A New Dragon in Ponyville

by Vedues

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Original Character, Sex, Spike, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 212114

Cliff Runner has just one goal in life: find his egg-napped brother, and bring him home where he belongs.

Ponies are dangerous. At least, that's what everydragon says. They even stole his brother's egg years ago. So why are these ponies being so nice to him?

Expect elements of Comedy, Adventure, and Sad from time to time.
Sex tag added for somewhat blunt discussions about the birds and the bees.

Featured: 5/25/2014
Reason: Smeg knows. Love you anyway though!

Don't feel like reading this before jumping to the sequel? No worries, this blog post will catch you up to speed in about 2 minutes.

Now with a Spanish Translation: https://www.deviantart.com/spaniard-kiwi/art/Un-nuevo-dragon-1-11-923167089

Published 2014-05-24 23:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-27 21:05:43 UTC

Chapter 2

“How did you find me?” Spike asked several minutes later, when they had all disentangled themselves and moved to the living room.

“I heard that a young purple dragon with no wings,” Cliff Runner pointed at his own wingless back, “attended the Great Migration this generation. I also heard that he was exchanging letters with a pony princess, so I went to Canterlot to investigate. I bumped into the Immortal Sisters, who directed me here.”

“You met Celestia and Luna!” Princess Twilight smiled broadly. “Aren't they wonderful?”

Cliff still wasn't sure what to think of the rulers of the sun and moon, but it was obvious that this young alicorn idolized them. “They were more helpful than I could have hoped,” he said tactfully.

“You said I have parents,” Spike cut in. “What are they like? Do I have any other brothers or sisters?”

“No.” He tousled the younger dragon's head spikes. “We're the only kids in our family. Mom's name is Scenic Trail. I guess you might say that she's,” Cliff chuckled, “blunt. She gets that from Grandma. You'll never meet a more loving dragoness though. Sure, she'll tell you when you're acting stupid, but she'll also talk with you when you're feeling lonely, or just be there for you when there's nothing to say. Everydragon she meets in her travels knows they can go to her with their problems. Stars, the entire coven calls her, 'Mom,' even Steel Claw, and he's nearly four hundred years old.”

Spike drank in the details with a grin. “How about Dad?”

“Dad's name is Sky Painter. He's really relaxed, but then again, you kind of have to be to deal with Mom's side of the family. He's also... well, honestly, he's kind of a dork.” The older dragon laughed. “Nodragon can figure out why Mom asked him to marry her. At least, not until they get to know him, and realize how thoughtful he is. He paints the two of us with them on all the trips he takes with Mom. He says it's because we're always in his heart. You're an adult with purple spikes, though, but I'm sure he'll change that once he gets back and sees you.”

“Do you want some tea?” the alicorn princess asked suddenly. “I could make something to eat too, if you're hungry.”

“Great idea, Twilight.” The baby dragon licked his lips. “I'll have an oat sandwhich.”

Oh that's right, ponies are herbivores. Cliff was actually in the mood for some fire-roasted rabbit, but he doubted that would go over well. “I'll have what he's having.”

With a nod, the Princess made her way to the kitchen.

“Why do Mom and Dad -” Spike chuckled a little as he said the words “- wander so much? Do they just like to travel?”

“Actually, they're looking for you. They've been doing that since before I was born.”

“Uh, before you were born?” Spike pointed to the top of Cliff's head, and then to his own much smaller size. “You sure about that?”

“Eggs only hatch with dragon-fire or powerful unicorn magic. Yours was dormant for nearly two decades before you were born. Didn't anypony ever tell you?”

The younger dragon shook his head. “No one told Twilight or I anything about my egg.”

Cliff wasn't surprised. “Ponies are the ones that stole you from us. They were probably trying to cover their guilt.”

Spike looked uncomfortable, and paused for a moment before responding. “Maybe bad ponies stole me, but Twilight and her family raised me as one of their own. You have to believe that most ponies aren't like the ones that took me.”

He looked into the younger dragon's eyes, placed a hand over his heart, and cast a spell. Spike's emotions flowed into him. He was excited, a little nervous, and completely sincere. “Do you really trust these ponies?”

“Of course, they really are nice.” More sincerity, and unabashed love.

“...Okay, I'll try to give them the benefit of the doubt.” He ended the spell and lowered his hand.

“Thanks, Cliff. Anyway, are you going to tell Mom and Dad that you found me?”

It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but the older dragon decided to go along with it. “Of course, but they won't get back for at least another year, so there's no hurry.”

The baby dragon's eyes swelled up like he was about to cry. “A whole year?”

“Spike,” Cliff Runner said gently, “dragons live for centuries. You need to start thinking in the long term.”

The other dragon bit down his tears and nodded. “Okay, I can wait for a year.”

They sat in silence until the Princess returned. “Did I miss anything important?” A tray of cups and sandwiches floated in the air above her.

“Cliff Runner told me that my parents won't be back for another year.”

“I'm so sorry, Spike.” She set the tray in front of them and gave the dragon a hug. “I know how much you were hoping to see them.”

Spike hugged her back. “It's okay, Twilight. I've got a brother now, and that's enough to make me happy.” He picked up a sandwich and took a big bite of it.

“If you don't mind my asking,” Twilight said as she poured their tea. “Why weren't you at the Great Dragon Migration? I was there myself, and I'm sure that I didn't see you.”

So that part of the rumor was true as well. Cliff's first thought was that she had been trying to keep Spike from escaping, but he remembered his promise to the little dragon, and tried not to jump to that conclusion. “Only drakes go to the migration.”

They both looked at him in confusion.

Are ponies really this clueless? “Dragons with wings are drakes. Dragons without wings are wyrms.”

“Just like pegasi and earth ponies!” The Princess pulled over a quill and parchment. “I really should be writing this down.”

“Do you want me to take notes?” Spike volunteered.

Cliff Runner took advantage of the distraction to try some of his tea. It tasted like boiled leaves. He set it aside and tried a sandwich. More plants. He could handle the bread, but was that grass in there? Cliff forced himself to swallow. How has Spike managed to survive on food like this?

“Okay,” the Princess declared. “We're ready. Tell us everything there is to know about dragons.”

He looked from her to his younger brother, who held a quill at the ready. “Okay, but you both need to understand that we're different than the dragons you see around here. We don't collect hoards of jewels because it causes... problems.”

“You mean the exponential increase in size and greediness that results from accumulating possessions?” Twilight asked.

Cliff blinked. “You know about that?”

“I, uh... almost destroyed Ponyville once.” Spike fidgeted uncomfortably.

“How did you snap him out of it?” Cliff asked Twilight. It was nearly impossible to help a berserk dragon.

“I didn't. My friend Rarity did.”

Spike went googly-eyed at the name. “You'll love her, Cliff. She's beautiful, and kind, and graceful, and...”

The Princess rolled her eyes indulgently. Cliff Runner, however, was struggling to come to grips with this latest revelation. Not only was my brother raised by ponies, but he's in love with one of them?! That had to be the case. Only an extremely strong emotional bond could snap a dragon out of a berserk frenzy, and even then the odds were slim.

“Spike,” Princess Twilight interrupted her still-rambling assistant. “I think he understands.” She turned back to Cliff. “Sorry about letting things get off topic. Please continue.”

He nodded and picked up where he had left off. “Redstone Coven is rather small. There are only six families, but we're all very close.” He smiled at the memory of times spent playing in the mountain with friends. “Our nest sits at the entrance to an ancient dragon city, and so we also spent a lot of time studying the ruins.”

“Can you read ancient draconic?” Twilight asked.

“Yes... usually.”

“Amazing, I've been looking for someone to teach me!” This princess was certainly enthusiastic about things. “That is, if you wouldn't mind.”

“...I don't mind.” Cliff had no reason to refuse her. “Anyway, I wanted you to know that we aren't like the dragons that attack Equestria from time to time.” When they both nodded that they understood, Cliff went into the rest of what he knew. Dragon history alone took up several long scrolls, and just mentioning dragon magic left Cliff pinned to the wall as the Princess begged him to teach her everything he knew. He wasn't sure that an alicorn could even use his race's magic, but he wanted to teach Spike anyway, and so he agreed to let her join in their lessons.

Dragon growth came as a shock to both Spike and the Princess. They had assumed that dragons continuously grew larger as they got older. Cliff was happy to explain that most scholarly dragons remained about pony sized. It was only the ones who lost themselves to greed that became giants.

He was just finishing his explanation of a dragon's life-cycle when there came a knock at the door.

The Princess looked out the window, and saw the rising sun. “Oh no, we stayed up all night studying again!” She ran for the stairs. “I'll get the door. Could you get Spike to bed, Cliff Runner? It's the first door on the left.”

“But I'm not tired,” Spike muttered.

Cliff leaned over and saw that his little brother had just written the Princess's comment about putting him to bed, and his own objection to it. “Princess Twilight is correct. Baby dragons need their sleep.” He hefted the little dragon into his arms, and walked to the indicated room. Cliff had seen enough beds during his travels to know how they were supposed to work, even if he would have preferred a nice, communal nest.

After tucking Spike in one of the two beds he found inside, Cliff returned to the dining room to find Princess Twilight clearing away their dishes.

“I'm sorry about that. The palace doubles as our town's library, and Cheerilee wanted to borrow a book for her class today.” She took the dishes to the kitchen, and returned. “Are you tired?”

Cliff shook his head. “I was actually hoping to meet some of Spike's friends today, Princess.” If he was going to give these ponies a chance, he would need to meet them first.

“Well, I was supposed to spend the day researching ancient plagues, but after everything you taught me tonight, I would be a terrible friend if I didn't help you.” She motioned for him to follow her to the stairs. “Spike won't wake up for at least another eight hours. That should give me plenty of time to show you around.”

They reached the ground floor, and moved to the door. “Won't ponies panic if they see a dragon walking around town, Princess?” That was, of course, a nice way of saying, 'won't ponies freak out and attack me?'

“Of course not. They see Spike all the time.” She paused for a moment. “Though it wouldn't hurt to walk on all fours, so you don't seem so tall.”

With a shrug, Cliff did so. Like most dragons, he was comfortable either way. It also put him at eye level with the alicorn princess.

“Where would you like to go first?”

He only knew the name of one other pony in this town, so the decision was a rather easy one. “I'd like to meet this Rarity that my brother thinks so much of.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Ponies were everywhere, surrounding him like a multicolored river. Dragon scales were an excellent defense against anything sharp, but they wouldn't do much if an earth pony decided to kick him. The force of the blow would go right through to his bones and organs. A bolt of lightning from a pegasus wouldn't be affected by his scales much either. Unicorn magic was an even bigger threat. Energy rays, telekinesis, blasts of freezing cold, the list of ways a trained unicorn could kill a dragon was nearly endless. Cliff's sides itched just thinking about how many ponies could be lining up an attack that very moment.

In spite of his worries though, nopony actually seemed hostile. Nervous would be a better word, but they all greeted Princess Twilight with smiles and waves. A few did ask if Spike was growing again, which explained a lot. Even weaker berserkers were a force to be reckoned with. If they thought he might be transforming into one, then they would have to be crazy not to start rounding up their best warriors to deal with him. It seemed a minor miracle when they made it to their destination without any major incidents.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't a fancy clothing store. Cliff Runner didn't see the point in clothing personally, but his stomach growled at the gemstones encrusting various garments in the front window. I really should have tried harder to eat that sandwich.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique,” a unicorn with a white coat and an intricately styled purple mane greeted them. She spoke with a slight accent, which Cliff assumed was a sign of nobility. “Ah Twilight, how nice of you to come see me, and-” her mouth dropped when she saw him, but she quickly recovered, “and I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting your friend.”

“That's actually why we came by.” She gestured at her companion. “Cliff, this is Rarity. Rarity, this is Cliff Runner, Spike's older brother.”

“Buh, whuh?” the unicorn stammered, all hints of an accent lost. “Spike has an older brother?”

“Younger brother, technically,” Cliff said. “I just hatched first.” He had forgotten that the Princess was out of the room when he explained that.

“My goodness, I am so thrilled to make your acquaintance!” And like that, the accent had returned. “You simply must allow me to make an ensemble for you to celebrate your visit to Ponyville.”

Cliff barely had time to respond before he was pulled onto a raised platform and wrapped in measuring tape.

“I see you have the same beautiful scales as dear Spikey-wikey,” she crooned as she worked.

Spikey-wikey? Cliff felt ill, and only part of it was from realizing that Spike's feelings were reciprocated.

“It's a good thing I have so many designs for Spikey-wikey, it will make this much easier.” Rarity undid the measuring tape, and wrote everything down on a clipboard. “Now, tell me all about yourself.”

“Spike's egg was stolen from my parents while they were traveling many years ago. We've all been hunting for him ever since, and I finally found him last night.” It was far from everything, but Cliff Runner really didn't feel like repeating his life story again.

“Why, that is so inspiring!” Rarity beamed. “I assure you that you could not ask for more kind or loving dragon than dear Spikey.” She looked around. “Where is he anyway? He was going to come by and help me around the shop today.”

“He's sleeping at home,” the Princess said. “We were up all night talking with Cliff Runner.”

“Now Twilight, you really need to take better care of Spikey-wikey. A baby dragon needs his sleep.”

“I know,” the Princess blushed.

“Well never mind, dear.” Rarity gave the alicorn a quick hug. “I'm sure he appreciated the chance to spend time with his brother.”

Rarity offered them some tea before they left, but Cliff politely declined. One sip of that stuff had been plenty.

“Well?” the Princess asked as they walked away from the boutique.

Cliff tried to ignore the fresh wave of stares he was attracting. “She cares about Spike,” he conceded. “That's the only thing that really matters. I just have one question.”

“What?”

He turned to the Princess. “Spikey-wikey?”

She giggled. “That's just Rarity.”

The young dragon was about to respond, but suddenly his instincts shouted that something was coming. He jumped as high as he could, letting a pink blur shoot under him and crash into the alicorn princess.

“Twilight, you never told me that Spike has a brother!” a high pitched voice said.

Cliff had to pull himself back from breathing fire on the pink pony. The stars only knew what Princess Celestia would do to him if he harmed one of her subjects.

“Sorry about scaring you, Spike's brother,” the newcomer said, giving him a huge smile. “I just saw Twilight walking along with an older version of Spike, and at first I thought that Spike was growing and going all crazy again, but then I realized that you were a different dragon, and you had to be Spike's brother because you totally look the same, and I was so excited that I couldn't help but run over and introduce myself. I'm Pinkie Pie!”

Most of what she said was lost in a torrent of words, but he was able to get the basic idea.
“Uh, I'm Cliff Runner.”

“It's nice to meet you, Cliff Runner! You should let me know the next time you visit for the first time so I can throw you one of my famous 'Welcome to Ponyville,' parties!” A cannon next to her fired a swarm of confetti into the air, emphasizing her point.

“Where did that cannon come from?” Cliff asked. He was sure it hadn't been there a second ago.

Pinkie Pie looked confused. “What are you talking about? What cannon?”

“That one-” He froze. The cannon was gone. “Where did it go?”

The pink pony smiled sympathetically. “Don't worry, I misplace things sometimes too.” She held out a bag, which also hadn't been there a second earlier. “Anyway, here's a little treat for you from Sugarcube Corner. I've got to get back to work now. I'll see you both at Applejack's later. Bye!” And then she was gone.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight said as she shook the dust out of her coat. “Pinkie Pie can get a little energetic at times.”

“I noticed.” Cliff shook his head. He opened the bag. Inside were dozens of sugar cubes with gem fragments mixed into them. “Well, maybe she isn't so bad.” He pulled out several cubes, and popped them in his mouth. “What did she mean about seeing us later?”

“The Apple family is planting a new field today, and we're all going over to help.” The Princess smiled. “We'd love to have you, if you want to come.”

Helping to plant a field wasn't exactly how Cliff wanted to spend his first full day with his brother, but it sounded like Spike had already volunteered. “Okay.”

“Hmm... Applejack will be busy with the farm until this afternoon, and Rainbow Dash has a lot of weather duties today, but maybe we could visit Fluttershy?”

“Sure.” Cliff Runner motioned for the Princess to lead on. As if I'd even know who those ponies are.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The walk to Fluttershy's house took much longer than Cliff Runner had expected. He ran out of questions to ask after only a few minutes, and the Princess said that they still had a while to go.

As they lapsed into silence, Cliff found himself wondering more and more what it had been like to grow up as a different species than all those around you. After seeing nothing but ponies all day, had it been strange to look in the mirror and see a dragon staring back? Was this sort of confusion why Spike had developed feelings for a pony? It's not like ponies were ugly by dragon standards, they were just... different.

“Are you thinking about Spike?” the Princess asked.

“...Yes.”

“Do you want him to leave with you?” she asked in a worried voice.

“...No. He's happy here.” Even though it hurt to admit it.

“You're welcome to stay too, you know.” She smiled at him. “We have a couple of guest bedrooms that we never use.”

Cliff Runner thought about that. The others wouldn't expect him back for at least another year, and he had already promised to teach Spike and the Princess about dragon magic. “Okay.” I wonder how long it will be before one of these ponies tries to kill me, he thought morbidly. I should check back in with the coven when I can, so Mom and Dad will know where Spike is in case something happens to me.

“Is everything okay?” The Princess stopped, and Cliff nearly crashed into her.

“Yes.” He generally avoided lying, and the Princess had been nothing but nice to him, but he wasn't going to share all of his worries with an individual he had just met, especially if that individual was a pony.

“It's just a bit more.” The Princess paused, and put a hoof on his shoulder. “I'm sure Spike will be thrilled to hear that you're staying with us.”

Cliff Runner nodded. The thought of days spent with the baby dragon restored his mood. “I hope so.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fluttershy's house turned out to be a modest cottage near the edge of the forest. A number of birdhouses filled the trees nearby, and several more hung from the house itself. Strangely, the roof of the house was covered in green grass. Maybe it's supposed to be a garden of some kind. The thought brought back uncomfortable memories of eating grass last night. Cliff Runner shuddered. He wasn't going to do that again anytime soon.

The Princess knocked on the door. “Fluttershy, it's Twilight.”

…

She knocked again. “Fluttershy?”

…

“Maybe she's around back, taking care of her animals.”

Cliff closed his eyes and cast a simple spell. “Does she have a pet named 'Angel'?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“A spell to enhance my hearing.” He explained. “She's talking to Angel in the back, just like you said.” Cliff opened his eyes and let the magic fade.

“Wow, that must be really useful!” Princess Twilight beamed as she led them around the house. “I can't wait to learn it.”

Cliff decided it would be best not to tell her that he mainly used that spell for hunting wild animals.

“Good morning, Fluttershy,” The Princess said as the back yard came into view. “I brought somepony special for you to meet.”

“Really?” A quiet voice responded. “Who is it?”

Cliff Runner moved out from behind the Princess. The first thing he saw of Fluttershy was a yellow face framed by a pink mane, her teal eyes wide with shock, followed by screaming and backing away in horror. The young dragon sighed. Reactions like this are why I should have worn the cloak.

“Twilight! Run! There's a d-d-dra-” The yellow pegasus stammered. Somehow, she sounded like she was whispering even while trying to shout.

A white rabbit ran at Cliff, jumping up and down on its back legs and making punching motions with its front paws.

He had to appreciate the irony of being threatened by his favorite meal. Cliff sent a puff of smoke and a toothy growl the rabbit's way.

“Just who do you think you are, threatening Angel Bunny?!” an angry voice demanded.

Cliff looked up, and was frozen in place when he met Fluttershy's gaze.

“You may be bigger than he is, but that does not give you the right to attack him when he's just trying to protect me!” She walked right up to the dragon, and leaned forward until her teal eyes were only inches from his own. “Do you understand me?!”

Icy terror crept into Cliff's stomach. He hadn't felt anything like it in years. If his frozen limbs had allowed it, he would have collapsed on the spot. Almost independent of his will, the young dragon found himself nodding.

“Good.”

Whatever force held Cliff in place stopped, and he did, in fact, crumple to the ground.

“Fluttershy, what are you doing?” the Princess exclaimed. “Cliff Runner isn't a rampaging dragon, he's Spike's brother!”

The yellow mare's anger disappeared as quickly as it had come. “Oh! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!” She wrapped her hooves around Cliff. “I saw you growling at Angel Bunny, and I just snapped.” She pulled back to look him in the eyes. This time her gaze was warm and apologetic. “It was wrong of me to assume the worst of you.” She helped the young dragon to his feet. “I hope that one day you can forgive me for being so rude.”

Cliff took a second to try and figure out what had just happened. One moment, the pegasus had been terrified of him. The next, she had reduced him to a quivering mess. Now she was comforting him. He was honestly afraid of what might happen if he tried to speak to her, so he just nodded.

“Oh thank you, Cliff Runner. I promise to earn your trust.” She scooped up the rabbit from before and held him close. “Thank you too, Angel, for protecting me like that.” After setting her pet down, she turned to Princess Twilight. “I never knew that Spike had a brother.”

“I didn't either, until last night.” She briefly described who Cliff Runner was, and how he had come to ponyville.

“Spike must be so happy.” Fluttershy looked around. “Where is he?”

“He's sleeping back at the palace.” Twilight looked at Cliff Runner, who was obviously still uncomfortable. “Maybe we should get back and check up on him.”

The yellow mare's expression dropped slightly. “Okay, will I see you at Applejack's later?”

“Of course, bye Fluttershy!” The Princess turned to go.

“Goodbye Twilight. Goodbye Cliff Runner.”

Cliff nodded again, and tried not to look too eager as he followed after the departing alicorn.

“Are you okay?” She asked when they were out of earshot. “I never thought that Fluttershy would use The Stare on you.”

The young dragon shuddered. “Is that what happened?”

“Yes. It just happens sometimes when she gets angry.” The Princess smiled sympathetically. “You don't need to feel bad. She reduced a fully grown drake to tears with it once.”

He believed her. “That pegasus is scary.”

Princess Twilight laughed. “I think that's the first time I've ever heard somepony describe Fluttershy that way.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

They walked in silence for a few minutes as Cliff reviewed their day so far. “Can all kinds of ponies cast spells?” he asked at last.

“No, only unicorns like me,” the Princess answered.

Cliff looked at her wings. “Aren't you an alicorn?”

“Oh right.” She blushed. “I'm still getting used to that.” When it was obvious that Cliff didn't understand, she explained, “I was born a unicorn.”

That was a surprise. “Ponies can change their types?”

“Well, no. Not very often, at least. Princess Cadance and I are the only ones to have ever become alicorns.”

“Princess Cadance rules that country to the north, right?” He had planned to go there next, if he didn't find any leads in Canterlot.

“Yes, it's called the Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia gave it to her to rule after she helped save it from King Sombra.”

Cliff had no idea who King Sombra was, and decided that it probably didn't matter.

“Spike helped a lot too,” the alicorn smiled, “but I think he'd rather tell you that story himself. Anyway, why did you ask about spells?”

He glanced at the cottage that was fading into the distance. “That Stare has to be one of some kind.”

The Princess didn't seem to agree. “The Stare is pretty amazing, but it isn't a spell. An extraordinary talent tied to her natural magic field, maybe, but not a spell.”

Cliff's growling stomach convinced him not to pursue that subject either. “Would it be okay if I caught up with you at the palace later?”

Princess Twilight followed his gaze to the nearby forest. “Uh, Cliff Runner, that's the Everfree Forest. What could you possibly want to do in there?”

“... Hunt.”

“You mean,” her eyes widened in shock, “you're going to kill some poor, defenseless animal?”

Now that's just unfair! I didn't make her feel guilty for killing plants to make those sandwiches. “I'm sorry, but pony food just doesn't work for a dragon.”

“Spike has eaten it for his whole life. You had a sandwich yourself last night.” The Princess was speaking faster now, like she was afraid he would run away if she didn't finish quickly enough.

“I only had one bite,” Cliff countered. “Eating grass was just... gross. I need real food.”

“You liked those sugar cubes that Pinkie gave you. Maybe we can get some more. I might have a few gems lying around that you could eat.” She looked like she was about to cry. “Just please, don't go killing little animals!”

“Okay, okay!” Cliff sighed. “What else is there to eat around here?”

The Princess's tear-filled expression immediately changed to a radiant smile. “Thank you Cliff Runner! You won't regret this.”

He seriously doubted that.

“Ponyville is famous for its apples.”

Cliff shook his head. Apples were a snack, not a meal.

“Carrots? Flowers? Cupcakes?”

“No, no, and no.”

The Princess sat down and brought a hoof to her chin. “Rarity showed me how to cook eggs once.”

“Eggs are good.”

“Oh, but I don't have any at the palace. We could go back and buy some from Fluttershy.”

Just mentioning the yellow pegasus made Cliff think about The Stare. “You go. I'll wait here.”

“Come on, I promise that Fluttershy is really nice.”

He sat down very deliberately.

“Okay, fine. I'll be right back.” The alicorn princess turned around and trotted back to Fluttershy's cottage.

She returned a few minutes later with a basket of eggs. “Now let's go make you some lunch.”

Cliff Runner was more than happy to comply. They had only gone a few steps when an unexpected scent reached him. “Is that fish?”

“Yes,” the alicorn shuddered. “Fluttershy thought you might like some.”

He had to remind himself not to drool. “It's one of my favorite foods.”

“That's good. Fluttershy gave it to me because she felt bad for using The Stare on you... Do you still think she's mean and scary?”

He didn't respond.

Author's Note

Yes, Cliff not liking pony food is going to be an ongoing issue. I've gone through culture shock a few times, and it's always the little things that threw me off. As for making him and Spike a different type of dragon, it was basically to give me more creative freedom with Cliff's culture, instincts, etc. Spike is the only dragon on the show that doesn't have wings, even during Secret of My Excess, when he got huge, so I don't think I'm stretching too far to say that he isn't the same as the rest of them.

On a side note, one thing I noticed in the show is that ponies seem virtually immune to blunt-force trauma. Seriously, in Dragonshy, Rainbow Dash gets knocked into a boulder so hard that it breaks, and she just shakes it off. In Feeling Pinkie Keen, Twilight gets enough crap dropped on her head to kill several dozen humans, and seems just fine.

The idea I'm running with here is that dragon scales make them nearly impossible to cut, but blunt objects can harm them as easily as they could a human. Also, I don't think it has ever come up in the show, but I'm assuming that ponies could be cut as easily as humans, in spite of their unnatural resistance to bludgeoning. This makes ponies and dragons a bit of a poor mix, as their hooves and claws are perfectly suited to inflicting harm on each other.

Expect updates three times per week, probably on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Comment, like, and/or favorite if you think this deserves it, and if not, please tell me why. I'm really trying to become a better author, and your feedback is an important part of that.

Chapter 3

Fried eggs and roast fish made for an excellent lunch. Cliff Runner didn't trust a herbivore to know how to cook either, so he did that part himself. Meanwhile, the Princess helped herself to a bowl of oats and a side of hay, all the while trying not to look disgusted at her companion's meal. “I can't believe you ponies survive on that stuff,” he told her after they were both finished.

“I can't believe you don't like it,” she responded. “Those oats were delicious.”

Cliff looked over the pans and plates he had dirtied while preparing his meal. “How do ponies clean their dishes?”

“With water, of course.” The Princess rolled her eyes. “How else?”

“Dragons use fire.”

“You're joking.”

Cliff picked up a pan and breathed a steady stream of green fire into it. After a few seconds, the grime in the pan was turned into a fried crisp, which he scraped into the trash with his claws.

“I guess that's one way to do it,” the Princess said as she washed her own dishes in the sink. “We still have a few hours before Spike wakes up. Was there anywhere else you wanted to visit?”

He shook his head.

“Then maybe you could start teaching me ancient draconic?”

It was better than heading back into that mass of ponies. “Okay, I'll need a quill and some parchment.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The Princess was smart. Frighteningly smart. In just a few hours, she memorized several hundred runes and all of their variations. Ancient draconic was one of the few written languages that had no spoken equivalent. Instead, each rune represented a noun, verb, adjective, or idea, which could be expressed in any verbal language the reader chose.

Princess Twilight gave him a piece of parchment with several runes scrawled on it. “Is this correct?”

“Changing, monster, defeated by, brother, and brother's wife,” Cliff read. “I have no idea why you wanted to say that, but it's written correctly.” He looked across the table at the ecstatic princess. Nothing seemed to make her happier than learning something new.

“I can't wait to tell Celestia about everything I've learned today.” She looked at the clock and sighed. “It's time to wake up Spike and head over to Sweet Apple Acres.” She started gathering up the quills and parchment. “Cliff, could you get Spike while I finish up here?”

“Of course.” The young dragon made his way to the bedroom, and gently roused his sleeping brother. “Hey Spike, it's time to get up.”

The baby dragon let out a deep yawn. “Okay, okay, Twilight, I-” His eyes snapped open. “Cliff Runner!” He jumped up and caught the older dragon in a hug. “I thought you were a dream!”

Cliff hugged him back. “Don't worry, I'm real. Now come on, the Princess says we're going to that apple farm to help plant a new field.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” He slid down and went for the door. “By the way, why was I in Twilight's bed?”

“Sorry, I didn't know which one was yours.”

“It's the basket, Cliff.” He pointed at a pet bed between the two normal ones.

“You sleep in a basket?”

“What? It's comfortable.”

Cliff Runner had to wonder if living with ponies had warped the younger dragon's mind. He ate grass, had feelings for a unicorn, and apparently, he liked to sleep in a bed meant for pets.

-_-_-_-_-_-

As they walked to Sweet Apple Acres, the Princess told Spike about what he had missed.

“What did I tell you?” Spike beamed. “Rarity's a total knockout, isn't she?”

“She's definitely something special,” Cliff said tactfully. He wasn't going to call anything without scales a 'knockout.'

They went through several minutes of apple orchards before reaching the farm itself. Cliff was in awe that one family could run it all by themselves. Clearly earth ponies were vastly superior farmers to dragons.

The farmhouse was made out of wood, which didn't make much sense for dragons, but both it and the barn looked well made and inviting. Pinkie Pie, the energetic pony from that morning, was out front, talking to an orange mare wearing a wide brimmed hat.

“Howdy, Twilight. Howdy Spike.” She called when she saw them. “An' you must be the brother I've been hearin' so much about.” She held out a hoof, “Put 'er there, friend! I'm Applejack.”

Cliff took the hoof and gave it a firm shake. “Cliff Runner.”

“Pleased as punch to make yer acquaintance.” She motioned to the pink pony behind her. “Pinkie Pie here tells me that ya just arrived from Canterlot last night.”

“Yes, I did.” Cliff tried to keep the confusion out of his voice. He was pretty sure he hadn't told Pinkie that particular detail.

“Well if yer feelin' worn out from the trip, ya'll can relax in the house 'till we get this field planted.”

The offer was tempting, but Cliff had agreed to help, not to watch. “I'll be fine.” I need my exercise anyway.

“Glad to hear it.” She turned to Spike. “How are you an' your brother gettin' along?”

“Great!” the baby dragon said. “He taught Twilight and I a ton about dragons, and next he's going to teach us how to use dragon magic!”

“That's great to hear.” Applejack patted Spike on the shoulder. “Ah, it looks like Rarity an' Fluttershy are here.”

Cliff Runner turned around and saw that the white unicorn and yellow pegasus were indeed approaching. Fluttershy seemed to be hiding behind Rarity. He felt the urge to hide behind Twilight.

“Hello darlings,” Rarity greeted them. “Hello again, Cliff Runner. Have you enjoyed your first day in Ponyville?”

“Yes,” Cliff lied. Lunch had been good, and he hadn't minded teaching the Princess, but he could just as happily forget the rest.

“I'm so glad to hear it.”

“Um, me too,” Fluttershy whispered from behind the unicorn.

“And how is my little Spikey-wikey?” She pinched the baby dragon's cheeks. “I heard that you stayed up all night and had to take a big nap to recover.”

Spike's face went red. “I'm fine. I was just a little tired.”

“Of course you were, dear.”

“Looks like we're all here 'cept for Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said. “We may as well get workin'.”

Cliff followed the others as they moved to the field. He felt a little jealous of the attention that Spike was giving Rarity, but he wasn't petty enough to let it get to him.

“Okay everypony.” Applejack pointed to a small pile of bags. “Take a bag an' just move down one uh the lines, plantin' a seed every ten steps. It's only a quarter of a mile long, so it shouldn't take much time with all of us.” She handed a bag to Cliff. “I sure do appreciate the help.”

Rarity paused to put on dirt-proof shoes, but the others started planting right away.

The work was easy enough. Cliff confirmed that he was doing it correctly, and then settled into a comfortable rhythm. Control of the mind and body had always been a major goal of his culture, and planting seeds wasn't really all that different than some of the exercises he had done for his entire life. He sank into the simple pleasures of life and movement, tuning all else out. Take ten steps. Dig a small hole. The scent of fresh dirt filled Cliff's nostrils. Drop one of the smooth apple seeds into the pit. Cover the seed. Take ten more steps. He focused on the steady in and out of his breathing, the dirt beneath his claws, and the gentle wind against his scales.

Breath in... Dig the hole... Breath out... Plant and cover the seed.

He reached the end of the field. Without a word, Cliff Runner moved to a new line and started working back the way he had come.

Take ten steps... Feel the earth beneath your claws... Plant the seed... Feel the wind against your scales.

Cliff reached the end again, and started on a new line.

“Hey, Cliff!” a voice called.

He reluctantly pulled himself out of his meditation.

Applejack was waving to him from the edge of the field. A blue pegasus with multicolored hair was hovering beside her. “This is Rainbow Dash, a good friend uh ours.”

The pegasus zoomed over to him. “So you're Spike's brother, huh? You look pretty tough.”

Two days ago, Cliff might have agreed that he was tough compared to a pony. Since then, however, he had witnessed the power of Princess Luna, and been completely overwhelmed by Fluttershy's Stare. “Not really.”

Rainbow Dash looked a little deflated. “Ah come on. I bet you're at least a good runner. After all, that is your name.”

“I am,” Cliff confirmed.

“Awesome!” The pegasus smiled slyly. “What say you and I have a little race after we finish off this field?”

“Deal.” Cliff smiled back. It was like talking to Fire Eyes back home.

“Sweet! AJ and I have been competing for years to see who's the best athlete. It'll be nice to have another contender.” She flew back to Applejack and grabbed a bag of seeds.

Since his concentration had been broken anyway, Cliff took a moment to survey the others. Spike and Rarity were working in the same line. Spike seemed to be digging holes for her, while she handled the seeds. Twilight was using a measuring stick to judge the distance between holes. She was noticeably behind the others. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were working two adjacent lines, talking as they went. None of them except Applejack had reached the third row yet.

“You sure ya weren't raised on a farm?” Applejack joked as she drew near. “Y'all are planting as fast as one uh us Apples.” She scooped out a small hole, dropped a seed into it, and covered it back up, almost without slowing.

“Thanks.” Cliff turned back to his row.

The orange mare chuckled. “Sumthin' tells me you an' Big Mac would get along real well.”

“Who?”

“Big McIntosh, my older brother. Real nice guy, but a mite quiet.”

Cliff couldn't tell if she was trying to pay him a compliment or not. “Maybe we would.” When Applejack didn't reply, he sank himself into his meditation once more.

-_-_-_-_-_-

With everypony, and two dragons, working together, it took just over an hour to finish. Cliff was glad to note that he had been one of the faster workers, but both Rainbow Dash and Applejack had managed to complete several more rows than him.

“Thank y'all so much for the help,” Applejack said. “It aint much, but we made some snacks for everypony.” She motioned to the farmhouse.

“That's great and all, AJ,” Rainbow Dash gave Cliff a competitive smile, “but first Cliff Runner and I are going to have a little race.”

“I'll judge!” Spike volunteered.

“Well I'm all up for a friendly competition,” Applejack said. “What say all three uh us race?”

Rainbow Dash seemed to love the idea. “I wouldn't have it any other way. Hey Cliff, since you're the newcomer, why don't you decide where we race to?”

Cliff Runner found himself smiling. “Okay.” These two had the competitive spirits of dragons, and he would be sure not to disappoint them. “...The tree on top of that hill,” he pointed to a spot roughly a half mile away. The trees along the way were fully grown, so they wouldn't have to worry about crushing saplings. “The first one to touch the tree and return here wins.”

“Works for me.” Rainbow Dash cracked her neck. “Let's do this.”

“Ready when y'all are.” Applejack pulled her hat down lower.

“Alright then.” Spike stepped up and drew a line in front of the three. “The first one cross this line on the way back wins. On your mark... Get set... GO!”

They all took off. Rainbow Dash pulled ahead early, but she was a sprinter, so that was to be expected. Applejack, on the other claw, set out at a determined gallop that she could probably maintain for the entire race. Cliff was somewhere in between. Dragons didn't have the kind of stamina that earth ponies did, and so he couldn't hope to compete against Applejack in the long haul. However, he knew that pegasi couldn't fly as far as drakes without resting. If his guess was right, that meant Rainbow Dash would have even less stamina than he did.

The gamble seemed to be paying off. When they reached the base of the hill, Rainbow Dash was moving noticeably slower than Cliff, but he could hear Applejack starting to catch up. Unfortunately for her, he had been born and raised in the mountains. He charged up the hill with the kind of surefooted stride that only came with years of practice, passing Rainbow Dash just before she reached the tree. He jumped into the air, flipping around so that he could kick off of it, and shot back the way he had come. Landing halfway down the hill, Cliff rolled to kill his extra momentum, and then kept running. He could hear two sets of breaths alarmingly close behind him. “Rats,” Cliff breathed. He had hoped that his trick would give him a bigger lead.

Back on level ground, the young dragon pushed himself even harder. His limbs were starting to voice their complaints rather energetically, but he tuned the aches out and kept running.

“Nice jump back there, partner,” Applejack smiled as she came alongside him.

Cliff couldn't believe that she could still talk without gasping. He locked his eyes on the finish line and gave one last burst of speed. It actually pushed him to the lead for a moment, but his stamina was waning, and Applejack crept ahead.

All three racers crossed the finish line within a second of each other. Applejack took first place with an enthusiastic “Yeehaw!” Cliff's snout passed the finish line at the same time as her back legs, a determined smile across his lips. Rainbow Dash came in third, so close behind Cliff that it sounded like she was breathing in his ear.

“Whoa, that was awesome,” Spike exclaimed. “I can't believe how close it was!”

The others all congratulated the runners, especially Applejack.

“I can't believe I lost,” Rainbow Dash moaned. “I never lose.” Her entire body sagged with dejection.

“It seems to me that somepony hasn't been exercisin' her legs near as much as her wings lately,” Applejack said unsympathetically. “Great race there, Cliff.”

Cliff took a moment to calm his breathing. “You too, Applejack.” He turned to the distraught pegasus. “Maybe we can train together and beat her next time.”

That thought seemed to restore Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, that's a great idea!” Her confidant smile returned. “Don't get too comfortable AJ, because Cliff and I are going to cream you next time!”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The group moved into the Apple family's modest but comfortable front room. A couch sat opposite an unlit fireplace. There was a window on either side of the fireplace, and the far wall held a bookshelf and a small table, which was covered in apple related treats. While he wouldn't want to make a meal from it, Cliff did enjoy a slice of apple pie from time to time. The fritters were also quite good.

He was introduced to an elderly green pony, Applejack's grandmother, and was relieved that she didn't seem at all worried by him. “If yer a friend uh Twilight's,” she told him in a reedy voice, “then yer a friend uh the Apples.”

Cliff Runner couldn't think of how to respond, so he just nodded.

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash wanted to know about how Cliff had managed that jump off the tree. The concept was simple, and Cliff was happy to explain it, but he warned them both that it would take a lot of practice to pull off correctly. Neither seemed discouraged though. In fact, Rainbow Dash looked even more excited to try it out.

Spike made his way over once the other two had left. “Hey Cliff, want me to get you anything?”

“I'm fine,” Cliff assured his brother. “How are you holding up from all that work?”

“Ah, it wasn't that hard.” Spike turned to look at Rarity. “Besides, I got to spend time with the most beautiful mare in the world.”

He placed his claws on the younger dragon's shoulder. “Go spend some more time with her,” Cliff whispered encouragingly.

Spike hesitated. “But Cliff, what about you?”

“Dragons live for centuries. Ponies don't. Now go to her.” He gave his brother a gentle push.

“Uh, okay Cliff, if you're sure.” Spike gave him a nervous smile, and then walked towards the white unicorn.

“Cliff...” the Princess's voice reached him.

He looked to his left to see the alicorn and Fluttershy approaching. “Yes, Princess?”

“I heard what you said to Spike. That was very noble of you.”

Cliff Runner looked to where Spike and Rarity were talking. “I just want-”

A sound like thunder cut him off.

“What was that?!” Cliff ran to the window, along with everypony else. The field they had finished planting just minutes ago was covered with fully grown apple trees. “What in the...?”

“Aren't zap apple seeds amazing?” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I love that 'KER-POW, BOOM' they make when they grow into trees!”

“You knew they would do that?” Cliff tried to wrap his head around it. He had never heard of seeds that could turn into trees so quickly.

“Yes siree,” Applejack confirmed. “We've been plantin' our fields with zap apple seeds 'round here for generations.”

“Amazing,” was all Cliff could think to say.

“I know, right?” Pinkie Pie licked her lips. “And each year when the zap apples come, they turn them into the most delicious jams and pies!”

“Well tha's still a ways off, Pinkie,” Applejack chuckled. “'Till then, you'll just hafta make due with these regular apple pies.”

“Okay.” The pink pony dove for the table, where she immediately devoured one of the pies.

“Um, Cliff Runner?” Fluttershy said. Somehow she was still behind Twilight. “I can get you a piece of pie, if you want, that is.”

Well that came out of nowhere. “No thanks, I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?” She ducked even lower behind the Princess. “I could get an apple tart instead, or a candied apple, or-”

“It's really fine.” He shifted away slightly. Why won't she leave me alone?

“Oh.” She paused for so long that Cliff nearly took his chance and walked away. “You must be thirsty after all that work. I could get you a drink.”

He gave a pleading look to the alicorn princess.

“Just let her get you something,” Twilight whispered.

Cliff sighed. “You could get some apple juice, if you want.”

“Oh yes. Thank you! I'll be right back.” The yellow pegasus practically ran to the kitchen where the drinks were stored.

“What's going on?” Cliff asked the Princess.

“I think Fluttershy still feels bad for using The Stare on you.” The alicorn looked after her retreating friend. “Maybe I should go talk to her.” She headed for the kitchen as well.

Cliff watched the Princess depart. Whatever was going on with the yellow mare, he hoped Twilight could talk some sense into her.

Fluttershy returned a few moments later. “Here's your drink Cliff Runner.” She held out a glass of juice.

“Thank you.” Cliff took it, and tried not to notice that she was watching him drink.

“I... Uh,” the pegasus sank further behind her long mane. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“No thanks.”

“Really, I... I don't mind.”

Cliff fought the urge to growl in frustration. “I'm fine.”

“There has to be something.”

She wasn't getting it. “Just leave me alone, please,” Cliff said as gently as he could, and then he walked away.

A soft whimper from behind made Cliff stop. I didn't mean to make her cry. With a deep sigh, he turned back, and found that Fluttershy was gone.

Author's Note

Man, Cliff and Fluttershy interactions are hard! Dragons in this world tend to be pretty blunt, and express themselves physically, like hugs and slaps on the back. AJ and Rainbow Dash share these traits, hence why he clicked with them. Unfortunately, Fluttershy is at the other end of the spectrum, which makes things difficult between the two of them. Getting off on the wrong hoof (claw?) didn't help either.

I'm getting a lot of comments about Fluttershy's behavior at the party. To be fair, it is pretty out of character to see her acting so forceful (for Fluttershy, that is). I guess I was trying to take a stab at how she would react to feeling guilty. I'm open to the idea of revising this scene. Just let me know what you think!

As for the race, Cliff taking second was more a matter of deduction than anything. Bear in mind that the track was about one mile, with a moderately short incline followed by a decline at the halfway point.

Applejack is athletic, has earth pony strength, and her lifestyle involves hours of exercise every day. The fact that it happened on her farm didn't hurt either.

Rainbow is a great athlete, and I know she was pulling even with AJ during Fallweather Friends, but her emphasis is on speed, implying that she's more of a sprinter than a distance runner. Also, with the Equestria Games recently, I think it's fair to say she's been focusing more on exercising her wings lately. So yeah, slight disadvantage.

Finally, there's Cliff. I decided to give wyrms about the same natural athleticism as pegasi or unicorns. He's athletic, like the other two, but doesn't split his focus between wings and legs like Rainbow, which gives him an advantage. However, he doesn't have an earth pony's magically empowered body. So yeah, it's pretty obvious that I tend to overthink these things.

Chapter 4

A quick scan of the room confirmed it. The yellow pegasus had departed. Cliff embraced the Stillness to calm his emotions. Would these ponies turn on me for upsetting their friend? He didn't know, and he couldn't risk it if he wanted to stay with Spike. I need to fix this, fast.

Unfortunately, that was easier decided upon than done. He didn't know enough about the strange mare to be sure about anything more than the most basic information. She might have run off because of embarrassment, or anger, or fear, or the stars only knew what else. Chasing after her would likely be disastrous. He scanned the room again. Nopony seemed to have noticed anything, which meant that Fluttershy was at least in enough control of herself to make a quiet exit.

He moved to the kitchen, nearly bumping into Princess Twilight as she emerged from it.

“Oh, hi, Cliff Runner. Did Fluttershy calm down like I told her to?”

“Actually, I think I upset her, and she ran away,” Cliff told the Princess quietly. “Who is her closest friend here?”

“You wha?!” Twilight gasped. She looked around the room to verify that her friend had gone missing. “What did you say to her?!” She whispered loudly.

Cliff winced at her tone. “I'll recite it to you later, if you wish, Princess Twilight. Please tell me, who is her closest friend?”

The purple alicorn gave him an annoyed look. “Probably Rarity.” She said at last.

“Thank you.” He bowed, and moved to where the white unicorn was discussing fashion with his little brother. “Sorry, Spike, I need Rarity's help for a moment.” He turned to her. “I believe I accidentally upset Fluttershy, and then she disappeared. Perhaps you could go comfort her?”

“You wha?!” Rarity's gasp was a near perfect imitation of Princess Twilight's. “Where is she? What happened?”

Seriously, don't these ponies know how to be quiet?

“Okay, what gives?” Rainbow Dash demanded, coming up behind the group. “Why is everypony freaking out?”

“Is everythin' all right?” Applejack asked beside her.

Pinkie Pie joined them. “Yeah, and where did Fluttershy go?”

Cliff facepalmed. Death by loudmouthed unicorn. Wonderful.

Strangely though, none of the ponies seemed ready to attack. Applejack even seemed a little concerned for him.

He swallowed and gave the explanation a third time, “I think I upset her. I was just asking Rarity to go talk to her, because I'll probably make things worse if I do it myself.”

Reactions were varied, but thankfully non-hostile. Spike looked concerned, Princess Twilight's expression was somewhere between sympathetic and annoyed, Pinkie Pie gasped loudly with both hooves pressed to her face, Applejack looked concerned, Rainbow Dash folded her hooves across her chest, and Rarity seemed annoyed at everypony else.

It was the white unicorn who spoke first. “Come now, everypony, let's not make this more awkward for Fluttershy and Cliff Runner than it already is.” She maneuvered her way out of the cluster. “I will go find Fluttershy, and clear up this whole misunderstanding. And Cliff,” she turned back to him, “try not to be too hard on the poor mare. I'm the one who advised her to be extra attentive today.” With that, she made her exit.

As soon as the door closed, the young dragon found himself facing five pairs of eyes. “I'll leave too.”

“Ah, C'mon Cliff,” Applejack said, “we ain't mad at you. We're just worried about Fluttershy. That mare'll tear herself up somethin' fierce over the littlest things.” She put a comforting hoof around his shoulders. “Nopony here's blaimin' you for what happened.”

“Thank you,” he told her sincerely, more for the embrace than anything, “but I'd prefer some quiet right now.” He patted her hoof and then gently disentangled himself from it.

Rainbow Dash spoke up when he reached the door. “Hey, Cliff, are you still up for training together?”

“... Sure.” He didn't want to risk upsetting her.

“Cool, I'll come by the palace tomorrow morning at eight.”

Cliff nodded and made his way outside. It was a breath of fresh air, in more ways than one, as he walked to the front gate.

A powerful looking red stallion with an orange mane and several buckets of apples on his back saw the dragon coming. “Fluttershy?” He asked casually.

“What?” Cliff stopped a safe distance away. "No, Cliff Runner, Spike's brother."

The stallion chuckled softly and pressed a massive hoof to his chest. “Big Mac, AJ's brother. Ya lookin' for Fluttershy?”

“Uh... no.” He shook his head.

The stallion accepted this with a nod and continued towards the barn.

Cliff hesitated, and then went after him. He was the one who had asked Rarity to go find the shy mare, and then she had stood up for him to her friends. The least he could do was help her with the search. “Excuse me?”

The large pony didn't seem to mind the continued interruption either. “Eeyup?”

“Rarity is trying to find Fluttershy. Do you know where either of them are?”

“Eeyup.” He pointed again. Cliff was moderately sure that it was in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage.

The fact that he had pointed once for both helped Cliff translate. “Are they together?”

“Eeyup.”

Well, there's that problem solved. “Thank you.”

“Eeyup.”

Applejack wasn't kidding when she said her brother is quiet. She also didn't mention that he's the size of a small manticore. Cliff made his way to the road, and back to the main town from there.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a good thing that Princess Twilight's palace was at the edge of town. It meant Cliff didn't have to brave the crowds alone. Without Spike or the alicorn to dissuade them, he was fairly certain that somepony would attack him. Hiding out in the forest would have been preferable, but Spike would worry if he disappeared like that.

He slipped into the palace and shut himself in one of the guest bedrooms. Unlike some of the pony houses he had seen during his travels, this room was sparsely furnished, with only a bed and a nightstand. If not for crystalline walls, which reminded him of gemstones, it would be perfect.

He sat on the bed and closed his eyes. I need to calm down. Spike will be back soon with the Princess, and if I'm not ready to deal with her, I'm just going to make things worse.

Deep breaths, that was the first step. The young dragon closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. His front claws came together to form a circle, and he imagined the flow of energy in his body moving into the space between his claws, spinning endlessly through the circle. All emotions, whether positive or negative, were pulled in, leaving his mind clear to assess them.

Cliff decided to start with the biggest issue conflicting his emotions: Was his race wrong about ponies?

Spike was happy and healthy... yet he had been raised by the equine race. Those two facts just didn't add up. Mind control was always a possibility, the two ponies closest to him were an alicorn and a unicorn, after all, but it couldn't explain his brother's good health. Even if they were using healing magic to cover abuse, Spike obviously ate well. He was a little pudgy, in fact. Keeping a brainwashed slave happy and healthy wasn't impossible, but it did seem rather pointless.

The behavior of Princess Twilight and her friends also didn't make sense. Without his emotions clouding his memories, Cliff had to admit that they had been rather friendly, and with no reward to motivate that behavior. Even when they had him cornered after hearing about Fluttershy, not one of the ponies had moved to attack.

As much as he tried, the young dragon just couldn't make all the pieces fit, not unless he followed through with his promise to Spike and gave ponies the benefit of the doubt.

I can't believe I'm even considering this. Cliff started over with the assumption that ponies actually were as friendly as his brother seemed to believe. The baby dragon's health made perfect sense, as well as the little gifts from Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, the comforting hug from Applejack, and, well, everything. Cliff felt his claws begin to shake. What am I missing? Can we really be that wrong?

Ponies had stumbled across the coven from time to time, and they had all either run away screaming, or attacked. It was the best evidence against ponies that Cliff had, but he forced himself to think about it under his new assumption.

If talking with Twilight and Spike last night had proved anything, it was that ponies knew next to nothing about his race. Cliff didn't want to admit it, but the attacks being the result of a misunderstanding was the most logical explanation.

That settles it, either Celestia did something to me, or we're nearly as wrong about ponies as they are about us. He swallowed, and accepted the second option as possible, if only just, and he wasn't going to behave differently until he could be sure.

Even that much was hard on Cliff. Emotions were created by thoughts, and the young dragon had spent a lifetime thinking that ponies would kill him for little to no reason. He quickly moved on to something less world shaking.

He needed to decide how to treat Princess Twilight and her friends from now on. The alicorn herself deserved at least a little trust and respect for taking care of Spike for so long. She also deserved his thanks for being his guide today, and offering him a place to live. Everything was open to change once he got the chance to read her heart, however.

With that out of the way, he moved on to the other ponies he had met. Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were classified as, 'less likely than a normal pony to attack me.' Applejack and Rarity were put at, 'potentially friendly.' Fluttershy... Cliff had no idea what to make of that one. He moved on.

His emotional state in general had a decent amount of fear. Not surprising, given the circumstances. Cliff smoothed out some of it, but not all. Relaxing at the apple farm had nearly ended in disaster with Fluttershy. He needed to be more careful and more polite.

What counts as polite among ponies anyway? He made a mental note to learn everything he could about Equestrian society from Spike and the Princess.

Next he soothed away any anger he could find, and stamped out a few kernels of jealousy. The first emotion would only lead to problems, and the second was dangerously close to greed.

Satisfied, Cliff allowed his emotions to return. It was funny, even though he knew it was all imagined, the young dragon always felt warmth going up his arms during this part.

Stepping into his newly sorted emotions was like stepping out of a lava bath. Cliff felt clean and refreshed. He also felt tired, which was no surprise, given all that had happened in the last two days.

He had expected Spike and Princess Twilight to be back by the time he finished, but since they weren't... Settling into a more comfortable position, Cliff Runner began a different mental exercise. It wouldn't be as good as actual sleep, but it would allow his body and mind to relax until the others returned.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Sounds downstairs told Cliff that he should get up, but he couldn't muster the energy. They got louder as they approached, turning into recognizable words.

“-don't know where else he'd be.” It was the Princess.

“Maybe he went into the Everfree Forest,” a second voice said. This one belonged to Spike.

“I hope not... Don't worry Spike, I'm sure Cliff is fine.”

“I hope you're right, Twilight.”

“Cliff Runner,” the Princess called. “Are you in here?”

He tried again to rouse himself, but had no more success this time.

There was a slight creak as the door opened. “Hey Cliff! We were really worried about you… Cliff?” Little footsteps approached. “Are you alright?” Something climbed onto the bed.

A claw brushed against his cheek, which finally shook Cliff out of his trance. He opened his eyes, and saw Spike jumping back in surprise. “I'm fine.” He yawned. “I was just resting.”

“Oh, sorry for waking you.”

“I was only resting while I waited for you, brother.” He tousled the younger dragon's head spikes. “There's still more of the day to spend together.”

“Really?” Spike's face lit up. “You mean you still want to do stuff?”

“Yes, very much so.” He got off of the bed. “Did you have anything in mind?”

“Maybe you can teach Twilight and me some dragon magic?” His eyes glowed with enthusiasm.

“Okay, but it takes time to learn. We'll probably only work on the basics tonight.”

“That's fine,” Spike assured him. “Can we get started right away? We still have two hours until dinner.”

Cliff smiled. “Sure.”

They walked back to the living room, where Princess Twilight sat waiting for them. A smile graced her features as she watched her 'Number One Assistant' with his older brother. “Hi, Cliff, I'm sorry I got angry at you earlier.”

He shook his head. “You were just worried about your friend, Princess. Speaking of which, do you want to hear what happened?”

“It's okay, Fluttershy told us.”

That explained why they had taken so long to get home. “How is she?”

“She'll be spending the night at Rarity's, but she's fine.” The Princess smiled fondly. “I'm sure you've realized this, but Fluttershy can be a little... sensitive, at times. She really does have a good heart though.”

“I know." He didn't, but it was probably what she wanted to hear. “Could you help me think of a way to apologize for what happened?”

Approval radiated from the alicorn. “That won't be a problem. She's coming over tomorrow afternoon to apologize for it as well. Just accept her apology, give one of your own, and ask to be her friend.”

“I will,” Cliff assured her.

“Hey Twilight,” Spike said. “Do you want to study dragon magic with Cliff and I?”

“It's 'Cliff and me,' Spike,” the Princess rolled her eyes, even though she was smiling, “and I'd love to.” She patted the spot beside her on the couch.

Spike took it, and Cliff sat on the other couch.

The alicorn's magic pulled over a quill and notebook. “Where do we start?”

“Well, I've heard that unicorn magic comes from the mind. Is that true?”

“Yes.” Princess Twilight nodded. “Study, understanding, and focus are all required for our magic to work.”

Cliff scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “This might be difficult for you, Princess Twilight, because dragon magic comes from the heart.”

She frowned in confusion. “How does magic of the heart work?”

The answer was simple. “Emotions and willpower. The purer the emotions, and the stronger the will, the more powerful the effect.” He held up a clawed hand. “This spell, for example, is tied to positive emotions. I'm creating the emotion of joy in my heart, and I'm throwing my willpower into making that joy seen.” A glowing orb appeared above his palm in response.

“That's amazing!” Spike grinned. “Let me try!”

“Okay, but you'll need to learn how to control your heart.”

The little dragon looked confused. “What does that mean?”

“It means that you can only be feeling the correct emotions, and you have to be determined to make it happen.”

“Okay... and that's it?”

“Not quite. Here, I'll show you.” Cliff moved to stand in front of his little brother, and placed two claws over the younger dragon's heart. “Close your eyes.”

Spike did so.

“Now, think of something that's completely still. It could be a pond in winter, the moon on a clear night, a tree, anything.” As he spoke, Cliff used magic to calm his brother's heart and relax his mind. “Are you thinking of it?”

“Yes,” Spike's voice was soft and peaceful.

“Inside that stillness, think of pure light. No source, just light.”

“Okay.”

“It feels warm, doesn't it?”

“Yeah...” A smile spread across Spike's face.

“It feels real, doesn't it.”

“Yeah...”

“You want it to be real, don't you?”

The smile turned into a slight frown. “Yes...”

“Make it real.”

Spike raised one hand, as his brother had done, but the frown deepened. “There's a wall...”

“Push through it.”

Beads of sweat were forming on the little dragon's head. “It's hard...”

Cliff added another spell to increase his brother's willpower. “You want to share that light with us, don't you?”

“Yes...” Beads collected into drops of sweat. “You two... have to see it!” As he spoke the last words, a flickering ball of light appeared over Spike's hand.

Cliff smiled. “We see it, Spike. Open your eyes.”

Spike's eyes opened, and a look of unmistakable joy spread across his face. “I did it!” He held it up for them to see.

“Good job, brother.” Cliff ended his spells and withdrew his claws.

Snapping out of his trance, Spike flopped back onto the couch. “Ugh, I'm exhausted!”

“Spike, that was amazing!” A glowing purple aura pulled the baby dragon into Twilight's hooves. “I'm so proud of you!”

“We both are,” Cliff added. He waited for the Princess to release Spike so he could explain what his little brother had just experienced. “Focusing on the Stillness is how you get everything out of your heart so that it won't interfere with the spell. Then you need to let the right emotions back in. Light is easy, because any positive emotion will do. Happiness, laughter, contentment, love, they all work. The outlet is also important. If you had focused on a fire or a torch, for example, instead of pure light, and had any emotion other than excitement in your heart, the spell would have fizzled. If you had been focusing on excitement, well...” Cliff looked around. “Let's just say that indoors is the wrong place to practice that spell. Finally, there's the wall. Stronger emotions help weaken it, but to actually get through, you need willpower. The more of those two you have, the stronger your spell becomes.”

Princess Twilight jotted down everything Cliff had said. “Oh this is so fascinating! It's completely different from how unicorn magic works.”

In spite of himself, Cliff smiled at her enthusiasm. “A word of warning, don't use too much willpower, or you'll knock yourself out and need a long night's sleep to recover.” He let the alicorn finish her notes. “Are you ready to try, Princess Twilight?”

She looked equal parts excited and determined. “Yes, I'll give it my all.”

“Good. That's exactly what dragon magic requires.” He moved closer to her, and held up two claws. “I hope you don't mind...”

“Not at all.” She closed her eyes, and let the dragon's claws come to rest over her heart.

He cast the spell to read her emotions. “By the way, I never did thank you for taking care of Spike all those years, or offering to let a wyrm like me stay here.”

The Princess had an overwhelming amount of sisterly love and affection for Spike. Her emotions for Cliff were mostly curiosity and excitement, with the beginnings of real friendship. “It's no problem. I'm just glad to see him so happy.”

The purity of her feelings made Cliff feel guilty for deceiving her. She had the kind of heart that was quick to accept and befriend, that had almost never tasted rage or hatred. He knew he could trust her completely, even if he wasn't sure about the others. “A-anyway, try not to focus on the steps right now. Just create the Stillness, and then relax. I'll guide you through the rest.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

As before, Cliff Runner used a spell to quiet the Princess's heart, and another to calm her mind. “Do you feel the Stillness?”

“Yes...” Her voice had the distant quality of one who was in the spell trance.

Guiding her through the second and third steps, allowing emotions and choosing a focus respectively, was easy. Cliff had taught all the hatchlings at Redstone the basics of magic.

When they came to the final step, the wall, the young dragon felt his excitement growing. Can an alicorn really perform dragon magic? They were so rare, that this might be the first time it had ever been tried. “Push through the wall,” he instructed her.

An orb of light immediately appeared over the alicorn's hoof, and it was far brighter than even the one Cliff had conjured.

Fighting down the urge to laugh, Cliff roused the Princess and let her see the spell before it faded away.

“Whew,” she breathed after her trance ended completely. “I see what you mean, Spike. That is tiring.”

“Ah c'mon, you did great.” He gave the Princess a big hug. “I always told you that you were the best at unicorn magic, and now you're going to be the best at dragon magic too!”

“You did extremely well,” Cliff added, settling back into his seat. It was funny. A few minutes ago, he would have worried about making an enemy more powerful. Now, he was happy for a new friend.

She blushed from their praise. “Thank you both. Anyway, what's the next step?”

“You'll both learn to cast the spell without my help.” Cliff settled on the floor in front of them. “The first two steps are the most difficult, so don't worry if it takes a while.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

For the next hour and a half, Spike and Princess Twilight struggled to achieve stillness of the heart. Cliff remained silent for the most part, reading their hearts as they worked, and giving advice after each failed attempt.

Spike struggled to reign in his emotions, which was common among beginners. Princess Twilight on the other claw, kept trying to clear her mind, rather than her heart.

“The difference,” Cliff explained during a break, “is that a perfectly clear mind could ignore pain completely. A perfectly clear heart, however, would feel pain, but not be controlled by it.”

“Okay, I'll try again.” The Princess took a deep breath and closed her eyes once more.

Spike glanced at the clock. “I'll go get started on dinner.” He slid off the couch.

Cliff started to rise. “Need a claw?”

“Nah, you and Twilight can keep working.”

The older dragon nodded, and placed his claws over the alicorn's heart. “You're both doing well, Princess Twilight.”

“It doesn't seem like it.” She smiled anyway.

Cliff paused to activate his spell once more. The alicorn's emotions were a mix of frustration, determination, and excitement. “Most wyrms learn to meditate from infancy, and even then they have trouble with this. Don't be too hard on yourself, Princess.”

The last word caused a hint of annoyance in her emotions.

He frowned slightly. “Do you not like being called 'Princess?'”

Embarrassment touched the edges of her heart. “Well... it is a little formal.”

“What would you prefer?”

“Just 'Twilight' is fine.”

“Okay... Twilight. I'm going to try something different.” Cliff cast the spell to calm her heart. “How do you feel?”

“Serene...” Came the gentle response.

“I'm going to weaken the spell now. Maintain that Stillness for as long as you can.”

“Okay...”

Cliff hung onto his spell for another minute, waiting while emotions bounced around the edge of Twilight's heart. She was trying to grab onto the Stillness, rather than letting it embrace her on its own. Thankfully, his magic prevented the alicorn's mistakes from snapping her out of the spell trance.

When the struggles finally ceased, Cliff let his spell weaken. Some emotions crowded the edges of her heart, but the center remained calm, which was the important part.

After another minute, Cliff let the spell die completely. Twilight's heart remained clear for an impressive twelve heartbeats before excitement began to pop up, followed immediately by worry as she tried to push the emotion away, and then frustration when she realized that she was worrying, and then the Stillness fell apart completely.

Twilight sighed. “I'm sorry, Cliff. I thought I had it there.”

“Don't be sorry, P-, Twilight. You maintained it longer than I was expecting.”

She smiled at his near mistake, but frustration was still written across her face. “It's amazing that you can do this so easily.”

Cliff shrugged. “I've had time to practice. You'll get there.”

Twilight thought over what he'd said. “How long does it normally take to learn this?”

“Based on how you're doing so far, a day or so for each step, depending on hard you practice.”

The alicorn slumped forward. “I'm going to be busy all day tomorrow. I won't have much time to practice.”

As though any teacher hadn't heard that before. “There are lots of small moments where you can make time. While eating a meal, for example, or walking to an appointment.”

“Don't worry, I was planning on that much.” She sighed. “I'll need to pay attention during my meetings and Friendship Court though, so I can't practice then.”

Cliff was impressed. It was the first time a student had shrugged off constant practice as a matter of course. “I think I underestimated just how diligent you are.”

“Well, it is an entirely new field of magic.” Twilight smiled wistfully. “Anyway, can we try again?”

“Of course, Pri- Twilight.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Dinner was a welcome relief for both Cliff and Twilight. The alicorn helped herself to a large bowl of salad that Spike had prepared. Cliff tried some too. It wasn't as bad as the sandwiches, but it was still far from ideal. He ate as little as he could get away with, and then contented himself with a tray of fruits.

After they finished, Spike ran back to the kitchen to get desert. “Behold my masterpiece,” he said triumphantly as he placed a gem-encrusted cupcake in front of Cliff. “I put some of my spare jewels into this cupcake for you. I hope you like it, Cliff.”

He noticed the baby dragon placing regular cupcakes in front of himself and Twilight. “Thank you very much, Spike.” He caught his brother in a hug. “I owe you one.”

Spike looked embarrassed. “Ah, it was nothing. I just wanted to do a little something to celebrate your first day in Ponyville.”

He let the baby dragon go, and plucked one of the larger gems off the top of the cupcake. “Here, Spike.” He held it out. “So I don't feel like I'm hogging all the jewels for myself.”

“Nuh-uh, Cliff.” The younger dragon shook his head. “Those are for you.”

He didn't lower his arm. “Come on, Spike. I want to share a jewel with you too, and since I don't have any of my own at the moment...” He shrugged.

“Oh, okay.” Spike took the gemstone, and crunched it in half with a satisfied smile.

Cliff popped the rest of the cupcake into his mouth with a similar expression. There really was nothing under the stars that could compare to the smooth, powerful, mouthwatering flavor of jewels.

“I have a question, Cliff,” Twilight said after he swallowed. “Why did I feel so attached to that orb of light you helped me make?”

He put a hand over his chest. “Remember, magic of the heart. You were feeling the admiration that you put into your spell radiating out from it. Spike and I could feel it too.”

“Amazing.” Her mind fairly buzzed with the implications. “Do all spells have that effect?”

“It depends on the spell and how much control you have over it. You and Spike are just beginners though, so every spell you cast will leak your emotions.”

“Maybe you could use that to apologize to Fluttershy,” Spike suggested. “She can't worry that you're still angry if she can feel that you aren't.”

“That's a good idea.” Cliff scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “I actually know a spell that would be perfect.”

Spike's eyes widened. “Can I see it?”

“Sure. In fact,” he closed his eyes, “I'd really appreciate it if you let me show you this. Just don't laugh if it's kind of cheesy.” A clear bubble appeared in the air in front of him. After using his magic to help Spike and Twilight for so long, Cliff struggled a little to maintain this far more complex spell. “The spell is called Heart's Mirror,” he explained. “It reflects my emotions.”

Warmth and love filled the room. The laughter of hatchlings seemed to echo just out of hearing, and there was an unmistakable sense of rightness and belonging. Satisfaction after a day of hard work touched them all, along with the thrill of learning and discovery. “This is my coven,” Cliff told them. “At least, this is what it feels like to me.”

Neither Spike nor Twilight seemed to know what to say.

He moved to a different memory. This one made the room feel completely safe, and filled with wide-eyed wonder. Admiration touched the three, and a determination to help. Bits of sadness flickered through, followed by a massive wave of excitement and joy. The two sets of emotions seemed to chase each other in an endless pattern. “This is our parents, Spike,” Cliff said.

A gentle sob touched his ears, but he still had one more thing to share. It began with wonder, excitement, and nervousness, all mixed together. Awkwardness followed, but it was only there for a moment. Then, joy. Pure, honest, joy. The surge slowly abated, but other emotions flowed in. There was tenderness, respect, and laughter. Above them all, was a mixture of love and hope. It was the kind of feeling that made each new day an adventure waiting to happen. “And this,” Cliff said, “is what it was like meeting you, Spike.” He let the spell fade and opened his eyes.

Spike ran to his brother, and caught him in the biggest hug his arms could manage. “I love you too, Cliff!”

Tenderly returning the embrace, Cliff looked up to see the Princess in tears.

“That was beautiful,” she whispered.

That's a relief. Cliff had worried that his emotions would come across as melodramatic.

The baby dragon rubbed away some tears as he looked up and motioned for Twilight to join them. And so Cliff found himself in a group hug with Spike and an alicorn princess for the second time in as many days.

Author's Note

Hopefully Rarity's comment helped explain why Fluttershy was acting strangely. I also hope I didn't bore anyone with Cliff's meditation session, or the nuts and bolts of how dragon magic works. I like it when characters have brains and think about things, but let me know if I went overboard here.

Giving Cliff magic was actually a decision that I struggled with. I mean, he already has thick scales, teeth that can bite gemstones in half, and fire breathing. On the other hand, dragons have always been considered fundamentally magical creatures, and the mane 6 are all capable of some pretty crazy things. Eventually I asked some friends and family, and they all voted for magic.

Lots of people seem to be confused about the whole "Cliff and me" vs "Cliff and I" issue, so here's an article that should clear things up a bit. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/i-or-me. Bear in mind that "dragon magic" is the subject of this sentence, and "Cliff and me" is the object.

Chapter 5

Using so much magic left Cliff exhausted. He excused himself to the guest bedroom as soon as he finished helping Spike and Twilight clean up dinner. The bed felt cold and empty without his friends and family to share it, but years of traveling alone had taught him to endure. At least it was better than sleeping outside again.

It was light outside when the young dragon awoke. He stretched out his arms and legs, and breathed some fire on his clawed hands to warm them. After a long yawn, Cliff slid out of bed and went to find his little brother.

Spike was in the kitchen, dressed in an apron and a white hat, mixing something in a bowl. “Hey Cliff, did you get a good night's sleep?”

“It was fine.” He suppressed another yawn. “What are you doing down here?”

“I decided to let you and Twilight sleep in while I made breakfast.” He poured some of the mixture onto an iron skillet. “Do you like pancakes?”

“I don't know,” Cliff admitted. His knowledge of pancakes was limited to having heard the word before.

Spike held out a small, round object that vaguely resembled bread. “No need to worry if you don't. Ponies have all sorts of good foods. We'll try them all until we find something you like.”

“Good plan.” He took the offered pancake and bit into it. It was warm and starchy, but there was little else that could be said. “It's... better than grass.”

The younger dragon chuckled. “Try it with butter and syrup, Cliff.” He gestured to the table, where both condiments had been laid out.

Cliff added a small amount of butter and a dollop of syrup, and took another bite. “Much better.”

“That's good.” Spike flipped another pancake off the skillet and onto a stack of finished ones. “Could you go wake up Twilight? She'll freak out if I let her sleep any longer.”

“Of course.” Cliff made his way to the alicorn's bedroom, but then he paused. How exactly do ponies wake each other? Breathing fire on the late riser was how dragons usually got the job done, but he couldn't see that ending well here. Maybe talking to her would work. “Uh, Twilight?”

No response.

“Twilight?” he said it a bit louder.

“Hnnn...” Her eyes fluttered open. “OhmyCelestia, what time is it?!” She literally flew to the clock. “Seven thirty-three? I was supposed to be up an hour ago!” It was only then that the alicorn noticed Cliff. “Sorry about yelling. I just need to hurry and get ready. If I don't make up for all that studying I missed, it'll throw my whole month off schedule!”

Since he couldn't think of a good response to that, Cliff just said, “Spike is making breakfast.”

“Okay.” Twilight pulled a book over with her magic. “Maybe I can get some studying done while I eat.”

Cliff followed her back to the kitchen, where they worked their way through a meal of pancakes. It was still no toasted rabbit, but the young dragon could at least see himself surviving on food like this. He ate a light meal, so it wouldn't interfere with his morning run, and then helped Spike with the dishes. Meanwhile, Twilight retreated to her study.

“Do you do all the chores around here?” Cliff asked.

Spike thought about it. “Twilight helps when she can, but she has a lot of duties to take care of now that she's a princess .”

“Like what?”

“Well... today she has to meet with the hospital board to go over their budget and finalize how much they'll pay Zecora for each of her potions. Then she needs to meet with Mayor Mare about plans for the Spring Wrap-up Festival. Then she's getting fitted for a new gown. Then the Ponyville school board needs help planning their next trip to Canterlot. Then-”

“I think I understand,” Cliff interrupted. Taking the day off to show him around suddenly carried a lot more weight. “No wonder she needs an assistant.”

“Two assistants actually.” Spike smiled. “Owlowiscious is my junior.”

“Who?”

The younger dragon laughed. “Exactly.”

“What?”

“He's an owl.”

It took Cliff a second to get the joke. “Ah. Never mind.” He put the last of the dishes away. “What will you be doing for the next few hours?”

“I have some chores to finish around here.” Spike glanced at the clock. “You should get ready, Rainbow Dash will be arriving soon.”

Cliff had been going to invite the little dragon to exercise with them, but he didn't want to interfere with the workings of the house more than he already had. “Okay, but don't forget to practice your magic whenever you have free time.”

“No worries, I will.”

He made his way to the palace entry hall and settled down to do his warmups. Even with his new theory about ponies, Cliff wasn't crazy enough to leave himself alone and vulnerable in public.

When Rainbow Dash got there, she didn't so much open the door as crash into it so hard that it opened on its own. “Hey, Cliff.” She paused. “Uh, you okay?”

He relaxed his battle stance, dropped several defensive spells, and put a hand over his frantically beating heart. “Y-yeah, I'm fine.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Okay, so, ready to start training?”

Cliff took a few deep breaths. “Just one moment. I'd like to do a quick scan, if you don't mind.”

“A what?” She cocked her head to the side. “Like an x-ray or something?”

What's an x-ray? “It just gives me an idea of your physical strengths and weaknesses, so we'll know what to focus on.”

“Oh, sure, but you aren't going to find any weaknesses on this mare!”

Glad that she bought it, Cliff placed two claws over her heart. “This will only take a moment.” There probably was a spell out there to do what he had described, but the young dragon certainly didn't know it. He cast Insight.

Rainbow Dash's emotions were very different than he had expected. She wasn't nearly as confidant as she pretended to be, for starters. She was fiercely loyal, which was normal for a warrior, but she wasn't at all suspicious of him, just a little curious. “Uh, Cliff, what are you doing?” There was no desire to attack, either.

He decided to push her from an unexpected direction. “It's a spell. I can't risk you slowing me down if we run into a pack of timberwolves or something.”

“Slow you down?” The pegasus laughed. “I hate to break it to ya, Cliff, but you're talking to the fastest flier in Equestria.” She actually believed what she was saying. More importantly, her loyalty reached out towards the young dragon, coupled with determination and a desire to protect. If they did stumble across a monster of some kind, Rainbow Dash would throw herself in front of it to protect him without a second thought.

Another part of Cliff's belief that ponies were enemies shattered. “I believe you.” He ended the spell and tried not to feel too guilty about distrusting her. “Anyway, you're perfectly healthy. Let's go.”

It was another clear day outside. Those probably happened a lot, with all the pegasi around. Cliff had mixed feelings about the crowds he could see wandering through the town streets. Everything he had seen and heard before running into Princess Luna in Canterlot told him that ponies were his most dangerous enemies. Everything that had happened since then, however...

Unaware of his inner conflict, Rainbow Dash trotted up beside the young dragon and grinned. “Alright, the way I figure it, we both need to work on our endurance. So we're going to start running, and see who can go the longest without stopping.”

Cliff nodded. “Lead on.”

Her confidant grin remained firmly in place. “Just try to keep up.” Then she took off, moving at a medium gallop.

He settled into a comfortable rhythm behind her, happy to focus on the simple joy of running.

Rainbow Dash lead them around the edge of Ponyville, past Sweet Apple Acres, and then down a side road that lead them by Fluttershy's cottage before circling around towards Canterlot. They followed this for a mile or so before turning onto a dirt road that led them back to the edge of Ponyville. “Ready... to... give up?” Rainbow asked between breaths.

“Still got... more... to give,” Cliff replied. It had been months since he had run himself to the point of total exhaustion, and some masochistic part of him was enjoying this.

“Good.” Rainbow Dash was apparently as crazy as he was, because she led them back to the road to Sweet Apple Acres. They began the entire loop over again, though much more slowly this time.

Getting past the farm and cottage was a case study in agony. Cliff's chest felt like it would burst and his throat had been rubbed raw from a thousand gasping breaths. He really had to wonder what was keeping that pegasus moving.

The road to Canterlot was at least five times as long as he remembered it, but it was nothing compared to the dirt road. Dust caked onto him, aided by a liberal amount of sweat, and each bump threatened to interrupt the precarious balancing act that their run had become.

Finally, his claws came down on a loose rock, and it was all over. Cliff smashed into the ground and couldn't muster the energy to get back up. Another thump reached him as the blue pegasus also dropped.

“It looks... like... you won,” the young dragon croaked.

“You... know it.” Rainbow Dash didn't sound any better. She flapped her wings enough to get off the ground and come back to him. “I only tripped... because I was stopping... to see... if you were okay.” She tried to land on her hooves but wound up collapsing again.

“I'm fine,” Cliff said, though he knew he didn't look like it.

“Good,” Rainbow Dash flopped onto her side. “I'd hate to... break ya... on our first workout.” They spent a minute resting before the mare spoke again. “So, what happened with Fluttershy anyway?”

Cliff had wondered when that was going to come up. “How much do you know already?”

“Twilight told us that she used The Stare on you when you first met, and that she was feeling pretty guilty about it. Then at Applejack's, she kept asking if you wanted anything.”

“That's most of it right there.” The young dragon sighed. “She kept asking, and I lost my patience and told her to go away.”

Rainbow Dash smack a hoof over her eyes. “Come on Cliff, how could you not know that she'd run off in tears after something like that?”

How am I supposed to predict anything that mare does? “Do you want to know the truth?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“She scares me a little.”

The pegasus burst into laughter. “You, scared of Fluttershy?”

“Well, yes.”

It took a while for Rainbow Dash to stop laughing. “Okay, I'm sorry. It's just that we've been friends since we were fillies, and I've never met a less intimidating pegasus.”

“Threaten her pet rabbit sometime.”

“Yeah, not gonna happen.” She looked towards Ponyville. “You're going to apologize to her, right?”

The dragon nodded. “She's coming over this afternoon. I'll do it then.”

“Good.” Rainbow Dash climbed unsteadily to her hooves. “I hope you don't mind the third degree, Cliff. I'm just trying to look out for my gal pal.”

“I know.” He rose to his feet as well. The blue pegasus was a protector by nature. She would do anything to keep her friends safe. “Hey, Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for trusting me.”

She shrugged. “No worries, Cliff. What are friends for?”

The young dragon found himself smiling. “Thanks for that as well.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

After a quiet walk back to the palace, Cliff made plans with Rainbow Dash to go running the next morning and then stumbled inside to clean off. He took a bath, which was far more relaxing than it had any right to be, and then went looking for Spike.

Unfortunately, the baby dragon was nowhere to be found and Twilight had already left for her meeting. With nothing else to do, Cliff settled down to think while he practiced his magic.

He was trying to remain objective, but evidence and logic were both firmly supporting the idea that the problems between dragons and ponies were all due to some horrible misunderstanding. I'll read a few more hearts, just to be sure, but as it stands now, maybe I can afford to relax a little.

Nearly an hour later, while reviewing a spell to locate gemstones, the young dragon came to a realization. If he was going to contribute to this town, he would need a job of some kind. How do jobs work anyway? He filed that alongside 'Pony Society' for things that he needed to learn more about.

Spike got back from shopping soon afterward. Cliff explained his concerns as they put everything away.

“I don't know what jobs are available right now.” The baby dragon tapped a claw against his chin. “We could look around town later, if you want.”

“Uh, maybe we should just ask Twilight.” Even crowds of dragons made Cliff uncomfortable sometimes. “Anyway, how much were you able to practice your magic?”

“I tried it on the way to the market, and again on the way back.” Spike shifted uncomfortably. “It didn't go very well.”

He gave his brother a quick hug. “It doesn't matter how well you did. What matters is that you put forth the effort to try.”

The baby dragon blushed. “Thanks, Cliff.”

“What chores do you have to do now?”

Spike checked the clock. “Well it's almost noon, so I should get working on lunch.”

Cliff nodded. “Would you mind teaching me?”

“Wait, you want to learn how to cook?”

“Cook pony foods, yes. Besides, you can tell me more about pony society while we work.”

“Uh, okay.” Spike opened a cupboard and began pulling out ingredients. “I'm happy as long as we get to spend time together.”

Cliff Runner smiled. “Same here, brother.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cooking pony food turned out to be relatively simple. Spike had a number of books explaining how to make various dishes. All they had to do was follow the instructions. It did take longer than Cliff had expected, but that just gave them more time to talk. He learned about the Ponyville market, the businesses nearby, the schooling system, and the basics of how taxes worked. In return, he explained the draconic equivalents.

“Why did you spend so much time teaching kids?” Spike asked as he chopped up strawberries.

“Well most of the other adults have to spend their time on the farm or in the ruins. They needed somedragon to keep an eye on the hatchlings.” Cliff shrugged. “Besides, I enjoyed it.” The book said that he was making muffins, but so far it just looked like goop.

“Maybe you could be a teacher?”

“A nice thought, but I doubt most of these ponies would want to leave their sons and daughters with a dragon.”

“Why not?”

“I'm different than they are, Spike, and it takes time to feel comfortable around anything that's different.” His life at the moment was a perfect example.

“Our friends seem comfortable around you,” Spike pointed out. “And they've only known you for a day.”

“...I guess you have me there.” He added a scoop of oats to the batter. “Maybe I'm the only one that feels uncomfortable around here.”

The younger dragon seemed genuinely concerned. “You don't like it here?”

“It's not that.” It kind of was that. “Things are just...” terrifyingly confusing, “different, than at the Redstone Coven, and I'm taking time to adjust.”

They both heard the door to the living quarters open. “Spike? Cliff?” Twilight's voice reached them. “Are you two home?”

“We're in the kitchen, Twilight,” Spike called back.

A moment later, the Princess came around the corner. “Hey, you two. Did you enjoy your morning?”

Cliff shrugged, and Spike said, “Eh, it was alright. How about you?”

“We finished the hospital budget, and I made sure that Zecora will get a fair price for all of her potions. There was even some extra time, so I went by Rarity's early.” She looked behind her, and a certain yellow pegasus came into view. “Since Fluttershy here was coming over anyway, I thought maybe she could join us for lunch.”

Crap. Cliff embraced the Stillness. He couldn't let things turn out like they had the first two times they'd interacted.

“Uh, if you don't have enough, then that's okay.” The mare's voice was barely more than a whisper.

“No worries, Fluttershy,” Spike assured her. “We aren't finished yet, but Cliff and I are putting together a nice big lunch. We'd love to have you share it.”

“Oh, okay. So long as it's no trouble.”

Cliff took a deep breath. If he had to apologize, he may as well get it over with. “Uh, Twilight, could you help Spike for a minute? I'd like to talk to Fluttershy alone.” He turned to the pegasus. “If you don't mind, that is.”

“N-no, that's fine.” She looked down.

Twilight gave the dragon an encouraging grin. “I'd love to help Spike. You two can talk in the living room.”

Slipping past her, Cliff led Fluttershy down the short hallway. Apologize. Accept her apology. Ask to be friends. I can do this. He took a seat on one of the couches.

Fluttershy settled onto the couch opposite him, her eyes still downcast.

Silence filled the room as Cliff struggled for the right words. “I...” he sighed. “I'm really sorry about yesterday.”

“No, it was my fault,” she insisted, finally looking up. “I was so mean to you when we first met, and then I wouldn't leave you alone at Sweet Apple Acres. It's no wonder you got mad at me...”

Did just accept or reject my apology? Crap, she looks upset! “I-I did get mad, but you didn't deserve what I said.” Cliff faked a mournful sigh. “Please forgive me for being so rude.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I did deserve it. You must have been so scared to be in a new place, surrounded by strangers, and then I... I...” She looked like she was about to cry.

Cliff resisted the urge to facepalm. Why can't things ever be easy with this mare? “Fluttershy?”

“Yes?” she whispered.

“There's a spell I'd like use, if you don't mind.” Since talking is just making things worse.

“You can use magic?” She looked at him in surprise. “I- uh, yes, you can use it.”

“Okay.” Cliff got up slowly, and knelt in front of her. “I just need to put two claws over your heart. I promise it won't hurt.”

Fluttershy cringed and looked away. “Do you need to?”

He nodded. “Yes.” Please, just let me calm you down.

“O-okay.” she closed her eyes and winced like she was about to be hit.

Cliff placed his claws as gently as he could, but that didn't stop her from jumping when they first brushed against her yellow coat, or trembling each second they remained. “It's okay,” Cliff whispered, partly to himself. He cast Insight.

Fluttershy wasn't just scared, she was terrified! Her fear was easily as strong as what Cliff felt for the entire Ponyville marketplace, and it was directed right at him.

Wait, what? He looked into it more deeply. She's a dragon-phobic introvert, he realized. No wonder she got upset at the party. Just working up the courage to talk to me must have taken everything she had. Cliff soothed away her fears so that he could 'see' the rest of her heart.

Almost immediately, the pegasus stopped shaking.

“This magic calms your heart,” Cliff explained as he studied her emotional landscape. Extremely nurturing. I guess her pets should have made that obvious. Rather unsure of herself. Prefers peace and calm. She was also the least violent creature he had ever encountered. If he hadn't been there, Cliff would have trouble believing that the incident with The Stare had actually happened. “Are you feeling better?”

A tiny smile graced her features. “Yes, thank you so much.”

“I'm glad. This next spell will let you feel my own emotions.” Heart's Mirror appeared in the space between them. He manufactured a cluster of positive emotions to feed into it.

Admiration filled the area, mixed with sorrow for past mistakes, and a desire to learn more. Most powerful of all though, was hope. “This is how I feel about you, Fluttershy.” He lied. To be fair, his emotions had improved greatly in the last few seconds, but there was still a lot of uneasiness, which would only make her feel worse. “I know we had a rough start, but I want to move past that. In fact, if you're willing to have me, I'd be honored to call you my friend.”

She murmured something unintelligible.

“What was that?” Cliff leaned closer.

She said it again, so quietly that he almost didn't hear it this time either. “...Okay...”

Relief washed through the young dragon, reflecting in his spell. He added some joy as well. “Thank you, Fluttershy.” He let his spell fade and backed away. “Are you okay?”

Fluttershy looked up nervously, but her smile was genuine. “Yes, um, thank you. I want to be your friend too, Cliff Runner.”

“I'm glad.” Cliff returned the smile. “By the way, it's, uh, it's okay that dragons scare you. Ponies scare me a little, so... yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, let's get back to the kitchen before Twilight comes looking for us.”

She climbed off the couch and followed after him. “Um, can all dragons use magic?”

“No, just wyrms.” He saw her confused expression. “Dragons without wings.”

She nodded. “I never knew that there were different types of dragons, and your magic was wonderful.”

In spite of himself, Cliff grinned from the compliment.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Lunch was a combination of fruit smoothies and oat muffins. Cliff Runner enjoyed the smoothies, but the muffins were barely tolerable. He muscled his way through one before deciding that he could put up with being a little hungry until dinner.

“No go, huh?” Spike asked, noticing his older brother's expression.

“Sorry.” Cliff washed his mouth out with more of the smoothie. “At least this drink is good.”

Fluttershy looked at Twilight questioningly.

“Cliff isn't used to pony food yet,” the purple mare explained. “We're trying different things to see what he likes.”

“Oh, um... you like eggs, right?”

Cliff nodded. “Fish too. Thank you for both of those from yesterday.”

“It was no problem.” Fluttershy nearly whispered. That seemed to be her normal speaking voice.

“So, Twilight.” Cliff turned to the alicorn. “Were you able to practice your magic at all?”

“Yes, three different times.” She grinned. “Twice while walking, and once while waiting for our meeting to start.”

“Excellent.” He noticed that Fluttershy was looking confused again. “I'm teaching Spike and Twilight dragon magic. For some reason, it seems alicorns can use it.”

“It's part of our natural magic field.” Twilight explained. “I've known that I had an extra ability since I transformed. I just didn't know how to use it until now.”

“Really? Congratulations, Twilight. You too, Spike.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy, but we're still just learning the basics,” Twilight said, and Spike nodded his agreement. “Neither of us can cast anything yet.”

“Give it time,” Cliff assured her. “The first spell is always the hardest.”

“Oh, by the way, Twilight,” Spike said. “Do you know of any job openings in Ponyville?”

“Nothing comes to mind. Why do you ask?”

“Cliff wants to get a job.”

“You do?” She turned to the older dragon. “Would you mind if I asked why?”

What kind of question is that? “To contribute, of course.”

His answer seemed to surprise the alicorn. “Oh, I thought you needed money to buy something.”

“Why would I need to buy something?” Cliff asked in confusion.

Spike chose that moment to step in. “Dragons don't have money, Twilight. They're totally communal. I spent all morning explaining to Cliff how money is supposed to work.”

The older dragon could only shrug.

Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin, no doubt storing that information away. “Well, if you just want to contribute... You could help Spike. He's been having some trouble with all the chores lately, and I'm too busy with my princess duties to help as much as I'd like.”

“That sounds good.”

Spike laughed. “Sweet. Now you're my junior assistant.”

Author's Note

I think most of us can agree that Equestria is meant to be an idealized society, and one that holds certain values (friendship, individuality, peace, etc) in high regard. Cliff is the product of an equally idealized society, but one that goes in an opposite direction with many things. Family, community, and self control are what he considers most important.

If you look at all the known information about Spike in the show, it's pretty easy to see why I made these decisions. He has an almost obsessive need to help and serve others, (his entire life with Twilight, Spike at Your Service, etc.), his worst fear is being separated from his mother/sister figure, (The Crystal Empire, parts 1 and 2), he's terrified of letting others down (The Equestrian Games), and most notably, turns into a giant, rampaging monster when he feels greedy, (Secret of My Excess).

Add it all up, and you've got a race of beings that, for their own safety, should own as little as possible and practice firm self-control. They also hold tight to their families, and feel most satisfied with their lives when they are contributing meaningfully to the group.

Granted, that's just my interpretation of things, but I hope you can at least see where I was coming from with this. Feel free to provide your own insights in the comments, because I'd love to read them!

Chapter 6

The next morning was calm and cheerful... again. Cliff was glad to learn that a rainstorm had been scheduled for that afternoon. He was getting very bored of this perfect weather.

He was also surprised when Spike came back from getting the morning newspaper with a bag addressed to him. Inside, he found a dozen eggs and a fish.

It was fairly obvious that Fluttershy was behind it, but he wasn't exactly sure how to interpret such a gesture. Is she trying to take care of me like one of her animals? Cliff shrugged and fried half of the eggs for breakfast.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Both Rainbow Dash and Cliff agreed that they should be more restrained today, so they only ran one loop around Ponyville and back. It was still more than enough to wear them out.

“How did things go with Fluttershy yesterday?” Rainbow asked after they finished.

“We're officially friends now,” Cliff replied, stretching out a cramp in his back leg. And my theory about ponies is becoming more and more solid.

“Awesome. I knew you could do it.” She dumped a bucket of water over hear head. “Ah, that feels better.”

Cliff really had no idea why somepony would install a faucet next to the back entrance of a crystalline tree palace. Even if ponies weren't evil, they were still weird. “I do have a question, though.”

“Shoot.”

I'm going to assume that means, 'go ahead.' “I think she left a bag of foods I like at our front door this morning.”

“Yeah, sounds like something she'd do.”

Cliff hesitated. “I just wish I knew why.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Look Cliff, the trick to dealing with Fluttershy is to just let her do her own thing.” She took to the air. “I've gotta help get ready for the storm this afternoon, but I'll catch ya later, okay?”

Cliff waved. “Okay, catch you later.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed much like the day before. Cliff and Spike worked together on the chores, ate lunch with Twilight, and then worked on magic until she got home for dinner. Spike actually managed to hold onto the Stillness long enough that Cliff deemed him ready to start the next step. After dinner, Rarity dropped by to deliver Cliff's 'ensemble,' a dark blue tuxedo, complete with bow-tie.

“Oh, don't you look so dashing,” the white unicorn said admiringly. “I've really outdone myself this time.”

