The Legend of Spike: Legacy

Chapters

Negotiations
Hunger
Amethyst
Midnight
Sour Apple
Posey
Thunderbolt
Ambushed
Hostage
Awaken
Wrath
Surprise
Legacy

Negotiations

Celestia's sun blazed in the sky over an encampment stationed in the Badlands southeast of Appleloosa. There was an uneasy tension lingering in the air as the troops comprised of ponies and buffalo watched from their tents and posts as their “guests” made their way through the camp towards the command tent. An armed escort of Pegasi and Unicorn soldiers led the group of visitors. The visitors were three large, bipedal creatures with bull heads; minotaurs. Each one of them stood at least eight feet tall, towering over the ponies and nearly matching the buffalo in size. The minotaur in the center was gray in color and was covered in scars. An ornate nose ring dangled from his muzzle and his horns were carved with intricate designs.

The escort party stopped before the large tent that stood atop of a hill overlooking the camp. More Royal Guards stood at attention in front of the tent's entrance, a purple Pegasus stallion standing directly before the others. He wore purple armor, indicating that he was the Captain of the Guard. On his flank was a cutie mark of a white, six-pointed star on a black shield. His hard gaze fell upon the three minotaurs that stood behind the escort team and his blue eyes narrowed more.

“Sir, Chieftain Thickskull has arrived for the negotiation summit with the Princess,” one of the soldiers leading the minotaurs reported as he saluted.

“Very well, you're dismissed,” the Captain told his subordinate without taking his eyes off the Minotaur Chieftain that was smiling down at him with an arrogant look upon his bovine face. “Wait here as I announce your arrival to Her Highness.”

“Well, hurry it up. I haven't got all day to waste time with peons such as yourself, you know,” Thickskull haughtily demanded. The Captain's brow furrowed in anger at the insult and thought about retorting. However, he held his tongue and simply turned to enter the tent. Thickskull tapped his hoof impatiently and crossed his bulky arms as he waited outside. He could hear the sounds of the soldier talking coming through the tent. He also heard a more feminine voice respond back to him and the Pegasus returned a moment later.

“Her Highness will see you now.”

“Well, it's about time,” Thickskull huffed as he made his way past the Captain, roughly brushing him aside as he entered the tent. The purple Pegasus stumbled a bit, but quickly regained his balance and glowered at the snickering minotaurs that followed the Chieftain. When Thickskull and his posse entered the tent, their arrogant smirks faded into frustrated scowls when they saw a lavender Alicorn sitting on a cushion before them. She had an indigo mane that had a pink stripe running through it, violet eyes, and a cutie mark of a magenta star burst surrounded by white stars.

“Welcome, Chieftain Thickskull. I have been expecting you,” the Princess addressed the minotaur leader.

“What is this!?” Thickskull indignantly shouted, surprising the Alicorn slightly.

“What do you mean, Chieftain?” the Princess calmly asked.

“I was supposed to be meeting with the Princess. Who is this mare before me and where is that coward, Celestia?” Thickskull yelled. The lavender Alicorn's face displayed her unamused reaction to the minotaur's insulting statement. “Is she so afraid to face me that she sends her maid to do her deals for her?”

This comment got the other two minotaurs snickering. The Princess frowned and slightly groaned in annoyance. An orange Pegasus stallion to her right stepped forward to face the laughing minotaurs.

“You will mind your tone in front of a Princess of Equestria,” he barked at the disrespectful brutes. They stopped laughing and snorted at the pony that dared to tell them what to do. “This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and you will show her respect.”

“And who are you, little pony?” Thickskull then bent down to glare the stallion eye to eye. Both males locked eyes and starred menacingly at one another. “I don't remember ask you a thing.”

“He's Flash Sentry, Prince Consort and my husband.” Thickskull looked up to see that Twilight Sparkle had rose from her cushion and was also glaring at him. Thickskull looked from the Alicorn to Flash Sentry, back to her, and then scoffed. “Now, if you don't mind, please have a seat and then we can begin.”

Thickskull and the other minotaurs reluctantly sat on the cushions that were prepared for them and Twilight did the same. Between them was a map of Equestria that laid upon a table. The map clearly detailed the territories and lands of the ponies and the buffalo. To the southeast lied the Badlands, where the minotaur and other creatures hailed from.

“Chieftain Thickskull,” Twilight Sparkle addressed the lead minotaur in an authoritative voice. “Ever since you took command of the United Minotaur Tribes, your forces have raided the lands of the buffalo tribes and the pony settlements in southern Equestria. At first, we thought that these were nothing more than bandits, but that's not the case is it?”

Thickskull didn't say anything, but instead smugly smiled as though he was proud of his actions. Twilight then continued, “No, you're planning something more, aren't you. Not only are you stealing supplies from the buffalo and ponies, you're also taking over their lands. Our scouts have also discovered minotaur warriors advancing on the borders of Equestria. You're planning on invasion, aren't you?”

These were no more than rhetorical questions. Of course she knew Thickskull planned on invading Equestria. Twilight had invited him to the camp to confirm what she already knew. Better to hear it from the source himself. She was also hoping to be able to dissuade him current course of action. The minotaur leader made no more effort to contain his intentions and started to laugh at the Alicorn.

“My, aren't you the smart little pony?” the gray minotaur mocked. “Yes. We are invading. If you're so set on following the proper procedures of conducting warfare, consider this my declaration of war.”

“Chieftain Thickskull, surely we can come to a peaceful solution,” Twilight tried to reason with him.

“A peaceful solution? Oh, of course!” he said in a cheery attitude. Twilight and Flash's heads raised along with their optimism, but then said optimism was crushed by what he said next. “You and the other Princesses can bow to me along with rest of your kingdom and we can avoid any more conflict.”

“You're being unrealistic,” Twilight dryly stated.

“Am I? Those 'bandits' were just a test to see how strong your forces are. The buffalo tribes are too scattered to resist us and your ponies are weak. I'm surprised that your kind managed to subjugate the cattle and the donkeys. Maybe you were able do it because they are stupid like the sheep and goats.”

“We do not subjugate other species!” Twilight declared, her temper being roused. “We live in harmony with the other species and we all work towards a mutually beneficial future.”

“Ha! So you claim. It doesn't matter what you say; history is written by the victors. Soon, you'll see us as your benevolent dictators just as they see you.”

“Look. I invited you here to try to discuss...” Twilight started to say, but the minotaur cut her off.

“Yes, yes, yes. The negotiation. Here's what I want. I want Equestria's fertile lands; its green grass, open fields, and vast wealth of treasure.”

“Like I said, we can work together towards our mutual benefit,” Twilight again tried to reason with him.

“And that's how you make slaves out of other races. You offer them a share of the resources and then they are indebted to you. You will ask us for more and more favors, constantly reminding us how much we owe you. I will not be indebted to a pony!” Thickskull rose to his hooves, causing the guards surrounding the princess and prince to immediately moved to their side, ready to defend them. “I will take what I want and your ponies are too weak to stop me!”

“You do realize that there are other types of ponies in Equestria.” Twilight could see Thickskull's folly. The southern region of Equestria was home to mostly Earth Ponies, which meant the Chieftain had no experience in engaging the other types of ponies in combat. “You may be physically stronger than the Earth Ponies, but Unicorns have magic, and the Pegasi have air superiority.”

“Bah! Your Unicorns and their silly spells are useless in close combat and the Pegasi will still have to get close to us in order to fight us. All of your fancy tricks amount to nothing compare to our raw power.” To emphasis his point, the boastful minotaur flexed his rippling muscles.

“Thickskull, I implore you to reconsider,” Princess Twilight pleaded in serious tone, hoping beyond hope to stop the minotaur's foolishness.

“No. By the end of this war, I will make your and the other princesses' horns into a crown and you will be my slave,” declared Thickskull. Twilight Sparkle looked upon the minotaur for a moment and then sighed with disappointment.

“So be it,” she said with resignation and then called to the Captain outside. “Captain Evening Star.”

The purple Pegasus from before entered with his soldiers and said as they saluted, “Yes, Your Highness?”

“Have your soldiers see Chieftain Thickskull and his entourage out of the camp.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” He then turned to his comrades and ordered, “You heard her, show them the way out!”

“Yes, sir!” They said in unison and then one of them said to the three minotaurs, “Please follow us.”

After they had left, Twilight turned to the remaining guards and politely asked, “Would you mind leaving us?”

They saluted and left the Alicorn alone with the two remaining Pegasi. After they had left, Twilight slouched a bit as she sat on her cushion while exhaling, exhausted from the meeting.

“Permission to speak freely, Your Highnesses,” Evening Star requested.

“Sweetie, I sent the guards out so we could,” Twilight said to him with a raised eyebrow. “Besides, you don't have to refer to us as 'Your Highnesses.' You're a prince as well and our son.”

“Protocol, Your Highness,” Evening Star reminded her. She rolled her eyes and Flash Sentry chuckled.

“Your Uncle Shining Armor wasn't as strict as you are when he was the Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Permission to speak freely, Your Highnesses,” Evening Star requested again.

“Yes, you can speak freely,” Flash Sentry laughed.

“Thickskull has no idea what he's getting himself into,” Evening Star commented, relaxing a bit out of his rigid military attitude.

“Unfortunately,” Twilight agreed, disheartened by the results of the negotiations. “His pride is going to get a lot of his own troops hurt. With how stubborn they are, I don't know how we can avoid bloodshed.”

“He doesn't understand that Unicorn soldiers are trained in offensive magic and the Pegasi control the weather in Equestria,” Flash Sentry added. “All it would take is a tornado or a strategically placed storm and his army would suffer heavy loses.”

“Yes, but Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and I were hoping it wouldn't come to that. Now, I don't see another option but war.” Twilight then rubbed her temples with her hooves to try and alleviate her forming headache. She moaned in frustration and exasperation before turning to her son. “Evening Star, find your brother and tell him I need him to send a letter to Princess Celestia.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he saluted, snapping back into his strict military behavior.

“That boy takes himself way too seriously,” Flash commented to his wife as they watched their son leave the tent. They weren't the only one who thought so. Their daughter, Midnight, would often say it whenever he came home to visit. However, they supposed they shouldn't complain that he took his responsibilities seriously and they knew he had he had a good reason. He was the youngest Captain of the Guard in recent history, being even younger than Shining Armor was when he was given the position. He knew what the other guards would say; that he was a spoiled prince who only got the job because of who he was related to. He was determined to prove them wrong. He wanted to show everypony that he was worthy of his position and that he was his own pony. He didn't need his connections to be great.

Evening Star approached another tent that wasn't too far away from his parents'. Like the other tent, it had guard ponies standing outside, though the resident inside needed no protection. The guards saluted as their Captain walked up to the tent and opened the flap. As soon as he opened the tent, he was greeted by the sound of something crunching. He saw his brother lying on the ground with a large bowl gems at his side. A purple clawed hand grabbed a few a popped them into a maw filled with diamond crushing fangs. Green reptilian eyes looked from the bowl of gems to the entrance of the tent to see the Pegasus that had entered.

“Hey there, little brother,” a deep voice greeted Evening Star. It belonged to a dragon with purple scales and green, curved spines running down his back. His green, leathery wings were furled against his side and his body was slightly bigger than an Alicorn's, even bigger than Princess Celestia's impressive size. His long tail and neck were curled in order to fit in the tent. If he stretched out to his full length, he would be thirty feet long and his wingspan would be almost eighty feet from wingtip to wingtip.

“Your Highness, Princess Twilight has requested that you send a letter to Canterlot explaining the result of the negotiations with the Minotaur Chieftain.”

“It's good to see you too, Evening Star,” the dragon muttered teasingly as he grabbed another clawful of gems. Evening Star noticed the large stack of empty bowls beside the dragon. “Let me guess, it didn't go so well.”

“Chieftain Thickskull has officially declared war, yes,” Evening Star reported.

“You know you don't have to be so formal around me.”

“Protocol, Your Highness,” Evening Star stated, which the dragon parroted at the same time.

“Yes, I know. You could at least call me 'brother' or 'Spike” once in awhile.”

“Not while on duty, Your Highness.”

“Yeah, if you had it your way, you'd always been on duty,” Spike muttered. “Would it kill you to at least smile?”

“Maybe, Your Highness,” Evening Star responded before leaving with the slightest of grins on his face. Spike smiled as the Pegasus left. It wasn't the smile he was hoping for, but he would take what he could get.

“That boy takes himself way too seriously.” After eating another clawful of gems, he grabbed a quill and a sheet of parchment and started to write a letter to Princess Celestia explaining the situation. After finishing writing the letter, he rolled it up and breathed a green flame, which consumed the letter and carried it on a magical breeze that headed to the capital of Equestria.

As Evening Star headed back to report to his parents, he thought about his elder brother. Well, half-brother anyway. Evening Star's mother had hatched Spike's egg when she was just a filly as part of an entrance exam to enter Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. What she didn't know at the time was that the egg was a dud and that she was supposed to fail. The test was an aptitude test to gauge the level of magical ability of potential students and secretly to help Celestia find the pony destined to become bearer of the Element of Magic. Due to a sudden surge of raw magic from the then little Unicorn filly, Celestia discovered Twilight Sparkle and took her in as her personal protege. Also, Twilight's little outburst caused the lifeless egg to form a perfectly developed baby dragon out of her own magical essence and the egg hatched to reveal Spike. The baby dragon imprinted on Twilight and she raised the him from that day onward, eventually coming to realize that the dragon was more than just a friend or an assistant, but a son she had created from her own life force.

When Twilight Sparkle had married Flash Sentry, Spike was already grown and had just got married himself. He had married Rarity, a unicorn whom he had a crush on from the moment he laid eyes on her, and they had been blissfully married for twenty years now. She was also the bearer of the Element of Generosity and one of Twilight Sparkle's best friends. Though Spike and Rarity were the first of their circle of friends to get married, Twilight and Flash were the first couple to have a child. Evening Star was born nineteen years ago and he had his father's eyes and mane, not to mention that he was a Pegasus like him as well. His purple coat was obviously inherited from his mother and it was the same shade of purple as Spike.

The relationship between the two wasn't always the best. Evening Star was resentful that everypony compared him to his heroic parents and their friends and held him up to the same expectations. Yet at the same time, they would mock him and say that he was just riding on their coat tails. Spike tried to comfort his little brother, explaining to him that he also faces discrimination for being a dragon and being married to a pony.

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“Just because you're a prince, that doesn't mean you'll get any special treatment from us,” a young recruit of the Royal Guard sneered as he and his cohorts stood over the soldier-in-training that was lying on the barracks' floor.

“I'm not asking for special treatment,” Evening Star murmured as he wiped the blood from his snout.

“Don't try to deny it,” another stallion said to him. “We've seen the way you strut about the place.”

“It's call discipline,” Evening Star countered. “You know, something we're supposed to maintain while on duty.”

This earned the colt a kick to the ribs. “You think you're better than us!? You're not. At home, you may be a prince. To us, you're just another pony and we're going to make sure you remember it.”

“Are you now?” a cold voice growled from behind the gang of recruits. They turned and their hearts nearly stopped when they saw the Dragon Prince of Equestria standing behind them, his green eyes narrowed into razor blades and black smoke rising from his nostrils. “How can you possibly have time for that when you're about to start your double shifts?”

“Your Highness!” a recruit exclaimed when he saw the dragon.

“B-but we just got off of our shifts,” another nervously told Spike.

“Really? Hm, well then you're going have a long day,” Spike told them, not caring in the slightest about their ordeal. “Now get out of here.”

The recruits made themselves scarce and Spike offered a claw to help Evening Star off the floor. The Pegasus ignored the outstretched claw and rose to his hooves. He headed towards the door while saying darkly, “I didn't need your help, Your Highness.”

“Where are you going?” Spike asked in concern as his brother walked away.

“To start my double shift, Your Highness.” He turned to look back over his shoulder. “As you assigned to us.”

“Evening Star, you know what I meant by that.”

“And you know what they'll think of it.”

“It doesn't matter what they think. They're being punished for their behavior.”

“They're a part of my squad. Their punishment will be my own.”

“Look, if you're concerned that they'll retaliate...”

“I can't let them think that I'm better than them!” Evening Star shouted as he spun around to yell at Spike, losing his cool. “Now they'll think I can't do anything without my lizard of a half-brother holding my hoof!”

Evening Star then immediately felt regret for what he just said. Though Spike didn't say anything or show any emotion on his face, he could see the hurt in his eyes. It was an insult to call a dragon a lizard and he hated for his baby brother to call him his “half-brother.” He almost always referred to him as his brother. To hear him call him his half-brother somehow gave the impression that their relationship meant less to him. Evening Star said no more and left the barracks feeling ashamed of himself. Though they later reconciled, it would always hurt them both to remember that day.

Evening Star reentered his parents tent and they looked up from their plans. He saluted and said, “Your Highnesses, I have delivered the message to Prince Spike and he is already writing the message to Princess Celestia.”

“Thank you, Evening Star,” Flash Sentry said to his son.

“There is also something else.” Both parents looked up at him expectantly. “He's eating again.”

Twilight and Flash looked to each other with slightly concerned looks, knowing that the time had come again.

Hunger

Spike headed to Twilight's tent while holding a bowl of gems in his left front leg. Every so often, he would use his long forked tongue to snatch up a couple jewels from the bowl and snack on them. Since it was awkward to walk with only three of his four legs and it threw him off balance, he compensated by using his wings like a bat would to pull himself along. The reason why he simply didn't just walk on his hind legs was that his large size wouldn't allow for a prolong use of a bipedal posture. He could sit or stand on two legs, but he could walk for too long before toppling over. At least now he walked on four legs like the rest of his pony friends and family. That, and he still had hands which were better at picking up and holding things with than hooves.

Spike bent down and entered the tent. When he saw Twilight, Flash Sentry, and Evening Star waiting for him, he asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No, nothing serious,” Twilight answered while shaking her head. She then noticed the bowl in her eldest son's grip. “So, I see Evening Star was right when he said you were gorging yourself on food again.”

This caused him to look down at the nearly empty bowl of gems. “What, this? This is just a snack.” Without him even realizing it, his tongue shot out and ate the last emerald and ruby that was in the now empty bowl. Seeing this, Twilight sighed.

“I'll go and make sure the troops are ready for the battle,” Flash Sentry said, showing himself out. He could tell this was going to be another “family conversation.” Even though he was technically the dragon's stepfather, he certainly didn't feel like it. Spike was only a few years younger than he was and he was almost an adult by Equestrian law by the time Flash had started dating his mother. Spike was even married before he had proposed to Twilight. So when he married the Alicorn, he didn't know how to treat the purple dragon. It was once, and only once, that he ever tried to act like a father towards Spike. It didn't end well. He had taken Spike on a hiking trip in hopes to bond with his new stepson. Every time he would try to be sentimental or call him “son,” he was met with an awkward look from the dragon. They ended up spending the rest of the trip in silence, trying to avoid eye contact. They later decided just to treat each other as friends and leave the parenting to Twilight.

“How many bowls have you already eaten today?” she asked, already knowing the likely answer.

“Not many,” Spike answered while swallowing the remains of the last of the gems. A thoughtful look came across his face as he tried to recall the exact amount he had eaten. “I think about...” He then realized that he had eaten nearly a dozen that day and what that meant. “Oh.”

“'Oh' is correct,” Twilight responded. “It looks like it's time for another growth spurt.”

“Can't it wait?” Spike asked, mainly to his own growing body.

“Spike, you already know the answer to that,” Twilight reminded him.

“But there's so much going on this coming up week. I'm needed.”

“Yes, I know and I understand,” she said sympathetically. “But you know what will happen if you don't take care of it now.”

“Your Highness, might I point out that if you get it down now, you may be done before you missing anything?” Evening Star said, trying to be helpful.

“I guess,” Spike muttered dishearteningly. Twilight walked up to her son that was much bigger than she was and affectionately nuzzled against his drooped head.

“Come on, Spike. I'll fly back with you,” she told him in a gently tone as she raised his head with a hoof. With a halfhearted smile, Spike nuzzled her back and left the tent. As she followed him out of the tent, she turned back to Evening Star and said, “Tell your father that I'm headed back home and I'll see him later.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he saluted before leaving to report to Flash Sentry.

Outside, Spike looked towards the northwest, back to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle walked up next to him and they looked at each other as they spread their wings. With a mighty down thrust of his wings, Spike launched himself into the air and flew away with his mother flying beside him. Spike had grown wings twenty years ago while he was on a quest to save an island from maniacal tyrant. While there, he had met an ancient gold dragon named Aurum who took Spike under his wing and made him his apprentice. He taught Spike how to master his developing abilities, including teaching him how to master dragon magic, breathe ice, and how to tap into his limitless draconic strength. Spike had grown so much after his adventure and Twilight couldn't be prouder of him. Spike's new wings and his new found magical abilities actually gave the two more opportunities to bond. She loved spending time with him by flying or practicing new spells.

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When Evening Star was born, he was excited because he was now no longer the “little guy.” Sure, he had grown bigger than his friends, but they would always remember the chubby little dragon that would use to ride on Twilight's back when they first arrived in Ponyville all those years ago. When Spike and Evening Star's little sister Midnight was born, Spike was even more excited. Not only would he be able to help teach his little brother how to fly, but he could also help teach his little sister magic. Though Spike had to admit, he had once been secretly jealous of his younger siblings. Though their mother had created him from her own magic and life force and raised him all of his life, she had actually given birth to the two. He felt that because of this that she couldn't have loved him as much as she did her natural born offspring. Though he knew it wasn't true, he felt the gnawing thought eating away at the back of his mind whisper, “Now that she has real children, she no longer needs a stand in.” Twilight had astutely realized what Spike must have been thinking by the look in his eyes and reassured him that his fears were nonsensical. More importantly, she made sure that he knew that he was really her son and that she couldn't possibility loved him any more than she already did.

As they flew through the sky, Twilight looked down at the Macintosh Hills below them. The rocky terrain separated the Badlands from the southern desert and was a physical boundary line of the Kingdom of Equestria. It wasn't long before they were headed over the plains of the buffalo and the settlement of Appleloosa. To the north, she could see Canterlot Mountain in the distance. On it rested the capital city and the Royal Palace. Between the plains and the mountain was a vast and untamed forest known as the Everfree. Many strange beasts and eldritch creature dwelt within the depths of that forest. Also within it was the ancient castle that the two senior Alicorn Princesses, Celestia and Luna, once inhabited. Beneath it was the Tree of Harmony, which was the source of all harmony in Equestria and also was the source of the Elements of Harmony. Twilight Sparkle and her friends, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, represented the Elements and were the ones chosen to wield their power to save Equestria many times. Twilight Sparkle's element was Magic, or more accurately, the Magic of Friendship.

As they crossed over the forest, Spike and Twilight spotted the ancient castle below them. Just on the other side of the forest was home; Ponyville. It was a quite small town that rested in a valley just south of Canterlot. Many of the homes were thatched roofed cottages and the ponies could be described as “charmingly rustic.” One of the signature landmarks of the town was Sweet Apple Acres that was owned and operated by Applejack and the rest of the Apple Family. A newer, but unmistakable landmark, was the castle that rested within a crystal tree that rose up over the smaller buildings. Its style and size made it stand out from the rest of the town. The castle itself was purple and the tree's trunk was blue crystal. The roof and balconies were gold and a large, star-shaped crystal adorned the top of the castle. This was Twilight's castle and it is where she lives with Flash Sentry and their children. It is also where the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would sit in council with one another.

Though Spike was family and a member of the council, he had moved out the castle a long time ago. He now lived in a round building that was shades of pink, purple, and blue. Its multiple layers were trimmed with gold and lace designs. The top was shaped like a carousel, complete with figures of horses on the pillars. Appropriately enough, this building was named Carousel Boutique. Over the years, renovations had to be done to make the abode larger to accommodate the increasing size of the dragon.

“I guess I'll see you later,” Spike called over to Twilight as she landed on the balcony of her castle. She looked up to him as he hovered in the air over the balcony.

“Don't worry, Spike. Maybe it'll only be for a few days,” she suggested the hopeful notion. He snorted slightly at the idea and then few towards his own home. After watching him leave, Twilight turned and entered the crystalline palace.

*****

Inside Carousel Boutique, a mare named Rarity was busy sewing fabrics together, consumed in her work. She was a Unicorn of many talents and responsibilities. She had become one of if not the top name in the fashion industry, and that was before her marriage to Prince Spike had greatly increased the demand for her dresses and clothing. Even before that, she was the bearer of the Element of Generosity and one of the heroes of Equestria. Unlike Twilight Sparkle, she wasn't shy about being a princess and loved the spotlight, very much like their mutual friend, Rainbow Dash.

After sewing the fabric, Rarity levitated it with her light blue magic and placed it on a mannequin. She went to grab some trimmings, but she stopped to look at herself in the mirror. For a mare in her mid-forties, she still looked better than mares half her age. Her pristine white coat still shone with a flawless luster, she didn't have any wrinkles or crow's feet around her eyes, her figure was still jaw dropping, and she still made stallions run into light poles from watching her walk down the street and not were they were going. Her cutie mark of three, baby blue diamonds still sparkled as though as they were still real gemstones. There was only one thing that showed her age. She had a large streak of silvery-white hair running through her meticulously styled violet mane and tail. She looked at this “flaw” in her reflection and sighed regretfully. She was envious that Twilight still looked like she was in her prime. Though the Alicorn's looks had matured, she seemed to age as a slightly slower rate that her friends. They accredited this to Alicorn magic. Though she and her sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, were not immortal like Celestia and Luna, they would probably live little longer than the average pony.

A whistle could be heard coming from the kitchen, and Rarity gave a delighted cry of surprise as she was reminded that it was lunch time. She stopped fretting over her mane and ran to the other room. Once in the kitchen, she took the steaming kettle off the stove and pulled a few dishes from the cabinet. She hummed merrily to herself as she prepared a cucumber sandwich and a cup of tea. She placed her lunch down on the dinning room table and went back to grab her copy of the Ponyville Express from the kitchen counter. As she sat down in her chair, she unfolded the newspaper as she prepared to eat. She squinted at the tiny print of the newspaper and then let out an exasperated sigh. She placed the paper back on the table and headed back to her workroom. On the table were her red framed glasses. She picked them up her with magic and headed back to the dinning room.

I hate getting old, she thought disgruntled as she put on the glasses in order to read the paper; the only other thing that showed her age. Unbeknownst to her, she wasn't alone in the boutique. When she was distracted by the whistle of her teapot, she didn't hear that the bell over the front door had rung as it opened. A creature was carefully sneaking up behind her as she made her way back to the table. The clip clop of her hooves drowned out the sound of its long, sharp claws quietly clicking against the floor. As she walked, her tail swung side to side and the thing creeping up behind her grinned, baring its sharp fangs. As she pulled out her chair to sit down again, the creature open its maw and-

“Wahaha!” Rarity cried out in surprise. She quickly spun around to see the cheeky grin on her husband's face. Her face flushed red with embarrassment and annoyance. She rolled up the newspaper with her magic and bopped Spike on the head with it, causing him yelp in pretend pain. “Spike, how many times have I told you not to do that in public!?”

“Oh, but you love it,” he teased, causing her face to go from cherry red to a maroon. Whether it was from embarrassment or anger, he couldn't tell. “Besides, we're not in public. We're in the house.”

“The ground floor of which is a store opened to the public and it is during business hours,” she reminded him with a huff. She set down the rolled up newspaper and then smiled at her husband. They started to chuckle and they embraced each other, ending it with a passionate kiss. “I'm glad you're home, darling. I assume then Twilight successfully managed to convince the minotaurs to cease hostilities towards Equestria and the buffalo tribes.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Spike told her, his smile fading. “They declared war against us.”

“Oh dear. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that.”

“Well, you know how minotaurs can be. They don't call it being bull headed for nothing.”

“I suppose so, but what are you doing back so soon? Aren't you needed there? Oh, but that doesn't matter now, doesn't it? What does matter is that you're home and you'll be here for our little girl's birthday.” Mentioning their daughter's upcoming birthday, Rarity's blue eyes sparkled with beaming joy. It only made Spike's heart pang with guilt. “I was about to sit down for lunch. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, about that...” Spike started to say, not looking forward to the upcoming conversation. Rarity looked at Spike expectantly, but then noticed the troubled looked on his scaly face and became concerned. “I'm about to go through another growth spurt.”

“You're not serious, are you?” she asked worryingly. When she saw him look at his feet and rubbed the back of his head, she knew the answer. “You're serious. Oh Spike, it's our daughter's birthday next week.”

“I know, I know,” he told her, slightly frustrated, not at her but at his own physiology. He rubbed the sides of his head with his claws and exhaled as he tried to think. “Look, maybe I can stay awake until after the party.”

“Spike, precious scales, you know that's not an option. Remember the other growth spurt?”

Again, he sighed and said, “Yes, I do.”

“I suppose a trip to Fluttershy's is in order.” Rarity then had an unpleasant memory pop up in her head and she involuntary shuddered. Spike knew what she was thinking, but he couldn't blame her.

“I guess, you're right,” he responded. After Rarity had finished her lunch, they headed out the boutique to Fluttershy's cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest. When they arrived, they were greeted by the yellow Pegasus with a light pink mane and cutie mark of three butterflies.

“Hello Rarity. Hello Spike,” Fluttershy sweetly greeted in her demure voice.

“Good afternoon, Fluttershy,” Rarity returned the greeting.

“Hey, Fluttershy. How's Big Mac and Posey?” Spike inquired.

“Oh, Big Mac's building a birdhouse for a new family of birds and Posey tending her garden,” Fluttershy answered. “What can I do for you today?”

“Fluttershy, Spike's going through another growth spurt,” Rarity explained.

“Oh,” Fluttershy said understandingly and then realized what all that was implied. “Oh my, and so close to Amethyst's birthday too.”

“Yeah, don't remind me,” Spike grumbled.

“Hush now,” Rarity mildly scolded him. “Maybe you'll only sleep for a few days. The first time you only slept for two days.”

“Yeah, but we all know that I'll sleep for exponentially longer each time.”

“I'll go and get what you need,” Fluttershy meekly said as she ran off, knowing where this was headed.

“Spike, please. I doubt you're at the 'hundred year long nap stage.' This is only your second time,” Rarity reminded her sulking husband. “And I'm certain you won't even reach the point where you'll sleep for more than a month this century.”

“Yeah, but...” Spike started to retort.

“But nothing. You're worrying too much about it. Even if you do sleep through her birthday, I'm sure Amethyst will understand,” Rarity tried to reassure the sulking dragon.

“Once again, I guess you're right,” Spike conceded. At that moment, Fluttershy, along with a large, red, Earth Pony stallion with orange hair and a cutie mark of a green apple, returned. The stallion was carrying a barrel on his back, which he placed on the ground before Spike.

“Thank you, Big Mac,” Fluttershy sweetly thanked the stallion.

“Eeyup,” he said in his usual laid back voice.

“Say 'hello' to Posey for us,” Rarity said to him as he went back to his work.

“Eeyup.” Spike looked in the barrel to see that it was filled with fish. Spike opened his jaws and dove right in.

“Ugh, you could at least use your claws,” Rarity complained while rolling her eyes at the nauseating sight of her husband devouring the flesh of an animal.

It was something they had discovered during Spike's first growth spurt. All of Spike's youth, he had only eaten gems and the vegetarian food that ponies eat. When he was in his early twenties, he started to stuff his face with anything he could fit into his mouth but nothing seemed to sate the hunger, very much like he was right now. No pony could figure out why he couldn't stop eating, not even Twilight Sparkle. Then their friend, Fluttershy, suggested that he was eating in order to hibernate or to grow like some of the many animals that she cared for did. Twilight had already come to that conclusion, but what was stumping her was why couldn't Spike's appetite be satisfied. Fluttershy then pointed out to everypony the nature of Spike's teeth. While they were very strong and could crush gemstones, especially the molars in the back, the front teeth were very long and sharp; not the type of teeth for crushing, but for ripping and tearing. She also reminded them of why she feared dragons, Spike being the only exception. Dragons could and did eat ponies. In fact, dragons were omnivores in the purest sense. Vegetable, mineral, and animal were all on the menu.

Fluttershy had a solution that made the others feel queasy. She brought Spike a plate of fish. As a caretaker for all sorts of animals, she had to prepare all sorts of meals, even for carnivorous animals like bears and otters. Though she would never harm something like a pig or a chicken, she did feed worms and fish to the other animals. Like the others, Spike was unsure when the tenderhearted Pegasus placed the fish before him. He looked down at the lifeless eyes of the fish starring up at him, almost as though they were judging him. He grimaced, but then picked up the plate to sniff the fish. The scent entered his nostrils and something within him clicked. His pupils narrowed into vertical slits and his tongue shot out off mouth, lapped up the fish, and started to chew without him realizing it. It startled him and he nearly spat out the fish, but then the flavor hit him. He moaned appreciatively and his eyes nearly rolled back in delight. The taste then reminded him of something. Back when he and Twilight had just moved into Ponyville, Applejack and Pinkie Pie had accidentally made a batch of muffins that had given half of the town food poisoning. One of the ingredients of these “baked bads” was worms and Spike had been the only one who actually enjoyed the muffins. From the day that Fluttershy gave Spike the fish to eat and onward, Spike would occasionally treat himself with a fish or two and vowed to only eat them in large quantities when it was time for another growth spurt. Understandably, most of his friends didn't stick around to watch whenever he ate meat.

After finishing the barrel, Spike patted his filled stomach and was about to unleash a mighty belch, but the disapproving look he received from Rarity as a warning forced him to hold it in. Then he felt it. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was certainly there and it would steadily grow. He was getting tired.

“Thank you again, Fluttershy,” Spike said.

“You're welcome. I'm always glad to help a friend,” she told the couple while smiling. She waved goodbye and they returned to Carousel Boutique. Rarity noticed that Spike was being quiet while they walked. There was another problem with Spike's growth spurt. Not only did he have to stuff himself and sleep for a long period of time, but he had to be secluded until he woke up.

“Look, I know you don't like it, but you have to do it,” she told him. “After all, you were the one that came up with the idea and we all agreed.”

