grew older he lost his affection for her. He hadn't met anypony else that caught his eye since either. He had even turned away a few mares who took interest. He was now an impressive young drake only 21 years of age.

Spike ducked as he exited the library tree that had been his home for the last decade. He gazed outward at Ponyville & sighed. The town he had once never wanted to leave just didn't seem like home to him anymore. He stretched the wings he had grown only a few years back & took to the air. He was leaving, taking only some gems & a photo of all of his closest friends standing alongside him celebrating the growth of his wings. That was the last time they were all together. He didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for but he knew the answers were beyond Equestria's borders. Just like that he was gone, he had left no note & never once did he look back.