“Uh-huh,” agreed Spike, who hadn't taken his eyes off Rarity since she came in.

Twilight chuckled. “You look great, Cliff.”

The young dragon pretended to admire himself in the mirror, but his mind was elsewhere. He had scanned Rarity's heart while she was helping him get everything on. Cliff had only held the connection for a second before she moved away, and so he hadn't been able to check her feelings for Spike, but even a brief glimpse into her heart had shown her to be a very kind and generous mare, who intended him no harm whatsoever. Five tests, one result. We're completely wrong about ponies, or at least, a lot of them. “Thank you, Rarity. This is very nice.”

“Think nothing of it, Cliff. It's the least I could do to welcome Spikey-wikey's brother to Ponyville.” She gave Spike an affectionate hug. “How are you settling in?”

“It has been... eye opening.”

“I'm glad to hear it. I was also pleased to hear from Fluttershy that you two have become friends.”

“Yes, we have.” Cliff thought about the bag of food again. Is giving gifts how Fluttershy expresses friendship? He got a sinking feeling. “Is it rude if somepony gives you a gift, and you don't give one back?”

“I suppose it may be, depending on the circumstances.” Rarity's eyes lit up. “Oh goodness, did she give you something as a token of your friendship?”

“Yes, a bag of food.”

His answer seemed to disappoint the unicorn mare. “Oh, well yes, I suppose that is a gift between friends.”

What was she expecting? “So, should I get her something in return?”

“I'm sure she would appreciate it if you did.”

“It's a good thing you have a job now.” Twilight grinned and ran for her room. “I'll be right back with your first paycheck!”

Paycheck? Oh right, money. “Are you sure you have enough to spare?” he called after her. From what Spike said, it was extremely easy to run out of bits.

“Of course,” she replied. “I'm only using a fraction of my royal allowance. There's more than enough to give you a good salary.”

“Alright, if you're sure.” He turned back to Rarity. “What exactly should I get her?”

The unicorn considered it for a moment. “I'm afraid Fluttershy has never been an easy one to shop for. She doesn't wear jewelry or clothes very often, and doesn't have many hobbies other than taking care of animals and knitting.”

“New knitting supplies, maybe?” Cliff suggested.

Spike shook his head. “She has a room full of that stuff under her cottage.”

“A new pet?”

Rarity smiled sympathetically. “I'm afraid her cottage is also the local pet shop.”

Cliff sighed. “You weren't kidding.”

“Oh,” Rarity exclaimed. “I believe I have an idea!”

“Yes?” Cliff and Spike said in unison.

“Fluttershy uses many of Zecora's potions to take care of sick animals, but she hates going into the Everfree Forest to get them.”

Twilight reappeared, levitating a bag behind her. “Oh Rarity, that's perfect!” She offered the bag to Cliff. “There are fifty bits in there.”

“Thank you both.” He took it. “Where in the forest does she live?”

Rarity explained where he could find the path that lead to her house.

“Do you know what kind of potions she gets, or how much they cost?”

The unicorn shook her head. “I'm afraid I don't, darling.”

“Most of her potions don't cost very much.” Twilight said. “You should be able to get anything you need.”

“Perfect.” Cliff glanced out the window. The sun had nearly reach the horizon, casting everything in long shadows and shades of red. “Do you think she'd still be open?”

“She is,” Twilight said, “but, Cliff, it's nearly sundown. You don't want to be in the Everfree Forest at night.”

“I'll move quickly.” He quickly removed the suit and left it bundled on the couch. “Thank you for the advice, Rarity, and for the, 'ensemble.'”

“I was my pleasure, dear.” She was busy folding the discarded articles. “Although we must discuss proper clothing care when you get back.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Rarity waved a hoof dismissively. “No need to apologize. Hurry along before you lose the light.”

Cliff put on his cloak and deposited the bits inside one of its pockets. “I'll be back as quickly as I can.” It had been a few days since he practiced magically enhanced running anyway.

As soon as he got outside, the young dragon cast spells to increase his strength, agility, and senses. His improved eyesight picked out the trail Rarity had told him about. He crouched and took off.

Less than a minute later, he slid to a stop in front of a gnarled tree, surrounded by strange masks and colored bottles. Whoever Zecora is, she certainly has unusual tastes. Cliff walked up to the door and knocked.

The most unusual pony he had ever seen (and that was saying something) opened the door. She had a black and white striped coat, a short mane that stood straight up, and strangely angled eyes. “Is that a dragon I now see? 'Tis quite a surprise, I do decree.” She spoke with an accent, but Cliff couldn't even begin to guess at its origin.

“Excuse me, are you Zecora?”

She nodded. “Zecora I am, my dragon friend. To what need of yours might I attend?”

At least she's friendly. “I'm looking for a potion. One of the kind that you sell to Fluttershy.” Then he realized that she might not know Fluttershy by name. “She's a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail.”

Zecora nodded, but her expression was quizzical. “Many potions to that mare I sell. Which do you need, pray tell?”

There has to be a reason why she always rhymes. Cliff decided that it didn't matter. “I don't actually know. I just want to repay her for a gift I received.”

The strange pony stepped back to let him in. “A noble intention, dragon friend. What is your name, if that does not offend?”

He slipped past her. “Cliff Runner. I'm Spike's brother.”

The inside of Zecora's house was adorned by more of the unusual masks, and a large caldron bubbled in the center of the room. Most notably, dozens of bottles rested on shelves or on the floor. Some even hung from the ceiling by cords.

“A polite brother he has received indeed, and of a family, he was sadly in need.” She moved to one of the bottle-covered shelves. “And now, Cliff Runner, for Fluttershy, did you wish the price be low, or high?”

Cliff actually had no idea if eggs and fish were expensive items in Ponyville or not, and so he wasn't sure what the appropriate price of a return gift would be. He also had only a vague idea of how much a bit was worth. “Somewhere in the middle, I suppose. Whatever she buys the most of.”

Zecora lifted a bottle from the shelf and carried it to him. “With this potion an injury mends. She often buys it for her woodland friends.” She placed it on a table next to him. “Its ingredients are not so rare. Perhaps five bits you'd consider fair?”

“Yes, thank you.” He gave her the money and stashed the potion in his cloak. “I'll be leaving now. Goodbye.”

“Take care, young dragon.” She said as he left. “Journey with speed; and may you ever be free from greed.”

Her farewell made Cliff pause. “My entire society is dedicated to that one goal.” He turned back to her with a sad smile. “It's the only way a dragon can guarantee the safety of those he cares about.” Then he cast his spells again and was off.

Unpleasant memories followed after the young dragon. He had seen more than one young child transform into a crazed monster because of greed, and it hadn't always been possible to snap them out of it.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff dropped the potion at Fluttershy's front door and then made his way home. After hanging up his cloak, the young dragon was given an extremely lengthy explanation by Rarity about how to properly take care of clothing, and why it mattered.

His head was spinning by the time the white unicorn bid them goodnight. How do ponies handle having clothes if they take so much work? Cliff had found his cloak in a dumpster in some pony town, and never would have guessed that it needed to be taken in for something called 'dry cleaning' once every month.

With everything else out of the way, the trio settled down to practice magic. Spike was progressing nicely. Twilight, on the other claw, was still struggling to create the Stillness.

She smiled sheepishly after another failed attempt. “I'm really sorry, Cliff. I don't normally take this long to learn something new.”

“Quit worrying, Twilight,” Spike told her. “You've had a busy couple of days, but I'm sure you'll get it tonight.”

“Thanks, Spike.” She turned to Cliff. “Maybe you could monitor my attempt and tell me where I'm getting it wrong?”

Cliff nodded and moved next to her. He placed two claws over her heart. “Go ahead.”

Twilight closed her eyes and focused.

“Good so far.” It was a bit of an understatement. Twilight's technique was exactly what Cliff had suggested the last time they'd practiced. Seconds passed, and frustration crept into her heart. “Relax, Twilight. You're doing it correctly. This just takes time.”

The frustration died down.

“Good.”

A few seconds later, the alicorn's heart was completely still.

“...Alright, that's enough,” Cliff told her after she held the Stillness for a full minute.

Twilight gave him a huge hug. “Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Cliff!” She pulled away and embraced Spike as well.

The baby dragon hugged her back with equal enthusiasm, congratulating her all the while.

Once they had calmed down, Cliff told Twilight that she was ready to move on. “I'll give you the same warning that I gave Spike. The second step involves restoring certain emotions to your heart. You need to be careful, though, because it's easy to let these emotions run away with you. Some dragons get addicted to their own happiness spells, and will cast them over and over again just to feel that emotion. Others can't cast fear spells without feeling like a coward for days afterward.” He looked deep into the alicorn's eyes to make sure she understood. “If you don't control your emotions at this step, they will control you.”

She nodded gravely.

“Okay, we'll start with four simple emotions; joy, excitement, sadness, and anger.” The concept was simple, to allow only the chosen emotion into your heart, but techniques varied. Cliff favored using memories for beginners, and so, after Twilight's heart was still once more, he instructed her to think of something that made her smile.

A little bit of joy blossomed in the mare's heart, but it was quickly pushed aside by the Stillness.

“Don't worry, this happens with everydragon.” Cliff assured her. “You've spent so much time making your heart still that you don't know how to let emotions back in.” He explained a few things she could do to get around this problem.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next week passed quickly for Cliff. At first, he still looked for excuses to scan the hearts of ponies he met. After he tested a dozen ponies, however, and all of them trustworthy, he gave up and accepted that his race was horribly wrong about the citizens of Equestria.

Cliff also spent several days trying to convince Twilight to cut his pay before giving up and opening a 'savings account.' The only reason he kept anything was to cover his third of the food budget, and because new packages of eggs and fish were appearing at their door every other day, and he needed money to buy potions in return.

He never spoke to Fluttershy during that time, even though he sometimes saw her as she was dropping off the bags of food. She was definitely the type to avoid attention, and so Cliff let her perform her acts of friendship without fanfare.

Zecora, on the other claw, seemed to enjoy their brief talks each time Cliff came by for another potion. Her rhyming still threw him off. Yet, in spite of that, he felt a strange connection to the mare. That feeling was only strengthened when Twilight told him that Zecora wasn't a pony at all, but a sub-species of equine called a 'zebra.' It seemed that he wasn't the only outsider in this town.

Cliff spent most of his days helping Spike with his chores. It was amazing how much the baby dragon had to get done each day. Between cooking meals, cleaning the palace, shopping, running errands, and making snacks for Twilight's weekly lessons with three young fillies from town, Spike barely had any time to himself. At least they were able to talk, laugh, and tell stories as they worked together.

Spike and Twilight progressed well in their study of magic. Both were able to use at least a few spells, though neither was ready for anything that was very complex. Unfortunately, Spike's enthusiasm for dragon magic didn't extend into working out, so Rainbow Dash remained Cliff's only exercise partner. At least the enthusiastic pegasus kept things interesting. Nearly every day she had a new course for them to run.

The young dragon was happy for the most part, but every now and then he would be reminded that he was far from home. Twilight and Spike still looked ready to gag every time he ate fish in front of them, for example, and his bed still felt cold and lonely as he lay in it each night.

“What's eating at you?” Rainbow Dash asked during one of their morning gallops.

Cliff glanced back at Ponyville. “I'm just wondering if I'll ever fit in around here.”

“Are other ponies giving you a hard time or something?” Rainbow Dash guided them down yet another new route. This one lead past the swamp to the south.

“No.” Aside from all the strange looks as I walk past.

“Then what's the problem? I mean, you're friends with the most awesome pegasus ever.” She laughed. “What else matters?”

Cliff laughed as well. “I'll remember that.”

“You'd better!”

The two lapsed into comfortable silence as they focused on the winding path. Most trees had a sickly look to them in this area, and the smell was far from pleasant, but its isolation lent the bog a sense of tranquility... right up until they heard the screams.

Both dragon and pegasus screeched to a halt, straining their ears. “I'll look from up top,” Rainbow said, and shot into the air.

Cliff nodded, and activated a spell to increase his hearing.

“-elp! Help! Help!” One voice was shouting.

“C'mon,” another said. “We gotta run faster!” Her accent was the same as Applejack's.

“I can't!” The third voice was on the verge of panic.

“Down there!” Rainbow Dash shouted to Cliff, diving towards where she had just pointed.

Speed Burst brought him there almost as quickly as the pegasus. What he saw brought back extremely bad memories. Three fillies, the ones Twilight taught, were desperately running away from a giant monster. The only difference was that these young ones were ponies, rather than dragons, and they were running from a brownish hydra with four heads, not one of their own who had been driven mad by greed.

Shaking aside the flashback, Cliff grabbed two of the ponies and threw them onto his back. “Hang on!” He shouted, running back the way he had come. “Rainbow, grab the last one!”

The pegasus flew past, already carrying the third little pony. “Way ahead of you.” She glared at the child in her arms. “What in the hay were you three doing down here, Scootaloo?!”

“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash,” the child sobbed. Even from where he was, Cliff could see her shaking. “We thought we might be able to earn our cutie-marks in the swamp, but then that monster attacked, and... and...” She latched onto the older pony and wept.

“You two alright up there?” Cliff asked his own passengers as he cast a few spells to help him run faster.

“Ah, ah think so,” one of them answered. “Thank ya, Cliff.”

“No problem.” He was a bit ashamed that he couldn't recall her name.

Ponyville was getting closer now, but a roar behind them told Cliff that their pursuer hadn't given up yet. “Didn't you know that a hydra lives in the swamp?” Even he had been told that much.

“Well... yeah, but we didn' think we'd run inta it.”

“It nearly ate me!” The other filly wailed. Sweetie something, if he recalled correctly.

“Don't worry,” Cliff said as gently as he could manage while running. “I promise not to let it hurt you.”

Screams erupted from the town as ponies saw the monster approaching. “I'm going to speed up. Hold on tight!” Cliff increased the flow of willpower to his running spells, making it to the palace as quickly as he dared with two passengers.

Rainbow Dash was already there, disentangling herself from the small orange pegasus she had been carrying. “I've gotta to get the Wonderbolts.” She told Cliff. “They're the only ponies who can stop that thing.”

Cliff nodded. “We'll keep it busy until you get back.”

She took off, and Cliff rushed the three inside. “Twilight! Spike!”

They both emerged from upstairs. “What's going on?” Twilight asked.

“A hydra's attacking the town.” Cliff ran to the door to the basement and pulled it open. He motioned for the little fillies to go down. “Spike, keep an eye on these three.”

The baby dragon nodded that he understood, and went down after them.

“I need to go tell the Mayor!” Twilight ran for the door.

“No, you need to help me distract that hydra until Rainbow Dash gets back,” Cliff said, chasing after her.

“There's no time to argue,” Twilight said, leaping into the sky. “We need to organize our defenses!”

Cliff snarled in frustration as she flew away. The hydra was only a few minutes from reaching the edge of town. There isn't time to organize defenses before it kills somepony! Even worse, the monster was still looking in his direction intently, which meant it was coming straight for the palace... for Spike and the three fillies they had just rescued.

Fine! Cliff thought. He had never fought a hydra, let alone one this massive, but nothing was going to harm those four young ones! Not as long as he was alive to stop it.

Scale Armor, Reflexes, Strength, Breath, and Senses, the young dragon recited as he cast the spells. Rainbow Dash, get back quickly. Then he cast Speed Burst and launched himself at the beast.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Dashing between its legs, Cliff Runner released a concentrated beam of fire at the hydra's scaled ankle. Not waiting to see how it reacted, he launched himself forward, landing just past the end of its long tail. He flipped around and shot two more beams of fire.

The results were less than impressive. One of the hydra's heads turned to roar at him, but the other three, along with its body, pushed on towards the palace. A few light burns on its legs were the only sign of Cliff's attacks.

So much for luring it away, the young dragon reflected, and charged the beast again. He activated another spell; Ghost Claws. Ethereal light began to radiate from his claws. Speed Burst shot him into the air, right at one of its necks.

Lashing out with both arms, the light from his most recent spell instantly coalesced into two sets of ethereal claws, several times the length of his natural ones. They sank deep into the creature's flesh as Cliff used another Speed Burst to whip himself around, slitting its throat.

His instincts shouted that he was in danger.

Cliff launched himself away, narrowly avoiding one of the hydra's other heads as it's jaws snapped shut behind him. He landed between it and the town, panting from the use of so much magic. His claws felt like they had nearly been ripped off. Just how thick are those scales?

The hydra, for its part, seemed more angry than injured. Even as Cliff watched it roar, his enhanced eyesight noticed the scales along its neck stitching themselves back together. Four sets of slitted pupils glared at him as the monster lunged forward.

In spite of himself, Cliff felt a bit of fear touch him. Are four young ones going to die because I can't stop this thing? He pushed the thought aside and launched himself above the hydra's biting heads. He came back down on the injured one, releasing a shock-wave into its skull. Then he launched himself at another head, clawing furiously at its eyes.

With a roar, the hydra batted its head to the side.

Cliff's feet slipped, and he was nearly thrown into one of the hydra's gaping, beak-like mouths. He sank his claws deep into the creature's snout to stabilize himself as it shook and twisted, trying to dislodge him.

He only had time to realize that he should have ducked away again before a massive set of jaws clamped around him, ripping him off of the monster's other head.

His enchanted scales saved him from being sliced to pieces, but nothing could stop the crushing pressure of the hydra's bite. Cliff clawed and scraped with the arm that hadn't been pinned to his side, shooting fire wildly at any part of monster that he could see, but his fiery breath turned into screams of agony as his ribs began to snap.

Fighting through the pain was like holding back a river. Only the knowledge that he would die if he didn't get away gave him enough strength to cast another Speed Burst, ripping himself out of the creature's mouth.

Cliff didn't even feel himself hitting the ground.

His vision was starting to go black. Breathing was impossible through the pain in his chest. If he didn't get away and heal himself, he would probably die.

Those children still need me...

He ignored the monster's roars, and slowly forced himself back to his feet.

A purple haze seemed to surround the hydra, but Cliff didn't have time to think about that. It was getting harder just to stay awake, and that beast needed to be stopped before it could reach Spike. The young dragon somehow found the strength to cast one more spell, Spider Climb, and then he launched himself forward.

He barely missed the hydra's heads, and slammed into its chest. One hand magically attached itself to the creature's scales, while he slashed down with the other as hard as he could. His entire ribcage exploded in agony from the impact and Cliff heard something snap in his wrist, but all of his attention was devoted to a final surge of magic. He opened his mouth and shot a beam of searing heat into the wound his claws had just opened.

The hydra roared and shook all around him, but Cliff just angled the beam up, down, side to side, anywhere he could think of to hit something important. He could barely see anything through the blackness anymore. By all rights, one of the creature's heads should have finished him off.

He couldn't think clearly enough to be grateful that it hadn't.

He was only dimly aware when the hydra hit the ground, hurling him away like a broken doll.

I hope that was enough... Cliff thought as he rolled limply to a stop. Then the blackness consumed him.

Author's Note

I hope Cliff doesn't come off as overpowered after that. I'm trying to keep him at a reasonable level, both in power and skill. Somewhere around Rainbow Dash, to be precise. Also, I've written a lot of fight scenes, but I rarely like how they turn out. Feedback on this one would be very much welcomed.

Did I ever mention that I'm horrible at rhyming? Well, I'm horrible at rhyming. I did my best with Zecora's dialogue, but feel free to suggest better ways she could have said things.

Chapter 9

As it turned out, Rainbow Dash was a very heavy sleeper. It literally required magic to rouse her in time for breakfast. Not particularly polite magic either, but after they showed her where the restrooms were, the blue pegasus took it in good humor.

Cliff was a little shocked that Fire Eyes knew a spell to make the call of nature more urgent. “What do you even use that for?” he asked as they stood in line for the morning meal.

“Can you teach it to Cliff?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We could pull some awesome pranks with that.”

Fire Eyes laughed. “Why do you think I learned it?”

Cliff just rolled his eyes.

From her perch atop his back, River Wind giggled.

Rainbow Dash was still uncomfortable about the meat, and dissatisfied with her meal in general, but at least she was able to make eye contact with Cliff and the dragon sisters as they enjoyed their chicken and fish. “So what happens after breakfast?”

Cliff rose. “I'll go find Egghead. He'll know what needs doing.” He could hear the pegasus snickering as he walked away.

Egghead, as his name implied, had a more oval shaped head than normal, but he also had an extremely good memory and a knack for organization. Cliff located him quickly and made his way over.

The older dragon looked up from where he was conversing with his wife. “Ah Cliff, come to ask about the daily jobs?”

He nodded. “Preferably not in the kitchen. I don't think the pegasus with me would have the stomach for it.”

Egghead nodded thoughtfully. “Very well, I look forward to hearing that story, by the way. How long will you be staying?”

“We'll leave after dinner, probably.”

“Hm... the farm is out then. You could help Steel Claw. He has a lot of tools to sharpen this morning.”

“That will work for me, but we'll need to find something else for Rainbow Dash to do.” The forge was kept at extremely high temperatures.

“Oh yes, ponies are vulnerable to heat.” Egghead tapped his chin. “Perhaps she could aid Fire Eyes in taking supplies out to the farm? They do seem to be getting along well.”

Cliff smiled. “I think they'll both like that. I actually have a few other requests. When would be a good time to talk about them?”

Egghead's wife, a red scaled dragoness named Page Turner, spoke up. “We're compiling reports today, but it's nothing that can't wait for a while.”

“Perfect.” Cliff settled down across from them. “I actually need copies of the entire library.”

They both stared at him in shock.

“What under the stars for?” Egghead asked.

“By some stroke of fate, Princess Celestia herself has asked me for a written copy of everything there is to know about dragons,” Cliff explained. “I actually came here to get a copy of your records.”

Both dragons gave him an appraising look.

“I can only assume that something major has changed in your time away,” Egghead said after a moment.

“To put it mildly.”

Page Turner put a hand on her husband's shoulder and nodded slightly. “If you believe they can be trusted, Cliff, we will accept your judgment. The record will be ready shortly after dinner starts.”

Egghead squeezed her hand. “I'll do everything I can to assist you, my love.”

Cliff thanked them both. “I only have one other question. My brother is still about five years away from full maturity, but has developed feelings for an adult unicorn. What can either of you tell me that might help him be happy with her?”

“That is unexpected, to say the least.” Egghead breathed. “Assuming she is willing to wait, there should be no anatomical problems in their relationship. However, conception would, of course, be impossible.” He turned to his wife. Magic was more her specialty than his.

“I could teach you a maturation spell so that he reaches adulthood more quickly,” Page Turner mused. “Transformation spells could be used to allow offspring, and would permit them to live a similar lifespan, but that's not an option to decide on hastily.”

Cliff agreed wholeheartedly. Transformation magic was usually one-way, and extremely difficult to pull off in any case.

“Finally, life-force transfer magic would let them have a similar lifespan and allow both to retain their original species, but once again, no offspring.” Page Turner shrugged helplessly. “I'm afraid that's all I can offer you. There hasn't been much research in this field, you see.”

“I understand.” Cliff arose. “Could you mark those spells for me in the library I'll be taking?”

“Of course,” Page Turner promised.

After bidding the two farewell, Cliff returned to Rainbow Dash and the others. “I have good news for you, Rainbow, Egghead wants you to help Fire Eyes take supplies out to the farm.”

The pegasus gave him a flat look. “How is lugging stuff around all day good news?”

“It's only until lunch,” Cliff told her. “Besides, most other jobs would require you to stay inside. I thought you'd welcome the chance to get out and stretch your wings.”

“Good point,” Rainbow replied. She turned to Fire Eyes. “It looks like we'll get a chance to talk some more after all.”

Fire Eyes nodded. “Good. How about you, Cliff? Will you be teaching again?”

“No, I'll be lending a claw in the forge.”

River Wind seemed a little disappointed by that.

“Don't worry.” Cliff knelt beside her. “We'll talk more during lunch, I promise.”

“Okay.” Her smile returned immediately.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Steel Claw's forge was down a tunnel near the back of the main chamber. Things were every bit as cramped as Cliff remembered, and the smell was far worse. It was no wonder that few dragons volunteered there, except when necessary. The forge's owner stood in the middle of it all, meticulously sharpening a chisel. “Cliff Runner,” he said when the younger dragon entered.

“Steel Claw,” Cliff responded. He grabbed another chisel from the pile and began sharpening it as well.

Comfortable silence reigned for at least an hour before they finished the stack of chisels and moved on. The next job was to make a new pot for the kitchen. Cliff stoked the forge while Steel Claw prepared the metals and mold. He asked about the parts he didn't understand, even though the older dragon didn't respond.

Most outsiders would think of Steel Claw as a jerk, but in truth, he was just extremely contemplative. Several minutes after Cliff's last question, as the metal was cooling, the older dragon provided a list of detailed yet concise answers. Without pause, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began sharpening it.

Cliff grabbed another tool off the pile and began sharpening it as well.

Eventually a voice echoed down the tunnel, calling them to lunch.

“Thank you,” Steel Claw said, stretching out his stiff claws. “Go to your friends.”

Cliff thanked him in return, and did so. The older dragon never moved at more than a casual walk, and Cliff was in the mood for a brief run. Steel Claw must have sensed it too, if he had told the younger dragon to go ahead.

Fire Eyes and Rainbow Dash were already waiting in line when he got there. His grandparents were a few places back in the line. They must have arrived sometime that morning. Cliff exchanged brief hugs with them before returned to his friends.

“Hey Cliff,” Rainbow greeted him. “How did it go down at the forge?”

He shrugged. “Average. How was the farm?”

“A lot smaller than I expected.”

“Well what do you expect?” Cliff said ruefully. “We aren't earth ponies.”

“Anyway,” the pegasus grinned and pulled some hay and oats from her saddlebags, “we finished early, so we went exploring and found these!”

Fire Eyes smiled indulgently. “Rainbow here ran nine loads to my two. I just wanted to repay her.”

“Now you know how I feel when Fluttershy drops off eggs and fish.” Cliff paused, and his expression fell a little. “Of course, Fire Eyes isn't afraid of you.”

“Actually,” Fire Eyes said, “I think it's pretty scary how fast she can go.”

“Well I am the fastest flier in Equestria.” Rainbow returned her prized snacks to the saddlebag. “Anyway, I thought you and Fluttershy were cool now.”

“Not quite.” Cliff didn't have time to elaborate because they had reached the front of the line.

After settling down where River Wind was waiting, Cliff resumed his explanation. “I talked to Fluttershy right before we left. She was as nervous around me as ever.”

“Rats,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I wonder what the problem is.”

“Maybe she's afraid of doing something silly,” River Wind suggested. “Like how you made Rainbow Dash so nervous last night.”

The pegasus laughed, and Cliff groaned. “I was hoping to never talk about that again.”

“Too bad,” his grandmother's voice reached him. “Because I want to hear all about it.” She took a seat next to Cliff. “Rainbow Dash, this is my husband, Burning Torch.” She gestured to the brown dragon with red spikes settling down beside her, and then fixed Cliff a mischievous grin. “Well?”

He looked to Burning Torch.

His grandfather patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Just give in, Cliff, there's no stopping her now.”

The young dragon sighed. Even Rainbow Dash seemed to be enjoying his discomfort. “Ponies think sharing a bed means an invitation for intimacy. The three of us offered to sleep next to her last night, and she thought we were proposing...” he blushed, “something else. Needless to say, she was relieved to realize her mistake.”

All the surrounding dragons, and one pegasus, laughed.

“You know,” Rainbow Dash patted his other shoulder, “this wouldn't be so much fun if you didn't get so embarrassed about it.”

“You were plenty embarrassed last night,” he reminded her.

“Eh, I got over it.”

Hoping to put the topic behind them forever, Cliff asked his grandfather how the excavation was going.

“We found a number of seashell necklaces,” Burning Torch replied. “They're from saltwater mollusks, which means the dragons that lived here must have had trade relations with a group near the sea, or sent out parties to find the shells, which would imply that they were extremely valuable, or they might have come from dragons that migrated here from the coast. We don't have enough evidence to be sure yet. I could go on, but,” he nodded to River Wind, “I think she would rather listen to your story than mine.” The older dragon was far more scholarly than Cliff, but they both shared a weakness for the pleading eyes of the very young.

“Thank you.” River gave the older dragon a radiant smile. “I wanted to know more about Fluttershy. Cliff said that she is afraid of him.” She frowned in confusion. “Why?”

Cliff looked to Rainbow Dash.

The pegasus shrugged. “She's always been afraid of dragons, and she gets really timid around ponies that she doesn't know. I'm sure it'll pass if you just keep talking with her.”

“Actually,” he shifted uncomfortably, “we don't really talk.”

“What?” Rainbow stared at him. “You said that you and her are always giving gifts to each other.”

“Ooooh,” his grandmother teased. “You never told me about that.”

“She drops off normal dragon food for me sometimes,” Cliff explained. “I wanted to repay her back, so I started leaving things on her doorstep too.”

“Doorstep?” His grandfather repeated. “In other words, you don't actually speak to her during these exchanges?”

“...Yeah.” Cliff suddenly felt rather foolish.

Rainbow Dash clapped a hoof across her eyes. “Seriously, Cliff? You thought she'd get to know you better without ever talking to you?”

“Okay, okay,” Burning Torch cut off further comments. “I think Cliff has learned his lesson.” He turned to River Wind. “Do you have any more questions?”

She did, of course. He spent the rest of lunch going over details about Fluttershy, her cottage, and her pets, to satisfy the hatchling's curiosity. Rainbow Dash covered anything that he didn't know, which taught Cliff several new things about the yellow pegasus. He would never have guessed, for example, that she used to be a famous model.

Lunch ran out before River's questions did. She was a little disappointed about that, but dutifully gathered with the rest of the coven in the center of the main chamber to hear Cliff's account.

The young dragon waited until everydragon was seated in front of him, and then began. He had told his story twice since arriving, but this time was different. This was the official report. Cliff could see Egghead taking notes on everything he said, which would then be shared with other covens at the next gathering.

Unlike the other times, Cliff held nothing back. He explained everything with as much detail as possible, including his theories and beliefs about them.

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped when he first talked about the traditional view of ponies as enemies. From there, her expression went to a little insulted when he admitted to reading her heart.

Cliff didn't his best to look apologetic as he continued. He also took a moment to praise her loyalty and warrior spirit, which seemed to lift her mood.

Minutes turned into hours as he continued to detail town life in Ponyville, the ponies he had met there, the spells he had seen performed, how many pegasi it took to generate what kinds of weather effects, etc.

Eventually Rainbow's eyes began to droop, and soon she was snoring on the ground.

Fire Eyes roused the pegasus enough to lead her to Cliff's nest before she returned to continue listening.

“...In conclusion,” Cliff said at last. “I will be returning to Ponyville shortly after dinner, and taking a copy of Egghead and Page Turner's records with me. It is my hope that a greater understanding of dragons may lead the ponies to be more friendly towards us, improving relations between our two races as a whole. I will also be living with Spike and Princess Twilight Sparkle for the foreseeable future, as their aid will be invaluable in this pursuit.” He signaled that he was ready for any questions.

All heads turned to Silent Halls, the eldest among them, and leader of the Redstone Coven. Her green scales and yellow spikes had dulled somewhat with age, but her blue eyes were bright and clear as she considered what she had heard. “This is a remarkable opportunity,” she acknowledged. “We will gladly provide any assistance we can, but might I request that the locations of our various covens remain secret for the time being?”

Cliff nodded. “Of course.”

“Thank you. How do you believe the residents of Ponyville would react if more dragons came to live there?”

“I'm not sure,” Cliff admitted. “I can't even be sure of their attitude towards me upon my return, in spite of Rainbow Dash's confidence that things will be fine. However, I would certainly appreciate having more dragons around.”

“Please ask about it when you can. Do you believe any ponies would be willing to come live with us?”

“I'm sorry, but I don't know about that either. Would you like me to ask about it?”

Silent Halls nodded. “If you could. We have room for more than one dozen new bodies, as long as they are willing to contribute.” She looked at the others. “Would you all be willing to attempt peaceful coexistence, should the opportunity arise?”

The entire coven nodded in response.

“Very well, I will attempt to organize a group to live in Ponyville and prepare Redstone for pony residents, in case they are willing to accept either offer. No further questions.”

Cliff waited to see if anydragon else had a question for him. None did, and so they adjourned the meeting. It was only a few minutes until dinner, and most dragons went to help with that. Cliff, however, had a few questions for his grandmother. He found her and his grandfather sitting next to Fire Eyes and River Wind.

“Let me guess,” Fire Claws said as he approached, “you want to ask me something.”

“Yes. More specifically,” Cliff sat next to her, “I want to know how you would have handled the situation with the hydra.” His grandmother was the best combat magician in the coven, and the one who had taught him to fight in the first place.

“Illusions and speed enhancements,” she replied immediately, “to keep it from following me to Ponyville in the first place. If I had been required to fight it, then I would have attacked the creature's ankles to immobilize it, and finished it off with focused pressure waves from a distance.”

Cliff almost laughed at how easy she made it sound, and would have made it look too, had she been there. He sobered quickly. “How do you think I should prepare, in case something like that happens again?”

Fire Claws tousled her grandson's head spikes, a huge smile across her lips. “I'll be right back.” She ran to their nest and returned with a small, metal notebook. “This holds every bit of advice I've ever come up with about how you could be a better fighter. If you're ready to be serious about your training, then you should take this with you.”

“I- thank you.” He caught his grandmother in a hug. “I'll give it all I've got.”

Burning Torch put his arms around both of them. “Your grandmother has been working on that notebook for years now. I'm glad you're finally ready for it.”

After the three dragons disentangled themselves, Cliff roused Rainbow Dash for dinner. It was a pretty standard meal, but that didn't stop Cliff from eating an incredible amount of roast pig. “I'm going to miss this,” he sighed, not even caring that a full stomach would make the run more difficult.

“I won't,” Rainbow said pushing her empty plate away. There hadn't been much on it to begin with. “I'm making myself a hay and daffodil sandwich as soon as we get back!”

Cliff, his grandparents, and the dragon sisters laughed.

“Pardon,” Page Turner said as she approached the group with her husband. “We just finished compressing the library for you.” She held out a metal disc, which Cliff took and placed in the bags Twilight had given him.

“Thank you both.” He gave them each a quick hug. “I'll make sure they use it well.”

The two dragons thanked him as well, and said their goodbyes.

“Will you come back soon?” River Wind asked after they left.

“Of course I will,” Cliff assured her. “Spike still needs to meet you all.”

“I wouldn't mind another visit either,” Rainbow Dash said. “Just remind me to pack my own food.”

“Really?!” The little dragon gave her a big hug. “Thank you!”

Cliff smiled at the scene while he gathered their plates. Before he could go wash them, though, Burning Torch lifted them out of his claws.

“I'll take care of these,” he said to his grandson. “You two should get moving before night falls.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Cliff hugged the older dragon. “I'll see you both as soon as I can.”

Fire Claws patted him on the back. “I expect to see drastic improvement by next time.” She gave him a hug as well. “Good luck.”

While his grandparents walked away, Cliff turned to Fire Eyes. “Sorry we couldn't spar before I left.”

She shook her head. “There's always next time. Besides,” she turned to where River Wind was still begging Rainbow Dash to come back soon, “I haven't seen my sister this happy since before the pegasus attack. That more than makes up for it.”

They shared a firm claw-shake.

“You know I'm going to cream you in our next duel, right?” Cliff joked.

She rolled her bright red eyes. “Sure, right after I cream you in a race.” She leaned closer. “Seriously though, good luck out there.”

He nodded. “Hey Rainbow, it's time to head out.”

The blue mare patted River on the head. “See ya later, tike.”

Cliff did likewise. “I'll have a bunch of new stories for you when we come back. Be good until then, okay?”

She tearfully nodded. "I'll miss you."

The sight was too much for Cliff. He pulled River Wind into his arms and gave her a hug. “Take care of your sister, too. She's nearly as stupid as I am sometimes, and won't have Rainbow Dash around to watch her back.”

River laughed softly as she bit down her tears. “Okay Cliff, I promise.”

“Good.” He set her down, and made his way to the cave entrance. “Are you ready, Rainbow?”

“You know it,” she replied. “Let's go!”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The return trip was uneventful. Cliff and Rainbow Dash landed in the open fields outside of Ponyville, both panting heavily.

“Maybe we... should do that... for our morning runs.” Rainbow managed to laugh weakly.

“Let's... start with... Canterlot and back,” Cliff replied.

They waited until they could both speak normally before trying to continue.

“You know,” Rainbow said. “We probably could go to Canterlot and back for our morning runs...”

Cliff shook his head. “We'd never beat Applejack if we focused on wings and magic.”

“Oh fine,” she pouted. “I'm going to go pick up Tank from Fluttershy. You should come along.”

“I was actually going to go straight to the palace.” Cliff glanced towards Ponyville.

“Come on.” The pegasus gave him a noogie. “You said you wanted to get better at talking to her, right?”

Cliff sighed. “Okay, but we can't take long. I only have a half hour before the spell runs out and that metal disc Page Turner gave me expands into a huge pile of books.”

“Hm, I was wondering about that.” Rainbow Dash started towards the cottage. “I thought dragons just had really small hoof-writing.”

“Claw-writing,” he said absentmindedly as he followed.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The sun was just touching the horizon when they reached Fluttershy's cottage. Rainbow Dash knocked. “Hey Fluttershy, we're back!”

The door creaked open, revealing the yellow pegasus. “Oh hello, Rainbow Dash, and... you too, Cliff. Welcome back.” She turned back into her house. Even though it was fairly dark inside Cliff could tell that it was rustic and cheery. “I'll go get Tank for you. How was your trip?”

“It was awesome!” Rainbow followed her in. “Did you know dragons dry off using fire? How cool is that?”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped from another room. “That sounds... warm.”

Cliff remained at the doorway.

“Yeah, they didn't even know what a towel is.” Rainbow laughed, but it quickly turned into a yawn. “Sorry about that. It was a crazy day.”

The yellow mare reappeared, leading an old tortoise that was flying, thanks to some kind of propeller contraption on its back. “You sound exhausted, Rainbow Dash. Are you sure you'll be able to get home safely?”

Rainbow yawned again. “Yeah, don't worry about it.” She nuzzled the tortoise. “Hey there, Tank. Did ya miss me?”

Cliff smiled at the unusual display of tenderness, but from the corner of his eye, he also noticed Fluttershy alternating between looking and not looking at him. “Sorry,” he said. “I must be making you uncomfortable. I'll let you two get caught up.” He gave the mare an apologetic look and turned to go.

“Hold on!” Rainbow Dash called after just a few steps.

He turned back to find the blue pegasus only inches from his face.

“I thought you were going to be serious about talking more with Fluttershy here,” she said incredulously.

“I'm not going to force a conversation on her if it just makes her feel awkward,” Cliff replied.

Rainbow Dash sighed dramatically. “Fire Eyes wasn't kidding about how thick you can be.” She turned to Fluttershy, who had run to the door after the two of them. “Hey, do you want to be Cliff's friend?”

The question made her jump and look away, but she nodded.

“Do you want him to stop talking to you or bringing you potions?”

She shook her head.

Rainbow turned back to Cliff smugly. “There you go. Now would you two just knock it off and talk already?”

He had needed that. “Thank you,” Cliff whispered as he stepped past her to Fluttershy, who was still at the doorway. “I... I get nervous around ponies,” he admitted, “so I can understand how you feel about dragons. Even so, uh, do you think we could talk sometimes?”

“I, um, yes,” she whispered. “I'd like that.” A nervous smile crept across her face. “Maybe tomorrow, when I bring your food?”

Cliff smiled in return. “Yes, thank you.” Pushing his luck just a bit farther, he voiced a question that had been eating at him for a while. “I'm really grateful for the food, but why do you bring it?”

She blushed. That seemed to be her response to almost anything. “I wanted to do something nice for you, since we're friends. I didn't know that you were the one bringing me Zecora's potions, before that last time, I mean. I thought it was Twilight.” With a visible effort, she met his gaze. “Thank you. They've helped my little critters so much.”

It was probably the most that Cliff had ever heard the mare say at once. “You're welcome.” He struggled to find something else to say. “I guess... I'll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, if that's still okay?” It was actually kind of impressive how she could hide behind her own mane.

“It is,” he promised her. “Well, goodnight.”

She nodded from behind the mass of pink hair. “Goodnight. Welcome back.”

Once they were clear of the cottage, Cliff turned to Rainbow Dash, who was walking beside him. “Thanks again.”

“No problem.” She lifted into the air with her pet tortoise. “I'll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

She flew away, leaving a rather exhausted dragon to make his way back to Ponyville.

The town was surprisingly busy in the early night, or maybe it was just that Cliff was comparing it to Redstone again. Regardless, Page Turner's spell would be running out soon, so he had no choice but to press through the crowd and hope for the best.

The first group of ponies to see him went dead silent as he walked past, as did the second group, and the third. It didn't tell Cliff much about their opinion of him, but at least silence was better than rumors or accusations. He reached the palace without incident and made his way to the living quarters.

Twilight looked up from the table where she was reading. “Oh, Cliff Runner, welcome home!” She rose and called to the other room, “Spike, Cliff is back!”

The young dragon came running and caught him in a hug. “Welcome back, bro.”

Cliff returned the embrace. “Grandmother and Grandfather say hello.”

Spike pulled back enough to look his brother in the eye. “You told them about me?” An excited smile lit his face. “Were they happy?”

“Extremely.” Cliff gave the little dragon another squeeze before he shrugged off his cloak and saddlebags. “They would have followed me back, but we didn't want to risk causing problems with the ponies around here.” He pulled the metal disc from his cloak before hanging it up. “This is going to turn into several hundred books soon. Do you have an open area to put it?”

“Really?” Twilight asked, eying the disc enthusiastically. “Just put it over there. How does it work, anyway?”

Cliff did as she instructed. “Imagine putting a rock on a blanket, and then twisting it to make a little pocket, hiding the rock from view. The books are in that pocket, and the disc holds everything in place.”

“Warping time-space?” Twilight exclaimed. “Amazing! That's the same principle as some unicorn spells, but nopony has ever thought to use it like this.”

“Speaking of spells,” Cliff settled onto one of the couches, “how are you two coming along with your dragon magic?”

Twilight proudly levitated a sheet of paper over to him. It had a detailed list of magic training, struggles, and accomplishments for both her and Spike.

“Impressive,” Cliff had to admit. “Tomorrow we can start expanding your repertoires.”

“Does that mean I can learn your healing spell?” Twilight asked excitedly.

“Sort of,” Cliff replied. “That particular version is too advanced for you right now, but there's a simpler one you could learn.”

“Okay.” Twilight looked a little deflated, but her enthusiasm quickly returned. “So long as I can learn the basic principles. I'm hoping to develop a unicorn spell that works the same way. It could revolutionize our medical system!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Anyway, how was your trip?”

“Exhausting,” Cliff stifled a yawn. “It was great to see everydragon though, and they were all very happy that I found you.” He stretched out. “Rainbow got along really well with Fire Eyes and River. They looked like three sisters laughing and joking together.”

“Really?” Twilight sat on the other couch. “I didn't expect that.”

Spike had a similar expression of disbelief as he climbed up next to the older dragon.

Cliff nodded. “Here, let me start at the beginning...”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The story was relatively short and simple. It only took Cliff a few minutes to tell them everything, except for a certain misunderstanding about sleeping arrangements. He was more than happy to pretend that that incident had never happened. “...So now we're all hoping for peaceful interactions between races,” he finished. “Speaking of which, how did that meeting go?”

Spike laughed. “You should have seen Twilight. She convinced the entire town that you're a hero!”

“Not quite.” Twilight looked a little embarrassed. “I simply pointed out that you were rescuing the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and that you attempted to both run from the hydra and draw it away from town before you were forced to kill it.”

Spike waved his claws dismissively. “Eh, the point is that the whole town felt like a bunch of jerks for doubting you.”

Cliff wasn't entirely sure that that was what he'd sensed on the way here, but he didn't voice his concerns. “So I take it they'll let me stay?”

“Yep, isn't it great?” Spike patted him on the shoulder. “Pinkie has already decided to throw a party in your honor.”

“How big of a party?” Cliff asked warily.

“Big enough for the entire town, of course,” Spike replied. “It'll be the perfect way for everypony to get to know you.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said sympathetically. “I tried to convince her to make it smaller, but you know Pinkie Pie. She said it was to make up for not throwing you a proper welcoming party.”

Cliff groaned. He could appreciate the hyperactive pony's intentions, but he just didn't feel comfortable in any crowd larger than his coven. Still, if he was going to improve things between ponies and dragons then he supposed that he could endure a party or two. “Okay,” he sighed. “When is it supposed to happen?”

“Friday night,” Twilight said.

It was Wednesday night, so at least Cliff would have Thursday to recover. He yawned again and started unpacking his saddlebags. “Getting back on topic, how should we handle Silent Hall's offer for a cultural exchange program?”

Twilight thought about it. “We should write Princess Celestia. I'm sure she'd know who to send, and we shouldn't be inviting more dragons to live here without her permission either.”

Spike's eyes lit up. “Do you think she'd let my parents come live in Ponyville too?”

“I'm sure she-” Twilight began, but a loud thump cut her off. She turned around to see that the metal disc from earlier had disappeared, leaving a giant stack of metal books in its place. She looked like a hatchling that had just discovered a pile of gemstones. “Oh wow...” the Princess breathed. “Spike, could you write that letter? I have books to read.”

“Pay attention to the way they're stacked,” Cliff called after her. “They're grouped by genre and subject.”

“I will,” Twilight promised as she grabbed the nearest book and opened it.

“You know she'll be up all night reading,” Spike commented, “right?”

“You have to admire her love of learning though,” Cliff chuckled. “Let's get going on that letter.”

Spike penned a quick letter to Princess Celestia and sent it in a puff of green fire. Cliff really had to wonder what magic the ruler of Equestria had used to let his younger brother do such a thing. The spell wasn't known among dragons, at least.

Their task accomplished, the two brothers began to put the contents of Cliff's saddlebags away.

“How are things going with Rarity?” he asked.

“I haven't seen her since you left,” Spike grumbled. “Twilight and I spent all of yesterday organizing the town meeting, and Rarity spent most of today with Sweetie Belle.”

Cliff took the rations from his saddlebags to the kitchen, followed closely by his younger brother. “I've never been in a relationship, but it seems to me that letting her spend time with her sister was the right thing to do.”

“I'm not really in a relationship either,” Spike sighed. “Sometimes I can't tell if she likes me that way or not.”

They put everything away in silence while Cliff reflected on the younger dragon's situation. Rarity was often affectionate towards Spike, but it was the kind of affection that could exist as easily between friends or siblings as between lovers. Cliff needed to know more before he could give his brother any practical advice. “Let me talk to Twilight alone for a bit,” he said at last.

“You'll never get her to put the book down,” Spike said, but he didn't try to follow Cliff back to the living room.

As expected, the purple alicorn was reading contently exactly where they had left her. Cliff tapped her on the shoulder. “Twilight?”

“Uh-huh,” she muttered without looking up.

“I need your help.”

“Yeah.” She obviously wasn't listening.

Time for the direct approach. Cliff put his hand over the page she was reading.

Twilight jumped, apparently noticing him for the first time. “Oh, Cliff, sorry. What were you saying?”

He decided to be as concise as possible. “Are Rarity's feelings for Spike romantic?”

The alicorn's jaw dropped. “What?”

Cliff returned her incredulous expression with a calm one. He knew that she had heard him.

“I...” She looked away. “I don't know. Yes, maybe? Why do you ask?”

Hardly the definite response he had been hoping for. “Spike needs relationship advice, and I can't give it to him unless I know how she feels.”

“Well...” Twilight blushed. “I didn't want to pry so I never asked. My books say that outside interference often leads to unnecessary complications in relationships.”

The dragon sighed. He wasn't qualified to say if that was true or not. “Do your books say what Spike should do if he isn't sure either?”

“Most of them say he should ask her himself.” She smiled apologetically. “I don't think Spike could muster the courage to do it though. It would break his heart if she said no.”

Cliff had come to a similar conclusion himself. He thanked Twilight and returned to the kitchen where Spike was waiting.

The young dragon was nervously twisting a scroll in his claws. It seemed the Princess had already written back. “What did she say?”

“She doesn't know either.” Cliff set next to his brother. He took the scroll away and put it on the table. Princess Celestia could wait.

“Can't you just use a spell or something to find out?”

He shrugged. “I could read Rarity's heart, but if I'm asking for permission to scan her emotions, I may as well just ask her how she feels and leave magic out of it entirely.” Reading the heart of a potential enemy was one thing, but friends deserved more respect than that.

Spike nodded glumly. “Yeah, I guess that would be simpler.” They sat in silence for a few moments until he spoke again. “Cliff... what should I do?”

“I don't know.” It tore the older dragon up to admit it. “If it were me, I would go tell her how I feel; but the one time I tried that, it didn't work out very well.”

“Really?” Spike moved to sit in front of him. “What happened?”

Why not? Maybe it will cheer him up. Cliff recounted his disastrous attempt to court Fire Eyes.

By the time he got to the end, Spike was struggling, and failing, to contain his laughter. “What happened to the berserk dragon?”

“Grandmother scared it off and then spent the next week yelling at me for being an idiot. Quite literally.” Cliff was surprised that he was laughing a little too. “She had me work all the same jobs as her because she didn't want to stop between meals.”

Spike laughed even harder, and reached out to pat Cliff's arm. “Sorry, brother.”

It was strange how comfortable Cliff felt telling the younger dragon about that part of his life. He could endure having Rainbow Dash know about it, but with Spike he had actually wanted to share the tale.

“Thanks,” Spike said when they had both stopped laughing. “I feel better now.”

“I'm glad,” Cliff said. “What do you want to do now?”

Spike took a deep breath. “I'm going to ask how she feels. Tonight.”

It was an hour or so past dinner. Late enough that the boutique would be closed, but not so late that Rarity would be in bed. A perfect time to talk. “I'm proud of you, Spike.” Cliff tousled his brother's head spikes. “I'll be here when you get back.”

“Yeah.” Spike's bravado was fading already, but he managed a weak smile. “At least I know that it can't go worse than with you and Fire Eyes.”

“That's for sure.” Cliff laughed gently. “If you get in trouble, remember the Stillness.”

“Okay.” The younger dragon walked to the door and opened it. Silhouetted against the night, Cliff could see his claws shaking. “Hey Cliff... wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Cliff said.

After another deep breath, Spike walked outside and shut the door behind him.

Author's Note

Boy, there's no way I can answer Spike's question without ticking off at least one group of fans. It's a story about Spike coming into his own, though, so there's no way this issue can be avoided. Enjoy speculating about what's going to happen in the next chapter, which will be a really long one.

In case anyone is curious, giving Cliff's friend and grandmother similar names was a deliberate move on my part. There's actually a cultural reason why both dragonesses have “Fire” in their names, but I also grew up with three friends named, “Daniel,” three named, “Derek,” and two more named, “Andrew.” If I had to suffer to keep them all straight, then so do you >:)

Chapter 10

Once everything had been put away, Cliff checked the scroll. It was a reply from Celestia, if a rather short one.

The Solar Princess loved the idea of wyrms and ponies living together and would begin searching for volunteers to live at the Redstone Coven immediately. As for more dragons living in Ponyville, she felt that Twilight and the Mayor should discuss the issue and come to a conclusion themselves.

It should have been good news, but Cliff was too concerned about Spike to really think about it. He flopped onto one of the couches in the living room. “You know,” he said to no dragon, or pony, in particular, “I think this is the first time Spike has really asked for my advice.” He yawned. “Why did it have to be on something I know nothing about?”

“Uh huh,” Twilight said without looking up from her book.

“Will Spike blame me if things don't go well?”

“Okay,” the alicorn replied.

It was almost like having somepony to talk to. Cliff decided to run with it. “I guess you're right.” He had no idea what he was agreeing to, but saying it made him feel better. “Celestia is going to support the cultural exchange program, by the way. All you need is the Mayor's permission to have a few dragons come and live here.”

“Yep.”

“It shouldn't be too hard to find volunteers. I think River Wind wanted to come back to Ponyville with me. Fire Eyes would probably come with her if she asked.”

“Sure.”

“The only problem is,” Cliff sighed, “even with everything you and Spike have done, I think the town is still uneasy about me. I can't even imagine how they would react if new dragons suddenly arrived.”

“Yeah.”

Cliff sat up so that he could see the purple alicorn. “You know you're just agreeing to everything I say, right?”

“Uh huh.”

He rolled his eyes. “You and Egghead are nearly copies of each other that way... except for your species, and gender, and age, and never mind.” He lay back down. “Now that I've spent time with you I just don't understand why dragons and ponies have always been separate.”

“Yes.”

“Wyrms and drakes barely tolerate each other most of the time.” Cliff rolled onto his stomach. “Maybe the problem lies with us...”

“Sure.”

“But then again my coven was willing to accept Rainbow Dash. Maybe they just need somedragon to break the ice for them.” He yawned and shifted again. “I'm probably the wrong dragon for the job, but Spike and I are all we've got, so I'll do my best.”

“Yes.”

Cliff laughed softly. “Thanks, Twilight. I'll be sure to tell you all this again, when you take a break from reading.” There wasn't anything else that needed to be said. He fell silent, still fidgeting with nervous energy as he waited for his brother's return.

A few minutes later, Cliff heard the front door open and shut. He rushed downstairs to find his little brother holding a ruby and looking glum.

That can't be a good sign. He knelt in front of the younger dragon and hugged him gently. “You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to.”

Spike shook his head. “No, it's okay.” He didn't meet Cliff's eyes as he spoke. “She said that she really does care about me, but she isn't sure if her feelings are romantic or not, and since...” he sniffled and tears began to form in his eyes, “I'm so young... she said we should just wait for a few years, and then see what happens.”

Cliff wordlessly embraced his brother once more. There was a lot that he wanted to say but he knew that none of it would change what Spike was feeling.

It was a while before the younger dragon gently untangled himself from the hug. “Thanks Cliff.” He looked embarrassed as he held up the ruby. “Rarity gave me this. Do you want to split it?”

“You should eat it.” Cliff closed his brother's claws around the gem. “There's also something we should talk about.”

“Of course there is.” Spike sighed. “What happened now?”

“Nothing happened,” Cliff assured him. “There's a spell that would make you grow up faster.”

Spike's eyes widened. “Really? Awesome, let's use it!”

“Hold on a moment. This spell is one-way. You'd be leaving your childhood behind forever.”

“I don't care,” Spike said immediately.

“Just think about it,” Cliff told him. “If you still want this tomorrow after dinner, I'll cast the spell for you.”

Spike exchanged a long look with his brother. Eventually, he looked away. “All right, fine, but I'm still going to want it tomorrow.”

“I know you're hoping that Rarity will like you more as an adult, but what if she still only thinks of you as a friend?”

“I don't care. I have to at least try!” Spike blinked away his gathering tears. “I'd do anything for the chance to be with her.”

Cliff squeezed his brother's shoulder. “Spike, think about it. If you do this, Rarity would probably agree to date you, but she'd be doing it because of guilt, because she feels like she owes it to you, regardless of her actual feelings. Do you really want to put her in that position?”

A look of horror passed over Spike's face. “No, I don't want her to date me because of that.” He paused, and looked up at Cliff. “So you're saying I should stay a kid?”

“I'm saying that your decision should be because of what you want for yourself, and not what you think Rarity wants.” He squeezed Spike's shoulder again. “Whatever decision you come to, I promise I'll support you in it.”

Spike nodded slowly. “Okay Cliff. I promise to think about it for real.”

“Good.” Cliff tousled his head spikes. “I hope you don't mind but I'm going to bed early.” He returned to the living quarters, followed closely by the younger dragon.

Twilight hadn't moved an inch.

Cliff turned to his brother. “Oh, Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“I really meant it when I said I was proud of you.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff woke early the next morning. He wasn't surprised to find Twilight still reading, but he was impressed that she had gotten through eight books already. None of those metal tomes could be considered light reading. “How's it going?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

Much to his surprise, however, he got one. “Amazing!” The purple alicorn beamed. “I never knew that dragons had such intricate religious and philosophical beliefs!”

“What, did you expect us to worship rocks or something?” Cliff asked in good humor.

Twilight blushed a little. “Well no, of course not. I didn't know what to expect.”

“I suppose I can't fault you for that,” Cliff said. “Did you ever read that letter from Princess Celestia?”

“Yes, I have a meeting with the Mayor late Saturday morning.” Twilight checked her schedule again just to be sure. “I'll ask her about inviting more dragons to live in Ponyville then.”

Cliff nodded. “I'll let you get back to your reading then. Let me know if you have any questions.”

“Actually...” a rather large list floated up to the dragon. Each point was a question, though Twilight had already written answers for most of them. “Would you mind helping me with this?”

“Sure.” Cliff skimmed through the list until he reached the first unanswered question. “'What is the religious stance of dragons in regards to alicorn ascension?'” he read aloud. “I don't know. I had never heard of normal ponies becoming alicorns before I met you.”

Twilight looked a little disappointed. “I was afraid of that.” Her mood lifted almost immediately. “Well, what do you think of it?”

The draconic religion centered around continuous improvement towards a state of perfection, embodied by the stars. He reflected on what he knew of Twilight's ascension before answering. “You're one step closer to the divine,” he said at last. “The Immortal Sisters are probably a step or two above you.”

“Hmm... Interesting.” Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Not to mention, kind of flattering. Is there any kind of dragon alicorn?”

“That's actually the next question on the list,” Cliff pointed out.

“I know.” She motioned for him to continue.

“Not that anydragon knows of.” He pointed to the biology pile. “You should find information on several hypothetical ascended dragons in there somewhere.”

“Really? What do they look like?”

“I depends.” Cliff looked through the stack until he found the right book, Possible Draconic Sub-Species. “Some scholars believe that there's a third type of dragon somewhere, and an ascended dragon would reflect the characteristics of whatever that is along with a wyrm's magic and a drake's wings.” He flipped to the first diagram, which was in full color thanks to magic. “This is a rock dragon. Some ancient artwork shows creatures like these.”

The diagram was of a thin, tailless dragon, with enlarged front claws and a muscular chest.

“No hard evidence exists to verify that these creatures are real, but they are believed to live deep underground.” He flipped the page. “This is the ascended version.”

It looked like a wyrm with a rock dragon's front claws and a drake's wings.

Twilight laughed softly. “That's impressive, but shouldn't this book be in the fiction section?”

“Either that or mythology.” Cliff returned it to the pile. “I only ever read it because I liked to imagine myself ascending into one of those forms.”

“Did you have a favorite?” Twilight asked.

Cliff picked the book up again. “Yes...” he flipped through the pages until he came to it. “Here it is.”

The creature was drawn standing upright, with a blue gemstone embedded in its forehead, and large wings spread behind it. Its body seemed to glow softly.

“They're the ascended version of sapphire dragons,” he explained. “The legend goes that they can use the stone in their forehead to swim through dirt and rock like water, and they can make their scales glow or change color with only a thought.”

Twilight studied the picture, noting the amount of detail that had gone into it. “Do you think they're real?”

“Not likely.” Cliff gave the book to her. “I just thought their abilities sounded cool.”

The two shared a chuckle over that.

“By the way,” Cliff said, “when will you be sending all this to Princess Celestia?”

“I'll actually be sending it to a publisher first. We want to get at least one copy of everything, so we won't have to risk damaging the original records.” She frowned. “That reminds me, I need to make room in my schedule to go see him today.”

Cliff could only assume that a publisher made copies of books. “Good idea. I guess I should start working on breakfast.” He paused. “Fluttershy will be coming over this morning. Should I... invite her to eat with us?”

“Of course,” Twilight replied. “Why is she coming over though?”

“Rainbow Dash convinced us both that we should get to know each other better. Since she's dropping off that food anyway, we decided it would be a good chance to talk.”

“That's an excellent idea.” Twilight smiled broadly. “You know, most social scientists agree that sharing a meal is one of the best ways to strengthen relationships of any kind.”

“Really? I guess inviting her to breakfast is a better idea than I realized.” A thought occurred to him. “What do I do if she has eaten already?”

“Just invite her back for lunch or dinner,” Twilight laughed. “You must be nervous about this.”

Cliff shrugged. “Well, yes. Of the five times we've talked, two were disastrous, two were rather awkward, and only one could be described as a positive experience.”

“You shouldn't worry so much,” Twilight told him. “Once you get to know Fluttershy better you'll agree that she's one of the most kind and loving ponies you've ever met.”

“That isn't saying much at this point,” Cliff reminded her. “I know maybe a dozen ponies total.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. She's one of the most kind and loving ponies, or dragons, that you've ever met.” She gave him an amused smile. “Better?”

Cliff returned the smile with one of his own. “Much.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Apparently Twilight had made a couple of midnight snacks for herself. Cliff washed her dishes and put away some leftovers before staring on breakfast. He didn't know what Fluttershy might like, so he decided to make a bit of everything: fruit smoothies, oats, hay, flower sandwiches, and an assortment of fresh vegetables. It gave his nervous energy a productive outlet, and if Fluttershy didn't eat any, at least the leftovers would serve well for lunch.

He had just finished laying everything out when he heard somepony knocking. “I'll be there in a moment!” He made his way to the door and opened it.

Fluttershy stood outside, holding a basket in her teeth and hunching down slightly, like she was trying to hide. “Oh, uh, hello, Cliff.” She said without meeting his gaze.

Even though it was still early in the morning some ponies were out and about. Maybe they're making her nervous, or maybe she's still afraid of me. Probably both. In any case, talking at the front door didn't seem very polite. “It's good to see you, Fluttershy.” Cliff stepped back. “Do you want to come in for a moment?”

She nodded and stepped inside, setting the basket down in front of her.

Cliff shut the door. It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know what to say.

Thankfully, Fluttershy spoke up. “I brought your food.” She pointed to the basket.

Food. As conversation topics went, it wasn't bad. “Thank you,” Cliff said. “Uh, by the way, have you ever tried eggs?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Rarity made some for me once.”

“Did you like them?”

She looked kind of sad. “Not really.”

“Well, uh, there's nothing wrong with that.”

“But Rarity worked really hard on that meal.” The yellow mare stared down at her hooves. “I could tell that she was disappointed.”

“Don't blame yourself for that. I've been trying to get Spike to eat dragon food for a while now. He doesn't like it but that isn't his fault either.” He walked over and picked up the basket. “Anyway, we should put these in the kitchen.”

She nodded, and followed after him. “What kinds of dragon food have you given him?”

“Just what you bring me,” Cliff replied as they reached the kitchen. “I really do appreciate your gifts, by the way. They remind me of home.” He started unloading the eggs and fish into the fridge.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” Fluttershy said, then she blushed. “Uh, I meant... I'm sorry that you miss your home.”

Cliff looked down at the basket in his claws. “I understand, and thank you.” He moved away from the fridge and gestured to the freshly set table. “Uh, would you join us for breakfast? I made some extra food.”

“You didn't have to.”

“It was no big deal,” he said quickly. “I didn't know if you'd be hungry or not. It's alright if you aren't, by the way. I wouldn't be upset.”

“No, I haven't eaten yet,” she assured him in return. “If you don't mind... I'd be happy to join you.”

Cliff's claws relaxed. He hadn't realized he'd been clenching them. “Thank you.” He checked the clock. “Twilight will be here in four minutes with Spike. What would you like to do until then?”

“Well,” Fluttershy fidgeted, “you could tell me about your home, if you want.”

“I'd love to.” He mused about where to start as he took one of the seats around the table. Thinking about Redstone and about stories naturally led his mind to a certain hatchling. “There's one dragoness, even younger than Spike, who has always been like a little sister to me.”

“Really?” Fluttershy took the seat opposite him. “What is she like?”

“Her name is River Wind.” Cliff looked at the far wall without really seeing it. “She's the cutest little thing, with dark green scales, white spikes, and bright blue eyes...” As he spoke, Cliff forgot about the awkwardness that had been plaguing him. He described how her eyes lit up whenever she heard a new story, and how she followed him and Fire Eyes around, begging to be included in whatever they were doing. Sadness crept into his voice as he talked of the pegasus attack that had nearly killed River, and how he and Fire Eyes had both blamed themselves for letting her go off on her own. His smile returned, however, when he spoke of his visit with Rainbow Dash and how she and River had bonded so quickly.

Twilight and Spike arrived for breakfast somewhere in the middle of it all but they both motioned for him to keep talking. He was happy to comply.

“You must really love her,” Fluttershy said when he was finished.

“She drives me crazy sometimes,” Cliff said wistfully, “but yes, I do.”

“I wish I could meet her,” Spike said between mouthfuls of oats. “She sounds really nice.”

“You'll meet her sooner or later,” Cliff promised. “Just be warned, she'll want to hear your whole life story.”

Spike, Twilight, and Fluttershy looked at each other and exchanged a short laugh.

Cliff didn't get it. “What?”

“I told my whole life story to Fluttershy the first time we met,” Spike explained.

He turned to the yellow pegasus for confirmation. Cliff had always assumed that his brother's first encounter with Fluttershy had been much like his own.

“I had never met a baby dragon before.” The yellow pegasus smiled shyly. “I wanted to know everything about him.”

Cliff smiled back as he gathered up their plates.

“By the way, Spike,” Twilight said. “Could you visit Noteworthy today about the printing job? I just won't have time to do it myself.”

“You need the extra time for reading, right?” Spike gave her a knowing grin.

The Princess blushed. “Well... yes. I hope that's okay.”

“Don't worry about it.” Spike waved a clawed hand. “I was going to spend some time in town anyway.” He turned to Cliff, becoming more sober. “There's somepony I should talk to. I hope that's okay.”

Cliff met his younger brother's eyes and nodded. “I understand.”

“Uh,” Twilight looked at each of the dragons, “am I missing something?”

“It's nothing,” Spike said quickly. “Just something I need to think about.”

Twilight was obviously not convinced. “Okay... well, I'm going to get back to reading.” She gave Fluttershy a hug. “Thanks for joining us today. You should come over more often.”

The pegasus returned the hug. “Thank you, but I wouldn't want to intrude.”

“Nonsense,” Twilight said. “We like having you here, Fluttershy, and I know Cliff was happy that you two got the chance to talk.”

Cliff nodded in agreement as he gathered the last of the dishes.

“You see?” Twilight assured her friend. “Maybe you could join us for breakfast on Saturday too? Unless another day would work better? Or maybe we could do lunch or dinner?”

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. “Saturday... for breakfast, would be nice.”

“Perfect!” The alicorn produced a calendar from somewhere. “I'll make a note of it... and there we are. All scheduled.” She said her goodbyes and hurried back to the living room.

“When will you be leaving?” Cliff asked his younger brother.

“Soon. Just a second.” He ran off, and returned moments later with a small emerald. “Here, Cliff. It's a welcome back present...” he swallowed, “and a thank you, for your advice.”

Cliff accepted the gemstone, and tousled his brother's head spikes. “I'll see you at dinner?”

Spike nodded and bid him and Fluttershy farewell before leaving.

Cliff pressed the gemstone against his chest for a moment before he sighed. “I guess I should eat this now.”

“Why?” Fluttershy asked. “You must already be full.”

“Greed,” the dragon replied. “Owning anything of sentimental value carries the risk of making me go berserk like Spike did that one time.” He held the gem up to the light. It was the first time in years that he had wanted to hang onto a trinket, which only made it the more dangerous. He was about to eat it when his companion's soft voice reached him.

“Um, if you want to, I could keep it at my house.” Fluttershy got out of her seat and approached him. “That way, you wouldn't really own it but you could still see it whenever you want.”

“...That's perfect,” Cliff breathed. I can't believe I never thought of that. “Yes, thank you.” He gave her the gem.

She placed it in her basket, smiling happily. “It's good to see you happy again.” She looked around, apparently realizing for the first time that they were alone. “Oh, I guess I should be getting back to Angel. He must be worried about me.”

“Okay,” Cliff nodded. “I'll come by in a few hours with your potion. Is there some specific kind that you need, or just the usual?”

“Just the usual,” she hesitated, “but...”

“Did I do something wrong?” Cliff asked. He suddenly felt nervous again.

“No, it's just...” She visibly forced herself to say the next words, “You shouldn't get me things because you feel obligated.”

Cliff relaxed. “I don't. You're doing something nice for me and I want to do something nice in return. Among dragons, at least, that's part of what it means to be a friend.”

Fluttershy's nervousness lifted as well, and she stood a little taller. “Thank you. Maybe we can talk more when you come by?”

“I'd like that,” he replied.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It was easy to find the maturing spell. Page Turner had marked it with a piece of red fabric just like she promised. Cliff spent some time making sure he could cast it correctly before he said goodbye to Twilight, who hadn't noticed him the entire time, and stepped outside.

As he did his morning stretches, Cliff tried to ignore the fact that everypony who walked by fell silent. He was starting to wonder if they had all gone to a different meeting than the one Spike and Twilight had described.

Approaching hoof-steps made him look up.

A pair of golden eyes that didn't align correctly looked back at him. They belonged to the local mailmare, a gray pegasus that Cliff had seen from time to time. She held out a letter to him with a warm grin. “Welcome back.”

Cliff was at a loss for words as he accepted it. “I, uh, thank you.”

“Please read that.” She gave him one more smile before continuing on her way.

“I will,” Cliff said lamely after her. I really need to get better at making first impressions. Opening the envelope, he found a neatly written page addressed to him.

Dear Cliff Runner,

I want to thank you for defending our town, and say sorry for the way everypony is treating you because of it. I think we all dream of doing something heroic, like fighting a hydra all alone to defend four children. It's kind of sad, but I think we focus so much on those big things that we ignore smaller chances to be heroes, like giving somepony a shoulder to cry on when they need it. If we can't even be heroes in small ways, why do we think we could manage the bigger ones?

I don't know much about you, but I think you must do those smaller things every day. You probably don't even think about it. Twilight and Spike were crying at the town meeting as they told everypony how selfless and loving you are.

It made me cry a little too, because I was a bit afraid of you when you first came to town. I was actually happy when I heard that you left, until I heard the whole story. Then I just felt sad.

It hurts sometimes, when you realize that you've been so wrong about something. I thought you were scary, then you nearly died protecting us all. I thought I was a good pony, then I saw the hydra coming, and I just wanted to grab my sister and fly away. I never even thought that other ponies might need my help.

At least I'm strong enough to admit when I'm wrong. I bet some ponies will be so afraid of that that they'll keep pretending you're the real problem. I bet a lot of others will want to say sorry and thank you, but they'll feel so guilty that they won't know how.

That's how most ponies treat me, because of my eyes. They just assume that I'm mentally handicapped, and then they get all awkward when they find out that they're wrong. It took me a long time to realize this, but if I was just willing to take the first step and start talking to them, they usually got over their awkwardness and became my friends.

I know you shouldn't have to do this, after all, we were the ones who were wrong, but if you reached out to the ponies in town, I'm sure a lot of them would want to be your friends, no matter how they're acting right now. I know I would like to be your friend, if you don't mind.

Sorry if I sound preachy. I hope you're feeling better, and thank you again for showing Ponyville what it means to be a real hero.

-Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo (I respond to either)

Cliff read the letter through twice before the walked inside and placed it in his room, so he could respond to it later. Charity, the emotion for when you give or receive a heartfelt gift, rose up inside him, and he let a few tears drop to the floor. He hadn't known just how powerful a 'thank you' could be until that moment.

He hadn't wanted praise or thanks. His only goal had been to protect Spike and those fillies. For some reason though, just knowing that there was at least one pony in town that didn't know him personally, but still thought well of him, made all the difference.

Several minutes later, Cliff returned outside to continue his stretches. The day seemed brighter somehow.

It wasn't long before Rainbow Dash dropped out of the sky. “Heya, Cliff,” she said as she landed near him. “You look like you're in a good mood.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Cliff realized he was smiling.

“Awesome! So what happened?”

“You know that gray mailmare pegasus?” Cliff asked.

“Do you mean Derpy? The one with the weird eyes?”

He nodded.

Rainbow nodded as well. “Yeah, I know her. Super nice mare, but,” she shuddered, “also super clumsy.”

Come to think of it, Cliff had seen her crash into a building once. “Anyway, she came by to thank me for defending the town.”

“That was nice of her, and it was pretty awesome that you took on a hydra by yourself.” Rainbow patted him on the back. “How much longer until you're ready?”

“I'm just finishing.” Cliff rose to his feet. “Lead on.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Their run was a relatively simple that day, just out to Sweet Apple Acres, and around the farm once before returning to the palace. Rainbow Dash barely broke a sweat the whole time. Cliff Runner, on the other claw, could hardly stand when they finished.

“You know,” he croaked, lying flat on his stomach, “not all of us could fly to Redstone and back. Magically enhanced sprinting takes its toll on your legs.”

“Yeah, you're just sore because I trounced you so bad,” Rainbow joked, leaning back against the wall of the palace.

“Remind me to challenge you to a fire breathing contest sometime.”

Not phased in the least, Rainbow said, “Eh, I'm awesome enough that I'd find a way to win at that too.”

“You probably would.” Cliff rose gingerly to his feet. “Anyway, what will you be doing for the rest of the day?”

“I've got some weather duties to take care of, but after lunch I'm going over to Sweet Apple Acres to help AJ water the trees.”

“Maybe I'll join you after I drop by Fluttershy's.” Cliff started walking around to keep his muscles from cramping.

“How did it go with her today?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, I think she's starting to feel more comfortable around me.” Cliff shrugged. “It's hard to be sure though.”

Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves. “Don't worry about it. Fluttershy just takes time to warm up to new, uh, dragons.” She flexed her wings. “Anyway, I've gotta head out. I'll see you at AJ's later.” She took off, leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake.

After his cool-down stretches, Cliff went back inside for his grandmother's notebook. He pulled it out of his cloak, and read the first page.

Cliff Runner has a natural gift for speed and agility but often lets it go to waste by remaining in close quarters with his foes. He also has a talent for maintaining multiple spells at once. However, this wears out his willpower quickly. Given that he shows little skill in long range combat magic, but excels at personal enhancement, he could best capitalize on his abilities by focusing on hit-and-run combat.

The first obstacle to overcome in this style would be his relatively limited reserve of willpower. Short bursts of power are useful, but hit-and-run combat is often drawn out and relies on being able to outlast one's foe(s).

To improve this weakness I recommend activating and maintaining at least one tier two spell for as long as possible during the course of day-to-day activity. Good choices for Cliff include: Scale Armor, Spider Climb, and Aura of Silence. Once he is able to maintain three spells at minimum power all day for an entire week without falter, he will be ready for exercise two. In the meantime, he should continue with his physical training as normal.

Cliff winced. His grandmother's observations had always leaned a bit towards brutal honesty. Also, her suggested training methods certainly made sense, but that didn't make it sound any more appealing. He would describe himself as a sprinter in terms of magic; able to create, but not maintain, large bursts of energy. To continue the running metaphor, Fire Claws was essentially asking him to spend the entire day jogging.

I did ask for this, Cliff reminded himself, and cast Scale Armor. It would be the easiest to maintain over time.

He took a moment to write a short reply to Derpy's letter, letting her know that he would love to be her friend and warning her that he wasn't nearly as heroic as she had made him out to be, though he was flattered that she thought so highly of him. Cliff put his cloak on and slipped the letter inside.

After asking Twilight several times, he finally caught her attention long enough to ask where Derpy lived. Apparently the mailmare was staying with the Carrot family just behind Sweet Apple Acres, which was convenient. Cliff thanked her and left.

The young dragon debated for a moment between skirting around Ponyville, like he usually did, or cutting straight through it. Eventually he shrugged and started walking around. He would be getting an overdose of crowds tomorrow, so he may as well enjoy the solitude today.

He reached Zecora's house quickly. After a short visit, and thanking her for her advice the other day, Cliff made his purchase and left for Fluttershy's cottage.

She was out front, watering the plants as he approached. “Good morning, Cliff,” she said as he drew near.

Her pet rabbit was at her hooves. It glared at him.

“Good morning, Fluttershy,” Cliff replied, ignoring the rabbit. “Where should I put this?” He held out the potion.

“Oh, I have a medicine cabinet inside.” She put the watering can down and walked to the front door. “You can come in, if you want, that is. I'll show you where it is.”

“Okay.” Cliff followed her into the cottage. He hadn't gotten a very good view of it last night, just enough to know that it was rustic and comfortable. In the light of day he saw that impression had been dead on. Bird cages and miniature houses lines the walls, with tiny stairs leading up to them. Several small tables, chairs, and a sofa were scattered around the room, sitting on rugs of warm browns and reds. Part of one wall near the sofa had been converted into a bookshelf.

Fluttershy walked to a writing desk on their left and pulled open the lower drawer. Quite a few bottles were lined up neatly inside. She reached out for the new potion, which he gave her, and placed it with the others. “Thank you for these, Cliff,” she said as she closed the drawer. “They've helped my critter friends so much.”

“I'm glad, but it seems like you already have plenty.”

“I have stocked up a lot, thanks to you,” she said, “but it's always good to have some extra.”

“True...” Cliff scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “Maybe I could do something else for you for a while though; just until you need more potions.” He looked around. “I could help with your animals, or cook meals for you, or... something.”

“Oh no. I could never ask you to do something like that.” The pegasus blushed.

“Why not?” Cliff asked, genuinely confused.

“I... I haven't done anything to deserve those sorts of things.”

His expression went from confused to incredulous. “Friends shouldn't have to deserve help. I have the free time, so I may as well lend a claw. Unless you'd rather I didn't, like you're afraid the animals would be scared of a dragon. I promise I wouldn't be upset if that's the case,” he added quickly.

“No, it's nothing like that.” Fluttershy assured him. “I wasn't expecting it, but... if you want to help with my chores sometimes... I'd be happy to let you.”

“Great, I can come over on Saturday if you want.” Cliff looked around again. “Unless you have something that needs doing right now?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I already finished my chores for today.” Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she added, “uh, would you like to see your emerald?”

“It's really your emerald now,” Cliff reminded her, “but yes. I'd love to see it.”

The yellow mare led him upstairs to a small bedroom with even more birdhouses hanging from the ceiling. She walked past the bed, which had butterfly patterned covers, and reached up to grab a small box on a shelf over the fireplace. “I put it in here,” she explained, “so none of my critters could run away with it. Some of them like to collect things.”

He took the offered box and opened it. The emerald sat inside atop a velvet cushion. “Thank you, for holding onto this,” Cliff said, smiling as the gem reminded him of Spike. He could only hope that his little brother would find his answers today.

“It means a lot to you,” she observed with a timid smile. “Maybe you should keep it.”

“I wish I could, but no.” Cliff gently closed the box and gave it back to Fluttershy. “I wouldn't be safe with it around.”

“But you aren't greedy,” Fluttershy objected. “You only want it because Spike gave it to you.” She seemed to realize what she had just said, and sank to the floor. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to argue.”

Cliff felt a surge of nervousness. Please don't start crying. “We weren't arguing,” he said as gently as he could. “It was just a discussion, and you weren't wrong. I probably would be safe keeping it,” he gave the box a wistful look, “but I'm not willing to risk the safety of you all on a 'probably.'”

Fluttershy looked at the box in her hooves, and then back up to him. “I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“I- uh...” She looked away as she returned the box to its place on the shelf. “I'm sorry that... you...”

“It's okay,” he cut off her stuttering. “I understand.” Cliff had to sympathize with her plight. There wasn't any nice way to say, 'I'm sorry that you're a dragon.'

She smiled gratefully as she walked past him to the door. “So, um, will you and Spike be doing anything fun today?”

Cliff followed her downstairs. “No... Spike is going to be gone all day. He has something he needs to think through.”

“Oh, uh,” the yellow mare clearly didn't understand, but she didn't press the issue, “will you be helping Twilight with her research?”

“No. She'll be reading all day.”

“Oh... what will you do then?”

“I don't know,” the dragon admitted. “After lunch I'll see if Applejack could use some help on the farm. Until then, I'll probably go back to the palace and read.”

A look of concern crossed Fluttershy's face. “I, um, if you don't mind, that is, you could read a book here. That way you won't have to be nervous about walking past all the ponies in town, and you'll be closer to Sweet Apple Acres.” She blushed and looked away. “But, uh, you don't have to.”

Cliff was legitimately shocked by the offer. “Are you sure I wouldn't be in the way?”

Fluttershy nodded, still looking to the side, rather than directly at him. “I just hope I have something that you'll like.” She led him to the bookshelf. It was larger than it looked from the door, and was packed two layers thick with books. “What do you normally read?”

Cliff scanned the titles. “Historical fiction and romance, mostly.”

“You... like romance stories?” The yellow mare turned to him in surprise.

“Not exactly masculine, I know,” Cliff said without embarrassment. “My mother got me started on them. She actually wrote some of my favorites.”

“Wow,” Fluttershy said. “I didn't know that your mother is an author.”

“I guess I haven't told anydragon other than Spike and Twilight,” Cliff reflected. “My father is a painter, by the way. They met at a gathering of the covens, when Mom asked him to do artwork on one of her books.”

“Was it love at first sight?” she asked longingly.

“Yes,” Cliff smiled. “I suppose it was. Dad said she was so beautiful that he asked her to be his model on the spot.”

“How romantic.”

Cliff looked from the bookshelf to Fluttershy, who had a dreamy smile. “Do you want to hear the story?”

She nodded. “Yes please. If you don't mind, that is.”

“I would love to tell it.” Cliff moved to the center of the room and sat on the floor. “Feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand.”

“Okay.” She moved towards the sofa, but then seemed to change her mind, and sat on the floor across from him.

It wasn't an especially complicated story, but it was a meaningful one. Cliff's mother had told him that there were some stories that seemed to make your heart glow within you. These were the kind of stories that needed to be remembered and retold. Even if the dragons (or ponies, in this case) forgot every last detail of such a story, they would always remember how it made them feel.

The tale of two dragons falling in love and getting married might have had no impact on the world as a whole, but the two dragons in question were his parents. As far as Cliff was concerned, that was enough to make it special.

Fluttershy proved to be an excellent listener. She was alert and attentive, and the questions she asked showed a level of insight that surprised the young dragon. Most impressive of all was her ability to leave preconceived notions behind. She freely accepted it when Cliff told her that sharing a nest was perfectly normal among dragons, and that his parents had done so for most of their courtship.

The story of his parents' courtship led Cliff to talk about life after their marriage, and the circumstances of Spike's egg being stolen. While traveling between covens, the two dragons had awoken to find the egg, along with most of their supplies, stolen. Searching had revealed signs of a pegasus camp nearby but little else.

Eager to leave the grim details behind, and because Fluttershy was looking guilty that one of her race had done such a thing, Cliff moved onto his own birth and youth.

“I must be boring you,” he said after several hours had passed.

“Oh no, not at all.” The yellow pegasus grinned. “You sounded so cutesy-wootsy as a hatchling. I wish I could have seen it.”

Cliff smiled in return. He had to wonder why it was so easy to talk to her now when it had been so difficult back at the palace.

“It was your first day of training,” Fluttershy prompted.

If she doesn't mind... Cliff picked up where he had left off. With his parents frequently gone, looking for Spike's egg, Cliff had spent a lot of time in the care of his grandparents. As one would expect, Fire Claws had wanted to start his training as young as possible. Cliff hadn't shown a lot of talent or interest in fighting, unlike Fire Eyes, who had routinely beaten him senseless while sparring. However it was thanks to training that he discovered his love of running and earned his name, Cliff Runner, after mastering the Spider Climb spell.

“Do all dragons have to earn their names?” Fluttershy asked.

“Our parents all give us a birth name,” Cliff replied, “but we get our real name when we discover our passion in life.” Twilight and Spike had been surprised by this too. “It kind of appears in our mind, like an invisible cutie-mark.”

“Amazing.” The yellow mare looked back at the butterflies adorning her flank. “I wonder if it's the same kind of magic.”

“It might be.” Cliff shrugged. “Who knows?”

“What was your birth name?” Fluttershy asked suddenly. “If you don't mind telling me, that is.”

“No, it's fine. I was called 'Lone Brother.'” Cliff faked a shudder. “I never did like it very much.”

“That's too bad.” Fluttershy rose to her hooves. “You aren't alone anymore, but you're a wonderful brother.” She walked past him towards the kitchen. “I'll be right back with some lunch for us. What would you like?”

It suddenly occurred to Cliff that accepting her invitation to stay had also meant sharing a private meal with the pegasus mare. Red touched his cheeks as he tried not to think about what that meant among other dragons. “Uh, let me help.” Cliff followed after her. “I'll eat whatever.”

“Well,” the pegasus smiled nervously. “If you really want, you can help me slice vegetables to make a salad.”

Cliff's thoughts weren't helped by that smile. It was the kind of expression a dragoness might have when confessing her love for the first time. “I-I'd be happy to.” He embraced the Stillness just long enough to keep his emotions in check.

Fluttershy gathered a few carrots and tomatoes on the counter, and passed him a knife. “Do you like your new name?”

“Yes. Well, it suits me, at least.” Cliff focused on the carrots. Carrots were safe to think about. “Do you like yours?”

The question seemed to take Fluttershy by surprise. “I- Well, I don't know. I never thought about it before.” She looked down at the lettuce she was cutting. “It suits me, at least.”

They exchanged a soft chuckle at that.

Cliff decided to open up a little. “I always wanted a name that had something to do with flying.”

“Really? Why?”

“I wish I could fly.” He shrugged. “I imagine most wyrms do.” Cliff had come to terms with his impossible desire many years ago.

Fluttershy blushed. “It really isn't... so wonderful.”

Crap, she's looking cute again! Cliff jerked his eyes away before he could get too distracted. Wait, 'cute'? He silently cursed every hormone in his body. Emotion control could only do so much to counteract their effect. Ponies aren't 'cute'. You're just reacting to the situation. “The other diamond is always larger,” Cliff quoted without really thinking about it.

She looked up at him. “What?”

He pretended to be too focused on chopping vegetables to meet her gaze. “It means that you appreciate the talents you don't have more than the ones you do.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I suppose that's true. My friends all seem so amazing to me, but they all say that I can do amazing things too.” She blushed heavily and looked away. “Even though I don't feel that way.”

“You are amazing,” Cliff told her automatically, but not cute. Well, maybe a little. She does have really beautiful eyes, and- He cut off that train of thought with a groan. Stupid, stupid hormones.

“Oh no, I... I'm really not,” Fluttershy stammered, still hiding behind her mane.

“Yes you are. You're just too humble to admit it to yourself.” She was willingly spending time with a stranger, and a dragon, in spite of her phobia, just because she wanted to be nice. That spoke volumes about her character, as far as Cliff was concerned.

“...Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered. “I think you're amazing too.”

“...Thank you.” Cliff felt his cheeks redden as he went back to chopping. Stop being cute, blast it!

They worked on the meal in silence until Fluttershy spoke again. “What did you do after you got your name?”

Cliff was about to answer when a better idea occurred to him. “Actually, I was hoping you could tell me more about yourself.”

The yellow mare glanced at him curiously. “Why?” She looked away. “I mean, I'm not very interesting.”

Because I'm guaranteed to say something stupid if I keep talking right now. “I think that you're very interesting.” Cliff finished with the carrots and moved on to the tomatoes.

His answer left Fluttershy completely flustered. “I, uh, well...” Her attempts at speech grew so quiet that Cliff had to activate a spell just to hear her. “Why?” she whispered at last.

Cliff considered her question for a moment. He couldn't exactly say, 'I just need a distraction right now because you inadvertently asked me to mate with you, and that's making it hard to focus.' “The other diamond is always larger,” he repeated. “Your life seems much more interesting than my own.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy whispered, peaking out from behind her mane, “but promise you won't be disappointed if I'm more boring than you thought?”

From what Spike had told him, she had fought changeling armies twice, tamed Cerberus, befriended Discord, won a staring contest with a cockatrice, and helped defeat both Nightmare Moon, and the Nightmare Force. “I promise,” he said with confidence.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fluttershy began with her troubled youth in Cloudsdale. Bullies had tormented her all through school, and she had been too ashamed to tell her parents or the teacher about it. Even Rainbow Dash, the friend she had had for as far back as she could remember, couldn't stop the insults. Their words had obviously left deep scars. Tears appeared in her eyes and her voice shook as she spoke.

Her pet rabbit climbed onto her shoulder, patting her cheek tenderly, while giving Cliff a death-glare.

Cliff ignored the little fur ball and gently rested his claws on her other shoulder. “You don't need to force yourself,” he whispered. “We can talk about something else.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No... it's okay.” She blinked away the moisture in her eyes. “What happened next is much happier.”

And so Cliff heard about the day when the young pegasus got her cutie-mark. Several bullies had been tormenting her during summer flight camp when Rainbow Dash challenged them to a race. Fluttershy had been knocked off her cloud right at the beginning, and her wings locked to her side in panic.

Luckily for Fluttershy, a swarm of butterflies had caught her just before she hit the ground. Enchanted with the forest she found herself in, the young filly had quickly befriended every animal in the area. Even after her friend's sonic rainboom scared the creatures into hiding, Fluttershy's gift with animals allowed her to calm them and gather them back together. They remained that way for several hours before rescue pegasi found her and took her back home.

Even as he listened, Cliff was staggered by the cultural differences. Back at the coven, bullying was simply not tolerated, and all hatchlings knew there was no shame in telling an adult about it. He almost wanted to track down the teacher in charge of that summer flight camp and burn his eyebrows off for not immediately diving after the young Fluttershy when she fell.

Hearing about her cutie-mark, however, melted his heart. Cliff could almost see the young pegasus soaking in the unconditional love of her new animal friends. It suddenly clicked that she was very similar to himself in that respect. They both had an overwhelming need to care for the small and defenseless. The thought sparked a feeling of camaraderie in him, which he happily embraced.

As they started on lunch, salad and a plate of orange slices, Fluttershy told him that she worked extra hard at flight camp so that she could get down to the surface and back on her own. Once she graduated from school, she got a job at the veterinarian's office in Ponyville and began saving up. Houses on the outskirts of town were less expensive, and since she wanted to be near her friends in the forest anyway, Fluttershy had bought this humble cottage with her savings, and some help from her parents.

Her reputation as an animal translator had spread by then, and ponies were starting to come to her both to settle disputes with the local animals and to ask for her advice on the best pet for them. Even animals were starting to flood to her house, hoping she could find them a perfect owner. These side jobs didn't pay very much, but it was enough for her modest needs, and so she quit working at the vet's office and began caring for her beloved critters full-time.

The young dragon had to smile at the uplifting turn of her story. True, there wasn't much that most dragons would consider exciting, but he couldn't see anything wrong with a simple life of pure love, and devotion to one's calling. He was so caught up in listening that he barely had time to think about the fact that they were eating together in private.

“Will you be going to Applejack's soon?” Fluttershy asked as they washed the dishes.

“I guess I should,” Cliff said, a little regretfully. “I promised Rainbow that I'd be there.”

“Okay.” She gave him a sweet smile. “Thank you for listening to me, even if it wasn't very interesting.”

“I found it very interesting.” Cliff smiled back as he walked to the door, retrieving his cloak as he went. “Would you mind telling me the rest on Saturday?”

Fluttershy retreated behind her mane again. “Well, um, okay. If you want, that is.”

“Yes, I do,” he promised her. “Will I see you at Pinkie's party tomorrow?”

She nodded. “Take care, Cliff.”

“You too, Fluttershy.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

After leaving his letter to Derpy in the Carrot family mailbox, Cliff walked the short distance to Sweet Apple Acres. He entered through the back gate and was making his way to the farmhouse when he noticed Big Mac pulling a cart filled with ropes, chains, and tools.

“Afternoon,” the red earth pony said casually.

“Afternoon,” Cliff replied, eying the cart. He had come to the farm to lend a claw after all. “Want some help with whatever you're doing?”

Big Mac thought about that for a moment. “Eyup.” He started walking again, pulling the cart out into the orchard.

Cliff kept kept pace with the large earth pony but remained silent. It was a lot like working with Steel Claw again. He didn't mind that. If nothing else, he wasn't crammed into a small, dark, foul smelling pit. Instead, Cliff was able to enjoy the fresh air and sound of wind through the leaves. Unsurprisingly, the whole area smelled of apples.

It wasn't long before they reached a dead tree among the rows of live ones. Dozens of small holes pitted its trunk, making it seem that insects were at least partially to blame for its demise.

Big Mac cocked his head towards the tree and then gave the dragon an idly curious look. He seemed to be asking how Cliff would handle the problem.

The young dragon shrugged. “You'd know better than I.”

Apparently satisfied with that, Big Mac pulled an ax from the cart and held it out to him.

He accepted it, and set to work once his silent companion indicated the placement and size of the cut he should make.

Meanwhile, the red earth pony was hacking at exposed roots on the other side of the trunk with a pick of some kind. He paused occasionally to look at Cliff's growing cut into the wood and always gave the dragon a satisfied nod before returning to his own work.

Minutes flowed together as Cliff hacked methodically at the dead trunk. It was a good thing that his job was simple because maintaining the Scale Armor spell was starting to make it hard to concentrate. That, and his thoughts kept drifting back to Fluttershy.

In spite of all their differences, he was starting to recognize her as something of a kindred spirit. The fact that he was a male and she was a female did present a problem, however. Camaraderie could easily mature into romantic interest if left unchecked, and Cliff was fairly certain he didn't want to wake that sleeping berserker.