After Spike had awoken the first time from his sleep caused by a growth spurt, his draconic instincts had taken over. He hoarded his treasure together, including Rarity and Amethyst, and would snarl threateningly at anypony that came near Carousel Boutique. It took them an hour to calm him down and bring him back to his senses. Thankfully, no one was hurt and Amethyst was too young to remember being held prisoner by her own father. Afterward, Spike flew off and hid in the Everfree Forest in shame of what he did. Again, it took everypony to calm him down and eventually Rarity was able to convince him that no one was angry with him and that everything was going to be alright. The next week, he took his hoard of gems and gold and hid it in a secret location where he would from then go to whenever he would have another growth spurt.

“Look, if it bothers you so much, just tell me where your 'lair' is located and I'll come to see if you're awake when her birthday comes,” Rarity suggested.

“You know I can't tell anypony where it is. Someone might come to check on me and I might not be able to stop myself from hurting them,” he reminded her. This led to another awkward silence. They both knew he was right. To change the subject, Spike said, “Twilight's home as well.”

“Oh? Well, I'll be sure to pay her a visit,” Rarity responded. “I'm sure she'll head to Canterlot soon. I'd imagine she and the other princesses have a lot to discuss. She'll probably inform Amethyst of your situation as well.”

“I didn't realize she was in Canterlot.”

“Yes, she went to visit Midnight at school. They'll both come down for the birthday before the weekend.”

“You know what that means,” Spike said with a mischievous smile on his face as they reached the front door of their home. “We have the house to ourselves and I can spare a few minutes.”

“Oh, you are incorrigible,” Rarity laughed. She opened the door and they walked in. She paused when she saw her reflected in the mirror again. Seeing the white stripe in her mane, she turned her head side to side and played with it with a hoof, pouting fretfully. “Maybe I should dye it.”

“I like it,” he said to try to cheer her up.

“It looks exactly how it did when I was possessed by the Nightmare Forces and became Nightmare Rarity,” she whined.

“Do you want to hear a secret?” he whispered in her ear as he stood behind her and wrapped his fore legs around her neck. “I thought you looked sexy like that.”

“Is that so?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow and looked back at him with half lidded eyes and a coy smile. “Maybe I should dye my coat black instead.”

“It looked good on you,” he told her, still smiling mischievously.

She turn around, wrapped her hooves around his long neck, and whispered one delightful word into his green ear frill, “Bedroom.”

Amethyst

It was dark, yet Spike could see as he walked in the subterranean tunnel. After his wife had said goodbye to him in the most pleasant of ways, the dragon had left Ponyville and flown to the location of his secret lair. Like any self respecting dragon, it was located in a cave deep within the earth. While flying to this secret location, he felt the fatigue that preceded the growth spurt set in. During his flight, his vision would blur and his wings would feel heavy. Despite of these hindrances, he had made it to his destination without any trouble. The tunnel opened into a large cavern that was filled with gems and gold. Spike lowered his large body onto the pile of treasure and settled in. To a pony, it would have been uncomfortable to lay on all those rough edges and hard surfaces, but to a dragon, it was rather comfortable. It was one of the reasons why dragons hoarded treasure. It was good to sleep on, it was pretty to look at, and it didn't taste too bad either.

Spike's emerald eyes scanned over the expanse of his wealth, mentally taking inventory of each coin and jewel that he owned. Dragons had an encyclopedic knowledge of their hoards, knowing how, where, and when they obtained each piece. They could also tell from a glance if one of them was missing or out of place. As a young dragon, Spike had kept a small stash of gems in the old library to snack on. After saving Krazoa Island twenty years ago, he was rewarded with a generous payment of gems. From then on, Spike started to collect treasure like a normal dragon would. However, he didn't let greed consume him like it once did on his birthday long ago.

After a moment of observation, he snorted contently and he scooped up a clawful of his hoard. He looked at the sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, bits, and rubies in his palm. Each one of them contained a memory. Aside from his adventures, most of his hoard came from his wife's business. When Rarity would be commissioned to make a dress or an outfit, she would carefully select gems that would work the best with it. Any flawed, odd shaped, or undersized gems she would give to Spike as a treat, but she would also always save the most pristine jewel for him. However, he wouldn't eat that gem. He would save it and make it a part of his collection.

Using a clawed finger, he sorted through the gems that he held; a ruby from a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala seven years ago, a sapphire from Sapphire Shores' tour seventeen years ago, an amethyst from...

Amethyst, Spike lamented as he thought about his little girl. He worried about how she would react if he missed her birthday. His rational mind told him that she would understand and would forgive him, but a part of him still feared that she wouldn't. Would she yell at him when he returned? Would she cry and say that she hated him? Or would she say nothing but give him the cold shoulder instead? How long would she shun him? Would she ever speak to him again? Would she...

“Yawn!”

Spike blinked his eyes and shook his head. In his sleepy state, he allowed paranoid thoughts to darken his mind. He place the gems back in his hoard and then curled up. Instead of focusing on negative thoughts, he would instead think about happier times. As his eyelids dropped, a smile formed on his long maw as he remembered the day his daughter was born.

“Rarity laid an egg! Rarity laid an egg!” Pinkie merrily sang as she bounced around the waiting room of the hospital.

“Pinkie, for the hundredth time, she did not lay an egg,” Twilight corrected, a little annoyed by the pink Earth Pony's antics.

“Warity waid an egg. Warity waid an egg,” repeated a little cream colored Pegasus foal that Pinkie's husband was holding. Twilight just rolled her eyes, holding a little foal of her own while a much younger Evening Star sat beside her.

“You guys can come in now,” Spike, who was still small enough to walk on two legs back then, announced to his friends as he walked into the waiting room. The group of ponies got up and followed the dragon down the hall to the room where the new mother awaited them. Rarity's violet mane was a mess and she was holding something wrapped up in pink blankets in her hooves. As the others gathered around the bed to get a closer look at the child, Spike stood at the head of the bed and wrapped an arm around his wife. She looked up at him with an exhausted yet ecstatic look. Her sapphire eyes welled up with tears of unparalleled joy. It wasn't easy, but Spike and Rarity finally managed to conceive a child. Technically, a dragon could have a child with any other creature due to their innate magical abilities, but it was rare and hard to do so. Out of the types of ponies, unicorns had the best chance due to their affinity towards magic. Though Rarity was the first of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony to get married, she was the last to have a child.

As the proud parents gazed into each other's eyes, Rarity glanced down to the claw that Spike had rested on her shoulder. It was bruised and she frowned regretfully as she remembered how she nearly crushed the bones in her husband's claw as she squeezed it while she was in labor. However, he didn't seem to notice as he looked down to the tiny being that was their daughter.

“She's beautiful,” Spike whispered into Rarity's ear before giving her forehead a kiss.

*****

Heads turned to watch as a Princess of Equestria walked down the streets of Canterlot. Most stared because it was an honor for a member of the Royal Family to be in their midst. Some stallions ogled her, earning unpleasant glares from their marefriends. Some watched with disdain as the princess strolled down the street. They knew who and what her father was and they did not approve. To them, the thought of a dragon being crowned a prince and marrying a pony was ridiculous and the figure before them was an abomination. Others saw her as an exotic beauty and a national treasure.

She was indeed unique. She was something the world hadn't seen for thousands of years; she was a kirin. Her body and head were definitely equine, but she had many non-pony features. Instead of fur, her body was covered in white scales that were smooth and shiny as a polished stone. Unlike her father's scales, they were soft to the touch. The segmented scales of her underbelly were soft and padded like a plush cushion. Her hind legs were hoofed like a pony, but her front legs were of that of a dragon. Her deep purple mane flowed majestically behind her and her reptilian tail ended with a matching tuft of stylish hair. A ridge of purple, rounded scales ran down her back. These scales were a little stiffer than the rest of her scales, but they weren't the sharp spines of a dragon. Her head was adorned with a horn, a trait she inherited from her Unicorn genes, yet it was curved and more rugged like a dragon horn. Her sparkling green eyes had vertical slits for pupils, which unnerved some ponies that made eye contact with her. On the white scales of her flanks, there was a cutie mark of a circle of six small purple gems with a red, heart-shaped gem in the center. Her name was Princess Amethyst Opal Jade. Her parents named after precious stones because of her coloration and their mutual love for gems. More importantly, she was their precious little jewel.

As she walked down the street, her eyes glanced from side to side, observing the ponies gawking at her. She knew why the stared, but she had gotten used to it over the years. Adjusting the blue scarf around her neck, she just minded her own business and went on her way. Today, she was treating herself to a fancy restaurant. While she did appreciate the meals the palace chefs would make for her, there was another thing she inherited from her father and there was only one place she could go to do anything about it. She was headed to a restaurant owned by a griffon by the name of Gustave Le Grand. Since Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, delegates from other nations were constant visitors and not all of them shared the same diet as ponies. Gustave's restaurant offered dishes from all around the world and catered to the needs of all sorts of customers. The young kirin entered the multicultural restaurant was greeted by none other than Gustave himself.

“Ah, bonjour Princesse Améthyste,” the silver feathered griffon with a mustache greeted with his Prench accent while humbly bowing to his valued customer.

“Bonjour, Monsieur Gustave. J'ai une réservation,” Amethyst told the chef.

“Bien sûr! Je vais vous montrer à votre table. De cette façon, s'il vous plaît,” Gustave told Amethyst, personally escorting her to a table. Once seated, another griffon asked her what she wanted that day.

“I believe I'm in the mood for Neighponese today,” she explained. The waiter nodded and the chef that specialized in Neighponese cuisine came to take her order. “Watashi wa, yobun'na wasabi to supaishīna maguro no sushi o shitai to omoimasu.”

“Hai, Amejisuto hime,” the griffon said before leaving to prepare Amethyst's lunch.

“Arigatō.”As a princess, it was useful to be fluent in many languages. Besides, her mother said it made her sound classy. After a short wait, the chef returned with a plate. On it was an order of spicy tuna sushi rolls and a side dish of soy sauce with extra wasabi. Amethyst picked up the chopsticks with her claws, being one of the few in Equestria who could so, dipped it in the sauce, and then proceeded to lift a roll to her mouth. She opened her mouth to reveal that her canine teeth were longer and sharper than a normal pony's. The other thing she inherited from her father, Spike the dragon, was the fact she was an omnivore who had a taste for flesh. The reason why she preferred this restaurant over the many that Canterlot had to offer was that she could have a meal without ponies giving her disgusted looks. Here, she could dine in peace.

After her meal, she placed a generous tip on the table, thanked the chefs, and then left the restaurant. As she started to head down the street towards the palace, she heard the whispers of gossiping ponies and the click of camera shutters. The kirin rolled her eyes. She went to this particular restaurant because most ponies avoided it due to its reputation of serving meat there. She didn't care if ponies saw her going in or out of the restaurant, but the paparazzi was bound to blow the situation out of proportion. She sighed in mild frustration, but continued on her way.

As she approached the palace, she saw a little orange Unicorn colt running down the street. When he saw the kirin headed down the street, he stopped paying attention to what he was doing and he trip when one of his hooves slipped off of the edge of the sidewalk. Amethyst gasped when she saw him hit the pavement and skid to a stop. He sat up and sniffled as he held his scrapped knee.

“Are you alright?” she asked as she ran up to him. He sniffed and then looked up to the one that spoke to him. His eyes widen and he flinched a bit when he saw who it was. Amethyst saw the fear in his eyes and knew that he was one of those who thought that she was a monster. She raised her paw, but he saw the claws on the end of her fingers and tried to squirm away from her reach. “It's okay. You don't have to be afraid.”

The colt peaked back up at the princess to see her gentle smile. It was the sort of smile that quells all fears and warms your heart. The sound of her voice was soft and melodious. To the little colt, it was like somepony wrapped a warm blanket around him, laid him down after a long day, and started to singing him a lullaby.

“Let's take a look at that knee.” The foal nodded and moved his hooves away, revealing that there was a small, red cut. It wasn't bad, but it was enough to seem like a mortal injury to the mind of a small child. “Aw, it's not so bad. Here, let me...”

“Careful kid, she might eat you,” a voice taunted from behind Amethyst. Hearing of the possibility that the kirin might eat him, the foal covered his knee and whimpered as he stared fearfully up at her. Amethyst muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, she recognized the pony to whom that the voice belonged.

“Hello, Narcissus,” Amethyst greeted unenthusiastically as she looked over her shoulder to see a white Unicorn stallion with a combed, royal blue mane and baby blue eyes. His cutie mark was a mirror and he wore a black suit coat. His sleazy smile made her scales crawl.

“That's Prince Narcissus, if you don't mind,” the stallion demanded. The hypocrisy of his demand caused irritated flicks of purple flames to rise out of her nostrils. They were both royalty, yet he demanded that she addresses him as such while he would always treat her as something that was beneath him.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcastic venom.

“I was visiting my dear Auntie Celestia,” he bragged. “What are you doing here? Other than frightening foals, that is.”

“I'm visiting Midnight,” Amethyst explain as she turned back to the colt, her attention returning to the cut on his knee.

“Oh, the little filly who likes to pretend she's a princess,” he scoffed. Amethyst nearly growled at the remark, but she restrained herself. Instead, her horn glowed with a purple magical aura that flickered a bit like a flame. The blue scarf around her neck was surrounded by the aura, unwrapped itself from around her neck, and then wrapped around the colt's scrapped knee. Her magic was somewhere between a dragon's and a Unicorn's. She could wield it as easily as a Unicorn could, but it was a tad wild and unruly at times but a little more powerful. The little colt looked up at the kirin, relieved that she wasn't going to eat him, and smiled gratefully before running off. “Playing with the rabble I see.”

“What do you want?” Amethyst's patience was wearing thin. She stood up and turned around to face the prince.

“Oh, nothing a lizard could offer me,” he responded insultingly. He pulled out a piece a parchment and unrolled it. “You see, I was just at the castle and I volunteered my services to the war effort.”

“You've enlisted in the royal guard?” Amethyst asked, a bit surprised by the Unicorn.

“Don't be ridiculous. I leave the fighting to the peons,” he scoffed. Amethyst growled. She had family on the battlefront. “No, I was talking to Auntie Celestia and I received her approval to restore the abandoned fort in the Macintosh Hills. She's trusting me to oversee operations and help to defend our borders from invaders.”

“You don't say,” Amethyst replied, shocked that Celestia was placing so much trust in him. Then again, the Solar Princess tried to see the best in ponies and often gave them chances to prove themselves. Who knows? Maybe this assignment might help improve Narcissus's attitude. Amethyst then started to make her way pass the stallion and towards the palace.

“As I understand it, you have a birthday coming up,” he remarked.

“Are you wishing me a 'happy birthday,' Narcissus?” she asked, stopping to raise an eyebrow at him.

“I was just to curious how a dragon/pony thing celebrated their birthdays. That reminds me, do you still have the egg that you hatched out of?”

“I'm a kirin and no, I did not hatch out of an egg,” she corrected him. “And if you must know, I'm going on a camping trip with my friends over the weekend and then we'll have the party when we get back on my birthday on Monday.”

“Camping you say?” he asked, suddenly interested. “How typical of peasants. Where will you and your 'friends' be going, the middle of a swamp?”

“Not that it's any of your business, but we'll be hiking up Winsome Falls.”

“And who are these 'friends' of yours? I assume the other children of the Elements of Harmony.”

“Yes, what of it?” she asked.

He just laughed contemptuously and said, “It only makes sense that the spawn of such uncouth ponies will associate with one another as well. Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way.”

Glad to be rid herself of his unwanted company, Amethyst sighed with relief as she continued on her way to the castle. She passed the guards stationed at the front gates and entered the majestic palace. As she walked the white and navy tiled halls, she recalled that she just gave her scarf to the little colt. She could easily replace it and he needed it more than she did. However, her mother would probably freak out if she ever heard that it now had blood on it, so she decided to keep that information to herself.

She made her way to the hall where her room was located. As a member of the Royal Family, she and her family had their own rooms within the castle. Due to their many responsibilities and duties, her family actually had many residences around Equestria. Aside from Canterlot Castle, they also had penthouses in cities like Manehattan and Las Pegasus. Her mother, Rarity, would often use them when she was on the road promoting her fashion lines. However, home was in Ponyville.

Before reaching her own room, she stopped in front of another. She carefully opened it and peaked inside. There was a young mare sitting at a desk with her back towards the door. Her coat was azure and her mane and tail were navy with a pink stripe running through them. Her cutie mark was of a crescent moon with a white, six-pointed star within its curve. A quill floated in the air, suspended by yellow magic as she took notes while reading the book on the desk before her. Amethyst smirked and sneaked up behind her. Extending a claw, she ran a finger up the Unicorn's spine, causing her to yelp and jump in surprise. She lost her magical grip on the quill and it landed on the desk. The blue Unicorn turned around and her yellow eyes gave the kirin an annoyed look.

“Hello, Aunt Midnight,” Amethyst playful teased.

“Hello yourself, Opal,” Midnight greeted, with a smirk of her own.

“Don't call me that,” Amethyst pouted. “You know I hate being called that. The cat was named Opal.”

“And you know I'm extremely ticklish.” They both scowled at each other. They held the look for a few seconds, but they couldn't keep a straight face and started to chortle. The two were the best of friends and enjoyed poking fun at one another. Midnight may have been her aunt, but they behaved more like cousins or even sisters. Besides, Midnight hated being called an aunt. In her opinion, she was far too young to be an aunt. She was only a month older than her niece and she was grateful for that. It would have felt weird having a niece older than she was. Then again, their family wasn't exactly normal.

“So what are you working on?” Amethyst asked, looking the book and sheets of paper.

“Nothing much. I was just looking over some spells,” Midnight answered, glancing over to the desk. “I think I might have found something interesting, but I haven't worked out all the details yet. I'll explain it to you once I'm done reading it out.”

“Okay,” she said understandingly. “Guess who I ran into today.”

“Who?”

“Narcissus.”

“Oh boy, the 'Grand Poobah' himself,” Midnight replied while rolling her eyes. “I can tell how that went.”

“He was trying to show off by saying the Aunt Celestia has assigned him to renovate some abandoned fort in the Macintosh Hills. Apparently, he's going to be in charge of the fort.”

“What, really? She trusts him enough to give him his own command?”

“Yeah, I was just as shocked as you are.”

“But what does it matter? It's your birthday in a few days. You shouldn't let him bother you,” Midnight told her. Amethyst brightened up at the mention of her upcoming birthday. She could barely contain her excitement. In a few days, she and her best friends were going to one of the most beautiful places near Ponyville. After that, she'll be turning seventeen years old.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Midnight called to the door to tell their visitor that they could come in. The door open and Twilight Sparkle entered.

“Hi Mom,” Midnight greeted as she hugged her mother.

“Grandmother Twilight, it good to see you,” Amethyst said to the Alicorn.

“It good to see you girls as well. Excited for the weekend?” Twilight asked.

“Of course. I mean, we've only been planning it for weeks,” Amethyst said, practically bursting with excitement.

“What brings you to Canterlot?” Twilight's youngest child asked.

“I'm afraid I have some bad news,” Twilight told them, her smile fading. Both girls listened intently as she explained. “The minotaurs have declared war.”

“That means Dad and Evening Star won't make it to the party,” Midnight surmised, her and Amethyst's ears drooping in disappointment.

“I'm afraid so,” Twilight confirmed.

“But my Dad is still coming, right?” the young kirin asked hopefully.

“That's the other part of it. You see, he's started another growth spurt.” If Amethyst's spirits had been lowered before, they just sunk like a stone at this point. She didn't remember her father's first growth spurt, but it had been explained to her. She knew that he would have to sleep for a period of time.

“But he'll be awake in time for the party, won't he?” Twilight placed a hoof on her granddaughter's mane and stroked it comfortingly.

“I'm not sure sweetheart, but I hope so,” she tried to reassure her disappointed granddaughter. “He only slept two days the first time, maybe few only sleep for a few more this time.”

“Yeah, maybe...” Amethyst was still downtrodden. She always knew that something like this might happen one day, but she never expected it to happen on her birthday.

*****

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Prince Narcissus entered his family manor on his estate in Canterlot. The servants greeted him as he walked by them, but he paid no heed to them and headed up the grand staircase to his chambers. He was only nineteen, but he was already the head of the illustrious House of Blueblood. He inherited the position when his father disappeared the past year. Prince Blueblood last seen leaving a nightclub in Manehattan. He was in the company of two mares; one was a red Pegasus with a blond mane and the other was a bubblegum pink Earth Pony with a mint green mane. He was reported missing, but was never found. Eventually, his estate had him declared dead and nopony could find a trace of the two mysterious mares.

As a Blueblood, Narcissus was a direct descendant of the younger sibling of Queen Platinum, Princesses Celestia and Luna's mother and first ruler of the united Kingdom of Equestria along with her husband, King Hurricane. This made him the Royal Alicorn Sisters' first cousin fifty-two (or something like that) times removed. Since Celestia and Luna were immortal, they wanted to better connect with their subjects and used their mortal relatives' line as a means to do so. However, that line had degrade over the centuries and its members were consumed by pride, greed, and a sense of self-entitlement. When Midnight referred to Narcissus as “Grand Poobah,” she wasn't exaggerating too much. Though the title was hereditary, many of the more noble members of the house lived up to their responsibilities and did great things for their subjects. Others, like Narcissus and his father before him, only soiled the once good name of Blueblood.

Narcissus and his father, the previous Prince Blueblood, believed that Twilight Sparkle and her family was usurping power from his family. In the beginning, it was just their family and the diarchs. Once Princess Luna was possessed by the Nightmare Forces and Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, the house gained more political power in order to support Celestia, who had just become the sole ruler of Equestria, in her royal duties. For a thousand years their family enjoyed their positions of power until one day a little pink Pegasus filly became an Alicorn and Celestia adopted her as her royal niece. This was quite the controversy amongst the nobility. Until that moment, they were only second in power to the Princess of the Sun and Moon, but now it seemed a pony who wasn't even of noble birth might hold more power than they did. However, they were thankful that it seemed like it turned out that she didn't have any responsibilities and held no more power than they did, but the public adored her and that was a threat enough. Then Princess Luna returned and reclaimed her position as the Princess of the Night. Once again, this was a major shift in the balance of power. With the return of her sister, Celestia wouldn't need the nobles as much and then there were the events of the Crystal Empire returning and Celestia's personal student becoming an Alicorn Princess as well. The House of Blueblood's fears were intensified when Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor were made the rulers of the Crystal Empire and Princess Twilight became the Princess of Friendship. Equestria now was an oligopoly with Celestia and Luna as the co-rulers of the kingdom and with Cadance and Twilight just beneath them.

Narcissus seethed in anger as he thought about these things. He went to his bedchamber and stood on the balcony, overlooking the city. What made matters worse for him was that Cadance and Twilight's offspring were also made royalty and seemed to hold more power than he did. Some of them weren't even ponies! He stamped his hoof and gave an irritated cry.

“Is something the matter, dear?” a silky voice chuckled from behind him. Narcissus turned his head to see the light pink Unicorn mare lounging on his bed. Her golden mane half veiled her face and she stared at him with a sultry look on her face, her orange eyes half-lidded.

“Of course not,” he said to her, smirking as he approached the bed. She stretched her limbs like an overgrown cat as he sat beside her on the satin sheets. “On the contrary, our plans are proceeding perfectly.”

“I take it you secured the rights to the fort then.”

“Yes, and we're even ready to move on the next part of the plan,” he told his mistress.

“Oh?” she stated, raising an interested brow.

“I know when and where exactly the children of the Elements of Harmony will be alone this coming up weekend,” he announced with a victorious grin on his face.

“You're kidding,” she said excitedly as she sat up a bit, grinning in anticipation.

“Yes, the lizard told me all about it herself,” he told her as he elaborated on the details.

“The fool. She's practically delivering herself and her friends to us on a silver platter.”

“We must act quickly. We must be in position by then. I'll send word to your forces immediately.” He started to get up, but the mare placed a hoof on his to stop him.

“Yes. But first, I need a little snack,” she told him with a smoldering look in her eyes. He smiled at her and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss, both of them moaning blissfully. After holding the embrace for a few moments, they broke apart and she appeared to be sucking in a green vapor that emitted from his mouth. He once again headed to door, leaving her licking her lips. She gave satisfied sigh and her eyes briefly flashed green. “Delicious.”

Midnight

“But Mom, I'm scared,” a young Amethyst whimpered as she followed Rarity through the halls of Canterlot Palace.

“Scared of what?” Midnight asked as she trotted next to the kirin. “We're just going to school.”

“But... But all those ponies will be staring at me,” Amethyst fretted as she spotted other Unicorn foals looking at her as they too were being led to wing of the castle where Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was located. Upon exiting Magic Kindergarten, she and Midnight had been accepted to the school located within the palace for showing great potential just as Twilight Sparkle had when she was their age.

“But your Aunt Celestia will be there,” Rarity said in an attempt to encourage her daughter. “And you'll be learning with other foals your age. You'll be able to make some new friends. Won't that be fun?”

The other new students continued to stare at the kirin, gawking at her scales, reptilian eyes, and her claws. Feeling uncomfortable, Amethyst quickly ran to the other side of her mother to hide herself from their view. Noticing her daughter's distress, Rarity nuzzled her reassuringly.

“Don't be afraid, Amethyst. I sure you'll have fun learning new things. I know I did when I was a student here,” Twilight told her. Amethyst gave a small smile to her grandmother and then turned to look at Spike, who was following behind her.

“Do I have to hatch a dragon egg like you did?” the kirin asked Twilight. Hearing this, Midnight's excitement increased.

“That's right! You hatched Spike's egg on your first day. Does that mean we have to?” Midnight then stopped as a disconcerting thought came to her. “Does this mean I'm going to have to raise a baby dragon like you did?”

“B-but I don't know how to take care of a baby!” Amethyst cried.

“What if the baby dragon doesn't like me?” Midnight was now just as nervous as her niece. “What if we're kicked out of school if we can't take care of it?”

“Easy girls,” Twilight chuckled at their overreaction. “You're not going to have to raise a baby dragon.”

“But that's what you had to,” Midnight pointed out.

“Yes, but that was under a special circumstance. They don't even use that sort of entrance exam anymore.”

“How do you know?”

“Beside the fact that I also teach here, Spike was the only dragon egg the school had.” Twilight explained to the two girls. “Your Aunt Celestia was searching for the pony destined to wield the Element of Magic and bring the other Elements of Harmony together. It was also to evaluate the abilities of new students.”

“So is there still an entrance exam?” Amethyst asked, feeling a little better about the situation.

“It's not so much as an entrance exam as it is an aptitude test.”

“What does aptitude mean?” Amethyst asked. Having only been in Magic Kindergarten just the previous year, some big words confused the youngster.

“It means they just want to see how much you know so they can know how to help you learn,” Spike explained to his daughter.

“Oooh,” she said understandingly. They soon came to the classroom where a board of evaluators were waiting for them. The girls paused hesitantly as soon as they saw the stern-looking ponies with the clipboards and quills at the ready. The two gulped, intimidated by the judging eyes of the professors, but then noticed the large, white Alicorn waiting inside the room for them. Her pastel-colored mane flowed on a magical breeze and her face was adorned with a heartwarming, welcoming smile. The girls smiled back at Princess Celestia and then looked back up to their parents.

“Go on, Midnight. You'll do great,” Flash Sentry urged the little Unicorn. She hugged her parents and then headed inside, but Amethyst lingered for a moment. She had seen that the students already inside were focused on her. Even the teachers seemed to be staring at her like a new laboratory specimen. Seeing his daughter's distress, Spike knelt down and placed a clawed hand on her back.

“Amethyst, everything will be alright. Nothing bad will happen, I promise. Will be right behind you.” Amethyst smiled, took in a deep breath, and then finally entered the classroom. Spike smiled and he and Rarity followed behind her.

Spike snorted and mumbled as a noise caused him to stir in his sleep. His eyes briefly opened, but they were glazed over and unfocused. He muttered wearily and went back to sleep immediately, completely forgetting about the disturbance he thought he had heard.

*****

It was little before sunset and Midnight was still in her room doing research at her desk. She was truly her mother's daughter. She loved studying and reading and she was the top of her class in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. As the top student, she had the privilege of being Princess Celestia's personal student. Considering the fact that she was related to the four Alicorns, she and Amethyst were fortunate to be able to tutored by such wise and powerful ponies. Some of the other students claimed it was nepotism and would often try to compete against Midnight, but she outshone them with ease every single time. Again, just like her mother, she was a magical prodigy. She even greatly resembled her mother, having the same style of mane and the same pink stripe running through it. Her coloring, however, came from her grandfather, Night Light. Her blue coat, navy mane, and yellow eyes came from him. Even her cutie mark resembled his in a way.

While she was studying, Amethyst was lying on her bed, idly playing with a tassel on a pillow with a claw. Amethyst was still upset from the bad news that they received earlier that day from Twilight. The way she lounged on the bed reminded Midnight of an overgrown cat, complete with the long tail flopping side to side impatiently. Like Midnight, she was a gifted student but defiantly wasn't as uptight about it as she was. That didn't mean she was lazy, though. Midnight was the class's valedictorian and Amethyst was the salutatorian. While Midnight was more focused, disciplined, and skilled in spell weaving, Amethyst had more raw strength. Her father, Spike, had to teach her how to control it like his master had taught him long ago.

“There, I think I've got it!” Midnight proclaimed unexpectedly, causing Amethyst to jump at the sudden outburst.

“Got what?” she asked as she hopped off the bed and walked over to the desk.

“I was looking over some spells and found one that Mom had made a long time ago, but for some reason, she abandoned it,” Midnight explained, excited from her discovery.

“What kind of spell is it?” Amethyst curiously asked.

“Do you remember how they told us about how the changelings invaded during Uncle Shining Armor and Aunt Cadance's wedding twenty-five years ago?” Midnight asked to which Amethyst responded by nodding. “Well, there was a huge scare afterward. Everypony thought everypony was secretly a changeling. There are spells to dispel a changeling's illusion magic, but the Royal Court wanted to develop a spell to be able to check and see if a pony was secretly a changeling without them noticing. You see, Aunt Celestia didn't want to cause a panic by having the Royal Guard marching up to each pony and checking them by force, but everypony was still scared from the invasion.”

“But the changelings were expelled from the city by Cadance and Shining Armor's spell. There wouldn't be any changelings in Canterlot.”

“Don't forget about the incident that happened soon after that,” Midnight reminded her.

“Oh yeah, many ponies in Ponyville were replaced by changelings and even Aunt Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were kidnapped,” Amethyst recalled as she remembered hearing that story as well.

“With all that going on, Equestria was in a state of fear and paranoia, but Aunt Celestia was still opposed to the idea of having a secret police pulling ponies off the street to have them checked. Mom came up with the idea to create a spell that would allow someone to be able to discretely see pass illusions without causing a panic.”

“But you said she abandoned the spell,” the kirin pointed out. “And I remember how they solved the problem: Aunt Celestia did increase security checkpoints into major cities, government facilities, and so on. But in the end, she encouraged the kingdom to have faith in one another and to trust each other once more.”

“Yes, yes,” Midnight said impatiently while waving her hoof. “But the point is that Mom had a spell that could allow someone to see another's true self. With such an amazing spell at her hooves, why did she drop it?”

“Maybe she didn't want it to be used to spy on ponies,” Amethyst suggested. “I mean, a spell like that would be a violation of ponies' rights, wouldn't it?”

“If used for the wrong reason, maybe.” She then magically lifted the research papers above her head. “But I bet it'll be major breakthrough in magic if perfected. Think of what it could do for the Royal Guard. It could help them find hidden enemies faster and save many lives.”

“Hhhmmm,”Amethyst mused as she tapped a claw to her lips, eying the floating sheets of paper that the unicorn waved temptingly in the air. “You said that you've worked it out?” Midnight nodded. “Save lives you say...” Midnight nodded again, smirking a bit. “Alright, let's do it.”

“Perfect,” her aunt laughed and then brought the papers down so she could read them. As they looked over the notes, Midnight described it, “The Soul Sight Spell. It allows the caster to see the incorporeal and immortal essence of any living being. Since the soul is by nature invisible to most mortal eyes, this spell highlights it in sight of the caster, allowing them to see a representation of the soul. Each soul is unique, just as is every living thing is unique, but the spell displays the souls of creatures of the same type of species in a similar representation. For an example, if one was to look at an Earth Pony, a Pegasus, a Unicorn, and a changeling disguised as a Unicorn, one would be able to see that the three types of ponies were similar to each other, yet had their own subtle differences. The changeling would standout from the others for its soul's characteristics would be different from a pony's.”

“Interesting,” Amethyst marveled at the description and at the details on the paper. “So each type of soul looks different. I wonder what the spell makes mine look like.”

“I could find out,” Midnight offered.

“Okay.” Midnight looked over the notes one last time and then placed them back down on the desk while Amethyst sat patiently in front of her. Both of their hearts were racing from their excitement. Midnight took a breath and calmed herself. It would require great focus to maintain a spell like this. Summoning her magic, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn glowed with a yellow aura and her eyes snapped opened. If she could see her own eyes, she would had seen that her irises were glowing yellow with her magic as well. She looked at Amethyst, but didn't noticed anything at first. Then she noticed that there was a slight hazy purple glow about her. While still maintaining the spell, she blinked her eyes. For the brief moment her eyes were closed, she could see a purple light within the darkness. Surprised by this, she decided to try it again and closed her eyes. Without her physical eyes to distract her, she could clearly see the purple ethereal being before her. As her spiritual eyes focused, the purple light took shape and a glowing silhouette of Amethyst was sitting before her. Within her breast, there was a brilliant light that pulsated with energy.

Just then, two more silhouettes passed behind Amethyst's. One was blue and the other was orange. Surprised by the sudden appearance of these two new souls, Midnight's eyes snapped opened to see Amethyst giving her a concerned look. Behind her, she could see the very faint glow of the two souls walking down the hall through the closed door. She closed her eyes again and she could see them clear as daylight once more. By their shapes, she figured that they were Royal Guards patrolling the castle. The blue one was a Pegasus and the orange one was an Earth Pony. As she watched them leave, she noted the similarities and differences between the two astral forms. While both forms seemed to be made of a similar aura, the light at the Pegasus aura's core surged like a storm cloud filled with lightning and the Earth Pony's had a more steady light, firm and strong like the earth. Testing a theory, she looked down at her own chest to see that her soul's pulsating core sparkled and shined with a dazzling spark within her yellow astral form. It was like the sparkles in any Unicorn's magical aura, yet this was much more intense. It was though she was looking at very source of that magical aura, and she had a feeling that it might very well be the case. It both awed and humbled her to learn this.

“Well, how do I look?” Amethyst voiced snapped her out of her concentration and she looked back up to the purple form of the kirin's soul. She focus on her core and saw that it too had the sparkles emanating from it. However, there was a difference; her light seemed to burn like a fire. She could even see the flicks of flame dancing among the sparks. Midnight imagined that this was due to the mixture of Unicorn and dragon magic within her. She hypothesized that a dragon's soul must have looked like a raging furnace with this spell.

As she continued to gaze upon her good friend's soul, she felt a peaceful feeling wash over her. It was as though she was lying by a fireplace during a cold winter's night. She smiled as she basked in the feeling and came to realize that it was Amethyst's inner goodness. Her benevolent and loving nature radiated from the light and Midnight recognized that she knew this feeling. She felt it every time they would play with each other, braid each other's mane, and laughed at each other's jokes. She felt it on days when her classmates would pick on her and call her a spoiled teacher's pet and she would come to comfort her and tell her that everything would be alright.

Then she felt something else. The more she stared at the kirin's soul, she felt something cold breaking through the warmth. In the distance, she could hear what sounding like sobbing accompanied by cruel laughter.

“Freak! Lizard! Monster!”

“Midnight? Midnight!?” a voice called her back to reality and she ended the spell. The blue Unicorn opened her eyes and gasped, panting slightly. She looked up to see Amethyst had stood up and worriedly approached her, placing a claw on her shoulder. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“Sorry, I got carried away,” Midnight apologized. “I'm fine.”

“Are you sure? You were just sitting there crying while smiling at me. It was creepy,” Amethyst told her with a shudder. Midnight then realized her cheeks were wet and she wiped the tears away with the back of her hoof.

“No, it wasn't. It was beautiful.” Midnight then told her how she could see not only her soul, but the guards that passed by as well. She also described what each soul looked like and how she could feel Amethyst's if she focused enough on it.

“That's amazing! It works! You made the spell work!” the kirin excitedly cheered. “We've got to tell Aunt Celestia this!”

“You're right! Let's go tell her!” The two girls raced down the hall towards Princess Celestia's personal chambers. In her excitement, Midnight forgot all about the cold feeling and the taunting voices that she heard while using the spell. They rushed past the servants and maids, leaving several of them scratching their heads in confusion as they watched the two young princess run through the castle. When they reached the double set doors with the crest of sun engraved upon it, they eagerly knocked on it.

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“Come in,” a soft voice called from inside. The pair opened the door and rushed inside to find the Solar Alicorn rest on her circular floor pillow reading over a few documents. She looked up and smiled when she saw her visitors. “Midnight and Amethyst Opal Jade, how may I help you?”

“Aunt Celestia, Amethyst and I worked out a spell that my mom couldn't figure out,” the unicorn reported.

“Oh, and what spell would that be?” she asked pleasantly, smiling at the two girls' enthusiasm and being genuinely curious about their discovery.

“The Soul Sight Spell,” Midnight and Amethyst announced in unison. Celestia smile immediately fell.

“Is that so?” The two noticed the Alicorn's lackluster reaction and gave each other unsure looks.

“Is something wrong, Aunt Celestia?” Amethyst asked.

“Did I do something...wrong?” Midnight hesitatingly asked, fearing she may have disappointed her mentor. Celestia then gave them a small smile and shook her head lightly.

“Not at all,” she reassured them. “I'm just glad you came to me before attempting to try it first.” At this, Midnight and Amethyst cringed and gave each other guilty looks which Celestia obviously noticed. “You used the spell, didn't you?”

“Are we in trouble? Because if we are, it was all my fault,” Midnight confessed, her ears drooping while she hunched over in shame.

“It's alright, Midnight. You're not in trouble and I'm not mad at you. I'm just disappointed that you didn't come to me or your mother first before attempting a spell that was abandoned for a reason.” This only made Midnight feel worse and she sat down on her haunches. She looked at the floor dejectedly, feeling like a failure. She disappointed her teacher and she had cast a spell that could have blasted her or even Amethyst's face off for all she could have known. She then felt a hoof under her chin that made her look up to see Celestia's comforting smile. “It's okay, my little pony. You don't have to feel bad about it. It was an honest mistake. Come, have a seat by me and tell me what happened.”

As Midnight and Amethyst laid on either side of Celestia on the cushion, the white Alicorn extended her wings and wrapped them across her nieces' shoulders. In the comfort of her feathery embrace, Midnight recounted everything that had happened. She told her how she came across the spell and how she tested it out on Amethyst. Celestia nodded along as Midnight described what she saw and felt when she stared at Amethyst's soul.

“It sounds like you had an enjoyable experience,” Celestia stated when Midnight had finished her story.

“It was incredible. Wonderful even.” Midnight smiled as she remembered the feeling. She then looked up at Princess Celestia and imagined that her soul felt like the peace she was feeling at the moment.

“I don't understand,” Amethyst commented. “If it was so wonderful, then why did Grandmother abandoned it?”

“When Midnight said that her mother couldn't figure out, that wasn't entirely accurate,” Celestia corrected them. “She did figure it out, but the spell work too well.”

“What do you mean?” Midnight asked.

“When you used the spell to look at Amethyst's soul, how long did you maintain it?”

“I don't know. Maybe a few minutes.”

“And during that time, did you feel anything negative coming from Amethyst?”

“No, not at all! It was one of the beautiful things I've ever experienced,” Midnight replied, astounded by the suggestion. Then she remembered what she felt towards the end. “Wait... I do remember something.” The kirin the gave the unicorn a concerned look and wondered what sort of negativity she had felt coming from within her. “I felt something cold, and I could hear voices. One of them was sobbing and the others were laughing. They were saying, 'Freak. Lizard. Monster.'”

When she had heard Midnight say those words, Amethyst immediately tensed up, which Celestia noticed. She looked down at the kirin curled up against her and asked, “Amethyst, is there something you want to share with us?”

“That was a long time ago. I never told anypony about it,” Amethyst quietly whispered. Sensing her distress, Celestia pulled Amethyst closer into her. Celestia wasn't naive. She knew that she had often been teased and bullied for being different by her peers.

“Midnight, I want you to use the spell again. This time, look very closely at my heart,” Celestia instructed her.

“Are you sure?” Midnight asked in surprise. Celestia solemnly nodded.

“Yes, it is for the best that you see for yourself the problem with the spell. The same problem your mother discovered.” When Midnight hesitated, Celestia placed a hoof on hers. “Do not fear. It will be alright. You may stop whenever you like.”

Midnight nodded and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed and the spell was activated again. She immediately recoiled when she saw a blinding light beside her. When her spiritual eyes adjusted, she saw the golden figure of Celestia's soul beside her. Her soul's core was hard to look at first, but Midnight slowly was able to focus on it. Like the celestial body she controlled, the pulsating golden light that was located where Celestia's physical heart would've been shone gloriously and eternal as the sun. Immediately, Midnight was overcome by the endless love that Celestia felt for all of her subjects and was mesmerized by it. The more she looked at the ethereal heart, the more details she could see. Each beat was filled with life and power and with each one, Midnight could see a happy memory.

“I'm missed you so much, big sister!”

“I missed you too.”

“You've come such a long, long way

And I've watched you from that very first day

To see how you might grow

To see what you might do

To see what you've been through

And all the ways you've made me proud of you”

“You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight.”

Wave after wave the happy memories washed over Midnight, but then she felt the coldness return. Her astral eyes had focused and she could clearly she Celestia's spiritual heart. She audibly gasped at what she saw; the Alicorn's heart was covered in scars. From each scar, a painful memory leaked out. A gust of burning wind of hatred blew from one and Midnight could see a memory could see a tall figure standing before with a black, chitinous hide threatening her subjects. Another blistering wind hit her and she could see a manically laughing being that was made up of assorted animal parts. Then a freezing wind unlike she had ever felt before encompassed her.

“Luna, I will not fight you! You must lower the moon! It is your duty!”

“Luna? I am... Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: to destroy you!”

“Oh, dear sister. I am sorry, but you have given me no choice but to use these.”

“Nooooooo!”

Midnight then found herself standing on a balcony looking up at the night sky. Moon had the image of a dark Alicorn upon its surface. She couldn't move or look away, making her realize she was looking through Princess Celestia's eyes.

Forgive me, Luna, Celestia's internal dialogue sounded in her mind. I have failed you. I should have noticed your loneliness. I should have seen your pain. If I was the sister I should have been, I would have known how you felt and been able to prevent the Nightmare Forces from entering your heart. A burning sensation came to Midnight's eyes as Celestia began to weep. I should have been able to save you!

The door opened, causing Midnight look towards it to see the gracefully glowing form of Princess Luna's blue soul. The Lunar Alicorn walked in and started to say, “Sister, it is almost time to...”

She stopped when she noticed Midnight's glowing horn and the tears running down from her closed eyes and knew what she was doing. The blue Unicorn was looking into her soul and could see her heart glowing as serenely as the moon. Comparing the two sisters, Celestia beauty was as radiant as the lively day and Luna's was a graceful as the calm night. However, Midnight's eyes were already adjusted to the spell and she saw straight to the gaping wound on Luna's heart. Unlike her elder sister, the dark blue Alicorn's emotional wounds had yet to heal and Midnight sobbed loudly as she looked into the fatal looking wound on the Alicorn's spiritual heart. It was as though somepony thrust a dagger into it and left a jagged tear on its surface. Hundreds of years worth of pain, anger, resentment, loneliness, and agony poured out the astral heart. From inside the dark hole that was the emotional wound, Midnight saw two teal, draconic eyes glaring back at her and a set of fangs opened to roar at the peeping Unicorn. Midnight screamed and ended the spell. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it of the dark images and then wiped the tears from her eyes. Once she opened them again, she saw Princess Luna looking down at her with a sympathetic frown.

“I had hoped you never would have had to see that,” Luna remorsefully told her.

“A-Aunt Luna, I'm so, so sorry,” Midnight said as both as an apology and to offer her own sympathy. Midnight was in shock of what she had unintentionally had seen. She knew that the Nightmare Forces had possessed Luna over a thousand years ago and that it had been purged from her, but she never realized that the negative emotions that was Nightmare Moon was still very much alive within her heart. She then figured a thousand years of isolation and misery wasn't easy to get over. Luna gave Midnight a sad smile before turning to Celestia.

“It is almost sunset.”

“Thank you Luna. I'll be right there.” After her younger sister had left, Celestia turned to Midnight and said, “And that therein lies the problem with the spell. There are somethings we keep to ourselves; personal things, secret things, things we would never tell another living soul. When you looked at Amethyst's memory, you also felt her pain. The spell can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Somepony could use it to spy on others and steal there most intimate secrets. You could also be overwhelmed by it and go mad. While you do see the good in ponies' heart, you also may see the bad. Unfortunately, not everypony has a beautiful soul like Amethyst does. The things you could see in the soul of someone with an evil heart would haunt you. Your mother understood this and that's why she decided it was for the best not to use it. Midnight...”

“Yes, Aunt Celestia?” she responded while looking up her.

“I want you to promise me that you will never use that spell again unless it is a dire emergency.”

“I promise.”

Sour Apple

Spike stood at the foot of a hospital bed. Another child had been born. This time, it was Applejack's. The orange Earth Pony was lying in the bed holding her second child; a little filly named Apple Seed. The other members of their close-nit circle of friends and family were also present, yet no one smiled. This should have been a joyous occasion, but everypony was too preoccupied with worrying over Applejack's black eye and bruises on her face.

Her elder child, Sour Apple, didn't look too much better either. The colt stood off to the side, his body trembling. He too looked worse for wear. Dry blood covered his muzzle and he had his own shiner. His Aunt Fluttershy had taken him into her fore legs and was doing her best to console him. The members of the group didn't know what to say and stared at each other in awkward silence. Since it was the middle of the night, the other children were back at their homes asleep, but news spreads quickly in a small town like Ponyville. They would surely know what happened by the next day.

Rainbow Dash, who was one of Applejack's oldest friends, paced back and forth restlessly. She was torn between staying by her friend's side or pursuing the one responsible for her and Sour's condition. Rarity was at Applejack's side along with a heavily pregnant Pinkie Pie. Twilight Sparkle was just outside the hospital room, talking to the doctor and nurses. Spike looked up and panned around the room, making eye contact with Big Macintosh, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, and Flash Sentry. The five males looked between each other and came to a silent agreement. One by one, they filed out of the room and out of the hospital.

Smoke rose from the slumbering dragon's nostrils. He growled at the memory and green flames seethed from his clenched fangs. There were consequences for harming his family, honorary members or otherwise.

*****

Celestia had just barely raised the sun and a bright green young stallion named Sour Apple was already up and about as per the norm at Sweet Apple Acres. Since the Apple Family were farmers, it was early to bed and early to rise for them. The stallion was walking out the barn where the cows resided with filled milk canisters.

“Have a good morning, dearie,” one of the cows called after him as the earth pony made his exit. He turned and gave them a nod before heading back to his own home. He had the typical looks of a member of the Apple Family. His coat was lime green like his late great-grandmother, Granny Smith, his eyes were orange like his Aunt Apple Bloom, and he had his mother's blond mane. His build was that of his Uncle Big Macintosh and he had a cutie mark of a dark green apple.

As he walked back to the farmhouse that was shaped like a barn, he glanced over to the east to see the sun rising over the orchard. A small smile briefly graced his lips. This was his favorite part of the day. To him, nothing was a beautiful as the sun rising over the orchard and the dew covered grass and leaves sparkling in the morning light. It was one of the few things that actually made him smile. As quickly as his smile appeared, it vanished and faded back to his typical, uninterested look.

Back in the kitchen, his mother was busy preparing breakfast. Out of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Applejack had definitely aged the most. That's not to say she looked old, just matured. She was still in shape and in good health. A life of bucking apple trees everyday will do that for you. However, she had a few wrinkles around her eyes and her mane had plenty of gray hairs. Unlike Rarity's, whose silver streak looked natural, her gray hairs gave her mane a weathered look. The fact she wore a tattered old Stetson probably didn't help her image as well. She had a lot of stress in her life and it was apparent in her looks.

“Good mornin', sugar cube,” she greeted her son as she saw him walk in with the fresh milk. He simply nodded in response. She internally sighed at his nonverbal greeting. He was even less talkative that her older brother. “So, what do you want for breakfast?”

Sour just shrugged dismissively, which was his way of saying “I'll have whatever you're making.” From down the hall, they could hear little hoofsteps running down the stairs and a light orange filly appeared in the kitchen a moment later.

“Good mornin' Ma, good mornin' Sour!” the cheery filly said as she made her entrance. Unlike Sour, she resembled their father more with her light orange coat and brown mane. Her green eyes, however, she inherited from her mother.

“Good morning, Apple Seed. Could you help set the table?” Applejack asked.

“Sure!” she ecclesiastically answered. In a flash, she opened the drawer containing the silverware and the cabinet with the plates and quickly prepared the table for three ponies. After finishing, she looked down to her flanks to see that they were still blank. “Shoot.”

Apple Seed was the president of the local chapter of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. After the founding members, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed, had earned their cutie marks many years ago, they successfully formed an official organization. Though the four went on to pursue their careers, they remained the heads of the now nationwide foal organization.

Apple Seed was very much like Apple Bloom before her. She was the ringleader of the rambunctious band of blank flanks and was constantly in search of new ways to earn hers and her fellow Crusaders' cutie marks. Apparently, table setting wasn't her special talent.

“Ah was certain that if Ah did it fast enough it would work,” the disappointed ten year old filly said.

“It probably would have helped if everythin' wasn't crooked,” Applejack chuckled as she looked at the utensils and dishes that were haphazardly placed on the table. Apple Seed sheepishly grinned at her sloppy job and Sour Apple shook his head as he tidied up the scattered dishes. Once the table was presentable, Applejack served up a helping of pancakes onto each plate with a side of fresh fruit. Mealtimes were important to the Apple Family. They were opportunities for the three of them to get together and talk, or rather, for Applejack and Apple Seed to talk with an occasional grunt from Sour Apple.

“So, how did your crusadin' go yesterday?” asked Applejack.

“It was great! We helped Old Pony Jenkins cross the street!” Apple Seed reported.

“That's nice. Did anypony get their cutie marks for it?”

“No. He said he had just came from that way and had to cross it again.” Apple Seed's ears drooped and she looked down at her plate before she immediately perked back up. “But today, we're gonna get our cutie marks in archery!”

This caused Applejack to nearly choke on the juice she was drinking. She coughed and sputtered before saying, “Archery? Land sakes, Apple Seed! Where didja get the idea for somethin' like that?”

“Cherry Pie. She says she knows a colt who got his cutie mark in archery and could borrow his bow and arrows from him.”

“No. Just, no,” Applejack denied with a shake of her head.

“Aaawww, why not?” the filly moaned, disappointed.

“Remember the catapult?” Yes, she remembered the catapult incident. So did half the town for that matter. Why on earth did Cheese Sandwich lent it to a bunch of underage ponies was beyond them. At least it wasn't the Super Party Panzer 9000 that he, Pinkie, and Discord built. That was truly a dark day in Ponyville history. It made Applejack shudder just thinking about. So much frosting...

“But it'll be different this time, Ah promise!”

“No projectiles.”

“But...”

“No sharp object either.”

“Aaawww...But what are we supposed to do today then?”

“How about you and yer friends try helpin' around the farm or help Posey with her gardenin'? You're awfully good at it,” Applejack suggested, trying to give her daughter a push in the right direction. Apple Seed was rather good at gardening, but she didn't have the patience for it.

“But that easy stuff is too borin'. Ah can do that any day. Ah want a cool cutie mark, like Scootaloo's or Sweetie Belle's.”

“What about your Aunt Apple Bloom? She got her cutie mark for bein' all artistic and stuff and that was 'easy stuff' to her,” pointed out Applejack.

“How did you get yours, Ma?” Apple Seed asked while pointing to the three red apples on her mother's flank.

“Ah told ya that story, remember? It was when Ah was visitin' mah Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan...”

“Were mah Pa is from,” Apple Seed innocently added. A hush fell upon the room. Sour Apple looked up from his breakfast and stared at his little sister. Applejack looked to her son and then back to her daughter before continuing.

“Um, yes...That's right,” she said uncomfortably. It was a touchy subject and she hadn't told Apple Seed all of the details yet. “Ah was in Manehattan because Ah wanted to see and try new things, but in the end, Ah realized what Ah really wanted was back here all along. So while it's important to try new things, it's important to remember to try the things you're familiar with. Understand, Apple Seed?”

“Sure, Ma,” Apple Seed nodded along. However, she was secretly hoping she could get that archery cutie mark. She then turned to her brother and asked, “When did you get your cutie mark, Sour Apple?”

“Ah got it the day you were born,” the stallion told her. Applejack snapped her head in his direction. It was rare treat to hear his voice. He hasn't said more than a few words at a time ever since that day he was eight years old; the day Apple Seed was born.

“Really? How did you get it?” Apple Seed asked curiously.

“Why don't you ask your Pa if you want to know so much!” he harshly snapped at her, causing the little filly to shrink in fear. Seeing the frightened look in his sister's face that he caused, his heart ached with a pain.

“Sour Apple!” Applejack scolded, outraged that he would yell at his little sister.

“Ah've got chores to do,” he said, dismissing himself from the table. Without another word, he exited the door and went outside.

“Sour? Sour!” she called after him to no avail. She sat back down in a huff and looked to Apple Seed, whose bottom lip was quivering while her green eyes welled up with tears. “Sugar cube, are you okay?”

“Ah've never understood why he's so...sour. And Ah've never understood why you and him get all weird when Ah ask you about mah Pa,” she whispered.

“Apple Seed,” Applejack said with a heavy sigh. “Ah think it's time Ah told you what happened on the day you were born.”

“Ma, is everythin' alright?” the filly asked worriedly from seeing her mother's distressed state. “What about Sour?”

“Everythin' is fine, sugar cube,” she reassured her with a weary smile. “Just follow me to the livin' room and let's have a seat on the couch, alright? Ah'll talk to him in a bit.”

Apple Seed nodded in response to Applejack's request and followed her to the other room. She had a feeling that whatever her mother was about to tell her wasn't going to be happy story. After she sat down on the sofa, Applejack wrapped a hoof around her shoulder and took a moment to compose herself.

“It's hard bein' the Element of Honesty sometimes,”Applejack began slowly. “Ponies always expect me to tell the hundred percent truth all the time, even when the truth can hurt at sometimes. Some say that not saying the whole truth or not sayin' anythin' at all is the same as lyin'. Ah never intended for not tellin' you what really happened for so long. Ah just didn't want you to be hurt. But Ah guess it wouldn't be fair to you if Ah never told you. Apple Seed, this isn't gonna be easy for either of us. If you don't want to...”

“No. Ah want to know,” she urged her mother to continue, but she was still scared of what she may learn. Applejack nodded and proceeded to tell her daughter the whole story of the day of her birth.

Meanwhile, Sour Apple was out in the orchard. A solid thud could be heard as he bucked a tree with his hind legs, causing the apples to fall the tree's branches and land into an awaiting basket. He grunted as he kicked another tree, it too dropping its apples. He hadn't planned on apple bucking until a little later into the morning, but Apple Seed just had to go and open her big mouth. He really did love his baby sister, but her ignorance irritated him sometimes. According to his mother, the current generation of Cutie Mark Crusaders were just as wild as the original. In their defense, Applejack said that they were just eager to find their special talents. Sour believed that they were ignorant foals that couldn't sit still long enough to see what was right in front of them.

Ma practically told her exactly what her special talent was and she didn't even notice! he thought, annoyed as he bucked another tree. He stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. As he took a breather, he looked back to the farmhouse inside. He then remembered the look on Apple Seed's face before he had stormed out. He yelled at her. He had yelled at his little sister, the same little sister he promised himself to look after. That same uncomfortably feeling from earlier stuck his heart again and he knew it was guilt. He knew he had no right to be angry at her. She didn't know, and now he made her cry. With a frustrated shout, he bucked a tree so hard that he could feel the wood crack. A second later, there was a creaking sound and then he heard the rustling of leaves followed by a loud crash. He didn't need to turn around to know that the tree was knocked over. He was in trouble for sure, but he didn't care. He sat his haunches down on the grass as his anger continued to brew inside of him. He wasn't angry at Apple Seed. He was angry at himself for losing control, but that wasn't the main source of his rage. Instead, his anger was focused on another stallion as he thought back to that accursed night ten years ago:

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An eight year old Sour Apple awoke after he heard a noise coming down the hall. Wearily, he wiped his eyes and looked around his room. From his bedroom window, he could see that the moon was still high in the night sky, indicating it was still far too early to get up. As his senses cleared, he heard the noise again. It was the sound of two ponies arguing. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying due to the walls muffling their voices, but he could tell that it was his parents. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but the sounds of his mother and father yelling at each other were too distracting.

He didn't know for how long he waited before he finally got out of bed and crept out of his room. One part of him screamed for him to return to his room and forget the whole thing, but another part pulled him down the hall towards his parents' bedroom. He just had to know what they were fighting over this time. He had a rising suspicion that it had something to do with his father staying out late almost every night. Though it was only a few feet from his own room, the walk down the hall felt like an eternity. With each step, the words of the argument became more clear.

“I don't have to take this,” a surly voice said from the other side of the door.

“Yes you do! Unless you forgot, Ah am your wife!” Sour Apple slowly pushed the cracked open door an inch to peek inside. He could see his mother speaking to his father, Cider Barrel, who had his back turned to her. He was tan Earth Pony with a brown mane and amber eyes. His cutie mark was a barrel, which represented his occupation. He had worked in a brewery in Manehattan and was introduced to Applejack by her relatives, the Oranges. Not only was he skilled in making hard ciders, but he was too fond of drinking it himself.

“I was just out having a drink,” he grumbled, barely containing his anger.

“Ah think we both know that's not the only thing you were doin' tonight,” Applejack retorted. “That's it, isn't it? You were with her.”

Cider Barrel didn't say anything to deny her claim and there was silence as Applejack looked away from her husband in disgust. Her eyes filled with tears of anger, humiliation, and heartbreak. Sour Apple didn't know all the details or who exactly “she” was, but he knew that his parents have been arguing over it for awhile now. What he knew was that “she” was supposedly an old friend of Cider's that had moved to Ponyville from Manehattan not to long ago. Apparently, the two went way back and hadn't seen each other since he married Applejack and moved to Ponyville. At first, Applejack didn't mind him going to visit an old friend, but she started to become suspicious when he kept on going out at night and coming home very late. One night, Sour Apple was still awake when he came home and noticed that his breath smelt worse than it normally did. Though nopony said anything to him, Sour had a feeling that he knew what was really going on.

“How could you do this to us, to your family?” Applejack questioned. She looked at her swollen belly and then back to him. “We're 'bout to have another foal in a couple of weeks, and you're runnin' around with another mare. Don't we mean anythin' to you? What about your son? Does he mean anythin' to you?!”

Cider Barrel finally turned around and smacked his wife across her face with back of his hoof while yelling, “Shut up!”

“Y-you...” Applejack stammered in a mixture of shock and rage. There was the sound of another strike and Applejack cried out in pain.

“I said shut up!” the drunken stallion roared. Sour Apple watch in horror at the scene. He hit her! His father actually hit his mother, twice! “I never wanted foals! You did! I never wanted to get married! You did! I only married you because that's what you wanted!”

In his drunken rage, Cider Barrel struck Applejack again sending her to the floor. The pregnant mare winced in pain as she tried to raise herself off of the bedroom floor. As Cider Barrel stormed over to her, she cried, “No! Think of the foal!”

Her words were meaningless to him now. His judgment had compromised, he had been found out, and the truth had been revealed. He raised his hoof to strike her again. Applejack was no pushover and was one of Ponyville's top athletes, but she was in no condition to defend herself at this point. Cider Barrel brought his hoof down, but before it could make contact, something bright green rammed into his side. The blow knocked him off balance and he staggered about, trying to regain his balance. He looked up to see the scrawny colt standing between him and the mare on the floor.

“Don't you hit mah Ma ever again!” Sour Apple screamed up at Cider Barrel.

“Out of my way!” the grown stallion ordered as he also struck his own son. Sour Apple was rattled by the blow, but stood his ground.

“We don't want you here anymore!” Another blow struck him across the face and his nose began to bleed.

“Stop hitting him!” Applejack cried, but her words fell on deaf ears.

“Ah'll take care of her now and the foal and the farm!” Sour Apple declared. Before Cider could swing at him again, the colt charged him and ran into his chest, pushing him back. “Get out of here! We don't want you here anymore and we don't need you! You're a bad pony and you're not mah father anymore! Go away and never come back!”

Cider snorted at the colt with the bleeding face before him and then looked down at the mare he was shielding. He could overpower the foal if he wanted to, but there was no longer a point. He wasn't welcomed there and he didn't want to be there anymore either. In his callous mind, he felt liberated. He didn't need to hide his secret affair anymore and he could now do as he pleased. Without a word, he left Sweet Apple Acres, never to return.

“Sour...” Applejack quietly said to her son, whose body was shaking from the adrenaline rush and the overwhelming emotions that he was feeling. “Sour...Come here, baby.”

The bright green colt slowly walked over to his mother with shaking legs. Overcome by the situation, his legs gave out from underneath him and he collapsed by his mother. She grabbed her son and pulled him close to her body. They laid there in silence for an untold amount of time as she softly shushed him. While gently stoking his mane, she happened to look back and see that a dark green apple had appeared on his flank. What should have been an important event in a young pony's life was marred such an ugly encounter. Despite the circumstances, she was proud of her son and how brave he had been. However, the moment was ended when her eyes shot open and she cried out in surprise. Sour Apple looked up to his mother to see the shock on her face.

“The foal is coming!” she exclaimed.

“Ah...But...W-What do Ah...Ah'll go and get Uncle Mac!” he stammered, completely at a loss.

“No time, you're gonna have to help me,” she told him as she started to pant. He was terrified. They both were, but he had to step up and deal with the situation.

Apple Seed was born in that very room. After the filly had been delivered, Sour rushed to his Aunt Fluttershy and Uncle Big Macintosh's cottage. The couple were startled when they saw the state their nephew was in, but rushed to the farm when he told them what happened to find Applejack and the filly waiting for them. The large red stallion carried his sister to the hospital while the yellow Pegasus carried the filly as Sour Apple followed closely behind them. When both mother and child were safely settled in, their friends were notified and immediately rushed to the hospital.

While they were gathered in Applejack's hospital room, the adult males left without a word. By the next morning, Cider Barrel had been arrested for assault but didn't immediately go to jail because he had to be admitted into the hospital for the injuries he had mysteriously sustained. Though no one ever said anything, Sour had a good idea as to what really happened. One of the hints to his condition was that his coat was covered in soot, his eyebrows and mane were completely singed off, and he was covered in claw marks and hoof-shaped bruises. A certain mare's home had some damage done to it and she claimed that a wild dragon had dragged Cider Barrel out through her bedroom window. She would later make the wise decision to move back home to Manehattan. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all asked their husbands if they knew anything concerning Cider Barrel's condition, but they refused to say anything and their wives never asked them again. Ten years would pass and Cider Barrel would still be serving his sentence in prison and would still be there for quite some time. It was not a bright idea to attack a mare who was a close, personal friend to the four reigning Alicorns, a national hero, and one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. It wasn't long after that Applejack and Cider Barrel were divorced.

“Sour Apple?” a calm voice said from behind the young stallion. He quickly wiped his eyes free of the tears that he had shed while reminiscing and looked to see his mother standing there. She looked at the felled tree but didn't appear to be upset about it like he imagined she would had been. “Do you mind if Ah sat with you for awhile?”

He shook his head and she walked over to have a seat beside him. They sat in silence for a minute before she turned to look up at her large son. “Ah told Apple Seed what happened.”

“Hm,” he grunted in response. He never said much. In fact, he barely said a word after the night Cider Barrel left them. Only those closest to him knew that he had been quite the chatterbox when he was younger.

“Ah'm so thankful for everythin' you have done for me and your sister,” Applejack told him. He nodded in understanding. With Cider gone, he had to step up and be the stallion around the farm. He was only eight years old at the time, but he had to shoulder the weight of the responsibility of the farm while his mother recovered from having a foal. He offered to drop out of school so that he could devote all of his time to working on the farm, but Applejack wouldn't allow that. What really helped them was the support of their friends and family. Macintosh lived not far away with Fluttershy and he already divided his time between working on the farm and at his wife's animal sanctuary. Since Granny Smith was longer with them, Apple Bloom, who had already left the nest, came back for a time to help her sister raise the foal so that she could help Sour Apple with the farm once she had recovered. “Son, Ah know things haven't been easy since your father left us, but that's no excuse to yell at her like that. It wasn't her fault.”

“How is she?” he asked.

“A little shaken, but Ah think she'll be fine. She's already gone off to Sugarcube Corner to be with her friends. She's strong, just like you.”

“...Ah'm sorry.”

“Ah know, Son. Ah know. She isn't mad at you, and neither am Ah. Ah'm just concerned. For the past ten years you've been grumpier than a rattlesnake with no rattle. Ah just want you to be happy. You're a good colt, Sour, and Ah don't want what happen between us and your father to change who you really are.” He only grunted in acknowledgment and she paused for a moment. She then looked back at the knocked over apple tree. “Ya know, there's a better way to harvest apples other than to kick the whole tree over.” She started to snicker which in turned made the corners of his mouth twitch in the briefest of hints of a smile.

“Ah hear that Amethyst and Midnight are coming down tomorrow and ya'll and your friends are going camping on Saturday,” she continued. He again nodded in confirmation. “That'll be nice. Just the six of you then? Ah remember back when you and lil' Thunderbolt thought all fillies were icky.”

She laughed again and Sour blushed at the embarrassing memory. When she finally stopped laughing, she took off her dusty old hat and looked at it. She turned to Sour and asked, “Do you know where Ah got this hat?” He nodded, but she told him anyway. “This was my Pa's hat. Ah was around your age when he gave it to me. He and Ma died not too long afterward.”

Applejack's face filled with sadness as she recalled those events, but then she smiled and reached up to place the old hat on her son's head. His eyes widen and he took off the hat to look at it with shock and awe. He then looked to his mother with an unsure look.

“Ah want you to have it. It may be old, but it's still good. You'll need a decent hat when y'all go camping,” she told him as he placed it back on his head. Proud tears filled her green eyes as she took in the sight of her grown boy wearing her father's hat. She reached up with her fore legs and he bent down so that she could wrap them around his neck. She smiled and sighed contently as she hugged him, remembering back to the days where he was just a little pony. Now, he was as big as her brother. She let him go and he looked up to the hat on his head. “Don't worry, Ah have plenty of hats. That's just mah favorite one. Come on, we still have breakfast to clean up.”

He nodded and they walked back to the farmhouse. As they walked back through the orchard, Applejack pulled another Stetson seemingly out of nowhere and placed it on her head.

Posey

“Oops!” There was a crash as a dragon tripped and fell over into a row of mannequins. Rarity quickly turned around to see her husband lying in a pile of fabric and mannequins.

“Dear me, are you alright darling?” Rarity urgently asked as Spike untangled himself from the heap of sheets, fabric, and pony shaped models.

“Yeah, I'm okay,” he responded as he rose up from the heap of sowing material on the floor. He brushed himself off and bent down to pick up the load of fabric he was carrying that he dropped. “I'm having trouble keeping my balance...Whoa!”

The dragon flailed his arms about in attempt to remain upright, but his body wobbled and he toppled over again. After landing on his face, Spike grumbled and tried to get up again. Ever since his growth spurt, he had been having a hard time walking on his hind legs. In his youth, he had been able to walk in either a bipedal or quadrupedal stance, but now his body's proportions had changed. His torso had grown longer, his neck had stretched out, and even his snout extended into a maw, making him too top heavy. Rarity giggled in amusement then offered her hoof to help him up. He accepted the outstretched hoof and stood on all fours.

“This is going to take some time to get used to,” Spike muttered as he did his best to clean the mess with only one claw. Rarity's horn glowed light blue and she levitated the rest of fabric from the floor and straightened the mannequins.