The difference in their lifespans alone would nearly guarantee heartache at some point, to say nothing of being from different cultures and having such drastically different bodies. He wouldn't even be able to sneeze around her without fear of causing painful burns, or run his claws through her coat without being careful not to cut her. He would continue to support Spike, no matter what, but for Cliff himself, dating a pony just didn't seem like a good idea.

Once the cut was deep enough, Big Mac took over. He directed Cliff back to a safe distance, and then chopped at the opposite side of the tree for a few minutes until it came down with a thunderous crash.

It took them several hours of sawing and hacking to remove all the branches, and cut the trunk into manageable sections. While they worked, Cliff reminded himself that he was likely making a diamond out of a dirt clod. Fluttershy was very sweet, but she hardly seemed interested in romance with a dragon. All the better, therefore, to stay just friends. His decision made, the young dragon checked his emotions for any part of himself that was hoping for more than friendship. There wasn't much, but he soothed it away just in case.

After loading everything into the cart, both workers took a moment to enjoy the bottles of apple cider that Big Mac had brought along. As they relaxed in silence, Cliff was forced to admit that his willpower was fading. He might be able to maintain his spell for the rest of the day, but he couldn't hope to do so and still have enough strength to cast the maturing spell, if Spike still wanted him to. It was a difficult choice, but eventually Cliff let the Scale Armor spell fade rather than risk disappointing his brother.

Once their break ended, Big Mac wordlessly gave Cliff a shovel and took a saw for himself. The dragon set about digging to expose the roots for his companion to sever. He had never realized it before, but trees seemed to have nearly as many roots as branches, if this one was any indication.

After more than an hour, Big Mac tapped him on the shoulder and held out a length of chain. Cliff wrapped it around the stump and gave it back before climbing out of the hole he had dug.

The large stallion secured one end of the chain and attached the other to the yoke around his neck.

Cliff put his claws on the chain questioningly. Did he want some help?

Big Mac shrugged and nodded. He didn't think he'd need it, but he wouldn't refuse the offer.

The two shared a quick nod and then began to pull. Cliff rose to his back legs to strengthen his grip on the chain, his limbs straining against the seemingly immovable stump. In front of him, Big Mac dug his hooves into the ground and pulled with all of his impressive strength.

At first their combined efforts seemed to be for naught, but then the stump began to inch towards them. Both workers found the strength to pull a little bit harder. They were rewarded with a SNAP as the stump came free of the ground, dragging broken roots behind it.

Exhausted but satisfied, the two loaded everything into the cart. Big Mac tossed another bottle of cider to Cliff as they set out for the farmhouse.

“Yer always welcome here, Cliff,” the large pony said suddenly.

Cliff turned to his companion in surprise.

The stallion's expression was sympathetic. He had to know about the situation in town, and was reassuring the young dragon that he still had allies in Ponyville.

“Thank you,” he replied.

They walked in silence until the barn came into view.

“Hey Cliff,” Rainbow's voice reached them. “There you are!”

The dragon looked up to see his multicolored friend flying towards them.

Applejack was on the ground just behind her. “Howdy, Cliff,” she smiled as she approached. “Rainbow here has been tellin' me all about yer home.”

“Yeah, where were you, anyway?” the blue pegasus asked. “I thought we were going to meet up right after lunch.”

“Sorry, I ran into Big Mac,” Cliff gestured at the large stallion behind him, “and I offered to help him get rid of a dead tree.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed as he continued towards the barn.

Cliff followed after him, as did the two mares.

“You two musta worked well together,” Applejack commented. “Ah wasn't expectin' ya ta finish today.”

Big Mac rolled his eyes, as if to say, 'thanks for the vote of confidence.'

“You could've just burned the thing down,” Rainbow said.

“Nope,” Big Mac replied.

“Not without burnin' down the whole orchard,” Applejack added. “Besides, we need the wood.” She pointed at a pile of it on the side of the barn. “Unload it there. We'll chop it up once its had a chance ta dry.”

As Big Mac pulled up to the indicated pile, the others started unloading. It was quick work with all four of them joined in.

“Well now that the work is outta the way,” Applejack turned to Cliff and gave him a tight hug.

The dragon froze in shock.

“I never did thank ya proper fer savin' mah little sis an' her friends.” She laughed when she pulled back and saw Cliff's stunned expression. “Don't ya'll dragons ever hug?”

Rainbow Dash was chuckling as well, and even Big Mac seemed amused.

“We do.” More than most ponies, actually. Cliff shook his head to clear it. “I just wasn't expecting it.”

The orange mare rolled her eyes as she smiled. “I guess boys're still boys. No matter if they're dragons or ponies.” She started towards the house. “C'mon, ya'll helped us out today. I reckon the least we can do is offer ya both dinner.”

Cliff glanced at the waning sun. “Actually, I need to go make dinner for Spike and Twilight.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked. “We didn't get a chance to hang out at all today.”

“Rainbow,” Applejack chided. “Takin' care a' family is what matters most.” She turned to the dragon. “Is there anythin' we can do ta repay ya fer all ya've done?”

He thought about it. “You could let me drop by the orchard and help sometimes.”

Rainbow smacked a hoof across her face.

Applejack just chuckled. “Yer always welcome here, Cliff. A word of advice for your way back, though, ya might wanna keep an eye out fer mah sis an' her friends. They've been scourin' Ponyville for ya since they heard ya'll got back. Said somethin' about gettin' dragon cutie-marks.”

Cliff thanked her for the warning, though he was actually curious what the three fillies had in mind. After saying his goodbyes, the dragon started on his way back to town.

He arrived at the palace without incident. Twilight was still reading, but an empty plate nearby indicated that she had at least eaten something since breakfast. Spike was nowhere to be found. Cliff couldn't decide if that was a good sign or not.

A combination of exhaustion and worry led the dragon to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. They were simple and Cliff had actually developed a bit of a taste for them. He prepared a half dozen, set the table, and sat down to wait.

Twilight stepped into the kitchen just as the hour struck, like she usually did. “Evening, Cliff.” She yawned. “Where's Spike?”

“With Rarity, I would guess,” Cliff replied. “I'm sure he'll be along soon.”

“Alright.” She turned on the coffee-maker before taking her seat. “Will we be having another magic lesson after dinner?”

“That will depend on Spike.”

Twilight yawned again. “Why is that?”

“He might need our help with something instead.” Cliff had just finished speaking when they both heard the front door open.

“Cliff?” Spike's voice called.

“In here,” the older dragon replied. He breathed a sigh of relief when his brother appeared with a calm but determined expression. Whatever decision he had reached, Spike was apparently sure of it.

“I want to be an adult,” the baby dragon said.

Author's Note

Coming up with a believable religion for anything other than a pony in Equestria was tricky, but their culture just wouldn't feel complete if they didn't believe in something. So yeah, dragons more or less worship the stars. Hopefully it makes more sense now why Cliff says things like, “Oh stars above,” and, “By the stars.”

We also finally get to see the glorious Muffin Queen. I always liked the idea of her being a lot more insightful than she lets on, and so that's the version we'll be running with here.

Cliff and Fluttershy make for an interesting duo. I originally didn't plan for them to have so much in common, but it kind of happened anyway. I'm kind of curious to see your feedback on his decision not to pursue anything more than friendship with her.

Houston, we have a major change with Spike incoming!

Chapter 11

Twilight looked back and forth between the two dragons, worry slowly darkening her expression. “Spike, what are you talking about?”

“Cliff told me last night that there's a spell to turn me into an adult,” Spike said, his face set in determination. “I want him to use it.”

“He- you-” Twilight rounded on the older dragon. “Are you crazy?!”

Cliff met her glare steadily. “Remember the Stillness.”

After a few moments of sputtering, the alicorn closed her eyes. Emotions slowly faded until she opened her eyes and calmly asked, “Why do you want to make Spike an adult?”

“I don't,” Cliff replied. “I just told him that the spell exists, and let him make his own decision.” He turned to the younger dragon. “Why do you want this, brother?”

Spike looked down. “It isn't because of Rarity, like I know you're both thinking. I... I want to be an adult because I'm sick of being too scared or too weak to help when bad things happen. That, and...” The little dragon looked guiltily up at Twilight before he swallowed and said, “I'm sick of being overlooked and ignored.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “You think that we...” she breathed, “that I... overlook you?”

Spike wouldn't make eye contact, but he nodded. “I know that you have important duties now that you're a princess, but... maybe if I become an adult, I won't get left behind all the time.”

The Stillness collapsed and Twilight rushed to her brother, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Oh Spike, I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way!”

He hugged her back, but his eyes went to Cliff. “So will you, please?”

Cliff nodded solemnly. He didn't agree with most of his brother's reasons but that didn't matter. The important thing was that Spike had come to a conclusion and was asking for his support in it. “Eat up.” He held out a sandwich. “Your body is going to need all the energy it can get.”

Twilight caught the younger dragon's claws before he could accept the sandwich. “Spike, you don't have to do this. I'll talk to everypony. We'll treat you better, I promise!”

Cliff didn't really see what the big deal was. Spike would only be losing a couple of years. Compared to the lifespan of a dragon, that was nothing.

Spike gently disentangled his hand and placed it on the alicorn's shoulder. “Twilight, I made my decision. Please... accept it.”

She stared down at him with tear-filled eyes. “You don't have to,” she repeated.

A few tears gathered in his own eyes as he said, “I want to.”

Twilight hugged him again, even more tightly. “Spike... are you sure?” Her voice was a soft whimper.

He nodded into the fur of her neck.

She took a deep, ragged breath. “Cliff, you'll cast it even if I say no, won't you?”

“It is his decision to make, not yours or mine.”

She wrapped both her forehooves and wings around Spike. Her voice broke as she said, “I'm his sister. What I say should matter at least a little.”

“Doesn't what I want count for anything?” Spike almost growled as he pulled himself out of Twilight's embrace. He took a few steps away and then turned to face her defiantly. “Here I am begging you to accept my decision, and you still won't because you think you know what I want better than I do!”

Twilight shrank back from the verbal onslaught. She even raised a wing defensively across her face as tears continued to fall.

“Stillness,” Cliff barked suddenly, “both of you!”

Once Spike had calmed down and Twilight had stopped crying, Cliff stepped in between them. “Spike, regardless of the circumstances, you shouldn't be shouting at your sister. Twilight, would you please explain why you're so against this?”

She was still struggling to keep her breathing steady as she answered, “I-I don't want to lose my little brother, and I don't want him to give up his childhood because I've been a bad sister.”

“You've been a great sister,” Spike insisted. “You're there for me all the time, but I can't ever be there for you, because I'm so small.” He gestured at his little body in frustration. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, Tirek, both times you fought the changelings, I couldn't help you with any of them. What if you don't come back from fighting the next one? I can't get left behind again, not when I know there's a way I could be fighting next to you as an equal!”

“He's still going to be Spike,” Cliff added. “The spell will give him an adult mind and body, but it isn't going to change who he is.”

Twilight looked at them both, and then slowly hung her head. “This is wrong, Spike,” she whispered. “You shouldn't do this because you want to throw yourself in front of a monster for me, or Rarity, or anypony.”

Spike stared at her until she met his gaze. “Twilight, please?”

The alicorn blinked away a fresh set of tears. “Okay... I... I'll help you.” She seemed to collapse a little as the words left her.

“Really?” Spike asked in disbelief.

“I can't talk you out of it.” She closed her eyes and looked away. “Will you at least wait for a few days? Just so you can be sure?”

Spike shook his head. “No. I spent all day thinking about it, and I'm sure.”

Twilight nodded listlessly. “Cliff, what do you need me to do?”

He gave the sandwich to Spike. As his brother ate, Cliff faced Twilight. He still didn't understand why she was so upset, not really, but he felt horrible about making her cry. Should I hug her, or would that just make her snap at me? “We can combine our willpower to cast the spell,” he said at last.

“I read about that today,” Twilight whispered. “I take it you'll lead?”

Cliff nodded.

They remained nearly motionless while Spike finished eating. Then Twilight gave her younger brother one last hug and moved next to Cliff. “I'm ready.”

Cliff reached out with his magic and snapped a link into place between them.

Sadness, confusion, and loss were at the edges of Twilight's heart. Cliff was surprised at how strong the emotions were, and even more surprised that she could maintain the Stillness in the midst of it all.

He knew that his own heart was a little sad, but it was also a little relieved. Childhood was a dangerous time for dragons. Emotions were at their most intense and control was at its weakest. This spell had actually been developed to help young dragons who were in danger of succumbing to greed by granting them the more calm emotional landscape of an adult.

Twilight must have felt his relief through their link, because a small amount of understanding and sympathy blossomed within her.

She wasn't the only one coming to a realization. Ponies think of childhood as some sort of precious thing, Cliff thought. How could I be so stupid? Of course their shorter lives would make them value each and every phase of life!

Spike sat in front of them. “Thank you both. You really are the best brother and sister I could ask for.”

Those words nearly broke Twilight's resolve, but she found the strength to persevere.

The older dragon's claws settled on top of Spike's head. Cliff directed a combination of excitement, nervousness, longing, and impatience into his heart. He was grateful that Twilight couldn't see this spell's focus; a burial mound. She could, however, feel the wall spring into existence. “Help me push through it,” Cliff whispered.

To say that the Princess had a lot of willpower would be an understatement. Even his grandmother would have been hard pressed to defeat her in a battle of raw will. Her strength, directed by Cliff's experience, ripped through the wall easily.

Warmth radiated out of Cliff's outstretched claws, pouring into Spike. His eyes were closed and so he didn't see the change happening, but Cliff felt his arm rise as the younger dragon grew.

Moments later, the spell was finished. Cliff and Twilight broke their connection, and looked at the adult dragon before them.

He was similar to Cliff in most respects, if slightly taller and stronger of build. The spikes along his head and back were more rounded than his brother's as well, but they had the same spacing and tilt. His face still held a bit of childlike roundness. However, it was clearly the face of an adult.

“Wow,” Spike chuckled. His voice was deeper now, but still recognizable. “Everything is suddenly smaller.” He tried to rise and nearly fell over.

Both Cliff and Twilight caught him immediately.

“Your body must be exhausted.” Cliff gave him the plate of sandwiches. “Eat as much as you can, and then you need to rest.”

Spike took the plate and began devouring the meal with surprising enthusiasm. “Why am I so hungry?” He asked between the second and third sandwich.

“You just grew five years in a matter of seconds,” Cliff explained, still supporting him. “That burns a lot of calories, and magic can't make up for all of them.”

After finished off the plate and giving a mighty yawn, Spike turned to the alicorn at his other side. “Thank you, Twilight.” He hugged her. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Spike.” Tears coursed down her cheeks as she hugged him back. “You'll always be my little brother.”

“You'll always be... my big sister...” A few seconds later, gentle snores escaped Spike's lips.

She nuzzled him gently before turning to Cliff. “Are you sure he's going to be the same Spike after this?”

“Of course he is,” the older dragon assured her.

“I don't know what I'd do if he isn't.” A purple aura enveloped Spike, lifting him off the ground. “I'll put him to bed.” Twilight said quietly.

Cliff looked at the plate his brother had emptied. “I'll make more sandwiches.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The two ate dinner in near silence. Twilight was struggling with conflicting thoughts and emotions if her eyes were any indication. Cliff, on the other claw, was struggling with the exhaustion that came from using too much magic in one day. The alicorn's voice reached him but it took his brain a moment to decipher the sounds.

“Did I do the right thing?”

Shaking his head to clear it, Cliff looked across the table at her. “I don't know. I think so.” He stared down at his sandwich for a moment before speaking again. “I'm so sorry, Twilight. This sort of thing is normal to dragons. Childhood is just time to prepare for being an adult, and if a dragon feels ready and wants to jump right to adulthood,” he shrugged, “we let them. I didn't realize that ponies would feel differently.”

“I understand, dragon culture is different, but,” a tear slid down her cheek and landed on the table, “I just can't stop thinking, I'll never carry him around on my back again. I don't know why I'm fixated on that, but...” she slumped forward onto the table. “I've been a horrible sister to him, haven't I?”

“No,” Cliff said. “You've been a wonderful sister.”

“Then why did he feel like that?” She looked up at him with tearful eyes. “Is it true? Have I been overlooking him? Does he really think that he'd only be important if he can help me in a fight?”

“I don't know.” Cliff forced down a yawn. “I knew Spike wanted to be a warrior when he grew up, but I never suspected he would feel compelled to it, not when he loves being your assistant so much.”

“Compelled?” Twilight asked softly.

“Driven. Like he's failing his coven if he isn't fulfilling that role.” As he said those words, everything clicked into place for Cliff. “I am such an idiot,” he groaned. “Spike isn't compelled to be a warrior, he's compelled to help you, Twilight. He must have realized that he can't do much for you in battle, and his conscience wouldn't let him say no to a chance to fix that.”

“I'm not worth it,” Twilight mumbled. “I've been failing him all this time, and I never even realized it.”

“That isn't true.” Cliff approached the forlorn Princess and gave her a gentle hug. “I doubt even he understood what he was feeling. Anyway, we should both get to bed. Things will be better in the morning.”

Twilight buried her face in his scales. “I hope so.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Ugh,” Cliff groaned. Using so much magic so many days in a row had left him with a throbbing migraine. The young dragon pulled himself up groggily and healed it.

Twilight was reading on the couch when he stumbled into the living room. “Morning,” she whispered, passing him a cup of coffee. “Here. You look like you could use this.”

He downed the steaming liquid in one gulp, all the better to ignore its taste. “How's Spike?”

“Still asleep.” She glanced at the hall. “We'll need to get some things for him if he's going to have a room of his own from now on.”

Cliff couldn't help but agree. Spike would definitely appreciate such a gesture. “I'll go buy whatever we need later.” He paused. “Assuming I have enough, of course. How much do bedroom things cost?”

“Just charge it to the royal budget. I barely use it anyway.”

“Understood, I think.” Cliff didn't really understand how gift giving and economics factored into each other, but it seemed like Twilight wanted to pay for everything herself, possibly as a way of making up for her perceived failure as an older sister. He didn't agree with her about that, but he wasn't going to stand in her way if it would make her feel better.

After stretching his sore muscles, Cliff focused his willpower just long enough to cast Scale Armor. “How are you holding up?”

Twilight looked at the bedroom again. “I'm okay," she whispered. "I think. For now, I just want to support Spike and be the best big sister I can.”

He patted her shoulder sympathetically. “I can answer more of your questions while I make breakfast, if you want.”

Twilight rose and walked with him, a bit of a smile appearing on her lips. “That sounds good.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

They heard Spike coming long before they saw him. He stumbled into the kitchen with an embarrassed look on his face. “I guess I'm not used to being this tall yet.”

Cliff and Twilight were polite enough not to laugh as they helped him into a seat.

“You'll get used to it soon enough. Just remember to stay on all fours around other ponies.” Cliff gestured at the meal spread across the table. “Now eat up.”

In spite of his limited motor control, Spike was more than happy to comply.

Twilight had to admit that the young dragon's appetite was impressive. Even with a few spilled pancakes, he was still wolfing down an amount that she had only seen rivaled by Pinkie Pie. “By the way, Spike, what should we tell everypony when they see you?”

“Growth spurt?” Spike suggested between mouthfuls.

“What about our friends?”

“The same thing.” He met the alicorn's eyes with a smile. “Don't worry. I'll tell them the truth once I come up with a better way of saying it. It's just, I made you feel so bad last night, and I don't want to force anypony else to go through that. I'm really sorry, Twilight.”

“You know you don't need to apologize. I'm the one who was failing you for so-” She stopped when a scaled hand gently squeezed her shoulder.

“Quit beating yourself up about it, Twilight. I should have said something.”

The maturity in his voice caught Twilight's attention. She pondered on it for a moment before speaking again. “Spike, how would you say you feel now, as opposed to yesterday?” A quill and empty scroll levitated to her.

Spike laughed as he shoved another pancake in his mouth. “I should have known you'd want me for research.” He sat back and reflected for a moment. “I can tell that I'm smarter,” he said, almost to himself. “Answers to problems seem a lot more obvious. My magic has gotten easier to use. Emotions are much easier to control.” He frowned. “My feelings for Rarity are... different.”

“Different?” Twilight repeated. “In what way?”

Cliff was wondering the same thing.

“I don't know.” Spike's frown deepened. “I still care about her, but... I suddenly realized that there were a lot of things we should have talked about long before last night.” The frown disappeared with a soft laugh. “I wonder what she'll think of me as an adult.”

“Cool down there.” Cliff ruffled his brother's head spikes. “You can't expect all of your dreams to come true just because you're a few feet taller.”

“I know,” Spike went back to his meal, “but you can't blame me for dreaming anyway.”

Both dragons laughed.

“Anyway,” Spike continued as he ate, “I feel more in control of both my heart and mind, but my body is doing strange things, like this burning sensation in my chest and, uh... lower down, whenever I think about Rarity.” He frowned again. “Is this what having a crush feels like as an adult?”

Cliff and Twilight exchanged a long look.

“Would you excuse us for a moment, Spike?” Twilight forced a smile and all but dragged Cliff with her into the living room.

Spike watched the two of them leave. “Sure?” He shrugged and continued eating.

“Please tell me you've given him The Talk.” Cliff said once they were away from the younger dragon.

She shook her head. “He was still years from puberty just yesterday. Why would I have needed to?”

“...Claw wrestle you for it?” the dragon asked sheepishly.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Not helping.”

“Sorry, but what are we supposed to do?”

“Well,” she blushed, “you're both male dragons. You should talk to him about it.”

“But he has feelings for a pony and we're living in a pony town,” Cliff pointed out. “You should talk to him.”

“I wouldn't know what to say,” Twilight admitted. “I've never had a special somepony, let alone...” She trailed off amidst a fierce blush.

“Neither have I.” Cliff sighed. “I guess we aren't really qualified to talk about this.”

“At least, not from personal experience.” She tapped a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. “That's it!” A book flew off one of the shelves nearby and floated up to her.

“'Physical Intimacy: The Complete Guide.'” Cliff read. He cocked an eyebrow. “Really, Twilight?”

“It's tasteful,” she said a little defensively. “Besides, it can answer his questions better than either of us could.”

“Fine.” Cliff covered his face. “Let's just get this over with.”

Twilight led them back to the other room. “Spike... we found a book that can tell you all about these new sensations you're experiencing.” A fake grin was plastered across her face as she levitated the book over to him.

Spike read the title and gave the purple mare a deadpan look. “I know what sex is, Twilight.”

“What?!” Both she and Cliff shouted in unison.

Pointing down at the book, Spike said, “I helped you take notes on this one over a year ago.”

Twilight coughed uncomfortably. “Oh, really?” She gave Cliff a guilty look. “I must have forgotten.”

The younger dragon nodded while the older facepalmed.

“It was one of your weekend study sessions.” Spike reminded her. “We went through five different books, comparing data. There was this one, Physical Relationships For Dummies, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About...”

Enough was enough, Cliff embraced the Stillness.

“Okay,” Twilight cut off her assistant. “You know how it works, so is there... uh, anything you... want to... ask us?” Her expression made it clear that she hoped the answer was 'no.'

“Yes,” Spike said mercilessly. “You still haven't told me what this feeling is.”

Safely wrapped in Stillness, Cliff was comfortable fielding that one. “That sensation is your body's desire to mate.”

Spike finally had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Oh... so when I think about Rarity...?”

“Your body reacts,” Cliff finished.

The younger dragon's face turned red. “Um, how do I make it stop? It's kind of uncomfortable.”

Cliff nodded sympathetically. “Just try not to think about Rarity, or anypony else, that way. It can be difficult, so you might have to use the Stillness.”

Spike nodded, and within a few seconds his face had taken on the peaceful look of one whose heart was clear. “Thank you, that helps.” He rubbed his chest. “Although that burning sensation is still there. Is that normal?”

“Yes, unfortunately. Sometimes your body just acts separately of your mind or heart.”

“Weird.” Spike finished his third bowl of cereal. “I'll clean up, since you made everything.”

“I can help,” Twilight said.

“We may as well work together.” Cliff grabbed a couple of Spike's empty dishes and carried them to the sink.

“You can already walk without problems,” Twilight noted as the younger dragon moved around. “That's amazing.”

“I still feel really clumsy,” Spike told her as he put things back in the fridge. “I hope I don't mess up any of my chores.”

“Don't worry about that.” Cliff began to fill the sink. “I'll do them today.”

Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. “Good idea. I can spend the morning bringing our friends over so they can see Spike and tell the rest of Ponyville. That way nopony will think he's going berserk again and freak out. Oh, I can stop by the furniture shop while I'm out too.”

“But Twilight,” Spike objected, “you had this whole day scheduled for reading.”

The alicorn princess gave him a hurt look. “Do you really think that my studies are more important to me than you are?”

“Well, no but-” He was cut off when Twilight's hooves wrapped firmly around him.

“No objections, Spike. I'm going to spend the day with you and that's final.”

A grateful smile broke across Spike's face. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“Speaking of friends,” Cliff said, “Rainbow Dash will be getting here soon. Should we let her see you, Spike?”

The younger dragon shrugged. “We have to start somewhere.”

Twilight was getting one of those, 'I have a brilliant idea,' looks “In that case,” she smiled, “maybe we can buck two apples with one kick...”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff was outside stretching when Rainbow Dash dropped out of the sky. “Heya, Cliff!” she called. “Ready to get your tail kicked again?”

Cliff had to laugh. “As appealing as that sounds, there's something you need to see first.”

Rainbow laughed too. “Okay, what is it? Did you build a statue out of eggshells or something?”

Cliff led her inside. “Not quite. It's downstairs.”

“Ugh, the nerd base?” The pegasus stepped lightly as she followed, as though just being in Twilight's lab could infect her with 'uncoolness.' When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rainbow noticed that most of the equipment had been pushed aside, leaving the center of the room empty. Sitting in the middle of that space was... she jumped. “Whoa, Cliff! You didn't say that another dragon followed us from your home!”

Spike grinned. “I'm not from the coven, Rainbow Dash.”

The mare's eyes widened and then narrowed. The gears turning in her head were practically visible as she tried to work who this dragon was and how he knew her name. “...Spike?”

He nodded.

It was impossible for Cliff to decide which emotion Rainbow Dash felt most strongly. Surprise was pretty clear on her face, but it was quickly followed by confusion, excitement, and several others that weren't even there long enough to be recognized.

“No way!” Rainbow shot over to the newly adult dragon. “Holy ponies, Spike, what happened!” She held up one of his arms and was shocked to find that it was slightly longer than her own. “How'd you get so big all of the sudden!”

“I kind of hit a dragon growth spurt.” Spike chuckled at her expression. “Apparently I'm a full grown adult now.”

The pegasus turned back to Cliff for confirmation.

“It's true.”

“That... is... awesome!” She beamed. “Now you can hang out with me and Cliff! Can we take him out clubbing? I know, he can come running with us!”

“I'm not quite ready for running.” Spike blushed a little. “In fact, I still have trouble walking.”

“Really, why?” Rainbow continued to inspect the younger dragon. “You look fine to me.”

“He isn't used to his new body yet,” Twilight explained, emerging from her place in the shadows. “We were actually hoping you could help him with that.”

“Oh hey, Twilight. What did you have in mind?”

Twilight levitated a hat and whistle to the blue pegasus. “He could use a coach.”

Apparently Rainbow Dash had helped train most of Ponyville's best athletes. Cliff would never have suspected it, but she made for an excellent teacher. After running Spike through basic stretching and warm-ups, she had him do a series of exercises to assess his strength, flexibility, reaction times, etc.

While she and Twilight went over data and put together a personalized exercise schedule for the young dragon, Cliff finally got a chance to perform his own assessment. “I want to see how you handle yourself in a fight,” he explained as he cast Scale Armor on his younger brother. “That way I'll know where to begin your training.”

“Uh...” Spike looked from the older dragon down his own claws. “Isn't that dangerous?”

“Not really. This spell will protect us both from anything the other could do.” Cliff slashed at his bother's arm to demonstrate. His claws slid harmlessly across the younger dragon's scales. “See?”

Spike rubbed the spot. “Wow, I barely felt that.” He looked from his claws back to Cliff.

“Go ahead. Try it.” Cliff spread his arms to show that he wouldn't resist.

After a moment of thought, Spike took his brother up on the offer. As before, the claws didn't seem to do anything.

“Part of the spell weakens impacts,” Cliff told him as he stepped back and took a fighting crouch. “So don't worry about holding back. Just attack me with everything you have.”

Rainbow's exercises had given Spike a better feel for his body, which made the first few attacks rather confusing. He missed with nearly half of them, and most the the remainder barely grazed Cliff or had no strength behind them at all. Not terribly impressive, given that the older dragon had remained motionless for most of it.

Cliff sighed. “Quit worrying about hurting me.”

“Sorry, I can't help it.”

A blur of movement flashed against the younger dragon's throat. “That might have killed you without this spell.” Cliff informed him as he returned to a crouch. “There's no need to worry. The spell is keeping us both safe. Now embrace the Stillness, if you have to, and attack me.”

Spike hesitated for another moment before he did so. The first slash came down hard across the right side of the older dragon's face. As promised, it caused no damage whatsoever.

“Much better,” Cliff said approvingly. “Keep going.” He waited for a few minutes while Spike tried out different things, even kicking at him like a pony once. “I'm going to start fighting back now,” he announced. “Try to deflect my claws with your arms or hands.”

The young dragon did much better at this part than Cliff had expected. That wasn't to say he was perfect, but Spike did manage to defend himself against the majority of his brother's attacks.

“Good,” Cliff started attacking a little harder and faster. The attacks were as obvious as could be, mostly overhead and horizontal slashes, but he was still impressed that Spike managed to block most of them. “Now try to fight back.”

“I can't.” Spike narrowly avoided his brother's next slash. “No time.”

Cliff stepped back so they could talk. “If all you do is defend, it just lets me attack even harder. Find some opening to throw me on the defensive, even just for a second, and it will change the entire flow of the fight.” He recreated his last attack in slow motion. “Right here.” He tapped the wrist on his arm. “Hit there hard enough and it will throw me off balance.” Cliff demonstrated an appropriate counterattack. “Try it on me.”

Spike recreated the maneuver a few times until Cliff was happy with it. Then he had to use it while the older dragon was slashing at him. His first three attempts were complete failures, either missing the arm or forgetting to counterattack, but the fourth one landed a solid blow across his brother's torso. “Wow.” He laughed a little giddily. “It actually worked.”

Even Cliff was a bit surprised. “That was perfect.” He returned to his stance. “Let's try it again.”

By the time Rainbow left for work, Spike was able to keep up with his brother at full speed and power, albeit with only the simplest of techniques. It was all the more impressive considering that the young dragon hadn't been able to walk straight only hours before.

Twilight had surprised them all by putting together a workout routine for not just Spike, but for herself, Cliff, and Rainbow Dash as well. It was a rotating schedule where they would take turns having each of the others as a workout partner. Cliff would go running with Rainbow Dash one day, spar with Spike the next, and then do strength and flexibility training with Twilight the third.

“I've been trying to start an exercise routine for months,” Twilight explained. “I think it will be much easier if I know I have a couple of partners relying on me.”

Spike couldn't have been happier with this turn of events. “You know,” he admitted while Twilight was out collecting Pinkie Pie, “It feels like she's finally going to start treating me like an equal.”

Cliff shrugged. “Physical age seems to mean a lot among ponies,” he said as tactfully as he could. “Try not to fault her for her society.”

“...I guess you're right.” Spike sighed. “Why do you have to be so reasonable all the time?”

The older dragon smiled. “Don't fault me for my society either.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

As the day wore on, Twilight brought her friends down to the basement one-by-one to meet the newly adult Spike. Pinkie immediately decided to include, “... and congratulations to Spike on becoming an adult,” to the theme for her party that evening. Apparently she even had cupcakes prepared for just such an occasion, though Cliff couldn't imagine why. She also asked a few embarrassing questions about his plans with Rarity, but let it drop when she realized that Spike didn't want to talk about it.

Applejack came next. Ever the practical one, she asked if this meant Spike was a real adult now or a child in an adult's body. When Cliff assured her that it was the former, the earth pony gave them both a hearty clap on the back and promised Spike an apple pie to celebrate. Maybe it was Cliff's imagination, but the farm mare seemed like she wanted to ask about Rarity as well. Luckily, she chose not to, sparing them all more awkwardness.

They were all a little worried that Fluttershy would panic when she saw Spike, but she just stiffened a little and asked if one of Cliff's friends had come to visit. Once they told her their story and assured her that Spike was happy with the change, she surprised the young dragon by giving him a hug and telling him that he could always come talk to her if he was worried or confused about anything.

With the others taken care of and sent on their way to spread the news, Twilight went to collect Rarity.

Spike paced nervously around the basement while they waited. “I know she's going to misunderstand,” he lamented. “Rarity will think this was some desperate gamble to win her affection.”

“Just tell her the truth,” Cliff suggested.

The younger dragon shook his head. “I don't think that will help. She'll think that wanting to help when things get dangerous means I want to be her valiant knight, and that being sick of getting looked down on means I was tired of her taking my feelings lightly.”

“I could try talking to her first.” Unlike the others, his brother had asked to speak with Rarity alone.

“No.” Spike took a deep breath. “I need to start acting like an adult.”

“Adult or not, you're still my brother.” Cliff patted the other dragon on the back. “I'll be right upstairs if you need me.”

“Thanks, Cliff.”

It wasn't much longer before they heard the front door open and close. With one last nod to Spike, Cliff made his way upstairs.

-_-_-_-_-_-

An adult mind was both a blessing and a curse, Spike was discovering. In the few seconds it took for Cliff to leave the basement he was able to review his conversation with Rarity the day before.

“So... uh, do you think it would change anything if I were an adult?”

“Whatever do you mean?” The discerning mare must have heard something in his voice, because she looked up from her work, her beautiful eyes full of concern.

As always, her gaze left him nearly incoherent. “Oh, uh, it was nothing. I just...”

“Yes?” She leaned a little closer.

“I just wondered what you'd think if I suddenly... grew up.” His casual tone sounded forced, even to his own ears.

A frown appeared on her face. “Spike, I hope you aren't thinking of doing anything... drastic.”

“No no, of course not.” He chuckled lamely.

“I should hope not.” She knelt down to look him in the eyes. “You are very dear to me, Spikey, but even if something like that were to happen... I cannot say it would turn out the way you are hoping.”

Her words were like a blow to his stomach. “I-I understand...”

The beautiful mare gave him a sad and sympathetic smile before rising and going back to the outfit she had been working on. “Come now, let us speak of happier things...”

In a strange way, Spike's decision had been easier to make after that. Rarity didn't want him to grow, but he had wanted it anyway. Over the next few hours of working in the boutique, Spike had reviewed his feelings like Cliff taught him to, and came to the decision that led him to this basement.

The door opened again and a pair of tentative hoof-steps descended.

Spike embraced the Stillness. He knew his emotions would just make things worse.

Rarity came into view. She was still beautiful to his adult eyes, even with her face contorted in worry. “Oh no.” She pressed a hoof against her mouth when she saw him. “Spikey-wikey?”

“Hey Rarity... long time, no see.” He smiled sheepishly.

She was less than amused. “Spike, what have you done!” It was like she couldn't decide between tears and anger.

“Grew a few feet.”

“This is no joking matter,” Rarity chastised. “What in Equestria happened to you?”

Spike considered telling her it was just a growth spurt but the concern in her eyes was too real for that. He couldn't betray her feelings with a lie. “Cliff told me about a spell that would accelerate my growth to physical maturity.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Spike realized how much they made him sound like Twilight. Maybe that vocabulary of hers is starting to rub off on me. “I asked him to cast it last night.”

“Spike!” Rarity looked hurt and betrayed. “I thought it was clear that I didn't want you to do something like this.”

“I didn't do it for you.” Spike pointed to the ceiling. “I did it for them.”

Rarity followed his gaze up though all she could see was the underside of the main floor. “Twilight and Cliff?” She looked back to him. “Why would they encourage you to leave your childhood behind?” The very idea seemed insulting to her.

“It wasn't like that.” Spike sighed. “I had other reasons, but once I became an adult I realized that I just wanted to be like the two of them.”

“I'm all for appropriate role models, but isn't this a little extreme?”

“Do you know where I was during the hydra attack?”

The question caught her off guard. “Why yes, you were down here protecting Sweetie Belle and the others.”

“No.” Spike pointed to a space under the stairs. “I was huddled under there with Sweetie Belle and the others, while my brother and sister were out protecting Ponyville. If the hydra had gotten past them, I wouldn't have been able to protect anypony. I would have just been another bite of food.” Anger and frustration echoed around the edge of his heart. “If it hadn't been for Twilight, Cliff would have died while I was cowering there.” With a deep sigh he turned to face Rarity once more. “I just wanted to be able to help them next time.”

The unicorn mare studied him in silence for a moment, tears in her eyes. “You still didn't have to do this, Spikey-wikey,” she whispered.

At any other time, seeing Rarity like this would have reduced Spike to a mess of tearful apologies as he begged her to forgive him. Right then, however, the young dragon was confronting a surprising revelation. He knew his decision had hurt the mare he loved, and yet he still felt that it was the right thing to do. Spike moved forward and gave her a quick hug before stepping back. “I'm sorry that I hurt you. I hope we can still be friends.”

Rarity froze when he hugged her, but when she met his gaze, her weak smile managed to say everything. She would always be his friend and would respect his decision, even if she didn't agree with it.

“Thanks,” Spike breathed a response to her unspoken message.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff looked up from where he had been teaching Twilight healing magic. Spike and Rarity were coming into the living quarters together, and he was relieved to see that they both looked okay. That is, until the white unicorn saw him.

“You!” She stomped towards him with an angry glare. “Just what were you thinking using magic like that on your own brother?”

Twilight and Spike both tried to speak but Cliff motioned for them to remain silent. “Spike,” he said without looking away from Rarity, “come here for a moment.” When the younger dragon reached his side, Cliff put a claw over Spike's chest and then cast Heart's Mirror. “Focus on your reasons for wanting me to cast that spell.”

Determination filled the area filled the area so strongly that both Twilight and Rarity subconsciously took more solid stances. Under the determination, propping it up in some ways, was a mixture of shame, humiliation, and frustration both at one's own weakness and at the treatment received by others. Finally, there was a sense of awe and longing, like staring through the window at a personal hero.

“Thank you, Spike,” Cliff said as he let both spells fade and leveled his gaze at the still shocked unicorn. “Now can you see why I did it?”

Rarity didn't respond. Instead, she turned to Spike as though she was seeing him for the first time. “Spikey, did you... really feel that way?”

“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I'm sorry, Rarity.”

“No need to apologize, dear... Actually, I suppose there is a need.” She turned back to Cliff. “I am sorry for misjudging you.” She managed to look both regal and regretful at the same time. “And Spike, I need to apologize to you as well. I will endeavor to treat your feelings with more respect in the future.” Rarity bowed slightly.

Spike bowed in return, somehow looking just as regal as the unicorn. “Thank you, Rarity.” The formal attitude cracked a little when he chuckled and said, “So, uh, will I see you at the party tonight?”

Rarity didn't seem surprised by the younger dragon's bow. If Cliff had to guess, she was the one who had taught him how to do it. “Of course you will, dear.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

After Rarity left, the three of them settled down to practice dragon magic. It was Twilight's idea, of course, but Cliff was happy to oblige and Spike seemed just as eager. There were few better ways to bond than to literally share your emotions with each other.

“Excellent.” Cliff grinned after a few minutes. Both Spike and Twilight had successfully demonstrated all of the tier one spells that he had asked them to learn. “You've completed the basics. Now its time to start on tier two spells.”

Dragon spells were separated into tiers based on how many emotions were required to cast them. Tier two spells would be far more powerful than anything from tier one, but they were also much more difficult to pull off. “What branch of magic should we start with?”

“Healing,” Twilight said immediately.

Spike took longer to respond. “Whatever it is that lets you run so fast.”

Luckily those both came from the same branch. “Bio-augmentative magic it is.”

Spike frowned in confusion. “I actually know what that means.”

“Really?” Twilight asked. “Did that spell affect his vocabulary somehow, Cliff?”

“Maybe.” Cliff shrugged. “His adult mind is probably just helping him access knowledge he already has more easily.”

Twilight made a note to research that later, and they continued with their lesson.

Since the purple alicorn already knew part of a healing spell, Cliff decided to start there. “With how often you two seem to get into trouble, this might be a good idea.”

Hope was the key emotion for most healing magic, but it needed to be mixed with a little excitement for this spell to work. Spike and Twilight were both able to get the correct emotions relatively quickly, but discovering the perfect ratio was the difficult part. Every heart was different, and so the requirements for a spell were different with each user. All Spike and Twilight could do was try to cast the spell over and over again with different amounts of hope and excitement until they found the ratio that worked for them. It was draining and discouraging to push through the wall so many times with nothing to show for it, but Cliff helped by adding his willpower to theirs.

It took about an hour before they saw the first hints of success. Spike's palm started to glow. It was weak and flickered erratically, but it was definitely there.

“You're close,” Cliff said. “Start making very small adjustments to what you just did.”

Spike nodded and tried it again. This time the glow was bright and solid.

“Great job, Spike.” Twilight wrapped her hooves around him.

“Thanks Twilight.” Spike hugged her in return before flopping back onto the couch. “I don't even want to think about how long it must take to learn tier three spells.”

“Just cast this spell one more time,” Cliff ordered. “Unless you want to forget the ratio and go through it all over again.”

Spike shuddered and cast the spell. Once he got his brother's approval, he gladly let it drop. “You two keep working. I'm going to start on lunch.” He slowly rose and made his way to the kitchen.

Twilight watched him go with a sad smile. “This may sound strange, but I'm actually proud of him for getting it to work before I did.”

“I don't think it sounds strange at all.” Cliff smiled as well.

It only took another few minutes before Twilight successfully cast the healing spell.

They spent most of lunch talking about the ratios they had each needed to make it work. Twilight had needed very little excitement, where Spike used a modest amount of it. Cliff knew he was something of a rare case. He required almost an even mix of the two emotions.

Spike and Twilight wanted to continue learning after lunch, and since they both had enough willpower to manage another spell, Cliff decided to teach them Scale Armor.

“When will we get to running?” Spike asked.

“That's more a group of spells maintained all at once,” Cliff said apologetically. “You'll need more practice with spells like this before you're ready to try it.”

The younger dragon accepted that with a sigh and a nod. “At least you won't have to maintain both our protection spells when we spar.”

“Exactly.”

Scale Armor worked both by hardening the scales of the dragon it was used on and by cushioning the body against impacts. The second function seemed rather universal, but none of them were quite sure how Twilight's skin would react to the first. Cliff really hoped that she wouldn't lose her coat as a side effect somehow.

Luckily, the spell seemed to interpret her coat as scales, and hardened that instead.

“This is... strange,” Twilight commented as she walked around the living room with the spell active. “I feel like I shouldn't be able to move, but for some reason I still can.”

“The scales, well, the fur around your joints only becomes soft when you want to move them.” Cliff tapped on one of her knees to demonstrate. It sounded like he was tapping on bone or rock, certainly not something that would allow free movement.

“How protective do you think it is?” She bent the knee without any difficulty.

“That depends on how much willpower you're putting into it, but I'm honestly not sure what to expect in your case.” Cliff ran his claws down her side with enough force that it should have hurt. “How does that feel?”

“I feel a little bit of pressure but not very much.” Twilight was getting one of those excited grins. “We need to determine exactly how much pressure this spell can withstand and compare it to the average for dragons. If the spell just adds a certain amount to the resiliency of its user's coat or scales, then the results should be relatively close. However it might multiply the existing hardness instead, which would lead to a rather drastic difference in the amount of protection granted.”

Spike, who was still working on finding the correct ratio, sighed. “I'll go get the graph paper.”

What followed was a series of experiments that honestly left Cliff feeling a little guilty. Twilight had him attack her with a disturbingly large number of implements; everything from a hammer to a kitchen knife, to a spear that she had for some reason, and used a unicorn spell to measure the amount of force it took with each item before she began to feel genuine pain. It also gave her and Spike a chance to practice their newly learned healing spell on the small cuts and bruises she was collecting.

“Hmm...” Twilight nodded as she went over data, comparing it to a chart in one of the dragon books. “I'd say that settles it. Scale Armor adds to, rather than multiplies upon, the natural resilience of its target's scales or coat.”

“I'm so glad we found that out.” Spike rolled his eyes. “Here I was thinking we hit you with everything but the kitchen sink for no good reason.” After getting the spell to work for himself, he had been pressed into service for his sister's bizarre experiment.

“Be polite, Spike,” Twilight said without looking up. “I might be the first alicorn to ever learn dragon magic and so we have a responsibility to understand as much about it as possible.”

“Where did you even get some of these things?” Cliff asked, holding up a pickaxe.

“Well I got that while I was studying archeology.” Twilight pointed at the spear. “That was a gift from my brother. Pinkie Pie gave me the bowling ball last Hearth's Warming. The chainsaw was left here by Discord...”

“Remind me not to teach her the spell that protects against energy-based attacks,” Cliff whispered to his brother.

Spike winced. “Good idea.”

Knowing Twilight, she would go out in the next storm with a lightning rod strapped to her head.

Author's Note

The relationship between Twilight, Spike, and Cliff is an interesting one to write. In some ways, they're like three siblings, but in others, they're like two parents and a child. Things get especially odd when it comes to cultural misunderstandings, like making Spike into an adult.

Speaking of which, I hope Cliff's reasons are at least understandable.

Now that everyone has had some time with adult Spike, I'm curious what your thoughts are about him. No, I don't really agree with his choice, but I honestly thought that was the decision Spike would make.

Chapter 12

They had a light dinner that evening, in anticipation of Pinkie Pie's party, and the enormous amounts of food she usually provided.

Cliff was expecting an awkward walk through town, but the streets were mostly bare. News of Spike's growth must have spread though, because the few ponies they did see smiled or waved at the trio as they passed, saying things about seeing them at the party later.

“Fair warning,” Twilight said as they neared town hall, where the party was to be held. “Mayor Mare gave Pinkie permission to use some of the town budget on this. She may have gone a little overboard.”

Town hall came into view, complete with a giant neon sign that read, “Thank You, Cliff Runner For Saving Ponyville, And Congratulations On Becoming An Adult, Spike!!!” and ten foot tall statues of the two dragons made entirely out of gummy-ponies.

“Overboard and straight to the bottom of the ocean,” Spike commented.

As if to reinforce his words, fireworks began to go off over the building.

Twilight chuckled nervously. “Well, she did invite everypony in Ponyville.”

“No I didn't,” a cheerful voice behind them announced.

Cliff jumped away in surprise, but Spike and Twilight seemed perfectly at ease as they turned around to greet the pink mare.

“I invited everypony in Ponyville, and everypony in Canterlot!” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“And every draconequus as well,” the ground beneath Cliff's feet added.

He looked down to see a bizarre face staring back at him. It was almost like a pony's, except with bright red eyes, bushy eyebrows, a mismatched set of horns, and a single fang protruding from one side of its mouth.

“Discord?!” Twilight gasped. “What are you doing here?”

A serpentine body that looked like it had been sewn together from at least a dozen different creatures coiled around Cliff. Most disturbingly, its neck ended in a stump.

“Now, now, Princess.” The face on the ground smirked. “No need to lose your head.”

Pinkie laughed riotously. “Don't worry, Twilight. I asked him to help me with the party.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight rounded on her friend, “are you insane?”

Spike raised a claw. “Uh Twilight, did you seriously just ask that?”

Both the body and face disappeared, only to reappear as one in front of the alicorn. “I, for one, think it was an excellent idea.” Discord made a mock bow. “How else would poor Pinkie Pie be able to hold a party for over five thousand ponies in a building designed for four thousand?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie grinned. “Thanks to Discord here, we even had room for a dance floor, and a dance ceiling, and a private booth for the Princesses!”

“Dance ceiling?” Spike asked dubiously.

“Five thousand?” Cliff breathed. His legs felt weak.

“Princesses?” Twilight's pupils shrank to pinpricks. “The Princesses are here?”

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes like that should have been obvious. “Well doy. How could I invite everypony in Canterlot and not include them?” A spasm went through her. “Uh-oh. Shiver, back itch, and eye twitch. We're going to need more lemon cupcakes! I'll see you three later.” She jumped into Discord's arms. “C'mon, buddy, to the kitchen!”

Discord saluted them all. “We hope you enjoy the party. Oh, and Cliff? Try not to be so stiff. What's a party without a little chaos?” He grinned wildly as they disappeared in a flash of light.

Spike shook his head. “This can't end well.”

“I'm sure it will be fine,” Twilight said with a forced smile. “I mean, the Princesses are here, so he wouldn't try anything too crazy... right?”

Cliff exchanged a look with his brother. Neither had the heart to disagree with her.

“Well, let's get inside before the reporters swarm us,” Spike said.

“Inside?” Twilight blinked. “Oh yes, inside. Things will be fine inside. Just fine.” She didn't even seem to see the small heard of ponies with cameras standing outside of the doors as they walked in.

'Fine' might have been pushing it a little. Discord had somehow altered gravity inside of town hall, allowing ponies to walk on the walls and ceiling like they were just another part of the floor. The walls were covered with long tables full of sweets, and dining tables, chairs, and benches, for anypony who wanted to take a break from the dance areas that dominated the floor and ceiling. Cliff suddenly understood what Pinkie had meant by 'dance ceiling.'

Strangely, or perhaps not, given the circumstances, the ceiling seemed to be made entirely from smooth marble, as opposed to the wood that composed the floor. A glowing disco ball floated midway between the two, sending out rays of light in every color and shade imaginable.

Music so loud that it almost had a physical presence filled the area. Cliff found its source in a machine near the dance floor. A white unicorn with a blue mane and colored glasses seemed to be operating it.

Looking more closely at the crowd, Cliff noticed that plates full of food and drinks were floating around, offering themselves to anypony that looked even slightly hungry or thirsty.

“Where are the Princesses?!” Twilight had to shout to be heard over the music.

“Celestia is up there!” Spike pointed to a booth near the stage. Gravity must have been working normally in it, because the Sun Princess was sitting right side up relative to them as she smiled out across the chaos that was Discord and Pinkie's work.

“I found Princess Luna!” Cliff added. She was on the dance floor and moving energetically to the beat. Somehow, Big Mac being with her was one of the least confusing parts of the scene.

“Come on!” Twilight motioned as she began pushing her way through the crowd.

Their path led them up one of the walls. Cliff experienced a bit of vertigo as the pull of gravity shifted, and suddenly they seemed to be on the floor, surrounded by ponies who were walking on the walls to either side. He couldn't shake the feeling that they would all come crashing down at any moment.

“What do you think would happen if we fell through a window?!” Spike wondered as he skirted around one.

“I don't know!” Twilight replied. “We'd better not risk it!”

The music suddenly cut out, replaced by something much more soft and cheerful.

Cliff breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the stars that's over.”

“Actually, I don't think it is.” Twilight pointed to the dance floor, where the ponies were still as energetic as ever. She took a few steps back and winced before rejoining them. “Strange, the music is still playing out there but there's different music in here.”

“I think we're in the kids' area.” Spike gestured to a number of games and activities spread across the floor... or wall. Either one was probably accurate at that point. Younger ponies did make up the majority of the crowd in this part of the building.

Cliff studied the dance ceiling for a moment. “They must have different music too.” He pointed to a small orchestra near the dance area. The ponies were moving differently as well. It was a far more slow and elegant display than the crazed energy of the floor.

Spike whistled. “Pinkie really has outdone herself this time. Three different parties in the same room.”

“Possibly more,” Twilight added.

They reemerged into the deafening noise shortly afterward, winding their way slowly towards the Princess's booth. Unfortunately, some kind of force field was in place there, preventing them from getting through or even being heard.

Celestia noticed them and gestured to a set of stairs on the floor.

Twilight nodded her understanding and led the small group to the stairs, past the royal guards, and into the Sun Princess's booth. All three of them sighed in relief when gentle piano music replaced the noise of the dance floor. The booth itself had a small table filled with food and drinks, and a number of plush chairs, one of which was occupied by the Princess herself.

“It's so good to see you, Twilight,” Celestia said as she embraced her former student. “And you too, Spike and Cliff Runner.”

Both dragons bowed.

“There's no need to stand on formalities.” She lifted them both to their feet with her vast wings. “I actually came here tonight to see the three of you.”

“Really?” Spike asked.

“Of course, Spike. Though I must admit I was surprised to hear of your growth. Do you like being an adult?”

He nodded firmly. “Yes.”

“That's what matters.” She reached out to rub his cheek. “Though to me, you will always be that cute hatchling I helped raise.”

Spike blushed and patted her hoof. “Thanks, Celestia.”

“And you, Cliff Runner.” She turned to the older dragon. “All of Equestria owes you a great debt.”

“Do you mean for delivering the archive, Princess Celestia?”

“Just 'Celestia' is fine, and yes. Twilight's notes from your first night in Ponyville have already taught me more about dragons than I learned in the last thousand years. I can only imagine how much more we will learn from the records you have provided.”

Cliff smiled a little. “I'm flattered, Prin- Celestia, but the thanks should go to Egghead, the record keeper for my coven.”

“Ah yes, that reminds me. We already have a group that would be willing to go live at your coven for a few months. They will likely be ready to leave within one week, if that will be acceptable.”

“That will be perfect.” Cliff nodded. “I'll be happy to guide them there, if you need me to.”

“I will, but not in the way you are thinking.” Celestia took a sip of her drink before continuing. “I can teleport the entire expedition there, but I'll need the assistance of a being who has a firm mental image of the destination.”

Cliff nodded as he considered that. “Would it be possible to bring a few dragons back with you?”

“Of course. Has the Mayor approved your plan then?”

“No, Twilight is going to speak with her about it tomorrow.” He nodded to the purple alicorn.

Celestia smiled at her former student. “I have every confidence that you will be able to convince her. I would also love to hear all about your studies on dragons, if it's not too much trouble.”

Twilight got one of the largest smiles Cliff had ever seen. “It's no trouble at all, Celestia. I'd love to tell you everything!”

The Solar Princess must have heard Spike's quiet groan, because she looked over at the young dragon and said, “Would you like to rejoin the party, Spike? I'm sure you would have more fun out there than stuck in here.”

Spike blushed a little more. “Well, I was going to ask Rarity for a dance. If she doesn't mind, that is. I know she's still getting used to me like this, and I don't want to make her feel-”

“Spike,” Celestia gently cut through his ramblings. “I'm sure Rarity would be happy to share a dance with you.”

He took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and Spike?” she said as he turned to go. “I think you look very handsome as an adult.”

“T-thank you.” He grinned. Cliff could see his brother's confidence soaring as he left.

“And what would you like to do, Cliff Runner?” Celestia asked. “You are, of course, welcome to stay here with us, but I certainly won't force you to do so.”

Cliff weighed his options. Wading into a sea of strange ponies wasn't exactly a comforting thought. Then again, helping other dragons adjust to Ponyville would be much easier if he was more familiar with the ponies in it. Moreover, Twilight would probably appreciate the chance to spend some quality time with her mentor. “...I suppose I'll go mingle.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Ponies. Were. Everywhere! Cliff could barely move without bumping into another one. Making his way through the crowd with Spike and Twilight had been simple enough, because he had had a goal. Now, however, all he could do was wander aimlessly.

Striking up a conversation was a lost cause. Most of the ponies were either dancing or busy talking with friends. Some did smile or nod as he passed, and Cliff did his best to return the gestures.

With nothing else to do, he set out to find Spike and see how things were going with Rarity. It was more difficult than he would have thought to find a single dragon in a crowd of ponies. His little brother was about the same size as an average pony, and unless he did something conspicuous, like breathe fire, it would be difficult to tell him from a purple and green stallion at a distance. He actually bumped into a few of those before realizing his mistake.

After thoroughly combing the floor, Cliff's quest led him up to the ceiling. The entire atmosphere was different up there. As opposed to the dimly lit chaos of the floor, the ceiling was bright and tranquil. Most ponies were wearing fancy clothing and moved around with an air of grace and sophistication. He guessed that most of them had come from Canterlot. The music was different as well, and in his own opinion, infinitely better. The gentle tones of string instruments washed over him like fresh rain.

A bit of purple caught his eye. There was Spike, moving gracefully with Rarity across the marble dance floor. Rarity had a nice outfit on, of course. A light blue dress and golden tiara accentuated her looks in a way that Cliff had to admit was quite beautiful.

Spike was probably using the Stillness. He radiated that kind of peacefulness and control as he moved with the unicorn mare in synch with both the music and the other dancers. Cliff wondered where his brother had learned the steps to such an intricate dance.

Shaking aside his curiosity, Cliff made his way back to the buffet on the walls. The last thing his little brother needed at the moment was a third wheel.

An apple fritter and two cups of cider later, the young dragon decided that he had had enough. He wasn't going to disturb Spike or Twilight, which left him in the noisiest part of the party, but that didn't mean that he had to listen to the infernally loud noise they called music.

He reached for the Stillness... and felt it slip away from him. Cliff frowned and tried again, and again, and again. A shiver went down his spine. I can't calm my emotions! It didn't take a genius to guess that Discord was behind this somehow.

I have to get out of here! Cliff's heart starting beating rapidly as he came to grips with two facts. First, something could set off his greed at any moment. If it did, he was worse than dead. Second, if it happened in here, dozens of lives would be lost.

Slow movement, a gentle voice, and good manners all had their place. This was not among them. Cliff ducked through the crowd as quickly as he could, pushing right through groups of ponies wherever necessary. He charged through the front door with a gasp of relief, only to find himself charging back into the party.

“Now now,” Discord's voice echoed in his ears, cutting through the music. “We can't have you leaving your own party so early. What would Pinkie Pie think?”

“What did you do to me?!” Cliff didn't even care who overheard him.

“I did tell you not to be so stiff tonight, didn't I?” The voice laughed.

“I might hurt somepony!”

“Oh I don't think so. After all, there are four alicorns in attendance. Stopping a berserk dragon would be no problem for them... if it should happen to come to that.”

At least that meant Cliff wouldn't take many lives with him, small comfort though it was. “Who's the fourth alicorn?” I may as well know the names of my executioners.

“Why Princess Cadance, of course. She just arrived from the Crystal Empire three seconds from now.”

There was a burst of magic, and a pink alicorn fell in a heap in front of Cliff. She let out a rather undignified shout of surprise, which was mostly lost in the booming music.

“Are you alright?!” Cliff knelt to help her up.

“Yes, I'm fine!” Princess Cadance took his outstretched claw. The noise didn't seem to bother her. “But who are you, and where am I?!”

Cliff bowed. As strange as it seemed, helping this new princess was a welcome distraction from his own problem. “My name is Cliff Runner, and you're in Ponyville! Discord is causing problems!”

“No I wasn't,” the voice objected. “I just thought the Princess might enjoy this wonderful party.”

Cadance's eyes narrowed. “Discord, send me back to the Crystal Empire!”

“Aw, how cold of you,” he mocked being upset. “You don't even want to say hello to Princess Twilight?”

The pink alicorn looked at Cliff. “Twilight is here?!”

He nodded without rising. “Yes, Princess!” Focus on serving her! Focus on serving her! Focus on serving her!

“Ah, I'm such a saint.” Discord's voice somehow conveyed an altruistic smile. “Enjoy your family reunion. Now I really must get back to the kitchen. The next round of cakes is nearly done.”

“Discord!” Cadance shouted, but aside from drawing a few looks of surprise, she got no response. With a sigh, the Princess turned back to Cliff. “I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier!” Her horn glowed and a bubble of quiet formed around them. “I'm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can just call me Cadance. You're Spike's brother, right?”

Cliff rose from his bow. “Yes.”

“It's nice to finally meet you. Twilight told me all about your arrival in her letter.” She looked around. “Do you happen to know where she is?”

Cliff pointed to the balcony where Twilight and Celestia were talking. “Would you like me to escort you there?”

“No, but thank you.” Cadance spread her wings. “Hopefully we can talk later.”

“Be careful,” Cliff said before she could take off. “Discord did something to the gravity in here. Down is whichever wall you're closest to, and you'll have to go through those stairs to reach the balcony.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Cliff Runner.” Then she took to the air.

With that distraction out of the way, the young dragon's attention turned back to his situation. If he couldn't reign in his emotions and he couldn't leave, then he needed to keep himself from anything that might trigger greed.

The ceiling was out. It had too much wealth on display. Some of the ponies even had jewels sewn into their dresses. The walls were safer, but they had food, and gluttony was just another form of greed. That left the floor. Cliff wasn't especially fond of the music down here, but the pulsing beat did make it hard to focus on anything else.

I'm going to have such a headache in the morning... Cliff worked his way through the crowd. Assuming I live that long. He stopped directly in front of the speakers.

Noise. Lots and lots of noise. His head screamed for mercy at first, but as the minutes wore on, either the music got softer or his ears stopped working. It pulsed through his body like an earthquake, shattering every attempt at rational thought. It must have, because Cliff found himself actually enjoying the wild energy that it inspired in him. He closed his eyes and a grin spread across his face as another song started. This was surprisingly like sitting out in a storm back at Redstone. The songs started blending together, but he barely noticed.

A nudge to his side drew Cliff's attention.

Pinkie was standing there with a wide grin. She led the young dragon away from the speakers so they could talk. “Wow, Cliff, you must really like Vinyl's music to stand that close!”

“Yeah, I do!” Cliff said, much to his own surprise.

“Then why aren't you dancing?!” She giggled. “Music is always better when you dance to it!”

“I'll have to trust you! I've never danced before!”

The pink pony's eyes shot open as wide as they could go. “What?!?! You've never danced before?!” She grabbed him by the arm. “You don't know what you've been missing!”

“No Pinkie, it's fine! I'm fine!” Cliff tried to protest, but Pinkie dragged him onto the dance floor anyway.

“Now stop thinking, and just move to the jams!”

Cliff tried, awkwardly imitating her movements, but she stopped him almost immediately.

“No, you're still thinking! Don't try to dance, just let it happen!” She covered his eyes. “Nopony else is here! It's just you and the music!”

The young dragon almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, a berserker just waiting to happen, and Pinkie Pie was worried about his dancing. It was the one thing he always avoided at gatherings, but if he had to choose between dancing and death... At least it's a distraction. There was only one problem, he had no clue how to dance. Maybe sparring moves will work. Just the thought made him cringe. I'm going to look like such an idiot. He swallowed. At least I'll be a living idiot.

Pinkie seemed to sense the change that came over him. She stepped back with an excited smile.

Cliff assumed a battle crouch and let his mind relax.

A strong beat.

His arms shot up.

It faded.

He changed his stance.

A rush of noise.

Cliff did a back-flip, landing in a light crouch.

Pinkie watched him with an approving grin. “Now let's party!”

He nodded. “Lead on!”

If standing before the speakers had been like sitting out in a storm, dancing, or whatever he was doing, was like becoming a part of the storm. He moved and flowed with the beat, letting it guide him. It was the very air that he breathed.

Pinkie danced beside him. He couldn't really describe the way she moved other than to say that she was like excitement given pony form. “Not bad.” She grinned at her partner. “Now let's see you do something to match this!” She flipped into a front-hoof-stand then came down into a spin before unrolling onto her hooves.

Happy to comply, Cliff spun as quickly as he could before he jumped and landed, still spinning, on the tip of his tail. The rest of his body pulled in to give him a burst of momentum. As that started to fade, he shifted forward and finished the spin on one foot. “Your move!”

Pinkie applauded wildly. “Ooh, I want to do that one!” Then she did. Upside down.

Increasingly ridiculous moves shot back and forth between the pair. Eventually they stopped taking turns altogether, and combined their efforts on maneuvers that no single dancer could manage.

The pink pony jumped at Cliff, who caught her hooves in his claws and shot her skyward. She cartwheeled all the way up and all the way back down, rolling down Cliff's back and onto the floor before coming to a rest on her hind legs and twirling back towards the dragon. Cliff rose to meet her. As soon as his claws gripped her hooves, he threw himself into her spin, and they became a sort of bizarre top for a few seconds. They might have been dancing for minutes or days; he honestly couldn't tell.

“Weeee!” Pinkie squealed in delight. “See, Cliff, didn't I tell you that music is better when you dance to it!”

The young dragon nodded, panting. When did this crowd form? he wondered, and how did I get so tired?

“Oopsie, looks like I wore you out!” Pinkie giggled. “Come one, let's get some sugar in you!” She led him through the crowd amidst shouts for an encore.

As it turned out, Discord had set up a couple of 'quiet-ish' zones along the walls so that ponies could talk without shouting. Pinkie brought her companion to one of these and waved over two floating plates of food. “Here you go, Cliffy.” She took a seat at the table she had chosen, one of the few unoccupied ones in the building.

“Thanks.” Cliff started on a slice of apple cake. “Did you and Discord make all of these?”

“Nope, Applejack, Granny Smith, and Big Mac made all the apple foods. Sugercube Corner made the rest. Princess Celestia and Mayor Mare both gave me some of their budget for this party, so I was able to pay the Apples and the Cakes a whole lot for catering.” She smiled.

“That was nice of you.” Cliff pointed to the more formal dance taking place on the wall to his left. Not wall, he reminded himself, ceiling. “Is Celestia the one who asked you to have that over there?”

Pinkie giggled. “No, silly! I did that for Spike.”

“Spike?”

“Yup, yup, yuppers.” She ate a slice of pie in one bite. “I knew Spike would want to dance with Rarity, and I knew Rarity would never be impressed by dancing like what we just did, so I got the Princesses to come. I knew if they came, a lot of important ponies from Canterlot would too, and since Spike has been learning to do formal dancing, I knew he'd be able to ask Rarity to dance up there with all of them, and then they'd be really impressed with Spike, because the Princesses came to a party dedicated to him and you, and that would make them impressed with Rarity, because she's dancing with Spike, and that way they'd both be happy.”

Cliff blinked. “That's... amazing. You actually planned all that out?”

“Of course!” She downed the rest of her plate. “This party is for you and Spike, and a little for Twilight, so I wanted to do something special to make all of you happy. I love to see my friends smile!”

If the ceiling is for Spike, and Celestia is probably for Twilight... “You mean that craziness on the floor is for me?”

“Who else? You don't like it when ponies act scared or angry around you, and what better way to calm everypony down than to let them see you grooving out on the dance floor?”

Cliff had to admit it, he had been completely wrong about her. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I really appreciate everything.”

“Ah, thanks Cliffy. Ooh,” she jumped onto the table and began waving, “Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, we're over here!”

Cliff followed her gaze and saw the two pegasi making their way towards them.

“Whew.” Rainbow dropped into a chair next to Cliff. “Pinkie, I gotta tell ya, this is one heck of a party.” She propped her back legs onto the table.

“It really has been a lot of fun,” Fluttershy said, taking a seat on the blue mare's other side. “Rainbow Dash and I have been on the dance floor since it started.”

“You like to dance?” Cliff asked in surprise.

“Oh yes,” Fluttershy nodded, “but normally I'm too embarrassed to do it in front of ponies I don't know.” She leaned towards him and pointed at his plate. “Are you going to eat that fritter?”

Cliff stared at her. “Uh, no, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Cliff.” She grabbed the fritter and took a bite. “Mmm, these are good.” She giggled. “I've been avoiding apples for a while now because I was afraid of growing fangs again. That seems kind of silly now that I think about it.”

“Well yeah.” Pinkie laughed. “You looked super cool with fangs. Scary, but cool!”

“Ah, that's so nice of you, Pinkie!” Fluttershy jumped across the table to hug her friend.

Rainbow leaned over and whispered in Cliff's ear, “Is it just me, or is she acting a bit weird tonight?”

He nodded. “Do you think its something to worry about?”

“Worry?” Pinkie asked, climbing back into her seat. “What are you worrying about?”

“No, it's nothing.” Rainbow chuckled nervously. “We were just talking about how much fun everypony is having.”

“That's good to hear.” Pinkie grinned. “Ooh, let me go get you all some more snacks. A party isn't a party without a whole ton of delicious, sugary treats!” No floating plates were nearby but the pink mare just shrugged and headed towards the nearest snack table.

“I'll go with you,” Fluttershy volunteered. “You'll need help carrying all those plates.”

Rainbow Dash watched the two of them walk away. “Fluttershy has been acting like that since we got here. Any idea what's going on?”

“...Maybe.” Cliff tried to suppress a sinking feeling in his chest. It didn't work, of course. Every emotion controlling technique he knew relied on the Stillness in some form or other. “Think about who helped plan this party.”

“It was Pinkie and... Discord!” She pounded the table with her hoof. “I should've known that troublemaker would do something like this!” She rose and spread her wings.

“Rainbow, wait!” Cliff grabbed her before she could take off. “Just what do you think you're doing?”

“I'm gonna go throttle him until he puts Fluttershy back to normal!”

An all-too-familiar face appeared on Cliff's plate, where the pegasus couldn't see. It winked at him before fading.

The young dragon swallowed. “M-maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea.”

“Why not?” Rainbow demanded.

He looked around to make sure nopony was listening. “Fluttershy isn't the only one he pranked tonight.”

It was a little heartwarming to see the concern in her eyes. “Oh no, what did he do to you?”

“I... I can't block out my emotions anymore.” Cliff winced. Just like that, all of his worries were back.

She frowned. “So what?”

“So,” Cliff took a deep breath, “if I start feeling greedy, then every pony in town could be in danger.” He couldn't control the surge of fear and disgust that statement caused.

“All the more reason to make him fix this!”

“How?” he demanded. “One snap of his fingers and I turn into a raging berserker.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine, what do you suggest?”

“...I don't know.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy's return cut off further conversation.

“Fasten your sweet tooth-teeth-es.” Pinkie giggled. “Because we've got a whole stack of sugar for you!” The mares set four plates piled high with treats on the table. “There were so many tasty things that we decided to just grab some of everything and share it all.”

“Hehe, sounds good.” Rainbow forced a smile. “How are you feeling, Fluttershy?”

“Really good.” Fluttershy popped a chocolate in her mouth. “Cliff, do you want to slow dance later?”

Rainbow glared at the young dragon.

Cliff was still trying to calm himself down. His heart seemed determined to beat its way out of his chest. “Oh, uh, sure.” Any distraction would be a welcome one.

“I'm glad.” She smiled.

“Is that why you want to leave her like this?” Rainbow Dash hissed in his ear.

“No,” he whispered back.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. “You both seem anxious about something. Maybe I can help.”

“They're over hear!” a voice shouted in the background. More shouts followed.

Cliff glanced that way to see a crowd of stallions approaching. “It's nothing, Fluttershy. You don't need to worry about it.”

“Oh.” She looked sad. “So you don't want my help?”

“No no, it's nothing like that.” The group was getting closer. “I just don't want you to worry.” And thinking about it is only making it worse.

“C'mon, Cliffy.” Pinkie patted him on the back. “Friends need to trust their friends.”

The crowd of stallions parted, revealing the most beautiful pony that Cliff had ever seen. His breath caught at the gentle flexing of well toned muscles under her orange coat, and the way her yellow mane caught the light made his heart leap. He wanted nothing more than to stare into those deep green eyes, to caress her freckled cheeks, to hold her in his arms...

“Oh fer pony's sake, Cliff! Not you too!”

The young dragon looked away, blushing furiously. As soon as he did, his mind started working again. “Applejack?!”

“Yup, tha's me.” She sighed and took a seat while her entourage set up a defensive barrier around them. “Ah don' know why, but as soon as ah left the kitchen every boy tha' so much as looks at me goes all googly eyed an' starts actin' like them.” She jerked a hoof at the stallions.

“Wow,” Fluttershy breathed. “You should avoid Rarity. She'd be so jealous if she found out.”

Applejack chuckled. “Tha' would be pretty funny ta see, though.”

“Mmm hmm.” Pinkie nodded. “Discord sure picked out a fun one for you!”

“Picked out?” Rainbow repeated, at the same time that Applejack said, “Discord?!”

Pinkie laughed. “Well of course, sillies! Every good party needs a couple of fun surprises, and Discord offered to take care of that part. I normally wouldn't trust it to a novice party planner, but he promised to make them really really good.”

Cliff cringed, Rainbow Dash facehoofed, Applejack stared in disbelief, and oddly, Fluttershy smiled.

“Ooh.” Pinkie leaned over to Cliff. “Did you get a surprise too? Is that what you're worried about?”

The weight of their stares pressed down on the young dragon. “I...” Cliff looked away. “Yes. He... took away my ability to manipulate my emotions.” His heart was beating so loudly that he was surprised they couldn't hear it.

“...Why were you upset by that?” Fluttershy asked after a few seconds of silence.

“No offense, Cliff,” Applejack added, “but that don't seem too bad.”

Cliff meant to look up at them like they'd gone crazy, but then he saw Applejack and his thoughts were washed away in a sea of warmth and love.

The farm mare sighed. “Somepony cover his eyes.”

“I'll do it,” Fluttershy volunteered.

A pair of yellow hooves clapped across the dragon's face, blocking his vision and restoring his brain. “Sorry.” He blushed.

“T'ain't your fault,” Applejack said, “but maybe ya should keep yer eyes closed.”

“...Maybe I shouldn't,” Cliff replied. “Even if it's just Discord's magic, love is still the opposite of greed.”

Fluttershy turned him around to look at her. Her teal eyes were filled with concern. “Greed? Are you in danger?”

Cliff tried to meet her gaze, and failed. Just standing this close to his friends was wrong. He was putting them at risk. “I am the danger... you know what happens when greed takes over a dragon.”

“Well yeah,” Pinkie said. “We all saw Spike grow huge that one time.”

The exclamations of fear and revulsion that Cliff was expecting never came. “...Don't you realize that I'm a threat right now?” he said at last.

“What threat?” Applejack asked from behind him. “Ya ain't exactly greedy, Cliff.”

“You don't understand.” He instinctively reached for the Stillness, but it evaded him like before. “All it takes is one spark. If I can't stamp it out, it spreads, and I turn into a monster.” Each word made the fear more intense. He tried to look at Applejack, but Fluttershy held him in place. It was getting harder to breath, like a weight was pushing down on his chest.

“You won't turn into a monster,” Fluttershy assured him.

“And even if you did,” Rainbow Dash added, “we could just change you back like we did with Spike.”

“No you couldn't. Less than one in twenty dragons can ever come back from going berserk.” Cliff pulled away and looked at Applejack. Growing terror was washed away by love for a moment, but then Fluttershy's hooves covered his eyes again. If anything, the fear came back even stronger this time. “Please,” he whimpered, “I could kill somepony.”

“Don't worry.” Fluttershy hugged him from behind. “I promise not to let anything happen to you.”

Cliff was drowning in emotions. Fear, anger, concern, and... was that affection? He couldn't control any of it. He was too dependent on the Stillness. The young dragon's eyes clenched shut and his breath started to come in ragged gasps.

“Cliff?” Rainbow Dash sounded like she was leaning towards him. “Cliff, you alright?”

“Maybe I should go talk to Discord.” Pinkie's voice was unusually somber. “I don't think Cliffy is liking his surprise.”

“Ah'd say that's an understatement,” Applejack said, her voice heavy with concern.

“What can we do to help?” Fluttershy whispered in his ear.

“T-tell me... h-how ponies control their fear,” he whispered between gasps. Panic was setting in, and Cliff didn't know how to stop it.

“Cupcakes?” Pinkie suggested.

“Focus on something you like,” Rainbow added.

“Maybe we should let 'im look at me,” Applejack said.

“No, he just needs to feel loved.” Fluttershy turned the dragon to face her and hugged him tightly. “It's okay, Cliff,” she whispered. “We're all here with you.”

Cliff wanted to wrap his arms around her. He wanted to nuzzle into her mane and wait for this whole nightmare to be over.

I can't let myself do that!

Fluttershy was in danger. They all were as long as he was with them. The young dragon knew he had to push her away. Even if fear was tearing him apart, he couldn't risk hurting an innocent pony... but he couldn't bring himself pull away either.

“It's okay,” Fluttershy repeated. “Think about Spike. He must be so proud to have a big brother like you.”

Spike... Cliff grabbed at the thought with everything he had. I'm his older brother, like-

A violent shudder coursed through the dragon, ripping him free of Fluttershy's grasp. “No,” he whispered, curling into the tightest ball he could. “Not like those two...” Memories that he had forced away for years began to attack him once more.

Broken limbs and lifeless eyes.

“Not that,” he begged.

Roaring berserkers standing over the bodies of their families. Dead hatchlings, killed by those they had loved.

“No, please!”

Twilight and her friends, roasted alive.

“Please!”

Cliff saw Spike, crushed beneath his oversized claws.

“H-help...” he whispered.

The young dragon felt a pair of hooves wrapping around him.

“Cliff!” Fluttershy shouted. “Cliff, I'll help you! I'm so sorry!” He could hear her crying. “I'm so sorry!”

Driven by panic, he grabbed the pegasus and buried his face in her coat. Weak sobs escaped his lips as tears began to flow. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. All he could do was cling to her and beg for it to end.

“That's it!” Rainbow shouted. “I'm finding Discord RIGHT NOW!”

“Y-yeah!” Pinkie Pie was crying.

“Ah'm gonna get the Princesses,” Applejack said from nearby. “Think he'll be okay 'til ah get back, sugarcube?”

“I-I don't know.” Fluttershy's hooves tightened around him.

“Ah'll hurry,” she promised. “Ya'll stallions stay here, and do anythin' Fluttershy tells ya to!” Galloping hooves announced her departure.

“It's okay,” Fluttershy whispered into the young dragon's ear while she held him tight with one hoof and stroked his back with the other. “I-I promise, we'll make everything okay.”

Cliff's sobs continued, unabated.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Endless minutes later, a gentle tingling sensation wrapped around Cliff, and in a flash of energy the background music disappeared. He was too lost in his emotions to understand what it meant.

“Oh my goodness!” Twilight's voice reached him. “Cliff, Fluttershy, are you two okay?!”

“Y-yes,” the yellow mare's voice cracked. “I'm fine, but Cliff...” Her hoof continued to stroke the crying dragon's back.

“Don' worry, sugarcube, the Princesses here'll find a way ta help 'im,” Applejack assured her.

“First I will need to see what Discord has done to him,” Celestia's warm voice said. “Fluttershy, please make sure he doesn't move for a few seconds.”

“O-okay.”

More tingling. He tried to flinch away from it, but the pegasus mare held him in place.

“It's okay,” Fluttershy whispered in his ear. “We're here for you.”

“...It is as we feared,” Celestia told them. “Discord has affected Cliff Runner's mind, causing his emotions to spiral out of control.”

“Do you know how to help him?” Twilight asked.

“The spell should wear off by tomorrow morning. Until then, Cadance's magic can help calm his fears. If you don't mind, of course.”

“No, of course not.”

Love began to flow through the young dragon. It was painful at first. Awakening his numbed heart made the negative emotions fresh and sharp once more, but then they began to fade. The memories lost their power over him.

Cliff loosened his grip on Fluttershy, though he still couldn't bring himself to let go of her completely. “T-th-thank y-ou,” he whispered between unsteady breaths.

With a sigh of relief, she hugged him to her chest. “Thank goodness. How are you feeling?”

“Be-better.” Shivers pulsed through him erratically, and he couldn't stop crying, but at least he could fight down his raging emotions enough to think once more. “I-I'm s-sorry.”

“There there. It wasn't your fault.” He felt her shift as she looked up. “What should we do now, Celestia?”

“He just needs to rest, dear Fluttershy. By the time he wakes up, all of this will be over.”

Sleep. That sounded good, until Cliff remembered that ponies slept alone. He tried to let go of Fluttershy again, but couldn't convince his arms to move. The tiny voice of reason in his head was drowned out by an overwhelming need for companionship. If there was ever a night where he yearned for a nest full of friends and family, it was tonight.

“Would one of you mind carrying us somewhere where Cliff can sleep?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight gasped. “Huh?”

The yellow mare's head settled down across his own. “I don't think Cliff should be alone right now.”

Twilight laughed uneasily. “Uh, Fluttershy? It isn't exactly appropriate for you to be sleeping next to him like that.”

She nuzzled his cheek. “I know, but I can't abandon a friend in need.”

Gratitude and affection soared within Cliff at her simple words.

After a few moments of silence, Celestia spoke again. “If she wants to stay with him, we shouldn't argue, Twilight.”

“...Okay, Celestia. If you're sure.”

“Don't worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her friend. “I'll be fine.”

A feeling of weightlessness surrounded Cliff. He could feel them moving and heard two doors open and shut before he and Fluttershy were placed on something soft and comfortable.

“Will this be alright, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, thank you, Celestia.”

“Then I'll let you rest. Call if you need anything at all.” The door shut, leaving the pony and dragon alone.

“T-thank you,” Cliff whispered, still unable to control his breathing. “You... d-didn't have to stay.”

Fluttershy nuzzled him again. “I wanted to; stay, that is.” She chuckled softly. “I could never have said that if Discord hadn't taken away my shyness.”

“You r-realized that he w-was... affecting you?”

“Yes. It was very sweet of him to give me at least one night when I could say what I was thinking.” She wrapped a wing around him like a blanket. “I'm sure he didn't realize his prank on you would make you hurt so much.”

Cliff couldn't even muster the energy to be upset at the draconequus. “At least t-the other pranks... w-were harmless.”

“Yes.” Fluttershy nestled her head into the crook of his neck. “You don't have to answer if you don't want, but what did I say to upset you? I don't want to hurt you like that ever again.”

Pain coursed through him when he thought of the memories. His heart began to pound in his chest again. “I-is it okay... if I... t-tell you tomorrow?”

“Yes...”

A few drops of moisture fell onto his scales.

“I just made it worse, didn't I?”

Strange feelings welled up within the young dragon as he realized that she was crying. “Y-ou w-would-n't a-ask,” he took a deep, but uneven, breath, “if y-you didn't care.”

“Of course I care.” She shifted, probably to wipe her eyes. “It's just sad that tomorrow I'll be too timid to show it again.”

Why did that thought upset him? Cliff hugged her a bit more tightly.

“No stallion has ever given me gifts before, or talked with me like that, and it was... nice, to feel like I mattered, even though I knew you were only being polite.”

“I e-enjoyed talking w-with you,” another shudder coursed through him, “and... y-you do matter.”

“Thank you.” She rested her head in the crook of his neck again for a few moments before she said, “Cliff? Could I ask another personal question?”

“G-go ahead.”

“What does love feel like?”

“... It's a l-lot like love for your friends and f-family, but... a little stronger, s-sharper almost, and more physical, l-like...” he blushed, realizing the position they were in, “you always want to be hugging them. A-at least, that's how they taught me to make it.”

“You haven't felt it yourself?”

He shook his head. “I was... infatuated once, but it n-never matured into real love.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I'll f-find love when I find it,” Cliff gave the same response he always used for River Wind.

Fluttershy's hooves tightened around him as she whispered into his neck, “Please don't be angry, but I have to ask you one more question before tomorrow.”

“I-it's okay,” Cliff nuzzled into the soft fur on her chest. It was probably a mistake to let emotions control him like that. He couldn't remember why.

“Does it make me strange that...” she tensed, “I like hugging you like this?”

Cliff felt a surge of joy. The emotion was like a burst of warming fire on a cold night. “No,” he whispered back. “I-I don't think that makes you strange at all.”

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable, asking such strange questions.”

He could have remained silent or tried to laugh it off. Instead, Cliff tightened his grip around the mare and whispered, “I like hugging you too.” May the stars help me, I actually do.

“Really? That's a good thing, isn't it?”

Cliff pulled back just slightly, and for the first time since his collapse, opened his eyes. Even in the dark he could see Fluttershy's tear-streaked face, lit by a warm smile. “I-I think so. Yes.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the young dragon found himself dreading the morning, and all the problems it would bring.

Author's Note

I know this is going to sound crazy, but I didn't actually plan for this chapter to play out this way. Originally, Cliff was going to be the only one to get pranked, and spend the night hiding in a corner somewhere. Then I figured that this is Discord we're talking about. He'd want to prank as many ponies/dragons as possible. Also, there's no way Pinkie would let one of the guests of honor disappear for most of the night.

Once I decided on pranks for the mane 6 (you'll see the rest of them next chapter), the pieces just fell into place. Cliff having a panic attack + Flutter(not)shy + the slightly flirtatious nature of their talk the day before = this.

By the way, have you ever seen a panic attack? They aren't pretty. A friend of mine used to get them all the time.

Chapter 13

Something soft and warm was pressed up against Cliff. He nuzzled into it, purring gently.

Quiet laughter reached his ears.

He purred more loudly.

The laughter grew as well, and he felt a pair of hooves tighten around him for a moment.

Consciousness was slowly returning to Cliff Runner, but he didn't really want to wake up. It had been far too long since he last slept next to somedragon, and he just wanted to enjoy the warmth and companionship a little longer. He pulled the other dragon even closer, enjoying the feel of her soft fur against his scales.

...Wait, fur? Hooves?

He opened his eyes to a sea of pink hair, with bits of a yellow coat visible through the tangled mass.

Oh, no. Cliff shut his eyes again. Please tell me I didn't actually have a complete breakdown in front of Twilight's closest friends.

His memory informed him that he had.

The young dragon felt his cheeks go red.

“Cliff?” Fluttershy whispered.

Fluttershy. She stayed with me. The details of their conversation flashed through his mind, and he blushed even more. Did I really admit to having feelings for a pony?

The affection and infatuation in his heart told him that he had done that as well.

Cliff paused over the unfamiliar feelings. Getting rid of them would be fairly easy, but as long as he could remember Fluttershy being there for him when he needed her, the emotions would return, like flames over a live coal. What do I do?

Cliff didn't know, and that scared him.

What do I want to do?

He wanted to stay with her, and that scared him even more.

Why couldn't she be a wyrm like me? Cliff paused, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. Am I really that superficial? He knew that having a relationship with a pony would be difficult, but denying his feelings now because of that just felt... wrong. Especially after Fluttershy had admitted to having feelings for him in return.

The young dragon couldn't imagine why. Not after all the stupid things he had done.

“Cliff?” Fluttershy repeated.

“Yes?” he whispered back.

“Are you okay? You were shaking.”

“Sorry. I was just thinking.”

“Oh... um, are your emotions back to normal?”

Cliff paused, and then reached for the Stillness. It came easily, but he felt strangely uncomfortable about it. He used to be a little proud of his ability to handle his emotions. Now, he was a bit ashamed as he realized how dependent he had become on it. He let his emotions return almost immediately. “Yes, I'm... I'm fine.”

“That's good.” Fluttershy pulled back from him just slightly. “I, uh, I'm sorry if I said anything last night that makes you uncomfortable now that you can... think clearly again.”

It suddenly occurred to Cliff that Discord might have affected Fluttershy in more ways than one. Maybe the feelings she had admitted to last night were just another of his pranks. He swallowed. “I... I still like hugging you, but I'd understand if you don't feel the same.”

The young dragon wouldn't have thought it possible, but he swore he could hear her cheeks turning red. “N-no, I like it too.” She tentatively leaned into him once more. “Um, is this okay?”

His right arm was completely numb after Fluttershy slept on it all night, but he squeezed her gently with his left. “Yes, I, it's really nice.” He took a moment to enjoy her gentle warmth, the silkiness of her fur, and the sound of her breathing. “Fluttershy, uh, what do we do now?”

“I guess, we should keep spending time together?”

“I'd like that.” Cliff yawned, inhaling some of her mane in the process. He coughed as the long hairs tickled his throat.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy tried to jump to her hooves, but with parts of her mane and tail still trapped under the young dragon, she only got about halfway up before being pulled back down with a surprised, and slightly pained, “aah!”

Cliff tried to jump up as well to help her, but then he put weight on his numb arm and wound up collapsing right next to the yellow mare. “Sorry,” he whispered sheepishly, pulling a few strands of pink hair out of his mouth.

She looked at him for a moment, and then started to giggle.

He couldn't help but join in, and soon the two of them were laughing helplessly together. It felt good, amazing, actually, to just laugh after the stress of the past few days. His arm felt like it was being attacked by fire ants, but he hardly even noticed it.

“Sorry,” Cliff repeated once they had both had a chance to calm down.

“It's okay.” Fluttershy smiled timidly. Now that they were separate, Cliff got his first good look at her since waking up. Her mane was a tangled mess, probably thanks to him burying his face in it all night, and lines of salt-encrusted fur on her cheeks showed that she had been crying. His own tears had left a salty patch on her chest. In spite of it all though, she looked happy, and, well, cute. A bit of worry crept into her expression. “Uh, do you think Twilight and the others are still worried about us?”

“Maybe.” Cliff looked at the room around them. It was similar to Celestia's booth, but slightly smaller and with no food table. They were laying in the center of the room on a brown rug so thick that he almost mistook it for a mattress. There were a few chairs surrounding them, and a window and a fireplace, but little else of interest.

He frowned, noticing something odd. It was still dark outside, but it felt like he had gotten a full night's sleep. “Do you know what time it is?”

Fluttershy pulled herself into a sitting position. “The clock says it's past nine. Oh my, they must have left us here all night! I hope the Mayor isn't upset!”

“I hope so too.” Cliff gingerly put some weight on his arm. “Let's go check on the others.”

She nodded and moved to the door. “Cliff?”

“Yes?”

She blushed a little. “Thank you.”

He didn't have time to ask what she was thanking him for, because she hurried through the door and down the hall to the booth Celestia had been using the previous night.

Surprisingly, all three princesses were still there, sleeping peacefully in a pile on the floor. The table of snacks had been overturned, scattering food everywhere.

“Should we wake them?” Cliff asked, approaching the trio.

“I suppose.” Fluttershy looked around. “What do you think happened?”

Cliff was relieved to find that the three alicorns were unhurt and breathing normally. “Who knows?” He leaned closer to the purple one. “Twilight?”

…

“Twilight?”

…

He turned to Fluttershy with a helpless shrug. “Ideas?”

She approached her sleeping friend. “Twilight? I hope you don't mind, but, um, could you wake up?” She shook the purple alicorn gently.

“Hnnn?” Twilight's eyes cracked open. She clenched them shut almost immediately. “Nng, my head...”

“Oh, do you have a headache? I'm sorry. I can fly back to my cottage and bring you some medicine, if you want.”

Twilight grimaced as she massaged her temples. “Just... coffee, is fine.”

“Actually,” Cliff moved forward, “here.” He let healing magic flow into her.

She sighed appreciatively. “Thanks.” Her eyes shot open. “Wait, Fluttershy? Cliff?” She climbed to her hooves and hugged the pegasus. “Are you two okay?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy hugged her back. “What happened to you?”

“I don't know.” Twilight rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “The last thing I remember is betting Cadance that I could climb the wall using just my lips.” She grimaced. “Was there something in that apple juice?”

“Of course not,” Discord's voice echoed throughout the room. “Spiking the punch is so old fashioned. That's why I spiked the air.”

“You what?!” Twilight shouted, rousing Cadance and Celestia.

“Yes, it was a rather powerful dose as well.”

“There were children here!” Twilight said.

“Oh relax,” the ghostly voice continued. “I kept all of them safe. We stayed up late playing twister together. Now I hope you adults enjoy those hangovers!”

“Discord!” Twilight glared at the room around them.

“N-not so loud...” Cadance groaned, holding her head.

“If you wouldn't mind.” Celestia managed to keep her composure, but it was obvious she wasn't feeling much better.

“Oh,” Twilight blushed, “sorry. Cliff, would you mind healing Celestia while I take care of Cadance?”

“Not at all.” It was strange how he felt a little regretful stepping away from Fluttershy to help the Sun Princess. Cliff wondered if that was normal for two creatures in a... he hesitated to call it a relationship.

“Thank you, Cliff Runner.” Celestia smiled as the dragon magic washed through her. “I feel much better now.”

“Yes,” Cadance said. “Thank you both.”

“Now, Discord,” Fluttershy addressed the room around them. “Why don't you come out an apologize to Cliff?”

Discord appeared in a flash of light. “Apologize? Me? Why would I need to do that?”

Three alicorns and a dragon gave him flat stares.

“What?”

“I know you didn't mean to,” Fluttershy continued, “but your prank really upset him.”

“Oh, there was no need for him to worry. I took away his ability to transform. He couldn't have gone berserk if he'd tried. Besides, because of me, he spent the whole night wrapped in your loving embrace.” Discord held up a picture of them kissing. Passionately. “I think he should be thanking me.”

Fluttershy turned bright red.

Twilight rounded on Cliff with a look that could kill, while he sputtered that nothing had happened.

Cadance just looked shocked.

“Excuse me,” Celestia drew all their attention, “but your prank was rather thoughtless, Discord, regardless of how things turned out.”

“Thoughtless?” Discord clapped both hands over his chest. “I'm not the one who's late raising the sun, causing an Equestria-wide panic.”

Celestia looked out the windows for the first time. Anger flashed across her face as her horn began to glow.

Seconds later, the sun returned to its proper place, illuminating the inside of town hall. Collapsed ponies were everywhere, groaning and wincing at the sudden light.

“There, much better.” Discord applauded. “Five thousand searing migraines created in an instant.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy whispered, snapping out of her embarrassment. “Can't you help them, Discord?”