“It isn't so bad, darling. Why, I've only been able to walk on four legs my entire life,” she told him in effort to cheer him up. He had been rather moody the past few days. Not only did he grow during his growth spurt, but his hoarding instincts kicked and he took Rarity and Amethyst hostage. His inability to walk on his hind legs like he used to and the fact that he could barely fit in his own home anymore wasn't helping to improve his attitude. Every time he would turn, he would knock something over with his wings or tail or scratch the walls or the door-frames with his spines when he would enter a room. It was obvious that they would have to renovate the Boutique.

Spike continued to grumble to himself as he did his best to help clean up the mess he had made. When his large tail knocked over a rack of clothes he nearly roared in frustration. He stopped himself from shouting when he heard the sound of giggling. He turned around to see his daughter, Amethyst, off to the side.

“Daddy funny,” the kirin toddler merrily laughed. The sound of his daughter's laughter softened Spike's scowl and a small smile crept onto his maw. He lowered his head down to his Amethyst's level and she giggled as she clasped onto the sides of his face with her little claws. She pushed up on the corners of his mouth to make his smile bigger. As his daughter laughed and gave the tip of his snout a kiss, his heart melted from the overwhelming sweetness of the child's unconditional love. Just the other day, he had her and Rarity held up against his side as he sat atop of pile of treasure while his friends tried to talk him out of his instinct fueled rampage. Rarity had been frightened, for she feared that her husband might had been lost forever to an uncontrollable monster that dwelt within him. However, she noticed that even while in hoarding mode, he was being careful and protective of her and their daughter. In a strange way, it was comforting to know that even while he was not in control of himself he would never harm them. After all, a dragon will jealously guard its treasure.

Fortunately, Amethyst didn't seem to be frightened during the entire ordeal. She made have been confused as to why her daddy was make loud noises at his friends, but he eventually stopped and everypony calmed down. She didn't understand why, but her daddy had been sad ever since. She didn't like her daddy being sad and wanted to make him smile. It seemed to be working.

The bell over the front door rang and Fluttershy walked into the Boutique. Following the Pegasus was a little filly who was just a little older than Amethyst.

“Good morning, Fluttershy,” Rarity greeted her friend.

“Good morning, Rarity. Good morning, Spike,” the butterscotch yellow mare greeted in return. She walked over to Amethyst, who was still hugging her father's maw. “Good morning, Amethsyt. I've brought somepony for you to meet. Say hello, Posey.”

The filly took a peak out from behind her mother to look at the white scaled figure before her. She had seen other foals, but never one that looked like her. Amethyst tilted her head to the side curiously as she saw a teal eye staring at her. Slowly, a little face came into view as Amethyst let go of her father to look behind Fluttershy. The filly immediately hid behind her mother's long tail, but Fluttershy stepped to the side, exposing her to everyone's view. She was an Earth Pony with long, spindly legs. The foal looked up at the dragon that was behind the kirin and quickly darted back behind her mother.

“It's okay, Posey,” Fluttershy reassured her. It was common for foals to panic when they first meet Spike. Anypony would be intimidated by a large, scaly beast with razor sharp fangs towering over them. “This is Spike.”

“Hey there, Posey,” Spike said softly in order not to frighten the filly. Posey's eyes appeared in Fluttershy's tail as she stared up at the dragon from the safety her makeshift hiding place. Though she was still afraid, the dragon's warm smile helped to put her nerves at ease. Eventually, her head emerged from the protective barrier made from light pink hair.

“Hi,” a tiny voice whispered quickly before the head disappeared back into Fluttershy's long tail.

*****

Apple Seed sat at a table in Sugarcube Corner. The confectionery shaped liked a gingerbread house was one of the popular hang out spots for her friends and family and they would often gather either there or Princess Twilight's Castle. At her side was her best friend, Cherry Pie. She was pink Earth Pony that was the same age as her. Her eyes were yellow and her mane was red. Unlike her parents, Pinkie Pie or Cheese Sandwich, her mane was straight like her aunts, Maud, Marble, and Limestone. Pinkie's mane used to look like it did when she was very young, but then she discovered fun and laughter and it poofed out. Now it only straightened when she was deeply upset. Even though her mane was straight and lifeless like her aunts, she was just as lively as her mother. Currently, she was blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk. It was a rule; you had to blow bubbles in your chocolate milk for no less than five minutes before drinking. However, Apple Seed only stared at her glass while propping up her chin with a hoof. Cherry took notice of this and came up with an idea.

“Hey Apple Seed, check this out!” Apple Seed looked up to see that her friend a had two straws stuck up her nostrils. She then stuck the straws into the glass and Cherry inhaled. The chocolate milk shot up through the straws and her face twisted and her eyes crossed as the drink entered her nose. “A-A-A-Achoo! Oops...Sorry, Apple Seed.”

Apple Seed gave her a deadpan look and then grabbed a napkin to wipe the chocolate milk that had been sneezed onto her face.

“I thought that would work for sure,” Cherry sheepishly said.

“Ah'm not sure snot flavored milk would've tasted good anyway,” Apple Seed told her. As the two fillies cleaned up the mess, a mare with a yellow coat walked into the bakery. Hearing the door open, Cup Cake came to the counter. Her coat was blue and her mane was pink and swirly, resembling her namesake.

“Hello there, Flutterhsy,” the middle aged mare greeted.

“Posey,” the yellow mare corrected. Cup Cake did a double take and realized who she was addressing.

“Oh, I'm so sorry, dearie,” she apologized. “You look so much like your mother that you could pass for twins.”

“It's okay, Mrs. Cake. I get that a lot,” Posey said as she smiled, brushing off the misunderstanding. She did take after Fluttershy a lot. She had the same teal eyes, the same soft yellow coat, and the same light pink mane. They even shared the same manecut. The only difference was that she was an Earth Pony like her father, Big Macintosh, and her cutie mark was three pink flowers. Her special talent was helping things grow. She learned how to tend to baby animals from her mother and how to grow plants from her father. When her parents were married, the grounds surrounding Fluttershy's cottage were converted into a large animal sanctuary complete with shelters and homes for all sorts of critters. Posey worked at the sanctuary's nursery and she also tended the gardens.

Though Fluttershy had everything she wanted, her daughter was actually living out a dream of hers. Fluttershy always wanted to be an Earth Pony. That way, she would be more in tune with nature. However, she more than made up for it with her unique talent of being able to communicate with animals on a level nopony else could and being a Pegasus meant she could fly in the air with the birds and the butterflies she loved so much.

“What can I do for you today?” Mrs. Cake asked Posey.

“Oh, just something light like a strawberry tart.” As Cup Cake went to retrieve the pastry, Posey turned to see the two girls at the table. When she saw the troubled look on Apple Seed's face, her empathy kicked in and she approached them. “Apple Seed, are you alright?”

“Ah'm okay,” the light orange filly halfheartedly replied. Posey frowned with concern and sat down beside Apple Seed, knowing her younger cousin was definitely not “okay.”

“Apple Seed, you know that I'm always here for you, right?” she asked while placing a hoof on hers. The filly nodded. “And you know you can tell me anything.”

“She's upset because...” Cherry Pie started to explain.

“Hush, Cherry. It's up to her. If she wants to talk about it or not, it's up to her.”

“It's okay, Posey,” Apple Seed told her and then took a deep breath. “Ma told me what really happened on the day that Ah was born.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yeah, Ah know.”

“What happened? How did that discussion get brought up?”

“Ah kinda brought it up,” she meekly explained. “Ah asked Sour how he got his cutie mark and he got mad and yelled at me.”

“Oh my!” Posey knew it was a touchy subject to bring up around Sour Apple. She remembered hearing about it the following day when everypony heard that Cider Barrel was arrested. Even though she wouldn't hear all the details until sometime later, Posey and everypony else had a good idea on what happened. Posey was shocked when she learned that her Uncle Cider was cheating on Aunt Applejack. Infidelity was almost unheard of in the Apple Family, of which Posey is proud to be a member. Though her circle of friends were respectful and never mentioned it to Sour, they all talked about what they thought about the events leading up to Cider Barrel's arrest.

The official report Prince Flash Sentry made after he brought the abusive stallion in was that he and Spike, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, and Big Macintosh found him outside the home of a mare when they went to arrest him. Apparently, he had “accidentally” caught himself on fire and “jumped” through the window on the second floor of the house, explaining his bruises and burnt hair. Posey's friend Thunderbolt believes that Spike was the dragon that the mare claimed she saw drag Cider from her bed and her friends all agreed, even Amethyst. However, none of them had the nerve to ask their fathers if they really were involved. But what did it matter? Applejack and Apple Seed were okay and Cider Barrel was brought to justice. If their mothers and even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna didn't press the issue, why should they?

As Apple Seed finished explaining her story to her cousin, Sour Apple entered Sugarcube Corner. He looked winded, as though he had ran the entire way there from Sweet Apple Acres. When Apple Seed looked up to see her brother standing in the doorway, she got up from her chair, ran up to him, and wrapped her fore legs around his chest.

“Ah'm sorry for yellin', Apple Seed,” he apologized as he ran a hoof through her mane.

“A-Ah'm sorry too,” she also said.

“No, you have nothin' to apologize for,” he told her sternly. He raised her chin with a hoof so that she would look him in the eye. “You didn't know and what happened back then wasn't your fault. Ah'm your big brother and it's mah job to make sure that you're okay. Got it?”

Apple Seed's green eyes were brimming with tears and she buried her face into his chest again.

“Ah love you,” she sobbed into his chest. Applejack had told her how he had saved them from Cider Barrel and how he vowed to take care of them. She also told her how it was Sour who had delivered her. She owed her very life to him.

“Ah love you too,” Sour replied. Posey, Cherry Pie, and a cream colored Pegasus with a curly golden mane sniffled as they watched the touching scene.

“That was beautiful!” the Pegasus mare exclaimed as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Posey's head snapped to look at the Pegasus that had suddenly popped up beside her.

“Surprise? Where did you come from?” she asked the Pegasus.

“You see, when a stallion loves a mare...” Surprise started to say.

“That's not what I meant,” Posey said with a roll of her eyes.

“I know, silly. I was just teasing,” Surprise laughed. “I work today. Hey, Mrs. Cake.”

“Hello there, Surprise,” Cup Cake called back from the kitchen. “I'm just finished making Posey's strawberry tart. Could you come take it out to her?”

“Sure thing, Mrs. Cake!” She then disappeared in cream and gold flash and reappeared a moment later with a plate with the pastry on top of it. “Here you go, Posey!”

“Thanks, Surprise.” She paid the bill and took the plate from her friend. As she took a bite from her breakfast, she looked over the two Apples. They had sat down at the table across from her and Cherry Pie and Apple Seed's mood had vastly improved. On the other hoof, Sour's face had returned to its default stoic state. Posey was a little disappointed. She had thought Sour Apple had finally come out of his shell for good. He was smiling and expressing true emotion when he was holding his baby sister. Though it was ten years ago, Posey remembered how he was back then and how he used to be before the incident. He smiled, laughed, and even talked. She missed that Sour Apple. Taking another bite out of her breakfast, she thought of ways to bring her cousin out of his shell for good. She then noticed that he was wearing her Aunt Applejack's Stetson.

“Is that your mother's hat?” Posey asked, hoping to spark a conversation.

“Mhmm,” he gave his usual answer.

“It looks good on you,” she tried to complement him.

“Hmm,” he grunted with a nod. It was as she feared. He came out of shell just a little, but then retreated back in just like Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise, Tank. She needed a new plan. She needed somepony that could loosen him up and teach him how to have fun again. She needed somepony that was full of life and energy. She needed...

Posey's eyes widened with a revelation as a light bulb lit up over her head.

“There, that's better,” Surprise said as she floated down from the ceiling after she had finished replacing a burnt out ceiling light. After discarding the old light bulb, she happily trotted back to the kitchen.

“Surprise, may I speak to you for a moment?”

*****

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In the Macintosh Hills, an old castle stood atop a rocky mountain. In the old days, it was a fort used to defend Equestria from invaders. After the Great Celestia/Luna Rift, Princess Celestia ushered in a new era of peace and it wasn't long before the old fort wasn't needed anymore. In light of the minotaurs' declaration of war, Princess Celestia commissioned for it be restored. To her surprise, Prince Narcissus volunteered to oversee the project and to lead the soldiers that were to be stationed there. Deciding to give her distant nephew a chance to prove himself, she approved his request.

Prince Narcissus walked up the trail up to the fort followed by two royal guards. Stopping at the drawbridge, Narcissus looked up at the castle before them. A triumphant smirk appeared on his face.

“Look at it,” the blue maned stallion said aloud. “It's mine. All mine. Soon, our plans shall unfold.”

The two guards gave each confused looks before one of them said, “Excuse me, Your Highness, but what are you talking about?”

The front gate of the castle opened and a pink Unicorn mare with a golden mane sauntered out to Prince Narcissus. She gave the prince a kiss before turning her attention to the guards with devilish smile on her lips. She strutted up to the stallions and said with a sultry voice, “Ah, my dear stallions. I'm so glad you could join us here today.”

The pair of stallions sweated nervously as the attractive mare circled them, looking up and down their bodies. She would giggle as they gulped when she would flick her tail teasingly in their faces.

“Oh yes, you two will do nicely,” she whispered in their ears. “There is something I would like to show you. Would you be interested in seeing it?”

The two guards' professionalism flew out of the metaphorical window and they quickly nodded the heads excitedly.

“Good, then please follow me,” she seductively instructed them as she walked back to the castle, her hips swaying side to side. The pair of stallions gave each other a quick look before darting after the temptress. Narcissus snickered as he followed after them.

The soldiers rushed to the opened gate and went inside. Once inside, they froze in shock at what they saw. Their eyes looked all about the great hall hardly believing what they saw. The droning hum of buzzing and the sickly sound of scuttling was all they could hear. Then they heard a mocking chuckle and they looked forward at the mare that had lured them in. Before they could react, a bolt of green magic struck their heads, causing their eyes to roll dizzily about. After the spell had ended, the two stallions stood there with absentminded grins on their faces as their eyes glowed green.

“Take them away. I'll have need for them later,” the mare said to her minions, her eyes flashing green again. Her partner-in-crime joined her at her side and they shared a malicious laugh. As she thought about their plan which would unfold in a few days, a song came to mind. “This day is going to be perfect...”

Thunderbolt

“No fair, Thunderbolt! No flying!” a little Amethyst protested to a gray colt that was hovering just above her.

“Hey, nopony said that I couldn't fly!” As the two youngsters bickered, Evening Star, Surprise, Sour Apple, Posey, and Midnight walked up to them. They had been playing a game of hide and seek and Amethyst had tagged everypony, except for Thunderbolt.

“Well, if you can use your wings, then I can use my magic.” The kirin's horn glowed with a purple, flame-like aura and Thunderbolt was pulled down from the air by his blue and white tail.

“Hey!” he protested as he struggled to free himself while their friends laughed. Amethyst smirked, walked over to the colt, and tapped his forehead with a claw. Thunderbolt crossed his fore legs and pouted. “You cheated.”

“So did you,” she retorted. “Anyway, since I tagged you last, you're it. And this time, I won't use magic as long as you don't fly.”

“Ugh. Fine, fine. One...Two...” He covered his eyes and began to count as his friends scattered. Posey hid behind a tree while Surprise hid up in the tree. Even without using her wings, she managed to reach the top with no problem. Amethyst took cover behind a rock and Sour Apple jumped into the bushes. Evening Star hid in patch of tall grass. Midnight thought for a moment, then came up with an idea. She went over to the swimming pond and used a reed as a snorkel as she hid submerged herself. “Ninety-nine...One hundred! Ready or not, here I come!”

Thunderbolt did a quick scan of the area and then set out to find his friends. Meanwhile, the adults had been socializing as their children played in the park. Spike chuckled as he heard Posey yelp when Thunderbolt sneaked up behind her and tagged her. He watched with amusement when he saw Surprise giggling to herself, thinking she had evaded her pursuer, as Thunderbolt and Posey started to walk away. However, the giggling gave the filly away and Thunderbolt looked up to see her up the tree.

“Hey, I thought we agreed on no flying!” he called up to the creamed colored Pegasus.

“I didn't, silly. I climbed,” she laughed from her perch.

“Well, how am I supposed to tag you?”

“You're not. That's the point.”

“Mom! Surprise is cheating!” Thunderbolt called over to Rainbow Dash.

“No she isn't. Just climb on up and tag her,” the sky blue mare called back to her son.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Fluttershy asked as the group watched the colt try to climb up the tree, but kept on sliding down the trunk. “I don't think they should be playing up there. They could get hurt.”

“Relax, Fluttershy. They'll be fine. Besides, if they fall, they can just use their wings.”

“Yes, but it might encourage the others like Posey or Sour to try it too and they can't fly,” Flutterhsy fretted.

“You're gonna have to try harder than that!” they heard Surprise taunt followed by a frustrated groan by Thunderbolt.

“They'll be fine,” Applejack reassured Fluttershy as she looked down to a toddler Apple Seed. She was playing with Pinkie's younger daughter, Cherry Pie. Ever since the two were introduced to each other, they had become immediate best friends. The Earth Pony foals cooed and laughed at each other as they rolled a ball back and forth between each other.

Applejack then looked over to the bushes where Sour Apple was hiding. His green coat helped to camouflage him with the leaves. Though he hadn't said much since Apple Seed was born, she was happy to see her son interacting with his friends.

Back over at the tree, Thunderbolt finally managed to climb up to the branch that Surprise was sitting on. He panted and tried to catch his breath. Once he recovered, he reached over to tag Surprise, but was shocked to see that she had already jumped out of the tree and was sticking her tongue out at him as she ran away. He gave another enraged cry and hopped out the tree to give chase.

“Look at that, he just ran by Amethyst and didn't even noticed her,” Spike commented.

“I think he's too determined to catch Surprise,” Rarity added. “He's just like his mother. Once you bruise his ego, he'll go to extremes to make up for it.”

“Are you saying I'm egoistical, Mrs. 'I'm secretly jealous of Fluttershy's modeling career so I'll try to sabotage it'?” Rainbow Dash questioned while giving her a stern look.

“Oh, I don't know. You tell me, Mrs. 'I must have the perfect pet because I'm so perfect so I'll make all these animals compete in a silly competition in order to win my affection'.” Spike and the others looked between the two mares as the intensity of their banter increased.

“Is that so? How about the time you joined in the young fliers competition to steal the spotlight even though you knew I was entering and I was having trouble?” Rainbow Dash had at this point stood up and was staring Rarity down.

“How about the time you tried to steal from a hospital just because you were too proud to admit that you enjoyed reading?” Rarity shot back as she too rose to her hooves.

“Umm...Girls...” Fluttershy meekly tried to interject.

“How about the fact that the only reason you even have that jewel around your neck is because you manipulated Spike into giving it to you!?” Rainbow accused as she pointed to the fire ruby necklace that Rarity was wearing. The fashionista gave a hurt gasp and placed an alabaster hoof on her necklace.

“Dear, maybe you should...” Soarin said as he tried to calm down his wife.

“How about the time you were so full of yourself that you rubbed it in all of Ponyville's face whenever you would save somepony that we had to bring you back to reality!?” Rarity shouted with hurt tears in her eyes.

“Oh, you mean the time you all went behind my back to show me up and make look like a fool!?”

“We weren't trying to make you look like a fool! We were trying to teach you a lesson in humility!”

“Who even asked you to!? You all were probably just jealous so you decided to stab me in the back and turn the entire town against me! You made me a laughing stock!” Rainbow Dash's eyes began to fill with hurt tears of her own.

“Enough!” Twilight snapped as she rose to her hooves and shouted using a sample of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Rainbow Dash and Rarity immediately ceased their arguing and all eyes were on the Alicorn. “We're all friends here and friends don't undercut each other like this. Yes, we've all made mistakes in the past, but that doesn't mean we have to keep reminding each other of them. Rainbow, you know we didn't mean to hurt you with the whole 'Mare Do Well' thing. We were honestly trying to help. And yes, looking back at it, it wasn't the brightest idea we've ever had. We should have handled it better. You see what I mean? We all make mistakes.”

“I'm sorry,” a humbled Rainbow Dash apologized. “Sorry, Rarity.”

“I'm sorry as well,” Rarity told her. “It was unlady like of me to open old wounds.”

“Hey now. Let's don't let this keep us down,” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Do you know what I do during moments like this? I laugh at my past mistakes! Hey, remember the first time I volunteered to foalsit for the Cakes? I was in way over my head!”

This got a chuckle from everyone and then Applejack said, “Remember how Ah ran off to Dodge Junction when Ah didn't make enough money at the rodeo to help fix town hall?”

“How could we forget? After all, you left me stranded in the desert with Pinkie Pie,” Rarity dryly stated with a roll of her eyes before smirking at the memory. “Though, I suppose it was funny looking back at it.”

“Remember how I butchered the Cloudsdale anthem at the Equestria games?” Spike added, which caused a collective groan as everyone remembered the embarrassing memory.

“Or the time I tried to take care of Philomena without asking for permission from Princess Celestia first?” Fluttershy mentioned.

“Or how about the entire 'Changeling Invasion' mess before Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding?” Rainbow Dash reminded them. “We could have avoided that one if we only listened to Twilight.”

“Oi, I wish I could forget that one,” Spike commented while rubbing the space between his eyes in shame. “Luckily, Twilight was on top of things and was able to find the real Cadance and stop the wedding in time.”

Heads nodded in regretful agreement, but Twilight clarified by saying, “To be fair, I wasn't on my best behavior either. I could have explained myself better and not sound like an overprotective brat.”

“Let's just hope something like that never happens again,” Rarity wished.

*****

A streak of gray and blue soared over the fields of Ponyville. The speeding figure was none other than the Pegasus, Thunderbolt. After he delivered the clouds to Surprise over Sweet Apple Acres, he had gone home to finish sleeping before he got started on his daily chores. He worked on the town's weather patrol just as his mother before him did. The schedule called for clear skies and he made sure the sky was an unblemished blue. He was dutiful to his job and was always on time, unlike Rainbow Dash who loved to sleep in.

As much as he enjoyed his job, it was just a job. He dreamed of flying with his parents as a Wonderbolt one day. His adoptive sister, Scootaloo, was never the strongest of fliers, but she did manage to live out her dream of becoming a daredevil and stuntpony. However, Thunderbolt was determined to carry on the family legacy. Being the child of two of the best fliers in all of Equestria, he certainly had the genes to do it. Add that to his unshakable devotion to his training regiment, he was well on his way. Plus, it didn't hurt that he had plenty of friends in high places. Not that he would ever abuse it, for he wanted to earn a spot on the squadron through hard work like his parents did.

Not only did he inherit his parents' skill, but also their looks. His mane was blue like Soarin's, but multiple shades like his mothers. It was dark blue, electric blue, and white. On his gray coat was the cutie mark of a lightning bolt, just like his parents also had. However, his was white and blue and didn't have any clouds accompanying it.

Every day, he would balance his schedule between managing the weather, practicing flight maneuvers, working out, and hanging out with his best friends. Understandably, he was closer to Evening Star and Sour Apple than the girls. However, Evening Star joined the Royal Guard because he felt he had something to prove. Thunderbolt admired his determination for he had big dreams as well, but the two Pegasi pals began to drift apart. He believed that Evening Star was too obsessed with in making a name for himself and forgot how to enjoy life. It didn't help that Evening Star was never in Ponyville anymore, always seeming to be busy or on duty. That didn't mean that they weren't friends anymore, just that they weren't as close as they once were. They still wrote each other and hung out on those rare occasions when they could meet up. The fact that Evening Star wouldn't be coming to Amethyst's birthday party bummed him out.

There was always Sour Apple. Posey and Surprise's plan actually seemed to work and broke through the shell the big Earth Pony had built up over the past ten years and Thunderbolt was glad to be a part of it. Even through Sour's “sour” years, they still remanded the best of friends, though they left the expressing of emotions to Thunderbolt. Sour Apple wouldn't say much, but he would listen and nod along to everything to what Thunderbolt had to say to him. He would even occasionally treat him to a smirk or a brief chuckle. It wasn't much, but he would take what he could get.

Then Thunderbolt thought about the girls in his group. As far as he knew, none of them had special someponies, but that really never mattered to Thunderbolt. As a colt, he never thought about them that way before, but now that he was older, he couldn't help but think of the possibilities. Surprise was a Pegasus like him and loved flying like he did, but she has had a crush on Pound Cake for the longest of time. Though he doubted she would get far with that venture, it wasn't helping him in being noticed by the creamy white young mare. Her zaniness could be a little off-putting at times, but she always means well. Besides, there was never a dull moment with her around. Everyday was a new “surprise.”

Posey was a possibility. She was sweet and caring like her parents were. Sure, she could be shy at times, but at least she wasn't literally afraid of her own shadow like her mother was. Just this morning, she proved that she thought of others and would go out of her way to do something meaningful for them.

Midnight was the brainy scholar-type who loved to learn and books above all else, but she wasn't a bore and a stick in the mud. Unlike Twilight Sparkle, she had the advantage of growing up with real friends. Though she wasn't a complete shut-in, he doubted she would be interest in a pursuing a relationship until after she was done with her advanced schooling. Besides, she was a princess and he was just a weather pony from Ponyville.

It was the same with Amethyst. She was also a princess and a kirin on top of that. He had to admit that her overall appearance could be little intimidating at times, but she was really down to earth. She was smart, but not slightly introverted like Midnight or Posey were. She was fun to be around, but not wild like Surprise was.

Everypony had their strengths and weakness, Thunderbolt figured. As he flew, he looked down and saw Ponyville Train Station. On the platform, he could see his friends and Mrs. Rarity holding up a banner in preparation for Amethyst and Midnight's arrival. Looking up ahead, he could see the train from Canterlot approaching.

Oh, good. I'm just in time, he thought as he descended to the platform and took his place by his friends. Sour Apple, Surprise, Posey, and Rarity acknowledged his arrival before returning their attention to the approaching train. Surprise was bouncing on her hooves with anticipation as the train pulled into the station. The doors opened and the passengers started to exit. A pair of white coated royal guards stepped on the platform followed by a lavender Alicorn, a blue Unicorn, and a white scaled kirin. Surprise squealed in excitement and rushed them. Before the royal guards could react, Midnight and Amethyst found themselves in the tight embrace of Surprise, quickly followed by the others.

“It's alright, sirs. You are dismissed,” Twilight told the guards, who nodded and reentered the passenger car.

“Oooh! YouMadeIt! YouMadeIt!” Surprise squealed in delight before releasing her grip on the two. “I've missed you two so much!”

“Surprise, we've only been gone for a week,” Midnight laughed with a roll of her eyes at her friend's overreaction and then looked up at the sign that was decorated with painted, smiling figures of the new arrivals that said “Welcome Home Midnight and Amethyst!”

“Thanks you guys, but you didn't have to go through the trouble of greeting us,” Amethyst told her friends. “My birthday is in three days anyway.”

“Not necessary!?” Surprise gasped. “Amethyst, there is always a reason to celebrate. Now come on, we have a party to get to.”

“Alright, Surprise. Just let us grab our bags first.” Before Amethyst and Midnight could retrieve their luggage, she saw that Sour Apple and Thunderbolt had already grabbed them.

“Don't worry, we got it,” Sour told them, surprising the two with his smile and the fact that he actually said more than two words.

“Welcome home, my dear,” Rarity said to her daughter as they hugged.

“Thanks mother.” A hopeful and somewhat pleading look came across Amethyst's face. “Is father home yet?”

“Not yet, I'm afraid,” Rarity told her, much to Amethyst's disappointment. “Oh, don't despair. We still have three days until your birthday. Maybe we'll get lucky. Come along, we have a little get together set up for you and Midnight at Sugarcube Corner.”

When they arrived at the bakery, they found that their friends were gathered there with some food laid out for them. Since they were already planning to have a huge birthday bash on Monday, they kept it simple and causal. It was just a few sandwiches and salad; nothing too fancy. What really mattered to them was that they were all gathered together again. They shared stories, had a few laughs, and talked about what happened during the week.

“So Midnight, what did you learn at school during your trip?” Rarity asked her sister-in-law.

“I worked on a few spells and Princess Celestia taught me about the portal mirrors,” Midnight explained.

“You mean the ones that lead to other worlds?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Hey, remember the time we went to the world were everypony who was good was bad and everypony bad was good?”

“I remember that,” Pinkie answered. “It turned out that our Princess Celestia had a thing for that world's King Sombra.”

“Sombra? No, really?” Soarin asked surprised.

“He was quite charming in that world. Not at all like the one here,” Rarity clarified.

“Makes you wonder what 'bad' me is like,” Cheese Sandwich mused.

“Don't be silly. I could never imagine a bad you,” Pinkie told her husband before giving him a squeeze.

“Still, it makes you wonder what's all out there,” Midnight commented. “I mean, Princess Celestia and Star Swirl the Bearded explored dozens of parallel worlds. Mom, you even explored one.”

“Yes, and that's kind of how I was introduced to your father,” Twilight told her.

“You mean Flash Sentry is an alien from an alternate dimension? I knew it!” Cheese Sandwich declared excitedly, earning him odd looks from everypony else.

“Umm...No. Not quite,” Twilight told him. “I bumped into him before I went through the mirror and bumped into him a couple more times after I returned.”

“She also got to know his guitar playing, high school student counterpart while she was there and even went to the big school dance with him,” Pinkie Pie told the children.

“So everypony was the same in that world, except they were high school students?” Thunderbolt asked.

“Well, I wouldn't say everypony, but yeah, that's pretty much the sum of it,” Twilight clarified.

“I wonder if there is a world where everypony are dragons and all dragons are ponies,” Thunderbolt joked.

“There probably is,” Midnight told him. “It's all apart of multiverse theory.”

“Multi-what now?” Sour Apple asked, stumped by the unfamiliar term.

“In a nutshell, it says that there are countless alternate universes; one for every scenario imaginable. The changes in each universe can be as different as night is from day, while others can be indistinguishable. For an example; one universe can have an Equestria where the grass is blue and the sky is green while in another the only difference is that I decide to brush my mane one way as opposed to another.”

“That sounds...confusing,” Applejack said while trying to wrap her head around the concept.

“Not really. I think it sounds fun,” Surprise claimed. “That opens the door to so many possibilities! Imagine a world where the stallions are mares and the mares are stallions. I wonder what our names would be? I bet Princess Celestia would be Prince Solaris and Princess Luna would be Prince Artemis.”

“But Artemis is a mare's name...” Twilight Sparkle tried to say as Surprise continued her excited exposition.

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“Ooh, I bet there's a world where Dad is a singer-songwriter famous for his parodies of already famous songs. And there could be a world where our daily adventures are depicted on a show for little girls that for some reason adult males seem to love it. They could even write stories about us and about what they think we should do or who we should be paired up with. What if this is all just a fan fiction written by some guy with way too much spare time?”

“Don't be ridiculous, Surprise,” Amethyst scoffed.

“Yeah, that's totally nuts,” Thunderbolt agreed.

“I guess that is a little silly,” Surprise admitted, blushing a little with embarrassment after realizing she going off on a rant. She then looked off into the distance and spoke as though she was speaking to an invisible onlooker. “Though, it makes you wonder...”

“Well, parallel worlds aside, what is our itinerary for this weekend?” Amethyst asked.

“Tomorrow morning, we head out for Winsome Falls,” Posey explained. “We should reach the falls late afternoon. We'll camp up there for the night and hike back down the next morning, Sunday. Then we'll have the party on your birthday the next day.”

“That sounds like a plan. I better go home an unpack and then repack for our trip.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Twilight agreed. “You have a busy weekend ahead of you.”

“And we still have to finish preparing for the party,” Pinkie explained as she started to clean up. “All of the decorations are done, but we still need to prepare the food.”

“Would like us to help you clean up?” Applejack offered.

“Oh no, we've got this. You can head on home,” Pinkie pie told everypony as she, Surprise, and Cheese cleared the tables.

“In that case, I guess we'll see each other tomorrow,” Midnight said as she prepared to leave with her mother.

“Bright and early,” Thunderbolt replied as he too prepared to head out with his parents. They all said their goodbyes before heading to their homes, anxious for the upcoming weekend.

Ambushed

“Easy there, Spike,” Applejack cautiously said to the snarling dragon.

“We're your friends, remember?” Pinkie Pie also said to him. Spike had awoken from his slumber after his growth spurt and was now larger than Princess Celestia. His draconic instincts had also kicked in and he was on a greed fueled rampage. He had gathered all of his gems into a pile on the floor in Carousel Boutique and was sitting atop of it while holding a struggling Rarity with one arm and cradling Amethyst with the other.

“Spike, please calm down,” Rarity begged her husband as she tried to pry herself free of his grasp to no avail. Amethyst thought it all was just a game and the infant laughed at how silly her father was being.

“Drop them, dragon boy!” Rainbow Dash demand, flying up to Spike's scaly face to stare him down. The dragon glared at the sky blue Pegasus and a deep rumble sounded from his throat. Smoke seeped out from between his bared fangs and a green glow illuminated from the back of his throat. “Oh horse apples.”

Rainbow Dash just barely managed to dodge out of the way before Spike unleashed a jet of emerald flames in the direction of where her head had been positioned in front of his face. Rainbow Dash was able to escape unscathed, but the same couldn't be said of the curtains that where behind her.

“Not the curtains,” Rarity lamented as she watched Twilight extinguish the flames with her magic. They all stood around the dragon as they tried to think of a plan to quell the conflict without harming Spike, Rarity, or Amethyst. Twilight didn't want to teleport Rarity and the child out of Spike's grasp, for that might enrage him even further and would force them to fight back. They didn't want to charge him either, for that would be an even worse idea. They would have to resort to other means.

“Fluttershy, I need you to use the 'Stare' on him,” Twilight reluctantly told the yellow Pegasus.

“But Twilight, he's our friend. I don't think I could do that,” she hesitantly replied.

“I know, but this way, nopony will be harmed.” Fluttershy looked from Twilight to Spike. Looking at the distresses state that Rarity was in, Fluttershy nodded and flew up to the dragon. She was careful to not approach him to quickly as to avoid ending up like Rarity's ruined curtains.

“Spike the dragon!” she addressed him in loud, scolding voice as she stared into his eyes with a piercing look. The combination of her commanding voice and intense gaze caused him to flinch and stop his growling as he looked up to the mare hovering above him. “This behavior will not do! You know better than to breathe fire at your friends or to take ponies hostage!”