“Well of course I can,” Discord patted her on the head, “but I won't. Not unless Cliff Runner there thanks me, and Princess Celestia apologizes for calling me thoughtless.” His eyes widened in an exaggerated pout. “Doesn't she know that words can hurt?”

Cliff said, “Thank you,” immediately. Anything to get the draconequus to leave.

“You shouldn't have to apologize, Cliff.” Fluttershy flew up to pat Discord's cheek. “And Discord, you know that helping others is important.”

He sighed. “Fine. I'll be nice and forgive them.” He stuck out his tongue at Celestia and Cliff before snapping his fingers. Out in the main room, groans of pain turned into sighs of relief. “But I'm not cleaning up the spilled flowers.” He folded his arms.

Celestia sighed. “Very well, thank you for your help.”

Fluttershy echoed the sentiment with an approving smile and a pat on the head.

“Yes, well I you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if there is any leftover cotton candy.” Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

As soon as he was gone, Twilight approached Cliff with a look that was decidedly less than friendly. “Now, what exactly did you do to my friend?” She held up Discord's picture.

Cliff found himself backing into the wall. “Nothing, we just slept together.” He had an entire second to realize that that meant something different to ponies.

“You WHAT?!?!” Twilight yelled, her horn starting to glow. “I don't care if Discord was affecting your mind! I can't believe that you would take advantage of Fluttershy like that!”

“Easy, Twilight.” Cadance gently pulled the other princess back. “We should let him explain himself.” In spite of that, she still gave him an accusing glare.

Twilight calmed down, which is to say that she went from murderous to only furious. “Fine. After that, Celestia can banish him to the moon.”

Princess Celestia arched her eyebrow at that, but remained silent.

“Nothing happened between us,” Cliff said immediately.

Twilight's eyes narrowed.

“It's true.”

“Uh, Twilight?” Fluttershy said in a voice barely above a whisper. Her face was bright red as every eye turned her way. “All we did was fall asleep. That's what Cliff meant to say.”

Cliff let out a deep breath. “Yes, exactly.”

Twilight gave him a suspicious glance. “Are you sure nothing happened, Fluttershy? You shouldn't try to protect him if he took advantage of you.”

She nodded. “Dragons share a nest all the time. There's nothing... uh, dirty, about it.”

The alicorns all turned back to Cliff.

“It's true. You can ask Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight's expression softened a little. “Okay, but that still doesn't explain this.” Her magic held up the picture again.

Cliff's annoyance at her accusations was starting to outweigh his fears. “Fluttershy, would you like to tell Twilight the truth? I get the feeling she wouldn't believe it coming from me.” He couldn't resist throwing in at least one barb.

The purple alicorn winced at his words, and her expression fell even more as Fluttershy explained that the picture was fake.

Cliff felt a bit of smug satisfaction at that, until Fluttershy turned to him, disappointment in her eyes.

“I know you're upset, Cliff, but you shouldn't be mean to Twilight like that when she's just worried about me.”

That stung, mostly because it was true. “...I'm sorry, Fluttershy, and to you too, Twilight.”

Fluttershy's smile let him know all was forgiven.

“I'm sorry too, Cliff.” Twilight blushed. “It looks like I assumed the worst of you again.”

He scratched his cheek uncomfortably. “Well, this isn't the first time that the phrase, 'sleeping together' has caused me problems.”

Twilight chuckled a bit. “Was that when you explained it to Fluttershy?”

“No, actually. It was when Rainbow Dash was visiting my coven.” Cliff blushed a little at the memory. “I'll let her give you the details.”

Celestia cleared her throat, bringing the group's attention back to her. “I hope that the two of you will keep your tempers the next time something like this happens. Cadance and Fluttershy won't always be around to help.”

Both dragon and alicorn winced.

“I don't want to dwell on past mistakes, but you two are going to serve as the primary link between ponies and dragons. You must be prepared to overcome not only your own difficulties, but those of every pony and dragon in your care.” She arose. “Still, I remain confident that you will be able to manage.”

Cliff bowed. “Thank you, Celestia.”

Twilight gave her mentor a hug. “Thank you. I'm sorry.”

“That's quite alright.” Celestia returned the gesture. “Now you'll have to excuse me. The castle staff must be terribly worried about Luna and I, and I think it's past time that we got Cadance back to her husband.”

They followed the Sun Princess down to the main room and a sea of confused ponies.

With a light display of magic, Celestia projected her voice so that it could be heard clearly at even the farthest ends of the room. Somehow, it remained warm and gentle. “Please be calm, my dear ponies. It seems that Discord has pulled a few pranks on us. In spite of that, I think we owe Pinkie Pie a round of applause for throwing this marvelous party.”

The ponies in the room all stomped their hooves in agreement.

Celestia waited for the noise to die down before continuing. “Unfortunately, it is time that Princess Luna and I departed. Thank you very much for joining us as we celebrated Cliff Runner's bravery and Spike becoming an adult. These two dragons stand as a testament to the virtues of their race, and I hope that we will all get a chance to befriend other dragons in the near future.”

Another round of applause greeted Celestia's speech. It faded as the ponies began to make their way to the exit.

“Where is that cur!” A sky-blue earth pony mare shouted as she worked her way against the crowd towards the stage. Her mane and tail were a few shades lighter than her coat, and her turquoise eyes were extremely angry. She climbed up next to Celestia and glared at the empty air. “Discord, what did thou do to me?!”

“Well if memory serves, I gave you a flower.” Discord appeared with a grin. “You can hardly blame me if the flower did something you object to.”

“Sister?” Celestia gasped. “Luna, is that you?”

“Indeed it is, sister.” Luna glared as Discord again. “This cur dropped numerous poison joke flowers around the room after making us all intoxicated last night.”

“Yes I did, but Celestia and I,” he pinched the Sun Princess's cheek, “already discussed the matter, and agreed that I shouldn't have to concern myself with dropped flowers.”

Cliff noticed Big Mac, (the alicorn?!) approaching through the crowd. In addition to a horn and massive wings, the farm pony's mane and tail shimmered ethereally with images of... apple trees?

“You never mentioned they were poison joke flowers!” Twilight objected.

“I didn't think I needed to.” Discord's eyes rolled so fast that they became a blur in his head. “Honestly Twilight, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Do you need me to explain why two plus two equals four as well?”

“Discord,” Fluttershy admonished, “wouldn't you be happier doing the nice thing and fixing the flowers' pranks?”

“Well I'd like to, dear Fluttershy.” He leaned back against Celestia. “But a deal's a deal. Anyway, I'm feeling rather worn out from a long night of partying and I simply must get home to enjoy some rest. Ta-ta!” He disappeared in another burst of light.

“Do you think he's actually gone?” Cliff asked.

“I'm not sure it matters,” Cadance replied. “All we can do is try to clean up this mess- Is that stallion an alicorn?” She pointed to Big Mac.

Twilight followed her gaze and ran to the farm pony. “Big McIntosh, what happened?”

He pointed to Princess Luna. “Flowers switched us.”

Even more worrisome to Cliff was the fact that Big Mac wasn't alone. A line was forming behind him, and all the ponies in it looked either confused or upset by something.

“Twilight!” A blue wyrm with rainbow patterned spikes burst out of the crowd. “Ya gotta help me! Discord gave me some poison joke last night, and, and,” she grabbed onto the purple alicorn, “I woke up without my wings!”

“Rainbow Dash?!” Twilight gasped. “I- of course I'll help you. Just let me run home and grab the cure.”

Fluttershy rushed to her newly draconic friend and threw a comforting hoof around her.

“Please hurry, if you would,” Celestia said.

With a nod, Twilight teleported away.

“So...” Cliff said as he approached Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “What's poison joke?”

“Oh, its-”

“It's a weird blue flower,” Rainbow interrupted. “If you touch it, then it plays some sort of prank on you the next morning.” She looked down at her claws. “Ugh, this would be cool if I still had my wings!”

“Don't worry.” Fluttershy gave her friend a gentle squeeze. “I'm sure Twilight will get you back to normal right away.”

Nodding his agreement, Cliff walked around Rainbow Dash. She certainly looked like a wyrm, a rather attractive one at that, he registered distantly, but did that mean that she actually was one? “Can you breathe fire?”

“Uh, maybe?” She shrugged. “I haven't tried.”

“Cliff!” Spike's called.

He looked up to see his younger brother approaching with Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Cliff barely had time to form a response before Spike caught him in a tight hug, followed quickly by Pinkie and Applejack. Rarity rushed to Fluttershy instead.

“Good ta see ya up an' about, Cliff.”

“Yay, you're smiling again!”

“They told me what happened. Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.” Cliff assured them all. “I'm glad you're back to normal too, Applejack.”

“Actually,” the farm pony replied, “all of us are.”

“The rest of Discord's pranks were actually really fun,” Pinkie said. “I spent the whole night trying to figure out what mine was, but it turned out that my prank was that he said he was going to prank me, but then he didn't.” She giggled. “Not being pranked as a prank. Can you believe that?”

“I, for one, found his antics to be rather disagreeable,” Rarity commented, breaking off from hugging Fluttershy.

“She couldn't talk,” Spike explained.

“Precisely! Can you imagine anything more shameful than being surrounded by Canterlot nobility and yet being unable to so much as reply when they spoke to me?”

“Not ta mention havin' Spike glued to ya all night.” Applejack laughed.

Cliff arched an eyebrow at his brother. “I thought you were going to be more controlled around Rarity,” he whispered.

“No, I was literally stuck to her,” Spike whispered back. “My left palm couldn't break contact.”

“Oh.” He wasn't exactly sure how his younger brother must have felt about that. “Sorry?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I'll tell you about it later. Anyway, what happened with you and Fluttershy?”

A flash of magic announced Twilight's return. “Sorry for the delay.” She approached Celestia and Luna, levitating a jar with her. “If we pour this into a bath it should cure everypony.”

“I'll tell you about it later,” Cliff said.

-_-_-_-_-_-

A few minutes later, they stood in front of a massive, bubble-filled tub in the local sauna. Cliff wondered what they used it for.

“Okay,” Twilight told them. “It's ready now. Everypony affected by poison joke should hop in.”

Over a dozen ponies, and one former pony, did so. One by one they emerged, cured of their various afflictions, with three notable exceptions. As soon as Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna, and Big Mac touched the water there was a loud buzzing sound and a floating card appeared in front of each of them.

Princess Luna read the card and had to visibly restain herself from attacking somepony. “I swear by the night I will have revenge on Discord for this affront!”

Rainbow Dash looked ready to faint. “H-he's kidding, right?”

Predictably, Big Mac was the most calm. He just sighed.

“What is it?” Celestia asked. Her calm persona was noticeably strained as she took the card from Luna. “Oh dear.”

Cliff leaned over to look at Rainbow's.

Sorry, try again in one week. A smiling depiction of Discord's face sat beneath the words.

Once they had sent off all the cured ponies, Twilight and her friends went to speak with the other Princesses. Cliff was surprised when they asked him to join them. He hadn't known what poison joke was until earlier that morning. How exactly did they expect him to contribute?

Celestia began by magically examining Luna, Rainbow, and Big Mac. She sighed. “It seems we have no choice but to wait.”

“But who will watch over the night in my absence?” Luna objected.

“If it's only for a week, I should be able to manage,” Celestia told her. “Though I admit my nights were never as beautiful as yours.”

Luna grumbled. “Very well, and what am I to do in the meantime?”

“I suppose you can take the opportunity to enjoy a short vacation. You have been very busy since your return.”

“What about me?” Rainbow Dash cut in. “What am I supposed to do without my wings?”

“Wait for them to return, I would imagine,” Luna said. “I have lost not only wings, but also my horn. Further, Equestria has lost its guardian of the night. Compared to that, losing a weather manager seems of little importance.”

“Luna,” her sister gently chided. “You shouldn't take your frustrations out on Rainbow Dash. Her fears are as reasonable as your own.”

As the Lunar Princess grudgingly apologized, Cliff's attention went to the yellow pegasus at his side. If it weren't for the tear stains still visible on her coat, he would have trouble believing that last night had actually happened. Developing romantic feelings for a pony was strange enough. Having those feelings reciprocated seemed so unlikely as to be impossible... and yet, here they were.

A surge of nervousness went through the young dragon. What exactly are the social conventions for two ponies that are... whatever the heck we are? Fluttershy had smiled when he sat next to her, which was a good sign, but should he have sat close enough that they were touching? Put an arm around her, perhaps? Was he crazy for even worrying about these things?

The logical part of his brain decided that they seemed compatible, based on what little he knew of her. They both enjoyed peace and quiet, neither liked crowds, and they both felt a need to care for smaller creatures. True, he didn't share her interest in knitting, but she didn't share his interest in exercise. There was nothing wrong with having different hobbies.

Another issue that came to mind was their physical attraction, or lack thereof. Cliff had gotten used to manes during his time in Ponyville, and thought that Fluttershy's looked good on her, but pony tails were still rather strange. They weren't a continuation of the main body like dragon tails. Rather, they seemed tacked on like an extra limb. He had to wonder if his own tail looked equally strange to Fluttershy. Cuddling against her fur had been pleasant, but had she found his scales uncomfortable? Were his sharp teeth and serpentine tongue as odd to the yellow mare as her flat teeth and rounded tongue were to him? He didn't even know what to make of her wings.

In the end though, it really came down to one question: did he find her physically attractive?

Fluttershy caught him looking at her. She blushed and smiled before looking away.

Yes, he most certainly did.

Spike, Twilight, and Rarity saw the exchange as well. Spike, who was sitting on Cliff's other side, smiled approvingly. Twilight gave them a worried look. Rarity's was more of a glare.

Cliff blushed and decided to focus on the meeting from then on. Fire Eyes is never going to let me hear the end of it when she hears about this.

At length it was determined that Luna would return with her sister to Canterlot, taking with them another jar of Twilight's cure. Rainbow Dash's cloud home was inaccessible to her now that she wasn't a pegasus, prompting Applejack to take her in for the week. Finally, Big Mac would keep being Big Mac. The large stallion apparently didn't see the need for any fuss over his change.

With everything decided, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance said their goodbyes before the Sun Princess teleported them all back to Canterlot.

“This was a great party, everypony!” Pinkie pulled them all into a group hug. “I've gotta go help with the cleanup, but thanks so much for coming!” She waved once before darting off.

“I suppose I should be leaving as well,” Rarity said. “I'm already late opening the boutique. Fluttershy, I'll see you at the spa after lunch?”

The pegasus nodded. “Yes, uh, if that's still okay?”

“Of course it is, darling.” Rarity gave her a hug before departing.

“An' we'd better get back ta the farm,” Applejack said. “Come on, Rainbow. Big Mac an' I can show ya yer room.”

“Actually,” Cliff said, “could I speak with you first, Rainbow?”

She nodded. “Sure, what is it?”

Cliff turned to his brother. “Could you go back to the palace and start on breakfast for Twilight and Fluttershy? I'll be there in a minute.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Spike replied, leaving with Twilight and a surprisingly nervous Fluttershy.

Once they were alone, Cliff turned to the former pegasus. “Not to freak you out, but I really need to know if you can breathe fire.”

“Uh, okay.” Rainbow shrugged. “Why is that so important?”

Cliff gave her an appraising look before he answered. “It would mean you have the inherent magic of a dragon. If that's the case, you're in danger of going berserk.”

“What, you mean like growing huge and all?”

He nodded.

Rainbow Dash paled a little. “Uh, just how likely is that to happen?”

“It probably won't.” Cliff blushed. “I've been using a technique to calm my emotions for so long that I didn't know how to function without it last night. You, on the other claw, should be fine as long as you don't get distracted by material possessions.”

“... and if I do?” she asked. “Tell me straight, Cliff, how bad would it be?”

If she hadn't been his friend, he wouldn't have answered. “Outside the slim chance we could snap you out of it, the best case scenario would have you run off into the wilderness to set up a hoard and hibernate until the week runs out, then we'll change you back.”

“And the worst case?” she prompted.

“... You attack Ponyville and we have to... stop you, to save the lives of others.” Cliff couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. “I'm sorry.”

“Stop... yeah.” Rainbow swallowed hard. “Does that happen a lot?”

He nodded gravely. “Berserk dragons are attracted to material possessions, which usually means populated areas.”

“O-Okay.” She took a deep breath. “So I just avoid being greedy for a week, and everything will be fine?”

“More or less,” Cliff agreed, “but we still don't know if that will even be necessary.”

“Right, so... fire?”

“Fire.” He moved closer to her. “This will hurt a bit. Just tell me when you're ready.”

Rainbow looked at him dubiously. “I guess now?”

Cliff thrust his palm into her stomach, just below the ribs. He was immediately engulfed by rainbow patterned flames.

She dropped to the ground, coughing. “Ow,” she said weakly.

“Sorry.” Cliff sat beside her. “It was the only way to be sure.” He quickly scanned the room to make sure nothing had been set ablaze.

“Pay ya back... later.” It took a few moments before she could breath normally again. “It looks like I really am a dragon now. That's bad, isn't it?”

“It could be worse.” Cliff patted her on the back. “Like I said, just avoid anything that makes you greedy and you'll be fine.” He did his best to look optimistic. “In a strange way, it's a good thing that you can't get back to your house.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow scratched the back of her neck, “I guess I can see that. Anyway, is it just me, or was that rainbow fire just now?”

“It was.” Cliff smiled. “It was actually pretty cool. I've never seen that before.”

“Sweet.” She rose to her feet. “It looks like I'm awesome no matter what form I'm in.”

“I won't argue with that.”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her stomach one last time before they moved to the door. “Hey, remember when I said I could beat you at a fire breathing contest?” She grinned. “How does a week from today sound?”

Cliff chuckled. “You're on, but first, you should know some of the basics...”

By the time they reached the palace, Rainbow knew the fundamentals of breathing fire. More importantly, she knew how to avoid it. Applejack wouldn't thank either of them if Rainbow accidentally torched Sweet Apple Acres.

Cliff bid her farewell and went inside. Spike was working on a simple breakfast of oats and fruit for the two mares, who were chatting at the table.

“Hey, Cliff,” Spike called. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks.” He smiled at Fluttershy before going to help his brother. She'll want small signs of affection like that... right?

“What did you want to talk to Rainbow Dash about?” Twilight asked.

He started slicing a cantaloupe. “Since she's going to be a dragon for a week, I thought I should warn her about avoiding greed and give her a few tips on breathing fire.” Cliff forced his voice to remain casual. After what had happened with Fluttershy, he really didn't want Twilight to know that he had effectively threatened to kill Rainbow Dash. Not that I could beat her on my own anyway.

They accepted his story without question and went back to their own conversation.

“So what exactly happened with Rarity?” Cliff whispered to his brother.

“Well I asked her to dance, and she said yes,” Spike whispered back. “When it ended, though, we noticed that I couldn't let go of her side, and she couldn't talk.”

He couldn't even imagine being in a situation like that. “What did you do?”

“I've spent enough time with Rarity that I can read her face pretty well. So I agreed to translate for her, and she agreed to trade off hours on the ceiling and floor.”

Cliff nodded. “Seems fair.”

“Thanks. By the way, we got a bunch of nobles to pledge funding for a local coven of dragons, assuming the Mayor approves.”

“Good job. I'll have to thank Rarity for it as well,” the older dragon said. He hadn't expected anything like that out of the white unicorn.

“I know it was important, but it was also way boring,” Spike admitted. “They were all so eager to please 'the Princess's pet dragon' that they would have agreed to anything I asked. Fancypants was the only one with a brain in his head.”

Cliff chuckled. “I take it you enjoyed the floor more than the ceiling?”

“Actually, Rainbow Dash came and found us before we ever got there. When she told us what Discord did to you, we ran to find the others and make sure that everypony was okay.”

“Sorry.”

“Don't worry. I had more fun talking with our friends than I would have had dancing.” Spike looked at his palm. “Come to think of it, I don't think I could have done much dancing with my hand stuck to Rarity like that.”

Cliff had to keep himself from laughing at the mental image that Spike had just created.

“Anyway, we hadn't been talking for too long when Discord made the air alcoholic. I can't remember much after that.” The younger dragon jabbed Cliff lightly. “Now what happened with you and Fluttershy?”

He summarized the events as well as he could. Spike had clearly heard the beginning of it from the others, but the second half of it caught him completely off guard.

“So are you dating now? I mean, I saw you at the spa, but I thought you were just flirting a little.”

“I... don't know if we're dating or not,” Cliff replied. He didn't know enough about pony courtship to even venture a guess.

The meal was ready by then and so Spike limited his response to an encouraging smile as they set the table.

Twilight devoured her meal as quickly as she could. “Sorry I can't stay longer,” she told them. “My meeting with the Mayor is in a few minutes.” A sneaky grin crossed her face. “Say, Cliff, why don't you come with me?”

Something about that smile made Cliff nervous. “Sorry, I promised Fluttershy that I'd help with her chores this morning.”

Fluttershy blushed and shrank down. “Oh, uh, it's okay. You can go. I don't mind.”

Twilight looked back and forth between the two of them. “Sorry, Fluttershy, but I really need to talk to Cliff about some things.” With an apologetic smile, she added, “I promise I won't keep him for very long.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. She turned to Cliff, “I'll be at my cottage, if you still want to come by when you're done.”

He nodded, feeling more than a little worried about whatever Twilight had planned. “I'll get there as soon as I can.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Meeting with the Mayor proved to be less dangerous and more frustrating. Cliff sat around a table with over a dozen ponies as they took turns going over problems and suggesting changes to city policies. It might have been more interesting if he actually knew what they were talking about most of the time, but his knowledge of pony economics was weak at best. Zoning issues made no sense to him, and he had no idea what a curfew was. After a lifetime of being expected to help wherever he was needed, Cliff couldn't help but feel a little useless. Judging by the faces around the table, these were serious issues.

When it was finally Twilight's turn to speak, she explained the basic ideas and goals of the Cultural Exchange Program and added that the dragons would all be expected to earn their keep in town.

“Where would they live?” a light brown stallion asked.

“That abandoned house near Sweet Apple Acres should work,” Twilight answered. “It only needs a few repairs.”

“And what makes you think,” a pink mare spoke up, “that life in Ponyville would be improved at all by having a group of dragons here?”

Twilight held up a flashcard. “I'm glad you asked. There are at least eight different ways that sharing Ponyville with dragons will be beneficial to us. First, dragons are meticulous record keepers. They would doubtless be able to aid our town historian. Also, thanks to their extremely long lifespans, they would be able to provide eyewitness accounts of important Ponyville events for many centuries to come.

“Second, dragon magic can heal injuries in a way that is vastly superior to our best modern treatments. If even one dragon decided to work at the hospital, the overall health of our town could improve dramatically...”

Not that Cliff Runner minded listening to Twilight list off the virtues of his race, but he really wished the meeting would end already. Whatever she had dragged him along for, it obviously didn't have to do with any of this. He was fairly certain it had more to do with Fluttershy than anything. Perhaps he was already breaking some social convention with the pegasus and Twilight just wanted to set him straight.

The more he thought about it, the more Cliff started to worry. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight had all seemed concerned at the prospect of him having feelings for their friend.

Am I doing something wrong? Who am I kidding? Of course I am. He tried to think of what, and came up blank. Cliff was already offering to help with her chores. Ponies wouldn't expect anything else during early courtship... right?

Then again, Spike had mentioned several times how much he wanted to take Rarity on a date. What is a date anyway? From the way Spike talked about them, they seemed to be pretty important to pony courtship. They even called courtship 'dating.' Are they upset because I haven't asked Fluttershy on a date yet? Maybe I should do that when I see her. Cliff paused. No, too dangerous until I know what they are. Knowing my luck, it'll be a euphemism for something that will get me slapped.

His worries calmed down somewhat when the Mayor approved Twilight's plan. New dragons would be welcome in Ponyville, but it would be up to the alicorn and Cliff to find employment for them.

True to form, Twilight said that she had already spoken with numerous business owners, and had secured nineteen offers of employment for any new dragons. Cliff's full-time job would be to help these dragons integrate into pony society, and to advise Twilight in all things dragon related, so that she could help the rest of the town adapt to their new residents.

After everything had been finalized, the meeting was adjourned.

Cliff fought down his rising anxiety as he and Twilight walked back to the palace in silence. Once inside, he turned to her expectantly. “Well, what did you need to tell me?”

She sighed. “We should go downstairs.”

So she doesn't want Spike to overhear. He followed her to the basement. That can't mean anything good.

“I don't want to sound like I'm accusing you,” Twilight began, “but do you have feelings for Fluttershy?”

“Yes, sort of. I'm a bit infatuated with her. Is that a bad thing?”

“Well no, it's not a bad thing, but,” Twilight took a seat, “I just worry about her.”

Cliff settled down across from the alicorn. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“No, nothing like that. It's just, Fluttershy has always had trouble speaking her mind, and I can't help but worry that she'll push herself to do things she isn't comfortable with because she thinks that you want them.”

He reflected on that for a moment. “I can see your point. What can I do to stop that?”

Twilight smiled gratefully. “Just make sure she knows that her opinions are important to you.”

Cliff nodded. “I hope you don't mind my asking, but is that why all of you seem so nervous about the possibility of us liking each other?”

“Well, Fluttershy is kind of like a little sister to us all. We can't help but feel a bit protective of her, especially when we heard that you, uh,” Twilight shifted uncomfortably, “slept next to each other. I know that doesn't mean the same thing to dragons,” she added quickly, “but it's still kind of strange to think about.”

“I understand your concern, but I think you might be reading too much into this. As of right now, we've both said that we enjoy hugging the other, and decided to continue spending time together. That's it.”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed. “I thought- never mind. Anyway, you know you can always come to me if you have any questions, right?”

“I know.” He rose. “I should head out now if I want to help Spike with his chores after I get back.”

Twilight rose with him. “Okay... Cliff?”

“Yes?”

“You may not believe this, but I'm happy for the two of you.”

Author's Note

Discord is a fun character to write for, even if it did strain my imagination a lot to come up with appropriately silly pranks for him.

Trying to figure out how everypony would react to Cliff and Fluttershy spending the night together was hard. Fluttershy herself went through at least three major revisions, from avoiding Cliff all day because she was too embarrassed to look at him, to naively thinking they had fallen in Disney-style love and everything would be perfect from then on out. This is the version that two of my pre-readers liked best: awkward and a bit unsure of herself, but optimistic.

Next chapter, more dragons, more culture, and of course, more culture shock.

Chapter 14

“Oh, Cliff,” Fluttershy said when she opened the front door. She must have taken a bath while she waited, because her fur, mane, and tail were back to normal. “How did your talk with Twilight go?” She stepped back to let him in.

“It went well.” Cliff moved past her to stand in her front room. He noticed Fluttershy's pet rabbit glaring at him from behind his pet bed. “She was worried that you might not speak up if there's something you want or don't want in our... um, is 'relationship' the right word?”

Fluttershy's cheeks turned red. “Maybe? What does it mean when two dragons are in a relationship?”

He felt his own cheeks warm a little. “It usually means that they like each other, and want to spend more time together.”

“Then... I suppose we are.” She blushed more deeply. “If you still want to be, that is.”

“Yes, I do,” Cliff assured her, then he paused. This was the first time he had been in a relationship, and he suddenly felt woefully unprepared for it.

Silence reigned for a few moments until Fluttershy spoke again, “It's nice that Twilight cares.”

“She's a good friend.” And kind of a scary one when she gets angry. “Would you tell me? If there's anything you want, I mean, or if there's something I want that you don't?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, I promise.”

Cliff couldn't decide if he was surprised by the firmness in her voice or not. “Well, anyway, what chores would you like me to do?”

“I already finished,” she said apologetically. “Sorry. I have some fresh eggs for you to take home though.”

He sighed. “I'm sorry too, and thank you.” Now attending that meeting seemed like an even bigger waste of time. “Spike and Twilight won't be expecting me home for a few hours. Is there, uh, anything you'd like to talk about until then?”

Fluttershy walked past him and took a seat on her couch. “Well, if you don't mind, I was hoping you would tell me why thinking about Spike made you so upset last night. Unless you're not feeling up to it, of course.”

A part of Cliff had been hoping that she wouldn't remember his promise to tell her about that. “I'm as ready as I'll ever be.” He hesitated between the chair and sitting next to her on the couch. “Um, where would you like me?”

She looked away nervously and patted the couch beside her.

It was a little smaller than the couches at Twilight's. Cliff's tail was less than an inch from hers. He didn't mind, of course, but it was strange how he noticed the distance between them now. The young dragon pushed those thoughts away as he focused on the real issue. “You aren't going to like this,” he warned her. “At all. In fact... I'd understand if you need a few days to think about things after I've told you.”

Fluttershy nodded somberly. “Okay.”

Cliff took a deep breath and then wrapped himself as deeply in the Stillness as possible. “About one in twelve dragons succumbs to greed at some point in their life. Hatchlings are the most at risk because their emotions are more erratic and they don't have as much practice controlling themselves.

“During my lifetime, three dragons from my coven have gone berserk. Snow Storm was about two hundred years old. He was experimenting with greed-based spells and the emotion got away from him.”

“How awful,” Fluttershy whispered.

Cliff nodded his agreement. “Luckily he was outside when it happened. We know what cave he's hibernating in, and his wife goes by every year or so to try and snap him out of it.” He smiled sadly. “I hope she succeeds one of these years. Anyway, the other two were... a lot worse.”

He stiffened as memories he had forced down for years began to awaken. Unlike last night, however, he had the Stillness to keep the emotions they caused in check. “Steel Spines went berserk a few years ago, then Water Drop, just last year. They were both hatchlings when it happened, and it was the same story both times.”

His mouth worked uselessly as he tried to find a way to explain it. “...There was, screaming in the middle of the night. We woke up and saw a fully grown berserker. Most of their families were already dead by then. Grandmother led anydragon who could fight to try and drive the berserker outside... but it wouldn't go.” Cliff could hear his voice shaking as he spoke.

Fluttershy watched silently, her ears flat against her head.

“We tried everything we could, but berserkers will attack anydragon they think is trying to get at their hoard. In this case, that meant the entire coven. We didn't have a choice... we had to...” he took a deep breath, “we killed them.”

The mare at his side gasped and put a hoof across her mouth. “Oh no.”

Every wyrm had at least one Burden, a memory that they couldn't bear to face. Cliff's were those two nights. He could still feel the warm blood on his claws, and see the shocked look on Steel Claw's face as he realized that the rest of his family had been killed. In a very sick way, helping to kill Water Drop had been easier. Her entire family already lay dead at her claws.

Just thinking about it now, Cliff felt the urge to jump into the nearest river and scrub until his scales started to come off. “So when I was afraid of going berserk last night, I thought about Spike, and remembered those two killing their families.” A shudder coursed through him. “But that's over now, and I'm back to normal.”

Fluttershy didn't move. A few tears leaked from her eyes.

“I'm so sorry, Fluttershy.” He reached out to her, but she flinched as his claws drew near. The reaction hurt Cliff more than he had expected. The clawed hand dropped to his side. “Please believe that there's nothing I regret more than what happened those nights. I keep thinking that I should have done something, anything differently the day before they transformed. Maybe they would still be here. Maybe we wouldn't have been forced to...”

A pair of hooves wrapped firmly around the young dragon. “I'm sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked. “I-I'm not afraid of you. I was just surprised at what you told me, and I jumped when I realized that you'd stopped talking. Please don't be mad at me.”

Cliff froze, then slowly relaxed into her embrace. “I'm not mad. I just... I'm sorry.” He didn't even know if he was apologizing to her, the hatchlings, or himself.

Fluttershy looked up at him with fresh tears in her eyes.“I never realized that that sort of thing would happen. Those poor baby dragons...”

Cliff gently returned her hug. “I know. They deserved so much better.”

The two of them remained that way for several minutes. It would have been longer, except Cliff's stomach decided to announce that he only ate half of his breakfast.

The sound made Fluttershy laugh softly. “It's nearly time for lunch, isn't it?”

“Sorry.” Cliff rubbed his rebellious stomach.

She hugged him again, just for a moment. “So, uh, what would you like to eat?”

He blushed a little. “Anything is fine, but... would it be alright if we ate it outside?”

“Of course.” Fluttershy looked up at him curiously. “Why? If you don't mind telling me, that is.”

“Sharing a private meal means something... else, to dragons.”

She turned bright red as realization dawned on her. “Oh, uh, okay.” She looked away. “Should I bring lunch out to you?”

“No, I can help make the meal. It's just, uh, eating in private, that carries that other meaning.”

They were both a little red as Fluttershy led him to the kitchen. “I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable the other day.”

“It did make me a bit nervous,” Cliff admitted, “but I knew you didn't mean anything by it.”

“Okay... I'm glad.” The pegasus mare retrieved a head of cauliflower from her fridge and gave him a knife to cut it up with.

He took them. “I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable last night.”

She shook her head. “No, it was... nice.”

Sensing that neither of them wanted to dwell on the matter, Cliff decided that a change of subject was in order. “So... could I hear some more of your story?”

Fluttershy smiled gratefully. “Well, actually, I was hoping I could hear more about you. If you don't mind, that is.”

“No, that's fine,” Cliff assured her. “Where did I leave off?”

“You just earned your name.”

“Oh, right. It wasn't long after that when Grandmother said I was ready to start helping my parents look for Spike...”

Cliff's first journey had been to a group of relatively small pony towns near the edge of dragon country. Fire Claws had come along to keep him out of trouble. Thankfully, it had been an uneventful trip. The two dragons had spent a few weeks skulking around the edges of each town until they caught one of the ponies alone. “We didn't hurt them,” he promised, “but an interrogation was the only way to make sure nopony in town had a dragon egg in their house somewhere.”

After a few more journeys with his grandmother and/or parents, Cliff had started traveling on his own. His talent for running had allowed him to explore more distant parts of Equestria, and its neighboring countries, in case Spike's egg had been traded to one of them.

He continued describing his travels as the two ate their meal outside. “I think my parents actually came to Ponyville once,” Cliff said. “That was a nearly a decade ago, long before Spike and Twilight moved here.”

“It's too bad they didn't go to Canterlot.” Fluttershy looked up at the distant city.

“They actually did. A couple of times. Canterlot is so large though, and has so many guards to avoid, not to mention Princess Celestia, that it's really no surprise that we didn't find him until now.”

Lunch was concluded partway through a story about Cliff's first visit to minotaur country, but since they were both headed back to town anyway, and Fluttershy asked him to, he continued his tale as they walked into Ponyville.

“I met a minotaur once,” she said after he finished.

“Really? What was he like?” Cliff noticed that he was drawing less attention from the residents of Ponyville than normal. Perhaps Celestia's praise of him that morning was responsible.

“Um... loud.” Fluttershy looked away uncomfortably.

“Yeah, minotaurs aren't exactly subtle, or quiet.”

They reached the spa. Fluttershy stopped at the door. “Thank you for walking me here. I'll see you later, okay?”

“I look forward to it.” Cliff looked around. Nopony seemed to be watching them. He leaned forward and whispered, “Is it, uh, okay if I hug you?”

She smiled and blushed. “I- yes.”

Cliff did so, and it felt wonderful.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Twilight was upset about missing her first scheduled workout, and so she decided to multitask. As soon as Cliff put the eggs he had received from Fluttershy away, he was dragged to the basement for an hour of push-ups, sit-ups, and something called 'yoga,' while she went over her list of questions with him. The young dragon answered to the best of his ability, but some questions were completely beyond him. He had no clue, for example, what the chemical makeup of his stomach acid was, nor how it allowed him to digest gemstones.

Spike's new furniture arrived sometime in the afternoon. He and Cliff hauled it upstairs while Twilight continued her reading. Then, with nothing else to do, Cliff taught the younger dragon a spell to increase his senses.

“You'll need to practice casting your spells from time to time,” he explained. “If you don't, your heart will start to forget how they're supposed to feel.”

Spike nodded and ran through his relatively small repertoire. “Hey, Cliff,” he frowned, “are you using magic right now?”

“Yes.” He still had Scale Armor active. “Why?”

“I can sense this kind of... force around you when I'm casting my spells.”

Cliff patted his brother on the back. “Good job, Spike. Most dragons don't learn to sense outside magic this quickly.”

Spike glowed at the compliment. “Do you think my name will have something to do with magic?”

“They usually do.” Cliff reflected on how Spider Climb had earned him his own name. “One day you'll cast a spell that just feels natural, and you'll suddenly realize what you were meant to be called.”

“Awesome.” Spike grinned. “I guess I'd better keep practicing then.”

There was a knock at the door.

“You do that.” Cliff rose to get it. “Just don't forget to practice maintaining spells for longer periods of time.” There's no reason why I should be the only one to suffer.

“Cliff!” three voices shouted as soon as the door opened.

He experienced a flashback to the hatchlings at Redstone as the Cutie-Mark Crusaders tackled him to the floor.

“Where have you been for so long?” Sweetie Belle asked, bouncing up and down on his chest.

“Yeah, we've been looking all over Ponyville for days trying to find you!” Scootaloo joined in.

Apple Bloom looked at her flank. “Rats! Ah was hopin' we'd earn our cutie-marks in dragon findin'.”

Cliff chuckled from his spot on the floor. “Well at least you found me. What did you have in mind after that?”

“Teach us to be Cutie-Mark Crusader Hydra Fighters,” Scootaloo begged.

“Or how ta breathe fire.” Apple Bloom blew out a great lung full of air to demonstrate.

“I want to learn dragon magic!” Sweetie Belle squealed happily.

Literally over my dead body, impossible, and impossible, Cliff noted. “How about I teach you a dragon game?”

A few minutes later, Cliff and Spike had gathered the three fillies in the basement. “This game is called Bash,” the older dragon explained. “Spike and I will maintain a protective spell over you. You take turns running into each other as hard as you can. Don't worry,” he added when he saw their shocked faces, “the spell will keep you safe. Whoever can knock the other two back the farthest, wins.”

Sweetie looked apprehensive, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo grinned competitively.

Cliff cast Scale Armor on those two while Spike covered the last.

First they had Apple Bloom be 'it.' Sweetie Belle gave a half-hearted run at her friend, accomplishing very little. Scootaloo, on the other claw, knocked the earth pony right into the wall.

“Ohmygosh!” Sweetie ran to the fallen Apple Bloom. “Are you okay?”

“Woo-wee.” The other filly got up with a huge smile. “Ah didn't feel that at all!” She grabbed onto her unicorn friend. “Ya gotta try it!”

Once the effectiveness of the spell had been proven, all three fillies took to the game with an amount of enthusiasm that would have made any dragon proud. Sweetie Belle quickly realized that she wasn't as strong as her two friends, and so she volunteered to permanently be 'it,' shouting “Weee!” each time she was sent flying.

The Crusaders didn't return to their homes until dinnertime. Apple Bloom had been the winner, but only by the smallest of margins.

“Can we come back and play some more tomorrow?!” all three of them begged.

“As long as your families say it's okay.” Cliff smiled, tousling each of their manes affectionately. “Plus I have plenty of other games for you to try.”

After another group hug/tackle, the three went on their way.

“Whew,” Spike said as they shut the door. “I've been maintaining those spells so long that I can't even think straight.”

“I know how you feel,” Cliff was starting to feel a bit lightheaded himself, “but it's good for both of us.”

“Whatever you say, bro.” Spike massaged his temples. “Now what should we make for dinner?”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The Crusaders came back the next afternoon with bright smiles and high hopes. Cliff made sure not to disappoint them. Spike used a newly learned spell to enhance their strength, while Cliff used the tier three version of Scale Armor to make sure they couldn't hurt each other. They did, however, leave dents in the walls.

Fearing what Twilight would say, both dragons suggested they take the game elsewhere.

They wound up at Sweet Apple Acres, where the fillies added to the game with a target in the distance. This evolved into seeing how far Cliff and Spike could throw them.

Eventually they flagged down Fluttershy, which is to say that Cliff threw Scootaloo at her as she was flying by to visit Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

An hour later, the timid pegasus, a temporary dragon, and the entire Apple family were gathered at a nearby pond to watch the Crusaders have a belly-flop contest. After being thrown high into the sky by the dragon brothers, they were able to make some rather impressive splashes.

“Now,” Cliff said during a break, “you know never to try this unless Spike or myself is maintaining the spell on you, right?”

They nodded enthusiastically.

“You promise?” he asked.

“We promise!”

“Good.”

Applejack approached after the three fillies wandered away to get a drink. “Ah gotta say, Cliff, ya'll sure are great with kids.”

“I'm not too sure about that,” Cliff replied. “I just can't say no to them.”

“Would you mind trying?” Spike asked, a palm pressed against his forehead. “I don't think I can keep those spells up much longer.”

“Me either,” Cliff laughed.

Applejack smiled and shook her head. “Ah'll tell 'em. They seem pretty worn out anyhow.”

“Thanks, AJ,” Spike said.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walked over to join them.

“Hey, Cliff,” Rainbow said, “you didn't tell me that you and Flutters are dating now.”

“Wha, really?” Applejack turned to him in surprise.

“Sorry,” Cliff shook away some of the fog that had invaded his mind. “I didn't know if that was the sort of thing you tell other ponies or not.” He looked at Fluttershy. “I hope I didn't do the wrong thing.”

She blushed. “Oh, no. I actually wanted to tell our friends myself anyway.” A smile crept onto her lips. “I hope you don't mind.”

He smiled back. “Not at all.”

The tenderness of the moment was undercut somewhat by Rainbow's gagging noises and a hearty slap on the back from Applejack.

“Congratulations, you two!” The farm pony grinned.

Cliff thanked them both before turning back to Fluttershy. “Have you told Pinkie yet?”

“No, not yet.” She looked down. “I was actually going to go see her next. Would you like to come with me? If you're finished playing with the Crusaders, that is.”

As if he would say no to spending more time with his... Cliff suddenly realized that he didn't know what to call Fluttershy. 'Special dragoness' certainly wasn't an accurate title. Female pony friend? Target of my affections? Significant other, maybe? In any case, his decision was clear. “I'd love to go with you.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Pinkie decided to throw them a party, of course. Cliff had mixed feelings about that. On one claw, she obviously knew how to customize her parties for the guest(s) of honor, but on the other, there was always the chance that she'd invite Discord back.

Luckily, his fears were unfounded. The party was a private affair with only Fluttershy, Cliff, and their closest friends invited. The yellow pegasus spent most of the night tied up with Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity, as they grilled her for every detail of every conversation she and Cliff had ever had.

Once it was clear that those three didn't want the dragon himself joining in their 'girl talk,' Cliff spent the rest of the evening in a fire breathing contest with Spike and Rainbow, while exchanging funny stories about young dragons/ponies with Applejack.

Cliff was able to produce the biggest fireball of the group, but Dash's rainbow fire was declared to be the coolest looking. The victory was good for her. According to Applejack, the former pegasus had been moping around since her transformation.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Life began to speed up after the party. When Twilight realized how much funding Spike and Rarity had secured, she put together a list of everything a group of dragons could possibly want. This was then transformed into an extremely comprehensive to-do list, and divided among herself, Cliff, and Spike.

Cliff's third of the list was mostly dedicated to getting a small farm up and running. The Apple family was hired to help plant crops, construction crews put up a barn and fences, and equipment was ordered from the local hardware store.

Of course, eating meat was the manticore in the room. Eventually Cliff had to sit Applejack and Fluttershy down to ask them directly what animals the dragons could eat without raising too many eyebrows. Both mares were surprisingly calm about the issue, and it was decided that the farm would raise pigs and chickens.

Twilight kept herself busy planning a town meeting about what Ponyville could expect from its new residents. She was also in charge of preparing the house. Several walls had to be demolished to make room for the communal kitchen, nest, bathing area, etc. In addition, wooden structures didn't mix well with fire breathers, leading her to transform the entire building to stone. After that, Twilight brought in furniture, games, and a small library's worth of books.

Spike handled the politics and paperwork of the whole affair, arguably the most difficult parts. He collected more pledges for funding, ordered anything the other two needed, and put together a formal ball to honor everypony who had backed the project. Celestia even offered to attend, which nearly doubled their funding just by itself.

The younger dragon did most of his work alongside Rarity, but seemed oddly discontent about that fact. Cliff asked him about it a few times, but all Spike would say was, “We're just coworkers.”

In spite of worrying about his brother, Cliff was surprised at how quickly the days flew by. He kept to his exercise program, spent every other morning with Fluttershy, worked on the farm from lunch until dinner, played games with the Cutie-Mark Crusaders until sundown, and then taught Spike and Twilight magic and/or about dragon culture until it was time to go to sleep.

The combination of magic training with Spike and Twilight, and maintaining protective spells during ever more elaborate games with the Crusaders was starting to have a noticeable affect on his willpower. He still didn't have Fire Eyes' endurance, but it was satisfying to realize that he could maintain three spells all day without being reduced to a vegetable.

Mornings spent with Fluttershy were strangely wonderful. Strange in the sense that Cliff enjoyed himself far more than he could have expected to. After breakfast at the palace, they would walk to her cottage, take care of her animals, do any chores that were required, and then sit on the couch together, talking all the while. He learned more about her adventures with her friends, and in return, told her about his own journeys.

Cliff was no stranger to listening to, or telling stories. In fact, he greatly enjoyed it, but it was even better somehow with Fluttershy. The way she smiled and laughed, the way her eyes lit up when she was happy, and the gentle melody that was her voice... all of it was nearly intoxicating to the young dragon.

He was realistic enough to know that his feelings for her were still more in the realm of infatuation than of true love, but that didn't make the emotions any less wonderful.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Saturday, around noon, found an extremely nervous Twilight Sparkle waiting in the palace entry hall with her friends, including a newly cured Rainbow Dash, and the two dragon brothers. “Okay,” Twilight said between deep breaths. “There's nothing to worry about. This is just the first step to bringing ponies and dragons together. Mending a rift that has existed for as long as anypony can remember. I can handle it. I can handle it...”

Spike wordlessly handed her a brown paper bag.

“Relax, Twilight. You literally couldn't mess this up if you tried,” Cliff said from his seat next to Fluttershy.

“How do you know that?” Twilight demanded. “I almost attacked you last week because of a silly mix-up! What if I do something like that again? I might be responsible for starting the next great dragon war!”

“Silent Halls is nearly eight hundred years old, and our coven is dedicated to researching a lost culture. Of all the experts at her disposal, she isn't going to pick dragons that would get upset over misunderstandings.”

“I must agree with Cliff Runner.” Rarity put a comforting hoof around Twilight's shoulders. “Between their professionalism and the town meeting you held, I have no doubt that we will be able to overcome any problems that may arise.”

The others all echoed their agreement, just before there was a knock at the door.

“That must be her!” Twilight rushed to the door and opened it.

“Hello, Twilight.” Cliff couldn't see who it was from where he sat, but there was no mistaking that voice. “I hope you are as excited about today as I am.”

“Oh, of course I am, Celestia.” She chuckled nervously. “I just hope everything goes according to plan.”

“I'm sure it will, my friend. Are Spike and Cliff Runner ready?”

Cliff squeezed Fluttershy's hoof before walking to the door. “Yes, Celestia.”

Spike came forward as well. “Ready when you are.”

“That's wonderful.” Celestia ushered them outside, where a team of researchers and scientists sat with their equipment. “Is everypony, and everydragon,” she winked at Spike, “ready?”

The team nodded that they were.

“Very well, let us begin.” Celestia turned to Cliff. “Would you please think of a landing point at your coven in as much detail as possible?”

“Of course.” Cliff closed his eyes and did so.

A faint humming filled the air, which grew until it crackled like electricity. Something exploded all around them, and Cliff felt the ground shift beneath him. He opened his eyes to find them all standing in front of a very familiar cave.

“Is this right?” Twilight asked.

“Hey, Cliff!” a voice from the cave shouted, followed by a flash of purple and blue running their way.

“Grandma!” Cliff raced forward to meet the other dragon.

They met with a tight hug. “You're back sooner than I expected.” She grinned. “Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Though you might have warned us that you were bringing Princess Celestia herself for a visit.” She broke away from her grandson and bowed before the white alicorn. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess of the Sun. I am Fire Claws, Cliff Runner's grandmother.”

“Please arise, Fire Claws, the honor is all mine.” She turned back to Spike and whispered, “Say hello.”

Spike came forward awkwardly. “Um, hi, I'm-”

A pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. “Oh, Spike, you have no idea how much I've been looking forward to meeting you! You have your father's eyes! Tell me everything about yourself, and I mean everything!” She glanced at Celestia. “I hope you don't mind if I monopolize my grandson for a while.”

Celestia's eyes actually seemed a little moist as she smiled at the two of them. “Not at all.”

“Excellent.” Fire Claws turned back to Spike. “We can start with why you're an adult now. Was it for that unicorn I heard about? Did she like it? Oh, don't start yet. Cliff? The rest of the coven should be inside. Go introduce our guests, and get your grandfather out here. Right. Now.”

“Don't try to fight it,” Cliff advised his brother, who was looking a little stunned. “Just go with the flow.” Leaving the pair behind, he led the rest of the group into the cave.

Twilight hesitated over Spike before following them.

“Excuse me,” Cliff said loudly as they entered the main chamber. “Where is Silent Halls?”

Nearly thirty surprised wyrms looked up from their meals. A few dropped their plates when they saw Princess Celestia.

“I'm here.” The coven's leader stepped forward.

After another round of formal introductions, Cliff sent Burning Torch out to meet Spike.

“We're happy to have your team join us,” Silent Halls told Celestia. “You'll have to forgive our lack of knowledge about ponies, but we've made some arrangements based on what Cliff here told us that should make them more comfortable.” She went on to describe private bedrooms that had just been carved out, new crops in the garden that were better suited to pony tastes, etc.

“I'm honored that you would do so much for us,” Celestia said as the team began moving things into their new rooms. “I only hope that we will be able to make some of your dragons feel as welcome in Ponyville.”

“Ah, so more of us will be allowed to live there.” Silent Halls smiled. “Young River Wind will be thrilled.”

“River Wind?” Cliff cut in. “She can come?”

“Yes, Cliff.” The elder dragoness tousled his head spikes. “Along with Fire Eyes and both your grandparents.”

He had to contain a shout of joy that his closest friends and family would be coming back to Ponyville with him.

Silent Halls laughed. “Yes, I thought you would be happy about that.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

While a runner went to collect Fire Eyes and River from the farm, and Silent Halls and Celestia engaged in a conversation about the history of their two races, Cliff was left to show Twilight around.

“So you really all sleep together in here?” she asked as she looked at his family's nest. “Doesn't that get uncomfortable?”

“It depends on what you're used to,” Cliff replied. “I've missed having other dragons sleeping next to me since going to Ponyville.”

Twilight could only shake her head at the oddness of it all. “Do you think you'll stay at the Dragon House from now on?”

“Every once in a while.” He shrugged. “Unless you'd rather I stayed there, of course.”

“Cliff,” Twilight said, “you know the palace is as much your home now as it is mine or Spike's.”

He couldn't resist the urge to reach out and tousle the alicorn's mane. “Thanks.”

She laughed as she straightened it out with her magic. “You're welcome.”

They made their way into the archives next, where Egghead and Page Turner spent most of their time. Twilight looked positively ecstatic as she skipped through the rows and rows of metal books. “This place is wonderful!”

“You have a copy of it all back in Ponyville,” Cliff pointed out.

“I know, but it's not just the books. I'm actually standing in a dragon library!” She squealed with joy.

Twilight still had yet to find a spell that would make her immune to heat, and so they skipped Steel Claw's forge.

“Down this way are the, uh, chambers for intimacy.” Cliff gestured down another tunnel.

“Wait, what?” Twilight stared down the tunnel with a mixture of confusion and disgust. “You actually have rooms for that?”

“You've seen our nests. Do they seem very private to you?” Cliff had been able to piece together that ponies usually mated in the same beds they slept in. He couldn't imagine that being very sanitary.

“I guess that's true.” She shuddered. “I'll probably regret asking this... but what are they like?”

“Imagine a small room with a door and a lowered nest in the center,” Cliff replied. “And before you ask, I've been down there a few times to dust, change the bedding, that sort of thing.”

Twilight blushed a little as she followed him back to the main chamber. “I suddenly realized why you had me leave that one bedroom intact in the Dragon House.”

Cliff blushed a little too. “Well, I didn't know if any married dragons would be coming back with us, and I wanted to be prepared for anything.”

The hatchlings had finished their meals by the time Cliff and Twilight made it back to the main chamber, freeing them up to rush him like they usually did.

“Were you missing me already?” He laughed as he gathered them into a group hug. “I haven't been gone two weeks.”

They hugged him back enthusiastically. At least two asked how long he was going to be gone this next time.

“I don't know.” Cliff looked up at Twilight as he answered. “It might be a while.”

“Ahhh,” they moaned as a whole.

“Don't worry. I'll come back to visit at least once a month.”

That appeased them somewhat. After a few more minutes of talking, laughing, and tickling, Cliff was able to break away and rejoin his companion.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“Don't apologize.” Twilight smiled. “I'm starting to see why you get along with the Crusaders so well.”

They made their way back to Princess Celestia, who was just bidding farewell to her team of scientists. “Perfect timing,” she said when she saw them. “Silent Halls tells me that the others are ready to leave.”

The elder dragoness nodded and gave Cliff a hug. “You behave yourself out there, young one.”

“I will,” he promised as he returned the embrace.

River Wind rushed to meet them as soon as they were out of the cave. “Cliff, Cliff!” She jumped into his arms. “I get to go with you!”

He caught the hatchling and gently nuzzled her. “I know, and I couldn't be happier.” He transferred her to his back.

“Then you probably know I'm coming too,” Fire Eyes said as she approached.

“I'll survive the disappointment,” Cliff replied, earning himself a punch in the shoulder.

“I'm Fire Eyes, by the way.” She held out a clawed hand to Twilight. “The hatchling is my sister, River Wind.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you both.” Twilight accepted the claw/hoof-shake. “Cliff has told me a lot about you.”

“Sweet,” Fire Eyes said as they continued to where Celestia and the rest of Cliff's family were waiting. “You'll have to tell me what he said when we get there.”

Spike, who was still caught in a group hug with his grandparents, waved as they approached. Knowing his grandmother, Spike would be lucky if she let go before sundown.

“Is everydragon ready?” Celestia asked.

They nodded.

“Wonderful.” Her magic enveloped them, and in another flash, they found themselves outside the Palace of Friendship in Ponyville.

Cliff really hoped the sinking feeling he got right then was just his nerves.

Author's Note

Yes, wyrm society is pretty screwed up. I didn't see any way around that with an entire race that shares the same problem as The Hulk, including children. You have to wonder if the show writers ever thought about the impact of Spike's greed-transformation on his race as a whole.

Pairing Cliff and Fluttershy up wasn't actually planned. It just kind of happened, but I would certainly like to hear your feedback on it. Ditto for his interactions with the Crusaders. I'm honestly surprised it took me so long to reintroduce them after the incident with the hydra.

Finally, the dragons have landed.

Chapter 15

Princess Celestia said her goodbyes and returned to Canterlot almost immediately, leaving Twilight with a group of six dragons.

“So...” she chuckled nervously, “lets go inside. There are some ponies that I'd like you all to meet.”

Cliff had to admit that he was a bit concerned as well. In retrospect, however, worrying about social awkwardness in a group that involved his grandmother, Fire Eyes, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, was not only silly, but bordering on crazy.

A stream of confetti and balloons hit them as soon as the door opened, followed by Pinkie giving each of the newcomers a big hug, shouting all the while about how great it was to meet new friends.

“Well, at least they're friendly,” Fire Eyes commented as they followed Pinkie inside.

The living room of the palace had been decorated in traditional Pinkie Party style, including a large table of snacks, in case anydragon was hungry.

Fire Eyes spotted Rainbow Dash, and immediately went over to say hi. Somehow, Rainbow's week-long stint as a dragon came up, and the two started going off on how awesome it was to breathe fire.

Rarity introduced herself to Spike's grandfather.

Burning Torch had spent most of his life trying to understand ancient cultures through the things they created and wore. This translated easily into a discussion about fashion, and how different outfits and materials sent different messages to society.

Fire Claws reluctantly let her grandson go to join them, and then lapsed into silence as her magic scanned the emotional landscape of the room. It didn't take her long to catch Cliff's eye, glance at Fluttershy, and then return to him expectantly.

He could take a hint. Cliff pulled her away to meet the yellow pegasus, along with River, who was still riding on his back. “Fluttershy, this is Fire Claws, my grandmother, and this is River Wind.”

Fluttershy's face lit up. “The River Wind you care so much about? Oh, she's adorable!”

River shrank down a bit, blushing as she stammered out a thank you.

The pegasus seemed to notice Fire Claws for the first time. “Oh, I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself sooner. I'm...” she hid behind her mane, “Fluttershy.”

The older dragoness laughed and patted the hatchling on Cliff's back soothingly. “No need to apologize. I see you and River are cut from the same gem.” She leaned over and whispered, “It's okay, say hello.”

Encouraged by that, River took a deep breath and said, “I-it's nice to meet you.”

Cliff could actually see Fluttershy struggling not to embrace the tiny dragoness. “It's so nice to meet you too.”

Not that he didn't find them both adorable right then, but Cliff was mostly concerned about his grandmother. He gave her a look that said, I know you're here to do something embarrassing, so just get it over with.

Fire Claws was happy to take him up on that. “So it seems Cliff Runner here has romantic feelings for you.”

“Really?” River whispered in his ear. “Are you in love with her?”

Cliff covered his surprise with a fake cough.

Luckily, Fluttershy didn't hear the hatchling. She was too busy turning dark red and saying, “We, uh, well... I hope so.”

“He does.” Fire Claws sat beside the pegasus. “And do you feel the same about him?”

“...yes.”

She caught Fluttershy in a hug. “That's wonderful to hear. Have you told him yet?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Cliff,” River whispered again, “are you in love with her?”

“I'll explain later,” he whispered back, before saying in a normal voice, “Grandma, would you please stop tormenting Fluttershy?” He maneuvered River onto his lap so he could sit on the mare's other side.

“Am I tormenting you?” Fire Claws asked.

Fluttershy shook her head, even though she was still flushed. “No.”

The purple dragoness smiled warmly. “I'm glad to hear it.” She turned to Cliff. “Now why don't you go get us some drinks and then wander for a bit? I want to get to know the pony who caught your heart.”

The yellow pegasus caught his eye and nodded slightly. Apparently she was okay with that.

Cliff returned River to his back and made his way to the drink table, wondering what had just happened. He could only assume it was more of the legendary 'girl talk.'

After delivering their drinks, Cliff dutifully set about his aimless wandering. Fire Eyes was talking with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Burning Torch and Spike were still speaking with Rarity, but they had been joined by Twilight. A few covert looks from both groups were being directed at his grandmother and Fluttershy.

“So,” River asked, “do you love her or not?”

Cliff slipped into the hallway before answering. “Yes, I love her,” saying it out loud made him a bit giddy, “but remember how there are different types of love?”

She nodded.

“What I feel right now is kind of like a seed. It will take time before it can grow into true love, like what your parents share.”

River was a little disappointed.

Cliff could sympathize with her. True love at first sight made for a much better story. “Hey,” he lifted her chin, “do you want to hear how we started courting?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Please.”

He told the story as simply as he could, including his decision not to pursue a relationship with Fluttershy, and how Discord's influence had changed all that. Cliff stole a glance at her as he talked. She actually seemed to be enjoying herself with his grandmother.

“Hey, Cliff!” Fire Eyes waved him over.

I can guess what this is about. Cliff walked over to her, Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie. “Yes?”

“Why didn't you tell me that you started courting a pony?” Fire Eyes demanded. “I could have scrounged up a gem or something to congratulate you.”

“Because I didn't want to break your heart when you realized that the most wonderful dragon under the stars had slipped away from you,” Cliff deadpanned.

“Nice one,” Rainbow laughed.

Fire Eyes did as well. “Seriously though, what's the real reason?”

“I was waiting to tell you in private,” he admitted.

“Okay, fair enough.” She picked River off of his back, giving her a little hug. “What do you think of her, sis?”

“I like her,” River said.

“Well duh!” Pinkie dropped a party hat on the hatchling's head and gave her a cupcake. “Nopony could dislike Fluttershy!”

River cringed a little at the new pony's antics.

Rainbow must have noticed, because she leaned over to her. “Don't worry, squirt. Pinkie here is one of my best friends, even if she is a little random.”

“O-okay.” River took a bite of the cupcake and smiled.

“Oooh, do you like it?” Pinkie grinned. “It's a special ruby-flavored cupcake I invented to welcome you all to Ponyville.”

Bolstered by encouraging looks from her sister, Cliff, and Rainbow Dash, the hatchling nodded. “It's r-really good.”

Applejack gently nudged Cliff. “Ah think yer grandma an' Flutters are about done talkin'.”

Cliff glanced their way. Both were looking at him. Fire Claws nodded towards Fluttershy, inviting him to sit with them.

He thanked the farm pony and made his way over. “She didn't ask you anything weird, did she?” He sat beside Fluttershy.

Twilight began calling for everypony/dragon to calm down and give her their attention.

“No,” Fluttershy whispered. “She just wanted to hear how we started... dating.” The mare smiled a little nervously. “She's really nice.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said once the room had fallen silent. “As you all know, this is the first known time that dragons and ponies have seriously attempted to live together in peace. I've already spoken with the town so they should know what to expect from having dragons as neighbors. However, there are a number of things that will help you get along more easily in pony society.

“Firstly, and I know this may seem obvious, but ponies are not immune to heat or fire, nor are most of our structures or possessions...”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff had to admit, Twilight's introduction to Ponyville had been thorough. After nearly two hours, the alicorn had covered every topic imaginable, including economics, education systems, and (probably for Cliff's benefit) the rituals associated with courtship. Apparently the correct title for Fluttershy was 'marefriend,' though calling himself her 'stallionfriend' seemed a little inaccurate. He supposed they would have to come up with a new word for it.

They closed the lecture with a tour of the Dragon House.

Burning Torch was thrilled to find the library room. Fire Claws and Fire Eyes were thrilled to have such a large field nearby for training. River was above and beyond thrilled to learn that she could attend school with ponies her own age.

“I'll leave you all to get settled,” Twilight told them. “You can find me back at the palace if you need anything at all, or if you have any questions.”

One-by-one, the other ponies returned to their lives, until only dragons remained. Spike was still tied up with his grandparents, leaving the dragon sisters to talk with Cliff.

“Why don't you show us around town?” Fire Eyes suggested.

“Please?” River added.

Cliff nuzzled the hatchling affectionately. “I'd love to.”

They attracted a few stares as they walked, but nowhere near what he had experienced after killing the hydra. A couple of ponies even waved or called out greetings. It was probably due to Celestia's outspoken support of dragons at Pinkie's, now legendary, party, but to Cliff, it still felt like a personal victory.

After brief tours of Lugnut's hardware store, Sugarcube Corner, the central market, and the school (at River's request), the three found themselves walking back to the Dragon House.

“I can't believe how many ponies live here.” Fire Eyes shook her head in wonder. “I don't even want to imagine what Canterlot must be like.”

“I think they looked nice,” River said, even though she had spent most of the tour trying to hide in her sister's shadow.

“They're friendly enough,” Fire Eyes agreed, “but how did you ever get used to those crowds, Cliff?”

He shrugged. “I don't know. I guess it just takes time.” It had actually been a fairly calm day as far as crowds were concerned.

A shout of joy reached them just as they arrived at their new home, and three fillies met Cliff with their customary hug/tackle.

“Congratulations, Cliff!” Apple Bloom grinned.

“We heard that the new dragons are your friends and family,” Scootaloo joined in. “That's awesome!”

“Friends and family are the best!” Sweetie Belle agreed.

Carefully setting the fillies back down, Cliff made a quick round of introductions, “Crusaders, meet Fire Eyes, an old friend of mine, and River Wind, her little sister. Fire Eyes and River, meet Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, the Cutie-Mark Crusaders.”

“What is it with you and kids?” Fire Eyes whispered before kneeling down to eye level with the Crusaders. “It's nice to meet you three. Have you been keeping Cliff here out of trouble?”

“Nope,” Sweetie replied. “Rarity says he's the one who keeps us out of trouble.”

“I taught them Bash,” Cliff explained, “plus a few other dragon games.” He nudged River, who was still staring at the Crudsaders nervously. “Why don't you say hello?”

Before River could work up the courage to say anything, the Crusaders swarmed around her with the same level of enthusiasm that they used for most situations.

“Your scales are so pretty!”

“Can you breathe fire yet?”

“It's so nice ta meet ya!”

The hatchling shrank visibly under their barrage. “I... uh.” She looked up at Cliff pleadingly.

Fire Eyes moved to intervene, but Cliff caught her eyes and shook his head slightly. “It's okay, River. You can do it.”

“I...” she turned back to the Crusaders. “I-it's nice to meet you too.”

“You're really pretty,” Sweetie grinned. “I love how your scales sparkle.”

River blushed. “T-thanks. Your mane is beautiful. Uh... does it curl like that naturally?”

“A little, but my sister, Rarity always says it's worth the extra effort to look fabulous.”

“Do you curl it with your, uh, unicorn magic?”

“Nope. I use a curling iron, and sometimes hair gel, because it gives my mane that special look...”

Minutes passed, and the hatchling's natural curiosity slowly drew her out of her shell. A little of the Crusaders' energy even seemed to be rubbing off on her.

Smiling down at the four of them, Cliff had a thought. “Hey, Crusaders?”

The young ones all stopped to look up at him.

“Did you know that dragons have to earn their real names, just like ponies earn their cutie-marks?” As realization dawned on the fillies, Cliff leaned down next to the hatchling. “River Wind here hasn't earned her true name yet. Do you think maybe you could help her?”

“Really?” Apple Bloom couldn't have looked happier.

Scootaloo grabbed River's hand in her hooves. “We'll get you your name no matter what!”

“Ooh, ooh!” Sweetie was hoping up and down. “We could get our cutie-marks in getting dragons their names!”

River actually smiled a little. “O-okay. We can try it.”

After another minute of excited, and mostly indecipherable, shouting, the Crusaders led River off to Sweet Apple Acres. Cliff thought he heard something about an indoctrination ceremony.

“Just to be clear, I trust you and all,” Fire Eyes said, “but are you sure that was a good idea?”

“Three new friends that she can talk to at school, ponies near her own age to spend time with when neither of us is available, and a helping hoof finding her name.” Cliff counted each item off on his claws. “Don't worry, those three are a little rambunctious, but they'll never treat River differently because she isn't a pony.”

“Okay, you win.” Fire Eyes glanced at the nearby field. It was easily half a mile across, and bordered by the Everfree Forest. “Hey, you up for a duel?”

“Only if you're up for a race afterward,” Cliff replied.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“What rules should we use?” Cliff asked.

“Tier five defenses, tier four attacks,” Fire Eyes said immediately. “Five points to win, like usual.”

He nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Great.” She grabbed a stick and tossed it in the air. “We start when it lands.”

Cliff readied his stance. He knew he couldn't beat Fire Eyes, but he wanted to at least give her a decent fight.

Thud.

He charged forward, casting spells as quickly as he could.

A small explosion just barely missed him.

Unlike unicorns, dragons had very limited options for ranged attack magic. However, Fire Eyes was a master at all of them.

Cliff rolled with the force of the blast. With all of his spells completed, he shot forward at nearly supersonic speeds.

The dragoness was waiting for that, of course. Her other specialty was precognitive magic. Put simply, she saw her opponent's moves before they actually happened.

He slammed into a glowing barrier with enough force that it stunned him for a fraction of a second.

Against Fire Eyes, that was just asking for pain. An explosion hurled the young dragon backwards.

One to zero.

Cliff launched himself into the sky with a burst of magic, and from there, right back towards Fire Eyes. He couldn't hope to compete with her in a ranged fight.

This time, she sidestepped him and a thrust of telekinetic force sent him hurtling right into a tree at the edge of the forest.

Two to zero.

Telekinesis was one of the reasons any sane dragon worried about fighting unicorns. Fire Eyes knew the only dragon equivalent, but it was an extremely difficult spell to get right, and could only affect a single object for a second or two. She used it well though, as Cliff's throbbing head could attest.

He hated to imagine being on the receiving end of Twilight's telekinesis. The alicorn could probably snap every bone in his body without once giving him a chance to fight back.

Whipping away from the tree, Cliff shot back at his opponent, hurling a loose rock as he went. The impact wasn't enough to hurt Fire Eyes, but it did make her pause just long enough for Cliff to close the distance.

A magically empowered palm strike sent Fire Eyes flying, just as a burst of her telekinesis did the same to Cliff.

Three to one.

Cliff was hiding in the trees before Fire Eyes rolled gracefully to her feet. He mentally cursed himself for not studying more about hit-and-run combat. Maybe his grandmother's notes would have had something useful.

Fire Eyes watched the trees carefully. Cliff couldn't tell if she knew where he was or not.

As far as the young dragon could tell, he had three options: try to catch her by surprise, try to distract her before catching her by surprise, or wait for her to come looking for him.

The decision was taken out of his claws when he felt her begin to cast something. Cliff didn't know which spell she would use this time, but he didn't want to find out. He shot into the sky, just as a bolt of electricity hit the tree he'd been hiding in.

Rocketing himself down at his opponent as quickly as he could, Cliff surged his momentum redirecting spell. A supersonic dragon's worth of inertia was transferred into the air around him on impact, sending out a shock-wave... which Fire Eyes blocked with her shield. He really hated that spell sometimes.

BOOM

Four to one.

Cliff was halfway to Canterlot before the smoke had cleared. He changed direction and slowly arched back towards his opponent. This time, he pulled away from his suicide rush at the last moment, and used Ghost Claws to make up for the distance.

Ethereal claws hit Fire Eyes, but a bolt of electricity tagged him before he could get away.

Five to two.

Cliff let his spells drop with a wince. He was going to be sore in the morning. At least the collateral damage wasn't that bad. There was a small crater that needed to be filled in, several burnt patches of grass, and that tree at the edge of the forest was on fire, but it could have been much worse. “Good match.”

“You too,” Fire Eyes laughed. “This is a day for the records. You were actually a bit creative back there.”

“A bit,” a third voice agreed, “but not enough for my tastes.”

“Hey, Grandma.” Cliff waved to her and Spike, who were approaching together.

“Wow,” Spike exclaimed. “You two are amazing!”

“They both have raw talent,” Fire Claws agreed, “but Cliff Runner hasn't refined that talent into a fighting style that works for him yet.”

“I can maintain three spells all day,” Cliff said lamely.

“Good,” his grandmother said approvingly. “I did notice an increase in your willpower.” She tapped her claws together thoughtfully. “Tell you what, if you can run to Redstone and back in one hour, I'll declare you ready to start on the next step.”

Cliff winced again. “Do you really think I can manage that?”

“Probably. Will you try it?”

Ignoring Spike's confusion, he nodded. Fire Claws wouldn't have suggested it if she didn't think it would help.

“Excellent.” She put her claws to his forehead. “Eyes will clean this up while you're gone.”

Willpower began to flow into Cliff, nearly enough to restore what he had used against Fire Eyes.

“You have one hour,” his grandmother reminded him. “Go.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Magic could be a wonderful thing, but it also tended to cause problems that could only be fixed with more magic. High speed running, for example, required a spell to increase reaction speed, and another to increase strength. However, it put an unbelievable amount of strain on the body, requiring both Scale Armor and another spell that targeted the joints specifically. Once strength was increased past a certain point, another spell was needed to weigh the runner down, otherwise they would bounce along at a decent, but comparatively slow pace. Another spell was needed to add traction, another for balance, another for the senses, and the list went on.

It was no surprise then, that Cliff tended to wear himself out when he used his running spells. Keeping them up for a few minutes was difficult. Keeping them up for an hour... it made him wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to fight another hydra.

When he finally got back to the Dragon House, Cliff made a mistake that no high speed runner should ever make. He tripped.

Three seconds, and nearly a mile of skidding later, the young dragon was just conscious enough to register that one, he was still alive, and two, he had never been happier to stop running.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Time to wake up, Cliff.”

Cliff regretfully opened his eyes to find his grandmother, brother, and Fire Eyes standing over him.

“I just finished the recovery spell and gave you some more willpower, so there's no excuse to keep lying there.” His grandmother held out a claw to him.

Healing magic undid injuries, but it also undid the benefits that would have come from exercising. Recovery magic was much more difficult, but it didn't have that problem.

Cliff took the claw, and pulled himself upright. “Okay, Fire Eyes, try to beat my time.”

“Ha ha,” the white dragoness deadpanned. They both knew it would have taken her several days just to reach the coven.

“Are you okay?” Spike asked.

“There's a bunch of fuzz where my brain should be, and I feel like I haven't eaten in days, but other than that, I'm fine.”

“Come on then, there's food in the kitchen,” Spike said, leading the way. “What are you in the mood for?”

“I don't care.” Cliff blinked groggily.

“You did really well out there,” Fire Claws said. “You're ready for the next step in your training.”

“Sweet,” Fire Eyes grinned. “I bet you're excited.”

“Food now,” he replied. “Excitement later.”

After eating enough fruits, nuts, and bread to make up three normal meals, Cliff found himself relaxing on the side of the field while Fire Eyes instructed Spike on magical combat.

Being Fire Eyes, her instruction usually amounted to, “Let's see if you can dodge this.”

“You've done a good job with him,” his grandmother commented. “It's hard to believe he only started learning to fight last week.”

“He only started formal training last week,” Cliff said. “He's been in plenty of fights before.”

Fire Claws nodded. “Yes, he told me about some of them. Like when a swarm of giant cockatrice attacked Canterlot.”

Cliff laughed. “I actually thought he was making that one up until he showed me the medal they gave him for it.”

Meanwhile, the dragon in question got knocked back several dozen feet. He shook it off, and came back for more.

“So what about you and Fluttershy?” Fire Claws asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I already heard her side of things. Now I'm curious about yours. What's it like courting a pony? How close are you? Most importantly,” she became serious, “have you considered what will happen if things work out between you two?”

Cliff took a moment to reflect before answering. “We've only been courting for a week, so it's hard to say what it's usually like. We haven't gone on any of the 'dates' that Twilight talked about. We mostly talk at her house as we do chores and eat lunch together.”

“You eat together?” Fire Claws repeated. “As in, alone at her house?”

“It's not like that!” Cliff felt his face going red.

She raised an eyebrow.

“It's true! We always go outside for meals, and besides...” he coughed nervously. “Sharing a meal doesn't mean anything like that among ponies.” Stars above, it's like I'm cursed to have this misunderstanding haunt me forever!

“Uh-huh,” his grandmother said. “I'll have to take your word for it, but keep your hormones in check during these meals, Cliff. The last thing we need is a scandal between us and these ponies.”

“I will,” Cliff promised quickly. “Anyway, I suppose we're still in the infatuation phase of our relationship. As for what I'll do if things work out...” he shrugged helplessly. “I don't know yet.”

Fire Claws tousled his head spikes. “I understand. Just remember that I'm always here, and I'll support you no matter what.”

“Thanks, Grandma.” He gave her a quick hug. “So anyway, what is the next part of my training?”

She pointed to the forest. “Tomorrow we'll run through there with minimum speed enhancements. You need to learn how to go fast in something other than a straight line.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Spike was exhausted by the time Fire Eyes finished with him. Cliff took the younger dragon inside to rest while the two females remained outside to keep training.

“You did well,” Cliff said as his brother flopped onto a couch.

“Really?” Spike groaned.

“Yes, really.” Cliff wished he knew recovery magic, or had enough willpower to cast it, for that matter.

“Good.” Spike rolled over to face him. “Hey, Cliff?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you...” He swallowed and pushed himself into a sitting position. “Do you think Twilight still thinks of me as her brother? I mean, I have a family now, but she was my family before, and...”

Cliff punched the other dragon in the shoulder, just hard enough to cut through his ramblings. “Spike, I can't say I understand what you're going through, but I do know that Twilight still loves you.” He smiled and shrugged. “What else really matters?”

Spike smiled back. “Yeah, you're right.” He tried to stretch, but he stopped with a wince. “Ow.”

“Yeah,” Cliff took a seat next to his brother, “Fire Eyes isn't good at holding back. I'm the only one crazy enough to keep sparring with her.”

Spike rubbed his neck. “What about Grandmother?”

“She's our teacher. Besides,” Cliff grinned, “not even Fire Eyes is crazy enough to fight Grandma at full power.”

“Is she really that good?”

“Let me put it this way; she probably has more willpower than every other wyrm in Ponyville combined.”

Spike whistled appreciatively. “I kind of want to see her fight now.”

Cliff tousled his brother's head spikes. “You'll get your chance when she starts teaching you linked combat.”

“Grandmother said I probably won't get to that for at least another few months.” Spike sighed.

“Your potential lifespan is over a thousand years,” Cliff pointed out. “A few months isn't long at all.”

“If you say so, Cliff.” He paused. “Hey, I've been meaning to ask, why didn't any of the others bring any luggage with them?”

“They didn't have anything to bring. That notebook Grandma gave me was probably the only thing she's owned in over a decade.”

Spike paused and looked down at his claws. “Cliff, should I get rid of my things? You know, like you guys?”

He shook his head. “There's no need for you to do that.”

“Why not? I'm a wyrm like the rest of you, right?”

“Well, yes, but...” Cliff sighed gently and gave his brother a hug. “Spike, you've spent your whole life with possessions, and without the Stillness. The odds of coming through that in one piece are unbelievably small, but you did, and because of it, you've built up a resistance to greed that the rest of us could only dream of. Twilight said that it took you hours to transform into a berserker. For a normal wyrm, it only takes a minute or two. Giving up your things now would be pointless, because you can have them and still be more safe than the rest of us with nothing.”

Spike blushed a little. “C'mon, Cliff, I'm not really all that,” he smiled, “but thanks for saying so.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

After Spike had rested for a while, Cliff sent him out to fetch Twilight for dinner. He and the alicorn had already planned for her to be there, so it was more of a reminder than anything. While his brother was gone, Cliff put his fledgling cooking skills to work preparing a suitable meal for six dragons and a pony. It was mostly vegetarian, considering the supplies he had received from Ponyville, but he made sure to include roast chicken, if just to see the look on Twilight's face.

She didn't disappoint. “So, uh...” Twilight forced a smile while trying unsuccessfully to not stare at the steaming bird parts on Cliff's plate. “How are you all liking Ponyville?”

In true wyrm fashion, they had loaded up their plates buffet-style in the kitchen, and were lounging around the living room as they ate.

“It's a lot bigger than I expected,” Fire Eyes said from her spot on the fireplace, “and River here,” she patted her little sister, “tells me that she became a Cutie-Mark Crusader... whatever that means.”

Fire Claws sat with her husband and Spike on the couch. “This town turned my grandson into a fine dragon. That's all I need to think highly of it.”

Burning Torch reflected a moment before speaking. “I have a rather lengthy analysis of what I've seen and read, but I fear it would bore the others. Suffice it to say that I am enjoying myself.”

That last comment brought a smile to Twilight's face. “Really? Perhaps we could discuss your thoughts after dinner?”

Burning Torch nodded. “I would be delighted, Princess.”

Fire Claws rolled her eyes. “You may want to prepare yourself, Princess Twilight. It takes my husband an hour to say 'hello.'”

Twilight chuckled. “I'll keep that in mind.”

Cliff worked his way through another chicken thigh, reflecting on the absurdity of the whole situation. Six dragons were relaxing in a pony house, on the edge of a pony town, talking with an alicorn princess over dinner. He grinned.

“Oh, before I forget,” Twilight said, “tomorrow in Canterlot, we'll be holding a formal ball to thank all the ponies who donated to this Cultural Exchange Program. Spike, Rarity, and I will be there, as well as Celestia. You're all welcome to come too, but it certainly isn't required.”

“I guess you'll be going,” Fire Eyes said to Cliff, “so you can spend time with your sweetheart.”

Cliff smirked a little. “One, I'm staying in town tomorrow. Two, Rarity is the white unicorn. The one I'm courting is Fluttershy.” Fire Eyes was a good friend, but she was horrible with names.

“Oh, whoops.” She laughed. “Anyway, I'm staying.”

“My new friends want to go crusading,” River said.

“Assuming the ponies of Canterlot don't object to a dragon unfamiliar with their customs,” Burning Torch said, “I would love to go.”

“I'm staying,” Fire Claws said. “Somedragon has to cover assassination detail in Ponyville.”

The others all nodded solemnly, even Twilight. Since there was always the chance that one of them would go berserk, it had been agreed that they should keep a team of fighters around capable of dealing with such a threat. Burning Torch would only be safe leaving because Princess Celestia would be in Canterlot, and it was doubtful that there was a single berserker under the stars that she couldn't handle.

Ironically, unicorn magic in general was far better suited to handling a berserk dragon, between their telekinesis and energy blasts, but Twilight hadn't been able to get anypony to volunteer for an anti-berserker combat team. Learning how to fight just wasn't a priority for most unicorns.

“On a happier note,” Fire Claws continued, “Spike tells me that you know some healing magic, Princess?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, only the basic version.”

“Well after breakfast tomorrow, we're all going down to that... hospital, to heal the ponies in it. We could use your help, if you're available.”

She blinked. “You're going to heal... all of them?”

“That's the plan, at least.” Fire Claws set aside her empty plate. “I'm not sure how many we'll actually manage.”

“I'd love to come!” Twilight beamed. “I'll help in any way I can.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The Crusaders arrived shortly after dinner. As usual, they wanted to play a dragon game, and were thoughtful enough to let River decide which one.

She chose Heartsong, an old favorite. It used the Heart's Mirror spell, but set so that it would reflect the emotions of whoever was standing in a certain location. There was no winner. The point of the game was simply to weave emotions together into whatever type of 'song' one desired.

Cliff found himself wishing Fluttershy was there. His own emotional songs tended to be a bit dull, but he was sure that the yellow mare's heart would resonate with something truly beautiful... or maybe that was just the infatuation talking.

“The simplest way to make a good song,” Fire Claws explained, “is to relive a particularly powerful memory. That will bring in the right emotions all by itself.”

Sweetie Belle volunteered to go first. Her song was a jumbled mess of emotions, but she seemed to enjoy herself.

“What were ya thinkin' about?” Apple Bloom asked.

“What it's like to have Rarity as a big sister.” The little unicorn smiled.

That explains it, Cliff reflected. Trying to explain a long term relationship in a single song was like trying to fit an entire day's worth of sights into one picture.

Scootaloo went next. Hers was a song of excitement and accomplishment. It was fun, if a bit one-note.

After giving her new friends a couple of turns each, River decided to go. The difference was obvious from the beginning. She knew not only how to create emotions at will, but also how to layer them around each other for maximum impact.

Happiness lined with excitement and discontent began her piece, followed by a growing sense of longing. These four emotions seemed to chase each other around the room, creating the feel of a life that was good, but not quite fulfilling.

Soon, the longing began to grow. The other emotions began to fade until it remained alone. Then, relief and excitement surged through the room. Bits of impatience began to touch all present, but they were mostly swallowed by everything else.

Somehow, those emotions lasted both forever, and only a few seconds. They were replaced with timidity, discomfort, and the sensation of realizing that you were in over your head. Bits of comfort and reassurance fought against the negative emotions, but could never quite eradicate them. Then came acceptance, enthusiasm, and familiarity. They washed away everything bad, leaving them all with the sense that they were finally living their dream, and discovering that it really was everything they had hoped for.

River ended her performance with a timid smile. “T-that's what it was like coming to Ponyville today. So... thank you for being my new friends.” She ran into her sister's arms, blushing furiously.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo just stared with their mouths hanging open. Sweetie Belle, however, practically tackled the little hatchling as she rushed to hug her. “That was so pretty!” she squeaked. “You're amazing! Can you teach me how to do that?”

Fire Eyes, who never really knew how to deal with young ones other than her sister, looked pleadingly at Cliff.

He just grinned and let the two children bond for a moment before returning to their game.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“I think I'll sleep here,” Cliff said. “Just for tonight.” He had adjusted somewhat to sleeping alone in a pony bed, but the chance to rest next to his friends and family once more was simply too good to pass up.

Spike looked around. The Crusaders had long since gone home for the night, and the other dragons were piling into the nest. “Would it be alright if I joined you?”

“Spike,” his grandmother said gently, “we're your family. You don't need to ask for permission to join us.” She patted the space between herself and her husband.

“You're welcome to join us as well, Twilight Sparkle,” Burning Torch said. “Though I think we would all understand if you don't feel comfortable doing so.”

Twilight seemed legitimately torn. “It would be a bit... odd, but...” her expression hardened. “It's my job to understand dragon society. I need to at least give it a try.” In spite of that, she chose a spot slightly away from the others.

Cliff had no such hesitations. He curled up between his grandmother and Fire Eyes, pulling River into his arms as he did so.

The white dragoness propped her head up on him like he was a pillow. “'Night, everydragon.” She leaned over to kiss River. “Goodnight, sis.”

“Goodnight, sis,” the hatchling echoed. “Goodnight everydragon.”

A chorus of 'Goodnight's replied to her.

Cliff smiled and kissed the top of River's head. He had really, really missed this. It was like being surrounded by love.

Within a few moments, he drifted into sleep.

Author's Note

Day one with the new dragons. I suppose it was inevitable that River joined the Crusaders, but they were so cute together that I couldn't help it. Spike didn't get as much screen time as I would have liked, but you'll be getting a lot of him next chapter, which should help make up for it. I'm also curious what your take on Cliff's duel was, as I'm still not very confidant in my ability to write fight scenes. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on dragon combat magic in general.

Chapter 16

Gentle shaking pulled Cliff from his slumber.

“Time to wake up, young one,” his grandfather's voice said.

He blinked groggily and hugged River Wind, who was still asleep in his arms. The faint scent of roasted meat touched his nose. “Morning, Grandpa. Need a claw with breakfast?”

“Fire Eyes and your grandmother have it covered. Oh, and be careful not to wake those two.” He pointed to Spike and Twilight, who were also sleeping. “They both had a hard time falling asleep last night.”

Cliff felt a surge of familial affection as he looked at his younger brother, finally sleeping in a nest like a normal wyrm. After uncurling himself from around the little hatchling, Cliff got out of the nest. “When do we go to the hospital?”

“Once breakfast has been cleaned up,” Burning Torch replied. His brown scales and bright red spikes really did make him look like a torch in the predawn light. “In the meantime, I was hoping you could tell me what to expect at the ball tonight.”

Cliff stretched out one leg until he heard something pop. With a satisfied sigh, he switched to the other. “I've only observed one for a few minutes, but from what I saw, everypony will be dressed in fancy clothing to show off their wealth and/or importance, and trying to ally themselves with those who have more political power.”

Burning Torch stared down at himself. “Hm, perhaps I should prepare a glamour spell or two. It would make the point that we aren't savages, while quietly reinforcing that our ways are different. Maybe I should speak with Rarity. Her expertise in fashion would certainly be useful.”

“It couldn't hurt,” Cliff agreed.

Pop.

Ah, that feels good. Cliff reflected on how nice it had been to just be a dragon again, surrounded by other dragons. He wished he could share moments like these with Fluttershy, even if he knew she would never be really comfortable in them... the same Fluttershy who would be arriving at the palace for breakfast soon. Uh oh.

A hasty explanation and a burst of speed later, Cliff landed in front of the palace. A few windows rattled as the sonic boom caught up with him, but he was too relieved to care. Fluttershy hadn't arrived yet. The stars only knew how upset she would be if she thought he was trying to avoid her.

Ignoring the curious looks from his sudden arrival, Cliff went inside to wait.

After a few minutes, the door opened and he heard Fire Eyes calling, “Hey, Cliff? You in here?”

“Yeah,” Cliff replied as he came down the stairs. “What's going on?”

“Your special dragoness. Pony-ess. The yellow one. Whatever. She's at the house.”

“Fluttershy.” Confusion made it easier to avoid rolling his eyes. “What's she doing there?”

“No clue.” Fire Eyes shrugged. “I was in the kitchen at the time. All I heard was Burning Torch suggesting that somedragon go get you, so I volunteered.” She grinned. “Race you back?”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fluttershy was eating breakfast with the others when they arrived, sitting between Twilight and River as they talked. She smiled apologetically when they walked in. “Good morning, Cliff.”

“Morning, Fluttershy.” Cliff quickly filled a plate for himself, and maneuvered River onto his lap as he sat next to the yellow pegasus. “I didn't expect to see you here.”

“Oh, sorry.” She looked a little guilty. “I stopped by to wish your family a good morning, but then Twilight and Spike were here, and they all invited me to join them for breakfast.”

“'Invited' is probably the wrong word,” Fire Claws said. “We informed her that we wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.”

“I hope you weren't waiting for me long,” Fluttershy whispered.

Cliff laughed a little in relief. “No, I was actually worried that I had kept you waiting.”

“Oh,” her expression lifted, “I'm glad. I mean, I'm not glad that you were worried. I'm glad that you aren't upset.”

“Why would Cliff be upset?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Well, I wasn't there for our... date. I thought he might think that I didn't want to talk to him anymore.” She blushed.

“I was actually worried that you might think the same thing about me if I wasn't at the palace this morning.” Cliff wrapped his arms around her. “You know I love to see you, but... I'd understand if something came up and you couldn't make it sometimes. I promise I wouldn't be upset.”

Twilight nodded approvingly.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered into his shoulder. “I feel the same about you. I would understand if you were busy, that is.”

Cliff took his time letting go. He rather enjoyed the feel of her coat against his scales, and the scent of her mane as he nuzzled into it, and the way her wings tickled his arms, and... well, everything about hugging her, really. Once again, he found himself wishing pony society didn't have its strange taboo against sleeping next to members of the opposite gender.

“You two should hug more often,” Fire Claws observed casually. “You both enjoy it more than you're letting on.”

“Grandma!” Cliff said.

“What?” She spread her arms in a shrug. “It's true.”

Spike and Twilight chuckled.

“Sorry,” Cliff whispered into Fluttershy's ear. “She doesn't really get subtlety.”

“It's okay.” She whispered back, though she was bright red.

Fire Claws rolled her eyes. “I'll be subtle when you two learn to tell each other what you want. This whole situation could have been avoided if you were just more open about your wants and expectations.”

“A conversation you should have in private, of course,” Burning Torch added, “but your grandmother is right, Cliff. A heart-to-heart every now and then can do amazing things.”

With a sigh, Cliff nodded and started on his food.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Because he wanted to spend more time with her, and he knew his grandmother would bring it up if he didn't, Cliff invited Fluttershy along to visit the hospital. In spite of voicing a few concerns that she would just be in the way, the yellow mare seemed glad that he had asked.

A covert wink and grin from Fire Claws confirmed that he had done the right thing. Her emotion-reading magic could be pretty useful sometimes, when she wasn't using it to embarrass him.

Twilight was a little shocked to discover that they hadn't talked to the hospital staff the day before. Apparently visits were supposed to be scheduled. In spite of that, she explained what was going on at the front desk, and within minutes they were speaking to one of the doctors, a tan unicorn with a brown mane.

“Your help is very much appreciated,” he told them, “but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a moment while we decide which patients need your attention the most.”

“You may want to create two separate lists,” Burning Torch suggested. “Seeing as how my wife and Fire Eyes,” he gestured towards the two, “both know advanced healing, Cliff and myself are both competent, and Spike and Princess Twilight Sparkle are both relatively inexperienced with this type of magic.”

With a thoughtful nod, the doctor walked away to consult some charts.

Cliff Runner and Fluttershy sat a little apart from the others as they waited.

“So...” The dragon shifted uncomfortably. “Do you wish we hugged more often?”

“I, well,” Fluttershy looked away. “Yes. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to push you to anything you didn't want.”

Her words made Cliff feel warm inside. “I felt the same.”

“So...” she turned to look at him. “Are there other things that you wish we did?” Coming from anydragon/pony else, that would have sounded a little dirty. Coming from Fluttershy, it was innocent and caring.

“Well, there is one thing.” Cliff looked away. “I understand why we don't, though.”

“Oh.” She blushed. “You wish we could... sleep together, right?”

“Like I said,” he added hastily. “I understand why we don't.”

Fluttershy nodded. “We could... um, hold each other, sometimes. If you think it would help, that is.”

Cliff felt his mouth go a little dry at her suggestion. Even so, he felt the urge to swallow before answering. “I'd... like that. Assuming you would, of course.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

The doctor returned with a white earth pony mare. “As you suggested,” he said after they had gathered around, “we made two lists. Nurse Redheart and I will each lead a group, starting with our most critical patients.”

Fire Claws grabbed her husband and Spike for one group, leaving Cliff with Fire Eyes and Twilight for the other. River sat on her sister's back. She didn't know any healing magic, but they hadn't wanted to leave her behind.

Apparently satisfied with this, the doctor directed Cliff's group to follow him. They walked to an area called the ICU.

Cliff immediately regretted bringing Fluttershy with them. Some of the patients had missing limbs. Others were deathly ill. Burns, cuts, poisoning, and internal injuries were everywhere. It was enough to make even his stomach churn.

The pegasus at his side was visibly paling.

“You don't have to stay here,” he whispered to her.

“No.” She steeled herself. “I want to support you all. Even if all I can do is be there for you.”