As Fluttershy continued to reprimand Spike, his faced changed. The initial shock of the timid pony talking down to him wore off and his expression changed from one of surprise to one of rage. His reptilian pupils contracted into narrow slits and he glared back at her.

“...Your going to let them go and...Spike?” As she continued to lecture him, Fluttershy noticed that Spike wasn't sulking or cowering before her like most beings did whenever she would used the “Stare” on them. Instead, he was meeting her gaze! As she looked into the green eyes of the dragon, she felt a wave panic hit her. She could hear her own heart beat within her chest and she started to pant as terror griped her heart. However, she knew that he had to be stopped and she continued to use her “Stare” on him.

“What's going on?” Flash Sentry asked as they watched the pony and the dragon have a starring contest.

“Oh no,” Twilight muttered, realizing what was going on.

“What? What is it?” asked Applejack.

“He's using the dragon-spell,” she explained. During his adventure on Krazoa Island, Spike was taken under the wing of an elder dragon named Aurum who taught him to master his draconic abilities and become a powerful dragon mage. He taught Spike how to breathe ice, control his superior strength, and how to wield his dragon magic, including the ability known as the dragon-spell. It is an innate ability of the dragons that they can use to influence the minds of others by using their words and by making eye contact. Most dragons only use it subconsciously to stun their prey, but an experienced practitioner can use it to devastating effect.

Right now, Spike was acting on his instinct rather than conscious thought, but his training made even his reflexive dragon-spell potent. Fluttershy made a living by working with wild animals and knew they could be dangerous when backed into a corner. She now realized that this was the case with Spike. She had back him into a corner and now he was reacting. Beads of sweat ran down her brow and she could feel resolve weakening. She gritted her teeth as she tried to maintain eye contact, but then she cried out and looked away. She landed on the floor and gasped for breath as she backed away. Since Spike was only acting on instinct, the command he was giving her through his dragon-spell was nothing more than “get out of my face.”

“Fluttershy!” Big Macintosh shouted as he ran to her side. “Are you alright?”

“I-I'm okay,” she whispered as she held a hoof to her head and leaned against Big Macintosh for support. They looked back to Spike to see that he too was shaken. Fluttershy's “Stare” had also gotten to him and his guard was lowered.

“Spike?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she approached him slowly. When he looked at her, she could see that the wild look in his eyes was leaving and his was coming to his senses, leaving him scared and confused.

“Spike, darling, could you let us go now?” Rarity softly requested. Spike looked down to his wife and daughter in his arms. He also saw the pile of gems, the burnt curtains, and the worried expressions on his friends' face. He gently placed them on the ground and backed away as Rarity went over to check to see if their daughter was okay. After seeing that the kirin was unharmed, she looked up to her husband and saw the mortified look on his face. He didn't say anything, but stood there with shaking claws and a trembling body. When she stepped closer to him, he recoiled away from her. “Spike, it's alright. We're okay.”

“I...” he started to say as he took another step back.

“Just calm down, dear. Everything is going to be okay,” she reassured him. However, before she or anypony else could say or do anything else, he bolted through the door and fled to the Everfree Forest. “Spike!”

“Spike, come back!” Twilight called after her son as they ran after him.

*****

“Have a good time!” Rarity called after Amethyst and her friends as they headed up the trail to Winsome Falls.

“Look out for rattlers,” Applejack advised as she waved to the teenagers.

“We will Ma!” Sour Apple called back.

“Be sure to write!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“But they'll be back tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash reminded.

“Oh yeah. See you tomorrow!”

“Hey! Wait for us!” Twilight and the other parents turned around to see Cherry Pie, Apple Seed, and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders running up with saddle bags of their own.

“And just where do y'all think you're goin'?” Applejack asked as the foal sped pass them.

“We're goin' campin' too,” Apple Seed explained.

“Sorry kids, but this is just for the older kids,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Aawww,” they foals moaned in disappointment and Cherry Pie whined, “But we want to go too.”

“But Cherry Pie, you have to help us prepare for the party,” Cheese Sandwich told his daughter.

“Beside, remember the last camping trip?” Soarin added.

“We were just trying to get our bear wrestling cutie marks,” Cherry said sheepishly.

“And managed to make Harry very upset,” Fluttershy reminded them. “He's very sensitive, you know.”

As Fluttershy lectured the foals on bear sensitivity, the party of six campers were already making way from Ponyville and up the hill to the falls. Each of them had a saddle bag custom made by Rarity that matched their color and had their cutie marks as the buckle. They carried their own sleeping bags, tents, food, and other supplies that they would need.

Midnight looked over to Sour Apple and noticed the Stetson he was wearing. She recognized the tattered hat as Applejack's favorite hat and asked, “Hey Sour, isn't that your mother's hat?”

“Mhm,” he confirmed. “She gave it to me yesterday.”

“That's nice,” Amethyst complimented. “A family heirloom to pass on.”

“I thought heirlooms were brooches and stuff like that,” Thunderbolt commented as he and Surprise floated above the others. “You know, stuff like your mom would be into.”

“Heirlooms could be anything special to a family that is passed down from generation to generation.”

“Kind of like my name,” Surprise added.

“In a way, yes, I suppose. But I talking more on the line of physical objects.”

“Like Smarty Pants, the doll my dad gave me which I then gave to Apple Seed,” Posey gave as an example.

“Wait, I thought Smarty Pants was the doll that my mom had as a filly,” Midnight said to Posey. “So that's where it went. She has been looking for it for years!”

As they shared a laugh, Surprise couldn't help to notice Sour Apple's laugh. She smiled as touched down on the ground to walk beside the green Earth Pony. He looked over at her and noticed her beaming smile.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she claimed. He shrugged and looked back to the trail ahead of them. Meanwhile, the other four gave each other looks from behind the two.

“Hhmm, it seems Surprise has taken a liking to Sour,” Amethyst whispered to Midnight.

“I think it might have something to do with what we did yesterday,” Posey whispered an explanation to them.

“You mean the clouds?” Midnight asked.

“Yes. I wanted to make him happy. He's been...well sour for far too long and I thought she could help cheer him up again.”

“Ah, playing matchmaker are we?” Midnight teased.

“W-What? I...I...” Posey stammered at the notion.

“It runs in the family, I guess,” Amethyst mused. “After all, I heard that it was Applejack that hooked your parents up.”

Posey's yellow face flushed red in embarrassment and the others giggled at her expense. Seeing her friend's red face, Midnight told her, “We're just teasing Posey. We didn't mean anything by it. We do think it was very sweet of you of what you did for Sour.”

“Y-You think so?” Posey asked, still a little embarrassed.

“Of course,” Thunderbolt reassured her. “Now if only we could do something about that stick up Evening Star's...er...I mean, if only we could do the same for him.”

“Yeah,” Midnight agreed.

“It's a shame he won't make it for my birthday,” murmured Amethyst.

“It's nothing personal, I'm sure,” Posey told her. “He wasn't there for my last birthday.”

“Or mine,” Thunderbolt added.

“Or mine, and I'm his sister,” Midnight also added. “Come to think of it, he hasn't made it to any of our birthdays since he joined the Royal Guard.”

“That boy takes himself way too seriously,” Thunderbolt concluded.

“What's that?” Surprise asked from up ahead.

“I said Evening Star takes himself too seriously,” he repeated.

“You can say that again,” Sour Apple agreed as he came to a stop.

“But he just did say it again,” Surprise remarked. They set their packs down and started to prepare their lunch. They had left in the morning and it was approaching lunchtime. Sour Apple looked up the mountain to see how much further it was to the summit. Through the trees, he could see the peak along with flowing streaks of color that was the rainbow falls. He then walked over to the edge of the path and looked down towards Ponyville. They had made it a good distance up the trail and were on schedule. By his reckoning, they would make it to the top by sundown. Satisfied, Sour rejoined the others and sat down to eat his lunch.

*****

“My dear, isn't it time for the next phase of our plan?” Narcissus asked his mistress as she observed the renovations to the old castle. The stone walls were covered in a slimy material that glowed green, painting the halls with an eerie light.

“Yes, indeed you are right,” the light pink Unicorn mare confirmed. She then turned to a wall, whereon a large, green cocoon was hanging. Inside the cocoon where two figures. The mare smirk haughtily at the pair and then turned to a gathering of mysterious creatures that were lurking in the shadows. “You have your templates. You have your instructions. Now go.”

The dark creatures bowed and there was a flash of neon green light. In the place of the beings was a platoon of Royal Guards that looked identical to the two that had accompanied Prince Narcissus to the castle. The armored white Pegasi unfurled their wings and took off, flying out the window. The mare chuckled to herself and returned her attention to the cocoon.

*****

The hiking trip continued as scheduled. Though one could hike up and down the mountain in a day, most ponies preferred taking the scenic route and enjoy the sights along the way. Since the path led up to a waterfall, it followed a river all the way up. They would stop every time they would come to an overlook and viewed the surrounding area. With each overlook they came to, Ponyville became smaller and smaller. They could see the majestic castle and spires of Canterlot in the distance. Floating in the sky to the north was Cloudsdale. The cloud city was the primary source of the weather in Equestria and was also the source of the rainbows that made up the falls for Winsome Falls and Rainbow Falls. Rainbow Falls was probably more scenic than Winsome Falls, for it was surrounded by taller mountains and had a village there. However, Winsome Falls was closer than Rainbow Falls and they would have it just to themselves during their trip.

They were nearing the top and the sky was colored orange as the afternoon sun headed towards the horizon. Their excitement built as they rounded the path up to the summit. The sound of rushing waters fueled their anticipation and they could hardly wait. When they finally rounded the turn, they were greeted by the breathtaking sight of the multicolored waterfalls being fed by the rainbows that descended from the clouds above the mountain. They stopped in the middle of the trail to take in and admire the sight.

“Isn't that lovely?” Amethyst asked.

“Happy birthday, Amethyst,” Midnight told her as they beheld the flowing waters of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

“Thank you. Thank you all for being here with me for this.”

“Hey, do you think if I stuck my mane in the falls it would give me hair like my mom's?” Thunderbolt joked, causing everypony to laugh.

“I don't know. Why don't you go stick your head in,” Midnight laughed. At the base of the multicolored falls was a pond that fed the river down the mountain. There was also a gazebo nearby where they started to prepare their dinner. Surprise pulled out the picnic cloth from her bag and proceeded to set a place for each of them while Sour prepared a meal of home made apple fritters and corn on the cob fresh from the farm. Amethyst had brought along a plate of salmon that she had prepared for herself.

“You know, this raises a question,” Surprise asked as she munched on a fritter. “What is your favorite food? Mine's anything made out of chocolate.”

“That's not real food,” Midnight retorted.

“What? You can eat it, can't you?”

“Anyway, mine's a salad with olive oil, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers...all the good stuff.” she trailed on.

“That does sound tasty,” Posey admitted. “I would have to agree, but maybe with a few flowers thrown in there.”

“Meh, I'll take a hayburger over that stuff any day,” Thunderbolt shrugged. “What about you, Sour Apple?”

“Apples,” he answered.

“Hm, obvious answer,” Surprise said. “Okay, better question for you: what is your favorite type of apple?”

“Easy, granny smith,” Sour answered.

“I should had guessed,” Surprise said with a roll of her eyes. “How about you, Amethyst?”

“Spicy tuna sushi. I just had some the other day,” the white kirin told her as she finished her salmon. Her friends all grimaced at the sight of her swallowing the last bite of meat and from what she said. “What? It's good. That along with a cool glass a water with some lime in it.”

“Eew, lime!” Surprise gagged and stuck out her tongue.

“Not a fan of citrus there, huh Surprise?” Thunderbolt asked. The golden mane Pegasus shook her head adamantly.

“Uh-uh! Lime green is the color of evil!,” she declared. “No offense, Sour.”

“None taken, I guess,” Sour Apple replied confused.

“Lime green conspiracies aside,” Midnight said in order to change the subject. “We should hike back down a bit and set up camp. I doubt anyone of us want to sleep by a roaring waterfall.”

“Right, and we should do it soon before it gets too dark,” Thunderbolt said as he looked to the setting sun. The shadows cast by the trees and the mountain were growing longer and the light was dimming. After cleaning up the spread, they walked from underneath the gazebo and headed back down the trail to find an appropriate campsite. As they rounded the bend, they stopped when they saw two Royal Guards blocking the path.

“Your Highnesses,” one of the Pegasi guards addressed Amethyst and Midnight. “You and your friends have to come with us. It's an emergency.”

The six looked to each other while murmuring with concern and Midnight spoke up, “What has happened? Is it the minotaurs?”

“I'm afraid there isn't time to explain. You have to come with us now,” he reported. Midnight nodded and they started to follow the pair down the path. They came to a clearing where they were met with an escort of about twenty more white Pegasi.

“What about our parents? Are they alright?” Midnight asked the guard that was leading them.

“We'll explain when we get to secure location,” another guard answered. Midnight looked from one guard to the next and noticed something was off about them, but could quite pin it down what it was. She halted and stood her ground, causing her friends to do likewise. “Your Highness, we must go now.”

“No. Not until I receive an explanation,” the blue Unicorn demanded.

“There has been a threat made against the Royal Family and the families of the Elements of Harmony,” the guard explained. “That means the six of you.”

“What about Cherry Pie and Apple Seed?” asked Posey.

“Who?” the guard asked in confusion. This roused Midnight's suspicions even further. If they were assigned to protect them and their family, then they should at least know their names. There was also something else. Midnight looked from one guard to the next and noticed that it was the same two ponies over and over again. “Oh, yes. Of course them too.”

Despite his attempts to reassure them, Midnight began to realize what was going on. She played along and slowly followed the two guards to the escort. While she was walking, she illuminated her horn with a spell and closed her eyes. She promised her Aunt Celestia that she wouldn't use the Soul Sight Spell unless it was a dire emergency, but she felt that is was one. When she activated the spell, she could see the auras of the twenty-odd soldiers. Instead of seeing the many colors of softly glowing auras of many ponies, she saw a harsh, bright green light emanating from the figures and she knew they were in grave danger. Midnight wasted no time and shot a yellow bolt of magic at the back of the “guard” that was leading them.

Youtube Video

“Midnight!” exclaimed Posey, surprised by her sudden assault. “What are you...”

“Run! Run!” Midnight shouted as she bolted back up the trail. Her friends watched her run by and looked back to see if the guard was okay. When he got back up, they saw his eyes were glowing green in anger and the other guards were advancing upon them, their eyes glowing as well. Following Midnight's lead, they ran up the path behind her from the platoon of imposters. When they reached the summit, they looked around for another way down the mountain, but only find sheer rock face on the other side of the falls. Trying to think of a solution, Midnight thought about teleporting. Maybe if Amethyst joined her, they would be able to transport all six of them away.

“Midnight!” cried Posey, breaking her concentration. She turned around to see that the guards were starting to surround them.

“What's going on?” Thunderbolt asked as they took defensive stances.

“They're changelings!” Midnight explained and then shot another bolt of magic to distract their pursuers. The bolt struck a guard, knocking him over. When he stood back up, a wave of harsh green light surrounded him and a vaguely equine creature with a black carapace, blank, blue eyes, and legs riddled with holes appeared before them. It hissed at Midnight, exposing its fangs at her and the other changelings dropped their disguises as well, flashes of green washing over them as they changed back to their natural forms. “Amethyst, I'm going to need you to help me...”

“Look out!” Posey warned as one of the changelings shot a bolt of magic of their own from their curved horn at Midnight, but she was able to erect a yellow barrier in time to block the attack. The other changelings joined in the assault and began blasting at the magical force field, sending ripples across its surface. Midnight tried to concentrate on teleporting, but the mental strain of maintaining the barrier was preventing her from focusing on the complex spell.

“Amethyst, do you think you can teleport us out of here?” she asked.

“I can't teleport that many ponies at one time!” the kirin exclaimed. Midnight then grunted as the changelings began to start throwing themselves against the barrier along with blasting at it. The force from their efforts began to crack the shield.

“Then take Posey and get out of here! Thunderbolt, you and Surprise fly Sour out of here once I lower the shield!” Midnight ordered.

“But what about you?” Amethyst asked desperately.

“Yeah, we're not leaving you behind!” Thunderbolt protested.

“I'll hold them off while you escape. I'll teleport once...” Before she could finish, the shield shattered. The shock of her spell being violently ended and force of it breaking knocked Midnight to the ground will a surprised cry.

“Midnight!” her friends yelled as they rushed to her side, but the changelings had already began to swarm them. A changeling blindsided Sour Apple, tackling him to the ground. He rolled with the insect-like creature on the grass before throwing it off of him. He got back up, but was immediately charged with two more. He spun around and bucked their faces with his hind legs, sending them flying. As soon as he knocked those two away, more came for him.

Thunderbolt, being a Pegasus, immediately took to the air to order to gain the advantage. However, he looked down when heard a buzzing sound and saw a bunch of changelings dart up after him with their insect wings. A bolt of magic whizzed pass his head and he swerved out of the way. More shots were fired at him and he maneuvered between them.

“Aw, come on! Magic and wings? Who do you guys think you are, Alicorns? This is so unfair!” he complained. Deciding to fight back, he whipped around and sped back down towards them. The changelings were surprised and didn't have enough time to get out of the way before the gray Pegasus slammed into them, pounding away at them with his hooves. Though he plumed away at them, the other changelings shot at him with their magic. He yelled in pain as he felt the sting of their attacks against his sides.

Amethyst stood over a fallen Midnight and did her best to defend her aunt as she tried to recover. The kirin raised a shield of her own, but the changelings started to chip away at it as well. Deciding to go on the offensive, she took in a breath, lowered the shield, and shot a purple fireball from her mouth at the changelings. The attack exploded when it struck the ground, launching nearby changelings into the air. At her feet, Midnight started to stir. She blinked her eyes and looked around. Sour Apple was covered with the creatures, trying in vain to knock them of while more were dragging Thunderbolt out the sky with their magic. She looked over to Posey and Surprise. Posey wasn't a fighter, but Surprise was doing her best to protect them both. The Pegasus was throwing everything she had packed into her saddle bad at them; a pot, some pans, a sleep bag, a tent, cupcakes, a tuba, a rubber chicken, and even a kitchen sink. Though it slowed the changelings down, she eventually ran out of objects and soon was surround.

Amethyst was getting exhausted from breathing fire and launching spells at their attackers. Soon, she didn't have the energy to go on. Running out of options, she looked down at her clawed front feet and then pounced at the nearest changeling with a feral snarl. The nearest changeling managed to give a look of surprise before the kirin landed on top of it and began to swipe at it with her sharp claws, scratching its black exoskeleton. The changeling shrieked in pain as Amethyst clawed away at it and drops of yellowish blood began to trickle from its wounds before its comrades were finally able to stop her. Even as they restrained her fore legs, she snapped at them with her teeth. Midnight tried to get up, but a black, hole-filled leg pushed her back down. The last thing she saw was one of the changeling's horns glowing before a flash of green knocked her out.

Hostage

“Spike, darling?” Rarity called to the purple-scaled creature before her. She and her friends had followed him into the Everfree Forest and found him by a stream.

“Go away,” he told her. His voice had significantly deepened since he went through his growth spurt, making him sound much more mature. He stared at his reflection in water, observing how much he had grown. Not only was his body larger, but his snout had extended, longer than the stubby muzzle he had when he was a child. He was now maturing and was, in dragon standards, in his late teen years. Looking down at his hands, he saw that his claws were longer and sharper as were the spines that ran down his back. “I'm a monster.”

“Spike!” Rarity exclaimed in shock. “You are not a monster.”

“You're our friend and we care about ya,” Applejack told him.

“But I...I..”

“Spike, listen to us,” Twilight tried to reason with him. “It's okay. Nopony was hurt. Amethyst is fine. Rarity is fine.”

“But I could've hurt them.”

“It was an accident, Spike. They happen. It's just apart of being a dragon. Do you remember your first birthday in Ponyville? It's just like that.”

“I agree, Spike,” Rarity told him. “It's nothing to be upset about. It's all said and done.”

“But what if...” he tried to argue.

“Spike,” Twilight said as she placed a hoof on his own much higher up shoulder. “Look at me. It's okay. We love you regardless of what's happened. We are your family and we will always be there for you.”

Spike looked around at the ponies that were surrounding him. One by one, they came up to him and hugged him. Looking down at the ponies hugging him, he opened his arms and wings and pulled them in closer.

*****

Sunday morning came and Twilight Sparkle was already up and about. Tomorrow was Amethyst's birthday and preparations for the party were mostly complete. Despite it being a happy occasion, other matters weighed upon the Alicorn's mind. There was still the fact that the minotaurs had declared war and would attack any day now. Her husband and son were on the front lines defending their country while she was at home preparing for a party. It seem frivolous in comparison, but even in times of war it was important to cherish the little things like a grandchild's birthday. It helped remind you of what you're fighting for and that it's worth defending at all costs. It was the price of freedom.

On top of preparing for an enemy invasion and planning a party, there were also the official documents that Princess Celestia had sent to her for her to look over. Twilight sighed as she sat at her desk in her study in the crystal tree palace. Though she loved reading and didn't mind reviewing legal text, it could be overwhelming to know that your signature on a piece of parchment could affect the lives of everypony in the entire kingdom. Even though it has been a quarter century since she had been crowned a princess, there were some things she was still getting used to. She often confided in her mentor, Celestia, about the stress of being a leader and her fears that she would never overcome it. In turn, Celestia would tell her that even after centuries, millennia even, of being a ruler that even she felt the stress of being responsible for so many ponies.

In a way, Twilight was jealous of Rarity and Spike. Even though they too were members of the Royal Family, they didn't have the amount of responsibilities as she did. That wasn't to say that they were lazy or incompetent like some other nobles like Prince Narcissus and his father before him, but the brunt of the responsibility of running the Kingdom of Equestria fell upon Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight. Twilight supposed it wouldn't be fair to ask more of Rarity or any of her friends, her Royal Council. They had their own careers and lives to live. Rarity may be a princess through her marriage to Spike, but she was still the same fashionista she met on her first day in Ponyville. Applejack was busy running Sweet Apple Acres and raising two foals by herself. Pinkie Pie was a free spirit whose mission in life came from spreading happiness to everypony she met. Rainbow Dash had her duties as a Wonderbolt and Fluttershy had her animal sanctuary. Flash Sentry, like Shining Armor, lived up to his responsibilities as a Prince by serving as a commander in the military and their son, Evening Star, was following in suit. Spike was still her dutiful assistant along with being an ambassador and a diplomat.

There was a knock at the door and a Royal Guard pony entered the study in a rush. Twilight placed her quill on the desk and turned her attention to the Unicorn.

“Your Highness. Urgent message from Princess Celestia,” the guard reported as he delivered a scroll to Twilight. She broke the seal and quickly unrolled the scroll to read its contents. Her purple eyes darted back and forth as she quickly scanned the contents of the message.

After she finished reading letter, she turned to the messenger and ordered, “Gather the other Bearers of the Elements of Harmony immediately.”

Not much later, Twilight stood in the town's square by town hall along side Rarity, Pinkie, Cheese Sandwich, Flutterhsy, Big Macintosh, and Applejack. All of them were looking anxious, nervously trotting in place as they waited. They looked up when they heard the sound of flapping wings. Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and their fellow Wonderbolts swooped out of the sky and landed before them.

“Well, did you find anything?” Twilight asked the aerial team.

“We search all over Winsome Falls but couldn't find them,” Rainbow Dash told her, half-panicking herself. “There were signs of a struggle, but nothing else.”

There was a blinding flash and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared before them. Bypassing the formalities, the others rushed to the Royal Alicorn Sisters.

“Were you able to find them?” Celestia asked, but they all shook their heads. “Then it isn't a ruse. The changelings have kidnapped your children.”

“They have sent us this letter...” Luna explained to help the others catch up to speed on the situation. Using her blue magic, she levitated the scroll that had been delivered to the castle that morning along with a dark orb. “...along with this.”

*****

Midnight's head was pounding and she put a hoof to her aching head. When she opened her eyes, she found herself floating in a word of green. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision and discovered that she was encased in a green cocoon. Frantically looking around, she found that her friends were in their own cocoons beside hers. They still were unconscious and floated around in their slimy prisons.

“Guys! Guys! Wake up!” she called to them. Their eyes fluttered and they mumbled as they came to.

“Wha...What happened?” Posey asked as she awoken. Sour groaned as he tried to move his sore body.

“My head...” Thunderbolt complained.

“Where are we?” Amethyst asked as she tried to look out her cocoon.

“Ah, awake I see,” a contemptuous voice sneered, catching all of their attention. They saw a white Unicorn stallion with a groomed blue mane standing beside a light pink Unicorn mare with a golden mane. Surrounding them were the changelings that had attacked them. “Good morning, and welcome to our little get away.”

“Narcissus,” Amethyst growled at the pompous prince.

“That's Prince Narcissus, if you don't mind,” he arrogantly told her.

“I do mind. I mind being ambushed and sealed inside this cocoon!” she yelled at him.

“Temper, temper,” the pink mare mockingly scolded the kirin as she walked up to the cocoon. “Is that any way to speak to your hosts?”

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?” the mare said as she held a hoof to chest as though she was shocked that her prisoner didn't know who she was. “I'm Equestria's new queen, that's who.”

“I think I know who you are,” Midnight announced, catching her attention. As the pink Unicorn walked up before her, she said one name, “Chrysalis.”

“Well, well. Aren't you the clever little thing,” the mare taunted. In a flash, the image of the mare was replaced by that of one of tall being that resembled a twisted Alicorn. Her horn was crooked and gnarled, her reptilian eyes were shades of green and her dark cerulean mane resembled webbing. On top of her head was a black crown and her body was covered in the same chitinous hide as her underlings. “You must be Sparkle's little brat.”

“Let me out of here so I can kick your butt!” Thunderbolt demand as he pounded against the lining of his cocoon.

“Hhmmm, I think not,” she retorted. “At least not yet.”

“W-What do you want with us?” Posey whimpered.

“Isn't it obvious, my dear? I'm holding you hostage.”

“Yes, the six of you are going to play an important part in helping us build our new kingdom,” Narcissus explained. “Any moment now, the package we've sent will be delivered.”

Just as he said those words, a dark crystal ball illuminated with a brilliant green light and the Changeling Queen turned to face it. “Ah, just in time.”

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The faces of the Elements of Harmony and the Royal Sisters appeared in the crystal ball and Chrysalis walked up to the claw shaped podium that held it. The faces of the ponies on the other side reflected their feelings of fear, concern, and outrage.

“Chrysalis! How dare you take our children!?” Twilight Sparkle shouted at the Changeling Queen.

“It's good to see you as well, Princess,” Chrysalis sneered.

“Narcissus!?” Celestia exclaimed when she saw the stallion standing next to the changelings. “You're behind this as well!?”

“I'm afraid so, dear aunty,” he sneered at the solar Alicorn.

“You traitor!” Luna shouted at him. “You will pay for your treason! I swear it!”

“Such violent words to use against the ones who hold all the cards.”

“How could you do this?” Fluttershy asked, tears in her eyes as she saw the state her dear Posey was in.

“It was simple, we both wanted Equestria and we came to a mutually beneficial agreement; she would provide a way for me to take the throne and I would give her and her subjects all the food that could eat.”

“She's just using you,” Twilight tried to explain to him. “After she gets what she wants, you'll be expendable to her.”

“Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions,” Chrysalis countered. “I'm quite happy with my little beau.”

She then turned to Narcissus and they shared an intimate kiss. The ponies gagged as they watched the couple tongue wrestle in front of them. After they broke the kiss, a trail of saliva extended from both of their mouths, briefly connecting them. Along with the spit, there was a green vapor rising from Narcissus's mouth that Chrysalis inhaled. After enjoying her little snack, she little out a dainty burp and a wisp of green love energy escaped her mouth and formed a heart-shaped cloud before dissipating.

“Excuse me,” Chrysalis giggled coyly as she covered her mouth with a hole-filled hoof. Narcissus wobbled a bit from being fed upon, but smiled contently.

“Enough!” Celestia demanded, losing her patience. “Release them at once!”

“All in good time, Celestia. All in good time. But first, our demands.”

“Other than the throne?” Rainbow Dash angrily remarked.

“Oh, the throne can wait,” Chrysalis responded. “I'm not naive enough to think that all four Princesses will hand over their crowns even for the sake of six of their subjects. So there is something else I want...the Elements of Harmony! The six of you have to surrender to me. In exchange, I will release your children.”

“You did the same thing with our sisters twenty-five years ago,” Applejack snarled. “You are a low-down, dirty, rotten scoundrel.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, my little bumpkin,” Chrysalis retorted. Applejack growled at the changeling's arrogance and looked to her son through the stone.

“Don't worry, son. Ah'm gonna get you out of there,” she told Sour Apple.

“Hold on, sweetie. Mama's coming!” Rarity reassured Amethyst.

“Don't do it! It's just a trap!” Amethyst tried to tell them.

“We know, but we don't have a choice,” Twilight replied.

“Hhmmm, that's true, but you probably want to get a move on anyway,” Chrysalis told them. “Our little deal expires soon. You have until noon tomorrow to come to our location.”

“I believe you can figure it out where we are, Your Highness,” Narcissus addressed Celestia.

“Surprise, we're coming for you! Pinkie promise!” Pinkie promised her daughter while going through the motions of her patented oath.

“Don't cry, baby, don't cry. I'll be there soon,” Fluttershy tried to soothe Posey, though she was crying herself.

“Midnight,” Twilight sadly said through the orb before turning to the traitor and the changeling. “You won't get away with this.”

“At the risk of sounding cliche,” Narcissus started before sharing a smirk with Chrysalis. “I already have.”

The image on the orb vanished and the two conspirators blurted out in diabolic laughter. In their cocoons, the children of the Elements of Friendship slumped against the slimy walls in despair.

“Like I said, 'lime green is evil',” Surprise sadly said.

“Quiet, Surprise,” Midnight told her friend before calling out to their captors. “You're not going to release us, are you? We're just bait.”

“Of course,” Chrysalis confirmed. “Your parents would do anything to save you, even hand over the greatest power in Equestria.”

“No they wouldn't” Thunderbolt claimed. “They know that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

“Don't be so sure about that,” Chrysalis countered. “Twilight Sparkle was once willing to sacrifice all of the Alicorn magic in Equestria to save her friends. What wouldn't she or any of them sacrifice in order to save you, their children?”

“They still have the magic of friendship on their side,” Midnight reminded her. “With it, they will stop you. Surely you realize that they're expecting a double-cross.”

“And that's why I'm going to honor our little agreement,” she announced to their surprise. They gave each other confused looks, unsure of what she meant.

“But then how are you planning to take over Equestria?” Amethyst asked. “Without us, you have no bargaining chip. They'll stomp you like the insect you are.”

“Not quite, lizard,” Narcissus insulted the kirin. “Your parents will fall.”

“But you can't defeat them.”

“Maybe we can't, but you can.” At this statement, their eyes widened with a terrible realization. Seeing the looks on their faces, Narcissus smirked. “Yes, you are going to be the ones that take your parents down. You'll be our little sleeper agents. I can see it now; your parents march in, prepared to make a heroic sacrifice, but to their delight, they find that we release you without a fight. As you share a tearful embrace, you strike when they least expect it.”

“We would never do that! You can't make us!” Surprise shouted in protest.

“Oh, but I can,” Chrysalis corrected the Pegasus. She then pointed to the glowing green cocoon on the other wall. The teenagers watched as two changelings went to the cocoon and ripped it open. A vitreous material flowed out of it and onto the stone floor. Squirming around in the green gunk were two more changelings. “Do you recognize them? They used to be ponies. In fact, they were the templates for the disguises that my changelings used to capture you.”

The hostages gasped when they heard that the two monsters were once ponies. The two changelings hissed and shook off the slime from their bodies. They bowed to their new queen and followed the other changelings out of the chamber.

“You're going to turn us into freaks like you!?” a horrified Thunderbolt yelled.

“That's right,” Chrysalis sinisterly whispered as she walked up to the transparent shell of Thunderbolt's prison and ran a hoof across it. “I'm going to drain every ounce of love out of you until you're just as cold as me. Then I'll do the same to your parents once you take them down. With the Elements of Harmony out of the way and the majority of Equestria's military preparing to do battle with the minotaurs, we'll march on Canterlot unopposed.”

“What about Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the Crystal Empire?” Midnight asked.

“What about them? After I feed upon the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, the Alicorns won't be able to stop me. And once I feed upon them as well, I'll be unstoppable. Isn't that right, sweetie?”

“Of course, my dear,” Narcissus answered.

“Narcissus, please don't do this,” Amethyst pleaded. “Even if she wins, you'll still won't get what you want. You'll be the king of a nation of slaves. Emotionless husks of what used to be your fellow ponies. You'll be all alone.”

“Nice try, my dear, but you won't be winning anypony over to your side today,” Chrysalis interjected. Her horn glowed bright green and Thunderbolt's cocoon open and he was pulled out by her magical aura. “I, on the other hoof, will.”

“Hey! Let me go!” Thunderbolt demanded as he thrashed about in the air, trying to escape. Chrysalis brought the gray Pegasus over to her and she wrapped her fore limbs around him, almost as a lover.

“Let's start with you, handsome,” she sinisterly, yet seductively whispered in his ear.

“No! Get away from me!”

“Why? Do you not think I'm pretty?” she mocked. A thoughtful look came to her face and then she looked to the other ponies. She scanned their faces and smirked evilly when she stopped at Posey. “How about...” There was a flash and Chrysalis's voice changed mid-sentence. “...this?”

Thunderbolt looked over and saw that he was now being held by his friend. “Posey” looked up at him with half-lidded eyes and an inviting smile on her lips. Her long, pink mane covered her half of her face like a veil. Looking around him, he found that he was no longer in the stone chamber of the fortress, but rather was laying on a large bed with silk sheets with the soft yellow mare wrapping her hooves around him. In the distance, he could hear the faint sounds of voices calling to him. It sounded like they were trying to warn him about something and he tried to listen to what they were saying.

“Thunderbolt,” “Posey” whispered to him, drowning out the voices with her honey-coated voice. “Look at me, Thunderbolt.”

“Posey? Where are we? What's going on? What happened to our friends. What...” She silenced his words with a gentle hoof to his lips.

“Sshhh. It's just us,” she shushed him. “Just you and me.”

“This...This isn't real,” he said in attempt to wake himself up. A pair of lips then pressed against his, sending his heart aflutter.

“Did that feel real?” the mare straddling asked. He was speechless and remained motionless as he stared up at her. She giggled, causing his mind to become hazy and drowning out the distance voices even further. “Just relax and give in.”

“Yes, my queen...” Thunderbolt droned back in the real world as Chrysalis continued to zap his head with a green bolt of magic, bewitching him.

“Thunderbolt! No!” Amethyst cried out.

“You monster! Let him go!” Midnight demanded.

“Gladly,” the changeling complied and relinquished her grip on the young stallion. Thunderbolt remained sitting on the stone floor with a goofy grin on his face and a vacant look in his glowing green eyes. Chrysalis then turned to Posey. “Now how about you, my little pony?”

“What! No! No!” Posey's cocoon opened and Chrysalis began to drag her out with her magic. As the Earth Pony flailed in the air, she screamed as she floated over to the changeling's embrace. “Help me! Please! Midnight! Amethyst! Surprise! Sour! Help me!”

With another flash of magic, Posey's screams were silenced as Chrysalis began to hypnotize her. As the green beam of magic encased her head, Posey's teal eyes rolled about in their sockets dizzily. A complacent smile similar to that of Thunderbolt's appeared on her face and she stopped struggling.

“There, isn't that better?” Chrysalis asked her newest slave.

“Yes, my queen...” Posey said in a daze.

“Good, now why don't you have a seat over there by your friend, hm?”

“Yes, my queen...” Posey walked over and sat down on her haunches beside Thunderbolt, both of them starring unblinking off into the distance.

“You're next, princess,” Chrysalis said to Midnight. Like her friends, the Unicorn struggled against the creature's grasp as her remaining friends called out to her. Midnight cried out as the spell struck her head, but she resisted. She closed her eyes and shook her head in effort to clear her head of the changeling's influence.

“Just give in...” she heard the changeling's voice in her mind. “You'll feel better once you do...”

“No...I...” Midnight strained as she tried to focus. Her horn glowed yellow and she could hear Chrysalis make a confused sound. “Won't!”

“Gaaaah!” Chrysalis screamed as a yellow force of magic slammed her into the wall behind her. The shock wave of raw magic knock Thunderbolt and Posey over. They shock their heads as they got back up, snapped out of their trances. See a possible opportunity to escape, Amethyst used her claws to rend the cocoon that was confining her. After she hopped onto the floor, she and Midnight went to work on Surprise and Sour Apple's cocoons.

“Quick, let's get out of here!” Midnight shouted. They began to run, but were blocked by an angry wall of changeling drones, who hissed at them. They turned to run in another direction, but something gooey and sticky struck them. Sour Apple looked down it his hooves to see that they were covered in green slime and so were the other's. They tried to pull away from the gunk, but it held fast. Midnight and Amethyst charged their horns, but then more slime was shot at them, covering their horns. With their magic blocked, they were at the mercy of the changelings.

“Impressive,” Chrysalis congratulated as she walked up to them and looked Midnight in the eye. She seemed to be amused by their escape attempt, but her look of amusement quickly changed into a threatening glare. “But I wouldn't try that again. I see that you're strong willed. Maybe some time in the dungeons will soften you up. For your little stunt, you'll have to watch as my changelings impersonate you and take down your parents. Oh yes...You will watch as I suck the love out of them, and then I'll make them do the same to you. Take them away.”

At her command, the changelings dragged the slime covered ponies down the hall and down into the dungeons.

*****

Evening Star hurried through the camp towards the command tent. His father, Flash Sentry, had sent for him and by the tone of the messenger pony, it sounded serious. The purple Pegasus entered the tent and marched up to the Prince.

“Captain Evening Star reporting as requested, Your Higness,” Evening Star announced as he saluted his father. Flash Sentry's face was grim as he held a scroll on a hoof.

“We've received word from Canterlot,” Flash told his son. “Your sister, along with Amethyst and your friends, have been captured by the changelings.”

“...What?” The news struck Evening Star and it felt as though a brick was dropped into his stomach.

“They're demanding that your mother and the other Elements of Harmony surrender themselves to them in exchange for their freedom.”

“Where...Where are they?” Evening Star hyperventilated.

“According to Princess Celestia's letter, they're being held in the old castle in the Macintosh hills, not to far from here.”

“Then we need to mount a rescue mission at once! We need to rally the troops and march on the castle!”

“I'm afraid it isn't that simple,” Flash said with a shake of his head. “Our scouts report that the minotaurs are already marching towards us. They'll be here in couple of days.”

“Then we'll have to march there, save Midnight and the others, and then march back!”

“Son, that isn't practical. By the time we organize an assault on the castle and mobilize the troops, the minotaurs will be upon us. Besides, we have no intel. How many changelings are occupying the castle? Is it just a few of them or the whole hive? They have the advantage of having a fort and we would be trying to break in. And if we attack, we might be putting the hostages at risk.”

“These are not just hostages. It's your daughter and granddaughter!” Evening Star shouted in his father's face.

“You think I don't know that!?” Flash Sentry shouted back. Evening Star looked away and grunted in frustration. “Look, your mother and the others are already on their way to the castle.”

Hearing this, the captain looked up in alarm and said, “But they'll be walking into a trap! And they can't just give in to their demands. If they do, all of Equestria will be vulnerable. We have to send in a rescue team to get them out of there. That way they'll have no bargain chip.”

“I agree,” Flash told his son. “That's why I'm going to meet with your mother. I'm sure they are think of a way to sneak in the fort.”

“There isn't time for that! Why don't you send me? I've studied the plans of all forts and castles in the kingdom. I could lead a rescue team to save them!”

“Evening Star, I already have one child in the clutches of the changelings. I don't need another throwing himself against an unknown number of enemies. Besides, I need you here to lead the soldiers into combat.”

“But...Father...” Evening Star barely managed to say, choked by his raging emotions.

“That's an order, soldier,” Flash Sentry sternly told him. Evening Star opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and saluted before leaving. Flash Sentry later exited his tent and prepared to take off. He had to reach Twilight and the others before they made it to the castle. He took off and flew to the northwest. Meanwhile, a soldier went to the Captain’s tent to give him a status report. When he opened the flap, he found that the tent was unoccupied.

Awaken

It was evening and the group of six distraught mothers sat around a campfire in the foothills of the rocky mountains. After their unpleasant conversation with the Changeling Queen, they caught the next train south towards Appleloosa. Once they reached the end of the line, they had to continue on hoof through the desert. Twilight was trying to keep her mind occupied by looking over the map again and again, but her thoughts kept returning to the image of her daughter pressing against the green cocoon and staring at her with pleading eyes.

The others weren't faring much better either. Fluttershy couldn't stop crying as she kept saying Posey's name over and over. Pinkie Pie was silent and her mane was flat. There was no joy to be found in this situation. They knew Chrysalis and knew that she probably had a dastardly deed in store for them. Rainbow Dash was overcome with sorrow and anger. Chrysalis had tried this plot on them before, but she used the Cutie Mark Crusaders as bait that time. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were Rarity's and Applejack's younger sisters, but Rainbow Dash had gone on to adopt Scootaloo. With Thunderbolt kidnapped, it meant that the ugly bug queen has now threatened both of her children. The Wonderbolt silently vowed that she would break all four of Chrysalis's legs.

Applejack looked over to Rarity. Like Rainbow Dash, the two of them had been in the same situation before. As Rarity stared into the fire, she thought to herself, Spike, where are you? Our baby girl needs us.

*****

“How long do you think we've been in here?” Thunderbolt moaned as he looked out of the bars of the cell. The six of them were placed in the dungeon with two changelings keeping watch over them. It was dark, dank, and they could hear the dripping of water coming the ceiling in the distance.

“Seven-thousand one-hundred eighty-two drips,” Surprise answered.

“Huh?”

“That's how many drips I've counted since we been here,” she explained.

Plink.

“Seven-thousand one-hundred eighty-three...” she continued to count. Ten seconds later, there was another drip. Midnight listened and hear another drip ten seconds later. “Seven-thousand one-hundred eighty-five...”

“With ten seconds between each drop, that means we've been here for almost twenty hours. When we awoke, Narcissus said 'good morning,' meaning that it was before noon. That means it's no later than eight o'clock in the morning,” Midnight deduced. She then realized what that meant and looked over to the kirin lying next to her on the cell's cold floor. “Monday morning...Happy birthday, Amethyst.”

“Yeah, happy birthday to me,” she sarcastically sighed.

“I wish we had some birthday cake. I'm starving,” Thunderbolt griped. At the mention of food, all of their stomachs growled with hunger.

“Ya think they would feed us at some point,” Sour mentioned as he tried to comfort his cousin, Posey, who was still crying as she laid nuzzled up against him.

“There wouldn't be a point to that now, would there?” Amethyst bitterly responded. “To them, we are food.”

“Seven-thousand one-hundred ninety-six...” Surprise counted. A few seconds later, there was another drip. “Seven-thousand one-hundred ninety...ninety...Shoot. Lost count.”

“Give it a rest, Surprise,” Midnight told her. “Besides, in at least four hours, it won't matter anymore.”

“Oh, come on!” Thunderbolt shouted loudly, causing the changelings to buzz in alarm and to hiss threateningly. “Surely you've thought of a way out of here.”

“Unfortunately, Amethyst's and my horn is covered with this stuff,” Midnight told him while pointing to the harden green slime on her horn. “And if we tried to break it off, bug boys over there just shoot more on us and/or sound the alarm. Even if we weren't being watched, we couldn't just poof out of here. For a teleportation spell to work, the caster has to either see where they are going or know exactly where they are in relationship to their desired destination.”

“The other day, Narcissus told me he acquired the rights to the old castle in the Macintosh Hills. Does that help?” Amethyst hopefully offered.

“Not really. I need to know the exact position of the castle in relation to let's say Ponyville or Canterlot. All I know that it's somewhere in the mountains. Not much for me to go on.”

“Then why don't we try fighting our way out?” Thunderbolt suggested. “We can fight until we get clear enough for you to poof us out.”

“One; you just announced your plan to the changelings right over there. Two; we've already tried fighting and got our flanks handed to us...twice! Three; even if we did escape, we would still be in the middle of an unknown terrain with no supplies and an army of changelings on our tails.”

“So we're stuck here,” Thunderbolt surmised and then kicked the bars, causing a metallic clank to echo through the dungeon. The changeling guards hissed at the noise in annoyance. “Oh, you like that huh? Then have some more!”

The gray pony kicked the bars harder repeatedly, causing a cacophony. The guards flew up to the bars and hissed at the disgruntled prisoner. Midnight rolled her eyes and looked away, but then noticed something. At the end of the dungeon, there was a stone wall that had dark line in it. The dark line widened until Midnight realized it was a door being opened. She watched with amazement as the blue maned head of Evening Star peaked through the crack. Her brother held a hoof up to his lips as a sign for her to be quiet. She nodded and watched as the purple Pegasus sneaked up behind the distracted guards. The others quickly caught on to his plan and Thunderbolt continued to bang against the bars to keep the changelings' attention. Evening Star sneaked up behind the hissing changelings and knocked their heads together, rendering them unconscious.

With the guards out cold, Midnight and Amethyst broke the harden slime off their horns and used their magic to open the cell door. Midnight rushed to her brother and hugged him.

“Evening! How...How did you find us? How did you make it pass the changelings?” she asked between tears of joy.

“I've studied all the plans of all the castles and forts in Equestria. I know where all of the secret passages are hidden,” he explained.

“And they say I'm the bookworm,” she joked.

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“Come on, we have to get out here before they wake up.” They followed Evening Star through the secret passage and into the underground caverns that ran under the Macintosh Hills. Midnight used her horn to light their way.

“How did you find your way through the tunnels in the dark?” Posey asked as she nearly tripped over a stalagmite.

“I've got the path memorized,” Evening Star explained. “Besides, it isn't that complicated. This was built as an emergency escape tunnel to the ravine at the base of the mountain. All I had to do was walk slowly and keep moving forward.”

“Well yeah, but what happened when you ran into a wall?” Surprise asked.

“I'd rub my nose and move on,” he dryly told her, remembering how many times he bumped his muzzle or tripped over a rock. Evening Star then came to a sudden stop and Midnight nearly ran into the back of him.

“What is it? Why did you stop?” she asked as she walked around him to light up the path before them. She then saw why he stopped. There was a fork in the path; one going to the right and one going to the left. “Which way do we go?”

Evening Star looked between the two tunnels and said, “I don't know. This wasn't part of the plans.”

“How do you not know?” Sour Apple asked. “You came this way, didn't you?”

“Yes, but the tunnels converge here. I can't tell which way I came.”

“Didn't you feel your way through the dark? Which way did the tunnel curve, to the left or the right?” Amethyst asked.

“As you may have noticed, the tunnel has a lot of bends and turns. I don't know which turn this is.”

“It's okay, Evening Star,” Posey calmly told him. “We'll just pick a tunnel and followed it. The changelings don't know about the secret passage and as long as we get out in time, we can warn our parents.”

“So no pressure,” Surprise chimed in. “Other than our parents' safety being at risk and by extension, the entire nation's.”

“Gee, thanks Surprise,” Evening Star murmured.

“So which way do we go?” asked Sour Apple.

“Hey, birthday girl. Care to do the honors?” Thunderbolt asked Amethyst, nudging her closer to the branching tunnels. The kirin's green eyes looked back and forth between the two options.

“Well, I'm a rightie. So let's go to the right,” she said as pointed down the right tunnel.

“Let's hope you're right,” Surprise joked. They all groaned at her lame pun as they headed towards the right. Midnight's magic illuminated the walls with a yellow light, revealing its rough surface. Evening Star studied the walls for a clue to if was the same path he took or not. The light flickered as Midnight tripped over something and stumbled to the floor.

“Oof!” she exclaimed as she landed.

“Are you okay?” Amethyst asked as she helped her back up.

“You got to look out for those stalagmites,” cautioned her big brother.

“It wasn't a stalagmite,” she said as rubbed her sore hoof. “It felt loose.”

“A rock perhaps?” Amethyst suggested and looked down for the offending stone. When she looked down, she saw something strange: a large, professionally cut ruby. “A ruby? What is a gem like this doing here?”

“Hey look,” Thunderbolt pointed out and they all looked to the floor. Increasing the light of her magic, they saw that the tunnel's floor was covered with more gems that sparkled under Midnight's magic. There were sapphires, emeralds, gold coins, and diamonds scattered all about and more seem to be gathered around the bend. “Wow, look at this.”

“It's like we've hit the jackpot!” Surprise exclaimed.

“Focus guys, we're not here to loot treasure,” Midnight told them to bring them back to reality. She rounded the corner to see if the path was leading to an exit or a dead end. “Let's just see... Oh wow.”

Before them was a large mound of treasure. The light from Midnight's horn reflected off of the multifaceted surfaces of the jewels and illuminated the large cavern before them in a rainbow of colors. They stared awestruck at the vast wealth of the treasure stockpile and slowly approached it as though they were drawn in by its lure.

*****

“He he he! Wake up, daddy! Wake up!” a younger Amethyst laughed as she hopped up and down on Spike's back. He mumbled groggily as the kirin toddler bounced up and down on him. “Wake up!”

“That's enough, Amethyst,” Rarity told her daughter as she picked her up from the bed with her light blue magic and placed her own the floor. “Why don't you go down stairs and I'll make you breakfast in a moment.”

“Okay, mommy,” Amethyst cheerful replied and ran out the bedroom door.

“It's too early,” the dragon mumbled from underneath the covers of the extra large bed that had to be custom built to accommodate someone of his size. In her bed off to the side, the aging white cat named Opal meowed in agreement. The sudden intrusion of the little kirin had woken the feline from her sleep.

“Maybe for some other dragons, but I know one who has to take out the trash,” Rarity reminded him of his upcoming chore.

“Can't I sleep a little longer?”

“No, I'm afraid not. It's garbage day and the trash will be picked up soon. So you better get to it. And after that, you have to scrub the bathroom.” Spike groaned and pulled the sheets tighter over his head. Seeing husband trying to shirk his responsibilities, she used her magic to telekinetically pull the sheets off of him. “Oh no. There will be no sleeping in today.”

“Five more minutes,” he whined.

“I think not. Come on, darling, wake up...wake up...wake up...”

...wake up...

Spike stirred from his slumber. He thought he could hear something. A voice was speaking to him. Perhaps it was just a dream. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. Then he heard it again. The dragon snorted as he roused from his sleep to listen. He waited, but didn't hearing else. Perhaps he was still dreaming and he had only imagined the voices. He settled down and burrowed into his hoard, covering himself with his treasure. If there was intruders in his lair, they would be in for the scare of their life.

*****

“So how far do you think it goes?” Surprise asked as they peered into the vast, treasure filled cavern.

“I'm not sure,” Evening Star said, perched on top of a pile of treasure. They had fanned out to search for any sign of a way out. Midnight stood at the entrance of the cavern with her horn lit as a marker while Amethyst headed further in, providing light with her own horn so that the others could see. However, they could only see darkness on the other side of the large piles of wealth. The three Pegasi had flown to the tops of different piles in order to get a better look.

“Shouldn't we turn around?” Posey asked from her place by Midnight, unsure if it was wise to tarry any longer. “This obviously isn't the escape route.”

“She's right. Let's turn back,” Amethyst said from the other side of the cavern, agreeing with the yellow Earth Pony.

“Alright, let's move on,” Evening Star said as he flew down to the entrance of the cavern. The others started to make their ways to the exit as well.

“So why do you think there's all this treasure here?” Thunderbolt asked as he landed by Midnight and Posey.

“I don't know. Maybe it's the treasury,” Midnight guessed. “But that doesn't make sense. Why would a treasury be this far underground?”

“Extra security?” Surprise suggested.

“I don't think so. This was a military fort. They wouldn't have a treasury like this,” Evening Star explained.

“If you'd asked me, I'd say it looked like a dragon hoard,” Amethyst said as she climbed back over the largest pile in the center of the collection of gems and gold.

“A dragon's hoard?” Thunderbolt asked. “If that's the case, where's the dragon?”

“Yeah, and the ponies that built this place wouldn't be dumb enough to build a castle over a dragon's lair,” Midnight agreed. “And the changelings would have to be complete idiots to invade a dragon's territory.”

“You're probably right, but it's the only explanation I can...oops!” As Amethyst reached the top of the mound, she lost her footing when she slipped on the loose gems and slid down the pile. Her friends looked back to see if she was alright, but then heard the tinkling chime of gems and gold clicking together. Looking up, they saw that her accident caused the treasure to cascade down the mound to revealed dark scales underneath. They all froze in place and let out a collective gasp as they looked upon the scales.

“Amethyst, move as quietly as you can and get over here,” Midnight urged her while whispering. Amethyst nodded and slowly lifted one leg at a time, being mindful not to make a sound. As she crept towards the exit, the patch of exposes scales peeled back to reveal a green eye that glowed under the light of Midnight's and Amethyst's horns. As the nictitating membrane slid across the eye as it opened, the vertical pupil contracted and a low, guttural growl rumbled throughout the cavern. The white-scaled kirin gasped as she scampered away to her friends as the mound of treasure shifted as something large moved beneath where she was standing. Curved, emerald green spines rose from the gold and jewels like a shark's fin rises through the surface of a sea as a large, serpentine neck raised itself up, treasure dripping off of it like gilded droplets of water. A large clawed hand slammed down onto the cavern's floor as the figure rose to its feet and a pair of massive, bat-like wings extended until they seemed to fill the room. A long tail that ended in a bladed tip whipped back and forth as a long maw of fangs opened into a menacing snarl. Before them was a dragon that was at least forty feet from the tip of its snout to the end of its spaded tail and had a wingspan over a hundred feet across. His head was longer than a normal pony was tall and his scales were a deep purple. Amethyst looked up at the snarling face of the dragon in terror, but then recognized familiar features; his face, the purple scales, and the green earfrills, spines, and eyes...her father's eyes.

“Father?” she timidly asked the hulking dragon above her. When she said that, her friends stopped shaking in fear and took a closer look at the dragon.

“Mr. Spike? Is that you?” Surprise asked. Though he had grown quite a lot during his growth spurt, they recognized the purple dragon as Amethyst's father and the elder brother of Evening Star and Midnight. Once she realized that it was good old Spike the dragon, she laughed in delight. “It is! I'm so glad it's just you!”

Spike took a step towards them, shaking the cavern with his footfall. The relief immediately drained from everypony's face as Spike continued to snarl at them like a wild animal.

“Whoa! Calm down, Mr. Spike. It's us!” Thunderbolt said as they backed away.

“Remember me? Little Posey?” Posey asked nervously.

“Sour Apple? Applejack's son?” the green Earth Pony asked.

“Big brother. It's us, your little sister and brother,” Midnight said as she stood by Evening Star. Spike looked down at the intruders. In his disoriented mind, he only saw different colored ponies. They were speaking to him, but their words meant nothing to him. Though the blue one and the purple one did seemed familiar to him for some reason. Something important. He then looked down to the white one. She was different from the rest of them. She had scales, spines, and claws like he did. She even had his eyes. He furrowed his brow as he focused on her. Her scent was familiar as well. It smelt of dragon, his own scent, and that of another that was precious to him. It was his own offspring. His offspring. His!

“Mine...” Spike growled with a deep voice as he reached down with his massive claw. Amethyst saw the large hand coming towards her and tried to get away, but it grabbed her around her barrel and lifted off of the floor.

“What are you doing? Put me down, Father!” she yelled as he held her up.

“Mine...” he repeated as he pulled her close to his chest. He looked down at the other ponies and then recognized the scents of the blue and purple ponies. It was his mother's scent. That meant that they were his nestmates. That also meant that they were his. “Mine...”

Midnight starred up with wide eyes as Spike's claw now came for her. Before it could reach her, Sour Apple grabbed her and pulled her out of it's reach. “C'mon! Run!”

Spike saw the green pony touch his sister and pulled her into the tunnel as they ran away. The dragon unleashed a roar of fury and chased after them while holding Amethyst close to him.

“Dad! Snap out of it!” she pleaded as she was tossed about as he pursued the others. The fleeing ponies panted as they ran back towards the fork in the path. They could hear the roar of the dragon followed by his thunderous footsteps chasing after them.

“Wait! What about Amethyst!?” Midnight asked as she ran.

“He won't hurt her, but he might hurt us if he catches us!” Thunderbolt answered.

“We can't outrun him! And he'll track us down even if we get away!”

“Then what do you suggest we do, stay and let him add us to his collection!?” Evening Star asked.

“Yes.”

“What!?” Posey screamed, terrified by the thought of being a dragon's prisoner or worse, his lunch.

“Are you loco in the coco!?” Surprise asked incredulously. Instead of answering, Midnight stopped running and fell behind. The others stopped and tried to call her back, but the purple dragon was already baring down on her. Spike reached down and scooped her up with his free claw. He roared in triumph and then turned his attention to Evening Star. He still had one more sibling to collect and perhaps a few more ponies for good measure.

“Spike, listen to me!” Midnight called to her brother. He didn't pay any attention to her, but used his wings to crawl towards the other teenagers like an overgrown bat. The looked like they were about to bolt, but she called to them. “Don't move!”

“Dad! Dad!” Amethyst shouted. Spike briefly looked to his offspring in his claw for a moment, but then looked back to the others. “Dad! Please!”

A bolt of purple magic zapped him on the nose. It didn't hurt him, for dragon's had a natural resistance to magic, but it did get his attention. He looked to his daughter and growled at her. She should know better than to defy him.

“Dad, please calm down,” she said soothingly. He was angry, but her calm voice and relaxed demeanor caught his attention. “That's it. Calm down.”

He took deep breaths and listened to her words. Though she didn't know it, she was using her own version of the dragon-spell. Acting on instinct, she looked into his eyes and spoke calmly to him. It wasn't enough to influence his thoughts like his dragon-spell could do to other creatures, but it did help to calm him down. His head started to clear a bit and he started to remember where was and what was going on. “Amethyst?”

“That's right, it's me.”

“Spike?” He looked over to Midnight in his other claw. He realized that he had done it again and taken his own family as prisoners. Ashamed and confused, he placed them down on the tunnel's floor and the others cautiously approached him. He now recognized Thunderbolt, Posey, Sour Apple, and Surprise.

“What's going on? What are you all doing here?” he asked trying to figure things out. “I told everypony not to come looking for my lair in order to prevent something like this from happening!”

“Dad, please calm down. We can explain.” Spike may have come to his senses, but he still was disoriented and being influenced by his draconic instincts. If he got too riled up, he might revert back to his savage state.

“Spike, we were kidnapped,” Midnight explained, immediately catching his attention. He snapped his head in her direction and listened intently. “We were on the hiking trip that we planned when a bunch of changelings disguised as Royal Guards attacked us. They took us prisoner and brought us to the abandoned fort here in the Macintosh Hills. Evening Star came to rescue us and we accidentally stumbled upon your lair.”

He heard her words, but had a hard time taking it all in. The shock of it all made his semi-delirious mind spin.

“The changelings...took you captive?” he repeated.

“Yes, Chrysalis is plotting with Prince Narcissus to overthrow Equestria,” Amethyst explained. “They were going to use us as bait to lure the Elements of Harmony into offering themselves in exchange for our release, but they were planning to brainwash us to attack them when they had their guard down.”

“With them out of the way, they would then try to take Canterlot and the rest of Equestria,” Midnight continued. After hearing the full story, Spike's breathing intensified. Licks of green flames shot out of his mouth and his fists clenched.

“We have to get out of here and warn our parents,” Evening Star told his brother. “Come on, the exit is this way.”

Evening Star began to lead them out, but they stopped when they heard Spike's footsteps headed in the other way.

“Dad, the exit is this way,” Amethyst called after him. “That way leads back to the castle.”

“I know,” he called back to her.

“Wait!” Sour Apple shouted as they started to follow, but the dragon turned around.

“No. Evening Star, lead them out of here,” he told the purple Pegasus.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I have some business to take care of,” he said darkly.

“Are you going to kick some changeling butt?” Thunderbolt enthusiastically asked. “Oh man, count me in! I'm itching for some payback!”

“No. Follow Evening Star and find your mothers,” Spike ordered. “I don't want you to see this.”

A fire burned from within Spike. Smoke rose from his nostrils and his eyes glowed with an intense rage. The teenagers gave each other concerned looks, and Thunderbolt's desire to fight some changelings diminished. Something told them that this wasn't going to be just a brawl.

“Daddy?” Amethyst meekly asked. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she felt as though something terrible was about to transpire. Seeing his daughter's concern, he gave her smile and stroked the side of her face with a single claw.

“Don't worry, baby. Everything will be alright,” he reassured her. “Just go and find your mother.”

She nodded and ran off with the others towards the exit. He watched them flee to safety and then turned back to the tunnel that led to the castle. His anger flared up again and he stormed down the tunnel. They would pay. Those insects would pay for threatening everything he held dear; his child, his siblings, his wife, his friends...his family! It was time for him to repay the favor.

Wrath

Queen Chrysalis was excitedly awaiting for the arrival of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. In just a few hours, the Elements of Harmony would be in the clutches of her hole filled hooves. The Changeling Queen giggled like an excited schoolfilly in anticipation. She would finally have her revenge on the pony that has foiled her plans one too many times and her pathetic friends that follow her with sickening devotion. Those ponies will be just more obedient slaves to her power and then their children will join them. Chrysalis couldn't wait to see the look on Celestia's face when she sees her loyal attack dogs and her precious pupil after they have been transformed into changeling drones. Vengeance will finally be hers and it will taste so delicious!

Chrysalis and Narcissus stood at a balcony overlooking the Macintosh Hills. As they peered out over the rugged terrain, Chrysalis indulged in a chortle of evil laughter. Seeing her laugh in sinister delight, Narcissus couldn't help but to grin at her excitement for he shared her sentiments. After he would helped her conquer Equestria, he was going to be a king. Though his subjects would be mindless masses enchanted by Chrysalis's power whose only purpose was to be slave labor and to feed the changelings, he didn't care. If being the king of a nation of mind controlled ponies was to be the price of his crown, he would pay it gladly. Besides, they were already mindlessly following Celestia. They would just be exchanging one master for another. In the end, it didn't really mattered what happened to them. They were just peasants whose only purpose was to serve their betters, such as himself.

Chrysalis looked over to her cohort. Yesterday, after they had made their demands, one of their prisoners tried to dissuade him helping her. However, she wasn't concerned. He wouldn't betray her; she was offering him a throne. Besides, she had him wrapped around her hoof, and she didn't even need to use her mesmerizing powers on him either. Although, it did make her think about that reptilian pony. During their scheming, Narcissus had briefly described the children of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Being a member of the Royal Family, he knew all about Princess Midnight and Princess Amethyst. Being from a prideful line of nobles, he looked down upon all members of the “pretender royals,” especially the hybrid freak.

As far as Chrysalis knew, the lizard/pony called herself a “kirin.” She knew her mother was the seamstress from the wedding years ago and had become a princess. The white Unicorn had supposedly married a dragon which they claimed was Twilight Sparkle's son. Chrysalis vaguely remembered seeing a little purple and green lizard at the wedding, though she didn't pay too much attention to it. It wasn't a threat to her or important to her plan at the time. According to Narcissus, he had grown and was pony-sized now. Even though she wasn't a pony herself, she found the idea of a pony marrying a dragon and having a child together to be ridiculous. In the end, what only mattered was that Amethyst was the child of one of the Elements of Harmony and the grandchild of the wretched Twilight Sparkle. They were only a means to an end. Soon enough, she...

There was a rumble like thunder. It broke Chrysalis's concentration and she looked around, wondering if she had only imagined it. When all appeared to be well, she went back to gazing over the balcony. Then she heard it again. Another rumble, one that she could feel this time, slightly shook the castle. Narcissus looked around in confusion.

“What was that?” he asked. The changelings all stopped what they were doing and listened. Again, there was another tremor, stronger than the first two. It seemed to be originating from beneath them. Chrysalis then thought of her hostages.

“Quick, check on the prisoners!” she ordered a changeling, which then buzzed off to the dungeons. When it descended down the flight of stairs to the holding cells, it found that the cell door was opened and that the ponies were nowhere to be found. It then saw the unconscious forms of the two guards that were supposed to be watching them on the stone floor. It rushed to its fellow changelings and shook them until they woke up. The two guards groaned as they shook their heads and slowly got back up.

The third changeling was about to ask what happened, but then there was another tremor. In the dungeon, the sound was deafening and the entire room vibrated from the impact. All three looked over to the wall on the far side of the dungeon and saw that it was cracked and pieces of stone brick had been knocked loose, revealing a dark passageway on the other side. Before they could react, they saw a burning green eye peer at them through the cracks and then the wall burst open, sending stone chunks flying towards them. They shielded themselves from the flying debris and coughed as dust filled the air. As the dust settled, the saw the shadow of something large headed towards them. Before they could even react, they were consumed in a searing flash of green light.

Chrysalis and Narcissus had heard the commotion coming from the dungeons and had moved to a terrace overlooking the central hall of the fortress, the one that was directly over the dungeons. They looked down at the floor beneath them along with the rest of the hive, waiting to see what happened. They saw a green flash coming from the stairwell that led downstairs and heard the screams of the changelings that were down there. They all froze with dread as thoughts of what possibly could have happened ran through their heads.

Then there was another impact and the floor in the center of the great hall cracked. The force of the impact shook them and they lost their balance. The changelings chattered and squirmed about in confusion.

“What was that?” Narcissus asked again. Chrysalis shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. A thought then came to her. Was it the ponies? Could Celestia have sent a rescue team though some secret passage to infiltrate the castle?

“Hurry! Take defensive positions!” the Changeling Queen ordered. Before the changelings could respond to her order, the floor ruptured and its remains showered down upon the surrounding changelings as a purple and green dragon came roaring through the floor. The changelings stood starring up at the dragon before them. The dragon looked up to the terrace and glared at Chrysalis.

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“You,” the dragon said in a low, gravelly voice, drawing the word out with as much hatred as he could.

“You dare invade my castle? You insolent reptile!” Chrysalis yelled down at the dragon. “Who are you!?”

“I am Spike, Dragon Prince of Equestria,” the dragon answered. “The father of the child you took prisoner.”

“You're Spike?” Chrysalis asked. She then sneered down at him. “Ah yes, I remember you. You were that little lizard from the wedding; Sparkle's pet. My, how you have grown. But, as you can see, I'm in the middle of something and you are interrupting. I suggest you leave now or...” The changelings surrounding him started to buzz angrily. “I'll have my friends show you the way out.”

“You will pay for kidnapping my daughter, my sister, my brother, and my friends!” Spike vowed.

“No. You will pay,” she countered. “I'll make sure your freak of a daughter will suffer. I'll take everything you love and destroy it!”

“You will take nothing from me, changeling,” Spike snarled. “I have faced the Spirits of Fear and Chaos. I have defeated the undead. I have done battle with the forces of darkness. You are nothing to me!” A deep rumbling sound filled the room as the back of Spike's throat began to glow green. “You...Will...BURN!”

Spike reared his head back and then thrust it down at the changelings that stood before him, unleashing a green inferno. The changelings nearest to the dragon could only watch as the wall of flames rushed towards them, too stunned to even move. Unfortunate for them, this hesitation would prove disastrous as they were consumed by the blaze.

The dragon panned his long neck and head to the sides, bathing the hall in his infernal breath. The changelings furthest from him were able to react in time and flew away. However, those closest to the dragon were burnt to a crisp in only a matter of seconds. Chrysalis watched in horrified silence as her subjects, her children, were turned into ash before her very eyes. Changeling hives were eusocial, like ant colonies or beehives, meaning that most if not all of the current members of the hive were either spawned or converted by Chrysalis herself.

“No!” she screamed after finally finding her voice. Her enraged cries caught the dragon's attention and he looked up to her with loathing in his eyes. “You will pay for this! Kill him!”