Cliff nuzzled her briefly before they got to work. He quickly discovered that the ponies had a different idea of what qualified as a major injury. Most of the internal injuries or burns could be handled by Twilight, albeit somewhat slowly, and with a poor ratio of willpower in to results out, but that was only because of the spell she was using. Broken bones required Cliff's more powerful magic, and he had to use a different type of spell entirely for poison, and another for diseases. Fire Eyes had to take care of any severed limbs or brain damage. Cancer was a particularly difficult thing for dragon magic, requiring all three of them to link before curing it.

It was draining work, and strangely quiet. All the doctors had fallen silent as Twilight and the others began, and that attitude seemed to have rubbed off on the patients as well. A few thanked them and/or wept, but for the most part, they just stared in shock as their healer moved on, and the doctors came to verify their recovery.

Cliff wouldn't have minded so much if it weren't for the fact that Twilight was thanked much more than he or Fire Eyes, combined. Apparently being healed by a dragon just didn't make sense to these ponies. More than one thanked Fluttershy after Cliff was finished healing them, and then fell silent when she explained that she hadn't done anything.

Nearly an hour later, Cliff was struggling to keep his eyes open, but the entire hall had been cleared. Fire Eyes was doing better, but she was obviously having trouble focusing. Twilight actually seemed to be faring the best out of them. He wondered if it was the result of being an alicorn, or if it was just her unnaturally strong will.

“Okay,” Fire Eyes yawned. “Where to next?”

“I- Oh, this way.” The doctor seemed to come out of a trance. “I can't believe they're all healed.” He laughed. “That was amazing! With any luck, you'll put me out of a job soon!”

Cliff couldn't muster the energy to reflect on the unicorn's words. He just followed after the retreating stallion.

“Uh, Cliff?” Fluttershy whispered as they walked. “Are you okay? Do you need to rest?”

“Running low on willpower.” He yawned. “I'll be fine after a nap.”

Fire Eyes shook her head to clear it. “I think I'll join you.”

“I agree.” Twilight yawned as well.

As they waited in front of the next room, Cliff found himself leaning on Fluttershy. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but she was just so soft and warm that he couldn't help nuzzling into her pink mane and purring softly...

…

Somepony loudly cleared their throat.

Cliff jumped, coming awake with a start. Fire Eyes and Twilight were both trying not to laugh, and the doctor had returned.

“We're ready for you now.” He held the door open for them.

“Sorry,” the young dragon whispered to Fluttershy.

She hugged him with one of her wings. “It's okay. It was... cute.”

Cliff hugged her back as they walked into the room.

It was the burn ward. The irony of dragons healing burn patients wasn't lost on any of them, but the mood was anything but humorous. The place smelled horrible, a combination of burnt hair, charred flesh, and antiseptics. Worse were the victims themselves. Some had relatively small burns, but others were nearly covered by their injuries. Every one of their eyes was filled with a mixture of pain, resignation, and despair. It was enough to snap even Cliff out of his daze.

As before, most of the patients just watched in dumbfounded silence as the three of them worked. Also as before, Twilight received more thanks than both dragons combined. In fact, a few of them whimpered in fear or tried to back away from Cliff and Fire Eyes. Unlike before, however, Cliff couldn't find it within him to be upset by these facts.

Dragons were immune to heat.

Looking at each pain-filled eye, Cliff began to feel guilty about that. He would never understand their suffering, so what right did he have to second-guess how they acted?

“Fluttershy?”

“Yes?”

“I'll run out of willpower soon. Just find a place for me to rest when that happens.”

Despite the concern in her eyes, she nodded. “Okay.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Whew.” Spike stood up from healing yet another large cut. “Is that better?”

The stallion moved his foreleg experimentally. “It doesn't hurt at all. Thank you so much!”

Spike shrugged. “Aw, it was nothing.” He knew each of his grandparents were healing nearly double as many ponies as him, and ones with far worse injuries to boot. “Take care.”

“I will!” the stallion promised as he left.

“Okay,” Spike said, coming back into the hallway. “Who's next?”

“Actually,” Nurse Redheart smiled, “that's the last of them.”

“Really?” The young dragon looked around. His grandparents were resting behind the nurse, but the rest of the hall was deserted. “Alright, where to now?”

“Well,” she checked her clipboard, “we could see how the others are doing.”

“Sounds good.” Spike roused his grandparents, and they all followed the white earth pony.

“How are you holding up?” Fire Claws asked as they walked.

“It's getting kinda hard to focus,” Spike admitted, “but I'm still okay.”

“Good.” She yawned. “I don't want you to get too worn out before your ball tonight.”

“Uh, thanks?” His grandmother jumped randomly between being overprotective and working him half to death. He still wasn't sure how to respond to it.

They reached the burn ward, and found that it was free of patients as well.

“Oh, they must have finished already.” Nurse Redheart turned and led them down another hallway. “They must be waiting in the lobby.”

She was mostly right. Twilight and Fire Eyes were waiting for them. Cliff was passed out on a bench, with Fluttershy sitting anxiously next to him.

Lucky sucker.

His brother had just arrived in Ponyville a little over three weeks ago, and already there was a mare that cared about him in that special way. Not only had Rarity never cared about Spike like that, but his relationship with her had actually gotten worse since he became an adult. Sure they worked together often while collecting donations and organizing the ball, but it was strictly as business partners.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Spike met Twilight with a hug.

“How did it go?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Meh. Cast the spell, maintain it until the patient recovers, find a new patient, repeat. What happened to Cliff?”

“Oh, don't worry. He just used up too much willpower. Fire Eyes says he'll be fine after a few hours of sleep.”

“He never did have much stamina for magic,” Fire Claws muttered. “Should we leave him there, Princess Twilight?”

She shook her head. “No, we'll take him to the palace. He'll be more comfortable in his own bed.”

The purple dragoness stretched her arms. “Right. I guess I'll carry him.”

“Don't worry about it,” Twilight said. “I can manage. Fluttershy, are you ready to go?”

The pegasus nodded.

“Alright then.” Purple light surrounded Twilight's horn. A similar field enveloped the sleeping dragon, lifting him into the air. “I can't thank you enough for all the ponies you've helped today,” she said to the group. “Celestia only knows how many lives you've saved.”

The dragons all nodded or shrugged as they followed her outside.

Flashing lights nearly blinded them all as the roar of voices surrounded them.

Spike sighed.

Paparazzi. It was actually surprising that it had taken them this long to show up, given how public Celestia had been about the Cultural Exchange Program. “Hey, Twilight, how many do you think you could hit with one of your death beams?”

She gave him a dirty look. “That's not funny, Spike.” To the others, she said, “Just ignore them and push through.”

It was easier said than done. Not only were there dozens of reporters, but quite a few of the town's residents had gathered as well. Spike could also see many of the ponies they had healed, cheering in the crowd.

Luckily, Fluttershy seemed more concerned about Cliff than the herd of ponies. Spike had worried that she would freak out from all the attention.

“You know this isn't working, right?” he asked when he realized the crowd was moving with them.

“Just keep moving,” Twilight groaned.

“Actually, I have a better idea. You go on without me.” Spike turned to the crowd. “Excuse me, everypony! Could I have your attention, please?”

A few ponies continued to pester Twilight and the rest, but most of them stopped to face Spike, launching a barrage of questions.

He tried to answer them, but his voice was lost over the noise of the crowd. After several failed attempts, Spike sighed and took a deep breath. “I CAN'T TALK IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!” It wasn't the royal Canterlot voice, but it was close.

The crowd shut up.

“Thank you.” Spike lowered his voice to something more reasonable. “As you all know, yesterday marked the start of a Cultural Exchange Program between ponies and dragons. We wanted to see if the two races could coexist peacefully, and if they could help make each others' lives better. I was raised by Celestia and Twilight, so the answer to the first question seemed pretty obvious to me. As for the second, try talking to the former hospital patients that are walking around right now. Then do me a favor, when you're writing your articles, ask your readers if they still think dragons are a bunch of monsters.

“Now if you'll excuse me, my brother used up a bit too much magic while healing patients, and I want to check up on him.” Spike ignored any further questions as he forced his way through the crowd.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said as he entered the palace living quarters, locking the door behind him. “Why don't you write up a royal decree banning all paparazzi from Ponyville?”

Twilight, who was busy pouring tea for his grandparents, rolled her eyes. “You know I can't do that, Spike.”

“Yeah, but they don't,” he reasoned, walking past the stack of books that Noteworthy must have delivered that morning. “By the time they figure out it's fake, they'll be halfway to Manehatten.”

She didn't dignify that with a response.

“Maybe I should research an invisibility spell,” Fire Claws said. “I know you warned us about reporters, but I never imagined they'd be that bad.”

Burning Torch actually smiled. “If they had to tell all of Equestria about any one thing we've done, healing a group of ponies is probably one of the better options.”

“I agree,” Twilight said. “You healed well over one hundred ponies today. If that doesn't convince everypony that dragons are good, I don't know what will.”

“Yeah, speaking of good dragons,” Spike looked around, “where are Cliff and the others?”

“He's sleeping in his room,” Twilight replied. “Fire Eyes and River Wind went back to the Dragon House.”

“Okay.” Spike left the three of them to their tea.

Cliff was asleep in his bed, with Fluttershy sitting at his side.

Lucky...

“Hi, Spike,” the yellow mare whispered with a smile as he approached.

“Hey, Fluttershy. How's Cliff?”

She motioned for him to come closer.

As he did, Spike heard a faint rumbling. Confused, he leaned down next to his brother. “Wait a minute, is he... purring?”

Fluttershy had one of those smiles she normally reserved for fuzzy animals. “Isn't it so cute?”

His older brother was purring like a cat. 'Cute' wasn't the word Spike would have used. “Uh, yeah. He sure is adorable.” Spike went back downstairs wondering if all dragons purred, or if Cliff was just weird that way.

“Some of us do,” Burning Torch said when he asked. “About one-eighth of all dragons, in fact.”

“Strange,” was all Spike could think to say. “Anyway, I'm going over to Rarity's. Maybe you should come, Grandpa. She might be able to throw an outfit together for you before we leave.”

“I would be happy to accompany you.” The older dragon finished his tea and arose. “However, I don't think clothing will be necessary.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Luckily, most of the paparazzi had dispersed. Those that remained, however, swarmed the two dragons all the way to the boutique. Spike dropped a few comments about Twilight banning reporters in Ponyville, just to see if they would take the hint. No such luck.

“Ah, there you are, Spike,” Rarity beamed as they walked in. “And you too, Burning Torch. Do come in.”

The boutique looked about like normal, if one didn't count the especially extravagant outfit that Rarity was standing beside. The idea of co-hosting a formal ball among Canterlot nobles had made her so excited that she had gone into a creative frenzy to design something worthy of the occasion.

“Is it finished?” Spike asked as they walked over to her.

“Yes, just barely.” She nodded to herself as she inspected her work. “What do you think?”

Now that he was closer, Spike could see intricate fire patterns covering the garment. They seemed to change color every time he moved his head. “It looks like Rainbow Dash's fire. Just like you hoped.”

“That's wonderful to hear, darling.” Rarity gave him a satisfied smile. “I could hardly sleep for fear of disappointing those in attendance with a mediocre ensemble after they gave so many bits to make your fellow dragons feel welcome in Ponyville.”

“You designed for a royal wedding, and Twilight's coronation,” Spike pointed out. “Your fashion sense is anything but mediocre.”

Rarity glowed at the compliment. “Why thank you, Spike. Your flattery is very kind. Not that I don't deserve it, of course.”

“True,” Spike agreed. “Anyway, you said you wanted to do some alterations on my tux?”

“Ah, yes.” Rarity gestured to where his tuxedo was hanging up. “Put it on so that I can see what needs to be adjusted.”

“I would actually like your advice on something as well,” Burning Torch said as his grandson got dressed.

“Of course.” Rarity smiled. “How can I help?”

“I will be joining you at the ball tonight,” the older dragon explained. “I was hoping you wouldn't mind instructing me in both how to act and how to look.”

“That's wonderful news!” She started to pour through her available clothes. The only thing that Rarity was as passionate about as fashion was proper etiquette. “Just let me find an outfit that can be modified to fit you.”

“That won't be necessary,” Burning Torch assured her. “There are simple illusion spells that wyrms can use to 'dress up' for special occasions. What I need is your help in deciding how I should apply them.”

“Using illusions,” Rarity said thoughtfully, “that's brilliant. Please, let me see how you normally use them. We can work from there.”

Burning Torch nodded. His scales changed to a deeper shade of brown, and became much more reflective. The red spikes on his head and back changed too, flickering through different shades of red and orange like an actual fire. They even began to glow softly. His claws also began to glow, but they were silvery white.

“Hmm...” Rarity walked around the dragon, inspecting him from every angle. “I'm afraid I don't know enough about dragon culture to recognize what sort of message this is meant to send.”

“It actually means peace and knowledge,” Burning Torch supplied. “However, I fear ponies may interpret it differently.”

“Peace and knowledge?” she repeated. “I'm sorry to say that it seems your fears are justified. What I see is a display of power.”

The dragon rubbed his chin. “Perhaps add glowing eyes?”

Rarity shook her head. “No, that would make it worse. In fact, could you stop the glow on your claws?” She waited while he did so. “Yes, that's better. Make your scales a little less reflective as well, if you wouldn't mind... good. Rather good, actually. What do you think, Spike?”

Spike finished the buttons on his shirt. “I think his spikes and your dress compliment each other very well.”

That was all he needed to say.

“I agree.” Rarity smiled. “You look perfect just like that. Oh, but that means Spike and Twilight will be the odd ponies out. If we're going fire themed, then we should do it all the way.” She turned to Burning Torch. “Would you be a dear and go collect Twilight? We only have a few hours until it's time to leave for Canterlot, and I shall require every minute to make the necessary changes.”

The older dragon let his spells fade. “Then I will strive to return with her as quickly as possible.” He bowed slightly before leaving.

“You really do have quite the charming grandfather, Spike.” Rarity commented before turning back to him. “Now, let's see what we can do with that jacket...”

-_-_-_-_-_-

By the time they boarded the train, shortly after a rushed lunch, Spike's tuxedo had been reworked with dozens of tiny gemstones to create flame-like patterns. He looked awesome in it, even if he said so himself.

Twilight's original dress had been set aside, and a dark blue one had been chosen instead. Working quickly, Rarity had added silver and purple flames. It looked good on her. Not as good as Rarity looked in her own dress, but nopony looked as good as Rarity, so he couldn't fault her for it.

After helping Twilight load the boxes of reprinted dragon books, Spike and his sister joined their companions in a private car. He was still feeling lightheaded from using magic all morning, and since Rarity's crash course on proper etiquette was going fine without him, he kicked back for a well deserved nap.

It felt like mere seconds later that Twilight was shaking him awake. “Spike, we're here.”

“How wonderful,” Spike muttered, glancing out at the afternoon sunlight. He grudgingly pulled himself onto all fours. “To the castle?” He yawned.

“Yes.” She nodded. “First we need to drop off those books with Celestia. Then we have to make sure the ballroom is just right, meet with the cooks, talk to the orchestra, and then get ready to greet our guests.”

Considering that this was Twilight he was dealing with, Spike blessed his good luck that the list was so short. He followed her, Rarity, and his grandfather without complaint.

Everything was perfect, of course. Celestia had asked her personal assistants to plan the ball, and they did things with a Twilight-level of meticulousness.

Since his mildly OCD sister had planned on the inspection taking much longer, Spike and the others found themselves in an empty ballroom with nearly an hour to kill before the guests would start arriving.

Truth be told, Spike would have liked to spend the time catching up with Celestia. She had helped raise him, after all, alongside Twilight's own parents. However, she was caught in a discussion with Twilight and Burning Torch about how pony and dragons cultures differed.

If he knew the white alicorn's mischievous smile, which Spike did, she was telling his grandfather exactly how to shock and/or confuse the nobles of Canterlot without looking worse for it. After countless years of rule, Celestia had turned bursting over-inflated egos into something of an art form.

With nothing else to do, Spike took a seat at Rarity's table. It wasn't that he wanted to avoid her, per se, but he would be lying if he said that being coworker-zoned for the last week hadn't hurt him. “Do you think you'll get any orders for dresses tonight?”

Rarity was admiring all of their outfits, even if Burning Torch wasn't technically wearing anything. “I should hope so, Spike. With any luck, all things dragon related will be very much in vogue by the end of the night.”

He nodded thoughtfully. Making dragons popular among the nobility would put pressure on anypony that was still speaking out against the Cultural Exchange Program. In addition, it would make them more likely to fund future projects. Sure, Rarity hadn't said any of that, but Spike had spent enough time with her to know what she meant.

“What are the other dragons like?” Rarity asked suddenly. “I'm afraid I haven't been able to speak with any of them at length other than your grandfather.”

“Well, Grandmother is...” Spike tried to think of the right word, “interesting. She's completely intense one minute, and cheerful and lovey the next. It's like a mixture of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.”

Rarity shuddered. “It sounds as though she is rather exhausting to be around.”

“Yeah,” Spike admitted, “but there's something about her. You feel like nothing can ever hurt you as long as she's around.” He shook himself out of his distracted thoughts. “Well anyway, I haven't talked with Fire Eyes much, but she idolizes Grandma. The two of them were the coven's main protectors.”

“Oh my.” Rarity's eyes widened. “Won't the coven be in danger without them?”

He shrugged. “None of them seem worried about it.”

“I suppose we will have to trust their judgement.” She paused for a moment. “And what about you, Spike? Are you still adjusting to your new... height?”

Wait, she's actually asking me that? Rarity had avoided all personal matters like the plague since his transformation, especially on the subject of his growth. “I'm used to it by now.” He shrugged. “It's the new mind that still surprises me.”

“New mind?” She looked at him quizzically.

“Adult minds are more powerful.” Spike tapped the side of his head. “I can actually understand what Twilight says most of the time now. It's still boring,” he added, “but at least I can understand it.”

Rarity laughed softly. “Even so, I doubt she would appreciate you calling her boring.”

“You can't blame the messenger,” Spike returned. “Boring is boring.”

She laughed again. “Be polite, Spike.”

“I'll try,” he promised before sobering. “I can think more clearly now too.”

Rarity's smile faltered. “...How do you mean?”

Spike looked her dead in the eyes. “You're beautiful, Rarity, but that's all I ever saw before.”

Were it not for the distance in his voice, she might have taken that for a romantic advance. The unicorn swallowed. “And what exactly do you see now?”

“A talented fashionista on her way to the top, a good business partner, and a potentially good friend.” Wrapped in the Stillness, Spike had no trouble being brutally honest. He wondered why Cliff didn't do this more often. “I'm sure you can imagine why I said 'potentially.'”

Rarity looked a little hurt, but she was the one who had been acting so distant for the last week. “I am sorry, Spike. I suppose, in spite of what you told me, I still feel guilty about you throwing away your childhood.”

“I didn't throw it away, Rarity, and childhood isn't something most wyrms try to protect.”

She looked surprised. “Whatever do you mean?”

“The only accomplishments wyrms care about involve either personal growth or helping their covens.” He looked back to where the others were talking. “Children can't do a lot of either, especially not anything worth remembering a few centuries later.”

Rarity was silent for a moment. “I must admit, I do not know very much about wyrms. However, you were still raised among ponies. You shouldn't go casting aside all of our values simply because an alternative was presented to you.”

“Actually,” Spike took a deep breath, “can we please talk about that now? I've needed to get some things off my chest for a while, and neither Twilight nor Cliff understands.”

Rarity gave him a very confused look. “Oh... of course. What do you need to talk about?”

He sighed in relief. “You remember the Great Dragon Migration?”

She nodded.

“After we got back, I decided that I was a pony, no matter how I looked on the outside. Then Cliff showed up, and I realized that I had a dragon family out there that loved me too. I might have been raised by ponies, but Cliff could understand things about me that nopony else could. He's immune to fire, like me. He's going to live for approximately twelve hundred years, like me. He can use dragon magic, like me. He eats gems, like me.” Spike paused before adding, “He could turn into a giant monster at any time, just like me.

“But that's only part of the problem,” the young dragon continued. “The more I learned about wyrm culture, the stranger it all seemed. They don't have money. They don't control the weather or the seasons. They kill and eat animals...” He sighed. “I figured I could just get used to it, in time, but last night I tried to sleep in a big pile with the new dragons. That's when I realized that there's a difference between Cliff and I. He just curled up with the rest of them and fell asleep like it was nothing. I could barely relax at all, let alone sleep.

“I kept thinking about how weird these new dragons were, and Cliff is just like them. I watched him get worked nearly to death by Fire Claws. Literally. There's a huge ditch out by the Dragon House that wasn't there until yesterday. Then she healed him and they both shrugged it off like it was normal. Hay, she didn't come because, if somedragon goes berserk back in Ponyville, it'll be her job to lead the team that kills them, and they're all okay with that!”

Spike shook his head. “I'm not really a pony, but I'm not really a dragon either. The fact is, I don't know what I am anymore. I don't even know what I want to be...” With forced nonchalance, he turned to his companion and said, “So, your thoughts?”

Rarity stared at him. “I... I am so sorry, Spikey.” Her voice cracked a little. “I had no idea that you were struggling with worries like this. Please forgive me for not realizing sooner.”

Spike's ears perked up when she said his old pet name. He smiled a little. “That's the first time in a while that you've called me 'Spikey.'”

She returned the smile, and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I suppose I wasn't sure if you would appreciate my using that nickname.”

“All you had to do was ask.”

Rarity nodded slowly. “You are right. I could have asked, and I should have. I was simply... too afraid, that my dear friend, Spikey-wikey, was gone forever.”

“I'm still Spikey-wikey,” Spike said reassuringly. “I'm just a bit taller and smarter now.”

“And rather more impressive in a tuxedo, I must say.” Rarity laughed softly, breaking the tension that had built up between them.

“Well obviously.” He put on his best over-the-top smile.

They both laughed at that, far more than the joke deserved.

“In regards to your questions,” Rarity said once they had both calmed down, “have you considered that there is nothing wrong with being half pony and half dragon? After all, this ball is meant to celebrate those who took the first steps in bringing our races together.”

Spike looked over to where his grandfather was still speaking with Celestia and Twilight. From the looks on their faces, something funny was being said. “You're right.” He smiled, thinking about his pony family and his dragon family. Why should I have to give up either? “I guess I just forgot that they're both good.” Spike paused and clapped a hand over his face. “Why didn't I talk to you earlier? I could have saved myself sooo much pointless stress.”

“You really are my Spike-wikey.” Rarity shook her head with an amused smile. “I hope you will feel comfortable speaking with me about your worries in the future.”

Chuckling a little that the answer had been in front of him all along, Spike nodded. “Of course.”

By the time the guests began to arrive, he and Rarity were talking just like old times. Well, maybe not just like old times. For one thing, Rarity was talking to him like an equal. It was a bit odd to the young dragon. So many of their previous conversations had amounted to her talking about fashion, politics, or rumors, while he mindlessly agreed. Now, however, she was asking for his input, and actually listening when he provided it. It was with a fair amount of regret that Spike joined Twilight and the others to welcome their guests.

Greeting them all took forever. The most annoying part was standing right next to Rarity and not being able to talk to her. Did she feel that spark earlier too, or am I just imagining things? Spike bit down his frustrations and told another stranger how happy he was to see her.

Author's Note

Hopefully this will help make up for the lack of Spike last chapter. The next one will have plenty of him as well.

I tried to write things a little differently when telling the story from Spike's point of view. He's a bit more deadpan, outgoing, and insightful than Cliff, and I wanted to reflect that in his voice. Let me know how you think I did on that.

Chapter 17

The ball was in full swing by the time they were able to join it.

Spike wanted to scream in frustration when Rarity was immediately pulled away to dance with some Canterlot noble or other. As he watched her go however, the young dragon paused. He knew that look.

Rarity wasn't just smiling at her dance partner, she was flirting with him.

Without even thinking about it, Spike flinched. This was just another in a large pile of evidence that Rarity didn't really think about him that way. With how she practically throws herself at every noble, rich, and/or famous pony that crosses her path, I must have been blind not to see it before becoming an adult.

Some part of him had held out hope that he could change all that if they ever had a chance to truly connect. He had even poured out his heart to her just minutes ago, and here she was batting her eyes playfully at somepony else.

Sometimes being an adult sucked.

Spike grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and went to find some group of air-headed nobles to attach himself to.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Celestia had once explained to him that each cluster of nobles at a social function had a leader. This leader was selected via silent agreement based on three qualities: wealth, political power/position, and knowledge of the topic of conversation. Spike didn't have any wealth to speak of (hence the fundraiser), but having been raised by Celestia herself and being the adopted brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle gave him an amount of political power that was nearly unrivaled in Equestria.

Obviously, Twilight had more, being a princess and all, but she was far too nice and too humble to throw her weight around. Spike wasn't. High society was a battleground, and he wasn't above using any weapon that he could get his claws on.

Lastly, given the theme of the ball, nearly all conversation was devoted in some form or other to the subject of dragons. Being a dragon himself, Spike won that category by default.

Winning in two out of three measurements was enough to let Spike control most groups simply by being a part of them. All he had to do was keep the conversation on dragons, or display a small amount of dragon magic from time to time.

There were challengers, of course. One scholar from a powerful house tried to overthrow Spike's authority by mentioning the size of his donation (only slightly exaggerated), and following up with a comment about how much he had learned about dragons over his years of study.

Spike found it strangely cathartic to take out his frustrations on these poor, unsuspecting nobles, smiling all the while.

He corrected the scholar on several points about dragon biology, and thanked him for the generous donation, while mentioning that it had only been outdone by Fancypants, Cadance and Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia herself. Wealth was a lost category for him anyway, and so it didn't hurt his position to compliment his opponent in that regard, but working in the reference to his political allies, and the size of their donations, helped downplay that loss, while reinforcing his own strengths, while pretending to compliment the stallion.

It didn't hurt that mentioning Fancypants would cause the whole group to start speculating if he was also an ally of Spike's. That unicorn was nearly as influential as Celestia in some circles.

With the challenger safely put in his place, Spike further solidified his position by offering to teach him more about wyrm society. As a scholar, he would seem petty for disagreeing, and the rest of their entourage was more than happy to listen in. After all, dragons were in right now, and knowing more about them would help the member of the group dominate their own social circles for a time.

Out of the corner of his eye, Spike noticed Celestia smile and nod at him, as if to say, 'Well done.' She was still speaking with Twilight and Burning Torch, but a fairly sizable group of nobles had joined them.

Curious how she was handling herself with two large handicaps, Spike gently steered his own group her way.

Neither his sister nor grandfather was stupid, obviously, but Twilight had little interest in playing the political game, and Burning Torch's inexperience with court life and etiquette put him at a severe disadvantage.

“...can agree that all societies exist as a compromise between sentient thought, natural abilities and necessities, and basic instincts,” Burning Torch was saying. “It's reflected clearly in the cultures of all intelligent races.”

“Of course,” Twilight said. “It's a generally agreed upon fact that ponies are herd animals. We instinctively assume that a larger group is stronger and safer. Canterlot itself is a testament to that idea. Though from what I've read, wyrms seem to be pack animals. Your culture is based on an entirely different view of life.”

Burning Torch nodded. “Precisely. I suspect it has to do with mitigating the impact of hunting by keeping our population clusters fairly small and well dispersed. From and evolutionary viewpoint, herds are superior because they produce far, far more offspring. Between that and the unfortunate effects of greed-transformations, it's a wonder that wyrms still exist at all.” He chuckled dryly. “Though, as a wyrm myself, I'm rather glad that we do.”

Most of the group laughed along.

Spike exchanged a wink and a nod with Celestia before wandering slowly away.

She must have set the conversation in brainiac territory to compliment the strengths of the other two, and was likely running defense and deflection against any attackers. Furthermore, she had chosen a subject that highlighted the cultural differences between ponies and wyrms, which quietly reinforced that differences were understandable, and could even be a good thing. Celestia really was a master of her craft.

The next challenger to Spike's leadership came a few minutes later. Far less skilled than the first, she made her attack completely obvious, immediately alienating would-be allies, and based it on the grounds that her family line extended back four hundred years, as opposed to the hundred and fifty or so years of the Sparkle family.

Spike smiled sweetly as he pointed out that his dragon family's coven was led by a nearly eight hundred year-old dragoness, who had given Cliff and himself full authority to speak in her place. Further, he had been given authority by Princess Celestia, an even more ancient and powerful being, to act as an ambassador to dragonkind. His final blow was asking which of the challenger's ancestors had done as much for the world as Shining Armor and Cadance, who had ended the changeling invasion of Canterlot and ruled the Crystal Empire, or Twilight Sparkle, leader of the Elements of Harmony.

Sputtering incoherently, the unicorn mare stormed off.

Seriously, Spike thought, who attacks a dragon on the basis that an older family makes one superior? He offered an apology to the group for being so forceful, prompting a round of assurances that they would have done the same thing in his place.

Of course, just remaining at the head of a group had little value in itself. What really mattered was what Spike did with that attention. In this case, he made everypony feel great about themselves for helping such a noble cause. Countless hours spent with Rarity helped the young dragon compliment his followers on their fashion sense, while collecting any useful gossip that was offered. Lessons from Celestia let him skim over controversial subjects, and keep the group happy with himself and each other. Finally, thanks to all of the insane study sessions he had gone through with Twilight, he knew enough about virtually any subject to satisfy the group's curiosity. Soon Spike had every pony in the group convinced that wyrms were the most fascinating creatures in existence, and that they were all saints for helping the Ponyville Coven.

Confidant that he couldn't do much more, Spike took his leave to ask a sky blue crystal pony with a purple mane and tail to dance. She had been trying to catch his eye for a while now, and it was important that he seemed approachable. That, and the mare he actually wanted to dance with was nowhere to be found.

His partner told him that her name was Autumn Gem. Like all crystal ponies, when they were happy at least, she looked like a living gemstone, and was slightly see-through. She also had metal hairbands keeping her styled mane in place. Spike vaguely remembered seeing her during his trips to the Crystal Empire.

“A beautiful mare like you could have any stallion in this room,” Spike whispered as they took to the dance floor. “Why say yes to an overgrown lizard like me?” It was an extremely roundabout way of asking what she wanted from him, but he couldn't risk offending a potentially powerful ally. If she was here instead of at the Crystal Empire, then she was either a diplomat, or a businessmare, looking to make connections in Canterlot.

She smiled at his compliment, bringing attention to her royal blue eyes. “Thank you, but you aren't some overgrown lizard. You are the Great and Honorable Spike, the Brave and Glorious. The hero who saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra.”

Okay, is that why she was watching me, or was it just a compliment to cover the actual reason? Spike couldn't just ask her, of course. They would have to banter back and forth for a while before they could say anything of meaning. He took the most obvious route, “Just 'Spike' is fine, and you flatter me, but I didn't do much. Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance deserve the real thanks.”

“You almost fell to your death bringing us the Crystal Heart,” she replied, “and from what I've heard, Princess Twilight wouldn't have even reached it without your help.”

Where did she hear that? He and Twilight had only told their friends and family about what had happened in Sombra's castle. Pinkie or Rarity might have told somepony, but Autumn Gem might also have been speaking with Shining Armor or Cadance. Too bad he couldn't just ask her about that either.

Dealing with niceties was pretty frustrating. Spike felt like he could talk for hours and only be able to say two or three sentences with any real meaning.

They began to dance. Autumn knew the steps, meaning she either learned very quickly, or had been to Canterlot dances before. At least Spike could satisfy his curiosity in that regard. “You're a wonderful partner,” he whispered over the music. “Is this dance popular in the Crystal Empire as well?”

“Sadly, no,” she said, “but I've had time to practice it since I arrived here.”

One question answered, and an opening for more. It was better than Spike had expected. “Are you here on business?”

Autumn nodded. “My family exports grain to Canterlot. I wanted to help run this side of the business, and...” she shuddered, “there were too many bad memories back home.”

“I'm sorry,” he said automatically.

She nodded again, but remained silent.

Change the subject, you idiot! “Your donation was rather generous.” At least he thought it was. The list of names and amounts had been pretty long. “Your business must be doing well.”

“Thank you, but it was the least we could do. Especially after you and your friends saved us all from... Him.”

Spike guided her through a twirl before they came back together. “The least anypony can do is nothing. You chose to act, and that says a lot about you.” Thank you, Twilight, for forcing me to read all those psychology and philosophy books! He knew he wasn't smart enough to come up with lines like that on his own.

She smiled. “If our actions speak about us, then yours have a lot more to say than mine.”

“Hardly,” Spike replied without thinking. “I've mostly hidden on the sidelines while Twilight and her friends did all the real work.”

Autumn tilted her head to the side. “Is that why you chose to become an adult? So that you could stand beside them?”

She's good, he reflected. Most of Ponyville still believed that he had just gone through a dragon growth-spurt.

His face must have given away the truth, because she nodded thoughtfully. “I can see that it is.”

She's very good, he amended.

“But you shouldn't undersell yourself, Sir Spike.” Autumn Gem paused for another twirl before continuing. “In addition to the part you played in saving the Crystal Empire, you once received the Medal of Valor for defending Canterlot, and helped defeat the Nightmare Force when it possessed Lady Rarity.”

Somepony has done their homework. “You seem to enjoy flattering me,” he smiled, “but thank you.” Spike didn't know if she was being sincere or not, but it was certainly nice to have somepony speaking well about him. “Even more impressive is that you actually know of those events.”

“Everypony in Canterlot knows about them,” Autumn replied. “You and your brother have been the main topic of discussion since Discord's party last week.” She smiled covertly. “Don't give me too much credit.”

“What are they saying about Cliff?” Spike had to ask.

“That he is a great warrior, a talented dancer, and is dating a supermodel.”

“Not exactly, that's what they tell me, and she isn't a supermodel anymore, but I'm as surprised as you are.”

Spike and Autumn Gem stepped back and bowed to each other as the dance ended.

“Are you hungry?” she asked before the next dance could start.

“A little,” Spike admitted. He knew how it would look to leave the dance floor together so quickly, but the crystal mare was proving to be an excellent conversation partner. He would rather keep talking with her than find another group of simpering yes-ponies to attach himself to.

“Do you think your brother is strange to be dating a pony?” Autumn asked as they walked.

No, I think he's lucky as all hay. “Not at all.”

She turned to look at him knowingly. “Perhaps some fortunate mare has caught your eye as well?”

If only you knew, Spike thought longingly. “Not really.”

Autumn shook her head. “You show your true feelings for a moment when you're surprised, Sir Spike. She must mean a lot to you.”

Maybe she's a little too good. Spike sighed. In truth, he had been avoiding thinking about Rarity until Autumn brought her up.

“Oh,” the crystal mare paused as they reached the food table, “I'm sorry.” She smiled sadly. “I shouldn't have made assumptions.”

She was either being sincere, or she was one of the best actresses Spike had ever seen. “There's nothing to feel sorry about,” he said as he placed a couple of snacks on his plate. Though another change of subject might be a good idea. “How did you learn to read ponies so well?”

“I am a crystal pony,” Autumn replied. “Sensing emotions comes naturally to us.”

Twilight had probably told him about that at some point. Not for the first time, Spike wished he had paid more attention to her lectures. He finished filling his plate and grabbed a drink to go with it. “Where would you like to sit?”

Autumn Gem led him to a bench in the gardens outside.

It wasn't exactly secluded, but it was far more private than anywhere inside the ballroom. Even better, the view was amazing. Aside from the perfectly cultivated plants, there was the gorgeous night sky. Luna had really outdone herself with it. Spike felt like he could get pulled up into that sea of lights and wander for hours among the constellations.

“I'm sorry for bringing up such uncomfortable subjects,” Autumn said. “Dragons have always amazed me, and I got caught up in wanting to know more about you.”

“More about me,” Spike asked, “or more about dragons in general?”

“Both,” Autumn said, looking up at the stars. “You are a hero in the Crystal Empire, and as much as I'm sorry to say it, we used to hate all dragons.”

It was a leading statement, the kind that begged him to ask the obvious, 'why?' Spike wondered if he should continue to let her control the conversation that way. Perhaps a gentle reminder that I can think for myself is in order... “Was it all the crystals?” he guessed. “Did they lead drakes to attack you?”

She lowered her gaze from the night sky. “Yes. They were crystal drakes, to be precise.” Autumn turned to him. “That made you something of a mystery, Sir Spike. A dragon who fought to save us, rather than to steal from us.”

“It isn't much of a mystery.” Spike shrugged. “I was raised by ponies. Of course I'd want to help you.”

“Your brother wasn't,” Autumn replied. “At least, that's what they say. They also say he was nearly killed while protecting Ponyville.” She gave him a curious look, as though asking for confirmation.

Let's see where she's going with this. “Both are true.”

“They also say that a group of dragons healed nearly every patient in the Ponyville hospital this morning.”

He nodded.

“There's obviously something special about you and the others in the Exchange Program.” She smiled gently. “Can you blame me for wanting to know more?”

Spike found himself wishing that this conversation had happened anywhere other than at a formal ball. If he and Autumn had met at the marketplace, or around Ponyville, then he would feel safe assuming that she was exactly what she appeared to be: a friendly and intelligent mare. Here, however, she might be faking her interest for any number of reasons.

Perhaps her family was hoping to gain political power through associating with him, or maybe she was looking for something she could use to attack the Cultural Exchange Program. It was even possible that she was hoping to woo him in order to make some other member of the aristocracy jealous. Celestia had repeatedly warned him about how far the upper class would sink to get what they wanted.

“Well...” he said cautiously, “what would you like to know?”

Autumn Gem's smiled widened. “Just what you feel comfortable telling me.”

As it turned out, that was a lot. Most of Spike's own life was pretty common knowledge, and so he saw no harm in sharing that. Hatched by Twilight, raised by the Sparkles and Celestia, becoming Twilight's assistant, etc. He gave details whenever the crystal mare asked for them, but skimmed for the most part.

The whole time, he was trying to get a decent feel for his companion. She seemed to be enjoying herself, but how could he be sure? The answer hit Spike as he was describing Cliff's magic lessons. “...The tricky part is learning how to clear your heart completely. Luckily, there's a way to help with that.” He moved two clawed fingers next to Autumn's chest. “May I?”

She looked at his claws a little nervously. “Of course. What are you going to cast?”

“Just a minor spell to calm emotions,” Spike assured her, even though her reaction had made him suspicious. Is she worrying that I'm going to find something out? He placed his claws on her chest, pausing for just a moment to reflect that she was a lot softer than her gem-like appearance would suggest, and activated his first spell.

Reading another being's emotions was a bit disorienting. The spell didn't so much tell Spike what the subject was feeling, as make him feel the same way. In this case, it made him feel uncomfortable, like he was being reminded of something he would rather have forgotten. Underneath that was genuine happiness, respect, and a little bit of infatuation, all directed at him. Partially hidden by the discomfort was self-consciousness, and some fear intermixed with hope, as well as some desire for excitement. He couldn't detect any malicious intent at all, nor any desire for manipulation. In fact, she actually seemed like she wanted to help him with something or other, but it was tied up in a ball of awkwardness. She would probably bring it up herself if Spike could make her feel at ease.

Not wanting to make her suspicious, Spike only gave himself a few seconds to analyze what he felt before casting the spell to soothe her heart.

The effect was immediate. Autumn went from looking like a mare-shaped gemstone to having a coat and mane indiscernible from an earth pony.

“How do you feel?” he asked casually, to cover his surprise.

“Strange,” she said, her voice soft and slightly distant. “'Peaceful' might be the best word.”

“It's called the Stillness,” Spike explained. “To use dragon magic, we had to learn to reach that state at will.” He deactivated his magic and pulled his hand back. “Sorry if I made you nervous.”

Autumn shook her head. “No, you don't need to feel guilty... It was just an old reflex.”

A fear response to having magic used on her, Spike reflected. He had never yet seen a crystal unicorn, which pretty much left King Sombra. The young dragon decided it would be best if he didn't go dredging up bad memories. He already felt a little guilty for his earlier suspicions, and for making her crystal coat fade. I should try to make her happy so it changes back... “Well, being touched by me sets off most mare's gag reflexes, so at least this is a step up.”

She laughed, but her coat didn't change. “Somehow, Sir Spike, I don't think most mares would object to your touch.”

“I don't know,” Spike studied his hand. The only one I care about doesn't seem very interested in it... Wait, I'm supposed to be cheering her up. He pushed aside his negative thoughts.

Autumn stopped laughing. “I'm sorry,” she looked down. “I didn't want to bring that up again.”

Apparently he hadn't pushed them aside quickly enough. “You don't need to apologize. Talking to you has been the highlight of my evening.”

She cheered up a little. “I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, but is there something I can do to help with your romance problems, Sir Spike? I owe you that much, at least, for being so patient with me.”

Spike hesitated, but then he shrugged. Everypony in Ponyville already knew about his crush anyway. “Unfortunately, I've been friend-zoned by the fair Lady Rarity.” He sighed. “Thanks for the offer, but I don't think anypony can help with that.”

Autumn looked thoughtful for a moment before a smile spread across her face. “Actually, I think I have an idea. It will at least tell us if there's hope for you and her.”

In spite of himself, Spike's pulse quickened. “Okay, what is it?”

Her crystalline appearance returned as she began to elaborate.

-_-_-_-_-_-

About ten minutes later, Spike and Autumn found and approached Rarity. The white unicorn had attached herself to Fancypants' group, though he was generous enough to give other members of his entourage a chance to lead the conversation from time to time.

“Excuse me,” Spike whispered to Rarity, “I need to talk to you outside.”

“Oh, of course, darling.” She excused herself from the group and followed them back to the garden. “What did you need?”

The plan was simple: shock Rarity as much as possible, and let Autumn read her reactions.

“Actually,” Spike shared a look and a loving smile with his crystal companion, “I was wondering if you could make a dress for Autumn Gem. I'd like to take her on a formal date as soon as possible.”

“Only if you don't mind,” Autumn added, nuzzling into Spike's neck.

“You wha?” Rarity gasped. “I mean, of course, dear.” She cleared her throat. “What did you have in mind?”

“Something special,” Autumn said. “After all, the date will be to celebrate our first kiss.” She smiled demurely.

“Oh really?” Rarity gave some of the fake laughter that Spike knew meant she was upset. “How wonderful.”

“Don't worry.” He smiled. Being able to generate emotions at will was pretty darn useful for putting on a convincing show. “I scanned her heart. Autumn's interest in me is completely pure.”

He had had to explain that spell to her earlier, and admit to using it. Luckily, the crystal mare didn't hold it against him. Manipulation in one form or another was just an accepted fact of life in high society.

“Yes.” Autumn smiled back at Spike. “Now we can build our relationship on complete trust.”

“That is... truly encouraging.” Rarity had calmed down a bit, but Spike could tell that she was still uncomfortable.

Now for the next step. “It sure is! I can't wait to introduce Autumn here to Celestia and Twilight, and then meet her parents.”

“Maybe we could get Photo Finish to do the bridals?” Autumn suggested. “Oh, we'll be sure to order the outfits from you, Lady Rarity, as well as the dress.”

“Outfits?” The white unicorn's eyes shot open as far as they could go. “Bridals?”

“Well of course.” Spike giggled like a little child. “There's only a few weeks until the wedding.” He leaned over to nuzzle Autumn.

THUD.

Wow, I didn't expect her to faint. Spike couldn't hold back his laughter. “Oops.”

Autumn Gem shook with barely contained giggles. “Maybe we were a little too over-the-top.”

Still laughing, Spike knelt by the unconscious unicorn. “Rarity?”

“Hn?” She looked up groggily. “Oh my!” Rarity snapped back to full consciousness as she jumped back to her feet. “I can't believe I let my dress touch the ground!” After checking to make sure nothing had stained, she returned her attention to her companions. “I'm sorry, what were you saying?”

“That we're engaged.” Spike pulled Autumn close.

“Oh, is that all?” Rarity smiled.

THUD.

This time, both dragon and crystal pony collapsed, laughing helplessly.

“D-does she do this often?” Autumn asked after they had a chance to calm down.

“Yes.” Spike let out a contented sigh. “Sweet Celestia, I haven't laughed like that in ages.” He got back on his feet, helping Autumn up as well. “Think we should tell her the truth now?”

“Yes, I suppose we should.” She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Spike gently shook Rarity awake.

After checking her dress once more, she turned to them with an awkward smile. “So, engaged already? I must say... that's rather... fast.”

“Relax, Rarity,” Spike said, “we were just joking with you.”

One of her eyes twitched. “What?!”

“It was a prank.” Spike chuckled. “You should have seen your face!”

Rarity looked about ready to explode when Autumn stepped forward. “Please don't be upset with him, Lady Rarity. This was my idea.”

The white unicorn paused and looked from her to Spike and back again. After a moment, she cleared her throat. “Well, I must admit, it did take me quite by surprise.”

“Yeah, we figured that out when you fainted.” Spike grinned. “Twice.”

Rarity chose to ignore that. “Theatricality aside, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Autumn Gem.” She cordially extended a hoof.

Autumn shook it. “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Rarity. You and your friends are quite famous in the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh really?” Rarity's ears perked up. “Perhaps I should do a crystal themed line for them...” She shook herself out of her thoughts. “In any case, what brings you to Canterlot?”

Several minutes of boring chit-chat and niceties later, Spike gently brought up the subject of their prank again. “...Was it really that shocking to hear that I had a special somepony?”

“No.” Rarity laughed unconvincingly. “I was just surprised to hear that you would get engaged so quickly.”

Spike and Autumn exchanged a covert look. They had both heard the lie in her voice, meaning it was time for the final part of their plan.

“It wouldn't be that surprising.” Autumn stroked the dragon's cheek. “The adopted son of Celestia, younger brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Shining Armor, brother-in-law of Princess Cadance, and leading member of the Dragon-Pony Cultural Exchange Program. Also rather handsome.”

Spike faked embarrassment as she ran her hoof across his chest.

“They're already calling him Equestria's most eligible bachelor,” the crystal pony finished with a bit of a dreamy smile.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Yes, well be that as it may, I'm sure Spike will be able to handle himself.”

“I'm sure he will,” Autumn agreed. “He has faced far worse than a swarm of lovesick fillies.”

“Anyway,” Spike said, “maybe we should leave my nonexistent dating life out of this and get back to mingling.”

“You're right.” Rarity turned to look at the ballroom. “We must be good hosts for our guests.”

“Um,” Autumn turned to Spike a little nervously, “would you mind terribly if I accompanied you?”

“Sure.” Spike turned to Rarity. “Good luck with Fancypants' group.”

“There's no need to worry about that,” she assured him. “Good luck to you... two, as well.”

As soon as she was out of earshot, Spike turned to Autumn. “Well?”

She sighed. “Lady Rarity feels protective of you, and my interest in you annoyed her. However, I doubt even she knows if those feelings are because of your friendship, a parental instinct, or because of a romantic interest. All we can do is wait for her to decide for herself.” She looked up at him apologetically. “I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.”

“You did more than I ever could.” Spike patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you, Miss Autumn.”

She hugged his hand with her hoof. “It was my pleasure, Sir Spike.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The rest of the night passed quickly. Autumn Gem stayed with Spike for another hour before breaking off to discuss the market value of wheat with a mare who owned a chain of grocery stores. She had spent enough time with him to start the rumor mill, and that was what really mattered. It would force Rarity to evaluate her feelings for him. He felt a little guilty about trying to make her feel jealous, but after all the time she had spent overlooking him, Spike felt he had earned the right to push the envelope a bit.

By the time the ball ended, it was past midnight. Spike quickly confirmed plans with Autumn to meet up in a few days, and then let Celestia show him and the others to their rooms. Oddly, even though he was exhausted, and the bed was unbelievably comfortable, he had trouble getting to sleep.

Thoughts of Rarity kept turning around in his head. She was smart, caring, brave, and beautiful, but she had never thought of him that way. He knew he couldn't, in good conscience at least, control her emotions. Even Autumn's plan was little more than a way to cut to the heart of the matter, and see if her feelings even had the potential to develop into romantic love.

His entire body ached with the hope that things would work out, but his adult mind, unfortunately, forced him to consider what would happen if they didn't. What would he do if Rarity really thought of him as a friend and nothing more? Find another mare?

Spike hadn't forgotten about that spark of infatuation he had felt when he scanned Autumn's heart. She was also beautiful, and friendly, and smart. In spite of her minor crush, she was helping him with Rarity. Was it fair to let her do that? Somewhere inside, she must have been hoping that things wouldn't work out, leaving him available for herself.

He rolled over. Thinking about moving on if things didn't work out with Rarity brought to mind something even worse: moving on if things did work out with her.

This was why Spike hated thinking about the future. Even if he got married to the mare of his dreams, his Happily Ever After would always have an expiration date. In another century, everypony he had ever known, except for Celestia and Luna, would be dead. How could he move on after that? Even if another wonderful mare appeared in his life, could he really let her into his heart? Would it be worth it to settle down again, just to suffer through losing her as well?

His infernally quick mind informed him that he could, under the best of circumstances, expect about sixty years with a single mare. That meant he could either have his heart ripped out twenty times, or spend over a thousand years with nothing but the memories of one love. Neither option was very appealing.

It took Spike a long time to finally drift off.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next morning, Cliff Runner, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Fire Claws, and Fire Eyes all waited at the train station. None of them were especially happy.

In spite of its tranquil appearance, Ponyville was known as a town where crazy things happened, and happened frequently. After a dragon came to live with them, then a hydra attacked, then Discord threw a massive party (gravity still wasn't working right in town hall), and then a whole group of dragons moved in, all in a little more than three weeks, most of the residents decided that the town had fulfilled its craziness quota for a while. Fate, however, had had other plans, as the smoke in the air clearly showed.

“I'm sure Twilight will be able to fix you,” Cliff said to Rainbow Dash. “Just hold out a bit longer.” He fought down a yawn.

The multicolored pegasus hiccuped, sending out a burst of fire. “I'm trying,” she groaned, clutching her stomach.

“There there.” Fluttershy patted her friend's back. “It won't be long. I can see the train now.” She pointed to a growing dot in the distance.

Rainbow Dash nodded listlessly. “Hey, Fire Claws. I'm really sorry, and thanks for everything.”

The dragoness had trouble meeting her gaze. “You don't need to apologize. This is mostly my fault.”

Fire Eyes shifted anxiously. “Do you think River will be okay?” It was at least the hundredth time she had asked that since her little sister left for school with the rest of the Crusaders.

“Yes,” Cliff said for at least the hundredth time. His eyes met Fluttershys' for a moment, before they both looked away uncomfortably.

The group lapsed into silence again, broken only by the occasional hiccup from Rainbow Dash, each of which sent out more fire.

Author's Note

Boy was that a deviation from the normal for me! Where the rest of this story has been cultural misunderstandings, family bonding time, and world building, this chapter felt like something out of Jane Austen. Except, you know, with ponies, dragons, and magic.

I have to feel for Spike. It can't be easy knowing that virtually everyone you care about is going to die before you reach even one tenth of your potential lifespan. I guess I can't blame the show for never addressing this issue. Really, how could you do so without getting really dark and really depressing?

Oh yeah, and a cliffhanger. Let's hear your theories on what happened.

Chapter 18

Twilight and the others were the last to get off the train, of course. If Cliff had had more energy, he might have shouted in frustration. The worry on her face when she saw them helped wash away his unkind thoughts though.

Her concern wasn't surprising. He and Fire Eyes were exhausted, bruised, and struggling just to stay on their feet, Fluttershy was streaked in soot intermixed with charred fur and feathers, and his grandmother was looking more embarrassed than he had seen her since... ever.

Rainbow Dash was definitely the worst of them. She was sweating badly as she held her stomach, and her scorch marks were far worse than Fluttershys'. Most disturbing of all, however, were the leathery wings on her back, blue scales around her mouth, and the sharp fangs that had replaced her normal teeth.

“Oh my goodness!” Twilight's jaw dropped.

Rarity pressed a hoof to her mouth. “What in Equestria happened to you all?”

Spike sighed. “I can't say I'm surprised.”

“You were expecting something like this?” Burning Torch asked.

“When you're around Twilight, stuff like this is normal,” he whispered back.

“I asked Fire Claws to use her magic to let me breath fire again,” Rainbow explained between fiery hiccups.

“Rainbow,” Twilight exclaimed. “Dragons use their natural magic to produce fire! She couldn't let you do that without taking away from your natural pegasus magic!” She ran to her weakened friend and began inspecting her.

“Actually,” Fire Claws said, “I'm afraid it's worse than that. I tried to add fire breathing and heat immunity to her natural magic field. We were able to compensate for the drain on her life-force, but it started affecting her body in ways we hadn't predicted.”

“That's to be expected,” Twilight said quietly. “When you alter the body's magic field, you alter the body along with it.” Her horn began to glow. The light of her magic surrounded Rainbow Dash, slowly returning her to normal.

Rainbow nearly collapsed in relief. “Oh, that feels tons better.” She smiled weakly. “Thanks, Twilight.”

The purple alicorn gave her friend a hug. “I'm glad you feel better, but something still feels off about your life-force. I'll need to do a more thorough checkup back at the palace.” She turned to the others. “Did anything else happen while we were gone?”

Rainbow chuckled uneasily. “Actually, I kinda almost burned down Ponyville.”

“Another failed part of the spell, I'm afraid,” Fire Eyes explained. “I tried to increase her body's magical output to compensate for the extra abilities, but it worked a little too well and she lost control of herself.”

Twilight gasped. “Of course it did! Rainbow Dash has one of the most powerful magic fields I've ever seen.” She shook her head. “Never mind that. Do you have any idea what altering her magic field could have done to her?”

“What it did to her,” Fire Eyes corrected. “Don't worry, the three of us shared the cost.” She gestured at herself, Cliff, and Fire Claws.

“You could have waited,” Burning Torch said. “I would have been glad to provide a few years as well.”

“Wait, what are you all saying?” Twilight asked.

Spike and the other ponies all looked equally confused.

“A life-force transfer spell,” Cliff explained, wishing he had enough willpower to heal his growing headache. “We knew increasing her body's magical output would make her age faster, so we increased her lifespan to make up for it. Each of us gave up twenty-five years. With the transfer loss, she gained about seventy.”

Shocked silence greeted them.

“...You what?” Rainbow whispered, sinking to the ground. “I mean, I-I didn't want you to do something like that! I just thought breathing fire again would be cool, you know?” Tears started to appear in her eyes. “It wasn't worth you all dying sooner!”

Cliff started massaging one of his temples. “Could somedragon else explain it to her?”

“I would be happy to.” Burning Torch knelt beside the distraught pegasus. He gently lifted her face to look at him. “Firstly, don't feel guilty, Rainbow Dash. This sort of thing is fairly common among wyrms. You see, we might have a potential lifespan of about twelve hundred years, but its very rare for one of us to reach that age. Between accidents, illnesses, wars, monsters, starvation, and going berserk, an average wyrm only lives to be about seven hundred. Therefore, we've developed especially powerful spells that come at the cost of draining a small portion from the caster's life. Life-force Transfer is the most basic of them, and a stepping stone to the others. True, this branch of magic must be approached with discretion, but we rarely use those extra five hundred years anyway, so giving up a few years here and there will really have no impact on a wyrm's life.”

Rainbow swallowed and gave a very slow nod. “Okay... If you're sure... but what's going to happen to me now?”

“I imagine you'll live about seventy years longer than normal for a pegasus,” the older dragon said with a smile. “Unless you give those years to somepony else, of course, or if we give you an ability that would burn them off during the course of your normal lifespan.”

Spike didn't seem to hear any of this. In fact, he seemed frozen, staring at Cliff like he had never seen him before. “Why didn't you ever tell me about this?!” he yelled suddenly. “Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep because I was going to outlive everypony I ever cared about? And this whole time you knew a way that a pony could live as long as a dragon?!”

Cliff winced at the volume as all eyes turned to Spike and himself. “I'm sorry. I was going to tell you about it when you got married.”

“”Well what about Twilight?” the younger dragon demanded. “Didn't you think that I'd want my sister in another century?!”

The Stillness pushed aside Cliff's rising temper and helped him ignore his throbbing head. “If she wants it, I'll give her two centuries myself. If we asked the rest of the Redstone Coven, we could easily get her past one thousand. However, we've been up all night putting out fires and healing the injured from our failed experiment, and there are still more than a dozen houses that need to be rebuilt. Can we please discuss this after the work is done and we've all had a chance to rest?”

Spike visibly had to fight to reign in his emotions. “Okay.”

“A-anyway,” Twilight said, “you can tell us all exactly what happened later. If the town still needs help, then we should get to that.” She paused before adding, “Also, maybe we shouldn't tell other ponies about this life-force transfer magic. Who knows how the town might react if they heard about it?”

One by one, the group nodded.

Twilight turned to the group that had stayed in Ponyville. “We can do the examination later, Rainbow. You all go home and get some sleep. You must be exhausted.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash nodded and left together, but the three dragons remained in place.

“This was our mistake, Princess Twilight,” Fire Claws said. “We owe it to Ponyville to keep working until the damage has been repaired.”

Twilight shook her head. “Mistakes happen, Fire Claws. Nopony here will fault you for that, not after all the times my magic has caused problems. Besides, no offense, but it looks like all three of you are ready to collapse where you're standing.”

“So long as it doesn't require willpower, I'll be fine,” Fire Eyes said.

Cliff nodded.

“We're going to keep working,” Fire Claws repeated. “Come on, the Mayor wants to see you as soon as possible.”

“You're all as stubborn as Applejack,” Twilight muttered, but she followed after them.

The damage around town was pretty bad. It seemed like every other building had at least one hole through it, and there were scorch marks everywhere. Thankfully, all of the fires had been put out, and teams of ponies were working on patching up the walls.

Spike came alongside his brother as they walked. “Hey, Cliff?” he whispered. “I'm sorry I got so angry. I didn't realize that things were this bad.”

Cliff didn't really want to think about how the town had gotten into this state. “Apology accepted,” he muttered back.

“Does anypony know how my shop fared?” Rarity asked nervously.

“She broke a door and a window,” Fire Eyes replied, “and the walls are a bit burnt, but we managed to save most everything on the inside.”

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief.

Town Hall was miraculously unharmed, and had been converted into both a repair HQ, and a shelter for the ponies whose homes had been damaged. Only a few ponies were there at the moment. The rest were hard at work.

The Mayor looked up with a relieved smile when they walked into her office. “Oh good, you're back, Princess Twilight. We could certainly use your help organizing the repair crews.”

“We'll get back to hauling away burnt wood,” Fire Claws said as she, Cliff, and Fire Eyes trudged back outside.

“Thank you!” the Mayor called after them.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The work was fairly mindless, which suited Cliff. He had used up too much willpower to think clearly.

Load anything that was charred into the wagon until it was full. Haul the wagon out to the dump. Empty it. Haul the wagon back. Repeat.

Somewhere in the back of his head, Cliff wondered how much money the hardware store owner would make off all the lumber, nails, drywall, and windows that would be required to fix everything. At least they had enough bits leftover from Spike and Rarity's fund-raising to cover all the damage... probably.

After several loads, a group of ponies brought them each a grass sandwich and an apple for lunch.

Cliff exchanged a grim look with the others as they ate the apples and then gagged down the sandwiches. They got back to work as soon as they washed the taste out of their mouths.

Every now and then, Cliff would spot a pony he recognized among the other workers. Applejack was putting her carpentry skills to work fixing all the holes in the buildings. Big Mac was hauling repair supplies to the carpenters. Twilight apparently knew a spell that undid destruction. At least, that's what it looked like. Pieces of debris would fly back to their original location and somehow transform back into complete walls, windows, and even entire houses. Once again, he could only stare in wonder at the power of an alicorn.

A few loads after lunch, Cliff was knocked to the ground by a Crusader tackle/hug.

“Heya, Cliff!” Scootaloo grinned. “How's the repair work going?”

He managed a smile. “They tell me we'll be done by dinnertime. How was school?”

“It was great!” Sweetie said. “Diamond Tiara tried to bully River, but we just made her look silly.”

The baby dragoness herself was busy talking to Fire Eyes, so Cliff had to ask Sweetie Belle for the details.

“Well at recess Diamond Tiara was talking bad about dragons, but we just ignored her until she started getting really mean, and then we talked to Miss Cheerilee, like you told us to, and she made Diamond Tiara take a note home to her parents!”

“I hope they ground her for, like, ever.” Scootaloo grinned.

Apple Bloom nodded. “She'd sure deserve it.”

Cliff gathered them in a hug. “Good job. I'm proud of you three.”

The Crusaders were off again as soon as River finished talking to her sister. They said something about getting cutie-marks and a name in building repair.

Cliff waved goodbye before returning to the work.

Eventually, there was nothing more that needed to be hauled away, and they returned to town hall for their next assignment.

Twilight ran into the trio of dragons as soon as they walked inside. “Oh, there you are.” She smiled. “Good news, we're done! The last of the work crews are finishing up as we speak.” She nodded to the door. “Come on, let me buy you dinner. You all look like you could use a break.”

The dragons were too tired to do anything but follow after her. As they walked, Cliff realized that most of the damage really had been repaired. The few remaining crews all waved or called greetings as they passed. He awkwardly returned the gestures.

Twilight led them to a fancy restaurant, where a waiter rushed to get them a table.

“Strange,” Fire Claws said after the pony left. “He's thrilled to have you here, Princess Twilight, but he's also frightened.” Cliff really didn't know how she still had the willpower to maintain her emotion-sensing spell after everything that had happened.

“I don't understand it myself,” Twilight admitted, “but some ponies just act like that now that I'm a princess. Anyway, since we're all here anyway, maybe you can tell me the details of what happened with Rainbow Dash?” She gestured out at the town. “Like how she caused so much damage.”

“That was my fault,” Fire Claws said, staring down at the table. “I'm familiar with the theory, but I'd never done magic exactly like what she wanted before. It seems I set her magic output too high, and her body went out of control.” The dragoness sighed. “Rainbow couldn't control where she was flying, or how fast, and she couldn't stop breathing fire.”

“Also, she was going at nearly mach speeds,” Fire Eyes added, “and was strong enough to lift all three of us off the ground. We chased her for over an hour before Cliff suggested having that yellow pegasus hold her in place with her weird stare magic. Once she did, we were able to latch onto Rainbow and return her magic output to normal.” She pointed to the window. “You've already seen what happened to Ponyville during that time. We spent the rest of the night putting out fires, healing the wounded, and repairing the damage as best we could.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “Well, the good news is that everything is back to normal now. Most ponies assumed that Dash's transformation was a leftover from Discord's party, and I didn't see the need to correct them.” She smiled a little mischievously. “That means nopony is blaming you for what happened.”

“Even though it was our fault,” Fire Claws pointed out.

“It was an accident,” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia once told me that anypony who admits their mistakes and tries to make up for them deserves to be completely forgiven.”

The waiter returned for their orders; a salad and three plates of quiche.

“Speaking of Princess Celestia,” Fire Claws said, “she must have trained you extremely well. You were able to fix Rainbow Dash so easily.”

“Celestia is a pretty amazing teacher,” Twilight admitted, “but I've also spent a lot of time practicing transformation magic.”

“There has to be more to it than training or practice,” Fire Eyes said. “Life-force transformation is a tier eight dragon spell. All three of us had to link to work up enough willpower to use it.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Well... I haven't gotten very far in my comparative study of unicorn and dragon magic, but it's obvious that they both have their specialties. Maybe transformation magic is just one of the things that unicorns can do more easily.” She shrugged. “I'm sure most unicorns would give that up in a heartbeat for your protective spells or healing magic.”

Cliff was only half listening to their conversation. Like the others, he was embarrassed at how many problems the coven had caused on its first full day in Ponyville, but a different conversation with Fluttershy occupied his thoughts just as much. Grandmother had suggested being more open about his wants, and... following her advice hadn't worked out so well.

-_-_-_-_-_-

After dinner, Cliff was happy to return to the palace and collapse. He chose it over the Dragon House just by virtue of it being closer. Using nearly all of his willpower twice and staying up all night had been bad enough, but smashing through buildings while trying to wrangle an out of control pegasus for an hour had left him with a grand total of three spots that didn't ache.

Rainbow Dash was waiting for him and Twilight in the entry hall. Amazingly, she didn't look any worse for the wear. “Hey guys.” Her wings fluttered uncomfortably. “I see you got Ponyville all fixed up.”

Cliff grunted something indecipherable, and walked past her.

“Cliff, wait.”

He stopped and turned back to the pegasus.

“I'm sorry. If I'd known you guys were going to keep working, I would have stayed and helped.”

Ignoring the siren song of his bed, Cliff walked back and patted her on the shoulder. “Nodragon blames you for what happened, Rainbow, and you needed the rest.”

She smiled faintly. “Thanks, but I'm still gonna make it up to you.” She glanced at Twilight before leaning in and whispering, “but first I need to know what happened between you and Fluttershy.”

Cliff made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan. “We can talk upstairs.”

“Is this something I should be worried about?” Twilight asked.

“Not really,” Cliff assured her. “Just me being an idiot, like usual.”

“Okay.” She looked back and forth between them and then shrugged. “Just let me grab my book out of the living room, and then I'll leave you two to your scheming.”

Spike was already upstairs, skimming through a book about the Crystal Empire. “Hey guys. How are you feeling, Rainbow Dash?”

She shrugged. “Better, thanks to Twilight.”

“Anyway,” Cliff said, “Rainbow and I need to talk about something in the kitchen.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Uh, okay, Cliff. I actually need to talk to you and Twilight about something too, when you're finished.”

The door to the guest bedroom sat mockingly in front of him. Cliff turned away from it with a sigh. “Okay, just give me a minute.” He led Rainbow into the kitchen. “How much do you know already?”

“Not much. Fluttershy let me take a nap at her cottage, but she got really embarrassed when I tried to ask her about how things were going with you, even though it was totally obvious that something happened last night.”

Cliff sighed. “Feel free to smack me for this.”

Rainbow nodded solemnly. “What happened?”

“After Fluttershy helped us restrain you and return your magical output to normal, I... tried to kiss her.”

A soft chuckle escaped the blue mare. “Seriously, that's it?”

“Well, yeah.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I can't believe you two are freaking out so much over your first kiss.”

“We didn't kiss,” Cliff said. “She kind of panicked a little when I leaned forward, so I stopped.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Okay, well, Fluttershy is probably really worried that she upset you right now, so just go talk to her, tell her you're sorry, and things will be back to normal in no time.”

He could almost hear his bed laughing at him from the other room. “Okay... I'll do it.” Cliff tried to ignore the pounding in his head. “How long do you think I should wait before I try to kiss her again?” Twilight's presentation had said that it would be fairly normal after dating for a week.

“Knowing Fluttershy? A few months.” Rainbow shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, Cliff, I'm rooting for ya.”

After thanking her, Cliff walked his friend to the door. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

She nodded. “You too.”

Spike and Twilight were waiting for him upstairs.

“Okay,” he took a seat beside his brother, “what's up?”

The younger dragon looked between his two siblings. “I kind of need your advice for a relationship problem.”

Ironic, Cliff reflected, given his current situation.

“Did something happen with Rarity?” Twilight asked.

“Not exactly.” Spike fidgeted. “Somepony actually asked me out... and I kinda said yes.”

Twilight actually looked excited at the announcement. “Congratulations, Spike! Was it that crystal mare you were talking to at the ball?”

Spike nodded.

“...I'm sorry,” Cliff said, “but I don't see the problem.” Maybe it was because dragons didn't go on dates in the same way that ponies did.

Spike thought for a moment before explaining. “I know Rarity and I aren't dating or anything. I'm not even sure if she likes me that way, but I still feel guilty for saying yes to somepony else.”

“You shouldn't feel guilty,” Twilight said. “All of my books say that dating several different ponies will help you understand and appreciate your special somepony more once you get into a dedicated relationship.”

“Okay, so you wouldn't think its weird if she comes and visits me in Ponyville on Wednesday?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not at all. Although it wouldn't be very polite if you always forced her to come here. You should return the favor and visit her in Canterlot from time to time.”

Spike smiled. “Okay, thanks, Twilight.”

Cliff tousled his brother's head spikes. “I'm sure you'll be fine. Was there anything else you needed help with?”

“No, but thanks, Cliff.”

The older dragon slowly pried himself off the couch. “Well then, I'm going out for a bit. I'll see you both later.” He swore he could hear his bed laughing at him as he walked away.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The walk to Fluttershy's cottage was a blur. Cliff had taken the path often enough that he didn't need to pay much attention to it. Eventually he was standing at her front door, without really knowing or caring about the specifics of how he had gotten there.

He knocked.

…

…

…

“Fluttershy?” Cliff knocked again.

…

…

“Fluttershy, it's Cliff.”

…

“Is anydrag- anypony in there?”

…

“Fluttershy, if you're listening, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for scaring you.”

The door opened.

Angel, Cliff groaned inwardly. He had reached something of a cease-fire with the rabbit because of their mutual interest in keeping Fluttershy happy, but he still thought that the fuzzball would make a better meal than a pet.

Angel, for his part, spent a lot of time glaring daggers at the young dragon, or trying to slip grass into his food. Cliff regretted ever mentioning in the rabbit's presence that he hated grass.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

“...Look,” Cliff said, “you probably know this, but Fluttershy is upset because of me, and we both know that an apology will make her feel much better. So can you please let me talk to her? I'll get out of your fur as soon as I tell her I'm sorry.”

The white rabbit seemed to debate this for a moment before he shook his head and slammed the door.

“Oh come on, Angel,” Cliff growled. “Can't you see that I'm trying to cheer her up?”

Angel appeared in the window. He jabbed a paw at Cliff, pantomimed crying, and then jerked his paw in the general direction of the stairs. The whole display was capped off with an accusing glare.

She's upstairs crying, because of me, the dragon translated. He forced down a flood of guilt at the thought. Fluttershy had seemed shocked and uncomfortable, sure, but he hadn't realized that he had affected her that badly. “That's why I'm trying to apologize. Let me in, please.”

Head shake.

Giving up on the rabbit, Cliff called up to the bedroom window. “Fluttershy, can you hear me?”

…

His head was starting to pound again. “It's okay if you don't want to talk. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry, and that I hope this won't change things between us. I still care about you, and it's okay if you aren't comfortable with kissing yet. I'll wait for however long you need.”

…

“I'll... be leaving now. I'll come by tomorrow, just in case you want to talk.” Cliff waited for a moment, but she didn't respond. “...Goodnight, Fluttershy.” Head held low, the young dragon turned and started on the long walk back to the palace.

Author's Note

You might have noticed that wyrms have a strange way of looking at life, death, aging, etc. Here's another reason for that. Centuries of life mean a lot more opportunities for accidental or violent death, to the point that dying of old age is considered the exception, rather than the rule.

Life-force transfer, altering natural magic fields, sacrificing lifespan to power spells... I hope I didn't lose anyone with the more technical discussion about magic in this chapter.

Also, Cliff and Fluttershy hit their first snag. Don't worry, things won't descend into an angst-fest. They're both a bit too mature for that.

No, I never actually showed the attempted kiss, or the failed experiment on Rainbow Dash. I wanted to experiment with a new writing technique. Namely, have something important happen off screen, and then get explained to the main characters that weren't there for it. The theory was that it would build tension because the readers didn't know exactly what went down, but let me know what you personally thought of it.

Finally, yeah, Twilight is mortal in this story. There isn't much evidence to go one way or the other on that, so it's really just a guess on my part.

Next chapter: Spike and Autumn Gem put phase two of their plan into action.

Chapter 19

“Hey, Cliff, wake up,” Spike's voice reached him, followed by a gentle shake.

Groaning, the older dragon sat up. It felt like he had just gone to sleep. “Need help with breakfast?”

Spike chuckled. “No, but your marefriend is here to see you.”

“Marefriend?” Cliff repeated dumbly. The word sounded familiar somehow...

“Fluttershy, bro. You know, the pegasus you're dating?”

Wait, Cliff's brain kicked into motion, Fluttershy is here to see me? She wasn't scheduled to join them for breakfast until tomorrow, not that he was complaining. He climbed out of bed, breathed a few puffs of fire to get rid of his morning breath, and shook himself fully awake. “Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem.” Spike waved as he walked out. “I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

Cliff hurried into the living room, and found Fluttershy and Twilight chatting happily.

“Good morning, Cliff,” Twilight greeted him.

“Hi, Cliff.” Fluttershy blushed a little as she smiled.

“Hey,” he smiled back. “Oh, good morning, Twilight.”

The purple alicorn smiled knowingly at Cliff and Fluttershy. “I'll just leave you two alone.” She gave Fluttershy a hug before disappearing into the kitchen as well.

Cliff settled into Twilight's seat. “It's good to see you.”

“It's good to see you too.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “I wanted to apologize for what happened on Sunday.”

“You didn't do anything wrong.” Cliff gently put a hand on her shoulder. “I should have asked before I tried to kiss you.”

“I shouldn't have panicked.” She took a deep breath. “I'm happy that you wanted to kiss me, but... would it be alright if we... waited for a while?”

She doesn't want to stop courting. Relief flooded through him. “Well, my first attempt at kissing made you cry.” Cliff scratched his cheek uncomfortably. “I can't say I'm in a hurry to repeat that experience.”

Fluttershy peered out from behind her mane, worry written across her face. “Did I cry? I didn't realize.”

“Not in front of me,” Cliff clarified. “When I came by your cottage last night, Angel told me that you were crying in your bedroom.”

She looked confused. “But... I wasn't at my cottage last night.”

Cliff stared back at her. “You weren't?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I went to Rarity's to ask her for advice, and she invited me to sleep over so we could talk more.”

“Then why would...” Three thoughts entered Cliff's mind simultaneously: I'm going to flame-broil that rabbit, Thank the stars she wasn't crying after all, and, Did I seriously have a heart-to-heart with an empty bedroom?

Fluttershy must have reached the same conclusion. “I'm sure Angel Bunny didn't mean any harm. I'll talk to him about it when I get home. I hope you aren't angry.”

Cliff did the only logical thing to do when you realize that you've been duped by your favorite meal, he laughed.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The rest of the morning was surprisingly calm. Cliff was a little sad that Fluttershy wasn't able to stay for breakfast, but contented himself with the knowledge that he would talk to her later. He sparred with Spike while Twilight gave Rainbow a full checkup. The added years made her life-force a bit stronger than it had been before, but otherwise, the pegasus was completely back to normal.

Once they finished lunch, the two brothers and Twilight set out to find jobs for the new dragons. After all, living among ponies could be expensive, and they would need some way of providing for themselves. Luckily, Twilight still had a list of offers to employ dragons around Ponyville.

The hospital was the most obvious choice, but none of the dragons were willing to accept payment for their healing magic. Further, the hospital was already in a financial crisis, thanks to the Ponyville Coven. They could still provide services for things that dragon magic was unable to treat, like care for the elderly, medication, something called cosmetic surgery (that Twilight was strangely unwilling to explain), and the maternity ward, but they were facing layoffs and wage reduction anyway. Fire Claws offered to come in for a few hours each day, in case somepony needed her help, but that was just volunteer work.

The older dragoness found a real job with a business that delivered mail. Apparently it was part of the government as well. It was also where Derpy/Ditzy worked. Cliff told his grandmother to say 'hi' for him if she even ran into the gray pegasus. They had exchanged a few letters since the first one, and he was proud to count the insightful mare as one of his relatively few pony friends.

It was just a shame that her strange eyes were caused by a genetic abnormality. Wyrm healing magic used DNA as a guide, and so it couldn't help her.

She had actually taken that news well, thanking him for looking into the matter, and saying that she probably shouldn't try to change herself to suit others anyway.

Fire Eyes went to work for a construction company. The hard labor suited her, even if she didn't have the natural strength of an earth pony. Apparently this job was also somewhat dangerous, making her healing magic a welcome benefit.

Burning Torch was hired to work at Lugnut's hardware store. The older dragon wasn't an expert blacksmith by any means, but he knew his way around a forge, and was a faster learner than Cliff could ever hope to be.

“Three jobs found, and we got back just in time for lunch,” Spike commented as they arrived at the palace. He grabbed a newspaper off the front step. “I'd say that counts as a successful morning.” He glanced at the front page. “Looks like the paper found out about Rainbow's failed experiment. That didn't take them very long.”

“There were a lot of paparazzi around Ponyville the other day,” Twilight reminded him. “Maybe a few of them decided to stick around.”

“Maybe.” He skimmed through the article. “Good, they're blaming it on Discord too.”

“Anyway.” Cliff moved past him into the house. “I'll get working on lunch. Any requests?”

“I'm in the mood for grilled cheese and tomato soup,” Spike said. “How about you two?”

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight said.

“Agreed.” It was one of the few pony lunches that Cliff enjoyed, rather than tolerated.

“I'll help,” Twilight volunteered. “I've actually been meaning to talk to you about life-force transfer magic.”

Spike nodded. “Same here.”

And so the three of them relocated to the kitchen. Twilight wanted to know everything about the spells involved, of course.

“It's a fourth tier spell,” Cliff told them. “Hope, despair, excitement, and fear, by the way. You choose how many years you want to give up, touch the recipient, and push through the wall. Unlike other spells, where willpower changes the strength of the effect, with this one, it improves the efficiency of the transfer. A weak caster might give up two years for every one that their target gains. With a decent group though, the loss is usually between five and ten percent.”

“Why would dragons even develop a spell like that?” Twilight asked.

“Who knows?” Cliff shrugged. “We mostly use it for burn spells.”

The other two stared at him blankly.

“Spells that burn off years of your life,” he clarified.

“More importantly,” Spike said, “can this really let a pony live a dragon lifespan?”

“Some minotaur king lived for five hundred years because of it,” Cliff replied.

“Wait,” Twilight cut in, “do you mean Strong Arm, the Ancient?”

He nodded.

“Amazing! Scholars have debated for decades about whether or not his longevity was a myth.”

“It wasn't,” Cliff said. “He saved a coven during a war between drakes and wyrms. That was their way of thanking him.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Anyway, how hard would it be to convince other dragons to give up a few years for Twilight?”

“Relax, Spike,” Cliff said. “I said that I'd give her two centuries, and I meant it. Our grandparents would each be fine with tossing in another century or so.”

Twilight was looking decidedly uncomfortable with this turn of the conversation. “Spike, Cliff, it's very kind of you both to worry about me, but I'm still not sure if I should accept any extra years.”

Spike looked hurt. “But Twilight...”

“It's not that I want to leave you alone, Spike,” she quickly added. “It's just that artificially extending my lifespan is a big decision, and I don't want to rush into it without taking the time to think things through.”

“She has a point,” Cliff said. “It would let her spend more time with you, Celestia, and Luna, but it would also mean watching her other friends and family die of old age long before she could join them in the afterlife.”

Twilight nodded glumly. “Not to mention, if I ever get married, it would mean knowing that I would outlive my husband, children, grandchildren, and, depending on how many years I received, several generations of great-grandchildren.”

Spike looked like he was about to speak, but cut himself off. After a moment, he said, “I guess we can't make everypony live forever.”

Silence overtook the trio, broken only by the sound of lunch being prepared.

“...You two need to understand something,” Cliff said eventually. “I know ponies seem to think a longer life is automatically better, but that really isn't true. A good life is a full one, regardless of how long it lasts.”

Cliff gestured to his brother and the purple alicorn. “Both of you have lived more than myself, my parents, and all four grandparents combined. If you were to die tomorrow, not a single wyrm would say that your time was too short. We'd all talk about how wonderfully full and happy your lives were.”

Neither seemed to know how to respond to that.

“Just think about it, okay?” He went back to grilling sandwiches with his breath, pausing long enough to add, “Living to be seven hundred isn't a bad thing, but it isn't necessarily a good thing either. It's just... a thing.”

“Alright,” Spike said, “then what are you planning to do with Fluttershy if things work out? Will you just let her die of old age while you're still young and then find some dragoness to spend the rest of your life with?”

Twilight's jaw nearly hit the floor. “Spike!”

“No, Twilight.” The younger dragon shook his head. “Look, I get that you're trying to make an impossible situation easier for me, Cliff, but I need answers, not philosophy. Just tell me how I'm supposed to handle eleven hundred years without the family and friends that raised me, and, if it ever even happens, the pony I get married to.”

Cliff paused and took a deep breath before meeting his brother's eyes. He knew, and had always known, that falling in love with a pony would probably end in heartache, but that didn't mean he liked to dwell on it. “...I don't think there is an answer for that,” he said quietly. “All I can give you is a list of options to consider.”

Spike motioned for him to continue.

“First, have Twilight transform you into a pony. You'll live as long as the ponies you care about, and be able to have kids when you get married. Second, give up enough years that you'll live a pony lifespan. Third, convince the ponies you care about to get transformed into dragons. Again, shared lifespan and you'll be able to have kids. Fourth, assuming you can convince a large enough group of dragons to help, pick a couple of ponies you really care about, and transfer a few centuries of life into each of them. Fifth, they live their natural lifespans, and you live yours. You enjoy your time together, and then remember them fondly after they're gone. Sixth, get Twilight, or Celestia, or somepony smarter than me to come up with a solution that I haven't thought of yet; one that will somehow make us all happy.” Cliff sighed deeply. “If you come up with a good sixth option, let me know.”

Spike looked a little deflated. “So basically, there's no perfect choice.”

Cliff shook his head.

Twilight looked back and forth between them. “How about you both stop worrying today about what you'll be doing in another century?” She smiled gently. “We're all here right now, and that's what matters.”

“I'll try, Twilight.” Spike forced a smile. “Can you really blame me for worrying, though? I just... I spent most of my life thinking that one day, all the ponies I cared about would die, and I'd get left alone. It hurt so much to think about, but it seemed like there was no way I could avoid it. Now that I know there is...” His shoulders slumped. “I don't know. It's like things wouldn't be so horrible if I could at least still have you."

Twilight looked deeply into his eyes for a moment. “Do you really feel that way?”

He nodded glumly.

“Alright.” She took a deep breath. “How about this? If it will help you feel better, I'll let Cliff extend my life by one century. Long enough that we can face these challenges together.”

Spike's ear-frills perked up. “R-really? You'd do that for me?”

“Well, you are my little brother.” She enveloped him in a hug. “I think it's time I started acting more like a big sister should.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

They performed the spell later that evening at the Dragon House. All of Twilight's closest friends were there to watch as Fire Claws guided the rest of the dragons through the linking process. Because his grandfather insisted on sharing the cost, Cliff and Burning Torch each gave up fifty-five years. Thanks to their combined willpower, Fire Claws estimated that Twilight gained one hundred and four years.

Aside from feeling extremely cold afterward, Cliff and Burning Torch both felt fine. A little fire from the others ended that problem as well. Twilight, on the other claw, felt so warm that she ran to the shower and drenched herself in cold water.

Her friends had been a little shocked to find out what she was doing, of course, but none of them could fault Twilight for her reasons. Rainbow even offered to give her extra years to the purple alicorn. Twilight didn't accept the offer, but it was still a touching gesture... right up until the pegasus mentioned breathing fire again.

“Come on! A fire-breathing wonderbolt? How could they say no to that?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight rolled her eyes, “I'm not going to cut your lifespan in half, even if it has been artificially extended.”

“Then figure out a way to do it without that happening,” Rainbow pleaded. “Come on, Twilight. It would make me undeniably the coolest pegasus ever!”

Cliff was only half listening to them. Most of his attention was taken up by the yellow mare at his side. Fluttershy had been strangely quiet for most of the evening, even for her. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no.” She looked away. “It's just... strange to think that you, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike will still be here after so many years, and the rest of us... won't be.”

He gently put his arms around her, and smiled as she leaned into the embrace. “It isn't a decision to rush into, but if...” he swallowed, “if you ever decide that you want this too... well, I've only given up about eighty-five years so far...” he trailed off uncertainly.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I couldn't ask you to do something like that! It just... wouldn't be fair.”

Cliff pushed aside the sinking feeling in his heart. Even though they hadn't been together long, thinking that they could only share a pony lifespan together made him feel strangely empty. “Okay... but the offer is always there... just, if you want it. Besides, how would it be unfair?”

“Well,” she looked around the room, “I wouldn't deserve something so wonderful. Not when there are so many other ponies who would do so much more with extra years than I would.”

He followed her gaze. “You mean your friends?”

She nodded. “How could I ask for a longer life for myself when Rarity would use it to make the world a more beautiful place, and Pinkie would throw more parties to make lots of ponies happy, and Applejack would use it to help her family, and their children, and their grandchildren?”

“And...” Cliff hesitated, knowing he was about to make a nearly impossible offer. “If we did it for all of them?”

“...Maybe.” She smiled tentatively.

Cliff smiled back, but it was a little forced. How could I ever get that many dragons to give up that many years? “Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “like I said, it isn't a decision that you should rush into.”

“Yes.” Fluttershy scooted a little closer to him. “It's not something we need to worry about yet.”

Meanwhile in the background, Rainbow Dash was still going on about how awesome she would be as a fire-breathing pegasus.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Spike walked into breakfast the next morning with a grim face. An army of reporters had ambushed him at the front door, and that wasn't even the biggest of his worries. “Hey guys, Discord has been talking to the newspapers.” He held up the morning paper, which had Dragons to Blame for Damage to Ponyville, in bold letters across the top.

Cliff was laying out plates for Twilight and Fluttershy when the younger dragon walked in. He exchanged a worried look with the yellow pegasus.

Twilight groaned. “Oh no. What did he say?”

“He's flattered that everypony blamed him,” Spike said after skimming the article. I guess he would be. “Then he told them that it was actually Fire Claws using experimental magic.” He opened the paper, and his cheeks immediately turned red. “Oh, that's bad.”

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh, one second.” Spike nervously skimmed the rest of the article before he facepalmed. “Remind me to incinerate that draconequus the next time I see him.”

Twilight leaned over to get a better view of the paper. “Spike, what is it?”

He cleared his throat and read, “'One good prank deserves another,' Discord said during the conference. 'Therefore, one of these three statements is true: Rainbow Dash' (Upcoming stunt flier, and The Element of Loyalty) 'is the subject of an experiment to create a dragon-pony hybrid. Two, dragons actually gain their longevity by sucking the life-force from ponies and other intelligent races. Three...'” Spike gave them all an uneasy look before he continued. “'The dragon, Cliff Runner' (older brother of Spike, and one of the leaders of the Dragon-Pony Cultural Exchange Program) 'is cheating on his marefriend, Fluttershy' (the former supermodel, who mysteriously left the fashion scene some time ago) 'with Princess Twilight herself.'”

Well played, Discord.

Spike had to wait a few minutes for the sputtering and shouting to die down, and for Twilight and his brother to convince Fluttershy that he wasn't cheating on her. By then, the three of them had pushed their chairs together and were sharing a group hug.

“Anyway,” Spike drew their attention, “of course it was all lies, but that's the point. He wants the paparazzi crawling all over Ponyville, trying to figure out which scandal is the real one.”

“But why would Discord do something like that?” Fluttershy shook her head in confusion.

“Maybe he's upset over being blamed for what happened to Rainbow Dash?” Twilight suggested.

“Or that we didn't clear things up ourselves.” Spike shrugged. “It doesn't really matter. What we need right now is something to tell all the reporters outside.”

“There are reporters outside?” Twilight's eyes widened.

“Yeah, I probably should have mentioned that earlier.” Spike scratched the back of his neck. “Anyway, what should we tell them?”

“How about the truth?” Cliff said.

“Yeah, that'll work.” Spike rolled his eyes. His older brother was plenty smart, but he didn't really get media, or politics, or anything that involved groups larger than forty. “Reporters don't want to hear that everything is fine. They want secrets, lies, and scandals, because those sell newspapers. Discord already told them that there's a scandal here, and they won't leave until they've found one, whether it's real or not.”

They all stared at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Twilight shook her head. “You're right, Spike. We need to give the reporters enough of a story to satisfy them.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Confirming one of Discord's lies might be the easiest, because it would make them disregard the other two.”

Fluttershy was turning bright red as she curled into a ball. “I'd rather we don't tell them that the lie about,” she shuddered, “Cliff cheating on me with Twilight is true... if that's okay with you all.”

“Of course.” Twilight was a little red herself. “You know we wouldn't do that, Fluttershy.”

Cliff looked a little insulted that there was even the possibility of doing it any other way.

“Maybe I could explain the life-force spell you used on me...” Twilight mused.

“No way,” Spike cut her off. “Discord said that dragons use it in reverse to gain more years. Everypony would freak out if they learned that wyrms actually could do that. Not that they ever would,” he added quickly.

The four of them stared at each other for a moment before Spike spoke again. “So... Rainbow Dash?”

Cliff nodded. “Technically, we did make her part dragon.”

Twilight sighed. “Fine. I'll go get her. Everypony stay here until I get back.” Purple light surrounded her horn, and then she was gone in a flash of magic.

“Do you think this will interrupt your date today?” Cliff asked his brother.

“I hope not.” Spike shrugged. It wasn't really a date, so much as a chance to have Autumn evaluate Rarity's feelings for him, but nopony needed to know that. “Let's just worry about minimizing the damage this causes.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

As if I'd throw you to that pack of timberwolves, Spike thought. “Don't worry about it. We'll be fine.” Even without being his brother's marefriend, the yellow pegasus was still one of his own good friends.

Fluttershy seemed more than happy to accept that, and scooted a little closer to Cliff, like she was trying to hide from imaginary reporters.

Cliff wrapped her in a gentle embrace while looking up at the younger dragon. “Can I help?”

Spike shrugged. “Maybe. For now, let's just hope that Twilight and I can sort it out with a bit of help from Rainbow Dash.”

“Okay.” Cliff motioned to the table. “We may as well eat while we wait.”

They had only taken a few bites when Twilight reappeared with Rainbow Dash in tow.

“Hey, everypony, guess what?” Rainbow fairly squealed with joy. “Twilight is going to let me breath fire again!”

Cliff looked questioningly at the purple alicorn. “I thought you were against that.”

She sighed. “Rainbow insisted.”

“Well yeah,” the blue pegasus rolled her eyes. “How are you going to convince them that I'm part dragon if I can't do any dragon things?”

Spike knew Twilight, and there was no way she would knowingly hurt a friend. That could only mean that she had found a way to avoid all the downsides of the dragon spell. That's my sister. “Okay, how is this going to work?” He was curious, and Twilight would want to explain it anyway.

“I'm going to tie fire breath and heat resistance to her natural magic field, but with a mental trigger. Since they won't be on all the time, they won't affect her lifespan.” The alicorn sighed again, but there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. It was the kind of look she got whenever she solved a difficult puzzle. “Your new abilities will only activate when you want them to, Rainbow, and using them will temporarily weaken your pegasus magic, so don't go overboard.”

Rainbow nodded enthusiastically. “Not a problem. Now lay it on me!”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Several minutes later, Spike stood next to Twilight and Rainbow Dash on one of the balconies of the palace. Earth pony and unicorn reporters swarmed beneath them, while pegasi flew up to assault the trio with questions.

Spike took a deep breath. “YOU'LL GET YOUR STATEMENT IF YOU JUST SHUT UP AND BACK OFF!” The crowd fell silent, and the pegasi backed away to a more respectful distance. And to think, Cliff said that voice enhancement spells are nearly useless. “Thank you,” he continued in a more normal voice, though still loud enough that they could all hear him. “As I'm sure you all know, Discord recently gave three statements about things in Ponyville, promising that one was true.” And all of you were stupid enough to believe him. “One of those statements was an insult to dragonkind, and one was slander against Princess Twilight and my older brother. Any newspaper crazy enough to print such garbage would, of course, face serious repercussions from the throne.” Not likely, but Spike didn't mind making the paparazzi sweat a bit. “Luckily for you all, however, the true statement is that Rainbow Dash,” he gestured at the multicolored pegasus, “was actually the subject of a spell to grant her draconic characteristics.” He turned to her, “If you wouldn't mind demonstrating?”

She took a deep breath, and sent out a burst of rainbow patterned fire. The crowd gasped in awe at the beautiful, and all-too-short, display.

“Thank you.” Spike turned back to the crowd. “This isn't an experiment we are likely to repeat, given the damage Ponyville suffered the last time we tried it, but at least it came with a few benefits. Equestria's fastest flier has gained yet another trick that nopony else can replicate.” He tapped a claw against his chin as though he was thinking. “You have to ask yourself why the Wonderbolts have her crammed into the reserves instead of being in their starting lineup.” He shrugged. “Anyway, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight, and myself will all be happy to answer any questions you might have.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Cliff found himself getting curious about what else that article had contained. He pulled the paper over to where he and Fluttershy were sitting and opened it.

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh... oh my.”

Cliff nodded mutely.

Apparently Discord had provided pictures to back up each of his statements. There was one of Rainbow Dash with leathery drake wings, one of an elderly pony cowering in front of a grinning wyrm, and one of Cliff and Twilight Sparkle kissing. Passionately.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Rainbow Dash spent the better part of a half hour talking herself up to the reporters.

Twilight seemed a little annoyed that nopony wanted to know exactly how her spell worked, but Spike doubted they would have understood the explanation anyway.

After the crowd had dispersed and Rainbow flew back to her own house, the young dragon and his adopted sister went back inside to find Cliff and Fluttershy still in the kitchen, next to the incinerated remains of a newspaper.

“I see you found the pictures,” Spike commented.

Fluttershy turned bright red. “Yes.”

“What pictures?” Twilight asked.

Cliff gave her a flat look. “You don't want to know.”

The couple left for Fluttershy's house soon afterward. The two of them were cute together, but their relationship seemed about as boring as could be to Spike. They never went anywhere, and they never did anything other than read, take care of animals, and talk. Admittedly, Fluttershy wouldn't like most exciting dates, but Cliff could at least try to surprise her some time. Spike reminded himself to bring that up with his older brother.

True, he didn't have much experience with dates himself, but he had certainly read a lot about them, while dreaming of sweeping Rarity off her hooves. Well, today was the day to put that knowledge to work. Even if Rarity didn't care that he and Autumn were spending time together, Spike figured that he at least owed the crystal mare a fun day on the town. He spent the remaining time before lunch confirming reservations and finalizing plans.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Good afternoon, Sir Spike,” Autumn Gem said with a polite smile as she got off the train that afternoon.

“Just 'Spike' is fine.” He bowed. “I trust you enjoyed the trip, Lady Autumn?” He tossed her bags across his back and led her away from the station. “Let me show you to your hotel.” Rather than take the long train ride twice in one day, Autumn had opted to spend the night in Ponyville.

“You are quite the gentledragon,” she said as she followed, “but if you don't wish it, there is no need for formality on my behalf. The nobles of Canterlot have given me enough of that to last several lifetimes, and please, call me Autumn.”

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “Ah, good.” He hated not being able to just say what he was thinking. “Anyway, how have you been, Autumn?”

She smiled approvingly. “The price of grain remains steady in Canterlot, Spike. My life consists mostly of attending boring parties and flattering my business partners.”

“Sounds monotonous.” He faked a shudder. “Hopefully today will be more interesting for you.”

“I'm looking forward to it. Have you spoken with Lady Rarity since the ball?”

“Not really. Things have been a bit crazy.” He was about to gesture at the destruction around town, but stopped when he remembered that they'd already cleaned it up.

“So I heard.” Autumn looked around. “I'm surprised that there aren't more reporters, after Discord's press conference last night.”

Spike couldn't imagine the draconequus holding a formal conference of any kind, but then again, doing the unexpected was kind of the point of chaos. “We dealt with them.”

She turned to him in surprise. “How?”

“We told them that Rainbow Dash being part dragon was true. It was enough of a story to get them off of our backs.”

Autumn nodded. “Very clever, I must admit.”

They reached the hotel quickly and got Autumn Gem checked in. Spike had planned to give her some time to settle in, but she insisted that she was fine. Months of high society life had made her eager to just be a normal pony again.

Spike started with a quick tour of town. He offered to pay for the trinkets she picked out in the market, but she turned him down with a smile and a shake of the head.

“I do appreciate the offer, but we both know that my spending budget is several times as large as yours.” She patted his shoulder affectionately. “And I thought we agreed that there was no need to stand on formalities.”

“You're making me sound poor,” Spike muttered. He kind of was poor, as far as nobles went, but that didn't make it easier to hear.

Autumn seemed to realize that she had stumbled across a sore spot. She pulled him aside. “My wealth was inherited, Spike. Trust me when I say that it doesn't reflect on me any more than your magic reflects on you. For both of us, it's a matter of how we choose to use those gifts.”

The young dragon smiled. “You're good at knowing the right things to say.”

She shrugged his compliment off. “Years of practice flattering business partners can be rather helpful when I need to cheer up a friend after a thoughtless comment on my part.”

“Tell you what,” Spike said as they rejoined the bustling market, “all will be forgiven if you let me pay for the rest of the date.” Except that this isn't technically a real date. Whatever. She knows what I mean.

“Deal.” The relief was audible in her voice.

They wandered around the Ponyville market for a while longer before going to their real objective, Carousal Boutique.

“Ah, Spikey.” Rarity beamed when he walked in, faltering only a little when his companion came into view. “Oh, and Miss Autumn as well.” She motioned for them both to come further in. “What brings you two here today? Would you like some tea?”

“Tea would be wonderful.” Autumn bowed slightly. “Thank you so much, Lady Rarity. I came to visit Ponyville today, and Spike has been kind enough to show me around.”

“That sounds like our Spike.” Rarity gestured to a small table. “Please have a seat. You'll have to excuse me while I start heating the water.”

The dragon and the crystal mare shared a look and a nod as they settled down. Autumn had to appear genuinely interested in Spike, and he had to remain friendly, but apparently unaware of her advances.

“How are you enjoying Ponyville?” Rarity asked when she returned.

“It's happy,” Autumn replied. “As much as I appreciate the beauty of Canterlot, it's refreshing to be in a town where joy and love aren't restrained by politics.”

Rarity nodded. “Ponyville does have a certain small town charm, but I must say that it lacks some of the wonderful culture and refinement of Canterlot.”

Spike remained silent as he watched the two mares discuss the pros and cons of each city. Rarity was mostly on the side of Canterlot, while Autumn primarily spoke on behalf of Ponyville. It was strange. Rarity wasn't being aggressive, per se, but she was pursuing the matter far more than she normally would. Was it because she saw the crystal mare as a rival in love?

After a few minutes, Rarity left to check on their tea.

“She has mixed emotions towards you,” Autumn whispered once they were alone. “I will have to push further to get more.”

Spike nodded that he understood.

“Ah, here we are.” Rarity returned, levitating a tray with her. She poured them each a cup of tea before setting out the teapot, a cup of honey, and a bowl of sugar.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Spike said.

“Yes, thank you.” Autumn sipped from her cup. “Delicious. I'm glad there are no hard feelings after our prank at the ball.”

“Of course not, dear.” Rarity smiled. “Spike has always been a bit mischievous, and I've never objected to a good prank.” Her grin widened. “Even if it was a poorly disguised attempt to make me jealous.”

Spike, who had been sipping his own tea at the time, was overtaken by a sudden coughing fit. “W-what makes you say that?”

She smiled indulgently. “Honestly, Spike. We've known each other for how long, and you didn't think that I would be able to understand you to some extent?”

Autumn surprised him by chuckling. “Indeed. This 'date' is actually his way of apologizing to me for that.”

Spike suddenly felt the urge to change the subject. “Hey look, tea!” Stupid, stupid, stupid... he chanted as he took a sip.

Both mares laughed.

“Isn't he so cute when he gets flustered like that?” Rarity cooed.

Autumn nodded. “You had better make your move before some other mare does, Lady Rarity.”

Now it was Rarity's turn to get flustered. “Wha, um,” she cleared her throat, “I'm afraid you misunderstand me, Miss Autumn. Spike and I are simply good friends.”

Spike winced. For a second back there, he had let his hopes soar. That will teach me, won't it?

Autumn gave him a sympathetic look so quick that the white unicorn missed it. “I think he deserves more than simple friendship, Lady Rarity. Many mares in Canterlot are already scheming to catch his eye. Which of them would you want him to be with?”

The gentle, but obviously present challenge in her voice made Rarity pause. “Spike is very dear friend of mine, and I would be happy to see him with any mare who truly cares about and understands him.”

The crystal mare nodded and sipped some of her tea. “And what do you think would make him happy?”

Rarity looked back and forth between Autumn and Spike. She smiled sadly. “I believe I have a fair idea.”

Autumn tried pushing from a few different angles, but the white unicorn refused to elaborate. In the end, they finished their tea and left with only a few awkward attempts at niceties.

“I'm sorry,” Autumn whispered. The crystalline appearance of her coat faded as they walked away. “I did get some useful information, but I think I upset her in the process.”

Spike shook his head. “Don't worry. It's obvious by now that she doesn't think about me that way.” He sighed. “There's nothing you could have done.”

“Actually,” Autumn stopped and put a hoof on his shoulder, “she does care about you that way.”

“...” Spike blinked. “...What?”

“She cares about you that way.”

He blinked again. That's what I thought she said, he reflected, but the words still didn't make any sense. “Huh?”

Autumn smiled. “Congratulations, Spike. She's rejecting her feelings for some reason, but they are definitely real.”

Spike smiled back as realization suddenly dawned on him. Rarity actually does like me! She's just... wait... “Why would she reject her feelings?”

“I'm afraid I don't know. She seems to think it's for the best.”

The young dragon's mind latched onto that puzzle. All he had to do was solve it, and Rarity would be all his! He embraced the Stillness, hoping it would shed some light on things.

Okay, Rarity likes me, but she thinks it would be for the best if we're not together. She must think we're incompatible or something. It's the only thing that makes sense. Maybe Autumn can help me figure out why she thinks that, and how I can fix it. He paused. We can deal with this later. I promised Autumn a refreshing day on the town, and she certainly deserves it after all her help. Now that he was looking at the mare, he realized that she wasn't in her crystal form. She must still be worried about not understanding all of Rarity's motivations. Autumn did seem to hold herself to an unusually high standard. Any failure at all made her start to second-guess herself. “Hey, Autumn?”

“Yes, Spike?” She didn't quite meet his gaze.

“Let's go have some fun.”

Author's Note

That chapter sure covered a lot of ground. Cliff and Fluttershy got their misunderstanding resolved, no thanks to Angel, Twilight is going to live for an extremely long time because she wants to provide moral support for Spike, Rainbow Dash can breath fire again and is immune to heat, Discord is still Discord, and things between Spike, Rarity, and Autumn have become even more confusing.

Now that the recap is out of the way, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the issues discussed in this chapter. What did you think of Cliff's stance on quality vs quantity of life? Did Twilight make the right call in extending her lifespan? How would you have handled the reporters in Spike's place? Etc.

I know I've taken a long time with this, but Spike is finally starting to come into his own. His skills and experience make him well suited to handling the P.R. issues that come with introducing a new race of creatures into Equestrian society, and let's be honest, neither Twilight nor Cliff would be much help in that regard.

Autumn has been an interesting character to write for, and frankly, I'm shocked at how much love she has been getting from you all. You'll get more of her background, and the unique abilities of crystal ponies next chapter, which I can only hope you'll all enjoy.

Until then, thank you all for your comments, and I'll do everything I can to improve based on your feedback!

Chapter 20

A few minutes later, Spike and Autumn sat in front of a large box with a screen, two joysticks, and numerous buttons. The words, 'Stable Fighter II' were proudly displayed above the screen.

“What is this?” the crystal mare asked.

“It's a bit-operated video game,” Spike told her with a laugh. “I figured you wouldn't have had a chance to play one yet.”

“Indeed.” She grabbed one of the joysticks and pushed it around experimentally. “And how exactly am I supposed to 'play' with a video?”

“Don't worry, I'll show you. You use the joystick to move, and push these buttons to do different things.” Spike deposited two bits through a slot in the machine. “First, select your character.”

With the young dragon's guidance, Autumn picked out a brawny earth pony stallion in a karate gi named Rein-yu.

Spike picked his favorite, a dark blue pegasus mare named Chun-breeze. He let his companion practice moving her character around and hitting the various attack buttons. He even explained the few combos he knew with Rein-yu and let her use them on him. “Not bad,” he said when his life was about half gone. “Now let's see how you handle a counterattack!”

To be fair, Spike did hold back a lot. Experience had shown that a forty-hit combo was a great way to convince others to never play against him again. He kept the fight close, and let her pull off a victory in the first round.

“These 'combos' are harder to use than I had thought.” Autumn frowned.

“Plenty useful though.” Spike grinned as the next round started.

She nodded. “Indeed.”

The second round was much like the first, except that Spike used a whirlwind kick at the last moment to win.

“How did you do that?” Autumn gasped.

“Win the third round and I'll tell you.”

She lost, but she did manage to put up a good fight.

“Nice match.” Spike leaned back with a grin. “You're better than I was expecting.”

Autumn let out a satisfied sigh. “Not good enough, it seems. Perhaps we could play again?”

Spike deposited another bit. “You read my mind.”

After nearly an hour, Spike had to admit that he may have met his match. Autumn Gem wasn't at his level yet, but she was getting there, and quickly. Their rounds had gone from How much damage should I let her do before I win? To What combos can I leave out and still have a chance of winning? The original plan had been to let her win about half the time, but between her rapid improvement and his self-imposed handicaps, she managed quite a few victories without him giving them away.

“I need to look into getting one of these,” Autumn said with a smile. Her crystal coat had returned at some point during their matches. “You are quite the teacher, Spike.”

“Teacher?” he repeated in confusion.

“You always held yourself at just above my skill level, and gave me constructive advice.” She looked equally confused. “Was that not an attempt to teach me?”

In retrospect, Spike didn't know why he was surprised that Autumn knew he had been holding back. He laughed a little. “Actually, I was just trying to make sure you had fun.”

“Then your intentions were even more noble than I had realized.” She looked at the screen thoughtfully. “Would you mind playing against me at your best, just once?”

“Uh, okay.” Spike deposited the bits. “Just don't be upset. This move is kinda unfair.”

Two forty-hit combos and two flawless victories later, Spike turned to his stunned companion. “Like I said, unfair.”

“Can other characters also do that?” A competitive spark had appeared in Autumn's eyes.

“Not that I know of.”

She smiled a little bit. “Then I challenge you to fight me as any character other than Chun-breeze. Without holding back, of course”

“It would be a pleasure.” Spike picked his second favorite character, Draka, the half dragon.

Several hard fought battles later, Spike held the lead with four victories out of seven matches. “You're really, really good at this.” He let out a breath of air. “I can't believe you've never played before.”

“Perhaps never before,” Autumn's back popped as she straightened, “but I hope you will be kind enough to play against me in the future.” She stood up and continued to stretch her back and neck.

“I'd love to,” Spike rose as well, “but until then, there's still a lot of Ponyville to see.”

They stopped by Sugarcube Corner for a snack, and Autumn was introduced to Pinkie Pie, the most oddball of Spike's friends. Luckily, the pink mare's craziness was limited to spontaneously generating a pair of cupcakes for them, complete with frosting replicas of the two. “In honor of Spike's first date!” She grinned and gave the dragon a hug before returning to work.

“First date?” Autumn asked. “Is that really true?”

Spike failed to suppress a blush. “Yeah... well, I've only been an adult for a few weeks, you know.”

Autumn blushed a little too. “I feel like I'm stealing an honor that should be going to Lady Rarity.”

An honor? he thought. How is going out with me an honor? Oh right, the whole helping to save the Crystal Empire thing. The sentiment was flattering, but Spike knew he hadn't done all that much. As usual, most of the credit belonged to Twilight and the others. I'm getting distracted again. He took the crystal mare's hoof in his clawed hand. “Hey, you aren't stealing anything. I'm really happy about spending this time with you.” It was the truth. Not that he didn't love Rarity, but he couldn't goof around with her the same way he could with Autumn.

She smiled gratefully. “I assure you, Spike, the feeling is mutual.”

“Good.” He finished off his cupcake. “So where would you like to go next?”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Not much later, they were approaching the Dragon House. “Grandmother and Fire Eyes said they were going to do some training today,” Spike told his companion, “so don't freak out if it looks like they're attacking each other.”

Autumn Gem nodded. “I am curious how wyrms apply their magic in combat.”

“You'll see,” Spike said as the two dragonesses came into view on the other side of the house. They were relaxing in the field there.

“Hi, Spike!” Fire Eyes called when she saw them.

“Hey, Fire Eyes,” he called back. “Hi, Grandmother.”

Something strange happened as they drew near. Autumn Gem and Fire Claws both paused and looked at each other in surprise. They locked eyes for several seconds before both smiled.

“I'm surprised to meet a natural empath,” the older dragoness said.

“I am as well,” Autumn replied. “Oh, I understand. Magic?” She laughed after a moment. “Um, thank you?”

Spike looked at the two of them. If memory served, an empath was a pony that could sense the emotions of others. His grandmother's spell would certainly qualify her as one, and she had called Autumn a natural empath. The book did mention something about that, he recalled. “Are you two talking with just your emotions?”

“Sort of,” his grandmother said. She looked at Autumn for a moment before continuing. “Your friend is quite talented, but without knowing the same emotional 'language,' it's difficult to be sure exactly what the other means by what they are sending.”

“That's why I spoke out loud,” Autumn explained. “I wanted to make sure I was getting the correct message.” Her brow furrowed in concentration. “You are... offering to teach me?”

Fire Claws nodded. “Though I may not need to at the rate you're learning.”

“It's similar to the crystal pony language,” she admitted. “Surprisingly similar, actually. Perhaps one of these languages helped inspire the other.”

“Meaning our language was probably developed by imitating crystal ponies.” The purple dragoness smiled. “It's okay to admit it. The odds of natural empaths having to learn from artificial ones like us are slim.”

“In any case, why do wyrms even have an emotion-based language?” Spike asked.

“Linked combat,” Fire Eyes finally spoke up. “It let's the group communicate almost instantly with every other member.”

“Yes, and speaking of combat,” his grandmother said, “are you here for today's training session?”

Spike shook his head. “No, I was just showing Autumn around.” He suddenly realized that he had never properly introduced her. “By the way, this is my grandmother, Fire Claws, the best fighter in either the Ponyville or Redstone covens, and her most talented student, Fire Eyes.” He gestured to the crystal mare. “And this is Autumn Gem. We met at the ball in Canterlot, and I'm showing her around Ponyville today.”

The three females exchanged greetings.

“Are Spike and Cliff Runner also your students?” Autumn asked.

Fire Claws shrugged. “Yes, but Spike is just beginning his training and Cliff never had his heart in it until recently.”

A mischievous smile spread across Autumn's face. “Well, Spike just finished defeating me in a competitive game because of his greater experience. Perhaps he should spar against Fire Eyes to balance things out.”

Spike barely had time to say, “Wait, what?” before the white dragoness grabbed him and dragged him out into the field.

“Did he go easy on you at all?” she asked Autumn.

The crystal mare exchanged a look with Fire Claws. “No,” she lied.

“What?!” Spike sputtered. “No, I did! Fire Eyes, you have to believe me.”

“Five seconds to cast your spells.” The dragoness grinned. “Starting now.”

There comes a time in every creature's life when everything can be summed up in a simple, and yet eloquent phrase. This was such a time for Spike. “Oh crap!”

He barely had time to cast Scale Armor and Strength before Fire Eyes was on him. Luckily, he could only manage tier two defensive spells, meaning they would both be limited to tier one attacks. For Spike, that wasn't much of a loss. He only knew seven tier two spells anyway. For Fire Eyes, however, it cut out almost all of her usual repertoire.

The white dragoness was resourceful, however. She surged a Light spell, blinding her opponent long enough for a throw and a joint lock.

“Ow,” Spike muttered into the ground. Scale Armor did very little to counteract having his arm bent like that.

“Now let's say I'm actually trying to hurt you,” Fire Eyes said, kneeling on his back. “How do you get out of this?”

He tried to shake her off and roll away, but only succeeded in wrenching his arm even more.

“Come on, Spike. Trying to beat me in grappling? When facing a more experienced opponent, you should count on them being more familiar with their own fighting methods than you are. Find the move I'm not expecting, and bring the fight back into your territory.” She applied more pressure to his arm. “And move quickly. Your foe won't wait around for you.”

Spike went through all the spells he knew. Unfortunately, 'Get This Crazy Dragoness Off My Back' wasn't among them. What would Twilight do? Teleport, obviously. There was no such dragon spell. Cliff? Those crazy bursts of momentum were way outside of his skill level. Applejack? Pinkie Pie? Rarity? No, no, and no. In frustration, he grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it over his shoulder.

Fire Eyes let go, rubbing her eyes and spitting out a mouthful of dirt.

“Oh gosh.” Spike got up and rushed over to her. “Are you okay, Fire Eyes?”

She blinked out more of the dirt. “I'm fine, but you should have attacked just then.” She spat again. “Yuck.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Wouldn't that be kind of unfair?”

She managed to give him a flat look. “I'm twice your age and have been training my whole life. What part about any of our matches has been fair?”

“Well...”

“Exactly. The whole point of fighting is to protect yourself and your coven. You want to be as unfair as possible so that you can keep everydragon safe.” She motioned him forward. “Now come on, do a followup attack. I'll give it to you as a freebie.”

Though he was still a bit unsure about the idea of fighting dirty, Spike wasn't about to pass up the chance to finally land a blow on Fire Eyes, especially with Autumn still watching. He surged his strength spell and did his best imitation of an applebuck. It was strangely satisfying to watch Fire Eyes fly a good ten feet before she landed.

“Now that's an attack!” She jumped to her feet with a grin. “Let's see if you can do it again.”

As it turned out, it was much easier to applebuck a stationary target. Also, throwing dirt only worked against a foe that wasn't expecting it. At least Fire Eyes kept things interesting. She seemed to choose randomly between slashing him into submission, using joint locks and choke holds, and pelting him with rocks from a distance. He never did manage to land another solid blow.

“Okay, that's enough for now,” the white dragoness said. “We shouldn't wear you out too much if you're going to spend the evening with... uh...” She snapped her thumb and foreclaw together a few times.

“Autumn.” Spike climbed to his feet, wincing as his muscles groaned in protest. He was tempted to heal himself, even knowing that it would undo the benefits of all that exercise.

The crystal mare smiled apologetically as he approached. “I hope you aren't too hurt.”

“Nah.” Fire Eyes slapped Spike on the shoulder, hard enough to knock him flat. “He's fine.”

The three females exchanged looks and laughs.

Whether it was that emotion-based language, or the legendary 'girl talk,' Spike was fairly certain that he had missed something. “I'll be back as soon as I rinse this dirt off.” He climbed back to his feet. “Feel free to tell embarrassing stories about me while I'm gone.” It didn't take much to figure out that they'd be doing that anyway, so he may as well let them know that he was aware of it.

“Will embarrassing stories about Cliff work?” his grandmother asked. “So far you've done nothing but impress us.”

“Ha ha ha,” Spike deadpanned.

The purple dragoness smiled in amusement. “I'm being serious, Spike. You might be inexperienced, but you're learning more quickly than I'd dreamed possible.”

“It's true,” Fire Claws said with a shove towards the Dragon House. “Now go wash off.”

Spike couldn't help but grin, in spite of his aching muscles.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Autumn had a surprise for Spike when he reemerged. Backed by his grandmother and Fire Eyes, she held out a small white flower, made entirely of crystal. “I thought you would like this,” she said with a nervous smile.

Spike accepted the gift and held it up to the light. Even though it was crystal, the amount of detail was unreal. Individual veins and folds could be seen in the petals, and there were even flecks of yellow pollen. He had never seen anything quite like it. “This is beautiful,” he breathed. “It must have cost you a fortune.”

“Guess again.” Fire Eyes chuckled. She pointed to two piles behind them. One was of regular flowers, and the other was of crystal ones.

Spike's eyes widened. “Wait, you made this?”

“I am a crystal pony,” Autumn said. “Smaller things like flowers can be crystallized very easily.”

I really need to ask Twilight everything there is to know about crystal ponies, he reflected. “That's an amazing ability.”

She smiled again. “I hope it tastes good.”

“Tastes?” Spike repeated. “Do crystal ponies eat crystallized flowers?”

This time the mare laughed. “Of course not, Spike, but dragons eat crystals.”

“Oh.” Spike felt a little silly. He looked at the beautiful flower again. “Uh, would it be alright if I kept this one and ate another?”

Autumn's grin told him that he had said the right thing. “Of course.”

Fire Claws nodded approvingly as she gave him a crystallized daisy.

Spike took a small bite of the flower. It crunched pleasantly in his mouth, and the taste was amazing; like a piece of daisy-flavored quartz! “Mmmm.” He licked his lips. “Delicious!”

The two female dragons must have been waiting for that, because they each tossed a crystal flower into their own mouths. Appreciative sounds quickly followed.

“Spike,” Fire Eyes said as she grabbed another flower, “marry this pony!”

It took a few minutes of sputtering and blushing for both Spike and Autumn to calm down after that comment. Fire Eyes had just laughed at their discomfort, but at least Fire Claws had the decency to reign her in a bit.

“Sorry about that,” Spike said as they walked back to Ponyville. “Fire Eyes doesn't usually think before she talks.”

“Agreed,” Autumn laughed, calming the tension that had built up around them, “but she and your grandmother are far more caring than they let on. As soon as they realized how much I've missed empathetic communication, they were both kind enough to indulge me.”

“Wait, Fire Eyes can use that spell too?”

The mare nodded. “She doesn't use it continuously, like your grandmother, but she does know it. She even tried using illusions to reflect her emotions, like a crystal pony's coat, because she wanted to remind me of home.”

Spike studied his companion. “I thought your coat only showed if you were happy or not.”

Autumn sighed. “To an outsider, perhaps, but another crystal pony would be able to know what I'm feeling simply by looking at me. One of the reasons we rarely leave the Empire is that, because other types of ponies can't read our visual or emotive cues, they come across as unforgivably insensitive.”

“Oh.” Spike swallowed nervously. “Tell me the truth. How much of a jerk have I been today?”

“Far better than most ponies,” she assured him. “In the Crystal Empire, feeling angry at another pony in their presence is as rude as verbalizing those emotions. We learn from birth to moderate our surface feelings, just like other ponies must learn to control what they say. Your training in the Stillness yields similar results. You have also been radiating a desire that I enjoy myself, which is rather flattering.” She smiled gratefully.

He returned the smile with one of his own. “Well, you have been going way out of your way to help me. I just wanted to do something nice in return.”

They walked in silence for a few moments before Spike spoke again, “By the way, would you mind teaching me to read crystal pony emotions by their coats?”

Autumn turned to him in surprise. “I could teach you, of course, but why would you be interested in learning?”

“You said that other ponies seem insensitive for not understanding what your coat shows.” Spike scratched the back of his neck. “I'd rather not be a jerk to you by doing the same thing.”

“...If you look closely, you'll see that my coat has become slightly more transparent,” Autumn said with a smile. “That means gratitude. In this case, for your thoughtfulness.”

Spike didn't bother trying to hide his grin as she continued to elaborate.

-_-_-_-_-_-

They went to the palace next. There were two reasons for that. Firstly, his connection to Princess Twilight was well known, and refusing to introduce Autumn would have made it seem like he wanted to keep her at claw's length. Secondly, and more importantly, Autumn was his friend, and Spike wanted her to meet his older sister.

Twilight was reading at the kitchen table when they walked in. “Oh there you are, Spike.” She smiled. “And it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Autumn Gem.”

“You honor me too much, Princess Twilight,” Autumn bowed, “but I thank you for your kindness.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you can both ditch the formalities. Autumn's here to relax, Twilight, not to practice her manners.”

“Oh, sorry.” Twilight blushed. “I wanted to make a good first impression so I researched etiquette from the Crystal Empire.”

“There's no need to apologize.” Autumn looked a bit uncomfortable as well, and now that Spike knew what to look for, he could see it reflected across her body. Her hooves had become slightly more opaque, and her coat wasn't quite as reflective as before. “It's... actually a bit awe inspiring to meet a princess and a national hero.”

“And a real nerd,” Spike commented. “With a bit of mad scientist thrown in for good measure.”

“Oh hush,” Twilight said with an indulgent smile. “Sorry about this, Autumn. Spike only knows how to be sarcastic.”

“I would still take sarcasm over the selfish quarrels of nobility,” the crystal mare replied.

This time Twilight laughed. “Yes, I have to agree with that. You wouldn't believe some of the silly requests I've gotten since becoming a princess.”

“Really?” Autumn pointed to a seat at the table. “May I?”

“Yes, you may.” Spike rolled his eyes again. “Come on, I told you that you don't need to be so formal.”

“Be nice, Spike,” Twilight gently chastised him. “She was just being polite.” She turned back to Autumn. “Anyway, one time a duke came up to me and asked me to issue an arrest warrant for Doughnut Joe because he was taking customers away from that duke's chain of bakeries...”

Twilight had never liked being treated differently because of her status as a princess. In fact, she had spent countless hours studying about how to put others at ease around her. Spike knew, he'd helped her take notes. His sister told a couple of funny stories, and then artfully guided Autumn to talk about herself. First, to share stories about annoying nobles, like Twilight had just finished doing. (Apparently Autumn hated Prince Blueblood as much as Rarity.) Next, they talked about their hobbies and interests; crystallization, considered to be an art form in the Empire, jewelry making, and surprisingly, jousting. Finally, they discussed their day-to-day lives.

“Honestly,” Autumn said, “when there isn't a party or a concert to attend, or a business deal to finalize, I just sit around my apartment reading or go to the gym and exercise.”

Spike winced. “Wow. No wonder you were so excited to get away from it for a while.”

“Indeed.” Autumn sighed. “It will be waiting for me when I return, though.”

Twilight shot Spike one of those looks that only a sibling could decipher. Remember what I said earlier?

He nodded subtly. “Well if you want, I could come visit you sometime. Assuming the 'Princess' here can survive without me.”

“I think I'll manage.” Twilight smiled playfully. “With only Cliff around, I might get some sarcasm-free conversations for a change.”

Autumn laughed at the display of sibling affection. “Yes, I would love to have you join me in Canterlot sometime.” She looked around. “Although, speaking of Cliff Runner, where is he?”

“He's practicing magic in his room,” Twilight said. “Fire Claws wants him to learn some new spells.”

“Do you want to go say hi?” Spike asked.

Autumn seemed unsure. “I wouldn't want to upset him.” The color of her mane also changed slightly, but Spike could only guess what emotion that signified.

“He'd be fine.” Spike assured her. “Cliff is nothing if not go-with-the-flow.”

“Well, okay.” Autumn rose to her hooves. “If you're sure.”

Spike and Twilight both nodded and rose as well.

Cliff was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed and his claws held together to form a circle.

“Hey bro.” Spike said.

…

“Hello in there?”

The older dragons eyes opened and he blinked a couple of times. “Hey Spike.” He turned to Autumn. “And good afternoon to you. I'm Cliff Runner, Spike's brother.”

She nodded. “I'm Autumn Gem. It's an honor to meet you.”

Spike groaned. “Again with the formality? Can't anypony just say, 'hey, I'm Spike. What's up?'”

Cliff arched an eyebrow. “Has this been a problem for you today?”

“Not really,” Autumn said. “I think your brother is trying to give you a hard time.”

“Ah,” Cliff smiled, “that seems to be how he says, 'I love you.'”

“I assumed as much.”

The older dragon stretched his arms. “In any case, it's good to meet you as well, Autumn. I hope you'll forgive me for sounding silly, but I never expected crystal ponies to actually be crystalline.”

“We aren't, actually.” Autumn took a seat next to him. “It's natural magic in our coats that gives crystal ponies this appearance.”

“That's interesting.” Cliff leaned forward a bit to get a better look at her. “Does your coat protect you more than other types of ponies?”

“A little,” she replied. “I doubt it provides as much defense as dragon scales, though.”

Cliff nodded thoughtfully. “I hope you and Spike have been enjoying your date.”

“Very much so.” Autumn smiled. “Spike took me to a place called an arcade...”

As the two of them talked, Spike took the opportunity to sit beside Autumn. Twilight sat next to Cliff.

“...You are quite the inspiration, Cliff.” Autumn said after a few minutes of idle chatter.

He frowned in confusion. “How so?”

“The Dragon-Pony Cultural Exchange Program wouldn't exist if not for you,” she pointed out. “Not only are you the first wyrm to integrate into pony society, but you convinced both species to attempt peaceful cohabitation.”

Cliff shook his head gently. “I came to Ponyville because I wanted to find my brother. Then I stayed here because I didn't want to leave him. The real inspiration for dragons and ponies living together is actually Rainbow Dash.”

“Really?” Autumn asked. “Nopony has mentioned that.”

“Really,” Cliff said. “She followed me back to my old coven after that whole incident with the hydra. She got along so well with Fire Eyes and River Wind that I found myself wondering how our two races started hating each other in the first place.” He shrugged. “Since then, I just asked why we couldn't all get along, and Twilight, Celestia, and Silent Halls put the Exchange Program together. It's like they were trying to say, 'good point. Let's give it a try.'”

Twilight beamed. “Thanks, Cliff. But you really shouldn't underplay your own role in starting all this.”

“I'm not,” Cliff told her. “Rainbow deserves credit for inspiring it all, I deserve it for mentioning the idea, and you, Celestia, and Silent Halls, deserve much more credit for making it real.”

“It seems that all dragons are determined to remain humble,” Autumn observed.

Cliff shrugged. “You can be greedy for attention and credit just as easily as for possessions.”

“It's a good thing Rainbow Dash was only a dragon for a week then,” Spike said. “She loves attention.”

Twilight looked like she was going to get mad at him for that, but then she sighed. “You're right.”

“Anyway,” Spike looked at the clock. “we should be going. Our reservation is for six.”

“Okay, have fun you two,” Twilight said with a smile.

Cliff nodded. “Take care.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Twilight really is a wonderful pony.” Autumn said over dinner.

Spike had gotten them a table at the fanciest restaurant in town, but now that he knew the crystal mare a little better, it occurred to him that going to Vinyl's club might have been a better idea. It would have been easier for them both to be themselves, at least. A candle-lit dinner on an enclosed balcony with violin music didn't exactly scream, 'relaxation.'

“I see now why the town treats her like any other citizen.”

Spike nodded over the table. “Yep, she wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Although Cliff Runner was something of a surprise.”

Conversation was cut off as an immaculately dressed waiter took their orders. Spike motioned for her to continue once they were alone again.

“Well, he seems completely unaware of the political power at his disposal.”

Spike had to laugh. “That's because he is. Cliff knows what he wants in life, and political power isn't on the list, so he ignores it.” He sighed. “I actually envy him for that focus. I still have no idea what I should be doing with my life. Maybe it has something to do with not having my true name yet...”

Autumn smiled sympathetically. “At least you still have time to decide. With your lifespan, you could explore any number of options.”

That made him think about Twilight, and how she would be with him for so much longer than any normal pony. Spike smiled a little. “Yeah, but more importantly, I have my family.”

“Yes, that is what matters most. I could feel how much they all loved you. It was rather heart warming, to be honest.”

“What's your family like?” Spike asked suddenly. “Do you have any siblings?”

“No.” Autumn looked out the window, or maybe it was at her reflection. It was hard to tell. “I was quite spoiled as a child, and told my parents that I didn't want any brothers or sisters so I wouldn't have to share their attention.” She rolled her eyes. “One wonders how they ever managed to put up with me.”

“Yeeaahhh, that's pretty bad,” Spike had to admit. “But hey, at least you never smashed up the town in a greed-induced rage.”

She smiled. “True, I don't think I have anything in my past that could match that incident.”

“Well then, tell me about your parents.”

“My mother ran the wheat industry in the Crystal Empire. Every wheat farm was connected to her in one form or other. She's very hardworking, and a talented businessmare, but she somehow found time to spend with me.” Autumn laughed softly. “We played a different game at every high society event we attended together. One time we had to convince other ponies to invest in dehydrated water. Whoever got the most promised funds won. At another, I had to get as many stallions to flirt with me as possible, while she tried to dissuade them. I won because I still had three of them following me around when the night ended.”

Spike laughed as well. “Wow. You and Celestia would get along so well. She does that sort of thing too.”

“Celestia?” Autumn looked around to make sure nopony was listening in. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Spike leaned forward a little. “Don't get me wrong, she's still the most caring ruler ever, but all the pomp and ceremony drives her nuts. That's why she plays little games to keep things interesting.”

“Such as?”

“Have you heard about that one Grand Galloping Gala that was ruined by an animal stampede?”

She nodded. “Yes, the reason why the Elements of Harmony aren't invited to any major events.” Autumn's eyes widened. “Did the Princess know that they would cause that mess?”

Spike chuckled. “She found us later that night and said that it was the best Gala yet.”

Autumn was struggling to contain her laughter. “My goodness. I wonder if she would like an ally in her quest for amusement.”

“We could ask her when I come visit you in Canterlot,” Spike offered. “When would you like to do that, anyway?”

“Let's,” she agreed. “Perhaps Saturday?”

Spike held up a wine glass. “It's a date.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Their final stop for the night was the movie theater. “They only have two screens,” Spike said apologetically. “So you'll have to choose between Establo Blanco, and The Dawn of the Trotting Dead.”

Autumn groaned slightly. “I've been forced to watch Establo Blanco three times since it debuted in Canterlot. Would you mind too much if we went to see the other one?”

“Seriously,” Spike chuckled, “you're asking if I'm okay with going to see an awesome zombie movie instead of a boring drama?”

She chuckled as well. “I suppose if you put it that way... Let's go see The Dawn of the Trotting Dead.”

Two zombie-filled hours later, the pair walked out of the theater with matching grins.

“That was awesome!” Spike said. “I loved how the breakdown of society triggered a breakdown in everypony's morals too. It's like the director was saying that we're all one disaster away from becoming feral monsters.” The young dragon frowned as he realized what he had just said. Curse you adult brain! You aren't supposed to enjoy symbolism in a monster movie!

Sensing his internal conflict, Autumn laughed. “Why Spike, it seems you've become deep and insightful in spite of yourself.”

“Uh yeah,” Spike scratched the back of his neck. “I guess I have.”

“Though personally,” she added, “I preferred the explosions.”

They both laughed.

“You know,” Autumn said nervously as they approached the hotel. “You don't have to come visit me in Canterlot if you don't want to. I know you would rather spend time here with Rarity.”

Spike shook his head. “I like spending time with you, Autumn. You're one of my good friends, and it sounds like you could really use another day away from all that monotony.”

“Thank you, and you are all too correct about the boredom.” The crystal pony groaned.

He nodded. “Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, I'll come by tomorrow at seven thirty to take you to breakfast.”

“You don't have to.”

“I want to,” Spike insisted and gave her a hug.

Autumn stiffened at first, but then she returned the embrace. “Thank you, Spike.”

“No problem.” He stepped back. “I'll see you tomorrow then?”

She was just a little red as she nodded. “Yes. See you then.”

Spike watched her go inside, and then turned to make his way back to the palace. Video games, crystallized flowers, good food, a great movie, and the revelation that Rarity actually did have romantic feelings for him. All in all, he couldn't have hoped for a better day.

Author's Note

Chapter of the cheesy pony puns! I'm going to assume that you could decipher them all, but just in case: Stable Fighter 2 = Street Fighter 2. Reign-yu = Ryu. Chun-breeze = Chun-li. Draka = Blanka. Establo Blanco = Casa Blanca. The Dawn of the Trotting Dead = The Dawn of the Living Dead. Not terribly creative, I know, but they were kind of fun to cook up.

Now that we know more about Autumn, and crystal ponies in general, I'm curious what your thoughts are.

Oddly, everyone I asked said that making crystal ponies empaths (able to sense emotions) fit them well, but no one could say why, not even me, and I'm the one who came up with it! As for crystallizing things, it was mostly inspired by the fact that everything in the Crystal Empire is... well, crystal. I figured they have to either have the world's largest crystal mine, or be able to produce crystals on their own somehow. Finally, crystal pony coats clearly reflect the basic states of happy and sad in the show, but it got me thinking that maybe there are more subtle changes that an outsider wouldn't pick up on, showing the finer details of emotions.

Spike is, admittedly, being pretty clueless in some of the things he has been doing lately. This has basically been my attempt to explore his one-sided crush (bordering on an obsession) from a more teenage point of view. So yeah, I think he's being kind of an idiot, but I also think this is how a young adult version of Spike would act under the circumstances. Feel free to tell me if you disagree though. It's not like I'm more qualified to talk about Spike than anyone else.

Chapter 21

After the events of the previous morning, Twilight decided it would be a good idea to keep an eye on the media. To that end, she had gone out and signed up for every major newspaper and magazine that might have dragon-related stories. This turned out to be a very good idea, because dragons were on the cover of virtually everything the next morning.

It took Cliff, Spike, and Twilight nearly an hour to read through it all. Most articles reviewed the damage to Ponyville earlier that week, followed by the revelation that dragons were behind it, and some sort of (usually negative) reaction to Rainbow's 'hybrid' status. Phrases like, “mutant,” “freak,” and “crime against nature,” were used far too often for Cliff's liking, which is to say, at all.

Apparently healing nearly every pony in the hospital had been completely undercut by helping a single pegasus to breath fire.

“Relax,” Spike assured them after seeing Autumn off at the train station. “We knew there would be some backlash when we told them about Rainbow. It isn't much worse than what would have happened anyway after Discord's little press conference. Give the media another week and nopony will even remember this.”

His prediction turned out to be overly optimistic. Each day, a new wave of papers discussed the 'ethical quandary' of Rainbow's transformation. Some painted her as helpless victim of dragon meddling. Others claimed that she wanted to abandon her pegasus heritage and transform into a dragon completely. Somepony dug up a photo of Rainbow as a dragoness after Discord's party, and speculation began to run wild about how the experience had affected her.

Oddly, even though Rainbow Dash and Spike talked to reporters several times, their interviews never seemed to overturn all the gossip and hearsay.

At least the ponies around town seemed largely unconcerned by the media circus. After all, Twilight had once accidentally turned the entire town upside down, literally. Compared to that, a fire-breathing pegasus and an army of paparazzi was no big deal.

Spike's visit to Canterlot to spend time with Autumn was, in his own words, “A blast, just don't play against her in Stable Fighter II.” However, his return also marked the arrival of a swarm of protesters, which kind of killed the mood.

Disagreements in a wyrm coven took one of two forms. The members gathered to hear both sides of the argument, and then either held a vote on the matter, or more rarely, one side challenged the other to a duel. Pony protests were nothing like either. As far as Cliff could tell, they just stood around, waving signs and yelling at the ponies and/or dragons that they disagreed with. He didn't know what they were expecting to accomplish that way, but as long as they didn't actually hurt anydragon, he and the rest of the Ponyville Coven were fine with just ignoring them.

Rainbow Dash actually seemed to enjoy herself. An army of supporters had arisen for her, also employing the useless sign-waving technique, giving the multicolored pegasus a pretty sizable entourage wherever she went. Somehow, she kept finding excuses to show off her new fire breath and heat immunity, up to and including packing uncooked meals for her lunches so she could roast them in public.

In spite of everything, the new coven was adapting to life in Ponyville fairly well. River Wind was as close to the rest of the Crusaders as ever, and emotion control made it easy to ignore taunts from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Also, the reporters and protesters largely overlooked the hatchling dragoness.

Burning Torch joined a book club, hosted by Twilight, where his brilliant mind and willingness to learn earned him a number of friends; most notably, a brown earth pony named Dr. Whooves, who seemed to be an expert in pretty much everything.

Fire Claws, in spite of her forward attitude, had always been a protective and motherly figure to those in need. It was no surprise to Cliff then, when his grandmother told him that she had become friends with Derpy/Ditzy, who was still hesitant to reveal which was her real name, for some reason.

The gray mare herself had written Cliff a letter, talking about how happy she was when his grandmother stood up for her during an incident at the postal service break room. Since then, Derpy (because Cliff had to pick something to call her) had spent at least some time with the dragoness nearly every day.

“She has been through a lot,” Fire Claws told Cliff one evening. “She just needs a friend to talk to.”

Fire Eyes was struggling the most to adapt, but even she was doing well. While her construction job hadn't gained her any friends yet, she did spend a fair amount of time with Rainbow Dash, and listening as River told them about her adventures with the other Crusaders always brought a smile to the white dragoness's face.

Cliff was proud of them all, and proud of the ponies who had, for the most part, embraced them. His only real worry, ironically, had nothing to do with reporters, or scandals, or even the future of dragon-pony relations. He worried that he was a boring stallionfriend (even if he wasn't exactly a stallion).

It had started as a seemingly minor comment from Spike about how he and Fluttershy never did anything exciting or romantic together. At first, Cliff had shrugged it off as a simple difference in personalities. He kept telling himself that Fluttershy wasn't the kind to be interested in more formal dates, like the kind Twilight had described. However, over a week had passed since he had tried to kiss the yellow mare, and she still hadn't brought it up again.

Maybe Spike's right, Cliff decided at length. She would want to kiss me if I was more romantic, or at least not so boring. He had to admit that the urge to kiss her had become more and more difficult to ignore as time went by. The way the light reflected in her eyes when she smiled, or the softness of her fur and the tickle of her feathers as they cuddled made his heart feel like it could burst. Between her sharp mind, pure spirit, and beautiful body, it was rather obvious to the young dragon why he wanted to kiss her so badly. On the other claw, he couldn't think of any good reason that the pegasus would want to kiss him back.

Luckily Autumn Gem was visiting Ponyville again, and Spike was off with her somewhere, leaving Cliff alone to talk to Twilight. “I need your advice,” he explained after pulling the alicorn away from her reading. “How can I be more romantic for Fluttershy?”

“Huh?” Twilight's jaw dropped.

He sat across from the Princess. “I'm afraid I might be boring to her.”

Twilight stared at him for a moment, then she put a hoof on his shoulder. “Cliff, Fluttershy loves spending time with you. She doesn't think you're boring.”

“I'm not very exciting either,” he returned. “I really enjoy talking and reading together, but what if she wants something more?”

Twilight settled back down and tapped a hoof against her chin. “Well, maybe you should try talking to Rarity. If Fluttershy has told anypony about her dating life, it'll be her.”

He nodded. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“No problem.” She smiled. “It's nice to see how concerned you are with making her happy.”

Cliff was a bit ashamed to reflect that he had mostly brought it up because he was hoping to earn a kiss from his marefriend. Am I being shallow? he wondered. The young dragon was still mulling the issue over as he thanked Twilight again and left.

There seemed to be more protesters than usual as Cliff worked his way through Ponyville. It was amazing how he had gotten used to them. He wasn't even worried by their shouting and veiled threats any more. Of course, maintaining two defensive spells at all times didn't hurt.

Carousel Boutique was one of several businesses that had actually benefited from all the attention. Wearing Rarity's fire-themed clothing had become a statement of political stance as much as of fashion, and most of the town, as well as much of the upper crust in Canterlot, were buying the outfits as quickly as she could produce them.

Cliff entered the boutique after pushing his way through another crowd of protesters. Rarity was sitting at a table inside, talking with... Autumn and Spike?

They all stopped and stared at him as he entered.

“...I'll come back,” Cliff said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“There's no need for that, dear,” Rarity said quickly. “What brings you by today?”

Now this was a conundrum. He could triple his feedback, but at the cost of tripling his embarrassment. The young dragon mentally shrugged. Why not? We'll call it karma for being selfish earlier. “I need some dating advice.”

Those words set off what could only be described as an explosion of questions and ideas from Spike, Rarity, and even Autumn.

Cliff struggled to keep up with them, “Yes... no, she didn- that's what I came to ask... No, but you know how she is... Yes. I don't know... Maybe? What do you thi- Okay, if you're sure... You don't mind? Okay... I'll ask her... No, I can do it now.” He left the boutique, blinking in confusion. Somehow, he had just agreed to a double date with Spike and Autumn that weekend in Canterlot.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Saturday morning, Cliff climbed aboard the train to Canterlot along with Spike and Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus had been somewhat nervous about the whole idea, but also seemed happy that Cliff had asked.

Cliff himself had mixed feelings about the plan. Rarity had assured him that Fluttershy often let her fears get in the way of things she wanted to do, and that she was sure to have a wonderful time in Canterlot. He hoped she was right, but he couldn't stop worrying that the large city would scare his poor marefriend senseless.

“Are you okay, Cliff?” Fluttershy asked. “You seem a little nervous.”

And now worrying about her has made her worry about me. He laughed softly. “Actually, I'm just hoping that you have fun today.”

“Well, I've never been on a double date, but I think it will be nice.” She scooted a little closer. “As long as we're together, that is.”

Spike was watching them from the other seat in their compartment, an amused smile on his face. “You two really are cute together.”

Suddenly reminded that they weren't alone, Fluttershy turned bright red. “Oh, my...”

Cliff reflexively put an arm around her. It always seemed to help when she was feeling uncomfortable.

“Strike that,” Spike corrected, “you're adorable.”

The older dragon rolled his eyes. “Don't worry, Fluttershy. That's just his way of complimenting us.”

“Actually, I was trying to embarrass you.” Spike pointed at his brother. “Fluttershy is way too nice for me to tease. You, on the other hoof...” He spread his arms wide. “Well, what are younger brothers for?”

“Technically, I'm the younger brother,” Cliff reminded him.

“I go off of who hatched first.” He shrugged. “Anyway, Fluttershy, do you know any good ways to get Cliff embarrassed?”

She shook her head. “Uh, no. I'm sorry, Spike. I don't usually try to make him embarrassed.”

“Hm, that's too bad.” He leaned back into his seat. “You'd probably think it's cute when he gets all red and flustered.”

“Remind me to try that theory on you when we meet up with Autumn,” Cliff said.

Spike laughed. “Give it your best shot, bro.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was giving Cliff a thoughtful look. He had to hope that she wasn't taking what his brother said seriously.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Autumn was waiting for them at the Canterlot station. As before, Cliff could see why the crystal mare interested his brother. Not only was she a beautiful pony, but her crystalline appearance was rather striking. If he was being completely honest, it made him a little hungry.

“Good morning,” she greeted them. “I hope you're all feeling well.”

“All the better for seeing you, Autumn.” Spike grinned. “Ready for an awesome day?”

Cliff was a little jealous of his brother's gift for flirting. His magically enhanced eyesight was able to pick up a slight reddening in the crystal mare's cheeks.

“Of course.” She turned to Cliff and Fluttershy. “Are you two ready to go?”

They both nodded.

“Alright, follow me.”

It was Cliff's first time in Canterlot since the fateful night when he had met Celestia and Luna, and he was forcefully reminded just how large the city was. They walked far enough get from one end of Ponyville to the other and back again before they reached their destination, and that was only to get across one section of the city. Even more impressive than the size was the sheer number of ponies. Every single street was as crowded as the marketplace in Ponyville.

In spite of himself, Cliff felt some of his old nerves returning.

Fluttershy wasn't doing much better. She moved closer and closer to him, until their sides were pressed together as they walked.

Autumn Gem's apartment building was in one of the high class districts of the city, complete with technology that Cliff had never seen before. There was something called an 'elevator,' that took them from the first floor up to the fifth, where Autumn lived. Just being inside the thing made Cliff uncomfortable, but the others all seemed fine with it.

“Spike, you and Cliff can leave your bags in the guest bedroom.” Autumn pointed to the second door on their right. “Fluttershy, I'll show you to the master bedroom.”

Spike had stayed at the castle during his last visit because of the strange pony stigma against two adults sleeping in the same area, but apparently a larger group meant fewer ponies would get the wrong idea.

Cliff didn't understand it. In fact, this whole building was confusing to him. After the concept of an apartment building had been explained to him, the young dragon had assumed it would be similar to a coven, with everything shared except for sleeping quarters. To his surprise, however, it was more like a cluster of small pony houses, all connected by hallways.

Autumn had two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and a study. There was even a video game system in her living room, like the kind at the Ponyville arcade, and a bowl of crystallized flowers sitting on the kitchen table. Overall, the apartment felt like a needless extravagance to him, but Spike and Fluttershy both commented on how nice everything was, so Cliff had to assume it was one of those things that he just didn't get about ponies.

After their brief tour, Autumn checked the clock. “We have a few hours before lunch. Would you like to go swimming until then? If not, we can go window shopping in the marketplace.”

Spike shrugged. “I'm in the mood for swimming, but whatever you want to do is fine.”

“I'm fine with anything,” Fluttershy said.

Buying windows didn't appeal to Cliff much. All of hers look fine anyway. “Swimming, I guess.”

Autumn led them back into the hallway, down the elevator (it was just as nerve-wracking the second time), and out the back door, where an immense, concrete lined pond waited. No other ponies seemed to be around.

“Last one in is a burnt carrot!” Spike shouted as he ran for the water. He jumped and curled into a ball, making a large splash.

Cliff was right behind him, though he dove in with as little splashing as possible. “How about a race?” he suggested once they were both above water. “To the far end of the pond and back five times?”

Spike laughed. “It's called a pool, Cliff, and you're on!”

That the younger dragon was able to keep up at all was a testament to how far he had come in his physical training. Even so, Cliff won by a fairly decent margin.

“You should use your tail more as you swim,” he told Spike as they hung to the edge of the pool afterward. “It can push you as much as your legs if you move right.”

“You might have to explain how,” his little brother replied. “Pony tails don't work that way.”

“Just pull your legs in close to it, and move it side to side.” Cliff glanced towards the shallow end of the pon-, no, pool, where Fluttershy and Autumn were.

Now that she had taken out her metal hairbands, Cliff could see that the crystal mare actually had a rather long mane, which glittered like a cluster of jewels around her as she floated on her back. Fluttershy, on the other claw, looked like she was curling up to take a nap. Only her head was above water. Her eyes were closed, and a contented smile had spread across her lips.

“Enjoying the view?” Spike nudged him in the side.

“Yes,” he admitted freely. “Fluttershy is at her cutest when she smiles like that.”

The younger dragon shook his head and laughed. “Bro, you've got it bad.”

“And I couldn't be happier,” Cliff replied before he pushed off towards his marefriend. “Hey there,” he said gently as he got close.

Fluttershy's eyes popped open. “Oh,” her look of surprise melted back into a smile. “Did you have fun racing?”

“Yes,” Cliff settled down next to her. “You can join us for the next one, if you want.”

She blushed. “Oh no, I'm not a very good swimmer. I just like to relax in the water.”

“There's nothing wrong with that.” Cliff noticed Autumn sneaking glances at Spike as he tried to swim with his tail. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Fluttershy shook her head.

Cliff wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and the two of them sat in contented silence for a few moments. “...This may be a strange question,” he said at length, “but do your wings help you swim at all?”

“No,” she sighed. “They mostly get in the way. Maybe if I had stronger wings, like Rainbow Dash...”

Fluttershy had been comparing herself to others, especially Rainbow Dash, more often lately. Cliff wished he knew why, or how to help her. His clawed hand idly stroked the mare's back while his mind ran in circles.

She winced. “Ow.”

Cliff jerked his hand away. “I'm sorry! Did I scratch you?”

“Oh no,” she insisted. “...My back is just a bit sore.”

Cautiously, the young dragon moved his hand back to the muscle he had been rubbing. It was one of the ones that connected to her wings. “There's a really big knot here, Fluttershy. I can rub it out if you want, but it will hurt a bit.”

The yellow pegasus shook her head. “No, it's okay. You don't have to trouble yourself.”

“It's no trouble.” With a grandmother like Fire Claws, dealing with sore muscles was a part of everyday life. “I promise you'll feel much better afterward.”

“Well... okay,” Fluttershy looked away self-consciously. “If you don't mind, that is.”

“Just let me know if I'm massaging too hard,” Cliff said as he repositioned himself behind her. Only the tips of dragon claws were sharp. Right before that on each finger was a circular pad of soft tissue. Those eight pads were actually among the most sensitive parts of his body. Cliff ran them gently across Fluttershy's back, feeling out a surprising number of knots.

She winced as he began to rub, but remained silent.

“Have you been exercising more than usual lately?” Cliff asked as he slowly increased the pressure on that first knot.

“A little,” Fluttershy whispered.

Cliff expected her to elaborate, but she didn't. With a shrug, he continued working. The first knot was eventually rubbed out, but there was another one, just as bad, on her other side.

She jerked just slightly and let out a small noise of pain.

“Sorry!” Cliff immediately started rubbing more softly. “Is that better?”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

Minutes wore on, and Cliff slowly moved up to her wings. He discovered a couple of interesting facts about pegasus anatomy as he worked. For starters, there was a tendon on each wing connecting Fluttershy's 'shoulder' to her 'wrist.' He could only guess what it was for. Another surprise was how similar the bones in her wings were to the ones in his own arms. There was even a 'hand' of sorts out at the end.

Fluttershy remained silent for the most part, but every now and then a soft gasp of pain or sigh of relief escaped her lips. Strangely, her wings were starting to flutter in the same way that they did when she was really excited.

Cliff frowned a little in confusion and leaned to the side so he could see her face.

The mare's cheeks were bright red, her eyes were clenched shut, and she was biting her lower lip.

Cliff immediately stopped rubbing. “Am I hurting you?” he asked in concern.

She shook her head. “N-no. It feels... good.”

“Do you want me to keep rubbing?”

She bit down on her lip harder and nodded.

He went back to work on her wings. How did she get so many knots anyway? Cliff mentally shrugged. Fluttershy seemed hesitant to talk about that, and he didn't want to push her. Besides, even more concerning was her strange reaction to the massage. They had cuddled often enough that being this close shouldn't affect her so strongly. Is it because we're in public? Cliff couldn't exactly suggest they go somewhere private to continue. That would sound... bad.

Spike and Autumn had noticed the mare's behavior too. From their spot at the other end of the pool, the younger dragon was giving Cliff a look that could only be described as, Wow bro, I'm impressed.

Cliff shot back, Huh?

Autumn was blushing slightly. She motioned towards Fluttershy and then moved her hoof in a small circle.

Unfortunately, Cliff hadn't spent enough time with the crystal mare to be sure what she meant. He jerked his head towards Fluttershy and exaggerated the rubbing motions for a moment. Keep going?

She nodded.

According to Twilight, crystal ponies were natural empaths, and Grandmother had told him that Autumn was an especially talented one at that. If she thought Cliff should continue with his massage then he wasn't going to second-guess her. Still, a little information would be appreciated. He pointed to his cheeks quickly and filled his heart with embarrassment, followed by curiosity. Why is she blushing?

Autumn made a few gestures that Cliff didn't understand. She tried again with no better success. Eventually she turned to Spike and whispered something.

His little brother pointed to his heart and drew a line up to his ear-frill. Turn on a spell to improve your hearing.

Cliff did so, surging it as high as he could. He nodded that he was ready.

“Can you hear me?” Spike whispered.

He nodded again.

“Okay, pegasus wings are really sensitive. Rubbing them like that can be very... stimulating.”

Stimulating? What does he mean by- Oh stars above! Cliff tried to fight down a furious blush as he turned to Autumn for confirmation.

She nodded, the red still visible in her cheeks.

Cliff suddenly felt like a very horrible dragon. Does she think I'm arousing her on purpose? No wonder she objected when I first offered to massage her wings. “Uh,” he swallowed, “I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

Fluttershy shook her head. Her wings were fully extended by then, quivering slightly as the young dragon massaged them. “It's really... nice.”

Something in her voice made Cliff blush even harder. He escaped into the Stillness as quickly as he could. I'm just rubbing out her sore muscles, he reminded himself. That's it!

Minutes wore on, and Cliff was just starting to relax when a soft groan of pleasure escaped Fluttershy's lips.

He froze.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered when she felt him go tense. “Did I scare you?”

“N-no,” Cliff assured her. “I just...” Don't know how to deal with a public massage suddenly turning out to be erotic, even though we haven't even kissed yet? “... worried that I hurt you.” Close enough.

“I'm sorry, it just felt so nice that I made that noise without realizing.” She hunched down a little. “That's really strange, isn't it?”

“No. I was just surprised, and...” he sighed, “Fluttershy, is it bad for me to touch your wings like this?”

She blushed so hard that Cliff swore her mane went a few shades darker. “N-no! It's not like that!” She turned away. “I mean, yes, it can be, but not always. The spa ponies will sometimes massage my wings, and nopony thinks it's a bad thing.”

Relief flooded through the young dragon. So she wasn't thinking about this in a dirty way after all. Now that he thought about it, Cliff wasn't sure if Fluttershy was even capable of dirty thoughts. “Okay, just let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable, and... you don't need to feel embarrassed about making noise if something feels good.”

“Are you sure?”

Cliff nodded, then stopped when he realized that she couldn't see him. “You said that there's nothing wrong with it, and besides, it lets me know what areas need more attention.” It's also pretty arousing, but I'm not going to let myself dwell on that.

“Okay, if you don't mind.” Fluttershy stopped biting her lower lip. A soft “Mmmm,” of appreciation escaped her as Cliff continued to rub.

By the time they went inside for lunch, the young dragon had worked out every knot he could find in Fluttershy's wings, back, and chest. “Are you feeling better now?” he asked, trying to ignore the throbbing in his hands.

She stretched out her wings and flexed them experimentally. “Yes, thank you, Cliff.”

He nuzzled her cheek quickly as they stepped into the elevator. “I'm glad.”

“I think you were just enjoying the excuse to wrap your claws around her,” Spike said slyly.

Autumn bumped her shoulder into the younger dragon's side.

“I mean,” he cleared his throat, “who wouldn't jump at the chance to hug their special somepony?”

Cliff gave the crystal mare a grateful look.

Autumn's assistant, (she called him a butler,) had prepared lunch for them when they got back to the apartment. He was a tall white unicorn with a brown mane and tail, wearing a tuxedo for some reason. “Would you like me to prepare anything else, my lady?” he asked once they had been seated.

“No, this is wonderful, Guiding Point.”

The stallion bowed. “Thank you, Lady Autumn. I will return to collect your dishes after you have all finished.” He made his exit.

“I hope you like it, Cliff,” the crystal mare said. “Spike warned me that you still dislike most pony foods.”

Fruit salad, apple juice, all-wheat rolls with raspberry jam, and quiche, he reflected as he looked at the table. All my favorites. “I'm guessing he also told you which foods I like.”

“Yes, he did.” She smiled.

“Then I owe you both a thank you,” Cliff said as he dug in.

“Dragon eating habits have actually become a popular topic of discussion here in Canterlot,” Autumn said between bites of her salad.

“Because we're omnivores?” Cliff guessed.

She nodded. “It's stirring up some anti-dragon sentiments, but I've done my best to minimize the damage.”

“Hmm.” Spike tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

Autumn shook her head. “I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Gryphons eat meat as well, and Equestria maintains excellent relations with their home kingdom. I'm sure it will all die down once the media gets tired of attacking your friend Rainbow Dash.”

“That might happen faster if she'd quit riling them up.” Spike rolled his eyes.

“She's just happy about her new abilities,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I'm sure she doesn't mean to cause problems.”

“I'll talk to her anyway,” Cliff volunteered. “I'm sure she'll understand.”

Autumn nodded. “That's a good idea. So long as no new scandals arise, the media should move on soon.”

Spike winced. “And that, everypony, is the sound of tempting fate.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Just over an hour later, Cliff found himself strapped to a large triangle made of fabric and held together with metal poles. They were standing at the very edge of Canterlot, and by some lapse in sanity, the plan was to jump off! He glanced over the edge at the ground very, very far below. “Are you sure that this 'hang gliding' is safe?”

“Yes,” Spike said. “Why are you so nervous anyway? I thought you always wanted to fly?”

“I do,” Cliff replied, “but I was hoping to learn from a height that I may actually survive falling from.”

“Don't worry,” the younger dragon assured him. “They have pegasi on guard to catch us if we get in trouble.”

“It is really high though,” Fluttershy whispered. She had taken one peek over the edge and refused to go near it again.

“Are you sure you won't join us?” Autumn asked her. “We thought you and Cliff would enjoy the chance to go flying together.”

“No thank you.” She shivered. “It's too high.”

Spike sighed. “Anyway, Cliff, you're up.”

The older dragon paused to reassure his marefriend that he would be fine, and then he approached the edge once more. “Here goes nothing,” he whispered, and jumped.

Almost immediately, he felt the wind catch him, and his fall became a glide. Exhilaration overcame everything else as the wind batted against his scales and he felt the overwhelming freedom of the sky. He leaned to one side experimentally, and the glider swerved that way in response. He completed a lazy circle and then started curving back the other way.

This is incredible! Cliff grinned. His mind was already hard at work going over spells that might turn this gliding into actual flight. Momentum Redirection, Speed Bursts, is there a spell to control the wind? I'll have to ask Grandma. Maybe it was being so close to realizing a lifelong dream, but Cliff felt a little giddy. With some work, I might be able to fly like a pegasus! I could soar across the fields and forests. I could follow the wind to the horizon. I could-

“Oh no, his glider broke!” Spike shouted.

I could fall to my bloody death.

...Everything seemed to be working fine.

Or not. Cliff looked up in time to see a yellow and pink blur coming towards him.

“Cliffdon'tworryI'llsaveyou!” Fluttershy shouted before slamming into the young dragon and wrapping her hooves around him.

High above them, Cliff could see his brother grinning mischievously.

“Fluttershy, I'm fine!” he shouted, “Really. Spike was just joking.”

To her credit, she had not only stopped Cliff's decent, but actually pulled him partway back to the ledge. “Oh.” She embraced him with a surprising amount of strength. “Thank goodness.” Her wings stopped beating, leaving her to hang beneath him as the glider took over once more.

Cliff wrapped his tail around Fluttershy's waist to help hold her up. He was aware that they were still gliding, but if he had to decide between focusing on that and comforting his marefriend... well, the choice was rather obvious. He squeezed her a little tighter. “Sorry if I scared you.”

She nuzzled into his shoulder. “I'm just happy that you're safe.”

They held the embrace for the rest of their flight. Cliff was paying just enough attention to make sure they landed safely, if in a slight tangle of limbs.

Spike landed shortly after them. “Sorry about tricking you, Fluttershy,” he said as he collapsed the glider into a more portable form. “But it looked like you two enjoyed yourselves out there.”

Fluttershy nodded through her blush. “It's okay, Spike... Thank you.”

Autumn landed a few moments later. She came down with more force than she was expecting and fell on her side. Luckily she only took a few minor scrapes, which Spike healed easily.

“Alrighty.” Spike pointed to the lifts nearby, which would take them back up to Canterlot. “We paid for three hours, so let's make the most of them.”

Even though Fluttershy was still nervous about the height, she worked up the courage to jump with Cliff every time after the first.

Since she was obviously more experienced at flying, the young dragon followed her lead as they glided lazily around the sky. It was... exhilarating, but somehow calming at the same time. Too bad I couldn't buy one of these, Cliff reflected. He loved flying, but it wasn't worth the risk of going berserk.

When it came time to go, Cliff found himself feeling oddly peaceful. True, hang-gliding had fulfilled a lifelong dream, and it was also true that he might never do it again, but those facts just didn't mean as much to him as the smiling mare at his side. I think I found a better dream without even realizing it. He caught Fluttershy in a quick hug as they followed after Spike and Autumn.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Canterlot was famous for its beautiful parks, or so Cliff was told. This was his first time going to one. Statues and fountains dotted the area, as well as small crops of trees, flowers, and shaped hedges. They weren't here for any of those, however, and so he only gave them a passing glance. What they were here for was something called a 'petting zoo.'

“Oh, aren't you so adorable?” Fluttershy grinned as she held a small creature. The sign on its pen said that it was a wallaby.

Cliff, however, had decided that it was a, 'doesn't-like-dragons.' It had cowered in the corner of its pen as soon as it saw him, and not even the yellow mare could convince it to relax until he backed out.

Like the animals back at her cottage, these ones all seemed to instinctively know that Cliff was a predator. However, most of the others in the zoo had been at least willing to endure his presence. Quite a few had even let the young dragon pet them after Fluttershy assured them that he was safe.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the animals had no such worries about Spike. They flocked around him like any other pony, hoping for treats and belly rubs. He was in a different pen at that moment, laughing as a trio of wolf-like animals licked his face.

“It's good to see him enjoying himself,” Autumn said. She was sitting on a bench between the two pens, alongside Cliff.

“Yes, he does seem very happy.” Cliff turned to look at her. “What about you? Are you happy?”

She frowned in confusion. “Do I seem unhappy?”

He shrugged. “Spike is pursuing you, yet he refuses to let go of his feelings for Rarity. That's unfair of him, and you would have every right to be upset because of it.”

Autumn paused, and then looked away. “Wyrms really are very blunt.”

Cliff took no offense at the observation. “We say what we think and feel. Life is simpler that way.”

“Would that the rest of the world was that simple.” She took a deep breath. “Very well. Your brother cares very deeply for Lady Rarity. As the one who saved me, my parents, and my entire race, it seems only fitting that I help him achieve happiness with her.”

“Wait, you're courting him... so that you can help him be with Rarity?”

“That is the essence of it, yes,” Autumn said without meeting his gaze.

Cliff could almost feel pieces of his mind snapping as they tried to wrap around the idea. “Is that something ponies do?” he asked in utter bafflement.

“Not usually. In this case, you might think of me as an assistant and adviser to your brother in his pursuit of love. These 'dates' are simply excuses to get together and plan.”

“Yet both of you have feelings for each other.”

Autumn turned to him sharply, eyes wide in shock.

“Grandma felt out your emotions very carefully when you first met her,” Cliff explained. “She approves, by the way.”

Much to his surprise, the mare's coat changed, losing its crystalline appearance. “Please don't tell Spike! He would never allow me to continue helping him if he knew that I've become infatuated with him.”

“Spike enjoys being with you.” The sudden change in her appearance was a bit unnerving. Cliff resisted the urge to slide away from her before something else strange happened. “I'm just saying that maybe you should try dating him for real.”

“He only thinks of me as a friend.” She looked down. “I can't betray his trust by attempting to change that.”

Cliff hesitated, then gently lifted her chin so that he could look her in the eyes. “Autumn, listen to me, I've been teaching Spike magic since I arrived in Ponyville. I know his heart nearly as well as my own by now. Being with you makes him happy.”

She didn't respond.

“So, does being with him make you happy too?”

“...Yes,” she whispered at last, “but Lady Rarity cares for Spike as well. I don't know why she continues to push him towards me, but her feelings for your brother are real.”

“Why would she...” Cliff shook his head. “Never mind. You just said that you don't know.” Two mares both like Spike, and yet they're each encouraging him pursue the other. Cliff sighed at the absurdity of the whole situation. “Look, I want Spike to be happy, but I don't want anypony making themselves miserable getting him there. Rarity must have her reasons for what she's doing, so you may as well quit feeling guilty about it and just enjoy your time together.”

“And what of Spike's feelings?” she asked softly.

“Your empathy can only sense the surface of his emotions, right?”

Autumn nodded.

“The spell I've been using during my lessons with Spike can reach deeper. He hasn't realized it himself yet, but he's infatuated with you, and his heart is beginning to accept that he might find happiness with a mare other than Rarity.” He shrugged. “Frankly, I had no idea why he was courting somepony while he felt that way, but the point is that there's nothing wrong with being honest to him or yourself. Not when even he isn't sure what he wants.”

“I will... consider it.” She closed her eyes, and after a few moments, her crystalline appearance returned. “In any case, thank you.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

It was dinnertime when they left the zoo. Fluttershy was so excited to have met so many new critters that she practically hopped up and down as they followed Autumn through the city. Cliff couldn't stop smiling as he watched her. It was like she had liquid adorableness running through her veins.

Soon they arrived at a restaurant. Spike informed his brother that it was one of the nicer ones in Canterlot.

Cliff had to trust him. It was a lot fancier than the ones he had been to in Ponyville, at least. A tuxedo-clad waiter immediately led them to a private booth after Autumn checked in.

He had no idea what would be socially acceptable at a place like this, so he mostly imitated what the others did. He ordered the same drink as Autumn (a strawberry cocktail), the same meal as Fluttershy (some sort of pasta), and the same desert as Spike (a tiny chocolate cake, with crystallized flower shards provided by Autumn).

Surprisingly, Fluttershy and Autumn did most of the talking. The crystal mare wanted to know all about their adventures, and the pegasus was too kindhearted to refuse. In fact, Fluttershy actually seemed to enjoy their conversation.

Both Cliff and Spike mostly remained silent and let the mares talk. Cliff had two good reasons for behaving that way. Firstly, he liked listening to the sound of Fluttershy's voice. Secondly, it was nice to see her making a new friend.

As for Spike's silence... Cliff could barely venture a guess. He didn't mind admitting that Spike was probably the smarter of the two of them. Not that Cliff considered himself to be stupid by any means, but he knew that he would likely never have his brother's quick wit or ability to read others. Those talents had made the younger dragon invaluable when dealing with the newspapers. He didn't even want to imagine what they would be saying about the Cultural Exchange Program if it weren't for his brother's influence.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Their final stop for the day was a live theater, which finally gave Cliff a reason to wear the suit Rarity had made for him so long ago. The chairs were a bit uncomfortable (dragon tails didn't fit very well in pony seats), but the play was excellent. Dragon plays were only performed at gatherings, and always depicted famous events from history. This one, on the other claw, was apparently performed every night, and told a fictional tale set in modern times.

The plot centered around a rich businessmare who had to choose between paying for an operation that would save her life, and funding a project that would provide food and shelter for hundreds. It was the kind of personal drama that Cliff's mother often wrote, except hers almost always included romance. This play focused mainly on exploring the relationship between the businessmare and her adopted son.

Cliff cried a little near the end, when the mare passed away and her son was welcomed into the community she had helped save. Fluttershy was sniffling beside him, so at least he wasn't alone. The young dragon pulled her into a wordless embrace during the final musical number.

“That was beautiful,” she whispered after the audience finished applauding.

“Yeah,” Cliff smiled as he nuzzled his cheek against her's. Goodness, she smells nice. He couldn't really describe it, but it reminded him of the first rays of sunlight in the morning.

Fluttershy blushed a little, but she wrapped a wing around him and turned to face him. Their lips nearly touched as she did so, making them both jump back in surprise.

“Sorry.” We were less than an inch from our first kiss... Cliff shook his head. Don't think about it. You'll just make yourself crazy.

Her entire face had turned bright red. “N-no, it's fine.”

“Dang it,” Spike muttered behind his older brother. “So close.”

Cliff ignored him, though he had to take a deep breath and fight down his own blush. “Anyway, I guess we should go.”

They talked on their way back to Autumn's apartment, but Cliff's thoughts kept returning to that almost-kiss. What would it have felt like? He shook his head to clear it. Focus on something other than kissing Fluttershy, even though I'm sure it would be amazing and- He shook his head again. She doesn't feel ready yet. Don't push her... unless she was actually trying to kiss me when I pulled back. Maybe I should try to kiss her again- He almost growled in frustration. Seriously, brain, knock it off!

Even the Stillness didn't help very much. It kept his emotions in check, but his mind continued to assault him with images of kissing, and his body was fairly screaming with how much it wanted to feel her soft lips.

By the time they made it back to the apartment, Cliff just wanted to shove his head in bucket of ice water and call it a night. He had to be satisfied with splashing some water on his face in the bathroom though, because the others all wanted to stay up for a while longer. He stayed in there long enough to run through a few mental exercises to calm himself.

Fluttershy was waiting for him when he opened the door. “Are you feeling okay, Cliff?” She looked at him with pleading eyes. “Did I upset you? Back at the theater, I mean. I'm really really sorry if I did.”

Seeing her worried about him was too much for the dragon's poor heart. He immediately wrapped her in a strong hug. “You didn't upset me at all, Fluttershy. I was just...” Cliff sighed. He had no idea how to finish that sentence. “You're so cute that sometimes it's hard not to kiss you.”

“Oh,” she squeaked, “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” He gave her a final squeeze before letting go. “I'm the one who needs to improve here.”

Fluttershy pulled him back into the embrace. “You're always so patient with me. I wish that I felt ready. I really do.”

Patient? He thought. She thinks I'm patient? The young dragon nuzzled deeper into her fur. “I'll wait forever if you need me to.” As soon as he said it, Cliff had the sinking feeling that fate would hold him to those words.

-_-_-_-_-_-

When they rejoined the others, Spike and Autumn were playing on the video game system in the living room. Spike gave his older brother a sly grin when he saw them.

Cliff decided to ignore it. He would explain that nothing had happened later. “So what would you like to do now?”

“Actually,” Autumn paused their game and turned to him, “we were curious how dragons spend their evenings.”

“Games, songs, and stories, mostly.” Cliff shrugged as he sat on the couch.

Fluttershy sat beside him.

“What kind of songs?” Autumn asked.

“Usually group ballads about old legends.” He smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I can't really sing them on my own. Not that you'd want me to, with my voice.”

“And I'm sure you're terribly upset by that,” Spike said. “Cliff here refuses to sing in front of anypony.”

“There's a reason for that,” Cliff replied. “Trust me, I'm doing you a favor.”

Autumn tapped Spike's shoulder. “Well if he'd rather not sing, we shouldn't force him. Perhaps we could play a game instead.”

“If you insist.” Spike sighed. “Well, Cliff, what should we play?”

Cliff listed off a couple of dragon games that he liked.

The group decided on Glamour, a simple game with no winners or losers. One player was 'it,' and the others all took turns using basic illusions to change his or her appearance however they liked. Luckily Spike knew the spells required, so Cliff didn't have to do all the work himself.

Things started simply, and then got progressively more silly as they all relaxed and enjoyed themselves. By the time they finished, Cliff was bright pink with orange polka-dots. Spike was white with black stripes along his body, (apparently he was meant to look like something called a 'mime'). Autumn's crystal coat made the illusion magic behave strangely. As a result, she looked like a crazed rainbow given pony form. Cliff had worked extra hard on Fluttershy's illusions, her coat seemed to have been replaced by scales, her pupils were now slitted, and her wings looked like those of a drake. She seemed to be a dragon-pony hybrid, and she was beautiful.

“Is it strange?” Fluttershy as she studied herself in a mirror.

“Nah, it's awesome.” Spike laughed. “The rest of us look like rejects from a circus.”

She smiled a little at the compliment. “Cliff, uh, do you wish I looked like this more often?”

“No.” The answer half surprised him as he said it. “Don't get me wrong. You make a beautiful dragoness, but I like you best as yourself.”

Autumn looked from the blushing and grinning pegasus to the dragon with slightly red cheeks. She shook her head in amusement. “You should hurry up and hug her, Cliff Runner.”

He gladly did.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Hey Cliff?” Spike asked as they were drifting into sleep that night.

“Yeah?” The older dragon replied from his bed nearby.

“What's it like to be dating somepony?”

Cliff rolled over and fixed his brother with a flat look. “You do realize you're dating Autumn, right?”

“We aren't dating.” Spike shook his head. “We're just good friends.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever you want to call it, Twilight, Rarity, and the rest of Ponyville are sure that you two are romantically interested in each other.”

“Rarity knows that things aren't like that between Autumn and me,” Spike said quickly.

“How?”

“Because... she figured it out.”

Cliff groaned. His brother was acting so stupid that it was almost painful to watch. “Look, I'm the wrong dragon to ask for relationship advice, but how exactly do you think you're going to get Rarity by pretending to date Autumn, especially if Rarity has already caught on?”

“...Good point.” Spike sighed. “I... guess I should go talk to her tomorrow.”

“Good idea,” the older dragon yawned, “but maybe you should take a look at your feelings first. Autumn seems like a nice mare. She doesn't deserve to be punished just because she isn't Rarity.”

“Autumn doesn't think about me that way.” Spike sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anydragon. “Like I said, we're just friends.”

If Spike wasn't his brother, Cliff would have been happy to let the younger dragon continue making a mess of the whole situation. “Just go talk to Grandma when we get back. She can help.” Meaning, she can help you get your head on straight.

“Okay,” Spike promised. “I will.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

They said their goodbyes to Autumn the next morning. She seemed a little nervous, no doubt sensing the change in Spike's emotions, but sent them off with a smile.

Fluttershy went to care for her animals as soon as they arrived in Ponyville, and the two dragons had work for Twilight that they needed to get done.

True to his word, Spike left to talk to Fire Claws once she finished at the post office. After visiting with her, he planned to talk with Rarity.

Cliff stayed at the palace so he could help Twilight with more of her research. It was a decision he came to regret when the younger dragon returned and locked himself in the bathroom without a word.

Even after he and Twilight managed to coax him out, Spike refused to tell them what happened. All he said was that he and Rarity had come to an understanding, and that he would continue dating Autumn for at least a while.

Cliff and Twilight didn't have long to worry about their little brother, however, because another big scandal hit the very next day.

Author's Note

By the way, that comment about Twilight turning all of Ponyville upside down came from the Spike and Celestia, Friends Forever comic. It got me curious about how powerful Twilight would actually have to be to accomplish such a feat.

Several days and several pages' worth of research later (I can post it if anyone's curious), my best estimates indicated that Ponyville weighs approximately 40,000,000 pounds! Granted, she might not have just grabbed the whole town and turned it upside down with telekinesis, but still, that alicorn must pack an insane amount of power if she was able to move so much! No, she won't be quite that powerful in this story, but seriously, holy crap!

Funny story about reporters: When I was younger, I worked at scout camp every summer. One year, we had a bear wander into camp during the middle of the night. One staff member was sleeping with his arm up against the side of the tent, and the bear put its mouth around said arm, like it was curious what that was. It bit down just enough to wake the guy up, and leave four tiny pinpricks on his arm, before letting go and wandering away. Long story short, we all spent the rest of the night locked in our cars. Somehow word got out about what happened, and suddenly a bunch of reporters showed up at camp. We told them the truth, and they promptly ignored it. The next day, the local headlines literally read, “Boy Survives Savage Bear Attack: Lives to Tell the Tale.” So if it seems like the reporters in this story are more concerned with sensationalizing news than reporting on it, well, it's because my experience with real life reporters says that's how they actually are.

I'm curious what you think of Cliff and Spike, and their wildly different approaches to dating. Obviously, Cliff is more of a slow and steady guy, and dating Fluttershy helps encourage that. Spike, on the other hand, thinks of dating more in terms of big activities, fancy dinners, and whether a couple is “official.” It's kind of fun to play these two off each other. Cliff thinks Spike is acting like an idiot, and Spike thinks Cliff's dating habits are just boring.

Chapter 22

Cliff groaned as Fluttershy's cottage came into view. The crowd of protesters had grown again, almost completely surrounding her yard.

Beside him, Fire Claws wordlessly reached out with her magic to link the two of them, Burning Torch, and Fire Eyes together.

Each of the four dragons sent waves of calming emotions to the others as they strengthened their defensive spells, just in case.

“Leave Fluttershy alone, you monsters!” a unicorn stallion shouted as they drew near.

“Give the real Fluttershy back to us!” an earth pony mare demanded. “What did she ever do to you?”

“We won't let you conquer us using our own friends!”

“You can't trust carnivores!”

“Hybrids!”

None of them want a fight, Fire Claws reported. They're just trying to scare us off.

I'm not seeing any imminent attacks, Fire Eyes agreed.

An instinctive desire to protect members of the herd, coupled with a show of force to dissuade potential predators, Burning Torch mused. As herbivores, they would gain little by killing us, and only put the group at risk by attempting it. Fascinating how their entire culture reflects their instincts.

Cliff tried not to roll his eyes. His grandfather was as concerned as the rest of them, but his scholarly nature often lead him off on tangents.

They reached the cottage itself. Cliff slipped inside while the others spread out to feed Fluttershy's animals.

With all the windows shut and the curtains drawn, the inside of the cottage was fairly dark. Even so, he could make out a glaring white rabbit holding a rolled up newspaper.

He's still blaming you for all this, Fire Claws provided.

“Angel,” Cliff sighed, “you know we don't have time for this today. Just help us get her to the meeting, like you promised.”

The rabbit unrolled the newspaper in his paws and then tossed it at Cliff's feet. The cover, once again, had a picture of Fluttershy, standing in Autumn's apartment, wearing Cliff's illusions. Her leathery wings and scaled body stood out like a sore claw.

He had no idea how the press had gotten their hooves on that picture, but it had been plastered over every major newspaper and magazine for the better part of a week now. Today's headline read, If The Elements Can Fall, Is Anypony Safe?

“That's why Autumn came all the way from Canterlot to help,” Cliff explained. She came highly recommended by both Spike and Princess Celestia. Apparently the crystal mare was also a leader in some organization dedicated to helping other crystal ponies adapt to modern Equestria, making her uniquely experienced in the sorts of problems the Cultural Exchange Program was going through.

Angel squeaked several times and waved his paws around.

I think he's trying to say that the situation would fix itself if you just left Fluttershy alone, Fire Claws sent him.

“Look, are you going to help us or not?”

The white rabbit glared at Cliff before he put a small metal pot on his head like a helmet and marched outside through the pet door.

Figuring that that meant 'yes,' Cliff made his way to the bedroom, where he found Fluttershy huddled under a mass of blankets. “Hey there,” he whispered.

A pale yellow muzzle peaked out from beneath her hiding place. “Good morning.” There were dark circles beneath her eyes, but a tiny smile still lit up her face.

“Well, 'morning' at least.” He leaned down and nuzzled her cheek gently. “How are you holding up?” he whispered into her ear.

“I'm okay.” She really didn't look okay.

“You don't have to go out there, you know. We can just bring the meeting here.”

“N-no, I couldn't inconvenience everypony like that, and since this is really my fault, I-” she was cut off as a pair of scaled arms pulled her into an embrace.

“Don't ever say that.” Cliff extended the link to include her. They had been using it to help her since this whole mess started.

As soon as she accepted it, all four dragons poured feelings of comfort and reassurance into her.

Fluttershy's spirits slowly lifted, and she hugged Cliff back. Different types of fear still echoed through her heart, but at least the guilt and self-hatred had been soothed again.

They held the embrace until the rest of the coven finished their chores, then Cliff and Fluttershy made their way to the front door.

“Remember, we're all here for you.” Cliff backed his statement with feelings of determination and companionship.

She nodded faintly, almost desperately pulling in the positive emotions. Unfortunately, it was entirely possible to become dependent on shared emotions, and so Cliff and the others had to limit how much they gave her.

Through the door, Cliff heard his grandmother say, “Alright, Angel, do it.”

A few seconds later, a flurry of chirps, screeches, and growls reached them, followed by shouts of surprise and disgust from the ponies outside.

“What's going on?” Fluttershy asked.

“Your critter friends are convincing the protesters to leave,” Cliff replied. It had taken hours of begging before Angel agreed to help, but if the amusement he felt from the others was any indication, it had been worth it.

They stepped outside to an empty yard, splattered liberally with bird droppings. A small army of woodland creatures stood at attention in front of Angel.

The white rabbit squeaked out a few orders and then turned to face the dragons. He 'said' something else. Meanwhile, the other animals started cleaning up their fecal mess.

He's ordering us to bring her back safely, or something like that.

Fluttershy approached her pet and gave him a loving hug. “They will, Angel. Thank you.”

Angel grumbled as he squirmed out of her hooves, but there was a light blush on his cheeks.

Huh, I didn't know he could feel emotions other than 'pissed off.' It was probably for the best that Fluttershy couldn't understand Fire Claws' emotion-based speech.

Since more protesters could show up at any moment, the four dragons quickly formed a defensive wall around Fluttershy and set out for Ponyville.

Luckily, their trip was uneventful. As they were reaching the palace, Cliff saw Rainbow Dash on the other side of town, shooting out large bursts of fire as she shouted about how stupid this whole nonsense about a hybrid army was.

This, of course, had drawn in a large crowd, clearing the path for her timid friend. Rainbow met Cliff's eyes and winked before continuing with her speech.

Spike, Twilight, Autumn, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were already waiting for them upstairs, sitting in a loose circle of chairs and couches. Spike was sitting next to Autumn, but, through his grandmother, Cliff could feel a huge amount of awkwardness between them, and even more reflecting between the pair and Rarity.

If only Spike would come talk to us about this. Cliff sighed. He had been trying to get his brother to open up about what happened for days with no luck.

He will when he's ready, Fire Claws assured him.

Autumn's heart suddenly flashed through several emotions, I agree. The wound is too fresh right now. She smiled faintly at Cliff's surprise. I can sense emotions as well, you know.

Oh yeah, he sent back. Sorry.

No need to apologize.

The front door opened and shut, and Rainbow Dash came running into the living room. “Whew, some of those reporters are fast! I shot off so much fire that I had trouble keeping ahead of them.”

“I did warn you about that,” Twilight said as the newcomers took their seats. “Flight and fire breathing both draw from the same pool of magical energy.”

“Yeah, yeah, Twilight. You've only told me, like, a thousand times.”

“Yes, well, we should get started now.” Twilight turned to Autumn. “Thank you again for agreeing to help us. Did you get a chance to read through my notes on the situation?”

Autumn nodded. “Yes, Twilight. They were quite... thorough.”

“Thank you.” Twilight smiled at the compliment, to her mind, at least. “What is your analysis of things?”

“I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this,” sympathy began to well up in Autumn's heart, “but I believe that, starting at the end of this meeting, the Cutie-mark Crusaders, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy should avoid contact with all wyrms other than River, especially Cliff Runner.”

Cliff felt like an earth pony had just kicked him in the chest. He barely heard the storm of protests Autumn's comment provoked. All he could feel was the sickening numbness reflected between himself and Fluttershy. He met her gaze, trying to think of something, anything he could say. This can't be happening.

Ears splayed back against her head, Fluttershy stared back at him until she had to clench her eyes shut against the coming tears. She turned away with a choked sob.

“I truly am sorry,” Autumn said over the tense silence that had suddenly descended. “Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have already been seen with draconic features, and one article has already mistaken the games you play with the Crusaders for combat training as part of some sort of hybrid army. The way you all have banded together to help Fluttershy has only reinforced the idea that you consider her more dragon than pony, and any evidence we bring up to counter these false claims could be ignored or dismissed as coming from yet another hybrid in disguise.

"Even a royal statement from Twilight or Princess Celestia would only have a limited impact because they are both so close to Spike, whom they have already begun to suspect is part of this nonexistent scheme to take over Equestria. The only way to end the rumor mill completely is for us to cut it off at the source.”

The others all looked at Cliff and Fluttershy of them with a mixture of shock and sympathy, but none could dispute what Autumn had said.

Cliff closed his eyes, and told himself to nod. It had never been so hard to complete such a simple action. “What should we do about River?”

“Any articles that have mentioned her at all have expressed the hope that her Ponyville friends can 'redeem her from the instincts of her race.' For the time being, at least, she can spend time with any wyrm or pony she wishes without causing problems.”

In spite of the warmth being poured into him and Fluttershy by the rest of the coven, Cliff still felt cold as he wrapped his arms around the yellow mare. It was an empty gesture, and they both knew it. He couldn't pretend to be strong for her when she could feel just how weak he was. Between the thoughts of losing her, the good friend he had found in Rainbow Dash, and the three fillies he had grown to love so much, it was all he could do hold himself together.

Autumn's voice dropped to a sad whisper as she said, “I promise you all that I will strive to my utmost to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”

“Anyway,” Twilight mercifully drew the group's attention, “what can the rest of us do?”

Snapping back into business mode, Autumn said, “Rainbow Dash, you need to stop breathing fire in public.”

“Ugh,” the blue pegasus groaned. “Do I have to?”

“Quit yer whinin',” Applejack told her. “That ain't nothin' compared to what Fluttershy n' Cliff are dealin' with.”

That deflated her rather quickly. “Alright, I'll do it.”

“Thank you.” Autumn turned to the other dragons. “We need good publicity to counteract all the lies. I know some reporters I can contact, but you need to have something impressive to show them when they get here.”

“Well we've already cleaned out the hospital.” Spike shrugged. “Any other ideas?”

“I still heal ponies there everyday,” Fire Claws pointed out.

“Good.” Autumn nodded. “We can use that, but we need more.”

“Volunteer work, perhaps?” Rarity offered.

“The farm could always use a helpin' hoof,” Applejack said, “but do ya think that'd help at all?”

“I don't think it would hurt, at least.” Spike shot his brother a sympathetic look before continuing. “We could also have the newspapers write short autobiographies for everydragon. It might change some ponies' minds about about us if they realize that we're individuals like them.”

“Excellent idea, Spike.” Twilight said. “I could also publish some of the things I've learned in my studies. Understanding wyrms better is sure to make more ponies relate to you all.”

Autumn studied the list Spike had been keeping. “These are good ideas. We should also talk to some of the hospital patients that were healed, and maybe bring up the hydra that Cliff fought off.”

As they continued to hammer out details, Fire Eyes, Fire Claws, and Burning Torch moved to stand in front of Cliff and Fluttershy, offering the couple what little privacy they could to say their goodbyes.

“I'm so... so sorry.” Fluttershy whispered between her sobs. “You were only trying to help me, and, and now...”

“Fluttershy, listen to me,” he whispered back. “Don't blame yourself for this. None of it is your fault. It won't last long, you'll see.” He prayed to the stars that he was telling her the truth.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Compared to the lifetime of a dragon, seventeen days didn't seem like much. Even for a pony it wasn't terribly impressive. For Cliff Runner, however, seventeen days of feeling completely useless while Spike, Twilight, Autumn, and Rarity worked day and night was a very, very long time.

Cooking and cleaning around the palace only took up so many hours of the day, and Autumn's reporter friends barely needed him for a few minutes one afternoon. Their articles did help somewhat, or so he was told, but Cliff was still left with two large problems: a lot of free time, and even more anger that needed venting.

Luckily, he had two other things: a list of spells his grandmother wanted him to practice, and a friend that was as frustrated by the whole situation as he was. Today, like most other days, had largely been devoted to the two friends taking out those frustrations on each other.

Cliff slid to a stop in front of the Dragon House, panting softly. He resisted the urge to growl when he saw that a small group of paparazzi was standing at the side of the road, watching him intently. He wasn't nearly exhausted enough yet to deal with them without making a flambe out of somepony, and Fire Eyes was still a speck in the distance.

He ignored the reporters, who were too nervous to approach the 'Dragon's Lair,' but would doubtless torment him all the way back to the palace, and went to a small barrel of gemstones on the side of the house. Something about the crystalline structure of gems amplified the effects of any dragon spells cast on them, making them ideal ammunition for a new attack he was learning.

Cliff picked out a teardrop ruby, took aim at a large tree at the edge of the forest, and cast Speed Burst, followed immediately by Momentum Transfer.

Enough kinetic energy to accelerate him to several hundred miles per hour was forced into the ruby all at once. It shot out of his hand with a thunderous crack, slicing right through the tree and into the one behind it. The knot he had been aiming for was completely untouched, however. At least his second shot hit it.