The hive took flight and buzzed around the dragon like an angry swarm of bees. The dragon snarled at the circling insect-like creatures. The hall was filled with the roaring buzz of their wings and they started to shoot bright green bursts of offensive magic against his scales as they flew pass him. Dragon's had a natural resistance to magic and their thick scales protected them from most damage, but the annoying stings of their attacks were starting to irritate him. To retaliate, he spread his large wings and began to flap them. With each beat of his green wings, a gust of wind would blow through the hall. Chrysalis and Narcissus cringed in discomfort. With each flap, their clenched teeth would rattle and their bodies would be struck by a strong blast of air.

As for the changelings assaulting the dragon, the disturbance in the air disrupted their flight and they started to loose control. They would careen off course and hit each other or run into a pillar or a wall. Unable to remain airborne, they landed and tried to reorient themselves. However, the dragon wouldn't relent. He kept flapping his wings and the changelings were knocked back with each beat. Knocked senseless, they could only watch helplessly as the dragon started to take in another deep breath. They knew what was coming, but they were powerless to stop it.

Chrysalis and Narcissus could feel the heat from the flames on their hindquarters as they fled the great hall. As they sought safety within the recesses of the fortress, the rest of the hive swarmed pass them in order to confront the invading dragon. From the various corridors that fed into the great hall, seemingly countless changelings poured in and surrounded the dragon. However, he paid little attention to them, even as the annoying sting of their attacks hit his scaly hide. His target, the ones responsible for threatening his family, had fled like cowards. Growling, he stormed after them. He scaled up the wall to the terrace, his claws digging into the stone and wood. He climbed over the railing and looked down the hallway that Chrysalis and the traitor had ran down. All he could see were more black hided changelings and their blank blue eyes glaring back at him. Their magic stung his face and the ones behind him even tried clinging to him to slow him down. They grasped onto his legs, body, wings, neck, and tail, weighing him down.

Frustrated, he tried to ignore them and continue to the hallway, but they were hindering his progress. Summoning his dragon magic, Spike built up energy within himself and unleashed it as an electrical charge that electrocuted the changelings that clung to him like an overgrown bug zapper. The creatures fell off him and convulsed on the ground. Those that weren't immediately killed twitched uncontrollably as their nervous system was disrupted by the surge. One paralyzed changeling laid on its back and stared up as the dragon made his way pass it. Unable to move, it watched as the dragon's clawed paw came down on it. There was a satisfying crunch accompanied by a squishing sound. The dragon crouched down and crawled through the doorway in pursuit of its prey.

Within a chamber in the stronghold, Chrysalis and Narcissus listened to the sounds of their minions battling the dragon. Surely they could stop one dragon. They had him outnumbered hundreds to one. They could hear the changelings' blasts of magic ringing throughout the halls and the dragon roaring in pain. There was a silence and the sounds of combat ceased. Chrysalis smirked in triumph as she thought the dragon problem was taken care of, but she was disappointed when she heard another roar coming from the corridors along with a loud crash.

Chrysalis seethed with rage. This dragon was ruining everything! The Elements of Harmony would be there at any moment and they needed to be ready for them. If they arrived while the dragon was still there, it might give them the opportunity to rescue their children if they hadn't already escaped! Growling in fury, she turned to a changeling wearing a green helmet and breastplate.

“You! Rally the rest of the soldiers and kill that dragon!” she commanded the soldier changeling. Obviously the drone caste wasn't enough to stop their fire-breathing intruder. Maybe her elite soldier caste could.

“Yes, my Queen,” it saluted before leading a squadron of more armored changelings to confront the dragon. The soldiers flew in formation down the corridors, more of them joining the flight as they continued. Soon, they were over a hundred strong. However, they couldn't find the dragon. Searching high and low, they checked every hallway and chamber they came across, but the only thing they kept finding were the remains of the drones. Some were incinerated and others crushed, but they couldn't locate the dragon. They couldn't understand it. How could something that size just disappear like that?

They then heard a magical blast ringing through the air coming from down the corridor and immediately rushed to a large chamber. As soon as they entered the room, they were met by the sight of more dead changeling drones. More importantly, there was large purple body in front of them with its back turned to them. In the dragon's jaws was a drone that pounded against the side of his face and frantically kicked in hopes of escaping. Then the dragon's jaws came down and the drone stopped moving, its eyes rolling lifelessly in their sockets. The dragon then spat the changeling onto the stone floor with a disgusted sound and wiped his mouth. Spike then cocked his head to the side to look at the newcomers, yellow blood still dripping down his fangs.

With a battle cry, the soldier changelings rushed the dragon. Spike took in a breath, but the soldiers were expecting that and diverted to the sides, flanking him. The emerald flames roared harmlessly pass the advancing changelings and they began to retaliate. Unlike their drone brethren, the soldiers' blasts were stronger. The dragon winced in pain as multiple shots struck his sides. He took a step back and they surrounded him. He was about to open his wings to blow them all back, but a dozen changelings soon latched onto each wing. The dragon roared as more and more soldier changelings jumped onto him and dragged him down to the floor, all the while they continued to blast away at his scales. Spike hissed and snarled at them and their confidence built. They were actually doing it! They were besting the dragon! Their Queen will be so pleased with them.

However, their thoughts of victory became thoughts of panic when the dragon rose back up in spite of their combined efforts to pin him down and threw them off. They greatly underestimated the legendary strength of the dragons and were thrown against the walls of the chamber as though they were nothing. The soldiers that recovered first tried to pin the dragon down again and leaped at his back, but they were intercepted by his trashing tail. The spaded tip cut through their chitinous hides and they fell in pieces onto the stone floor, their yellow blood oozing from their wounds. Before the remaining soldiers could react, the dragon opened his jaws. Instead of green flames, a bluish-white mist filled the chamber. Some of the soldiers were able to flee, but the majority of them were caught in a chilling mist. When the arctic fog cleared, the furniture and the changelings were covered in a layer of frost. Spike gazed down at the frozen changelings and then spun around, his tail shattering their frozen bodies. As he left the room, the frozen remains of the soldiers crunched beneath his feet.

The purple dragon lurked down the hallways of the fortress, searching for the Changeling Queen. His nostrils flared and his tongue flicked out, tasting the air. He would find her and she would pay.

*****

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Flash Sentry came to a rise. From the top, they could see the old fortress. Twilight looked up to the sun and saw that it was growing late in the morning. Noon was approaching and the deadline would expire soon. Flash Sentry had met up with last night and explained that he had come to help them come up with a plan. With little time to prepare, the best they came up with was that Flash Sentry would try to sneak in while they would try to stall Chrysalis. Hopefully, Flash could find the children and get them out of harm's way before they would have to surrender themselves to the changelings.

It wasn't the best of plans and they were certain that Chrysalis had something planned for them. Rainbow Dash grumbled and Twilight sighed. They were pressed for time and it was now or never. They started to continue down the road to the main gate of the castle, but then heard the sound of hooves running towards them. Anticipating a surprise attack from the changelings, the seven parents prepared to fight, but were surprised when they saw their children running up from the canyon towards them.

“Mom! Dad!” Midnight shouted as she ran towards her parents.

“Surprise!” Pinkie Pie shouted with glee when she saw her daughter.

“Posey!” Fluttershy cried with tears of joy running down her face. As her child ran toward her, she held out her fore legs invitingly. Before the teenagers could run to the awaiting embraces of their parents, Twilight jumped in front of them with her horn glowing magenta.

“Freeze!” the Alicorn commanded. The teenagers skidded to a stop when they saw the threatening glare of the Princess.

“Twilight! What in tarnation are ya doin'!?” Applejack demanded. She tried to move pass her friend, but Twilight blocked her.

“Stay back!” She then turned back to face their children. “What is the name of the phoenix that Spike took care of until he was returned to his parents?”

“M-Mom...It's us,” Midnight said, shaken by her mother's reaction. She tried to take a step close, but Twilight's horn glowed brighter.

“Answer the question!”

“Peewee! It's Peewee!” Midnight answered. As soon as she said the correct answer, she and Evening Star were caught in the magenta aura of Twilight's magic and pulled into their mother's embrace. With their identities confirmed, the children rushed towards their parents. Fluttershy and Posey sobbed as they held one another and even Rainbow Dash allowed a few tears of relief to run down her face as she hugged Thunderbolt. Amethyst was practically smothered by Rarity as the Unicorn mother frantically searched the kirin for any sign of injury. Sour Apple quietly rested his head on top of Applejack's as she wrapped her hooves around his chest. She looked up to the old hat atop his head and knew it was no fake. Pinkie Pie and Surprise happily cried as they hugged, tears spurting out of their eyes like fountains. As Twilight and Flash held their children, Flash realized that Evening Star must have defied his orders and went after them on his own.

“Evening Star, I told you to stay with the troops,” he told his son. He gave his son a look that was a mixture of surprise, anger, and even a little bit of pride. “You defied your orders.”

Evening Star smiled at his father and said, “Technically, I am the commanding officer of the troops and a Prince of Equestria. Since you are a Prince Consort to a reigning Princess of Equestria, it makes us the same rank, meaning that in a military operation, I don't have to follow your orders.”

“Yes, but I am still your father,” Flash Sentry reminded him before pulling him into a tighter hug. “But I am glad you did.”

“How did you find them?” Twilight asked her son. “And how did you escape?”

“I used the hidden escape tunnel,” he explained. “It leads directly to the dungeons. I figured that the changelings would probably keep them there, so I sneaked in, knocked out the guards, and helped them escape.”

“It won't be long before they realize that you're missing from your cells,” Twilight said with a frown. “We have to get out here before they come looking for us.”

“Wait. What about Dad?” Amethyst asked.

“What do you mean, dearest?” Rarity asked her daughter.

“We found him on our way out. His lair is underneath the castle,” she explained.

“He woke up when we stumbled upon his lair,” Midnight added. “He told us to keep going and get out.”

“Where is he now?” Rarity asked as she scanned the surrounding area for him, excited by the thought of being reunited with her husband. The seven teenager then all pointed to the castle. From within its fortified walls, they heard a fearsome roar and saw the glow of green flames flickering from the windows.

*****

Spike's thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the castle. As he searched for the ones responsible for his rage, the changelings kept on coming. Drones and soldiers alike rushed the dragon, but they all fell to his wrath. Standing over the charred remains of the latest wave of changelings, Spike roared as he lost his patience.

“Where are you?” he sinisterly growled to himself as he continued his search. Sniffing the air, he caught a scent. His vertical pupils contracted and he snarled in predatory delight as he rushed in the direction the scent was originating from. He rounded the corner of a corridor and saw more soldier changelings standing guard in front of a door. With a roar, Spike charged them with his teeth bared. After a few screams and roars later, Spike burst through the door, ready to take on any that got in his way.

“Stop!” a voice called out. Spike froze mid-step and looked down in surprise at what he saw. Before him was Rarity, Amethyst, Twilight, Midnight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Posey, Sour Apple, Thunderbolt, and Surpise. Spike looked from one face to the next. Twilight came up to him and spoke to him in calming voice. “It's us.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We came to take you home.”

“Home?”

“That's right. Home,” Twilight told him. Spike looked to Rarity and Amethyst, who smiled and nodded at him. He then looked back down to his mother.

“What about the changelings? What about Chrysalis and Narcissus?”

“It's okay. They're gone now. It's over.” The rest of the ponies surrounded him. “You can relax now.”

Rarity then came up to him a nuzzled against his side. Spike closed his eyes and lowered his head to return the affectionate nuzzle. As he nuzzled his wife, his nostrils flared and his eyes shot open. Bellowing in outrage, Spike swiped his claw and smacked his wife across the room. She hit the wall with a sickening thud and fell lifelessly to the floor.

“What are you doing!?” Twilight screamed, but then she and her friends jumped away as he brought his teeth down in the place where they had been standing. “Are you insane!? We're your...”

“You think you can deceive me, changeling?!” the dragon roared, causing them back away from him.

“What are you talking about? It's us!” Twilight claimed.

“I know the scent of my family, no one better!” he declared. “Your stench fills the air. No matter where you hide, I will find you...Chrysalis!”

Having been found out, the image of the ponies disappeared in a flash of changeling magic and Queen Chrysalis stood in front of more soldier changelings. Off to the side, the changeling that had been imitating Rarity had long since reverted back to its natural form, its illusion dying along with it. In another corner of the room, Prince Narcissus was hiding behind a chair. Chrysalis cast him a glance and then looked back up at the enraged dragon.

“Kill him!” she screeched and the soldiers hissed as they sprung at the dragon. Chrysalis knew they stood no chance against him, but they could buy her time to escape. It pained her to send them to their demise, but for the survival of the hive, sacrifices had to be made. As Spike made quick work of the soldier changelings, Chrysalis grabbed Narcissus and they fled the room. Spike saw them run and he unleashed another roar as he went after them.

As Chrysalis and Narcissus ran down the halls, she used her magic to create circular rings of green, fire-like magic that allowed them pass through the stone walls. She closed the portals behind them, and Spike began to bash against the stone walls in order to break them down. The pair panted as they came to a stop in a room. Chrysalis knew she couldn't take the dragon by herself. She wasn't even powerful enough to defeat Celestia or even Twilight Sparkle when she was still a Unicorn. She had only managed to best Celestia because she had fed on the unwavering love that Shining Armor felt for Princess Cadance.

Wait, that's it! she thought triumphantly to herself. She then turned to Narcissus and said, “I have a plan.”

“Well, what is it?” he asked out of breath. She then grabbed the pompous pony prince by the sides of his head and turned it so that it faced her. She covered his mouth with hers and then pulled back, inhaling a green mist that she sucked out of him. His eyes rolled back and his knees began to wobble. He made weak moaning sounds and fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes when she released him.

“We...We were supposed to rule together...” he rasped, his strength completely drained. He feebly tried to reach up with a trembling hoof. “I...I thought...I thought you loved...me...”

“I do love you, dear,” she said down to him. “But I'll need all the power I can get. It will take me years to rebuild the hive and I need nourishment in order to feed the next generation.”

“Chrysalis...” he wheezed as she started to leave. She looked at him with a pitying expression.

“Don't feel bad, my Prince. Your sacrifice will ensure my survival. You will be remembered as a hero when I finally take Equestria for myself.” And with that, she flew off, abandoning him.

*****

Twilight Sparkle, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and their children ran into the great hall of the old fort. They were met with a grizzly scene; smoldering carcasses of changelings were littered about the room among the rubble created from a gaping hole in the floor and the woodwork was burning with green flames. The wooden support beams and railing crackled and popped as they burned and pieces of the ceiling had fallen to the floor.

“Kids, it's too dangerous here! Turn back and wait outside!” Twilight ordered.

“We're not going anywhere!” Midnight shouted over the roar of the flames. “We're going to help you find Spike!”

“This isn't the time to argue!” Twilight said to her daughter. “This place could collapse any second now and I...”

Before she could finish the sentence, the wall across the burning room burst forth and the large body of Spike came crashing in. They backed way from the dragon as to avoid the bits of masonry that had been blasted towards them. Spike looked around, in search of the Changeling Queen, but found more figures that resembled his family. Thinking they were more imposters, he glowered at them and began to build up the flame in his chest.

“Spike?” the one that looked like Rarity nervously asked. He was about to unleash his breath weapon upon them, but then a scent caught his attention. He inhaled through his nostrils, taking it in and recognized it.

“Rarity?” he asked, his slitted pupils widening as he eased down.

“Yes, it's me, darling.” She stepped closer to him and he looked at the faces of his dear ones. As she drew closer to him, they heard a creaking sound and looked up in time to see a burning rafter falling from the ceiling. Rarity screamed, closed her eyes, and covered her head with her hooves, bracing for imminent impact. There was a loud crashing noise, but she didn't feel any pain. She cautiously opened her eyes and looked around her to see the green membranous webbing of wings surrounding her. She then looked up to see Spike's face looking down at her. He had shielded her with his own body. He then stood up and shook the splintered beam off of his back. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, my lady.” She almost swooned at his heroic and romantic gesture, but the sound of more crumbling beams shook her out of her daze.

“Let's get out of here before we get squashed!” Rainbow Dash hollered. Following the blue Pegasus's lead, they fled the castle as it crumbled behind them. They stood on the rise opposite of the fortress and watched as the flames consumed it. The battlements and towers crumbled and collapsed. The sight of the burning fortress rendered them speechless. It was a testament to what power Spike possessed.

“Spike...You've...demolished it...” Twilight said, barely above a whisper.

“I guess I got cared away,” Spike responded, in awe himself of what he had done. He was angry and he unleashed that rage upon the entire hive of changelings. He had used his rage to fuel himself before and he had slain enemies as well, but never to this extent. He didn't quite know how to feel.

He looked from the ruins to his friends, who looked back up to him. They were studying his body and how much he had grown in the past few days, especially Rarity. Over the years, Spike had grown from the baby dragon that used to ride around on Twilight's back to the imposing figure that they now saw before them. His wingspan was easily twice the length of his body from snout to tail and his body was covered in toned muscles. Rarity could see the muscles in his shoulders, arms, and legs ripple under the scales as he sat on the ground. His body was much larger than it previously had been. Before this latest growth spurt, he was just larger than Princess Celestia. Now, the solar Alicorn wouldn't even come up to his shoulder! If his body was larger, then that also must have meant that...

“Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed as she fanned herself, her face flushing a deep red.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Spike asked, concerned by her outburst.

“Oh nothing! Nothing's wrong. Everything is just fine!” she covered. Then she smirked and raised a brow as she said under her breath, “Very fine, indeed.”

Disregarding his wife comment for the moment, he turned to his mother and asked, “How long was I asleep?”

“Five days,” Twilight answered. “It's Monday.”

“Monday,” he repeated. “That means...”

“Look!” Fluttershy shouted as she pointed across the drawbridge. Crawling out of the burning remains of the fortress was a pony-shaped figure. As it made its way towards them, they recognized the soot covered white coat and blue mane of the treasonous Prince.

“Narcissus,” Thunderbolt spat venomously. The stallion coughed and looked up to the ponies that he had betrayed, but was then immediately grasped by the gray Pegasus. Thunderbolt pulled back his hoof and was about to pound Narcissus's face in, but something caught his fore leg. He looked back to see that Posey had caught his hoof and was preventing him from pummeling the Prince. “What are you doing, Posey? Let me go!”

“No. Please don't,” she begged. “He's defenseless. He can't hurt anypony anymore.”

“But what about what he's done!? He handed us over to be bug food! He was going to enslave everypony!”

“We know, and he will answer for what he has done,” Sour Apple reassured him. Thunderbolt turned back to the broken stallion in his grip and growled in rage and frustration. He was about to ignore them, but then a sky blue hoof rested on his shoulder.

“Thunderbolt,” Rainbow Dash said to her son. “I know you're angry. Heck, I want to beat him to a pulp myself, but they're right. He will stand trial for what he's done.”

Thunderbolt looked at his mother and then sighed. He let go of Narcissus and backed away. “Fine, have it your way. But what about Chrysalis? Did you get her?”

Spike was about to answer in the negative, but then he heard a faint buzzing sound with his alert predatory hearing. He looked up to the sky and snarled. The others noticed his reaction and followed his gaze upward. They saw the Changeling Queen hovering above them, starring down with pure hatred. She saw the lavender Alicorn and glowered at her.

“This isn't the end of this, Sparkle!” Chrysalis swore. “I will be back! Even if it takes me another twenty-five years, I will be back! I'll rebuild my hive and you will all pay for this! I will have my revenge!”

She cackled with malicious laughter and started to fly away. Rainbow Dash, Flash Sentry, Evening Star, and Thunderbolt unfurled their wings and were about to go after her.

“Let her go,” Twilight stopped them. “She's defeated.”

“But she'll be back! We've gotta go after her!” Thunderbolt argued.

“No. We've won and she knows it. Her minions have been decimated and her plan has been foiled. We won't be seeing her again anytime soon.”

The Pegasus relaxed and folded their wings as they watched their defeated enemy fly away. However, as Spike watched her retreat, he felt the familiar feeling of rage build back up inside of him again. She may not be back tomorrow, or the next day, the next year, or the next decade, but he knew she would be back. She was spiteful and proved time after time that she could hold a grudge. Eventually, she would back to threaten Equestria and payback the ponies that had stopped her again and again. She wouldn't rest until she ended the lines of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She would come back to threaten his family again. His family! His! Changelings were a plague that blighted Equestria for too long. Alone, a single changeling would cause great sorrow and turmoil in the lives of the ponies they impersonated and fed on. Under Chrysalis's direction, they posed a threat to all ponies everywhere.

Spike's pupils contracted again and he growled, “No...”

Hearing him, his friends looked up to him and Rarity asked, “What was that, darling?”

“No. This ends now!” Before anypony could say anything, Spike flapped his mighty wings and took off to the sky. The force of his wings nearly knocked everyone over and they shielded themselves as dust was kicked up. They coughed and looked up to see the dragon flying after his prey like a bat out of Tartarus.

“Wait! Spike!” Twilight tried to call after him, but he was already out of hearing range.

As Chrysalis flew away, she was already scheming up a new plan. She would have to lay low for awhile and wait until the ponies stopped looking for her. Thankfully, she could easily hide, even in plain sight. She then would have to breed more changelings. She would disguise herself as a mare and seduce a lonely stallion. It would take some time to generate enough minions to invade Equestria again, but changelings were patient. They were the masters of the long game. They could spend years in an assumed identity and feed off their unwitting victims.

She then heard a noise coming from behind her. She looked back in time to avoid being hit by a fireball that soared pass her. After evading the fireball, she looked over her shoulder to see that the dragon was hot on her tail. She growled in anger and turn to shoot a powerful stream of magic at him. The blast struck Spike in the chest and he grunted as he was knocked back. The love she drained from Narcissus had boosted her strength and managed to make her strong enough to push the dragon back. Spike hissed in pain and clutched the green scales of his underbelly. Chrysalis smirked in sanctification when she saw the dragon wince. Perhaps the love she received from Narcissus was enough to defeat the dragon, but then she saw him glare back at her. The attack only served as a momentary distraction for the dragon and he soon resumed chasing her.

Chrysalis frowned and shot another blast that could kill a pony at the dragon, but Spike was ready this time. Bracing himself, he absorbed the blow and continued to chase after the Changeling Queen. Seeing the dragon relentlessly pursuing her, she doubled her efforts on getting away. She started to panic as fireball after fireball sailed by her, each one coming closer than the previous. In an attempt to shake the dragon, she darted to and fro. She flew in irregular patterns, waiting for the moment when the dragon couldn't keep track of her and then would seek refuge in the hills below. From below, the two figures resembled a bat chasing a moth.

Lunging forward, Spike snapped at Chrysalis's cerulean tail, but missed by inches. Taking advantage of the near miss, Chrysalis ducked under Spike's wing and speed towards the hills below. Just as she thought she was about to get away, a purple and green wall of scales flew in front of her. She didn't have time to react. Spike unleashed a roar that was charged with his overwhelming dragon magic. The air rippled with energy and the shock wave hit her chitinous body. The concussive blast of sonic energy was enough to knock her down, but Spike's magic had infused it with a paralyzing spell. She spun uncontrollably as she plummeted to the earth below.

The Changeling Queen struck the rocky ground with a loud thud. Thanks to her durable hide, she could survive a fall such as this one, but it still hurt immensely. She tried to move, but the dragon's hex had her limbs completely locked up. A dragon's magic may not have been as precise as a Unicorn's, but it made up for it with it sheer, raw power. To compare the two, wielding Unicorn magic was like using a key to open a door. Dragon magic was like using a sledgehammer to bash it open. They both got the job done, but had two very different ways of going about it.

Then there was the sound of something heavy landing over Chrysalis. She looked up and saw Spike gazing down at her. He wasn't snarling at her. Instead, he looked down at her with a cold, resolute stare. Chrysalis wasn't scared anymore. She was beyond fear now. She couldn't escape and she knew by the cold look in the dragon's eyes that it was all over. They stared into one another's eyes for what felt like an awful eternity for Chrysalis. Spike then reared his head back as he took in a deep breath and then opened his fang-filled jaws, a green light illuminating the back of his throat.

In the distance, Twilight and the others saw Spike standing over a dark figure as they ran towards him. Before they could reach him, he opened his mouth and unleashed his fiery breath upon the thing beneath him. They froze as they watched Spike finish his enemy. There was a high pitched shriek of agony mingled in the roar of the flames, and then there was silence. Spike stood over the smoking remains of the evil Changeling Queen for a moment, and then took off and flew over to the ponies waiting for him. He landed and looked at their faces. He saw a mixture of shock, fear, queasiness, and concern. Above all, he saw relief. They could all rest easy now that one of Equestria's greatest threats have been permanently dealt with. Spike had annihilated the entire hive.

“Spike...” Twilight slowly said.

“It is finished,” he solemnly told him. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and she and everypony else nodded.

“C'mon y'all. Let's go home,” Applejack said. They all agreed and made their way down the trail. Spike picked up an unconscious Narcissus in his claw and sneered. The others froze for a moment, fearing for a moment that Spike might eat him, but he threw the stallion onto his back and continued to walk down the path.

They were silent for a moment, but then Spike remembered something. He looked down at the white kirin with a purple mane at his side. He snaked his long neck down to her and caressed the side of her face with his long snout. He then kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear, “Happy birthday, Amethyst.”

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered back. His baby girl had been in danger and he made sure that the ones responsible would never threaten her again. Though the ordeal had her shaken, along with everypony else, she knew she was safe now. Headed towards the northwest through the hills, they made their way back home.

Surprise

A majestic red and gold bird was perched upon Spike's forearm as the group of friends were gathered at a park in Ponyville. It was their weekly pet play date and the animals were running and playing on the grassy field as the ponies and the dragon sat around the picnic spread. Winona barked happily as Tank floated above her with his magic propeller. Owlowiscious hooted as he too flew above the excited canine. Angel was busy hogging all the salad as Opalescence scowled disapprovingly from her owner's side. The fluffy, white cat didn't care for the rabbit, nor did anyone else for that matter except his owner, Fluttershy. When Fluttershy married Big Macintosh, the foul tempered bunny was quite jealous and did everything he could to make the red stallion's life a living nightmare.

The scarlet bird that was accompanying Spike the dragon was an old friend of his named Peewee. Years ago, a gang of teenaged dragons wanted to smash his egg, but the then smaller Spike stood up to them and saved the egg. He raised the phoenix from the time he hatched until they were able to locate his parents and return him to them. The now adult Peewee would often return to Ponyville to visit his master.

“Evening Star, this is my good friend, Peewee,” Spike introduced the phoenix to the infant purple Pegasus as his mother held him up so that he could get a better look. The infant colt cooed and tried to grab the phoenix. Peewee squawked in displeasure and hopped further up Spike's arm.

“Careful, Evening. You have to be soft,” Twilight Sparkle told her son and then reached with her own hoof to gently caress the phoenix's crest. The bird chirped in pleasure and leaned his head into her hoof. “See, like this.”

Giving it another try, Evening Star reached forward again, much slower this time, and petted the phoenix. The ponies smiled as they watched Peewee enjoy being petted. Sitting next to Spike, Rarity, and Twilight was Flash. Next to them was Fluttershy and Big Macintosh. Across from them, Applejack and Rainbow Dash laid on the picnic sheet beside their husbands, Cider Barrel and Soarin. Both of their bellies were slightly swollen, the two mares being with foal. Applejack was quite excited to be an expectant mother and rubbed her little baby bump lovingly. However Cider Barrel would look down at her pregnant belly with a distant look in his eye. Rainbow Dash was both excited and nervous at the same time. Sure, she had adopted Scootaloo and found the time to be both an adoptive mother and a Wonderbolt at the same time, but now she would have to carry the foal within her and go through childbirth. She wasn't too pleased with having to take maternity leave from active duty for awhile. However, Soarin would reassure her everyday that she will be able to handle it.

“Hmm, where is Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich? It's not like them to miss a party,” Rarity pointed out as she looked about for the two party ponies and their pet alligator, Gummy. Right on cue, a bounding Pinkie Pie sped down the trail with Cheese Sandwich walking Gummy coming up behind her.

“YouGuysYouGuysYouGuys! GuessWhatGuessWhatGuessWhat!” Pinkie shouted rapidly as she bounced up and down at an impossible rate.

“Pinkie!” the orange Earth Pony stallion with the curly brown mane called to her as he let the alligator off his leash to let him go play with the other pets. “Wait a minute. We were going to tell them together.”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” she said as she calmed down and stopped bouncing.

“Tell us what?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, what's got you more excited than a termite in a lumberyard?” Applejack also asked.

Cheese walked up beside Pinkie, gave each other face-splitting grins, and then started to bounce up and down while shouting, “YouGuysYouGuysYouGuys! GuessWhatGuessWhatGuessWhat!”

“Ugh!” Rainbow Dash groaned as she face-hoofed. “Just tell us already!”

“I'm pregnant!” Pinkie Pie gleefully declared while leaping ecstatically in the air. Before the group could congratulate the couple, there was a flash of light. Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, floated in the air and looked around curiously.

“Oh, hello Discord,” Fluttershy greeted from her seat beside Big Macintosh. However, the draconequus ignored her and continued to search around the area. He would lift trees from the ground and then place back down, went trough the picnic basket, and even examined the clouds overhead.

“Is something wrong, Discord?” Twilight asked as she watched him lift up the grass to search underneath it.

“I was visiting my good friend, Jean-Luc, when something caught my attention,” Discord explained as he squeezed his head down an anthill. A moment later, he popped his head out and brushed off the aggravated insects.

“Who's Jean-Luc...” Twilight started to asked, but got cut off.

“I felt a...disturbance,” Discord said ominously. “It was though a million fourth walls cried out in terror and then were broken.”

The ponies and dragon weren't sure exactly what he meant by “fourth wall,” but he made it sound serious. Discord then lightened up and said, “Maybe it was nothing. So, what's going on here?”

“Pinkie was just sharing some wonderful news with us,” Fluttershy told him.

“Oh realy? What is it?”

“We're gonna have a foal!” Pinkie and Cheese announced together. Discord's mouth dropped, literally, to the ground and his eyes popped, also literally, out of his head. He gathered his body parts and put them back in there proper place.

“Oh, so that was what it was,” he said with an amused look on his face while he stroked his white beard thoughtfully. “Interesting...”

“What? What's interestin'?” Applejack asked, concerned by Discord's reaction.

“Oh, nothing,” he said dismissively. He then motioned to Pinkie Pie. “It's just going to be little more interesting around here with another one of her running around.”

Everypony suddenly understood what he meant. The two wackiest, craziest, zaniest ponies in all of Equestria were having a foal together. If the foal would be anything its parents, then it would be as though there were three Pinkie Pies living in Ponyville.

“Oh, this is going to be fun. Congratulations you two,” Discord chuckled. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my visit.”

The draconequus snapped the fingers of his bird claw and changed into a bipedal figure wearing a red and black uniform. The form Discord took reminded Spike of the beings that he and Twilight saw when they went through the magic mirror in the Crystal Empire. Discord then grabbed the air and pulled it open to reveal of circular window in the fabric of space and time. The group managed to see more of those bipedal beings on the other side and noticed that they appeared to be in what looked like a scene from one of those science fiction shows that played at the movie theater. Discord stepped through the wormhole and addressed the bald figure that sitting in the chair in the middle.

“I'm back, Mon Capitaine!” they heard Discord announce as the portal shrank.

“Q!” they managed to hear the bald figure shout in frustration right before the portal closed completely, leaving no sign of its existence in the air over the park. Everyone looked around to each other, confused. They didn't know what they just saw, and they didn't know if they wanted to find out.

*****

High above Ponyville, Surprise soar through the sky. She closed her purple eyes as she enjoyed the sensation of wind blowing in her face. She was headed over to Sweet Apple Acres. Her good friend Posey had asked her for a favor yesterday and she was more than happy to help. After Posey had explained to her what she wanted her to do, she went to Thunderbolt and asked him for a few spare clouds. He was reluctant at first, since the weather schedule called for clear skies, but relented when she gave him “the face.” Thunderbolt arranged for a few clouds to be placed over the orchard before sunrise and reminded her that she owed him one.

It was still early in the morning, but she could see a hint of sunlight on the horizon. Princess Celestia would be raising the sun any moment now and the Apples were bound to start their daily chores soon. If they didn't hurry, they would miss it.

Right on queue, she saw Posey walking down the trail from Ponyville and saw a gray Pegasus pushing a bundle of clouds through the sky. Posey looked up to her and gave her wink to signal that she was ready. Surprise waved down to her and then flew to Thunderbolt.

“This better be important,” the young Pegasus stallion murmured. Though he wasn't as lazy as his mother, he didn't enjoy waking up in the wee hours of the morning to fly to Cloudsdale to request an order of unscheduled clouds and haul them all the way back to Ponyville.

“It's for Sour Apple. Don't you want to do something nice for your best friend?” Surprise asked the grumpy and sleepy Thunderbolt.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, but couldn't wait a little bit?” he asked as he brushed back his mane. It was streaks of blue, electric blue, and white and had a bad case of bedhead.

“This is his favorite part of the day. It would mean the most to him if we did it now,” she explained.

“Well, I'm gonna catch a few more Z's,” he said as he grabbed one of the clouds and made a bed out of it. He yawned and started to curl up for a snooze. “Wake me up when it's time.”

“Don't you want to see it?”

“I only need to see the final product,” he dismissed with a wave of a hoof.

Surprise then left him to his nap and went to work. She swirled around the fluffy, white clouds and used the tips of her cream colored wings to gently graze their soft surfaces. To any other type of pony, clouds were no more than water vapor. To a Pegasus, they were tangible. Their texture was best described as a plush cushion or giant tufts of cotton. It was easy to see why Thunderbolt's mother, Rainbow Dash, loved to nap on them. However, to Surprise they were a canvas. With each pass, she sculpted the clouds into works of art in the sky.

Down on the ground, Posey made her way to the barn shaped farmhouse. As she knocked on the door, she could hear the ponies inside already moving about. A moment later, Applejack opened the door and saw her niece standing before her.

“Well good mornin', Posey. What brings you here this early?” the farm pony asked.

“Good morning, Aunt Applejack. I was wondering if Sour was already up,” she explained.

“Yes he is. Hold on a moment, sugar cube. Sour! Your cousin, Posey, is at the door!” Applejack called behind her. Sour Apple then appeared beside his mother in the doorway.

“Hello, Sour,” Posey greeted. He only nodded in return. “I have a surprise for you. Would you like to come see it?”

“A surprise at crack of dawn?” Applejack asked, looking over to her son. “Well, you better be neighborly and go see what it is.”

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She gave him a bump and nudged him out the door. Sour sighed exasperatedly and walked down the path alongside Posey. The yellow mare looked back at her aunt and they shared a knowing wink. As Posey led Sour to the orchard, she saw that the sun was about to peak over the treeline at any moment. For a moment, she thought that they might be too late.

“What a lovely time of day, isn't it?” she asked as they walked up a hill. At the top, you could see the whole farm.

“Mhmm,” he hummed in agreement.

“I bet the view up here is great,” she stated as they reached the top.

“Mh...” he started to respond, but then gasped in amazement. Over Sweet Apple Acres, there were figures made out of clouds. Each cloud was shaped like a pony that was close to him. He could see Posey, Fluttershy, and Big Macintosh. He could also see Amethyst, Midnight, Surprise, and Thunderbolt. In the center of them all, he could see himself alongside Apple Seed and his mother. Just then, the sun rose over the trees and the cloud sculptures were painted with the colors of the morning light. The white clouds were speckled with shades of color that represented each figure; green for him, yellow for Posey, a bit of purple for Amethyst, and so on and so forth.

From the work of art above them, Surprise descended and landed in front of Sour Apple and asked, “So do you like it?”

Sour Apple looked back up at the sky art, smiled, looked back at her, and answered, “Yes, Surprise. I like it very much. Thank you.”

Surprise's grin couldn't be bigger and she pulled him and Posey into a bone-crushing hug. Though it was a tad uncomfortable, the two ponies laughed.

“Well, you better have liked it, because it was a lot of work to go through for us.” They looked up to see Thunderbolt still resting on his cloud. He then yelped in shock as Surprise flew up and pulled him down into their group hug.

After they ended their hug, Sour thanked them all again and they went their serperate ways. Posey went back to her parents' animal sanctuary. There were some baby animals that need their breakfast. After finishing his nap, Thunderbolt cleaned up the sky. It was sad to dispose of such a masterpiece, but cloud art didn't last forever and the weather did call for clear skies that day. Sour Apple went about his chores around the farm. However, he had a smile on his face that would last for the remainder of the day.

Surprise flew back to her home. After all, she was a busy young mare and had much to do. It was Friday and that meant Amethyst and Midnight would be arriving that afternoon. Though her birthday wasn't until Monday, Surprise wanted to make sure she had a small welcome home party ready for her and Midnight as soon as they arrived. That and she needed to help her parents prepare for the upcoming birthday party.

Surprise landed in front of a strange looking house. Each side of the house was painted a different color and the roof was shaped like a party hat. On the front door, three balloons and an accordion made from a cheese sandwich were painted the surface. Surprise took the time to look at the symbols of her parents' cutie marks and then down at hers. She had inherited her mother's cutie mark, which she in turn had inherited from her Grannie Pie. She was named after her Grannie Pie, whom she greatly resembled. Posey may have looked just like her mother, except without wings, but she resembled Surprise the First perfectly. They both had white-cream colored bodies, yellow-gold manes, and purple eyes. They even had the same cutie mark. Her balloons were purple, whereas Pinkie Pie's were yellow and blue. Though she wasn't fortunate enough to have known her great-grandmother, she felt a special connection to her.

As soon as she opened the door, Surprise the Second was met with a snarling hiss as a pair of large, pointy tooth-filled jaws snapped in front of her face, missing her by a hairsbreadth. She was prepared for the attack and flapped her wings, flying out of harm's way. However the beast wasn't done yet. It lunged forward with its massive body and snapped at her tail. She just managed to pull her fluffy tail out of her attacker's reach just in time and retaliated by jumping on the green creature's scaly back. It tried to knock her off with its long tail, but couldn't reach the Pegasus. She pulled a cowboy hat seemingly out of nowhere and hooped and hollered as she rode on the beast's back. It tried to roll in hopes of knocking her off, but it backfired when she jumped off and started to rub its belly. It started to trash its tail side to side in pleasure and gave up.

“Nice try, Gummy. Maybe next time,” she laughed as she petted the eighteen foot long alligator. After she stopped petting his belly, he rolled back onto his feet and brushed against her affectionately before waddling off. Surprise giggled as she watch him walk away, but then found herself pinned to the floor. She struggled to move, but the pony on top of her had her on her back and was pinning her shoulders and wings down with their body. She stopped struggling and pouted as she looked up at the pony on top of her. “No fair, Mom.”

“You were good kid. Really good. But as long as I'm around, you'll always be second best, see?” Pinkie Pie teased while speaking in a mock gangster voice before letting her daughter up. “So how did it go?”

“It was great! I haven't seen Sour that happy in forever!” Surprise told her. “And it was so fun to make those cloud ponies! Maybe I should do that again for Amethyst's Birthday, but I'll make cloud ponies for her her family. Ooh, and a cloud dragon for Mr. Spike! Ooh! Maybe we can throw him a waking up party!”

“That sounds like fun!” Pinkie enthusiastically agreed with her daughter. “But we're all hoping he'll wake up for Amethyst's birthday. Can you imagine if he did? That would mean would we could throw...”

“A Happy Birthday Dragon Waking Up Party!” they both cheered together.

“Did somepony say 'a Happy Birthday Dragon Waking Up Party'?” a voice said from the backroom. Cheese Sandwich then burst in the room carrying streamers and balloons, looking around for the party. “Hey! What gives? Where's the Happy Birthday Dragon Waking Up Party?”

“It hasn't happened yet, Cheesy,” Pinkie told her husband.

“Aawww,” he moaned in disappointment. “Those are so hard to come by. I would hate to miss that one.”

“How are the party decorations coming, Pop?” Surprise asked.

“It's coming along. Wait until you see what I've done with the Pinata Party Pony Parade! So, how did it go at the farm?” As Surprise retold the events that transpired at Sweet Apple Acres, Cheese Sandwich got a sly grin and said, “That was a pretty special thing you did for Sour Apple. Is he just a friend or...”

Surprise's face turned pink and she stammered, “I-I don't know what you're talking about. He...He's a just a good friend.”

“Besides, she has a crush on somepony else.” Everypony looked up to see Cherry Pie come down from her bedroom for breakfast

“Oh really? Who?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“It's Pound Cake,” Cherry Pie answered and her older sister's face flushed a deep red as her parents laughed.

“How did you know about that!” Surprise demanded.

“Come on, I've seen the way you look at him while he isn't looking while the two of you are working.” Cherry then did an impression of her sister by resting her chin on her hooves, fluttering her eyelashes, and sighing dreamily.

“Pound Cake? Really?” Pinkie Pie asked amused. “I remember foalsitting him and his sister. I even used to change his diapers.”

“Mom!” Surprise moaned, mortified by her mother's statement.

“Isn't he too old for you?” Cheese asked. “You're only eighteen and he's twenty-five.”

“So what? That's not too much of a gap,” Pinkie Pie pointed out. “That's just barely more than the age difference between Rarity and Spike.”

“I just think he's cute, that's all!” Surprise declared.

“And what about Sour Apple? Do you think he's cute?” Pinkie Pie asked while raising her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

“Not having this conversation!”

“But aren't you related to the Apples?” Cheese asked his wife.

“We're not sure, but we may be a teeny weeny itty bitty related somewhere down the family tree. There was a smudge on the paper, so we couldn't tell,” Pinkie Pie explained.

“I'm going to go prepare Amethyst's and Midnight's welcome party,” Surprise announced, wanting to escape the conversation. As she headed to her room, she thought about the surprise they had made for Sour Apple and how happy it made him. He does have a nice smile though, she thought, smiling herself.

Legacy

It was early afternoon when they arrived back in Ponyville. The combined magical talent of Twilight Sparkle, Midnight, and Amethsyt allowed the group to teleport from the Macintosh Hills to their home halfway across Equestria. Teleporting magic was fairly complex, but each three of the casters were experts, having been trained by Princess Celestia herself. One moment, they were on the rocky road in the mountains, and in a sparkling flash of magic, they were standing on a grassy hill overlooking Ponyville.

Though he had only been gone for a few days, everything felt different for Spike. The cozy little town seemed smaller, and he figured it was due to his new size. He had grown so much much since the day he and Twilight moved to the town over twenty-five years ago. During that time, he and his friends have been on so many adventures. Some were exciting while others were terrifying, but they managed to make it through each one of them together. For such a peaceful and unassuming-looking town, it quite disaster prone. The homes and businesses have been damaged and repaired so many times that Spike wondered if any of the town's original buildings were still intact. For instance, Applejack's farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres was torn down and rebuilt so many times that it seemed they would throw a barn raising party every other month. Speaking of which, Spike and Rarity's home, Carousel Boutique, had to undergo renovations itself and probably would need some more now that he had grown again.

The others made their way down the hill and the dragon followed after them. As he walked down, he looked over to see a plot of land on an adjacent hill that was covered with tombstones. Spike paused when he saw the cemetery, reflecting upon an old memory. Rarity noticed her husband wasn't at her side and looked back to see him looking over the cemetery. She knew his history with the site and walked back to see if he was alright. The others noticed Rarity turn back and they stopped when they too realized what was going on.

“Spike? Darling, are you alright?” she asked, the concern evident in her voice. Spike didn't answer her immediately and continued to gaze upon the cemetery with an unreadable expression.

After looking for a few more seconds in silence, he turned and smiled before saying, “Yes, I'm fine. Everything is just fine.” He then started walking again and they continued onward. While walking, Amethyst cast a look back at the cemetery.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, they saw Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, Big Macintosh, Apple Seed, and Cherry Pie waiting for them. They also saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing behind them, smiling gently as the families ran to each other. Each family group embraced each other and cried out in a mixture of laughter and tears of relief. Midnight, Surprise, Posey, Thunderbolt, Sour Apple, and Amethyst recounted their story of how they were captured and how Evening Star came to free them from their prison. They also told of how they found Spike and how he rained fiery vengeance upon the changelings for threatening them and all of Equestria.

The two Alicorn Sisters listened intently to their tale even though Twilight had already sent them a letter explaining everything via Spike's magical fire breath. However, they wanted to hear about the experience from everypony that was involved. When the teenagers brought up that Prince Narcissus was the one that betrayed them to Chrysalis, they were reminded of the unconscious Unicorn that Spike was carrying on his back. Spike reached back and placed the Prince on the ground before Celestia and Luna, who looked down at him. Luna looked down at him with disdain, disgusted that he would betray his own country and his own family in a bid for power, but Celestia looked down at him with disappointment. While her sister had always been annoyed by his arrogance, Celestia believed in giving ponies chances to prove themselves. She had hoped that she could change him and help him become a noble prince, but that dream was now crushed. Over the millennia, she had seen ponies rise to greatness and she had seen ponies fall from grace. She has also seen those that were once considered unredeemable rise the darkness and once again walk in the light. Unfortunately, Narcissus has shown his true colors; he was greedy coward that was willing to sell his fellow ponies into slavery so that he could obtain power. He was no different than Lord Tirek, King Sombra, or Queen Chrysalis.

Chyrsalis... the white Alicorn thought about the Changeling Queen. She looked from Narcissus on the ground to Spike, who was rejoicing along the others. She smiled from seeing their unmatched joy and loathed to interrupt, but there was still pressing matters to address.

“...and then Spike took after her and...” Thunderbolt enthusiastically narrated.

“I apologize for interrupting, but may I speak to your parents alone?” Celestia requested while interjecting.

“Why? What's wrong, Aunt Celestia?” Midnight asked.

“Nothing's wrong,” she reassured them while smiling and slightly shaking her head. “We just need to do a debriefing.”

“Well, we were there too,” Thunderbolt pointed out. “Shouldn't be here for the debriefing?”

“That's alright, Thunderbolt, but you all have had quite the stressful experience. I don't want you to have dwell on it any longer than you need to.”

“Yeah, but...” Thunderbolt started to counter, but Sour Apple intercepted.

“She's right. Ah'm plum tuckered out,” the green Earth Pony agreed with the Princess.

“Besides, we have a party throw!” Surprise added cheerfully.

“I'm not sure that's the best idea, Surprise,” Posey said to her friend. “After all we been through, maybe Amethyst isn't up for a party right now.”

“But...” Surprise, Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, and Cherry Pie all said together in disappointment, their eyes watering up at the idea of postponing a party.

“Thank you, Posey, but it's okay,” Amethyst told her. “I think we all need this party.”

“Are you sure? I mean, are you up for it?” Fluttershy asked, agreeing with her daughter.

“I'm sure,” she reassured them and then pointed to the pouting faces of Pinkie Pie's family. “Besides, they've worked so hard to put this all together. We don't want to disappoint them now, do we?”

Seeing the overgrown, teary eyes and the quivering lips on the faces of the party ponies, Posey smiled and said, “Well, if you're up for it.”

“Yeah!” the family of hyperactive ponies cheered before grabbing the birthday kirin, lifting her onto Cheese and Surprise's backs, and raced down the road to Sugar Cube Corner. Amethyst only managed to let out a surprised yelp during the process, and the other children ran after them. Big Macintosh and Soarin followed after them, leaving the Element Bearers, Spike, Evening Star, Flash Sentry, and the Princesses in the middle of town square.

Wanting some privacy from any onlooking pony, the group entered Twilight's castle. A gathering of royals and national heroes would have certainly gained some attention before long. They entered the crystalline palace and walked down the halls to set of doors made out of green gems. Opening the doors, they entered a circular room that had seven white thrones, six of them bearing the cutie marks of the Elements of Harmony. The six Element Bearers took their respective seats while Luna and Celestia sat on either end of the circle, conjuring large floor cushions to sit on. Evening Star and Flash Sentry took a seat on the floor on either side of Twilight's throne. Spike placed Narcissus on the crest of an eight-pointed star in the center before laying on the floor on the outside of the circle of thrones, much too big to sit on his own throne.

“So what should we do with him?” Rainbow Dash asked while pointing to the young stallion on the floor.

“Ah say let Spike roast him like he did that bug that dared to harm mah baby!” Applejack angrily suggested, making her hatred for the traitor obvious. Two streams of smoke rose from the dragon's nostrils, willing to comply to the farmer's idea.

“I think enough blood has already been shed today,” Celestia said in an effort to calm the enraged parents. “We will deal with him in due time. As for now, we need to discuss what happened. Actually, Applejack, you brought up something I want to address with Prince Spike.”

Hearing his name, the dragon rose his head over the thrones to look at the solar Alicorn. “Yes, Celestia?”

Celestia's brow furrowed a bit as she gathered her thoughts on how she wanted to phrase her concerns. “Spike, I'm not quite sure how to feel about what happened, especially how you handled the situation.”

“Celestia, I...” he started to say, but she held up a hoof.

“Please allow me to finish. I understand you were angry that they had kidnapped your daughter and your sister. I know that they were planning to invade Equestria, but I question the extremes you went to. You massacred an entire hive of changelings. Please understand, I'm not angry at you, I'm just troubled by the course of action you took. Evening Star had effectively disarmed Chrysalis's plan. The children were out of harm's way and were able to find their parents before they could fall into her trap.”

“Sister, to speak in his defense, what if they were unable to locate them in time? Even with Prince Flash's assistance, the probability of them avoiding being capture without Prince Spike's help would have been unlikely. And if she had fed on all of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, she may have had the power to challenge us.”

“Not to mention that our forces are on the border of the Badlands awaiting the minotaurs. We would have been completely exposed,” Flash Sentry said.

“That is true,” Celestia agreed. “And I can agree it was for the best that he did make a preemptive attack on them, but what concerns me was that, according to all of your accounts, Chrysalis was fleeing.” Hearing this reminder, they all looked uncomfortably at the ground, remembering the sound of her screams as Spike incinerated her. “Spike, killing should always the last solution. When the Nightmare Forces took over Luna, I didn't slay her nor did we slay Discord or Sombra when they threatened Equestria.”

“What about when Sombra returned?” Spike countered. “The first time, he was destroyed by the Crystal Heart. The second time, I did it myself.”

“Yes, this is true, but difference this time is that Chrysalis was fleeing. She was already defeated.”

“But she would have returned eventually. She even vowed that she return and she would have her revenge.”

“He's right. We all heard her say that,” Twilight confirmed and the others nodded in agreement. This caused Celestia to pause and think some more about the matter.

Luna, having more of an affinity for war than her sister, said, “Celestia, you know that in times of war, it is a credible strategy to prevent the enemy from regrouping to form a counter attack, which she was planning to do. She wasn't helpless, she didn't surrender, and we both know that she would have followed through with her promise to invade again.”

“You're right,” the elder sister relented while sighing before turning back to the purple dragon. “However, I want to make sure you always remember this, Spike; always try to take the peaceful path first and only resort to violence when all other options have been exhausted.”

“I will,” he responded. There was a moaning sound and Prince Narcissus started to stir.

“It looks like somepony is waking up,” Pinkie Pie said, her usual happy tone missing from her voice. She, like her friends, were less than thrilled by having him endanger their children. He opened his eyes and slowly tried to raise himself up, but shouted in surprise when his body was pulled back to the ground by the grip of a dark blue magical aura.

“Prince Narcissus,” Luna addressed the traitor in the Royal Canterlot Voice while restraining him with her magic. “You have a lot to answer for!”

“What is this? I demand you let me go!” the white Unicorn stallion shouted as he struggled under the blue magical restraints.

“Be silent!” Everyone flinched in surprise and turned their heads to Celestia for they had never before heard her use the booming traditional voice. “Prince Narcissus, I have watched you your entire life. I've tried to steer you in the right direction. I've given you countless opportunities to prove yourself and restore honor to your house. I wanted you to prove to all of Equestria that you were a true prince, but you wasted the chances you have been given and betrayed everypony. And for what? A throne? A crown? These things you could have been yours if you had only let me guide you.”

Narcissus then contemptuously chuckled at her and cast a glare over at Twilight Sparkle while sneering, “You mean discover the 'magic of friendship' like that usurper on that throne? What utter nonsense. Just because she made some friends does not make her a true princess. If making friends is all it takes to become an Alicorn Princess, why don't you just make everypony in Equestria one!? Everyone is a princess! Bah! I should be sitting on that throne! I was born to be a ruler! You're just a peasant!” He then turned to Rarity, Flash Sentry, and Evening Star. “All of you! You have your titles because of a lie!” He then turned to the dragon that was glowering at him. “And you're just a monster and your daughter is a freak!”

There was a streak of blue and something hard collided with the belligerent Unicorn's jaw, knocking him over. His mouth throbbing with pain, he looked up to see that it was Rainbow Dash's hoof that had knocked him down. The cyan Pegasus panted with rage and was about to hit him again when Fluttershy came up and grabbed onto her hoof. Just as Posey restrained Thunderbolt from harming him, their mothers now reenacted the scene from earlier that day.

“Let me at him!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Please, Rainbow Dash. Don't sink to his level,” Fluttershy urged her.

“His level!? His level is below dirt! Even if I pounded him into next week, I still won't even come close to his level!”

“That's enough, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia calmly intervened. The Wonderbolt snort, but took her seat again.

“Then what are we going to do with him?” she grumbled as she sat down.

“And what about the minotaurs?” asked Flash Sentry. “Evening Star and I need to get back to lead the soldiers.”

“That's right. They'll be at our borders soon,” Evening Star confirmed.

“At least we don't have to worry about fight two battles at once.” Flash's statement sparked something in Twilight's mind and she started to come up with a theory.

“Wait. Does anypony else find it very coincidental that the changelings were planning on invading the same time the minotaurs were?” she asked.

“That's right. Our children told us that their plan was to invade while the soldiers were distracted by the minotaurs,” Rarity said, also seeing the connection.

“A plan like this would take some time to organize. I can't imagine Chrysalis just sitting around waiting for an enemy army to invade in order to carry out her plan. No, she took matters into her own hooves.”

“Although Chieftain Thickskull only recently took command of the United Minotaur Tribes, he was friendly towards our Kingdom until a sudden change in his behavior a few days before the raids began,” Celestia recalled. She then looked back down at the bounded Narcissus. “That's it, isn't it? Chrysalis bewitched him, didn't she?”

Narcissus scowled and looked down at the floor in defeat, confirming their suspicions.

“Well, that's good, ain't it?” Applejack asked. “Don't spells like that end when the one who cast them are no longer around?”

“That's right,” Twilight confirmed. “Without a caster to maintain the enchantment, the spell should end.”

“Regardless, we need to go back to make sure,” said Flash.

“I agree. Thickskull may have been bewitched into attacking, but he is too stubborn to turn back now, even if he's been released from the spell,” Celestia told them.

“Perhaps there is a way to end this fight before it even begins,” Spike suggested. He grinned and turned to Celestia. “I suggest we take the 'peaceful path'. If it works, we'll all be back in time for Amethyst's party.”

“What do you have in mind?” Evening Star asked.

“Oh, you'll see.”

“Very well. And as for you,” Celestia spoke down at Narcissus. “I charge you with high treason against the crown and the Kingdom of Equestria. All those agree, raise your hoof or claw.” One by one, the hooves (and claw in Spike's case) of the Royal Family and the Council of Friendship rose in agreement. “Prince Narcissus of the House of Blueblood, this council finds you guilty. I hereby sentence you to imprisonment for life.” Celestia brought her hoof down, sealing his fate. The condemned Prince said nothing as the council disbanded and Luna and Celestia teleported away with him.

*****

On the dry, dusty grounds of the Badlands, lines of pony soldiers stood ready for battle. The sound of marching hooves were heard as they saw the large, bulky bodies of the minotaurs come over the hill to meet them in combat. The horned bipeds carried battle axes, war hammers, pole arms, and spears as the marched forward. Their coats were covered in war paint and they wore armored padding on their bodies. Leading them was their Chieftain, Thickskull. He carried a large, two-handed morning star and red tribal markings were painted on his face and carved horns.

As he drew closer to the ponies, he saw three figures descend from the sky and land halfway between the opposing armies. He recognized the central lavender pony as Princess Twilight and the orange and purple stallions beside her from their negotiations the week before. Apparently, they were wanting to try to talk him out of his decision to invade one last time. Laughing to himself, he decided to humor them and held up a hand, halting his army. He then walked out to meet them.

“Ah, the little Pony Princess,” he mocked as he approached them.

“Chieftain Thickskull,” she greeted, bowing an inch to show some courtesy.

“I see Celestia is still afraid to meet me in combat. How long is she going to hide behind her errand girl?”

Twilight groaned a bit at the insult, but calmed herself and said, “I'll give you one last warning. Turn back now and swear you will leave our Kingdom in peace.”

Thickskull roared in raucous laughter and turned around to face his forces. “She wants us turn back after we came all this way and leave them in peace!” The battlefield was filled with the sound of hundreds of minotaurs laughing at the Alicorn, and Thickskull turned back around to face her once more. “I think not. How about this instead? You bow down to me right now and let me chop off your horn and I'll let you keep your wings. Or you can try to defy me and I'll take it by force. Either way, I'll be taking the throne of Equestria and I will have my crown of Alicorn horns.”

“So be it,” she told him. “If really you want to fight, I have another offer; we each choose one champion to fight in behalf of our nations. They will fight in single combat. If my champion wins, you must swear to leave in peace. If your champion wins, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and I will surrender. We won't resist and we'll even let you make a crown out of our horns. Either way, we will prevent any further battles. No lives have to be lost.”

“You are willing to gamble your country's freedom on the outcome of one duel?” he asked, hardly believing what she was suggesting.

“Do you accept, or are you afraid to lose?” she goaded him on.

“I'm not scared to do battle with one little pony!” he boasted. “I'll fight your champion myself! Let them face me here and now! I'm ready!”

“Very well. Your opponent shall be my firstborn,” she told him, grinning up at him. Thickskull looked down at Evening Star, assuming she meant the Purple Pegasus. The gray minotaur snorted and then laughed, gripping his weapon tighter. Twilight then turned around and looked up to the sky. “SPIKE!”

Thickskull hesitated when he saw her call up to the sky and looked up, expecting to see another Pegasus or even an Alicorn. High above them, he saw a dark figure circling the battlefield. From ground, he could barely make out the outline of the figure's flapping wings and then saw it dive down towards them. As the silhouette approached them, it became larger, much larger than any pony should be. The wings were like a bat's and it had a long, serpentine neck and tail. Thickskull's eyes widen as he realized what he was looking at, and before he could react, a large, purple dragon with green spines landed on the ground between the Chieftain and the ponies. Spike raised himself up onto his hind legs, fanned out his green wings, and came crashing back down with a roar.

Thickskull screamed like a heifer and ran back to his army. He barreled through the lines in his desperate attempt to get away, knocking anyone over that got in his away. Stunned, the other minotaurs looked from their retreating commander and back to Spike. When they saw the dragon breathe green flames into the air, they followed Thickskull's example and stampeded away.

*****

Amethyst and her friends chortled with laughter as Twilight told them how Thickskull ran away without a fight after seeing Spike. Thunderbolt and Sour Apple held their sides and Surprise had fallen to the floor, kicking her legs in the air as she screamed with laughter. Even Princess Celestia gave a hearty laugh as she listened.

“You...You should have seen his face!” Evening Star gasped between laughs.

“All's well that ends well,” Twilight said as they calmed down, wiping the tears from their eyes.

“Now that was a treat,” Amethyst said. “Too rich.”

“I'd say,” Midnight agreed. “Now that we don't have to worry about any changelings or minotaurs invading, we can enjoy the party in peace.”

The party was taking place in Ponyville Square and ponies from all over came to attend. After all, a Princess of Equestria was having a birthday party and was being thrown by Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich. The town was filled with booming music, bright lights of all colors, and confetti. The family and friends of the birthday kirin were seated at a long table, all of them wearing party hats, even Princesses Celestia and Luna. At the head of table was Amethyst with her friends at her sides. The parents sat at the other end with Celestia and Luna and Amethyst's grandparents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Due to his size, Spike lounged behind the table and ate a pile of gems that was brought to him.

When Pinkie gave them and nod, she disappeared with Cheese and their daughters, but then returned moments later driving around the corner in parade floats. Leading the parade was Pinkie in a Rarity float, followed by Cheese in a Spike float, and then by Surprise and Cherry in an Amethyst float. The white scaled kirin gasped in delight when she saw the floats and then laughed when they launched candy out of their tops.

“Do you like it?” Pinkie yelled over roar of the crowd as they rushed forward to grab the candy. “We call it 'the Pinata Party Pony Parade'!”

“I love it!” Amethyst shouted back as she grabbed pieces of candy with her claws.

“Wait until you see the cake the Cakes helped us make!”

“Oh geez...” she said as she shook her head with amusement when she saw the Cakes wheel out a towering white, purple, and green cake. When they saw multilayer cake, everypony starred up at the ten foot tall culinary colossus.

“Is that a...” Fluttershy stammered as her mouth watered.

“Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness!” they all exclaimed as they identified the tasty tower of sweetness. They sang “Happy Birthday” to Amethyst and served out the cake.

“Thank you, everypony. I don't know what could make this party better than it already is,” Amethyst told them.

“How about a visit from your aunt?” a voice asked, and she turned to see a white Unicorn mare with a two-toned, pink and purple mane.

“It's Sweetie Belle!” a foal announced from the crowd, recognizing the famous singer. Along with her were two other mares; a yellow Earth Pony with a red mane and orange Pegasus with a purple mane. Amethyst, Thunderbolt, Sour Apple, Apple Seed, Cherry Pie, Surprise, Midnight, and Posey got up from their seats and ran to hug their old friends.

“Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Apple Bloom! What are you three doing here?” Amethyst esthetically asked as she hugged Sweetie Belle.

“Did you really think we'd miss this?” Scootaloo asked as she hugged Thunderbolt.

“We wouldn't miss it for the world,” Apple Bloom claimed as she tussled Apple Seed's mane.

“Look who else who came,” Sweetie Belle said as pointed to a white Unicorn and two pink Alicorns.

“Shining Armor! Cadance! Skyla!” Amethyst almost couldn't take it all in. She ran to the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire and their daughter. Skyla looked very similar to her mother, except her coat was a darker shade of pink and her mane was gold and purple. Like her mother and Aunt Twilight, she had ascended to Alicorn status. It was expected that Midnight would join them once she was ready. With all of her family and friends surrounding her, Amethyst couldn't be happier.

Sweetie Belle took a microphone and treated the audience to a free concert. The crowd roared in excitement and cheered. The teenagers rushed to in front of the stage and began to dance along with the upbeat music. When the famous singer began to sing softer songs, they began to slow dance. Spike looked over to his friends and saw that Twilight was being led to the dance floor by her husband, as were Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Spike rose up and made his way to Rarity.

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“My lady, may I have this dance?” he asked as he held out his claw. She looked at and saw it was nearly the size of her entire body.

“I'm afraid we might be pass the time for dancing,” she lamented. She then gave a mildly surprised cry as Spike scooped her up in the crook of one of his fore legs.

“We'll never be pass the time for dancing,” he reassured her, smiling at her. She smiled back and wrapped her fore legs around his neck. Since her rear hooves couldn't reach the ground, Spike simulated the motions of a waltz by swaying slowly side to side.

As they danced, they looked to the other dancers and were reminded of their wedding. Sweetie Belle was singing and they were dancing along with their friends, though a few new faces now joined the dance. They giggled when they saw the little colts nervously approach the young fillies.

Thunderbolt was sweating bullets as he approached the dinner table. Posey was still sitting, bobbing her head along to the beat as she enjoyed the tune. When he reached her, he cleared his throat and she looked up at him.

“Hey Posey. Mind if we talked?” he asked hesitantly.

“Not at all,” she sweetly answered and he took a seat beside her. “What's on your mind?”

“I've been thinking ever since yesterday.”

“Yesterday? You mean when we were being held captive?”

“Well...yes. Especially about how the Changeling Queen tried to brainwash us.”

“Oh,” she replied, remembering the awful experience.

“When she zapped me with her spell... I saw something,” he slowly told her.

“I saw something too. She got to both of us before Midnight stopped her.”

“I saw thing...nice. I was with someone.”

“Same here,” she whispered, looking away from him. “What...Who did you see?”

“...You.” She snapped her head up to see his troubled face. “I was with you. I don't know if it was something she saw in my mind or something she put there, but I was happy. I know it was a lie, but I wanted it to be true.” Posey then whispered something he couldn't make out. “What was that?”

“Do...Do you really mean that?” she said a little louder, her face hidden behind her vale of pink hair. He was quiet as he thought about her question. It may have all just been a ploy Chrysalis used to manipulate him.

“Yes,” he finally replied adamantly, causing her to look into his eyes. Her own teal eyes were starting to fill with tears and her cheeks turned red. “Yes, I do.”

She couldn't hold back the tears and she leaped towards him, throwing her fore legs around him. She happily sobbed into his chest as he held her, stroking her mane.

“I...I saw you too,” she admitted. “She may have been trying to trick us, but I was so happy! When it was over, when we woke up, I felt empty! For a moment, I felt something wonderful, but then it was taken from me.”

“I don't know if these feelings are our own or not, but I want to give a try.” She nodded in agreement. She then wiped her eyes and regained her composure. They sat in awkward silence after that intense moment they shared, not knowing how to proceed from there. Thunderbolt then looked over to the dancing ponies and then turned back to Posey. “Would you care to dance?”

“I'd love to,” she answer as she took his hoof that he extended to her and followed him to dance floor.

As the dance continued, Spike noticed Thunderbolt with Posey and pointed them out to Rarity. “Would you look at that?”

“If you think that something, look over there,” she said to him. Looking in the other direction, he saw Surprise telling Sour Apple a joke and he was laughing mirthfully. “Pound Cake isn't but a step away from her and she hasn't even looked in his direction once this entire evening.”

“Do you think she's over her crush on him?”

“Maybe it's for the best. After all, look how happy she's making Sour.” She then recalled something from earlier. “When we got back, I noticed you looking at the cemetery again. Were you thinking about what you saw a long time ago?”

When Spike had traveled to the parallel world of Trotina, he had seen a vision of the future. For years, the experience had haunted him. In the vision, he saw everypony he cared about grow old and die before him.

“I was, but it's not what you think,” he reassured her. “I was noticing what parts of the vision have come true and what parts haven't.”

“Like what?”

“Well, for instance, you and I are married. In the vision, you had married Count High N'Mighty.”

“Oh, him,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I had almost forgotten about him, but I suppose he is responsible for bring us together. If it wasn't for the awful experience with him, I may have never realized how much I cherished our relationship.”

“Twilight did become a member of the Royal Family, though I didn't know she would become an Alicorn,” he continued. He looked back at Surprise and smiled. “I saw her.”

“Who? Surprise?” Spike nodded to her question.

“She comforted me and offered to be my friend when I thought I had lost all my friends. She taught me that though my friends may leave me one day, I will be with them again.” He remembered the words she had used. “She said, 'Don’t think of it as 'goodbye', think of it as 'see you later'.'”

“That's a wonderful way to think of it,” she told him. “We should all think of it that way.”

“Yes, but we still don't have to worry about for a long time.” He looked among the crowd and saw his mother, Twilight Sparkle, dancing with Flash Sentry. Applejack was smiling proudly as she watched Sour Apple dance with Surprise. Rainbow Dash and Soarin were similarly watching Thunderbolt dance with Posey while Fluttershy and Big Macintosh reflected on how they hooked up at a dance like this one. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich had joined Sweetie Belle on stage and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were entertaining Cherry Pie and Apple Seed with stories of when they were Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Even when it's time to say good bye, I'll still have our friends' children.”

“And our daughter,” Rarity reminded him, motioning towards the kirin with the violet mane. Rarity and Spike saw that their beloved daughter, Amethyst, was socializing with Midnight and Evening Star, happy that they could share that day with her. Seeing her having the time of her life meant everything to them.

“And then their children.”

“And their children's children.”

“So enough, I'll have a whole nation of descendants running around,” he mused. “I'll never be lonely.”

“Yes, but that can wait. Right now, let's dance.” Sharing a smile, they continued their improvised waltz. As they danced the night away, Spike still thought about what he had. He had a family that loved him; a darling wife, a precious daughter, and an extended family and circle of friends that gave his life meaning. It was something worth fighting for, something he would do anything to protect. He knew new dangers would arise to threaten Equestria. It was inevitable, but he would be there to protect his family from them. They would all learn to fear the Legend of Spike.

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