He finished off the barrel, and was halfway through retrieving the gems when Fire Eyes finally caught up to him, gasping for air. “Okay... so that's... twenty-two... to zero.” She flopped onto the ground.

“Sounds about right. Let me grab the rest of these gemstones and then we can have our duel.”

She nodded weakly. “Yeah... have fun.”

By the time Cliff finished, Fire Eyes had gotten her breathing under control, and was glaring at the reporters. They were both under direct orders from Fire Claws not to 'accidentally' injure any of them.

“Ready?” Cliff asked.

She nodded. “Point match, or submission?”

“Submission.” Against Fire Eyes, it was more or less signing up to get a few limbs broken. Submission matches had only one rule; fight until somedragon either gives up, or loses consciousness.

“My thoughts exactly.” They took their positions and Fire Eyes tossed a rock into the air.

Thud

The ground at Fire Eyes' feet exploded upwards in a cloud of dust. Cliff didn't give her time to react as he shot forward, slamming into her hard enough to knock them both clear.

They had just landed when a blast of telekinesis hurled Cliff diagonally into the air. The young dragon barely got a shield up in time to block her followup, a bolt of lightning.

He reversed his momentum and cast Speed Burst immediately, followed by Momentum Transfer just as he reached his old friend. Cliff was left standing still and Fire Eyes went skidding across the field, plowing up dirt and grass as she went.

The white dragoness somehow managed to cast Explosion before crashing into a tree at the edge of the forest. The force of her blast knocked Cliff flat on his stomach, and left a small crater in the ground behind him.

Fire Eyes pulled herself upright, and paused. Cliff had gone invisible.

The spell took an unbelievable amount of willpower, and only lasted for a few seconds, but Fire Eyes' signature precognition magic couldn't predict the moves of an opponent she couldn't see.

A rock smashed into her stomach with enough force to knock the breath out of her.

She cast Shield instinctively, but Cliff had planned on that. A pair of ethereal claws, extended out to several feet in length, passed through the shield like it wasn't there, scoring deep cuts into her forearms. Drops of crimson began to well up on her otherwise white scales.

Of course, glowing claws kind of gave away his position. A surged lightning bolt connected with the young dragon, leaving tiny arcs of electricity to dance across his invisible form.

Momentarily paralyzed by the attack, Cliff was unable to dodge a telekinetic thrust that smashed him sideways into another tree. He couldn't tell if it was the tree or his arm that made that cracking sound. To make matters worse, his invisibility spell ran out.

Fire Eyes closed the distance and surged a Strength spell to deliver a resounding palm-strike to the left side of his head.

Scale Armor absorbed enough of the blow that Cliff wasn't knocked senseless, but it still left his teeth rattling and his ear ringing. Luckily, his opponent was now close enough that she wouldn't be able to dodge his counterattack. He surged his own magic and delivered a flurry of strikes to her chest.

She jumped back and brought up a shield, obviously confused by the fact that she hadn't felt a single one of the blows.

Cliff threw up a shield of his own to block another explosion. His expression was somewhere between a grin and a grimace. He couldn't blame Fire Eyes for her confusion. Delayed activation spells was something he would never have thought of if Twilight hadn't brought it up, and this was his first time using it in a fight.

The timers went off, and the white dragoness was hurled back with the combined force of four simultaneous Speed Bursts. A large tree seemed to explode as she crashed through it, raining shards of wood down on the whole area.

If it wasn't for his scales, Cliff would have been covered in splinters as he shook off the effects of Fire Eyes' blow and shot after her.

She was splayed out across a boulder at the other side of a small clearing, holding her side with one arm. Even so, she managed to roll out of the way of his ethereal claws. A shock-wave of energy knocked him off balance long enough for her to latch onto his right arm.

Electricity began pouring into Cliff from her hand, making the muscles in his arm spasm and clench uncontrollably. He grit his teeth against the pain and tried to shoot away. Unfortunately, Fire Eyes' grip was strong enough that she was pulled along, and a burst of telekinesis knocked him to the ground before he could get very far.

The two of them rolled across the forest floor, clawing and biting each other. Cliff's ethereal claws left dozens of bloody rivulets across his foe's scales, until she was able to bite down on his free hand.

A wyrm's jaws were by far the strongest part of its body, coupled with teeth hard and sharp enough to cut diamonds, it was enough to slice right through to the bone.

With one arm caught in Fire Eyes' electric grasp, and the other hand pierced by her teeth, Cliff did the only thing his pain-addled mind could think of, and bit down on her neck, just hard enough to make sure she felt it.

They both paused, then Fire Eyes dropped her spells and let go of his hand. “Twenty-one, to one.” She spat out a mouthful of blood. “Good fight.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“You're making me feel like a slacker.” Fire Eyes said as she finished putting out the small fires they had started during their match. They hadn't needed to do that nearly as often lately, as their fights were slowly killing off all vegetation in the area. “I'm still nowhere near catching up to you in a race.”

“Tons more magical endurance though,” Cliff breathed from his spot on the ground. That one fight, and healing himself afterward, had used up nearly all of his remaining willpower.

“Yeah,” the dragoness shrugged, “but you're catching up in that too.” She looked down at him and sighed. “You need help getting back to the house?”

“No thanks.” Cliff groaned a little as he climbed to all fours. “You know, I think this is the first time in years that I've beaten you in a magic duel.”

“It's because you're improving, Cliff,” Fire Eyes said as she led the way.

“Maybe a little.”

She glanced back at him. “Two weeks ago, you were lucky if our point matches were five to two. Just admit it, Cliff. You're getting better a lot faster than I am.”

Cliff remained silent for a moment. In truth, some part of him felt guilty for catching up to Fire Eyes. She was pouring everything she had into training, but she had always had trouble maintaining a large number of spells at once. Nearly becoming her equal in combat felt like he was rubbing salt in his friend's wounds.

“Speaking of getting better,” he said at last, “how is Spike's training coming?” Due to their schedules, Cliff was always either shopping or cooking while his brother trained.

“He does what we tell him to,” she said, “but it's obvious his heart isn't in it. He reminds me of you that way.”

“Yeah, I can see that. I was always busy with running, and now Spike is focused on dealing with the media.” They were getting close to the house. “We're lucky he's so good at it though. Otherwise, they would have kicked us out of Ponyville weeks ago.”

“I guess that's true.” Fire Eyes reached the door and pulled it open. “But it doesn't give us much to talk about.”

“Ask him about his dating life. Spike may be the only dragon under the stars with more problems in that field than me.” Cliff paused, and then smiled gently. There was a scroll on the kitchen counter top.

River, ever thoughtful, had started carrying private messages back and forth between the coven and the ponies they weren't allowed to see, mostly Cliff and Fluttershy.

His expression fell a little when the scroll turned out to be from Rainbow Dash, talking about some new trick she had learned.

“Not the letter you were hoping for?” Fire Eyes asked softly.

Cliff sighed. “I know I shouldn't feel disappointed. Rainbow taking the time to write any kind of letter is actually a bit of a miracle, but Fluttershy's letters spend so much time asking how I'm doing that I barely know what she's up to anymore. I just... I guess I'm...” he trailed off as a pair of claws covered his mouth.

“Stop before you hurt yourself. I'm sure your marefriend will write you another letter soon.” Fire Eyes pulled her hand back and walked towards the bathroom. “Anyway, is Spike still pining after the white unicorn?”

“Yeah,” he followed after her, glad for the change of subject. “Even though he has been spending time with Autumn, the crystal one, for a month.” Cliff shook his head in frustration. “He still hasn't recognized her feelings for him, let alone his own feelings for her. Seriously, how can such a smart dragon be so incredibly dense?” He turned on the hot water and flopped into the tub.

Fire Eyes climbed in as well. “You're pretty dense too when it comes to love.”

Love... Cliff fell silent as he scrubbed the grime from his scales. Fluttershy jumped back to the front of his mind. Why didn't I ever tell her that I love her? “...Yeah,” he sighed, “I guess I am.”

Fire Eyes put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry.”

“Don't worry,” he shook his head. “Autumn said we're close to getting things back to normal around here.” They had Princess Celestia to thank for that. Her own P.R. team (as they were apparently called), had released several statements to the public, condemning reporters and protesters alike for their unfounded attacks, while praising the Ponyville Coven for enduring it. Since then, fewer and fewer newspapers had been running anti-dragon stories.

“Good.” She smiled. “It's about time we caught a break. I wasn't talking about you and Fluttershy though.”

Cliff blinked. “I've never courted anydragon else.”

Fire Eyes returned his stare with an amused one of her own.

“Oh,” realization dawned on him, “you're right.” He leaned back to stare at the ceiling. “The time I tried to court you was pretty stupid too.”

“Not nearly as stupid as all the years after.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, I developed a crush on you like three months later.”

“H-ya-wha?” He shot straight upright. “Huh?”

Fire Eyes laughed. “Still think your brother is so dense?”

Cliff's cheeks flushed red. “Well... no.” He sank back into the water. “I'm so sorry, Fire Eyes. I can't believe I never noticed...”

The dragoness waved her claws dismissively. “I realized that you grew out of that crush over a year ago.”

“...But you didn't?”

Fire Eyes' casual demeanor slipped a little. “Well, no. Not until recently, when I saw you with Fluttershy.”

“I'm really sorry, Fire Eyes. I didn't mean to-” Cliff stopped when a clawed hand covered his mouth.

“Cliff, relax already. I'm not a hatchling anymore, and I'm sure not upset that you and Fluttershy care about each other. Heck, I was glad to see a good friend so happy.” She lowered her hand. “The point is that you should be more patient with your little brother.”

The young dragon smiled gratefully at his friend. “You're right.” A sly grin crossed his lips. “Want me to hook you up with one of the stallions around town?”

She splashed water in his face. “Yeah, no. I'm not into the whole furry scene.”

“Suit yourself.” Cliff laughed. It seemed like the first time in a while that he had done that.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next Monday, Cliff Runner was shocked to read that Discord had held another press conference. Not only had the draconequus refuted all claims that Fluttershy or the Crusaders had become hybrids, but he threatened to prank the entire staff of any newspaper that said otherwise.

“'Discord went on to explain,'” Twilight read with a grin, “'that Rainbow Dash's draconic abilities are solely the result of unicorn magic, performed by Princess Twilight Sparkle.' I can't believe it!” She grabbed both Spike and Cliff in a hug. “I have no idea why Discord did this, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect!”

Cliff felt a little dazed. For nearly three weeks he had been praying for something like this to happen, and now it had come from the most unexpected source of all. It was only with a fair amount of difficulty that the young dragon kept himself from running straight to Fluttershy's house.

Waiting until after breakfast for Autumn and Rarity to arrive was torture, but even worse was their decision that he should wait at least two more days, just to see if the press really would move on.

After their meeting, Cliff found himself in the unusual position of being too excited to focus on training. Twilight was reading another dragon book, and Spike was writing another article for the newspaper, leaving the older dragon to his own devices. I still need to write back to Derpy, he decided. The mailmare's most recent letter had been a much needed reminder that Ponyville still supported him, and a promise that they would do everything they could to let him and Fluttershy be together in peace once more.

My dear friend, Derpy,

Sorry I've taken so long to write you back. I can't thank you enough for your friendship and support during this time. Anyway, I'm sure you've already heard, but it seems Discord has come out against all those lies the newspapers keep printing.

With any luck, I'll be able to see Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the Crusaders again soon. Not soon enough for my tastes, but I'll take what I can get. Pinkie will probably throw us a party when the time comes. I hope you'll be there so I can thank you.

It's funny, I just realized that the two of us have never had a conversation face to face. I know you said you have trouble expressing yourself out loud, but I'm sure it can't be all that bad. And even if it is, you're still my friend. Do you really think I'd think less of you for it?

Besides, I know how smart you are. Don't even try to deny it. I've read too many of your letters to think otherwise. I'm not the only dragon to think so either. Grandma tells me that you're one of the most insightful ponies she has ever met.

Speaking of Grandma, she also tells me that you've got a crush on a certain stallion. She didn't tell me much. Just that you work with him as a side job. Who is he? Maybe I can help set you up with him. Or better yet, ask Grandma. She's a lot better at that sort of thing than I am. If I'm being completely honest, she's better at pretty much everything than I am. I love that about her.

You know how, when you're young, your parents seem perfect? They know everything. They can do anything. You want to be just like them when you grow up. Well, Grandma is kind of like that, only for adults too.

Did I ever tell you that her name means 'Great Protector'? Well, that's one interpretation, at least, but it's the one that suits her best. It took me a while to figure out that ponies see fire as a bad thing. Dragons can't be hurt by it though, so to us it's a symbol of home, family, and safety. When combined with something related to combat, like 'claws,' it focuses more on protecting or defending other dragons.

'Fire Claws' is also the name of a spell that creates things out of fire. They only last as long as you pour willpower into them, but Grandma once used it to hold off a berserk drake for over an hour while I ran to get backup. It was a rank three berserker at that. By all rights, it should have killed her, but she just said that she wouldn't let herself die while the rest of the coven was depending on her to keep them safe.

Okay, okay, I just realized how much I've been geeking out over her. What can I say? She's my hero, and I'm really happy that you get along with her too.

Anyway, I was sorry to hear about your troubles with your little sister. She's about the same age as the Crusaders, isn't she? That would explain it. You wouldn't believe some of the things River has said without realizing how hurtful they were. Once she told me that I'd probably never find my brother, since I'd been searching so long without success. I think Dinky really is proud of you, whether she realizes it or not.

Maybe she's upset because of that bully, Diamond Tiara, and is taking it out on you. River Wind tells me that she has been “extra mean” lately. No offense, but I don't understand why ponies put up with bullying. At a wyrm coven, that filly would have been punished severely for her behavior.

Anyway, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Your friend,

Cliff Runner

After finishing the letter, Cliff put it in an envelope and delivered it to the Carrot's house. Golden Harvest was working in the yard when he approached. The two exchanged uneasy waves, but didn't speak. According to Derpy's letters, her roommate partially believed the newspaper stories about dragons creating a hybrid race to conquer ponykind. Frankly, Cliff was surprised that he had even gotten a wave.

With nothing else to do that day, the young dragon made his way to Zecora's house. He was ashamed to admit that he hadn't spent much time with her in the last three weeks either. He intended to fix that.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Hello Zecora.” He smiled sheepishly when the door opened. “Long time no see.”

“A long time indeed,” she smiled back, “to not see a friend in need.” She motioned for him to come in. “What brings you by, if ask might I?”

“I realized that I haven't talked to you in a while is all.” Cliff took a seat beside her as she ground herbs into powder. “How's business?”

Zecora shrugged. “My healing potions are not in need since your kind did your good deed.”

Cliff felt a little guilty. “Sorry about that.”

She gave him an amused smile. “What kind of zebra would I be, if others in pain I did not wish free?”

“True.” He smiled back. “What about your business though? Are you making enough to get by?”

The zebra pointed to a shelf with several bottles on it. “Growing plants, delicious food, beautiful mane, and all things good.” She turned back to him. “I still sell potions my dragon friend, but of a different kind and towards another end.”

“That's a relief, but is it enough?” Cliff gestured around the room. “I noticed that you have fewer bottles than normal.”

“To suit my needs I make enough,” she assured him, “collecting ingredients, however, has been quite tough.”

“Okay, but promise you'll talk to me if you run low on bits. I never spend my Royal Adviser salary anyway, and we both know it's not good for me to hoard it.”

“You touch my heart,” Zecora smiled, “and yours is pure. In a friend I could not ask for more.”

“I haven't been by to see you in weeks,” Cliff reminded her. “I think you could ask for a lot more in a friend.”

“None are perfect,” she returned, “this we know, but a good friend returns, while others just go.”

The young dragon watched her work for a few moments before he spoke again. “You mentioned that you're having trouble collecting ingredients. If you don't mind my asking, why is that?”

“A sleeping drake is starting to rouse. Around the forest he sometimes prowls.”

Cliff grabbed the zebra. “We need to get you out of here!” A berserk drake wouldn't have any particular reason to attack Zecora's house, but he wasn't going to risk a friend on the chance that it saw her and happened to be hungry.

She gently pushed away his claws. “Peace, Cliff Runner. You need not fear. Many enchantments protect me here.”

“But-” A hoof covered his mouth. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

“He cannot harm me in this house.” Zecora smiled at her friend. “And outside I am quiet as a mouse. Though the stealth is truly needed, finding ingredients has been impeded.”

“Okay,” Cliff sighed, “but I need you to tell me about this drake.”

The zebra pulled over a bag at her workstation. She removed a hoofful of green dust and blew it into the air. The dust formed into the shape of a fully berserk drake, albeit many times smaller. It was extremely well muscled, had especially sharp claws, and its tail was covered in blade-like protrusions. “Green as a leaf, with deep yellow eyes. He has ruled this forest since ancient times.”

Great. Cliff thought. Spike had once encountered a drake that looked like this one. “Do you know if his cave is in that direction?” He pointed.

Zecora nodded.

Even worse. He swallowed. “Zecora, I don't mean to scare you, but that thing is a rank three berserker. It's smart enough to plan, and angry enough to go after anything it feels is challenging its authority.” He caught her with a firm look. “You should really come stay in Ponyville until we deal with it.”

She held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “Very well, Cliff Runner, I heed your advice. Perhaps time in Ponyville would be nice.”

Cliff breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Zecora. I'll sleep a lot easier knowing you're safe.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff spent the next several hours talking with Twilight and helping Zecora move. Luckily, the Apple family had a spare bedroom that they were willing to let the zebra use. They also offered to sell her potions alongside their apples in the marketplace, which was sure to draw in more customers for both sets of products.

Apple Bloom had frequently told Cliff how cool she thought Zecora was. He wished he could have seen her face when she heard the news.

Talking with Fire Claws when she got off work was far more serious. Berserkers recovered slowly from their hundred year sleeps. If Spike had been the one to awaken it back when he accidentally stumbled into its cave, then they would likely have another two or three years before it became alert enough to attack Ponyville. Before that happened, Cliff and the others would have to find it and either force it to move elsewhere, convince it that Ponyville wasn't part of its territory, or kill it.

He relayed everything to Twilight afterward, who gathered Spike, Autumn, and Rarity.

“We can't afford a repeat of the hydra incident,” Twilight said. “It would probably be best if you avoid confronting that drake with all the reporters around.”

“We could take it on out in the forest,” Cliff replied.

Spike shook his head. “At least one reporter would be sure to follow if all of you ran off.”

“Fine,” the older dragon sighed. “Zecora won't be happy about the delay, but we'll focus on defending Ponyville for the time being.”

“It would be best if a third party told everypony about the threat,” Autumn said. “Any connection between you and this drake could easily be misconstrued as an alliance.”

Twilight nodded. “I'll ask Celestia to send out an announcement. She might be able to spare some guards to help keep the town safe.”

“Only let her send the best,” Cliff warned them. “A rank three berserker is powerful enough to take on a small coven by itself.” He thought for a moment. “Pegasi would fare best against it. Have Celestia send those, if possible. We can teach them what to do.”

“I'll ask her,” Twilight promised.

“If I may,” Autumn turned to the older dragon, “how can you be sure of this drake's power? And if it is as big of a threat as you've said, how did you plan to fight it with only four dragons?”

“Wyrms have been fighting berserkers for thousands of years,” Cliff reminded her. “It was only a matter of time before we came up with a way to quantify the threat a given one represents. Berserk drakes, for example, have a base zero rating scale. This one is stronger and more deadly than a regular drake, based on its body build, but seems to lack any advanced technical skill in combat, so add one. It can talk, which means it's intelligent, and it's prone to attacking other creatures in anger. Add one for each of those. In total, a rank three berserker. Add one to its rank and then cube to get an estimate of what it would take to defeat it. In this case, sixty-four.

“However,” he continued, “the members of our Ponyville Coven are all extremely talented fighters, and capable of linking. They had to be, otherwise one of us might go berserk and the others wouldn't be able to handle it. My grandmother is probably a rank four warrior by now. Fire Eyes and Grandpa are rank two. I'm approaching rank two myself. Add up all of our ranks, plus one per member, and square the result to get our effective power when fighting as a linked group. In this case, one hundred and ninety-six. These are all just estimates,” he clarified, “but it gives you a fair idea of what would happen if we fought it.”

Autumn's eyes widened slightly. “That is a surprisingly mathematical analysis, but are you not worried that your estimates may be wrong?”

“Of course I am,” Cliff said, “but neither Spike nor Twilight is ready for linked combat yet, so the four of us or a team of pegasi are our only options.”

“I can help,” Spike objected. “I'm working my tail off with Fire Eyes every day.”

Cliff considered his brother for a moment. Spike could be stubborn when he set his mind on something. Disagreeing with him outright would probably just make the younger dragon angry. “With any luck, we won't have to fight it for a while. If Grandma says you're ready when the time comes, then you can join us.”

Spike nodded. “I will be.”

Doubtful. Training in linked combat usually took weeks, and his little brother was still at least a month away from even beginning it. In truth, Cliff was a little glad of that. He didn't want Spike getting anywhere near a berserker, let alone one this powerful.

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter came out about an hour past my usual release time. I had to do some major revisions, and it took me longer than I was expecting.

Anyway, stuff I'd like to hear your thoughts on: Cliff and Fluttershy's forced separation, the fight between Cliff and Fire Eyes (I only wrote it this morning, so I didn't have as much time to revise as I normally like), Fire Eyes as a character, and the potential problems that having a berserk drake around could cause.

Chapter 23

Princess Celestia issued a warning to Ponyville that very same day, and followed Cliff's advice by dispatching a regiment of one hundred pegasi. She also formally requested that he and the others help protect the town, and train her soldiers on how to fight berserkers. Twilight read her 'surprise' letter in front of town hall as soon as they were able to gather a decent crowd.

In a strange way, Cliff was grateful for the threat of a drake attack. It gave the Ponyville Coven something to focus on and prepare for, which helped him think about something other than Fluttershy. He stood next to his coven-mates at the side of the Dragon House the next morning while Twilight and Fire Claws addressed the newly arrived troops.

“This is our foe.” Fire Claws pointed to a large diagram of the berserker on the side of the house. “It's a green, rank three berserker. More specifically, a brawler variant. Put simply, getting close to this thing is suicide. If you value your lives, don't.”

Cliff looked over the soldiers as his grandmother spoke. He was impressed. All of them accepted her warning as though they hadn't expected anything less.

“Lightning is your best weapon,” she continued. “A dragon's scales won't do anything to stop it.” She pointed to the diagram. “Hit one of these wing joints with a strong enough bolt, and it should paralyze the wing long enough for more allies to arrive. Until they do, focus on distracting and containing the berserker. So long as you keep your distance, dodging its fire shouldn't be a problem. However, it might be smart enough to use its coloration as camouflage for a sneak attack, so keep your eyes open.”

Twilight stepped forward. “The local weather team will provide thunderclouds, so we don't have to worry about running out of them. However, for the bolts to be strong enough to be a practical weapon against this drake, the clouds will need to be so large that it will take three pegasi to move them.”

Her horn began to glow, and the diagram changed to a map of Ponyville.

“After lengthy deliberations with Fire Claws, we have selected ten locations for thunderclouds along the edge of the Everfree Forest. Teams of three will take eight hour shifts covering these locations. Nine pegasi per cloud per day and ten clouds means that each day, ten of you will get to have the day off.

“If anypony sees the berserker, shoot off one bolt. The thunder will be a signal to everypony else to grab their clouds and fly towards the source of the noise. If you are off duty when you hear it, extra clouds will be stored here.” She pointed on the map. “Once the fighting starts, weather pegasi will start ferrying new clouds to the battlefield, minimizing the time you will have to waste getting more ammunition. Above all, keep its focus away from Ponyville. Understood?”

“Yes, Princess!” they shouted in unison.

Fire Claws came forward once more. “Excellent. One final thing, myself and the other wyrms in town will be joining you on the battlefield. We might be able to convince the drake to leave in peace, but don't count on it. More importantly, we'll each be using defensive magic to protect ourselves from lightning. If you have a good shot at the target, take it. I don't care if one of us is in the way.”

Twilight paused. They hadn't talked about that earlier. “Uh, are you sure that will be safe?” she whispered to the dragoness. “Those lightning bolts will be nearly five times as powerful as the ones Fire Eyes can produce.”

“We'll keep our protective spells at maximum power,” she whispered back. “Besides, there's nothing safe about fighting berserkers.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next morning, the newspapers were strangely silent about dragons. A few articles explained that troops had been sent to Ponyville and why, but only one mentioned that Cliff and the others had been asked to fight alongside those troops. Perhaps they were all still afraid of Discord (not that the young dragon could blame them), but the majority of headlines were devoted to the upcoming Spring Wrap-up festival in Canterlot.

Frankly, Cliff didn't care what their reasons were. The only thing he cared about was what Twilight's Public Relations team, as Spike, Autumn, and Rarity had started calling themselves, would tell him after their meeting. He paced nervously around the palace, wishing he could somehow speed up time.

Every moment since waking up had seemed to crawl past for him. It's not like I'm asking for much, he reasoned. I just want to be with my marefriend.

When they finally came downstairs, Cliff only had one question. “Can I see her, yes or no?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes.”

That was all he needed to hear. Cliff barely waited to get outside before surging his magic and rocketing down the path to Fluttershy's cottage. No protesters marred the scene there. In fact, the young dragon couldn't see any ponies around at all. He was fine with that. There was only one pony he wanted to see at the moment.

Cliff took a deep breath and knocked.

After a few endless seconds, the door cracked open to reveal the most beautiful pegasus imaginable. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as they looked at each other. “Oh.” She pressed a hoof to her mouth as tears began to well up in her eyes. “Thank Celestia.”

He honestly didn't know which of them moved to embrace the other first. All Cliff knew was that his arms were around her once more as her feathered wings brushed against his scales. She still smells like the morning light. Somehow, that realization made him laugh as he nuzzled deeper into her mane.

Cliff's tail curled around her waist, pulling her closer as she wrapped her forelimbs around his neck. The young dragon couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to hold her again.

He wanted that moment to go on forever, but the last thing they needed was some reporter taking a picture of him and Fluttershy like that. “Can I come inside?”

“Mm hmm.” She sniffled and reluctantly pulled away. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” Cliff had been too nervous to eat much for breakfast. It was a testament to how much he had adapted to pony society that the idea of sharing a private meal with his marefriend didn't strike him as at all dirty.

The two of them relocated to Fluttershy's kitchen, where a simple breakfast was laying half eaten on her table.

“This is okay, right?” She pulled him into another embrace. “You won't... get in trouble, for coming to see me?”

“Spike and the others said it's fine.” He hugged her back, never wanting to let go. “Thanks to Discord, nopony wants to even print the word 'hybrid.'”

“It was so nice of him to agree to help.” Fluttershy smiled. “He really is very sweet under that gruff exterior.”

“Agreed to help?” Cliff repeated. “You asked him to hold that press conference?”

She nodded. “Sweetie Belle suggested it because Discord is an honorary Crusader.” She nuzzled into his cheek. “We all just wanted to see you again.”

It was a while before either of them was willing to let go. In fact, if Cliff's stomach hadn't growled, they might have stayed like that for hours.

Over the course of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between, both of them told the other what they had been doing for the past three weeks.

Fluttershy had mostly been writing letters to newspaper editors, asking them to be more fair in their stories about dragons. She had also spent a lot of time with Rainbow Dash and the Crusaders, since none of them had been allowed to spend time with dragons other than River Wind either.

He felt a surge of admiration for Fluttershy. In spite of all her fears and all the mistreatment she had received, she was still doing her best to help. Cliff's use of time seemed pretty selfish by comparison.

Eventually they ran out of things to say, and so they just rested on her couch and held each other in comfortable silence. For Cliff, it was like he had lost a part of himself in the last three weeks, and being with Fluttershy finally made him feel... whole, again.

Sometime after sundown, there was a knock at the door.

Cliff groaned. “I'll get it.” He began to disentangle himself from Fluttershy.

“Okay, if you don't mind, that is.” The yellow mare pulled him into another embrace. Her lips pressed against his cheek for a moment.

If he hadn't been laying down, he would have collapsed from shock.

Fluttershy looked away timidly. “I don't think I'm ready for normal kissing, but was that... okay?”

An uncontrollably goofy smile spread across Cliff's face. He planted a flurry of kisses across her cheeks and forehead. Something he had been wanting to say for a long time escaped his lips, “I love you, Fluttershy.”

There was another knock at the door.

Her hooves tightened around him. “I love you too, Cliff.” She sniffled. “I'm so sorry. I don't know why I'm crying.”

Cliff squeezed her back. “I am too,” he admitted, blinking away a tear. “And I don't know why either.” He nuzzled her cheek as a soft laugh escaped him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She returned his nuzzling.

The knocking came a third time. “Fluttershy? Cliff?” Twilight called. “Are you in there?”

Cliff reluctantly pried himself away from his marefriend and they both stood up. “One moment,” he called back.

Given that they took so long to answer, were both flushed when they finally did open the door, and Fluttershy's mane was noticeably frazzled, Cliff couldn't have blamed her for jumping to the wrong conclusion. To her credit, however, she just turned to him, arched an eyebrow, and said, “Would I be safe in assuming that this isn't what it looks like?”

“Uh yeah.” Cliff cleared his throat self-consciously. “What's going on?”

“Two of Autumn's reporter friends will be coming to Ponyville tomorrow. While they're here, we were hoping that they could do a story about you two.”

“Huh?” Cliff asked as Fluttershy inched behind him. “Why would they do a story about us?”

“Well,” Twilight fidgeted uncomfortably, “ponies can all relate to a love story, and since you're the only new dragon that's dating anypony...”

“You want to turn us into a celebrity couple?” he asked incredulously. He had seen enough while skimming through newspapers to know that such couples never got any privacy.

Twilight shook her head. “No, not at all. We just want the rest of Equestria to realize that ponies and dragons can mean something special to each other.”

Cliff sighed. “What do you think, Fluttershy?”

“Me?” she squeaked. “I, uh, if you think it would help...”

“I promise it will.” Twilight grinned. “Thank you, Fluttershy!”

She nodded. “Okay, but uh... Twilight? Would you be there? It's okay if you can't, of course. It's just, you always know the best way to say things.”

“Of course I will.” The purple alicorn skirted around Cliff to hug her friend. “You know you can always ask for my help.”

Fluttershy returned the hug. “Thank you, Twilight.”

“Besides, I've been studying all about methods and techniques for persuasive writing. I'd love to take notes on how actual reporters use them.”

Of course, Cliff thought.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“So how did you two first meet?” one of the reporters asked. He was a white pegasus with a blue mane.

“Princess Twilight introduced us,” Cliff told him. They were sitting on the couches in the palace living room.

Twilight nodded. “It was his first day in Ponyville, and I wanted him to meet all my friends.”

“So tell me, Fluttershy,” said the other reporter, a cream colored earth pony mare with a curly red mane, “what did you think when you first met Cliff Runner?”

“I...” The timid mare looked guiltily at Cliff. “I was scared.”

“You what?” the second reporter asked.

“She was scared,” Cliff told her.

“Really?”

Both reporters scribbled something down in their notebooks.

“I'm scared of dragons,” Fluttershy forced herself to speak more loudly. Almost as loud as a whisper, in fact. “Normally, that is.”

The pegasus reporter gave them a long look. Fluttershy and Cliff were sitting right next to each other, with her wing wrapped around him and his tail around her. “Obviously Cliff Runner is the exception.”

Fluttershy nodded, blushing slightly.

“How did that happen?”

“He gave me an emerald to look after.”

When it was obvious that neither reporter understood, Cliff explained his younger brother's gift, and how Fluttershy had offered to look after it because he didn't want to risk holding onto the gem himself. He was actually surprised that the yellow pegasus had been afraid of him up until then. He had thought she was just being shy.

“Interesting.” The stallion took more notes. “And how did that make you less afraid of him, Miss Fluttershy?”

“It gave us a chance to talk.” She smiled faintly. “I realized that he was really very nice.”

They asked some more questions, mostly about what sort of dates the couple went on. It was obvious they weren't thrilled with the responses though.

“Hmm...” The earth mare skimmed over her notes. “Not exactly a whirlwind romance, but we could work the star-crossed lovers angle, especially if we milk their enforced separation over the last few weeks.”

Cliff found her tone more than a little annoying. “You do know that those were three of the most difficult weeks of my life, right?”

“Of course we do,” she assured him, “but ponies will react more if we play it up a bit. What were you doing that whole time anyway? We can start there.”

“I was training with Fire Eyes, mostly.”

The pegasus stallion shook his head. “No, that won't do. Spending time with another mare will make you seem unsympathetic.”

“Dragoness, actually,” Cliff corrected, “and how would that make me seem unsympathetic?”

The stallion sighed. “Weeks of heartbreaking separation from your one true love, and you chose to spend them with another girl? Ponies are going to think that you were having an affair.”

The young dragon had to bite back an unkind comment about ponies in general. “Fire Eyes and I have been friends since we hatched, and she fully supports my relationship with Fluttershy. How is spending time with her at all like having an affair?”

The earth pony reporter shrugged. “It isn't, Cliff Runner, but that's what our readers would think. We're trying to help you here.”

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “Just say that I was training with my grandmother.”

“Grandmother. Got it.” She looked up from her notes. “Training in what, exactly?”

“Fighting and running.” Cliff glanced out the window towards the forest. “With that berserker on the loose, it's probably a good thing that Fire Eyes and I got the extra practice in.”

The stallion tapped a hoof against his chin thoughtfully. “Your bio said you've been all over the continent looking for your brother?”

Cliff nodded.

“Taming the Wanderer?” the reporter asked his colleague.

She nodded. “With a bit of Beauty and the Beast thrown in.”

“We could tie it in with the military operations here in Ponyville.”

“Perfect! 'The enemy of my enemy,' and all that.”

Cliff watched the two of them go back and forth like that for a while. He was fairly certain they were speaking a foreign language.

“Anyway,” the mare said at last, “what did you do during those weeks, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, I...” suddenly being the center of attention made her shrink down like she was trying to hide. “I wrote letters to newspapers, asking them to be more nice to dragons.”

“We can use that.” The female reporter nodded. “It'll help reinforce the hero-maiden theme we've got going.”

“Wait, wait,” Cliff objected, “I'm not a hero, and Fluttershy isn't some maiden to be rescued. By the stars, she has beaten bigger threats than I could even dream of.”

The pegasus in question turned bright red at his praise.

“We know,” The stallion told him, “but it's better that Equestria thinks you're a hero than a monster, and you two couldn't pull off the 'Love on the Battlefield' theme nearly as well.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a camera. “We'll need to get a few pictures.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

As it turned out, Cliff was absolutely horrible at having his picture taken. That this was considered a skill at all baffled him.

After nearly a half hour of telling him that his smile seemed forced, (what did they expect? They were literally forcing him to smile,) the reporters had gone with a different theme for him; Cool and Collected. This amounted to staring into the distance with a thoughtful expression, like he was trying to work out a riddle. In this case, the riddle was, Why won't they leave me alone?

Meanwhile, he and Fluttershy, (who was extremely talented at getting her picture taken... somehow), were forced into a variety of poses and told not to move. Some were natural enough. Cliff didn't mind hugging his marefriend in the least. Others, however, were just confusing. For example, why would Fluttershy ever want to sit on his shoulders while he stood on his back legs?

Twilight seemed fascinated by it all, and asked the reporters question after question about what the shots were meant to convey, how they would enhance the article itself, etc.

“Alright,” the stallion said after what felt like an eternity, “we only need a few more photos, but we'll have to go outside to get them.”

“Oh really?” Twilight asked. “Why is that?”

The stallion and mare exchanged knowing glances.

“If we're going to make our boy Cliff here look like a dashing warrior,” the mare said, “we need at least one action shot.”

The stallion nodded. “Sure, everypony has heard that he fought off a hydra and can run at the speed of sound-”

“Mach four point three,” Twilight said absentmindedly. “According to our last test.”

“But most of our readers have never seen those sorts of things,” he pressed onward. “A good photo can change that, and turn Cliff into a real-life superhero.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“But my eyes don't glow when I use magic,” Cliff objected.

“Yes,” the earth mare said patiently, “but how else will our readers know that you're using it?”

“Maybe because I'm lifting three hundred pounds.” He gestured at the rock they wanted him to move.

“I still think we should use a different shot,” the stallion said. “Most earth ponies could lift that much.”

“Excuse me for not being an earth pony,” Cliff muttered, though not loud enough for either reporter to hear him.

“If you can think of a good way to photograph his speed, then we can go with that,” the mare replied to her coworker.

“We could have his spikes glow instead,” Twilight suggested. “It would be more reminiscent of unicorn magic that way.”

While the reporters and alicorn discussed poses, themes, and imagery, Cliff turned to Fluttershy with a shrug. “Was it like this when you were a model?”

She nodded. “Yes, but Photo Finish always seemed to know exactly what she wanted from the pictures. It was sometimes really hard to get things the way she wanted them.”

“Well, that puts her one step ahead of those three.” Cliff pointed at Twilight and the reporters. “They only seem to know what they don't want.”

Fluttershy giggled.

Stars above, she's cute when she does that! He took a moment to admire her before speaking again. “Fluttershy, you have experience with this sort of thing. What kind of picture do you think they should take?”

“Oh,” she blushed, “I do have one idea, but I'm sure it isn't very good.”

Cliff moved to embrace her and kissed her quickly on the cheek. “What is it?”

Fluttershy blushed and smiled gratefully at him. “Well, I was wondering why we couldn't show what you were really like while you were hunting for Spike all those years...”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Two days later, when the article came out, Cliff was happy to see that they had gone with Fluttershy's suggestion after all. A picture of him sitting alone on the top of a mountain, with the Everfree Forest spread out below him adorned the front page. The title read, Dear Brother: One Dragon's Search for Love and Family.

According to Fluttershy, the picture was meant to symbolize the loneliness of his search, in order to better contrast with the joy of finding both Spike and love in Ponyville.

Cliff had to take her word for it. He thought the pictures of himself and Fluttershy were cute at least, but that was because Fluttershy was in them.

The article itself was a well written piece of fiction. According to it, Cliff was a brilliant and insightful loner who had never fit in with other dragons. He had wandered the world looking for his little brother for most of his life, (as opposed to just a couple of years). No mention was made of his parents.

After arriving in Ponyville (by chance in this version), he enjoyed a joyful reunion with Spike (probably the most accurate part of the whole thing). Fighting the hydra involved a heroic speech, for some reason, and apparently he had rescued Fluttershy during it as well.

In the reporters' reality, wyrms gave gemstones as a sign of affection, which is why he gave one to Fluttershy. He was in awe of her beauty (true) from the first time he saw her (false), and she was overwhelmed by his sheer masculine presence. It only took Cliff five minutes to stop laughing after he read that last one.

Their courtship had (supposedly) been a whirlwind of romance and passion, until cruel lies had torn the “lovers” apart. Not the word Cliff would have used to describe them. They hadn't even kissed on the lips yet. In any case, both himself and Fluttershy were given lengthy monologues about the “agony” of their separation.

The article ended with a joyous reunion, including a passionate speech about their eternal love. It made Cliff a little nervous to think what the rest of Ponyville would think upon reading it. He said as much over the breakfast table.

“I think it's nice.” Fluttershy smiled. She had been reading along with him. “And I really did miss you.”

Cliff nuzzled her cheek. “I missed you too.”

“Alright you two, let me see,” Twilight said as she pulled the paper over. “And I'm sure it can't be that bad, Cliff.”

“You won't be saying that when you get to the 'masculine presence' part.”

Spike wasn't paying much attention to them. He was just glad that there wasn't a P.R. team meeting today. Weeks of working alongside Rarity had been taking their tole on the young dragon. What did she even mean, 'it would simply be too complicated' if we were to start dating?

The day after guiding Cliff and Fluttershy through a date in Canterlot, Spike had finally told the white unicorn everything that he and Autumn had been up to. She had been angry, of course, but strangely, seemed most upset over how he had treated Autumn Gem.

She was helping me as a favor between friends. Why is that so hard for everypony to understand?

Rarity had even said that Autumn would make a better marefriend for Spike than she would, and all but demanded that he continue dating the crystal mare.

Autumn had a crush on me, but it wasn't that serious, and I'm sure she's over it by now. Spike knew he wasn't naturally romantic. He didn't compose poetry or enjoy candle-lit dinners. Autumn had seen him as the irreverent, sarcastic, comic book collecting, video game obsessed geek that he was. If that hadn't killed every last thought of romance the crystal mare had for him, then he didn't know what would.

Spike finished off his breakfast and made his way to the Dragon House. Fire Eyes had the day off, and she apparently had something special planned for his training.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Tier three magic?” Spike asked. “Are you sure? Twilight only reached that level a few days ago, and she's a lot more talented at this than I am.”

“Yes, but you're learning from three teachers,” Fire Eyes explained. “The Princess only has Cliff and her books. Plus she isn't applying her magic every day in training like you are.”

“She's coming by later today,” Spike reminded her.

The white dragoness's eyes lit up. “Trust me, I know.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, Cliff tells me that you've been trying to master all the spells for high speed running?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, for over a month now.”

“Good. That means you should only have the Speed spell left to learn.”

Real creative name, the young dragon thought, but he nodded. The others had all been tier two spells.

Fire Eyes sat down in front of him. “Excellent. Let's get started.”

It took an hour or so to learn a new tier two spell, and that time was nearly tripled for tier three. Figuring out the correct ratio for two emotions was relatively easy, as you can only really add to one and take away from the other, or vice versa. For three emotions, however, the possible combinations were nearly limitless. If Fire Eyes hadn't been helping him along, pointing out how some attempts came closer to success than others, Spike was fairly certain that he would never have gotten his new spell working.

“Whew, finally.” She helped him to his feet. “Now let's see if you can get all those spells going at once.”

Maintaining multiple spells was like having multiple hearts. Inside of each one, Spike could feel the emotions that powered them. They were somehow separated from the rest of his heart, but they were definitely there. Maybe having multiple personalities would be a better analogy. He tried not to let simultaneously feeling so many different emotions disorient him.

His head was starting to hurt by the time he got the fifth spell active. Now for the new one. Clearing his heart had become more and more difficult with each new spell, and Spike had to fight for several minutes before it was clear enough for him to attempt to cast Speed. While trying to create the right emotions, he accidentally broke the Stillness, forcing him to start with step one again. “...There,” he muttered at last.

“Good job. Now keep those spells going for as long as you can.”

“Can't I try, you know, running?” Spike objected.

“Not until you can hold onto all those spells without being distracted by them.” Fire Eyes patted him on the shoulder. “If you do well enough today, you can give running a try tomorrow.”

Spike tried not to let his disappointment show. At least I'm at tier three now, he reminded himself. Most wyrms earned their names from tier two or three spells, and he was really starting to get curious about his.

The young dragon wasn't sure how long he was forced to stand there before his willpower gave out. It was actually pretty boring, in a sort of migraine-inducing way.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“... Feeling better?” a gentle voice asked.

“Hn?” Spike's eyes fluttered open. His grandmother was kneeling beside him.

“I'll take that as a 'yes.'” She helped him sit upright. “Fire Eyes tells me that you're ready to start high speed running.”

“What, really?”

She nodded. “Just remember to keep your protective spells running higher than anything else. Smashing into stuff is inevitable the first few times.”

My headache's gone, he realized. Sweet! “Speaking of Fire Eyes, where is she?”

“She went to the palace a few minutes ago to collect Twilight.”

Oh right, Spike glanced at the sun. It's about time for her sparring session. He was still surprised that Twilight had asked if she could join in. Not that his sister was afraid of fighting, but she normally wasn't the kind to seek it out. If Spike had to guess, she was just trying to understand dragons better by training with them.

There was certainly something to that line of thought. Spike knew it had brought him closer to his grandmother, and had drastically improved his spellcasting. He was even starting to think of Fire Eyes as a friend, in spite of her rather painful teaching methods.

“Are you ready?”

The question snapped Spike out of his reverie. “Yup.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Tree, meet Face. Spike groaned. Face, this is Tree. I'm sure you two will be the best of friends. With a bit of effort, he pulled his head out of the splintered remains of a trunk.

“I did warn you to stick to the field,” Fire Claws said as she approached.

“I was trying to.” He spat out a mouthful of wood chips. “I was just turning to come back and... yeah,” he gestured at the broken pine tree, “this.”

“You were traveling at seventy miles per hour,” she reminded him. “The faster you go, the more room you'll need to turn. For a first try, though, you did very well.”

“I can't see how.” Spike gingerly pulled a piece of bark out of his left nostril.

“Cliff didn't push off correctly on his first step, and wound up flying sideways into the mountain.” She shook her head and laughed at the memory. “At least you went in the right direction.”

Spike chuckled. “I guess you're right, that wasn't so bad after all.”

“Of course I'm right,” Fire Claws helped him up, “I'm your grandmother. Let's try just going in a straight line for now.”

By the time Twilight and Fire Eyes arrived, Spike was able to handle straight lines fairly easily, but turning still threw him off, literally. Momentum was a cruel mistress, it seemed.

“What happened to you?” Twilight asked, looking over her little brother's dirt-encrusted form.

“I slipped a couple of times,” Spike deadpanned. “How was your afternoon?”

“Oh, I'm glad you asked. I think I finally developed a spell to measure willpower.” Twilight grinned. “Quantifying the amount of energy used on dragon spells is sure to be useful.”

Spike couldn't really see how, but he had long since learned not to second-guess his sister. “Anyway, are you ready to take a beating?”

It was largely a rhetorical question. She knew what dragon training was like, and wouldn't be here if she wasn't prepared for it.

“Of course I am, Spike,” Twilight said anyway.

“Perfect,” Fire Eyes slapped her on the shoulder, “but don't think too little of yourself. You've got alicorn magic, and that's going to count for a lot.”

Twilight frowned. “Isn't this training to improve my dragon magic? I thought you wouldn't want me to use unicorn magic.”

The white dragoness turned to Spike. “What are the first two rules of a fight?”

“'The winner is the one still standing at the end,' and, 'if you want to be the winner, use everything at your disposal,'” he recited.

“Exactly.” She turned back to Twilight. “We're doing this to make you a better warrior. Improving your dragon magic is just a side-effect.”

“O-okay then.” Twilight looked around. “How should we start?”

“With a fight, obviously.”

Author's Note

From forced separation to posting the details of their courtship all over Equestria. Cliff and Fluttershy have certainly had to put up with a lot of crap, haven't they?

Sorry I didn't spend much time on Spike's relationship issues this time around. You'll get more of that in the next chapter. For now, I wanted to show a bit more of his interactions with the rest of the new wyrms.

Yes, Twilight will get a fairly lengthy fight scene next time.

Chapter 24

Twilight's mastery of unicorn magic and comparative inexperience with dragon magic presented a unique challenge for their match. Normally both combatants used the same tiers of attack and defense spells, but since Twilight would be using unicorn magic and dragon magic, Fire Eyes opted to use her most powerful protective spells. Unfortunately for her, Twilight only knew tier two defensive spells, and unicorn magic didn't give her many options in that department, limiting Fire Eyes' ability to attack severely. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only way to make sure the alicorn wasn't in danger.

“Are you both ready?” Fire Claws asked.

They nodded.

“Begin when this rock hits the ground.” She tossed it into the air.

Thud.

Twilight's magic immediately wrapped around her opponent.

WHAM, WHAM, WHAM, WHAM, WHAM!

Spike burst out laughing. “Game, set, and match!”

Fire Claws' jaw dropped. “That was fast.”

“Oh my gosh!” Twilight ran to the edge of the small crater she had created. “Fire Eyes, are you hurt?”

At the bottom of it, the dragoness was slowly pulling herself upright. Bruises covered her body. “Zero to five,” she coughed. “That hasn't happened in a while.”

“I'm sorry!” Twilight jumped down and threw her hooves around her. “I shouldn't have slammed you down so hard!”

Fire Eyes winced from the contact, and coughed again. “Don't worry. I always wondered what it would be like to fight an alicorn. Now I know.”

“She just smashed through tier six Scale Armor...” Fire Claws breathed. “That's terrifying.”

“Nope,” Spike grinned proudly, “that's Twilight.”

“Here, let me heal you.” Twilight's hoof began to glow.

“It's fine.” Fire Eyes pulled back a little. “I can do it.”

“Please let me,” Twilight insisted. “I feel horrible about hurting you.”

With a sigh, she moved forward again. “I think it's clear that you're out of my league, Princess.”

Before Twilight could object, Fire Claws climbed down to join them and wrapped the younger dragoness in a firm hug.

Even though it must have been painful on her bruises, Fire Eyes didn't resist.

Spike sensed a faint pressure as his grandmother cast two spells. One was for healing, based on the fact that the white dragoness's bruises suddenly disappeared, but he could only guess what the second was.

“Don't be so hard on yourself, Eyes.”

Fire Eyes slowly hugged her back. “Thanks, Teacher.”

“No problem,” Fire Claws whispered before gently leading her student to the side of the field. “Well, it seems I'll have to be your opponent now.”

“I, uh, alright.” Twilight fidgeted uncomfortably. “I really am sorry about hurting her.”

“I know you are,” the older dragoness assured her. “I'm not upset at you, but you did ask to learn more about combat, and I'll go berserk before I let you walk away without learning anything. Just give me three matches.”

Twilight smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Now, you mentioned once that you can cast force-fields. Exactly how good are those at keeping you safe?”

As the two of them talked, Spike leaned over to Fire Eyes and whispered, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she whispered back, “just wondering how long it'll take to work my way up to her level.” She gestured at Twilight.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It took quite a bit of careful experimentation, but Fire Claws was able to feel out the exact limits of Twilight's unicorn force-field. Apparently satisfied, she and the alicorn had Spike toss the rock to signal the start of their match.

Thud.

Twilight's horn began to glow, but it had no visible effect whatsoever. She gasped in surprise as the dragoness closed the distance between them.

Palm to the chin. Elbow to the side. Tail sweep to the legs. Blow to the forehead. Joint lock.

“Five to zero,” Fire Claws stated calmly as she climbed off to let her opponent up.

“Ugh.” Twilight pressed a hoof against her forehead. “How did you do that?”

“Anti-magic,” the dragoness told her. “It blocks most of my spells as well, but it shorts out any unicorn magic that comes within claw's reach of me.” She knelt beside Twilight. “How's your head?”

“It's fine.” She winced. “Just backlash from the magic you interrupted.”

Fire Claws nodded sympathetically as she used a healing spell. “I'm sorry about that, Princess Twilight. There's no way around that particular side-effect.”

“It's fine,” the alicorn repeated with a smile, “and please, call me Twilight.”

“Very well, Twilight, what did you learn from our first match?”

“That wyrms can counter unicorn magic.”

“Actually, that's a tier seven spell,” Fire Claws explained. “Very few wyrms are capable of using it. Still, it never hurts to be more aware of an opponent's abilities. What else?”

Twilight reflected for a moment. “You surprised me, and I froze long enough for you to reach me. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have teleported away and studied your spell for weaknesses like range or duration.”

“Excellent.” The dragoness nodded. “You should always have a few backup plans in case your foe does something unexpected. In the next match, for example, I'm going to surprise you as much as possible. What are some things you can do to prepare for that right now?”

The cogs in Twilight's brilliant mind began to whirl. “Your anti-magic could probably dispel my shield, and you have far more experience in martial arts, so close range combat is a bad idea generally. I would likely be safest in the air, but if something you do allows you to reach me there, I'll teleport away. If you can interrupt that spell somehow, I can surge a strength spell to let me fly away more quickly.” She tapped a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. “If your surprise is a ranged attack, however, I suppose my best option would be to maintain my shield, but try to dodge it anyway, in case it can get through.”

Fire Claws grinned. “If only Cliff could plan ahead like you. Anyway, what if my surprise is invisible?”

“Invisible...” Twilight frowned. “I could... Wait, I know! That spell to measure willpower.” She smiled triumphantly. “It would warn me that you're using something big.”

The two talked back and forth for a while about hypothetical attacks and responses before Fire Claws declared that it was time for round two.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Thud.

Whack.

Twilight blinked in surprise from the sudden blow.

Spike didn't blame her. His grandmother hadn't moved, and whatever she had shot had been nearly invisible.

“One to zero.” The dragoness grinned before launching a rain of semi-invisible... whatever they were.

Twilight brought her shield up just in time to deflect them.

As soon as it appeared, the dragoness lunged forward, but Twilight teleported into the sky before she could get close.

“Perfect,” Fire Claws shouted up at her before hurling a crescent-shaped arc of blue energy.

Twilight swerved to avoid it, but it still hit the edge of her shield, passing through as though nothing was there.

“Good job.” The dragoness smiled approvingly. “Now it's your turn. Attack me.”

Spike could see his sister weighing her options. Attacking an opponent that was waiting for you could be dangerous, but on the other hoof, Fire Claws was obviously more interested in teaching her than in winning the match. After considering it for a moment, Twilight fired a beam of energy.

Surprisingly, Fire Claws neither blocked nor dodged. Instead, she arced it around herself, somehow, and shot it right back. She seemed a little disappointed when it struck a surprised Twilight in the chest. “Two to zero,” she muttered as her opponent fell to the ground. “That was your own energy. Don't be surprised that it wasn't affected by your shield.”

Struggling to her hooves, Twilight tried her telekinesis again. As before, however, Fire Claws remained completely untouched by it.

“Be more creative,” the dragoness suggested as she ripped a small boulder out of the ground and threw it with her own telekinesis.

Even though her shield should have been able to take the blow easily, Twilight jumped out of the way. As soon as her hooves touched the ground again, it opened up beneath her. With a surprised shout, she disappeared from view.

“I can't blame you for not trusting your shield,” Fire Claws called down the hole. “That rock would have exploded on contact with it. However, your telekinesis is far stronger than mine. You could have shot that back at me easily, and it's always a risk to move where your foe is driving you.”

“Three to zero?” Twilight's voice echoed up to them.

“If you insist.” Fire Claws motioned and the hole filled itself in, leaving the alicorn buried.

In a flash of light, Twilight was back. Another spell exploded from her horn almost immediately.

Looking surprised for the first time, the purple dragoness found herself falling upwards. She negated it like the other unicorn spells, but not before Twilight had sent dozens of rocks hurtling right at her.

“Three to one,” Fire Claws said as the dust settled, “and a brilliant combination of spells.”

Twilight smiled gratefully at the praise before taking to the air again. She fired another beam of energy, which passed through her opponent without any effect.

Either Grandma can go ethereal, or that's an illusion, Spike thought.

His sister must have come to the same realization, because she teleported away, barely dodging a bolt of green light.

“Good move.” The real Fire Claws appeared just below Twilight's former position. “If you don't know what the foe is doing, get away from them and keep your defenses high.”

Twilight didn't respond. Instead, she clenched her eyes in concentration. Her shield dropped as all of her mana was poured into something big.

A huge amount of earth folded up around the dragoness in response, crushing any vegetation between its sides, like some kind of over-sized taco.

She barely had a moment to smile before another ray of green light struck her.

“One,” Fire Claws appeared on the ground at the other side of the field, “you should never have dropped your shield to focus on attacking me. Staying alive is your first priority in a fight, and having it up made three fourths of my attack options useless. Two, if a foe can trick you once, plan on them being able to do it twice.”

Twilight winced and held her chest where the bolt hit, but she was able to hold her position in the air as another shield appeared around her. “Four to one.”

The dragoness nodded. “You probably have more than double my raw power. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take advantage of it with more moves like that,” she gestured at the small hill Twilight had just created.

Taking her advice, the alicorn fired a blast of arcane power that engulfed the entire field, scorching what little grass remained to ash. Fire Claws vanished in the onslaught, but another one of her appeared elsewhere, next to the smoking remains of a bush.

“Yes, like that,” Fire Claws said. “Sometimes brute force is the smartest move. Four to two, by the way.”

Twilight took a deep breath and reached out with her magic. A maelstrom of arcane energy began to form around her.

It was cut short, however, when the purple dragoness shot into the center of it, crashing through the shield and into Twilight. She landed with her claws wrapped around the alicorn's throat. “And that's five to two.”

Spike had mixed feelings as he watched the two of them discussing their second match. On one hoof, he had to admit that his grandmother was kind of awesome, but on the other, it was strangely disappointing to see Twilight beaten in anything that involved magic.

“Now, this final round will let you practice in a more realistic combat scenario,” Fire Claws said. “I'll attack you fiercely, but with relatively simple techniques, and very few surprises. If you fight smart and don't freeze, you'll win this one easily.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, I think I'm ready.”

Spike threw the rock for them.

As soon as it hit, Fire Claws burst into flames. Literally. Her entire body was coated in them.

Twilight brought her shield up almost reflexively as the dragon-shaped fireball charged her.

The first blow made a sound like an explosion. Twilight nearly lost her footing from the impact.

Her back legs buckled as the second and third connected, leaving tiny cracks in her shield.

Spike knew enough about magic to know that something was wrong. At full power, his sister's shield could withstand over one hundred tons of force. He had been there when they tested it. There was no way Fire Claws could be affecting it with raw strength.

Twilight grit her teeth and teleported into the air. She latched onto the boulder from their second match with her telekinesis, and threw it at her opponent.

Tendrils of flame shot from the dragoness's hands, wrapping around the boulder and spinning it around her to send it hurtling up at Twilight.

She teleported away and launched a wide beam of energy.

Everything within twenty feet of Fire Claws was engulfed in destructive purple magic, except for the dragoness herself. The flames covering her body formed a shield, which somehow blocked out the attack.

More fire shaped into a spear of some kind, which shot upwards through the magical onslaught, forcing Twilight to teleport once more.

She reappeared right behind Fire Claws, and kicked as hard as she could. Twilight wasn't terribly athletic, but alicorns had the strength of earth ponies. Augmented by wyrm magic, the blow was enough to send her opponent flying. She immediately shot another ray of energy.

Fire Claws took the ray to her chest, but not before hurling a blade-shaped piece of fire, which sank deep into Twilight's right foreleg before disappearing.

The purple dragoness somehow landed gracefully about twenty feet from where she had been kicked. She took a deep breath, and all the fire on her body seemed to get pulled into her mouth.

Twilight was grimacing in pain from the bloody wound on her leg, but teleported away when she saw what was happening.

Unfortunately for her, Fire Claws simply waited for the alicorn to reappear before jumping into the air and breathing out a line of super-heated energy at Twilight's new location.

The attack melted right through her shield, barely missing Twilight, and left a glowing hole in the ground where it hit.

She put up another shield immediately and retaliated with a storm of telekinetic rocks, all coming in from different angles.

Most of them were deflected by fresh tendrils of fire, but a few connected, knocking the dragoness to the side. She rolled to her feet and shot two more daggers of fire.

Both deflected harmlessly off Twilight's shield. She responded with a bolt of arcane lightning, something very few unicorns were even capable of producing. Its unique properties allowed it to travel along the currents of Fire Claws' magic, passing right through her defensive fire and into the dragoness.

Twilight barely had time to blink before Fire Claws crashed into her shield. Flames wrapped around them immediately.

They remained locked in place like that, with Twilight straining to hold her shield as tendrils of fire sawed into it.

“Just teleport again,” Spike muttered.

“She can't,” Fire Eyes said from her seat next to him. “Those flames disrupt most magic, and the Princess is completely surrounded by them.”

The young dragon tried not to glare at her. She doesn't have to sound so happy about it.

Finally, Twilight's left forehoof began to glow. The image of ethereal claws extended out from it. Spike recognized Ghost Claws, one of Cliff's favorite spells. She slashed, and they passed through both shield and flames to hit the dragoness.

Fire Claws immediately released her spells. “Five to one,” she said with a grin. “Excellent performance, Twilight. Let me heal that wound for you.”

“That was awesome!” Spike ran over to join them, followed by Fire Eyes. "Good job, Twilight."

She dropped her shield and smiled at him, but it was a bit forced. “I, thanks.” She turned back to Fire Claws and extended her injured limb.

The older dragoness tousled Fire Eyes' head spikes, then gently took Twilight's hoof and cast her spell. “You don't need to feel bad about being angry or slightly afraid, Twilight. That's normal when you're first getting used to these kinds of fights, especially if you were hurt.”

She looked away self-consciously. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Thank you for not having me arrested.” Fire Claws chuckled. “Those guards up there look pretty upset that I was attacking their princess.”

Spike followed his grandmother's eyes and saw a trio of pegasus guards glaring down at them from the edge of a cloud.

“Oh.” Twilight turned beet red as she waved up at them. “It's okay! She was just teaching me how to fight!”

The guards exchanged unconvinced looks before saluting and turning back toward the forest.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight turned back to the group, “and thank you both for your help.”

“It was our pleasure.” Fire Claws replied. “Your tendency to freeze when surprised is something we should work on. Assuming you want to continue training in the future, of course.”

Twilight considered it for a moment. “I won't be able to come very often, but I wouldn't mind continuing to study the application of dragon magic in combat.”

They talked for another good while, mostly about what sort of homework Twilight could do for their next sparring session, before she and Spike said their goodbyes.

“Do you think Fire Eyes was upset?” Twilight asked nervously as they walked back to town. “She was awfully quiet after our match.”

“I think you might have bruised her ego a bit.” Spike shrugged. “Don't worry about it, though. You're an alicorn, and the most powerful spell-caster in over a thousand years. Us normal wyrms can't really expect to compete with that.”

As always, the compliments made his sister uncomfortable. “Being powerful doesn't make me better than anypony, Spike. It just means that I have the potential to either help or harm a whole lot of ponies who are depending on me. Besides, I'm not all that powerful. Fire Claws was able to beat me easily when she was trying.”

“Just wait,” he said. “In a couple of months, I bet you'll be mopping the floor with her.”

“Spike, I'm not doing this because I want to defeat your grandmother.” Twilight looked at him aghast. “I just wanted an excuse to spend some time with those two. I haven't talked with them much since they arrived in Ponyville.”

“Okay, fine.” Spike sighed. “Anyway, do you think Cliff will be home for dinner?” Ever since Wednesday, his brother and Fluttershy had been spending nearly every waking moment together.

“I'm sure he will be.” Twilight accepted the change of topic easily. “It's his night to cook, after all, since you'll be out with Autumn.”

“Yeah.” Spike tried not to think about that too much. He was still pretending to date Autumn, because that's what Rarity seemed to want, but they had been so focused on P.R. business lately that it was sometimes difficult to remember the happy, playful mare she had been before this whole fiasco.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Twilight turned to her brother. “Are you two going anywhere nice?”

Takeout from the Hay Burger, he thought. Neither of them was in the mood to be out in public when they could just relax in her hotel room instead. “Not really.”

“Come on, Spike.” His sister turned to him. “You need to let Autumn know that she's special to you.”

“Yeah, okay Twilight.” Not for the first time, he wondered why he bothered with the charade.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Spike took a while to sort through his emotions and calm them before going to Autumn's new apartment in Ponyville. The crystal mare would drop everything else to help him if she realized he was feeling upset, and she deserved a night off.

Wow, I was really resentful towards Grandma, he reflected. Is it just because she beat Twilight? From what he could tell, that seemed to be the case. Weird.

He soothed out his resentment, as well as a dash of anger towards Fire Eyes for rooting against his sister. I guess I'm still kind of petty sometimes.

As for Autumn, Spike removed a fair amount of infatuation. He was having to do that more and more lately. Come on, heart. He groaned. We're just friends. Figure it out already!

Unfortunately, he knew the feelings would return. Cliff had compared this kind of emotional control to pulling leaves off a tree. As long as the tree was alive, or in this case, as long as Autumn kept playing her part so well, the leaves would always grow back.

Even so, Spike was feeling better when he got to Autumn's apartment complex. He wasn't upset at anydragon, and this was just going to be a relaxed night between two friends.

“Good evening, Spike.” She smiled as she opened her door. “What was the surprise Fire Eyes had for you?”

Surprise? “Oh.” Spike chuckled. He had actually forgotten about that. “She said I'm ready for the next tier of magic, which meant I finally got to practice augmented running.”

She stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her. “Congratulations! How was it?”

“I'll let you know when I can do it without crashing into anything.”

Autumn winced. “Were you hurt?”

He shook his head. “No, just tenderized a little.”

“That's a relief.” The crystal mare laughed, but sobered as they reached the end of the hallway, and the front door to the building. “Well,” she turned to her companion, “on with the show.”

“...Yeah.”

The two intertwined their tails before walking outside.

-_-_-_-_-_-

All the way to and from the Hay Burger, Spike and Autumn smiled and laughed a bit more than was necessary as they discussed topics of little to no importance. It was the sort of thing any young couple could be expected to do.

Spike had discovered a strange fact about life. Doing something because he had to just sucked the fun out of it. Even if it was something he would normally enjoy. By the time they made it back to Autumn's apartment, he was happy to collapse on the couch. “Since when did pretending to have fun become so much work?”

“Perhaps we should stop pretending?” Autumn flopped down next to him. Her coat wasn't nearly as crystalline as normal. Even a novice at reading crystal coats would be able to tell that she was depressed. Some discoloration along her neck and sides also revealed that she felt discouraged, like she was failing in her duty. “I always worry that I'm acting too close or too distant.”

“Don't be so hard on yourself, Autumn.” Spike pulled out a burger and gave it to her. “You're perfect at this. I'm the one who never knows what to say.”

Autumn slowly unwrapped her burger. “Your feelings for Rarity weigh heavily on your heart. It must be difficult pretending to care for me.” She took a bite as guilt flashed across her coat.

Something in her tone made Spike pause. “...You know that I really do care about you, right?”

“Yes.” She gave him a wane smile. “I meant romantically.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her coat returned to normal in response. “We've been doing this for nearly a month, Spike. Long enough that you can tell Rarity that we just didn't work out.”

“Well... yeah, but...” Spike pulled out a burger for himself, just to give him time to think. Why is she hiding her emotions? Does she feel guilty about admitting that she doesn't want to pretend to be my marefriend anymore? The thought that she might be starting to dislike their time together felt like a lead weight in his stomach. “I don't know. Hanging out with you is the only fun I have anymore.”

Autumn arched an eyebrow at him. “You just said that we were 'pretending to have fun,' and that it was 'work.'”

“You know what I mean.” Spike unwrapped his burger and took a bite. “When we aren't out there 'performing,' I have a blast with you.”

“All the more reason to end our 'performance.' We can just have fun together as friends again.”

He took a few more bites of his burger before responding. “Just... tell me what you want, Autumn. I'm sick of making you go out of your way on my account.”

“I want...” Autumn sighed. “I want my life to be simple again.”

“Simple,” Spike repeated. “Yeah, I think I heard of that, once.”

The crystal mare smiled a little, but it faded quickly. “I think it would be best if we stopped pretending to date, Spike. It makes it so much harder to be your friend.”

The words were strangely painful for Spike to hear. I guess it was kind of nice to pretend that somepony liked me that way. “Okay then.” He swallowed and held up a cup of soda. “Friends?”

She tapped hers against it. “Friends.”

Spike looked into the depths of his cup as he took a long drink. Anything to distract him from the strange feelings that had begun welling up inside. “Hey, Autumn?”

“Yes?” Something interesting must have been at the bottom of her cup as well.

“Sunlight magazine wanted to do a Most Eligible Bachelor in Equestria special on me. I was going to tell them 'no,' because... yeah, but now,” he sighed, “I don't know. What do you think?”

“You would likely be beating off the mares with a stick.” Autumn laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. “Perhaps casual dating would be beneficial for you. You may find a mare who will help you move on from Lady Rarity, since it seems I've failed in helping you to be with her.”

In all honesty, Spike wasn't sure what he felt for Rarity anymore. There were still strong emotions, but it was like, at some point he had stopped chasing after her because he wanted to be with her, and started doing it because he didn't know what else he was supposed to do. “You didn't fail. It just wasn't meant to be.” He finished off his soda and tossed the cup into the waste basket. So much was running through his mind and heart that he couldn't even say what flavor it had been. “I'll write them back in the morning.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Cutie-mark and Name Crusader... bodyguards?” Cliff looked up from the notebook that he and Fluttershy had been reading. “Why did you think Spike needs bodyguards?”

River Wind looked back at him with a smile. “It was Apple Bloom's idea, because so many mares have been following him around these last few days.”

Fluttershy giggled cutely. “He has become very popular, and your spelling has gotten a lot better.”

“Really?” The dark green hatchling crawled onto the couch with them. “Was it fun to read?”

“Oh yes.” Fluttershy pulled River onto her lap and flipped back a few pages in the notebook. “I especially liked how you came up with different code words to use across your radios.”

Cliff grinned at how cute they looked together. Helping River with her book was, no contest, his favorite part of each day.

“I'm glad Spike wasn't angry when we mixed them up and accidentally told Scootaloo to use the fire extinguisher on his date.” River smiled sheepishly. Her fellow Crusaders were really starting to pull her out of her shell.

“Spike told me that he didn't like her that much anyway,” Cliff assured her. As he and Fluttershy helped the young dragoness with a few spelling and grammar problems, the young dragon's mind slowly wandered back to the increasingly confusing subject of his brother.

First he broke up with Autumn, for no good reason that Cliff could see, then he started doing interviews with magazines left and right, and now he could barely walk down the street without getting mobbed by reporters and mares. Even more bizarre, he said 'yes' to every single mare that asked him out. Last Cliff had heard, Spike had ten dates scheduled for this week alone.

Once River corrected the last of her errors, she gave them each a big hug and then went to offer Angel one of the cookies she had brought with her.

The fur-encrusted spawn of evil grinned happily at her gift, and allowed her to pat his head and rub his belly.

Cliff had honestly questioned his sanity the first time he saw them act like that, but apparently the two had struck up a friendship of sorts during the weeks that he and Fluttershy had been forced to avoid each other.

Angel still hated Cliff. That much was obvious from the organized bird 'bombing' earlier that day. However, even he had to admit that his owner was much happier when the young dragon was around.

At least I'll only have to put up with him for another few years. Rabbits only lived for a decade or so, and Cliff was willing to wait.

Thinking about the passage of time lead Cliff to consider the mare next to him. He still hadn't had the courage to ask about extending her lifespan again. She would never accept it if her friends couldn't be given the same gift, and he knew it. Cliff had even considered splitting his remaining life seven ways, so that they would all live for just over two centuries, but Fluttershy would never let him reduce his lifespan below the seven hundred years of an average wyrm.

Unless he somehow came up with an impossible number of extra years, he was doomed to spend several centuries without her, and that terrified the young dragon.

“Are you still worried about Spike?” Fluttershy whispered, breaking off his train of thought.

“I just can't understand him anymore,” Cliff admitted. “This morning, he told me that he'd be going to a movie with Autumn tonight. That's the third time this week that they've taken time to be with each other, but he keeps insisting that they aren't courting.”

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around his shoulders sympathetically. “And he still won't tell you what's wrong?”

“Still no.” Cliff shook his head. “He won't even acknowledge that something is wrong, which makes me want to scream because I read his heart every night as we're practicing magic, and I can tell he isn't really happy.”

Her other wing came up, enveloping them both in a feathery cocoon. “I know this won't fix anything, but... I love you, Cliff.” As always, saying it made her blush a little.

Just hearing her say that brought a smile to his face. “I love you too, Fluttershy.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead before giving her a firm hug. “Thank you. That does help.” Though he didn't really want to let go, it was getting late. He gave her one final squeeze before pulling away. “River, gather your school things. I'll drop you off on my way back to the palace.”

“Okay.” She slipped Angel one more cookie before tossing her notebook, pencil, and a few books into her saddlebags. “Thank you again, Fluttershy.” She hugged the pegasus once more, then turned to Cliff, who picked her up and deposited her on his back.

“By the way, have you sent that letter to your parents yet?” Cliff asked. Apparently meeting your marefriend's parents was an important step in a pony relationship. The yellow mare herself had expressed how much she hoped he would get along with them.

“Oh, um...” Fluttershy cringed a little. “Are you really sure you want to meet them? Mom can be kind of frightening sometimes.”

“Yes, I'm sure. I'll do everything I can to make them like me.” Maybe dealing with Spike was starting to drain his patience, but Cliff decided to finally say something he had been thinking for a while, “Besides, I'm willing to put up with Angel to be with you. Nothing your parents say or do could possibly scare me off.”

Surprisingly, that brought a grateful smile to her face. “Okay. If you're sure.”

Cliff kissed her on the cheek. “I am. I'll see you at the party after Rainbow and I get back tomorrow.”

Her cheeks were slightly red as she nodded. “Thank you. Sleep well, both of you.”

“You too,” River said.

Once they were outside, Cliff turned back to the hatchling. “Come on, River, let's get you home.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next morning, Cliff finally returned to the Redstone Coven for a short visit. He left in the early morning, and returned later that night. Rainbow Dash came along, and as she promised, brought her own food. It wasn't as eventful as their first time there, but the multicolored pegasus did enjoy meeting Fire Eyes and River's parents. Cliff spent most of the time with the hatchlings, who wanted to know everything that River had been up to since she left.

The main reason for their visit, however, was to assess how things were going with Celestia's research team.

“What the hay,” Rainbow Dash muttered over dinner. She and Cliff were sitting a little apart from the others so they could talk. “Why is everything going so smoothly for these guys when we've had nonstop trouble in Ponyville?”

Teams of dragons and ponies mixed freely as they discussed work and research. If the rumors were to be believed, several of the ponies had even given up on their sleep quarters, and piled into nests with the rest of the coven at night.

Cliff shrugged. “No idea. The smaller group, maybe.”

“Either that or it's because there aren't any newspapers around.” She puffed out a little ball of fire. “Those reporters have had it out for you since the beginning.”

He considered her words. “Yeah, I've change my mind now. The reporters are to blame.”

“At least those two that Autumn brought in are helping.” Rainbow gave him an amused smile. “Even if most of their article was a lie.”

Cliff sighed. She had been giving him a hard time about that article since it came out. “Maybe they should do one about you. 'The Tragically Misunderstood Mare of Ponyville.'”

“Yeah, no. The only articles I want written about me are the ones that talk about how awesome I am.”

“Oh come on,” Cliff teased, “imagine how many stallions would be interested if they only knew how emotionally sensitive and fragile you are.”

Rainbow Dash faked gagging noises before they both burst out laughing. “...Speaking of relationships,” she said after they had calmed down, “how are things going with Fluttershy?”

Cliff's paused for a moment to think of the right word. “Complicated.”

“Complicated?” she repeated. “What's going on?”

He set his plate aside. “This is going to sound really cheesy, so at least try not to laugh.”

The pegasus nodded mutely.

“By all normal measurements, things are great between us. She gets along well with the rest of the Ponyville Coven. Most of her animals are completely comfortable around me now. We've both said 'I love you.'”

Rainbow smiled. “Awww.” her eyes widened. “Uh, I mean...” she cleared her throat. “That's cool.”

Cliff shook his head and chuckled. “With any luck, I'm even going to meet her parents soon.”

The mare winced.

“...are they really that bad?” Fluttershy had barely said a word about them.

“Well, her dad's really nice,” Rainbow said. “Just, uh, don't disagree with her mom. Ever.”

Cliff blinked. “Understood... I think.”

Rainbow Dash wouldn't meet his gaze. “So anyway, you said things were complicated?”

“Yeah.” The young dragon leaned back against the cave wall. “Like I was saying, things are really good between us, but those three weeks apart nearly killed me, and it made me start to worry.”

“That it will happen again?”

“No. Well, yes, but,” Cliff sighed. “Ponies only live for eighty to one hundred years, tops. If three weeks nearly killed me, then how am I supposed to handle six centuries without her?”

She put a hoof on his shoulder sympathetically. “Can't you just extend her life like you did with mine?”

He shook his head. “Fluttershy said she couldn't accept something like that unless it was given to all of her friends as well.”

“...Uh, so?” Rainbow stared at him in confusion. “Why not just do that? I mean, Twilight and I are already going to live super long anyway.”

Cliff took a deep breath. “An average dragon lifespan is about seven hundred years. Each dragon has about five hundred extra years to give up, but most of us like to hold back about two centuries, so three hundred. With transfer loss, that's two hundred and seventy. To get all six of you up to seven hundred years, we'd need nearly four thousand extra years. That's about fifteen dragons that I'd have to convince to give up more than half of their extra life-force.” He threw up his clawed hands in frustration. “How am I supposed to do that?”

Rainbow Dash stared at him for a moment before responding. “Please tell me you didn't figure all that out in your head just now.”

In spite of himself, Cliff laughed a little. “No, I did it a while ago with a piece of paper and a quill.”

“Okay good. I was worried you were turning into Twilight there for a minute.” She looked across the cavern at all the dragons and ponies enjoying their meal. “Your coven seems pretty cool, Cliff. Why not just ask them?”

He shook his head. “I don't have anything I could offer in return. It won't help the alliance or this coven at all. It would just be me making a selfish request.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Cliff, do you know how many times I've let Rarity put me in some frilly dress just because she needed a pegasus to model and Fluttershy was busy?”

He shook his head again.

“Yeah, neither do I, but I'd do it again if she asked. She's my friend, so it's okay if she makes a selfish request sometimes.” She gave him an unusually serious look. “Really, Cliff, just ask them.”

Cliff met her gaze for a moment, then he looked away with a sigh. “Fine, but I'm blaming you if I turn into a berserker over this.” He rose and walked to the center of the cavern, where everydragon could hear him. “Excuse me,” he called.

All eyes slowly turned to him as conversations died out.

“Thank you.” He took a deep breath. “There's no simple way to say this, so I'll just say it. I've fallen in love with a pegasus that lives in Ponyville and want to share the rest of my life with her. However, she is one of the Elements of Harmony, and refuses to accept extra years unless they can be provided for the other five as well. Myself and the others who went to Ponyville can provide just over one thousand years, but we still need two thousand nine hundred to let them all reach an average dragon lifespan.”

Cliff looked across the crowd. Dragon reactions varied from disagreement to sympathy. Most of the ponies just seemed confused. “I'm afraid I can't offer you anything in return, and I know it's selfish of me to even ask, but if anydragon wants to offer a few years, I would be extremely grateful.” His piece said, he went back to where Rainbow Dash was waiting.

“See?” She grinned. “That wasn't so hard.”

“I don't know.” Cliff pressed a hand against his chest. “I think I might have a heart attack.” In spite of his nervousness, though, a smile crept across his lips as he saw a group of dragons walking towards the two of them.

It turned out Rainbow Dash was right. Some of the coven members didn't offer any years, but none blamed Cliff for his request, and in the end, they were promised just enough to reach their goal.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Seven hundred years!” Rainbow grinned as they walked the last little bit to Ponyville. “Do you have any idea how awesome that is?”

“That's how long you and your friends are going to live.” Cliff grinned back. Since the pegasus had been there anyway, they had taken the opportunity to extend her lifespan before she left. “Just don't bring it up with them yet, alright? I still have to talk to Fluttershy about it.” His expression faltered. “What if she says no? Oh stars, how did I not think about that? Asking her to spend the next seven hundred years with me is basically like proposing! She's still terrified of the idea of kissing me.” He slammed his face into his palms. “How could I be so stupid?!”

Rainbow Dash watched the whole display with an amused smile. “First off, you've been spending way too much time with Twilight. Second, you're just asking Fluttershy if she would take the extra years. You can worry about how she spends them later.”

Cliff took a few deep breaths. “Yeah, you're right. It's just... this is all suddenly a real thing. I want to spend my whole life with Fluttershy, and now, suddenly, I can.” He shook his head. “How did I even get to this point anyway? I hated ponies a few months ago.”

The pegasus shrugged as they reached the first buildings. “I thought dragons were a bunch of jerks not too long ago. Now you're one of my best friends.”

“Same here.” Just stay calm, he told himself, you can do this.

They reached the palace shortly afterward, where Pinkie was throwing a 'Congratulations, it's Thursday,' party. Spike was off with some mare, but the rest of the dragons and all of Twilight's friends were in attendance.

“Hey,” Rainbow asked as they walked in, “how are you going to ask her anyway?”

He froze. “I have no idea.”

Author's Note

Well, we finally got to see what Fire Claws is capable of. I felt kind of bad for letting Fire Eyes get crushed so quickly, but if you read my notes from chapter 21, you'll remember that I estimated Twilight can lift about 40 million pounds. It seemed to me that only the most powerful wyrms should have any prayer of competing with that.

Spike is... well yeah, he's an idiot. He's also the wyrm equivalent of a teenager. Those two are basically the same thing. I am curious what you all think of Autumn's decision to break up with him. Her reasoning will be explained later, but until then, feel free to speculate.

Cliff and Fluttershy's relationship continues to move forward, albeit slowly. Here's hoping you're enjoying it so far.

Chapter 25

Two days had passed since Cliff's trip to the Redstone Coven, and he was still trying to find the right way to ask Fluttershy about extending her life. It wasn't that he forgot. To the contrary, he couldn't stop worrying about what would happen if he messed this up. Best case scenario: they lived happily together until she died, leaving Cliff to mourn her for the rest of his life. Just thinking about it made him shudder.

That's enough, he decided. All I need to do is bring it up casually and see how she feels about it. “So... is there anything I should know about your parents before Sunday?” Not what I had in mind, brain. The young dragon resisted the urge to facepalm.

“...Not really.” Fluttershy shifted around to look at him, her expression quizzical and a little worried. They were curled up on her couch, reading a book together. “Why do you ask?”

“I don't want to make a bad impression.” That was true, even if wasn't what he had been meaning to say.

“Well,” she chewed on her lip thoughtfully before answer, “Daddy is very sweet and very thoughtful. I'm sure you'll get along well. Mother can be a teensy bit mean sometimes, but she only does it because she wants me to be the best I can.”

Cliff wasn't sure what to make of that. “Do you think they'll approve of you courting a dragon?”

“I hope mother will.” The yellow mare flushed a little. “She always wanted me to marry a Canterlot noble. She says it's so that I can live comfortably.”

A small frown appeared on Cliff's face. “She has a point.” He wasn't honestly sure if he would be considered rich or poor by pony standards. Twilight told him that he was being paid a generous amount for acting as her counselor and assistant, but he couldn't remember exactly how much it was. I need to check up on that.

“I don't want bits though,” Fluttershy buried her face in his neck. “I only want to stay here with you and take care of all my little critter friends.”

Cliff squeezed her tight. “That's all I want as well.” He nuzzled into her soft mane. “I love you, Fluttershy.”

“I love you too,” she replied shyly.

He held the embrace for several moments before he spoke again. “Speaking of staying here... I talked with the Redstone Coven while I was there, and they offered a lot of extra years to you and your friends. You know, just in case you want them,” he finished quickly.

“Really?” she whispered. “You mean Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack could live longer too?”

He nodded.

“Oh my, that's so nice of the-.”

Thunder cracked outside.

They both froze.

“It's the drake,” Cliff said. “I have to go.”

Fluttershy scrambled to her hooves. “Me too. The weather team needs me.”

They paused at the door, and Cliff wrapped her in a tight hug. “Don't get too close to it,” he whispered.

“Please be safe,” she whispered back.

“I'll try.” It was all he could honestly promise. He activated his running spells and took off. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Cliff was cursing the drake for its timing.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Contrary to popular belief, moving at extreme speeds didn't also allow Cliff to think any more quickly than normal. As such, when he arrived at the edge of the Everfree Forest and saw Fire Eyes trying to hold off a very large, and very angry looking, green berserker, with no guard pegasi in sight, he didn't have time to wonder what had happened. He barely had time to reflect that something must have gone wrong before tackling his old friend out of the way of a tail swipe that would have broken bones, at the very least.

One of the blade-like protrusions on the berserker's tail scraped across the scales on Cliff's back at it passed above them.

They were linked by the time they rolled back onto their feet. Fire Eyes' emotions flooded into Cliff: gratitude and trepidation, mixed a healthy dose of determination. Thank you. Be careful, it's more dangerous than we thought. We have to hold it here until backup arrives, he translated.

Cliff sent back determination and hope. Agreed. They should be here soon. Their entire exchange took place at the speed of thought.

With an earthshaking roar, the drake turned and engulfed them both in a wave of orange fire. The grass beneath them was blasted to ash in an instant, and most of the field was set ablaze.

Unimpressed, the two wyrms combined their willpower for a burst of lightning counterattack. The air around them suddenly reeked of smoke and ozone.

Taking advantage of the berserker's muscle spasms, Cliff shot onto one of its partially extended wings and began slashing furiously with his ethereal claws. Regardless of how this had started, their first job was still to keep it on the ground so the pegasi would be safe to attack it from above... wherever they were.

Fire Eyes followed up with a telekinetic thrust. Their combined attacks were enough to punch a small hole in the membrane. Look out!

Cliff rocketed away just as the berserker's claws slashed through the air at him. Thanks.

“We don't have to fi-” Fire Eyes began, only to leap away as one of the monster's wings batted down at her. She used a Speed Burst to escape the jaws that followed, knocking herself across the ground like a skipping stone.

The young dragon shot back as quickly as he could, surging his Ghost Claws again as he slashed at the berserker's wings.

Unfortunately, the angle of his approach prevented him from attacking the same place. Even worse, the drake simply knocked him away with a flap of its wings and charged at Fire Eyes.

Look out! he warned her.

Struggling back to her feet, the white dragoness shot forward this time, between the drake's legs, and back towards the Everfree Forest.

The berserker turned after her, almost casually flicking its spine-covered tail at Cliff as he flew towards it again.

Momentum Redirection let him change the angle of his path just enough to avoid the tail and crash into its wing instead.

The drake seemed to be expecting this. It tucked both wings to its sides as soon as he landed, catching his leg and tail in the folds of its leathery membranes.

Crap! Cliff surged his Strength to try and pry himself loose, but the drake was already reaching for him with its claws. In desperation, he and Fire Eyes combined their willpower to cast Shield, and surge Scale Armor.

The shield only held for a fraction of a second, then the berserker's claws smashed through it, and into Cliff. A combination of Speed Burst and Momentum Transfer, combined with Scale Armor absorbed or deflected a lot of the blow, but it was still enough to crack a few ribs and wrench his left arm. Thankfully, however, it also knocked Cliff loose enough that another Speed Burst broke him free entirely.

Fire Eyes set off two explosions in the beast's face to distract it, and buy Cliff a few seconds to heal himself. Don't stay close to it, idiot! her emotions yelled at him, but the concern in her heart overwhelmed any chastisement.

Sorry. Cliff winced as he landed about a hundred feet to her left. Healing magic poured into his wounded side. He scanned the skies, praying that the pegasi would get there soon. Much to his dismay though, only one group was in sight, and it was still at least a minute away. Weren't there allies stationed here?

The berserker destroyed their cloud with a boulder. Fire Eyes released another burst of lightning. It's smart. We need to be careful.

Cliff thought of the way it had trapped him. Not only had that nearly killed him, but it had protected its wings from further damage. Agreed.

The berserker was nearly on them again, but this time it opened its wings just long enough to give a mighty flap. Whatever internal magic allowed drakes to fly, it could also be used to generate wind. A cone of magically accelerated air smashed down on the wyrms like a wall of stone.

Speed Burst shot Cliff into the air, above the worst of it. Fire Eyes, however, was crushed down and backwards as many of the trees around her were either uprooted or shattered.

The berserker pounced at the fallen dragoness, eager for the kill.

Cliff did the only thing he could think of. He surged Ghost Claws and Spider Climb, both in his right hand, and then shot down at the monster. He crashed into its neck. Spider Climb was strong enough to keep his hand in contact, but weak enough to let it move with his momentum. The young dragon slid down the berserker's neck and along the entire underside of its body, leaving thin trails of red behind him before flipping up into the air at the base of its tail. Run, Fire Eyes! He punctuated the sentiment by surging Dirt Cloud, making the ground below the berserker's head explode upwards.

It turned to bite at him, but half of a fallen tree smashed into the back of its head, throwing its aim off.

You too, Fire Eyes responded as she disappeared into the treeline.

Cliff turned invisible just long enough to join her.

Enraged, the berserker released another wave of fire. Closer trees were disintegrated almost instantly, and everything for hundreds of feet beyond them was set ablaze.

The pegasi are nearly here. Fire Eyes growled from behind a charred stump that had been a large evergreen a few seconds earlier. We have to give them a clear shot at its wings.

Any suggestions? Cliff asked. He was a little farther away, so the oak tree he had landed in was only on fire.

Another blast of wind put out about half of the fire, and made the rest spread more quickly. Luckily, neither wyrm was close enough to be injured by it. Apparently satisfied, the berserker turned to face the oncoming pegasi.

A rough plan formed between the two wyrms. It wasn't perfect, but they didn't have time to think of something better.

Just as the drake crouched for takeoff, Cliff shot out of the woods, propelled by an empowered jump, two Speed Bursts, and a telekinetic thrust. He surged Momentum Transfer as he crashed into the shoulder joint of its injured wing.

The results weren't exactly impressive. Cliff nearly blacked out from the sudden change in g-force, and the drake stumbled forward a bit. Still, it was enough to distract the monster, and a surged Explosion from Fire Eyes let him get away, landing between it and Ponyville in a small cloud of ash.

Annoyed by their attacks, but not really injured by them, the berserker turned back towards the approaching pegasi. This time it took a deep breath as it prepared to breath fire.

Do you think it could actually reach them that far up?

We can't risk it. Cliff felt his willpower being augmented by Fire Eyes as he surged more of his enhancement spells. The young wyrm turned invisible and rocketed forward. He collided with the berserker's lower jaw at the same time his friend's telekinesis pounded down on its snout.

Combined, it was enough to snap the drake's mouth shut just as it started to exhale. The blocked fire shot out through its nostrils instead, making it cough uncontrollably.

If that hadn't been their goal, Cliff might have felt sorry for their opponent. Shooting fire out of your nose was not a comfortable sensation. At least luck seemed to be on their side for once. Not only was the drake too busy coughing to do anything about the pegasi taking their places above, but it had partially opened its wings, giving them an easy target.

A deafening crack of thunder shook the area as a well aimed lightning bolt struck the drake's injured wing. More bolts followed, blackening its scales and making it spasm in pain.

Where are the other clouds?! Cliff panted. Each cloud only had so many shots in them, and the drake was still looking more angry than hurt. Looking back at the town, he saw a few clouds being ferried towards them by weather ponies, but on the ground was an even more welcome sight. His grandparents had finally arrived!

They reached the young wyrm at the same time that Fire Eyes did, and just as the soldier pegasi fired their last lightning bolt. As the link snapped into place, all four dragons moved into combat formation. Fire Eyes and Burning Torch stood at the back, while Cliff and his grandmother moved to the front.

The older dragoness sent out instructions as quickly as she could. Eyes, attack the scorch mark on its neck. Its scales will be weaker there. Torch, defend her. Cliff, you're the followup attacker. I'll restrict its movements.

Something shimmered into existence next to Burning Torch. It looked like glowing wall, as tall as a wyrm on its hind legs, and four times as long. Technically, it was a shield, but the older dragon used it more like a quarterstaff than anything. It floated into the air, as though being manipulated by invisible hands.

Fire Claws covered herself in the fiery aura that was her namesake as she shot forward. Move it, Cliff!

Right. He ran in the opposite direction, building up his speed to supersonic levels.

Fire Eyes surged an Explosion on the neck of the still recovering berserker. Aided by their combined willpower, the spell actually blasted off a few scales.

Cliff reversed his momentum and surged Speed Burst and Ghost Claws. He shot past the monster's neck immediately after the explosion, slashing as hard as he could at the weakened area.

The drake roared in pain, twisting to bite at the attacker, but threads of fire wrapped around its head, pulling it back. Enraged, the beast followed the flames back to Fire Claws. It slammed its tail into her, but rather than being sent flying, the dragoness simply flickered and disappeared.

Meanwhile, the real Fire Claws appeared off to the berserker's side. Tendrils of flame shot from her clawed hand to envelop the largest uprooted tree that hadn't been reduced to cinders during their struggle. She surged Strength and whipped the fallen oak into her foe's head, throwing in a telekinetic thrust and Speed Burst for good measure.

Wood exploded into tiny pieces from the impact, and the drake was knocked to the ground with an earthshaking crash, exposing the weak point in its neck once more. Now!

Fire Eyes set off another explosion, and Cliff followed up with Momentum Transfer to hurl a rock at supersonic speeds. The first drops of blood began to seep from the berserker's wounded neck.

After another failed tail sweep at Cliff's grandmother, the drake apparently decided that attacking her would be pointless. It rolled back to its feet and charged at Burning Torch and Fire Eyes.

The dark brown wyrm sprang into motion, moving as though he held something in his claws. In front of him, his shield followed his movements, knocking aside the berserker's swipe and flowing into a jab at the underside of its snout, then reversing and coming down hard on top of its head.

Stunned momentarily, the drake didn't have time to react before a combination of Telekinesis, prehensile fire, Momentum Transfer, and a mobile shield knocked its front legs out from under it. More fire wrapped around the beast's neck as soon as it hit the ground, pinning it in place.

The two younger wyrms took full advantage of their foe's predicament, blasting and slashing with as much speed and power as they could manage.

Frantic now, the drake twisted and strained to cover the bleeding hole in its neck, but the older dragoness's fire held it firmly in place, and her husband's shield blocked its forelegs. Roars of anger soon became screams of pain as Cliff and Fire Eyes hacked deeper into the muscle of its neck.

Stop.

Cliff, his body liberally coated in the monster's blood, hesitated for a moment before jumping back to join his allies. He soon realized why his grandmother had given the order. A crowd of reporters had ignored their survival instincts and gathered to watch the fight. He also saw Spike and Twilight among them.

We should try to avoid killing this thing in front of those ponies. The stars only know how they might react. Who was the first one to challenge it?

I was, Fire Eyes replied.

Appeal to its twisted sense of honor, she instructed. See if you can convince it to leave in peace.

I'll do my best.

The drake had stopped struggling as soon as its attackers paused. It did nothing other than hiss in pain and glare at Fire Eyes as she stepped forward.

She took a deep breath. “I told you before, this town and all the ponies in it are ours. By right of conquest, we demand that you not harm any part of any of them.” Drakes were selfish creatures. Anything that wasn't a dragon was a possession, and ownership was determined by might. “If you accept, then you may live. Otherwise, we will finish you right here.”

Sensing that the danger had passed, the crowd began to inch forward across the scorched ground. More pegasi were arriving as well, armed with new clouds.

“You claim right of conquest, wyrm,” the drake growled, “but it took four of you, and three slaves to defeat me. If you wish to earn your victory with honor, like a true dragon, then face me by yourself.”

Fire Eyes arched an eyebrow. “Do you think I'm an idiot? I could fit in the palm of your hand and you talk as though a duel between us would be fair? You were defeated, drake. At least try to face it with some level of dignity.”

The berserker bared its fangs and growled.

“Now which do you choose?” Fire Eyes pressed. “Will you accept our victory, or will you die?”

Smoke began to pour from its mouth.

Any attempt to breath fire, however, was cut off as the coven poured its willpower into Fire Eyes, and she directed it into a powerful bolt of lightning. “Death or defeat!” She shouted over the crackle of electricity. “Choose!”

The drake roared and twitched in agony, but the purple dragoness's flames held it in place.

“Well?”

“...I... concede defeat.” Its eyes fairly glowed with hatred.

Fire Eyes merely stepped away from the drake as they released it, but Cliff could feel the relief flooding through her.

Ever so slowly, the monster rose to its claws. It shot them one last glare, smoke pouring out from between its fangs, before it turned and walked away.

Fire Eyes tensed suddenly. It's about to attack! With her precognitive skills, none of them were going to question that she was right.

The ponies are too close! Burning Torch looked around them. I can't defend them all at this range!

Cliff sensed a large gemstone a buried few feet in the ground beneath them. Grandmother, I need that gem!

She sent back agreement. Eyes, buy us two seconds!

Just as the drake's tail began to swing towards them, Fire Eyes channeled their combined willpower into another bolt of lightning. It struck the unsuspecting berserker in the tail, locking all of its muscles there for a few precious moments.

Living flame shot into the ground, flicking up a large amethyst into Cliff's waiting claws. He surged several uses of Speed Burst with a two second delay, and tossed the stone to Fire Eyes.

All of them fueled their willpower into her Telekinesis as she launched the gem with everything she had. Cliff's Speed Bursts went off mid-flight, propelling the amethyst even harder, right into the roaring berserker's wounded neck. Without any scales there to protect it, and most of its muscle torn apart, very little stood between the gemstone and the berserker's spine.

The monster dropped, twitched, and was still.

Everything was silent for a moment, then the ponies started screaming.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Which is the Real Monster? one newspaper asked. Dragoness Murders One of Her Own! another proclaimed. Equestria to Princess Twilight: Dragons are Killers, was Cliff's least favorite. It featured a picture of Fire Eyes growling with the dead berserker and burning forest in the background.

Only one newspaper backed the wyrms for their actions, the one where Autumn's reporter friends worked. It simply said, Fire Eyes, the Misunderstood Dragoness. Unlike any other reporters, they had actually asked her why she attacked a foe that had apparently admitted defeat and was leaving.

According to Autumn and Rarity, wyrms had suddenly fallen from popularity in Canterlot. Even the citizens of Ponyville were starting to give them uneasy looks.

“'...And numerous residents have admitted to seeing the dragons attack each other in a way that can only be described as both vicious and brutal.'” Spike slammed the paper down on the table they were all sitting at and glared at Fire Eyes. “Great, now all of Equestria thinks wyrms are a bunch of kill-crazy maniacs.”

She had to visibly restrain herself from knocking Spike through a wall or two. Cliff didn't doubt that she could do it, even if they were in the Dragon House, where the walls were made of stone. “We were saving the lives of those idiotic reporters that have been following you around,” she hissed. “Need I remind you that your brother and I were nearly killed out there while you were watching from the sidelines?”

The young dragon looked like he had been slapped, but his grandmother's claws forced him back into his seat before he could reply.

“If we hadn't attacked when we did,” Fire Claws said firmly, “somepony would almost certainly have died. If you could look me in the face and tell me that it would have been better that way, then I would be ashamed to call you my grandson, Spike.” She leaned down to look him in the eyes. “But I know that you can't. The results of our actions are regrettable, especially for Fire Eyes, after everything your newspapers have said about her, but pointing blame won't do anything to fix the situation.”

Spike sighed and looked away. “I'm sorry, Fire Eyes.”

“...Apology accepted.” The white dragoness seemed to deflate as the anger left her. She might try to pretend otherwise, but Cliff could see that the pony media had really hurt his friend. She had hidden herself in the Dragon House for the last few days, ignoring her training, and only coming out when it was absolutely necessary. She was the reason they were meeting here instead of at the palace, like usual.

Fire Claws gave her grandson a quick hug before she resumed pacing. “What can we do about this?”

“Maybe an award?” Twilight suggested. “If Celestia were to give Fire Eyes the Medal of Honor, it would force the newspapers to be more respectful in their articles. She could even explain that it was Fire Eyes' precognitive magic that saved the lives of those ponies.”

Autumn Gem nodded. “Yes, that may help, though I can't be sure. I'm afraid this situation is far worse than anything I've ever dealt with before,” she said apologetically. “I'll do everything I can to help, for whatever that may be worth.”

“Thank you,” Fire Eyes whispered.

Cliff picked up another newspaper. This one carried the headline, Alone for a Reason, and featured a picture of himself, covered in blood, holding an unconscious Fluttershy in his arms.

According to the article, Cliff was a loner because the rest of his kind were too violent for him, but he tried to support them anyway. The blood was his own in their version of reality, rather than the drake's, and he was trying to get Fluttershy away from the other wyrms before their 'blood-lust' could drive them to attack her as well.

The young dragon sighed. He should have handled things better in the aftermath of their fight, but Fluttershy's sudden arrival, and subsequent fainting when she saw him, had thrown him off. He'd grabbed her by reflex, only afterward realizing that the blood on his scales would soak into her coat.

Taking her to the spa to get her cleaned off had seemed like a good idea at the time, but he wished he had been smart enough to stop all those reporters and explain to them what had really happened in the final moments of their battle. If he had, then maybe his best friend wouldn't be the media's new punching bag.

“Perhaps we should find a more secluded area for our training,” Fire Claws mused. “I can see how it would appear violent to ponies who don't have our defensive magic.”

“Not a bad idea,” Autumn sighed. “Though I hate to see such an important part of your culture hidden away like that.”

“'Important' may be the wrong word,” Burning Torch said. “'Necessary' is more appropriate.”

“In any case,” Fire Claws rolled her eyes, “we don't mind being a bit more quiet about it if it will put the town at ease.”

“Okay.” Autumn looked around the room. “This problem will likely run itself out in due time. The media still views Spike and Cliff favorably, after all, and one event can only hold their attention for so long. In the meantime, might I suggest that you all try to be more social? Having allies around town certainly can't hurt us at this point.”

The dragons all nodded their agreement.

“How many friends have you all made so far?” she asked. “Not counting the ponies in this room.”

Fire Eyes looked down. “None, really.”

“What about Rainbow Dash?” Cliff reminded her.

“Okay, one.” She didn't look up.

“Only one for myself as well, I'm afraid,” Burning Torch said. “Though I do have several acquaintances.”

“Three,” Fire Claws said, “and three for River as well.” As usual, the youngest member of their group was off with the Crusaders.

Cliff had to stop and think about it for a moment. Does a marefriend count? It probably should. Who else would I call a friend? Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Zecora, the Crusaders, and I suppose Big Mac and Applejack would count at this point, even if I haven't gone to see them in a while. “Nine.”

The other dragons looked at him in surprise.

“I guess that settles it,” his grandmother was the first to speak. “Cliff can help the rest of us befriend this town.”

Chuckling from Spike made them all turn to look at him. “Seriously?” He shook his head. “No offense, Cliff, but you aren't exactly a social butterfly.”

“None taken. Did you have somedragon else in mind?”

“Not somedragon. Somepony.” Spike grinned. “If you want to make friends in Ponyville, there's only one mare you need to talk to.”

Cliff's eyes widened. How did I not think about that? “Pinkie Pie?”

The younger dragon nodded. “Pinkie Pie.”

Chapter 26

Anypony who thought Pinkie Pie was dumb or crazy had clearly never planned a party with her. She was unique, that much was obvious, and she sometimes got caught up in her own enthusiasm, but she knew the exact pony to snack food ratio required for any kind of get together. She could also tell you who everypony in town was friends with, what all of their favorite foods and games were, and how best to arrange those at a party to minimize interaction between enemies or rivals.

She had literally developed an equation for becoming friends with strangers at parties. Cliff didn't understand it, but Twilight assured him that the math was sound.

What all this meant was that Pinkie was able to plan out a, 'Guaranteed to Make You All a Whole Bunch of Great New Friends,' party, almost as soon as they found her and asked.

“We'll hold it in two days.” Pinkie grinned. “Wednesday is a great day for friendship parties, because everypony is still tired from work, but they're looking forward to the weekend. A few relaxing games, some friendship food,” she pulled an extensive list out of nowhere, “and the right kind of music, and they'll be best friends in minutes!”

Cliff, Spike, and Twilight could only nod mutely and trust in her bizarre logic.

“Now Spike and Cliff, pass these out.” A stack of invitations materialized from behind her back. “Make sure you do it together. The party won't work right otherwise.”

The brothers exchanged a look and a shrug. Neither of them had anything else planned for the next few hours.

“Okay,” Cliff reached for the stack. “We'll meet you back at the palace once we finish.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“So...” Cliff glanced sideways at his little brother as they walked. “Who's your date with tonight?” The younger dragon's entourage wasn't around at the moment. Come to think of it, Cliff hadn't seen them since the drake attack.

“Merry May,” Spike replied casually. “She's the green pegasus on the weather team.”

“A local then.”

“Yeah.”

“Doing anything fun?”

“Just dinner.”

…

When did it become so hard to talk to Spike? Cliff wondered. Since becoming an adult, the younger dragon had been going in such an opposite direction with his life that Cliff was rapidly running out of common ground with him.

“...You guys were awesome.”

“Huh?” Cliff turned to look at his brother.

“When you fought the drake. It was really cool.” Spike sighed. “I can see why you didn't want me around. I would've just gotten in your way.”

Cliff paused, unsure how to respond.

“I hate to admit it,” Spike continued, “but I can see why everypony is a bit scared. You all looked unstoppable out there, and then Fire Eyes threw that gem, and that huge monster was just suddenly... dead. I know that she had no choice,” he quickly added, “but it was still kind of freaky to realize what you could all do if you wanted to.”

Now Cliff was even more confused. Does Spike envy our fighting abilities, or is he intimidated by them? “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Spike was spared answering for a moment, as they arrived at the first house on their list. A gray stallion with a clover on his flank answered. “Hey, Lucky.”

“Hiya, Spike.” He gave them both a friendly smile. “You too, Cliff Runner. What can I do for you?”

“We're just out delivering invitations for a Pinkie Party at Sugarcube Corner this Wednesday.” Spike gave him the envelope. “Think you can make it?”

“As if I'd miss a Pinkie Party.” The stallion grinned. “I'll see you both there?”

Spike nodded. “Yup, see ya later.”

“You too.” He closed his door as the two dragons walked away.

“...Well?” Cliff asked after a moment.

“I'm just saying sorry that I couldn't help, and that you shouldn't be too hard on everypony. It really did look like she killed that drake for no reason.”

The older dragon sighed. “I know how it looked. The part that makes me angry is that everypony jumped to the worst possible conclusion about it. Twilight is probably more powerful than all of us combined. Stars, you once stabbed a giant cockatrice in the neck with a trident, in front of half of Canterlot even. But because we're outsiders, a display of power is threatening and killing a monster makes us all evil.”

Spike was silent for a moment. “I guess we have been kind of hypocritical that way.”

“Yeah,” Cliff looked around, “I mean, this is the second time wyrms have fought to protect Ponyville, and look at how they've treated us because of it.”

The younger dragon didn't respond.

“...I'm sorry.” Cliff bit down his anger. “I've just never seen Fire Eyes so upset, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you.”

Spike shook his head. “No, you're right. I was reacting like everypony else.” He didn't speak again until they had visited several more houses. “...Do you think Fire Eyes will forgive me?”

“Yes.” Cliff patted his brother on the shoulder. “Just ask her.”

“Good.” Spike cracked a smile. “Anyway, just you wait. After Twilight's seminar tonight, everypony will know the truth.” The alicorn princess had called yet another town meeting to set the residents of Ponyville at ease.

“Yeah, you're right.” Cliff managed a smile as well. “I don't think I've actually told you this yet, but you're really amazing, Spike. The Exchange Program would have been dead from the start without your help.”

Spike tried unsuccessfully to keep from grinning. “Hey, give Twilight, Autumn, and Rarity credit too. Besides, I haven't done anything too amazing. The whole reason I became an adult was to help with the next big monster attack,” the grin slid from his face, “and look how that turned out.”

“You aren't looking at yourself clearly.” Cliff paused long enough for them to hand out another invitation. “You've reached tier three magic, and Grandma tells me you're nearly a rank one warrior, and you've done it in just over two months.”

“I know that's kind of fast,” Spike shrugged, “but I still couldn't help when you needed me.”

“No, you don't understand. It took me eight years to finish my rank one training. At this rate, you'll do it in three months, while fighting against the mass media of an entire country. A fight that no other dragon I know would be able to handle, I'd like to point out.” He stopped to look his brother in the eyes. “Seriously, not only are you going to make a great fighter, but you've already saved us every time we've needed you in the political arena, and that's much more important than being able to slash at some monster.”

Spike's eyes watered up. “I... uh,” he grabbed the older dragon in a quick embrace before pulling back awkwardly. “T-thanks, Cliff. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Cliff rolled his eyes. He had never understood why his little brother thought it was embarrassing to hug him in public.

They were slowly working their way through the main body of Ponyville, and towards the outskirts.

“By the way,” Spike said, clearing his throat. “How are things with Fluttershy?”

“Good.” She was waiting to see if her friends would accept the extra years before she made her own decision, which hurt Cliff more than he had been expecting, but they were still on to have dinner with her parents. According to Rainbow, this was a huge step for the timid mare. “What about your dating life?”

The younger dragon shrugged. “Some of the mares are fun. Others are annoying. A few just scare me. None of them are really memorable though.”

“And Rarity?”

“Rarity is...” Spike looked down. “I don't know. I think I can finally accept that she just wants to be friends, but it still hurts.”

Cliff gave his younger brother a hug. He had no compunctions about showing affection in front of others. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“...There isn't much to talk about. I'm just trying to move on. Find somepony else, I guess.”

The older dragon tousled his brother's head spikes. “Give your heart time. Remember, love isn't an emotion, it's a choice.”

It was a fairly obvious bit of wisdom for most wyrms. All meaningful relationships were built on memories first, and thoughts second, with emotions a distant third. Cliff's relationship with Fluttershy, for example, had little to do with his emotional state at any given moment. Rather, it was based in the thoughts and memories of time spent together. Even when he was confused or worried by her, it could never change the fact that he loved her, not unless he allowed negative thoughts to overwhelm his positive ones and poison his happy memories.

“I know,” Spike sighed, “and I'm trying to control my thoughts about her so that my feelings can die off naturally. I'm also hoping to fall for somepony else. Apparently that's supposed to help.”

They arrived at another house on the list, giving Cliff a few moments to think. I guess all those dates make more sense now. “Has anypony caught your eye?”

“Uh, sort of.” Spike cleared his throat. “It's complicated.”

Cliff arched an eyebrow. “Are you going to elaborate?”

“Well,” the younger dragon looked away, “no.”

Normally, Cliff liked to think of himself as a fairly patient wyrm. Recent events, however, had been wearing that patience thin. He decided to make use of both his grandmother's attitude and one of her favorite spells, and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Empathy was one of the more draining spells in Cliff's growing repertoire. Stars in heaven, how can she maintain this all day? Shaking aside his amazement, he focused on the matter at claw. “You have a crush on one of these mares that are always taking you out?”

Denial, outrage, and amusement crossed Spike's heart. “What, no. I already told you that none of them stand out.”

“Just double checking,” Cliff said casually. “One of Twilight's other friends then?” He does get along pretty well with Rainbow...

“No.” The feelings were more neutral now, but definitely in the negative. “Can we talk about something else, please?”

“Okay.” So not Rainbow. That's a shame. It would have been fun if they had hooked up. Wait, he said it was complicated. That couldn't mean... “So, how are you and Autumn doing since your breakup?”

“We're fine,” Spike replied, but a tangled mess of emotion belied his outer calm. Affection, confusion, friendship, awkwardness, admiration, fear, and longing.

Uh oh. Cliff fought the urge to wince. This wouldn't be an easy knot to untangle in his own heart, let alone in somedragon else. “That's good. We're lucky to have her helping us.”

Admiration and affection grew stronger within Spike. “Yeah, we are. She's tons better than the rest of us.”

“She's really nice too.”

More affection and some longing. “She is.”

“Why did you two break up in the first place?”

Embarrassment, more longing, and a fair amount of confusion. “We just decided that it wasn't going to work out.”

They paused long enough to deliver another invitation.

“You two still spend lots of time together,” Cliff pointed out.

Longing again, frustration, and growing confusion. “Yeah, but as friends.” Spike turned to him. “Why the sudden interest in Autumn?”

The older dragon was silent for a moment as he pondered his options. “...Because you still have romantic feelings for her.”

“Wha?” Spike's jaw dropped. “N-no I don't!” The blush in his cheeks said otherwise.

“Yes you do,” Cliff said evenly. “I'm using Grandma's Empathy spell.”

Spike covered his heart with one hand, as though that would somehow block the spell. “Cliff!”

“Yes?”

They locked eyes for a moment before Spike looked away. “That's gotta count as an invasion of privacy,” he muttered.

As far as Cliff could tell, privacy was considered some kind of fundamental right among ponies. He wasn't in the mood for a discussion about cultural values, however, so he ignored the comment. “So you two broke up, but now you wish you were back together?”

Spike glared at him, but remained silent. He even embraced the Stillness, negating Cliff's spell.

“I'll sic Grandma on you if you don't tell me.”

The younger dragon's eye twitched. “Fine, but somepony really needs to teach you the basics of diplomacy.”

Cliff was a little surprised to realize how annoyed he was at that comment. “I know what diplomacy is,” he said, “and you don't seem to care that Grandma has this spell active all the time.”

“She isn't using it specifically to spy on my emotions.”

Fair point. A quick scan of his heart revealed that Cliff's frustration over the media and Fire Eyes was bleeding through to this conversation with Spike... again. “You're right. I should be more considerate. Will you please tell me about what's going on with Autumn? I want to help, but I can't if you won't trust me.”

“Reading my heart without telling me isn't a good way to inspire trust,” Spike retorted.

“Fine, I”m sorry, but what was I supposed to do? You've been avoiding this subject for weeks now.”

“It's just something personal, okay Cliff?”

“Spike, I'm your brother. It's my job to help and support you, especially with personal matters.”

“Then try supporting me in what I want for a change. I haven't been avoiding the subject, you've been bugging me about it for weeks. Why can't you just let me figure out what I want on my own before I ask for your help in getting it?”

“So you won't tell me what's going on?”

Spike let out a long, defeated sigh. “Give me time.”

“How much longer do you need?”

“I don't know. Just... more, okay?”

Cliff had to resist the urge to growl. “Fine.”

The rest of the invitations were delivered in silence.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The morning of the party brought an unexpected, and entirely unwelcome, surprise. Apparently not content with smearing Fire Eyes' name, the newspapers had decided to branch out. A Royal Affair, read one headline, just above one picture of Cliff and Fluttershy embracing, and another of Cliff and Twilight leaning towards each other, as though they were about to kiss.

Most of the papers were still focused on Fire Eyes and how 'dangerous' dragons could be, but a few had somehow decided that Cliff and the alicorn princess were romantically involved. Only two seemed to support the Cultural Exchange Program anymore; Canterlot Daily, where Autumn's reporter friends worked, and The Cloudsdale Press, which seemed focused on how useful wyrms would be in the military.

“What is wrong with these ponies?” Cliff moaned after his run with Rainbow Dash.

“You two have been living together,” Rainbow pointed out. “It was only a matter of time before somepony brought that up.”

“I stay in the guest bedroom,” Cliff growled in annoyance. “And apparently moving out now would make it look like we're ashamed of something, so we can't even do anything about it.”

“Chill, Cliff. Even Fluttershy is more calm about this than you right now.”

“I know.” In spite of his own frustrations, the young dragon felt a swell of pride for his marefriend. She had been embarrassed about it when she first showed up for breakfast, of course, but had confidently explained that she trusted him, and knew he wasn't cheating on her.

“Look, the Wonderbolts have to deal with stuff like this all the time. Just ignore it, and soon the papers will get bored and move on to something else.”

“That's what everypony said when the newspapers first started causing problems.”

“Yeah, but I'm not everypony. I'm the one and only Rainbow Dash!” The pegasus struck a heroic pose.

In spite of himself, Cliff smiled at the display. “Fair enough.”

“Look, Ponyville still has your back, so what does it matter if the rest of Equestria is buying all these lies?”

“You have a point.” Ponyville as a whole had accepted the truth at Twilight's seminar, and while the dragons still got strange looks around town, at least nopony seemed terrified of them anymore.

“Of course I do. Anyway, I've gotta get to work.” Rainbow took to the air. “I'll see you at the Pinkie Party tonight, assuming you can keep your claws off both Fluttershy and Twilight long enough to show up.” She bounced her eyebrows suggestively.

Cliff didn't dignify that with a response. “See you there, Rainbow.”

She laughed as she flew off.

Spike was off with Autumn somewhere, and so Cliff set about the household chores by himself. In a way, it was easier like this. Things had been awkward with his little brother ever since their disagreement the other day.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff was a little reluctant to leave Fluttershy's cottage that evening, and not because he wanted to cuddle with his marefriend longer, (though that was definitely a part of it). Maybe it was because Spike would be there, or maybe it was because he still had no talent for making friends.

Fluttershy must have sensed his unease, because she draped a wing across him as they walked. The timid mare normally avoided public displays of affection. “Good luck, Cliff,” she whispered with an encouraging smile when they arrived at Sugarcube Corner.

“Thanks,” he gave her a quick hug, “I'm going to need it.”

They entered the party together, but split up almost immediately. Since the whole point of Pinkie's party was to let the dragons make new friends, he and Fluttershy had been gently encouraged to mingle with others, rather than hide in a corner together, like they usually did.

Cliff followed her with his eyes until she bumped into Spike.

The younger dragon casually invited her to join his group, which consisted of Autumn, the town veterinarian, and Rainbow Dash. Spike met Cliff's gaze, and nodded ever so slightly, as if to say, 'don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her.'

Cliff nodded back gratefully before returning his attention to the crowd. Just as Pinkie had promised, everypony seemed happy, friendly, and a little worn out. Unfortunately, Cliff still had no idea how to approach any of them. Instead, he satisfied himself with checking up on the other dragons.

River Wind and the rest of the Crusaders were caught up in a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony. A few foals that Cliff didn't recognize were playing as well, and they all seemed perfectly at ease together. The older dragon paused to smile at the scene before moving on.

His grandmother was talking with Derpy, or rather, she was talking to Derpy. The gray pegasus wasn't saying anything back, but her smile said that she was enjoying herself.

Cliff's grandfather was nearby, speaking with a brown earth pony stallion that everypony just called 'Doctor.' He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but the young dragon was sure that it would have gone straight over his head in any case.

A few minutes of searching later, Cliff frowned in annoyance. Fire Eyes wasn't here. Was she afraid of coming? That didn't sound like her at all. Maybe the newspapers are affecting her even more than I thought. He wove through the crowd to his grandmother.

“Evening, Cliff.” She smiled. “I was just telling our mutual friend here,” she gestured to Derpy, “about how you earned your name.”

“Oh, cool.” Cliff had learned the Spider Climb spell, and then used it. There really wasn't much of a story there. “It's nice to see you again, Derpy.”

The pegasus mare smiled widely but remained silent.

“Anyway,” Cliff continued, “have you seen Fire Eyes? I'm starting to worry about her.”

“She's helping Pinkie in the kitchen,” Fire Claws assured him. “Though your concern is touching.” Her eyes darted from Cliff to Derpy. “I'm told you two haven't yet had a conversation face to face.”

The dragon and pegasus both nodded a bit uncomfortably.

“Well then,” she patted each of them on the shoulder. “I'll go check on Fire Eyes and give you two a few minutes to rectify that.”

Cliff sighed as his grandmother walked away. “Sorry,” he turned to Derpy, “she isn't known for her subtlety.”

The gray mare shrugged and smiled.

“Sorry I'm taking so long to respond to your latest letter.” He moved out of the way for a passing pony. “Things have been... difficult, ever since the drake attacked.”

Derpy worked her mouth noiselessly for a moment before giving up patting his shoulder sympathetically.

The young dragon smiled. “Thanks. By the way how is Dinky doing?”

She pointed to where her little sister was playing with a purple unicorn.

“Oh, is that Amethyst?” Cliff remembered hearing about the mare that Dinky had nearly adopted as a second older sister.

Derpy nodded. Based on her letter, she didn't fault Amethyst for being so nice to the little unicorn, but Cliff could see a hint of sadness in her eyes as she watched them together.

“Why don't you go join them?”

She shook her head.

“Why not?”

The pegasus sighed and mumbled, “I embarrass her.”

Cliff blinked in surprise. He hadn't known that anypony other than Fluttershy could whisper so quietly. If it weren't for his magically enhanced hearing, he wouldn't have heard her at all. “Maybe,” he knelt down to meet her gaze, “but she still loves you.” He smiled gently, and was happy to see her smiling back. “I mean, Grandma embarrasses me nearly every time we're in public together, but I wouldn't change her for the world.”

Derpy mouthed 'thanks.'

“Why don't you speak more often?” Cliff asked as he rose back to his claws. “You have a nice voice.”

She smiled gratefully. “I say... silly things, sometimes.”

“That makes two of us.” The young dragon sighed.

Derpy looked curiously at him.

“I got in a disagreement with Spike recently,” he explained.

The mare wordlessly gave him a hug.

Cliff squeezed her back before letting go. “Thanks, but enough about me. Is that stallion you like here?”

She blushed.

It was all the response Cliff needed. “Where is he?”

“P-promise you won't do anything drastic?”

“I promise.”

Derpy took a deep breath, turned, and pointed.

“The Doctor,” Cliff said to himself. It made sense. According to his grandfather, the earth pony stallion was incredibly brilliant, insightful, and caring. He could also be a little eccentric. Much like with Pinkie Pie, the residents of Ponyville had learned not to ask questions where the Doctor was concerned. All in all, a perfect match for the compassionate and misunderstood pegasus. “Have you talked to him much?”

She nodded. “Yes, but... never about...” a faint blush spread across her cheeks, “anything other than work.”

“Well, maybe we could go over and say 'hi'?”

Derpy flushed even more, but she nodded. Her eyes made it difficult for her to judge distances, making their trip across the room a bit bumpy. In spite of that, however, they arrived without any major incidents.

“Hey, Grandpa.”

“Hello there, Cliff.” The older dragon turned to them. “Hello to you as well, Derpy.”

She gave her customary greeting of a smile and a nod, while trying to to be too obvious about sneaking glances at the Doctor.

If he noticed, the Doctor gave no sign. “Ah, Ditzy.” He took her hoof and gave it a kiss. “Enjoying the party?” The stallion had a slight accent. Canterlot, if Cliff had to guess.

“Mm-hmm.” Derpy tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle. She didn't seem to mind that the Doctor had a different name for her.

“Excellent. You've certainly earned the break.” The Doctor turned to Cliff. “And you must be Cliff Runner. I've heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” the young dragon shook his hoof. “Sorry that I've taken so long to introduce myself.”

“No need to be sorry,” the Doctor replied. “After all, better late than never.”

“So, are you two having fun?” Cliff asked.

“Well,” Burning Torch said, “we were just discussing the tendency of individuals to distrust outsiders, and whether the uncanny valley factors into that behavior. I consider that fun, though I doubt many others would agree.”

“The uncanny valley probably does have an impact,” the gray mare said suddenly. “Wyrms look and act enough like ponies that it makes your differences stand out more. If I didn't know you so well, it would make me uncomfortable too.”

The Doctor's eyes widened. “Ditzy, I never knew you were interested in social theory.”

“Oh, w-well,” she blushed. “I-it's just something I noticed is all. You know, like how everypony thinks I'm dumb because of my eyes and how clumsy I am.”

“Well that's their loss.” The Doctor smiled encouragingly. “You're a lot of things, but dumb isn't one of them.”

“Agreed,” Burning Torch said. “As I recall, you listed beautiful among those things.”

“W-what?” the Doctor yelped as Derpy turned bright red.

“You called miss Doo here beautiful a few minutes ago.” The older dragon smiled. “Unless you would like to retract that statement now?”

The stallion glanced at Derpy. “No, I stand by it... but still,” he rounded on Burning Torch, “that's not the sort of thing to go spreading about.”

Behind him, the gray mare was failing to hide a goofy smile.

“Unless you're a wyrm,” Burning Torch returned. “Our culture tends to be more open about these sorts of things.” He paused. “Ah, there's my wife.”

Cliff followed his gaze. Fire Claws was indeed wandering the crowd nearby.

“As much as I'm enjoying this discussion, I believe I'll go talk with her, and let you two speak in private.” Burning Torch gave them both a friendly grin. “An easy topic of discussion might be how my kind is less than subtle.” With that, he nodded for Cliff to come along, and walked away.

“Or how my grandparents love to play matchmaker,” Cliff added before joining his grandfather.

“Great work, both of you.” Fire Claws smiled as they came up to her. “I was hoping you would get those two talking.”

“I take it you've evaluated him,” Cliff said. His grandmother could be a little protective, and wouldn't try to hook a friend up with somepony unless she was sure they were compatible.

“Low eighties,” Fire Claws confirmed. “So long as they're willing to put forth a bit of effort, they'll be very happy together.”

“Good.” Cliff nodded. “She deserves somepony special.”

“They both do,” Burning Torch said. “Let's hope they can be special for each other.”

“You know,” the younger dragon turned to his grandmother, “you never did tell me what my compatibility rating with Fluttershy is.”

Fire Claws shrugged. “I wasn't there for the start of your relationship, but I'd guess your initial rating was fairly low.” She patted Cliff's shoulder. “Don't take this the wrong way, but her feelings for you were probably sparked because you were the only male who paid any attention to her.”

He winced. “Ouch.”

“Things have improved since then,” she assured him. “As of right now, your compatibility is at seventy-eight.”

Anything above seventy-five made a successful long-term relationship fairly likely. Cliff was actually surprised that their rating was so low.

“The strength of your relationship, on the other claw, is extremely high.” Fire Claws smiled. “And we all know that time and effort mean more for a relationship than a compatibility rating ever could.”

Cliff smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Grandma. Any advice on how I could be better for her?”

“Ask her what she wants. Fluttershy isn't the type to voice her desires if she thinks it will inconvenience you.” The dragoness shrugged. “Other than that, pay attention to what she likes and make sure you let her enjoy it often. Every girl likes to be treated like royalty from time to time.”

What she likes... With a bit of guilt, Cliff realized that Fluttershy had really enjoyed their formal date with Spike and Autumn, and he still had yet to take her on another one.

“Yes,” Fire Claws said. “Whatever is making you feel guilty right now, rectify it soon.”

“Or your grandmother will beat you senseless,” Burning Torch added with an amused grin.

They talked for another few minutes before splitting up once more. Throwing a party to make new friends would be pointless if they didn't mingle.

Cliff had never been a terribly social creature, and so it was no surprise to him that he left the party with only a few new acquaintances. Most strange of the lot was a mint green unicorn that had been curious, bordering on obsessive, about his claws. He was honestly unsure what to make of her.

At least Fluttershy enjoyed herself with Spike. Whenever Cliff glanced their way, the yellow mare had been smiling or laughing. I need to thank Spike for that. It seemed like a good opportunity to clear the air and apologize as well.

Author's Note

Having never met a long lost brother from a completely foreign culture myself, I can only imagine that it would make finding common ground a bit difficult. I am curious who you guys would side with in their disagreement. Granted, they've both used magic to spy on emotions before, so it's not like Spike has the moral high ground, but as Cliff mentioned way back in chapter 9, it's considered rude to do that to a friend without their permission.

Yeah, I'm a fan of Derpy and the Doctor. If anyone hasn't listened to Dr. Whooves and Assistant on Youtube, you should go fix that. It's basically a radio play, but it's really well done.

Next chapter, meet Fluttershy's parents.

Chapter 27

Late the next morning, Cliff found his brother writing a letter at the kitchen table. The Element Bearers were all holding Friendship Court, which gave the two of them some privacy to talk. “Hey, Spike?”

“Yeah?” The younger dragon looked up from his writing.

Cliff took a deep breath as he slid into a chair of his own. “Thanks for looking after Fluttershy last night. I really owe you for that.”

Spike shrugged. “She's my friend too, you know, but you're welcome.” He went back to his letter.

“Actually, I have to apologize as well.”

That got Spike's attention.

“I still feel like I deserve to know what's going on,” Cliff admitted, “but you obviously don't, and since it is your life, I should have accepted that. I'm sorry.”

At first Spike didn't respond, but then a small smile formed on his lips. “Thanks, Cliff. I'm sorry I got so mad at you.”

“Apology accepted.” He hesitated. “I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me help with whatever is going on between you and Autumn?”

Spike cringed slightly. “Would you be really mad if I wanted to take a bit longer and try to figure things out on my own first?”

Cliff sighed. “No... I'll respect your decision.”

“Thank you.”

There was an awkward silence before Cliff said, “You know I'm always here for you if you need anything, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I promise I'll talk to you about this as soon as I feel ready.”

Cliff nodded. It seemed that waiting was his only option.

Spike's face suddenly contorted before he belched out a scroll in a puff of green fire. “Ugh, I'm never going to get used to that.” He picked up the scroll. “Huh, it's addressed to you.”

“Really? What does it say?”

“Why don't you read it and find out?” Spike passed him the scroll.

Cliff unrolled it and began to read. “Celestia says she's having some trouble with the higher tiers of dragon magic.” His jaw suddenly dropped. “She's at tier five already?!” He knew that Twilight had given the Princess of the Sun some basic instruction at Discord and Pinkie's party, and had been writing her about it ever since, but he never dreamed that she could have advanced so quickly.

“She has been running a country for over a thousand years,” Spike said. “She has more practice controlling her emotions than any ten normal ponies.”

“I guess that's true.” Cliff shook his head in wonder. Tier five was the highest he could use, and he had been working for most of his life to get there. “Anyway, she wants to know if I would ask Grandma and Grandpa to come to Canterlot this weekend and give her and Princess Luna some personal instruction.”

“That could be good publicity,” Spike mused. “Wait, Grandma isn't going to challenge Celestia to a duel or anything, is she?”

“Not unless Celestia wants one. Why?”

He shuddered. “I'm just imagining the collateral damage those two could cause.”

Cliff had to chuckle. “Relax, Spike. Grandma is probably the most powerful warrior of her generation, but she knows how to control herself. Besides, Celestia is asking for instruction in magic, not combat.”

“Okay, but would you mind talking to her anyway? I'd rather not have to explain to the newspapers why Canterlot Castle suddenly lost half of its towers.”

“Fair enough,” Cliff agreed.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fire Claws and Burning Torch were both honored by the request, and readily agreed, under the condition that Celestia would station a platoon of guards in Ponyville for the weekend, just in case somedragon went berserk. As luck would have it, they would be going to Canterlot on the same day that Cliff and Fluttershy would be having dinner with her parents.

The sky chariot and the sky taxi arrived within moments of each other.

“Study how Fluttershy interacts with her parents,” Fire Claws advised as she said her farewell. “Your relationship with your mother is the basis for all future ones, and her relationship with her father will let you know what she expects out of a significant other.”

Cliff nodded thoughtfully as he gave her and his grandfather a goodbye hug. “I will. See you both on Monday.”

They nodded and waved as their grandson and Fluttershy climbed into the taxi that would take them to Cloudsdale.

The ride was mostly silent, and not the comfortable silence that popped up so often when they were relaxing together. Fluttershy kept clearing her throat or looking at Cliff like she wanted to say something, but then she would lower her eyes and fall silent again.

Cliff could only hold her and wonder how bad her parents really were.

When they arrived, he hopped out of the taxi first to help Fluttershy down. According to Spike, it was a sign of respect between a stallion and a mare.

Weird, he thought as soon as his feet touched the cloud. It was somehow soft, bouncy, and solid, all at the same time. “It looks like Twilight's spell worked,” he commented as he helped Fluttershy climbed down. He jumped a few times to test out the strange surface.

Wyrms had no spell to walk on clouds. Luckily, Twilight had offered her services. If the alicorn was to be believed, Cliff would be safe on clouds for the next few days. Not that they planned on staying that long, of course, but it never hurt to be prepared.

Fluttershy giggled at the dragon's bouncing. “Should we go? My parents are probably waiting for us.”

“Yeah, just let me try something.” Cliff pulled up a small clawful of cloud and breathed a small stream of fire on it. The cloud matter dissipated almost instantly, leaving his hand slight wet. “Too strange.” He shook his head. “Sorry about the delay. Lead on.”

“Don't apologize.” The mare giggled again. “I like to see you curious about things. It's cute.” She motioned for him to follow, and started walking.

Now that he was paying attention to something other than the clouds beneath his feet, Cliff realized that they had an audience. Not an especially large one, but about six pegasi were nearby and watching the couple curiously. He waved awkwardly as he followed his marefriend.

A few pegasi halfheartedly returned the gesture before the group as a whole went back to whatever they had been doing earlier.

Cloudsdale was certainly different than Ponyville. All the streets twisted and turned, and rose and fell with the clouds that the city had been built into. The buildings were strange as well. Unlike the mostly square ones he was used to, these ones all seemed to be circular, and employed pillars wherever possible. A few rainbow rivers coursed through the area.

Cliff paused as they crossed a bridge over one. “Is that a real rainbow?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Do you swim in them or something?”

“Oh no, they're too spicy for that.” She looked down at the stream. “They're just pretty.”

“Yeah, they are- wait, did you say that rainbows are spicy?”

She nodded again.

“Now I'm curious.” He knelt down and dipped his claws in the multicolored liquid.

“You probably won't like it.” Fluttershy shuddered. “They're really, really spicy.”

Cliff paused, and then licked a small drop off the tip of one claw. “Hmm,” he twitched suddenly as his face flashed through seven different colors. “Woof.” He flicked the remaining liquid away. “It's not the heat I object to, it's the crazy flavor barrage.”

This time the yellow mare laughed outright.

Cliff found himself laughing as well. The fact that he wasn't sure why he was laughing just made things even funnier somehow. “Anyway,” he said when they had both calmed down, “how much further to your parents' house?”

“We'll be there soon.” Fluttershy glanced around, and finding them alone, moved in for a quick hug. “I love you.”

Cliff returned the embrace. It was amazing how those words made him want to, (what did Pinkie call it? 'Squee'?) every time he heard them. “I love you too.”

Still smiling, they broke off and started walking again.

True to Fluttershy's word, they arrived just a few minutes later. It was a lot bigger than Cliff had expected. Sitting on a fairly large lot, the house was three stories tall, at least twice as wide as a normal house in Ponyville, and decorated with hanging prisms that reflected rainbows across the area.

“Is there anything I should know about your parents?” Cliff whispered as they walked up the path. She had avoided talking about them, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to ask one last time.

To his surprise, Fluttershy answered. “Um, Mother is always very formal. I told you that she wanted me to marry a Canterlot noble?”

He nodded.

“Well, um... acting like one might help.”

A Canterlot noble Cliff certainly was not, but he began to rehearse a formal greeting in his head anyway. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady... uh... “What should I call her and your father?”

“Madam Silver Lining and Sir Sunrise,” she whispered back, trembling slightly as they reached the door. After a few deep breaths, and a reassuring smile from Cliff, she gathered her courage and knocked.

A regal pegasus mare opened the door for them. She had a cream colored coat and a silvery white mane that had been interwoven with jewel-encrusted ribbons. What really made her stand out, however, was a pair of piercing blue eyes. “Hello, Fluttershy.” A tiny smile crossed her face. “It's good to see you after so long.”

Fluttershy seemed to wilt under her gaze. “H-hello, Mother.”

Cliff was having trouble seeing the family resemblance, until her eyes flashed to him. It was like being on the receiving end of the Stare again, but where Fluttershy's Stare had terrified the young dragon, this one made him feel cold... isolated... alone...

She turned back to Fluttershy, and Cliff took a deep breath, repressing the urge to shiver.

“Are you going to introduce me to your companion?” The older mare's voice held a small but firm rebuke.

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy stepped to the side quickly and gestured to her mother. “Cliff Runner, this is Madam Silver Lining, B-baroness of Cloudsdale, and First Sergeant in the City Guard.”

The young dragon paled a little at her titles. An Ice Stare, nobility, and a member of the military. He swallowed. Not a good pony to make an enemy of.

“Mother,” Fluttershy continued, gesturing to him, “this is Cliff Runner, Adviser to Princess Twilight Sparkle, and an ambassador of dragonkind to Equestria.”

Cliff moved forward and bowed. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madam Silver Lining.”

She looked him up and down for a moment before responding. “You're smaller than I expected.”

He blinked in confusion. “Thank you?”

“That was an observation, not a compliment.” She stepped back. “Now come inside, both of you. Dinner is ready, and we have much to discuss.”

Fluttershy nearly jumped inside at her command.

Cliff paused to embrace the Stillness before following. He got the impression that he was going to need it.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The inside of Fluttershy's parents' house was every bit as impressive as the outside. Large pillars ran the length of the hallways, interspersed with expensive looking paintings, and fine rugs covered the floor. 'Impressive' and 'intimidating' were definitely good words to describe it, just as 'homey,' or 'comfortable' were not.

Cliff exchanged a look with his marefriend as Madam Silver Lining led them down the hall. He tried to smile reassuringly, but it came out as more uneasy than anything.

They came to a dining room, where an orange pegasus stallion with a short red mane rushed to embrace Fluttershy. “It's so good to have you home, Flutters!” He held her out at hooves' length. “How have you been?”

The young dragon expected Madam Silver Lining to rebuke him for being so informal, but he was surprised to see a heartfelt smile on the older mare. For a moment, it reminded him of Fluttershy. He cast Empathy, just to be sure.

…Yes, Fluttershy's mother truly did love her. In fact, she was almost overflowing with it. However, there was also a mixture of discomfort, annoyance, and even fear floating around the older mare's emotions. It took Cliff a moment to realize that she wasn't feeling those things at her daughter as much as for her.

He didn't maintain the spell very long, for fear of wearing himself out, but before turning it off, Cliff did catch a strong romantic love between Fluttershy's parents, lots of parental love between them and Fluttershy herself, and a tangled mess of conflicting emotions directed towards him. He avoided reading his marefriend's heart though. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of his argument with Spike.

“Perhaps we should finish introductions and take our seats, dear,” Silver Lining suggested. “It would be a shame to let the food grow cold, and you can torment her with questions while we eat.”

“Oh, sorry.” The stallion blushed. He turned to Cliff and cleared his throat nervously. “It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Sir Sunrise, Baron of Cloudsdale.”

No military title, Cliff reflected as he bowed. “The pleasure is mine, Sir Sunrise. I am Cliff Runner, adviser to Princess Twilight.” Maybe he was wrong, but it seemed like it might be impolite to list more titles than his host had given.

Following Silver Lining's lead, the group took their seats. The table was smaller than Cliff had expected, only meant for a dozen or so ponies, he guessed. Fluttershy's parents sat at the ends of it, leaving her and Cliff to take the two remaining seats, set midway between the ends, and on opposite sides of the table. At least I can look at her as we eat, Cliff sighed. He really would have preferred to sit next to his marefriend.

As soon as they sat down, four servants entered the room, each carrying a tray of food. Salad and some sort of fruit pudding were placed in front of the three pegasi. To Cliff's surprise, he got a plate of sliced meats and dipping sauces instead.

“There is no need to be so shocked,” Madam Silver Lining said. “Cloudsdale strongly supports the Cultural Exchange Program. We would be hypocrites indeed if we expected you to abandon your culture, or ignored the differences in your biology.” She gestured to the meats. “Eat using whatever manners you find most comfortable.”

Cliff was a little suspicious, but stabbed a roll of meat with his fork and took a bite. It had been seasoned surprisingly well.

“So Flutters,” Sunrise turned to his daughter, “how are your animals?”

She finished chewing a bite of salad and swallowed. “They're all doing well. Angel Bunny has been behaving much better lately.”

No he hasn't. Cliff had just gotten better at dodging his ambushes.

“Have you considered my proposal for a wildlife preserve near Ponyville?” Silver Lining asked.

Fluttershy shrank down a bit. “Oh, um, it would be nice, but I don't think Ponyville has the money for something like that right now.”

“I know a young duke who may be willing to provide funding,” the older mare said casually. “Perhaps if you took him out to dinner sometime and-”

“Mom!” Fluttershy braced her hooves down on the table. She paused for a moment, realizing where she was, and shrank back. “I mean, uh...”

Silver Lining raised her eyebrows slightly. “Yes?”

“I...” Fluttershy swallowed. “I'm dating Cliff. I-it wouldn't be right to take another stallion out to dinner.”

“Fluttershy, darling,” she sighed, “we've been over this. I understand your fascination with this dragon,” she waved a hoof at Cliff, “but you need to think about your real future.”

The yellow mare shrank away even more.

That's enough, Cliff decided. It looked like Fluttershy was about to cry, and he'd go berserk before he sat by and let that happen. “In what way would a future with me not be 'real'?”

Madam Silver Lining gave him a disdainful look. “As I said, Cliff Runner, Cloudsdale fully supports the Cultural Exchange Program. However, you must see that wyrms and ponies would make abysmally poor life-partners for each other, and Fluttershy especially would be chained to a far inferior standard of living than she might have otherwise enjoyed if she were to marry you.”

“Uh, dear?” Sunrise began, but a glare from his wife convinced him go silent once more.

Without the Stillness, Cliff would probably be fighting down the urge to scorch her eyebrows off. Instead, he leaned forward. “Shall we be perfectly honest with each other then?”

She nodded. “Yes, I believe that would save time.”

Fluttershy was glancing back and forth between them, her pupils tiny with fear.

Cliff gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to Madam Silver Lining. “All my experience indicates that the union of a dragon and a pony could be of great benefit to both members. If you would be so kind as to list the reasons behind your stance to the contrary, I'm sure the issue could be resolved to your satisfaction.”

“Very well.” She leaned forward too. “Fluttershy's letters tell me that you have no wealth nor material possessions to speak of?”

He nodded.

“Then how do you expect to provide for my daughter, or are you expecting her to work to support you for her whole life?” Her eyes hardened into the Ice Stare as she spoke.

Either Silver Lining's Stare was weaker than her daughter's, or the Stillness granted Cliff some level of protection, because he was able to force down the cold that was restricting his throat and answer, “As a royal adviser and ambassador, I receive a generous salary from the royal budget, one hundred thousand bits per year, to be precise, or roughly nineteen hundred per week. Seventeen hundred of that is put directly into savings, as I have no use for it. The rest is used to cover my expenses, including the food I eat at Fluttershy's cottage.” She had objected to that, of course, but he had insisted.

“If I were to get married,” Cliff continued, “full control of that money would, of course, be shared with my life-partner. While it's likely less than what you make, this amount should be enough to let Fluttershy live more than comfortably.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped when Cliff mentioned his salary.

Did I ever get around to telling her how much I earn? He mentally shrugged. I suppose it doesn't matter now.

“I was under the impression that you made a living wage only,” Silver Lining conceded. “Very well, my husband and I each earn about that much, but you are correct, that would be sufficient for my daughter's humble tastes.”

Her expression shifted to a frown. “However, you clearly lack any talent in political matters, which is often even more important. The reason Cloudsdale supports you, for example, is because my husband and I have been able to use our connections and influence to ensure that wyrms are presented in the best light to the city.”

“Why would you do that?” Cliff asked in confusion.

Silver Lining gave him an annoyed look, as though it should have been obvious. “Pegasi have always provided the bulk of Equestria's military strength. My personal feelings about you aside, we would be fools not to see the advantages of draconic warriors and healers, especially after you defeated that drake.”

He nodded that he understood.

“Good, but it can't have escaped your notice how Equestria has reacted in the aftermath of that battle. You have the power to save towns and cities, but not the skill to change them and make them side with you. As such, the public image of a pony who marries a dragon will always be left to the whims of chance. At best, Fluttershy would be stared at and have others whisper behind her back. At worst, she could be run out of town, attacked, or worse. I do not know about you, Cliff Runner, but I am not willing to risk my daughter's happiness on something as fickle as chance.”

Cliff couldn't think of anything to say to that. A small part of him started to wonder if she was right.

“Further, the ability to guide the masses means the ability to change the world.” Her eyes flickered to Fluttershy and her expression softened just slightly. “Because of my daughter's desire to help animals, I have arranged funding for and passed laws to support animal shelters across Equetria. Dozens have been established or maintained because of us in recent years, each one saving thousands of animals.” She turned back to Cliff, and her eyes hardened once more. “Even if society were to accept your union, could one lone dragon help reshape Equestria as I or any other noble?”

He couldn't. He wouldn't even know where to begin.

“Could you somehow bring her dreams to life by yourself?” she pressed.

“Mother!” This time Fluttershy didn't back down when the older mare turned her way. “I don't care what other ponies think of Cliff and I being together.”

“Yes you do, Fluttershy,” Silver Lining said softly. “Any attention at all makes you uncomfortable in public. We all know it, and that is part of why your father and I are so concerned.”

“W-well maybe,” she blushed, “but that doesn't mean that what other ponies think is up to chance. Twilight, Rarity, Spike, and Autumn are working hard every day to help Equestria realize that dragons can be very nice. Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are helping us. You can't ask for more political power than that.” Fluttershy swallowed and blushed even more. “And, e-even if other ponies make fun of me for being with Cliff. I-I would still want to be with him.”

Silver Lining shook her head. “You're as stubborn as I am.” She turned to Cliff. “You still haven't answered my questions.”

“One moment.” He arose, walked around the table, and gave Fluttershy a long, firm hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear.

She hugged him back just as firmly. “I'm sorry. We can leave now, if you want.”

It was a tempting offer, but Cliff shook his head. “We should at least try to get her to accept us.” The last thing he wanted was to cause a permanent rift between the mare he loved and her parents.

“Okay.” Fluttershy nuzzled into his cheek. “Thank you.”

Cliff looked up from the hug at Fluttershy's mother. “I can't promise that I'll be able to bring all of her dreams to life. I don't think any dragon or pony could. All I can promise is that I'll do everything I can for your daughter, and her dreams.”

Silver Lining was looking a little conflicted as she responded. “An admirable sentiment, but that doesn't tell me anything about your actual ability to do so. It also brings up my two largest worries for you.”

Both Cliff and Fluttershy were silent, prompting her to continue. “From what I'm told, dragons have a potential lifespan of over twelve hundred years. No matter your feelings right now, the fact remains that it would be unfair to both parties for her to age and die while you remain a young dragon. You could then either seek a new mate, dishonoring her memory, or spend the rest of your life mourning her loss.”

“A-actually...” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Cliff... he offered me... he said...” she looked a the young dragon, who nodded slightly. “Cliff can make me live as long as a dragon.”

Dead silence greeted her words.

“It's true,” Cliff said to their stunned expressions. “Fluttershy hasn't decided if she wants to accept the offer yet, but it's always there if she wants it.” He gave her another quick squeeze.

Sunrise was the first to recover. “That... does change things.” He looked to his wife.

“Indeed,” she breathed. “How could that even be possible?”

“Life-force transfer,” Cliff explained. “Basically, a few other dragons and I will reduce our lifespans by several centuries in order to extend Fluttershy's by a similar amount.”

The mare in question squirmed uncomfortably. “I just worry that I would be selfish for accepting.”

Silver Lining cleared her throat. “Yes, well that only makes the question of whether you two could be happy together all the more important. My single largest concern in that regard is that ponies and dragons cannot interbreed. Even if your life is centuries long, Fluttershy, could you call it fulfilling if you never have the chance to raise foals of your own?”

Cliff had always loved kids, and he knew Fluttershy did as well. Thinking that they would never be able to raise a child together... it felt like something was crushing him from the inside. He looked away.

That worry had been somewhere in the back of his mind ever since he and Fluttershy first began courting. Dragon magic wouldn't help them without permanently transforming one of them into the other's species. He would never be so unfair as to expect Fluttershy to become a dragoness, and he knew she wouldn't let him change himself that way either. Unicorn magic had more transformation spells, but not even Twilight knew of one that would let genetically incompatible creatures cross-breed. There was always the chance that she would come up with something, given enough time, but there was a much larger chance that she wouldn't. Even with magic, some things just weren't possible.

He blinked away a bit of moisture from his eyes as he thought of the children that they might never be able to have.

Fluttershy looked up into his eyes and smiled sadly. “We can always adopt, right?”

He felt strangely empty as he met her gaze. It seemed like he was failing her somehow, but she was right. Adoption was probably the only way they would ever be able to have a family. He smiled back with as much warmth as he could manage. “Right.”

Silver Lining looked at them for a long moment before she sighed. “Very well. Cliff Runner, you still haven't proven that you have the political power to make Fluttershy's dreams a reality, but extending her life goes a long way in balancing that out. I only have one more question for you.”

Cliff nodded for her to continue.

“Do you really love my daughter?”

He looked her right in the eyes as he answered. “Yes, I do.”

Fluttershy's cheeks turned red. “A-and I love him too, Mother.”

“I never had any doubts about that.” Silver Lining smiled gently. “The only question was whether he deserves your affection.”

“So you approve? Of us I mean?” she asked hopefully.

The older mare let out a long, deep sigh. “You could do far better, dear... but for now at least, yes, I approve.”

Fluttershy flew out of Cliff's arms to catch her mother in a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Silver Lining awkwardly returned the embrace. “Y-you're welcome, dear.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Luckily, the rest of dinner was far less stressful. Madam Silver Lining did most of the talking, but it was about local politics, how dragons might augment the Equestian military, and other such matters, rather than potential suitors for Fluttershy. Cliff listened quietly from his seat. He had considered moving it over to the yellow mare's side, but he didn't know how her mother might react, and frankly, he didn't want to risk pushing her.

After all four courses had been served, eaten, and cleared away, Cliff was given a tour of the house. Fluttershy's old bedroom was a treat to see. Books about animals filled a large bookcase, and posters of them covered the walls. It was obvious that she had wanted to know everything about the world below, even when she couldn't be there herself.

As they were leaving, Sunrise, who had been silent for most of the evening, slipped Cliff a small box. “For Fluttershy,” he explained, tilting his head towards where his daughter and wife were saying their farewells. “Say it's from you.”

Cliff accepted the box. “Thank you.”

“Please take care of our daughter.”

“I will.”

Fluttershy came over to say goodbye to her father, leaving Cliff with Silver Lining.

“You've earned a chance,” she said. “If you make a mistake, don't expect me to give you another one.”

“I won't.” They locked eyes for a moment before Cliff added, “thank you for this chance.”

“I didn't give it,” Silver Lining told him. “As I said, you earned it.”

Cliff and Fluttershy left as soon as the yellow mare finished hugging her father. “Um, Cliff?” she whispered as they walked away.

“Yes?”

She draped a wing across the young dragon's back. “Thank you, for coming with me, I mean. I know my mother can be a teensy bit... scary, sometimes, but it made me really happy how you stood up to her for me.”

“You stood up for me too.” He nuzzled into her cheek for a moment. “I was actually stumped twice when you stepped in and saved me. So, thank you.”

She nuzzled him back as they continued on their way.

Cloudsdale was beautiful at night. The rainbow rivers glowed softly beneath the starlight, and glowing orbs in the ground, er, clouds, gave the whole scene a dreamlike quality. That feeling was only reinforced by how quiet everything was. It took Cliff a moment to notice, but walking on clouds was completely silent. There was none of the usual clip-clop of hooves on dirt or pavement. It was a shame to leave such an idyllic place, but Twilight and Spike would be expecting them back tonight, and Fluttershy's animals would need caring for in the morning.

It didn't take them long to reach the marketplace and flag down an air taxi bound for Ponyville. They were a few minutes into their flight when Cliff remembered Sunrise's gift. “Oh,” he pulled the small box out of his saddlebags, “this is for you.”

She accepted the box with a small smile. “Daddy asked you to give this to me, didn't he?”

“Uh, well, yeah.”

“He hates to take credit for his gifts.” Fluttershy hugged the box to her chest. “I know I'm supposed to be the Element of Kindness, but he has always been much more thoughtful than I am.” The wind had blown a bit of her long mane across her face.

He tucked it behind her ear. “I doubt that's even possible.”

She smiled gratefully.

“Are you going to see what he got you?”

“Oh,” Fluttershy blushed, “right.” She lifted the top off the box, and almost immediately shut it again. A tiny “eep,” escaped her lips as her face turned dark red.

Cliff frowned. “What's wrong?”

She paused, staring down at the box and then back at him. A few seconds passed before she held it out to him with quivering hooves.

He gently took it and looked inside. It was a pendant on a silver chain with a small, star-shaped sapphire. “It's beautiful.” He looked up at his marefriend, who seemed to be hyperventilating. “...I'm missing something, aren't I?”

Fluttershy swallowed. “It's... it's an... engagement necklace.”

He felt his jaw go slack. “Ah.”

If possible, the mare turned an even deeper shade of red.

Cliff's mouth closed, then opened, then closed again. The cycle repeated a few times before he could get anything out. “Should, um, I take it as a compliment that your father, uh... wanted me to... give you this?” He forced a soft chuckle.

Fluttershy didn't seem to catch his attempt at humor. She was too busy staring at the necklace like it might attack her.

“Fluttershy?”

“Oh my goodness!” She jumped, and then looked around, as if suddenly remembering where she was. “I'm sorry. This is just really, really sudden.”

Cliff set the box down before he wrapped his arms around the frightened mare. “I know. It is.” He nuzzled down next to her ear and whispered, “we can worry about this later.”

“Actually,” she swallowed again and pressed into his hug, “maybe we should talk about this now. If you don't mind, that is.”

The young dragon's mouth went dry. “O-okay.”

Fluttershy shifted back just enough to look him in the eyes. “Do you think that we're ready for this?”

“I... I don't know,” Cliff admitted. “How do ponies normally know when they're ready?”

“I don't know,” Fluttershy's wings wrapped around both of them, “but I don't want to be without you again. You feel the same about me... right?”

“Of course I do.” His arms tightened around her. “I love being with you more than anything.”

“Then... should we?”

Cliff paused. “To be completely honest, I've wanted to share my life with you for a while now. After those weeks when we couldn't see each other, I realized that I never wanted to be separated from you again. I asked my old coven to give you and your friends extra years because I couldn't bear to think of you dying.” He nuzzled into her soft fur. “I just... I can't lose you, Fluttershy. Not when you've come to mean so much to me.”

Her wings and hooves tightened around him. “What Mother said was right.” She sniffled. “It would be unfair to leave you behind. I was just afraid because I didn't want to live without my friends.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “If it's okay with you, though, I want to live longer so that I can stay with you too.” A gentle sob escaped her lips. “If you still want me, that is.”

He squeezed her right back. “Always.”

Another sob came from the timid mare. “I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm crying.” She broke off enough to wipe her eyes. “I'm a little bit scared, but I'm just so happy too that... I just...” She threw her hooves around him again. “I love you, Cliff!”

“I love you too, Fluttershy.” He blinked away the tears that were forming in his own eyes and pulled the yellow pegasus a little closer.

They remained silent for the rest of the flight. Fluttershy even fell asleep from the soft rocking of the taxi. Cliff couldn't blame her. Dinner with her parents had been an exhausting experience. He reluctantly shook her awake before paying the taxi fare.

The two pegasi pulling it nodded and said a brief farewell before taking off, leaving the couple alone in the fields outside of Ponyville.

“I guess I should put this on now.” Fluttershy smiled timidly as she opened the box once more.

“Here, let me help.” Cliff reached for the box, and she readily surrendered it to him. His claws shook slightly as he lifted out the pendant and fastened it around her neck. He stepped back to admire it. The sapphire complimented her coat and eyes nicely. “This is real, right?” he breathed. “We're actually engaged now?”

She reverently ran a hoof across the piece of jewelry. “Yes.” Their eyes met, and one of the largest smiles Cliff had ever seen spread across her face. “Yes!” She tackled him to the ground.

Cliff hugged her back, laughing with joy.

Fluttershy propped herself up so that they could look each other in the eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, suddenly aware that their muzzles were only inches apart.

She seemed to realize this at the same moment. “Oh, uh...” Her eyes locked with Cliff's, a nervous smile flickering across her lips.

He swallowed, unable to look away from her beautiful teal eyes. He didn't know how long he could resist the urge to kiss her. “Fluttershy, if you're going to pull back, now is the time.”

Instead, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his.

It was just a quick peck, but something in Cliff's mind surged into action. His arms wrapped around her before he was even aware of it, and pulled her into another, much longer kiss.

Their lips parted after a few breathless seconds. “Sorry,” Cliff gasped, ashamed of his own lack of control. “I don't know what came over me, I just-”

Fluttershy's lips cut him off. They were both new to this, but love and enthusiasm more than made up for their lack of experience.

By the time she pulled back, Cliff could barely think, let alone speak. Only one word managed to escape his lips, “wow.”

Blushing furiously, but smiling uncontrollably, Fluttershy nestled into the young dragon's warm chest, closed her eyes, and held him close. “Wow,” she echoed.

Author's Note

No, I have no idea what Friendship Court (mentioned at the beginning of the chapter) would entail, but all of the mane 6 had 'thrones' in the new castle, so I'm assuming they'll be using them for something.

Fluttershy's parents finally make an appearance. What were your thoughts on them?

Cliff and Fluttershy getting engaged, and finally kissing. There's another good topic for discussion.

Chapter 28

Spike looked at the small mountain of books spread across the living room. His date for the evening had ended early, so Twilight had recruited him for another research session. “No offense,” he said as he came back with yet another book on magical theory, “but what's the point of a spell that converts mana into willpower? I mean, only an alicorn could ever use it.”

“This version, yes,” Twilight agreed, “but really, this is just another step towards a much more important spell.”

“Let me guess, death ray?” Spike grinned.

She frowned. “No, Spike, a spell converter. Imagine a world where any unicorn could use dragon spells, and any dragon could use unicorn spells.” Twilight smiled energetically. “The possibilities are literally endless!”

“Yeah, except dragon magic is the number one selling point of the Cultural Exchange Program. We're having enough trouble keeping ponies on board as it is.”

“Spike,” she gently chastised, “you know it would be wrong of me to halt scientific advances that could save lives because of politics. Besides, this research could take me years to complete, and even after I'm finished, unicorns will still need wyrms around to teach their brand of magic. If anything, it only makes inter-species communication that much more appealing.”

“Whatever you say, Twilight.” Spike knew better than to argue when his sister got like this.

The door opened suddenly and Cliff came in, followed by Fluttershy. Both of them had goofy smiles, which looked especially odd on the yellow pegasus. Spike also noticed that she was wearing an expensive looking pendant, for some reason.

“Hey, guys.” He waved casually. “I'm guessing things went well with her parents?”

“Oh, I'm glad you're back.” Twilight looked up from her work for the first time in several hours. “Cliff, how much is known about the fundamental particles of wi-” Her eyes locked on Fluttershy's new jewelry.

Spike looked from the pendant to his sister and back again. “What is it, Twilight?”

The purple alicorn didn't answer. Instead, her eyes slowly drifted up from the necklace to her friend's face. “Fluttershy, is that...?”

She blushed and nodded, still unable to keep herself from smiling.

“Wha-” Spike began, only to be cut off as Twilight burst across the room to wrap her friend in a tight hug.

“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!” Twilight beamed. “Congratulations, Fluttershy! What happened? Tell me everything!” She practically dragged the yellow pegasus off to the kitchen. “Come on, I'll make us some tea.”

Spike and his older brother were left alone in the main room. “So, would you mind translating what just happened here?”

Cliff tried and failed to keep from grinning. “We kind of just got engaged.”

His mouth dropped open. “...Huh?”

“Fluttershy and I are engaged now.”

“Well yeah, I heard you,” Spike shook his head, “but... how? Last I checked, you were just hoping to survive dinner with her parents. You never said anything about getting married!”

Cliff let out a shaky chuckle. “Well, it wasn't exactly planned.” He briefly described the meal, Sunrise's gift, and the conversation it had sparked afterward. “I thought you would have known what the necklace meant.”

“I was raised in Canterlot, where almost everypony is a unicorn,” Spike reminded him. “They mostly give horn rings when they get... sweet Celestia, you're engaged.” He had to sit down. “Well, you're the only guy I've ever heard of who got engaged to his marefriend before he even kissed her.”

His brother's goofy grin returned in full force.

“Oh, I see you took care of that too.” Even an idiot could tell what that smile meant. “So, uh, when's the big day?”

“We haven't really had time to talk about it,” Cliff admitted. “Dragon engagements normally last for about four years.”

“Four years?” Spike repeated. “Whoa, Cliff, you might want to change that estimate. Pony engagements last for like a year, tops.”

“Oh. That's actually more than what I was expecting.” He took a seat beside his brother. “A year is probably a good thing, though. It would mean our parents can be here.”

“Yeah, that's true.” Spike was still trying to wrap his head around all this. “Are you going to, you know, make her live longer?”

Cliff nodded slowly. “Seven hundred. She agreed to it tonight, but she really doesn't want to unless her friends all agree. We should talk to them about it tomorrow.”

“Where are we going to get the years?” Spike asked. “Even if all six of us dragons worked together, we don't have that many years to give up.”

“I asked the Redstone Coven about it the last time I was there,” Cliff replied. “They agreed to help. My real worry is getting everypony to agree.”

Cliff is getting married. Spike's mind kept replaying that message. Why does he have such better luck in love than I do? Not for the first time, he considered asking his brother for advice about Autumn, but he still couldn't bring himself to.

Some stubborn part of himself hadn't forgiven Cliff yet for trying to spy on his emotions. Spike knew he was a horrible dragon for feeling that way, but he couldn't stop it. “Hey, let me talk to the others. I'm sure I can get them to agree.” Maybe this will help make up for being so petty.

“Are you sure?”

“You said you've been relying on me to help change ponies' minds about us.” Spike smiled confidently. “Trust me, I can handle this.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Pinkie's 'Congratulations, Fluttershy and Cliff!!!' party happened at the palace the next evening. Fire Eyes was off training in the Everfree Forest, and Spike's grandparents were still in Canterlot, but River and the rest of the Crusaders were there, along with all of Twilight's closest friends, a group that now included Autumn Gem.

Spike carefully maintained the Stillness around her. After pretending to date the crystal mare for so long, and then faking a breakup, it would just be too awkward if she found out that he was developing real feelings for her.

He skirted around Derpy and the Doctor. Spike didn't know either pony very well, but Cliff had insisted on inviting the gray mailmare and her new stallionfriend. The two of them, Zecora, Big Mac, and Granny Smith represented Cliff's addition to the guest list.

With that berserk drake safely out of the picture, Zecora had moved back to her home in the Everfree Forest, but she was still sharing a stand in the marketplace with the Apple family. She had also taken Apple Bloom on as an apprentice during her stay with them. Spike was honestly surprised that she hadn't gotten a cutie-mark in potion brewing yet.

“Excuse me, everypony.” Spike climbed onto a bench so they could all see him. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming to support Fluttershy and my brother during this special time. If anypony asks whether it's worth fighting for coexistence between dragons and ponies, well, I'd say those two are living proof that it is.

At the other side of the room, Cliff and Fluttershy were blushing as everypony turned to applaud them.

Spike winked at his older brother before continuing. “In fact, Cliff's old coven is so dedicated to our cause that they've offered a special gift to our six national heroines, the Elements of Harmony. If they want it, each one of them can have their lifespans extended to seven hundred years, about average for a dragon. Unfortunately, to give this gift, a wyrm has to sacrifice years off of his or her own life, but they are willing to do it for us.

“Obviously for Fluttershy and Cliff, it means they can each share their whole life with the other. As for the rest of you, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Applejack, it means you can still be together learning, designing, competing, partying, farming, and just generally saving Equestria from whatever life throws at us hundreds of years from now.”

He waited a moment to let the news sink in. “There's no pressure, of course. You can all take your time to think about this, and come talk to me in a few days when you've made your decision. Until then, I'll have to ask everypony to stay quiet about this whole lifespan extension thing. The rest of Equestria probably wouldn't understand that this isn't the sort of gift you can buy. It's something that a wyrm has to give freely. But enough about that, for now, let's all give the Redstone Coven a big round of applause for their generosity.”

The shocked silence of the living room erupted into enthusiastic hoof-stomping.

Satisfied with their reaction, Spike climbed down and made his way over to Autumn. As he approached, he realized that her coat reflected pure shock. “Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you that wyrms can do that.”

“Yes, it would seem that you did.” She shook her head and her coat returned to normal. “Please forgive my inattention. I take it you want me to measure reactions?”

“Don't apologize, Autumn.” He felt guilty for not mentioning something so important. Confused emotions or not, Autumn was still a trusted friend and ally. He let some of that emotion through the Stillness.

A flash of positive emotions across her coat assured him that she had taken no offense.

He smiled. “Anyway, how is everypony taking it?”

She scanned the crowd. “Reactions are all positive, with some shock and disbelief scattered around. All of the Element Bearers seem likely to accept, with the exception of Applejack, who is mostly feeling uncomfortable at the moment.”

Spike had been expecting as much. To any of the others, a life extension meant being able to do more of what they loved, which was why he had brought that up in his speech. Applejack, on the other hoof, valued family more than anything. After losing her own parents at such a young age, the farm mare would naturally equate a longer lifespan with being forced to watch the deaths of her brother and little sister.

Luckily for Spike, the rest of the Apple family was in attendance, and every single one of them was the type to think of the greater good. That comment about saving Equestria hundreds of years from now had been meant especially for them. They all knew how much the others needed Applejack, and they wouldn't let her say 'no.'

A small part of Spike paused to wonder if he was doing the right thing, convincing everypony to extend their lives, but then he thought about how happy it would make Twilight, Fluttershy, and by extension, Cliff, if all of their friends could live a draconic lifespan together. Spike couldn't think of a better reason to do something than, 'because it will make my family happy.'

“I'm surprised the wyrms at the coven would agree to this,” Autumn cut through his thoughts. “Even with their extremely long lives, giving some of their very life-force to a group of strangers cannot be easy.”

“That's just how wyrms are.” Spike felt a little pride in his species. “They're all completely selfless, because any that aren't transform into monsters and get killed off.”

Autumn nudged his side playfully. “And you are the most selfless of the lot, of course.”

“Of course.” He laughed. Looking into her smiling face made more affection spring up around the edges of the Stillness. Dang it, why does she have to be so fun to be around?

“By the way,” the crystal mare said, “have you been practicing a new spell lately? I haven't been able to sense your emotions clearly all week.”

“Oh that?” Spike bit down his sudden nervousness and feigned nonchalance. “Not exactly. It's just that emotion-clearing technique. Getting better with it helps with spellcasting.”

“Rats, and I bet Pinkie five bits that you'd been replaced by a changeling.”

“Right,” Spike rolled his eyes, “a changeling in this town, with two empaths running around. If one really was here, the only bet would be whether you could get it thrown in jail before Grandmother turned it into bug flambe.”

“True,” Autumn conceded. “Speaking of your grandmother, how much longer will it be until you can learn her spell? You are a talented conversationalist, but sometimes I miss being able to speak in pure and simple emotions.”

“I wish I could help, but Empathy is a tier five spell. Even Cliff has trouble using it.”

“Perhaps we could use the Linking spell instead?” she suggested. “I'm told that one is much simpl-” Autumn paused, and a warm smile spread across her face. “Simpler.”

Spike looked at her uncertainly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine.” Autumn pointed towards a crowd that had gathered around Cliff and Fluttershy. “Something very good just happened over there.”

The young dragon followed her hoof. Cliff was staring in wonder at something Spike couldn't see through the crowd. Then he scooped River Wind into his arms, hugging her tightly.

“I wonder what's going on.”

They made their way over, amid whispers from the other ponies and excited chatter from the Crusaders. “Is everything okay?” Spike asked his older brother.

“Everything's perfect.” Cliff grinned. He looked down at the tiny hatchling in his arms. “Do you want to tell him?”

“I-I just earned my name.” Tears were pouring down her face, but they looked like tears of joy.

“Really?” Spike leaned closer. “What is it?”

“Written Whisper.”

Wow, it's almost scary how accurate that is. Spike wasn't sure if he had ever heard the hatchling speak in a voice above a whisper.

“Isn't it awesome?!” Apple Bloom grinned. “The first ever triumph of the Cutie-mark and Name Crusaders!”

Sweetie Belle was bouncing up and down next to her. “I helped her illustrate it!”

“I told her it was a good idea!” Scootaloo added.

“Illustrate what?” Autumn knelt next to the trio.

“Her book, of course.” Scootaloo pointed to a small pile of papers, held together with twine in Fluttershy's hooves. “It's a present for Cliff and Fluttershy.”

“It's all the messages River delivered for us,” Cliff explained, “during those weeks when we couldn't talk to each other. She got her name as soon as we opened it.”

Fluttershy herself was holding the book as if it were the most precious thing in the world. She wrapped her wings around Cliff and the young hatchling. “Thank you, so very much.”

Autumn made a soft, “awww,” and gathered the remaining Crusaders into a hug. “That's so sweet, all of you!”

Spike tousled the little hatchling's head spikes like he'd seen Cliff do. “Congratulations, River, or Written Whisper, actually.”

She giggled and looked up at him from the combined hugs of Cliff and Fluttershy. “Thanks, Spike.”

He didn't want to take up too much of their time, so Spike excused himself and made his way to the snack table.

Autumn joined him soon after. “I wonder what your name will be,” she commented as she poured herself a cup of juice.

“Hay if I know.” Spike put another cupcake on his plate. “At the rate I'm going, I won't ever get it anyway.”

She looked at him in concern. “Spike, why would you think that?”

He avoided meeting her gaze. “It's complicated.” It really wasn't. Dragons only got their true name when they both found a calling in life and made the decision to pursue it. Spike knew that he was good at certain things, but none of them had made him think, 'Sweet Celestia, I want to do this forever!'

Autumn put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “I'm here if you ever need me, Spike.”

More affection flooded through the young dragon, and to his horror, he realized that he wasn't in the Stillness anymore. He couldn't even remember dropping it! “Oh, uh, well,” Spike cleared his throat, “thanks. You're an awesome friend.” It should be fine if I let her hoof stay around me for another few seconds... right?

She just smiled at him sadly. Her crystalline features radiated compassion and concern. She was positively breathtaking.

It's like somepony carved beauty itself out of gemstones and willed her to life. Spike flushed as he realized what he had been thinking. No, bad brain! She's the one who broke off our fake relationship. She obviously just wants to be friends!

“Are you alright?” Autumn asked, frowning slightly. “You're emotions are fluctuating wildly.”

“Oh, sorry!” He embraced the Stillness. It was a welcome change from the raging chaos he had felt seconds earlier. “Dragon magic can be hard to master. That's why it's so important to practice.” Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it...

She nodded. “Understandable, especially with all the pressures we've been under lately.”

He might have fooled her, or maybe she was just being nice and changing the subject. In either case, Spike wasn't going to complain. They spent the rest of the evening going over much safer topics, like politics, and how stupid most reporters were.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It had been a few weeks since the party, and for once, Spike was grinning as he read over the morning newspapers. An article entitled, Shedding Some Sunlight on the Issue, deserved most of the credit for that. Celestia made a point of rarely throwing her political weight around, but when she did deem it necessary, the results were always impressive. Today, all of Equestria was eagerly reading a 'report' about her study of wyrm magic. Like a true master, she explained just enough of the mechanics to catch the imagination, before moving on to describe several carefully chosen spells: Heart's Mirror, Healing, and Scale Armor.

The first two helped reinforce that dragon magic could be a beautiful and useful thing, and the third was used as a jumping off point for wyrm society in general, and their view of combat as an unfortunately necessary part of life.

Spike felt the urge to go buy a hat, just so he could tip it to Celestia the next time he saw her. By the time she started refuting the media's claims against wyrms, they had already been presented as such a tragic and loving race that it almost seemed redundant to point out that they weren't psychotic killers. Even their 'vicious' duels were completely undercut when she pointed out that Scale Armor protected its user so well that they may as well be wearing giant marshmallow suits, for all the damage they could cause to each other. That mental image would be enough to keep anypony from calling wyrms frightening for quite some time.

He finished the article and passed it to Cliff and Fluttershy. Their engagement was still being kept quiet, just until Autumn's reporter friends found a hole in their schedules to come do a story on it. Fluttershy still wore her necklace everywhere, but apparently that was a more obscure symbol of being engaged than Spike had originally thought, because virtually nopony recognized its significance.

The next article was from Cloudsdale. Spike took another bite of his oat cereal. After hearing about Fluttershy's parents, he wasn't too surprised to see that they were still discussing the many advantages of having wyrms in the armed services. Spike had to admit, he could see Fire Eyes or his grandmother being almost frighteningly effective town guards.

There was a knock at the front door.

“I'll get it,” Spike volunteered.

An unusual sight greeted him when he opened the door. Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith were standing there with looks of grim determination. Behind them was Applejack, pointedly not looking at any of them.

“Hey, everypony. What's going on?” Even though he had a fair idea.

“Applejack accepts yer offer ta make 'er live longer,” Granny Smith announced in her usual tired, rickety voice.

The orange mare snorted angrily behind them.

Granny turned back to her. “Oh, quit poutin'. Ya already admitted it takes all six of ya ta use yer fancy rainbow power thing. Ah'm not lettin' ya doom Equestria in another hundred years all cuz ya didn't wanna stick around fer when they needed ya.”

“Eyup,” Big Mac solemnly intoned.

Apple Bloom nodded her agreement.

Applejack just looked further away.

Their piece said, the rest of the Apple family bid Spike farewell and set out for their farm.

Spike had mixed feelings as he made his way back to the kitchen. One one hoof, all of the Element Bearers had now accepted, and all they had to do was write to Celestia and ask when she would be available to take them all to the coven, but on the other, it was obvious that Applejack wasn't very comfortable with the whole situation. Still, he didn't want to worry the others by dragging them into his ethical quandaries, so Spike put on a big smile. “Good news, AJ just stopped by to say that she'll accept the lifespan transfer.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

As it turned out, Celestia had planned on using the next weekend to visit the Redstone Coven anyway, making it the perfect time to extend everypony's lives. That Friday dawned bright and clear. It was always like that in Ponyville, unfortunately. Cliff had learned to accept that rainstorms were few and far between around here, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

Not surprisingly, Twilight had gotten them up at the crack of dawn so they could start getting everything ready. He and Spike were assigned to the kitchen, where they scrambled to prepare breakfast and sack lunches for everypony. Celestia wanted to spend half the day at the coven, and it was doubtful that there would be enough pony food to go around.

Fluttershy arrived first, followed by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Autumn Gem, Rainbow Dash, and finally, Rarity. Written Whisper, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo had slept over the night before.

“Alright everypony,” Spike called, “the food is in the kitchen. Just grab a plate, take what you want, and move back in here to eat. Celestia should be here in about fifteen minutes, so let's get moving.” He pushed his way through the crowd of ponies to Autumn. “Glad you could make it.”

She smiled. “Me too.” While the crystal mare wouldn't be receiving any extra years, she was extremely curious to see the dragon coven for herself. “You must be glad to get out of today's training, what with Fire Claws in Canterlot again.”

Once word got out that Burning Torch and Fire Claws had tutored both Celestia and Luna, the two wyrms had been getting invitations to every high society event in Canterlot. Fire Claws had about as much interest in attending them as in cutting off her own arm, but they couldn't afford to pass up any chance to improve the general opinion of wyrms. At least this time she had been able to get the Doctor and Derpy invited as well, so she would have somepony to talk to.

“Oh, I'm not getting out of anything.” Spike winced. “She's having me maintain Scale Armor and Energy Resistance all day. By dinnertime, you'll have better luck talking to a brick wall.”

Meanwhile, Cliff brought Fluttershy the plate he'd prepared for her. “How are you feeling?”

“A little nervous,” she admitted as she took it. “Will it hurt at all?”

“You'll feel strangely warm.” He took a bite out of his fried eggs. “But that wears off in a few minutes.”

The timid mare nodded thoughtfully, then glanced around. Nopony was paying attention to the couple. She leaned over and planted a short kiss on his lips.

A wave of electric joy passed through the dragon, making him smile uncontrollably. “It's unfair how you can do that to me,” he said as he tried to hide the grin behind his plate.

Fluttershy giggled as she took a bite of her muffin. “It's too bad your grandparents can't come. They must miss their home.”

“They'll be fine,” Cliff assured her. “It's pretty normal for them to visit my aunt in another coven, and stay there for about a year before they come back. It's Fire Eyes that I worry about.” His oldest friend had been invited, of course, but she just said something about not wanting to 'risk' going back home.

Fluttershy wordlessly wrapped a wing around his shoulders.

“What should we do first?” Whisper asked on the floor nearby. She had been up late telling the other Crusaders everything fun there was to do at her old coven.

“Let's try cliff jumping,” Scootaloo said between mouthfuls. “Everypony remembered their hang-gliders, right?”

“Of course.” Sweetie pointed to the small mountain of bags behind them. “We have hang-gliders, scuba gear, spy equipment, marshmallows...”

“Ah wanna try those upside down races!” Apple Bloom interrupted her friend. “Think we can get Cliff ta use his magic on us for it?”

“We could also ask Page Turner,” Whisper said. “She knows nearly every spell there is.”

Twilight walked past the four of them, muttering nervously to herself. “It's okay, Twilight. You've been there once before. No need to worry about it.”

“Oh come on, Twilight.” Rainbow grabbed the alicorn and forced her to sit. “This is going to be awesome! Think about it, all of us friends, together for the next seven hundred years!”

“Yeah, us an' nopony else,” Applejack grumbled. “Ain't ya gonna miss yer family at all?”

“Of course I will,” Rainbow replied, “but do you think they'd want us to spend the next six centuries being miserable?”

Nearby, Pinkie and Rarity were talking energetically about what ponies would be wearing to parties in another century.

“I'm betting they'll all have biiigg silly hats.” Pinkie threw her hooves up dramatically. “You know, like old timey wizards.”

“Perhaps they will.” Rarity's mind was already buzzing with ideas. “After all, the styles from last century seem completely ridiculous now. Even my own designs might become outdated as the years go by.” A determined smile played across her lips. “That's it! I simply need to develop a line of timeless styles. I shall call it, 'Eternal Chic!'”

Princess Celestia arrived just as breakfast was being finished. “Good morning everypony.” She smiled warmly as she entered the living room. The whole room bowed, but she waved them back up. “Please, there's no need to fuss. We can leave once you are all ready. Until then, relax and enjoy yourselves.”

Twilight came forward and hugged her mentor. “It's so good to see you again, Celestia.”

“I feel the same, my dear friend.” Celestia returned the affectionate gesture. “I am so proud of everything you've accomplished here.”

The smaller alicorn blushed at the praise. “I haven't really done anything special. Cliff is the one who convinced the other wyrms to come, and then Spike, Rarity, and Autumn have been working so hard to help Equestria see how kind they really are.”

“They've all contributed, but you are the one who brought them together and organized their efforts.” She playfully nudged her former pupil. “Don't ever forget, Twilight, that a good leader knows how to rely on the skills of others.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

After everything had been cleaned up, and the sack lunches distributed, the group followed Princess Celestia outside. Two of her royal guards silently joined the group, while the rest spread out around Ponyville, just in case Fire Eyes went berserk while they were gone.

“Move in close, everypony,” the Princess of the Sun instructed.

They did so.

“Thank you.” Her horn began to glow. “Here we go.”

In a flash of golden light, the group disappeared and reappeared hundreds of miles away. Cliff opened his eyes to see a very familiar cave. “It's good to be back,” he smiled.

“I imagine it is,” Celestia said to the young dragon. “Would you be so kind as to take the lead? I wouldn't want to startle anydragon.”

“Of course.” Cliff moved to the front of the small group and led them inside.

With the exception of seven hatchlings, Page Turner, and a few others in the kitchen, the main cavern was empty. Everydragon else was probably off doing their jobs already.

“We'll continue our lesson in a few minutes,” the dragoness said when she saw them, dismissing the hatchlings to go play.

Written Whisper charged into the group. “I'm back, everydragon!” she called, “and I earned my name!”

“Really?” One of the hatchlings, Stone Sky, asked as they all clustered around her. “What is it?”

“Does it have something to do with ponies?”

“What was it like in Ponyville?”

“Did you have any adventures?”

The eight hatchlings looked and sounded remarkably like the Cutie-mark Crusaders, Cliff reflected with a grin. Some things just transcend all boundaries. He skirted around the group to meet Page Turner. “I see you got stuck with teaching duty today.”

The dragoness shrugged. “We're learning about basic meditation techniques. It's nothing too difficult.” She turned and bowed deeply to Celestia, and again to Twilight. “It's an honor to see you both, princesses. Most of the coven is occupied at the moment, but is there anything I can offer you two?”

“No, that's quite alright,” Celestia said. “We did drop in unannounced.”

“Ponies think that's rude,” Cliff explained. It had taken him a while to realize that ponies thought it was polite to warn others before going to visit them. The logic seemed to be so that the other party could prepare for your coming. Wyrms, on the other claw, saw the forewarning as a subtle demand for special treatment. Showing up unannounced was like saying, 'I don't want you to drop what you're doing just for me.'

“Oh.” Page Turner nodded before turning back to Celestia. “If you came to see somedragon in particular, I could go get them. Otherwise, the coven should gather for lunch in another three hours. You're welcome to wait here or wander around until then.”

Celestia nodded graciously. “A very kind offer, but I was actually hoping to see some of my little ponies working together with the members of your coven, if it's not too much trouble.”

“No, that's no trouble at all.” Page Turner turned to Cliff. “Would you mind teaching the hatchlings while I show our guests the way?”

“Actually,” Cliff pointed to where Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo had joined in telling the young dragons about all the adventures they had had with Whisper, “I think they're learning an important lesson in inter-species relationships right now.”

“I don't suppose I can argue with that.” Page Turner laughed. “Very well, we have teams of dragons and ponies working together in the kitchen, at the farm, and uncovering some new artifacts in the western tunnels. Where would you like to start, Princess Celestia?”

“The tunnels sound interesting.”

“Um, Celestia?” Twilight asked before the dragoness could lead her mentor away. “What should the rest of us do?”

“Whatever you would like, my friend. You are welcome to come along, of course,” an amused smile touched the alicorn's lips, “but I doubt an archeological dig would interest many of you.”

After a brief discussion, Twilight decided to follow the rest of the group, minus the Crusaders, on a tour of the coven. It was fairly obvious that she would have preferred going with Celestia and Page Turner, but she would have felt bad abandoning her friends.

“Shouldn't somepony stick around ta keep an eye on the young 'uns?” Applejack asked as they started out for the farm.

“The kitchen staff can keep an eye on them,” Cliff replied. “They should be more than enough to handle it if anydragon goes berserk.”

For some reason, that seemed to make the farm mare even more nervous. “Ah wasn't exactly thinkin' about that, Cliff. More worryin' that one of 'um might get hurt.”

“Oh, yeah,” the young dragon said awkwardly. He kept forgetting that ponies didn't worry about the same things as his species. “The staff can heal any injuries they get too.”

The farm was a small, depressing couple of buildings, with a few pens for various animals, and a field of the crops they needed. At least, that's how it used to be. After a ten minute walk, Cliff was shocked to see much larger and nicer buildings, more pens, and two large fields of ripe fruits, vegetables, and grains. Dragons and ponies were hard at work, repairing fences, feeding animals, and harvesting crops.

“Not a bad place,” Applejack commented. “A little on the small side, but mighty nice all the same.”

One of the dragons in the field came out to greet them as the approached.

“Egghead?” Cliff laughed. “What are you doing out here?”

“Blame earth ponies,” the older dragon said with a smile. “I've never seen crops grow so well or so quickly. The harvest is so much larger than normal for us that they needed some extra help.”

“Yeah, earth ponies will do that.” Cliff gestured to the farm mare. “This is Applejack. She and three family members run an apple orchard big enough to feed themselves and the entire town, with enough left over to export across Equestria.” He smiled a little as he added, “and one of those family members is still very young, and the other is an elder.”

Egghead's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head. “My stars, earth magic is truly amazing.”

Applejack blushed a little. “C'mon Cliff, there's no need ta brag about me.”

“Why not?” Pinkie jumped up and landed on her friend's back. “We all know how super spectacular amazing you are at farming. The only earth pony thing I'm good at is harvesting rocks.”

“Harvesting... rocks?” Egghead repeated.

“With Pinkie it's just easier not to ask,” Cliff whispered to him.

After touring the farm, they walked back to the main cavern. The Crusaders were still telling everydragon about their adventures, but they did pause to wave at the group before going back to their story.

The rest of the tour was similar to the one Cliff gave Twilight on her first visit. The only major difference was that everydragon wasn't gathered in the main cavern like last time, so they had to pause every now and then while Cliff introduced them to a passing dragon.

Whisper's parents were among the wyrms they met. The two of them took off for the main chamber as soon as they learned that their youngest daughter was back for a visit. Another dragon even made a pass at Rainbow, resulting in embarrassed sputtering from the mare, and a chorus of laughter from her friends.

The intimacy chambers drew varied reactions. Fluttershy blushed so hard that Cliff swore her tail went red. Twilight rolled her eyes, having been through this once before. Rainbow just said, “yeah, I was wondering how you did that.”

Autumn's reaction was the funniest. The crystal mare winked at Spike and tilted her head towards the chambers suggestively. She managed to hold that pose for several seconds before she broke down laughing at the young dragon's absolutely shocked face. For some reason, this also prompted Twilight to slap him.

The Redstone Coven wasn't especially large, even by dragon standards, so they finished their tour with time to spare. Since nopony wanted to risk disturbing Celestia, they wound up relaxing in Cliff's family's nest while they talked about wyrm culture and life in the coven.

“I do have one question.” Autumn asked. “You said that rumors of a young wyrm at the Great Dragon Migration led you to Canterlot, and from there to Ponyville.”

Cliff nodded.

“How did you even hear about that? From what I've seen, drakes and wyrms have very little contact with each other.”

“Drakes will sometimes trade with covens,” Cliff explained. “One of them mentioned Spike. Wyrms from that coven told us at the last gathering.”

“What's a gatherin' anyway?” Applejack asked. “Some sorta family reunion?”

Twilight covered that one. “Kind of. It's when all the covens in an area come together for a few weeks. They happen every five years.”

Cliff nodded. “Exactly. You're all welcome to attend the next one, but it's still more than four years out.”

The others all seemed to like that, but Autumn raised her hoof again. “Excuse me, but how many wyrms normally attend these gatherings?”

“Ten thousand or so at the local one,” Cliff said. “They get bigger the further south you go.”

Rainbow groaned. “Can't we skip the lessons and do something fun? We still have another two hours until lunchtime.”

“Lessons are fun,” Twilight muttered.

Cliff ignored her. “What did you have in mind?”

The blue pegasus grinned at Applejack. “Hey AJ, how about we introduce you to a dragon game called Bash?”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Note to self, Cliff thought as he crashed into the cave wall, NEVER anger Applejack! Scale Armor was one of the most useful spells a dragon could know, but it protected more against stabbing or slashing than against blunt force trauma, such as the kind delivered through an applebuck. Dragon scales were the same. All in all, the young dragon had to wonder why he had thought playing Bash against the farm pony was a good idea.

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash whistled. “I bet you got thirty feet of air on that one!”

“Oh my goodness, Cliff!” Fluttershy rushed to the fallen dragon's side. “Are you okay?!”

“I'm fine,” he croaked. It was a total lie, of course. Some of his ribs were cracked, if not broken. In all fairness though, he had told Applejack to hit him as hard as she could. “No need to worry.”

“Well, if you're sure...” Her hoof gently prodded at the bruise in her fiance's side as her eyes closed in concentration. “Oh no! Cliff, three of your ribs are broken!”

Ah, so they are broken. Goody. “I'll be okay.” He tried to sound reassuring, but it came out as more of a pained hiss as he maneuvered a hand over the damaged area.

The orange mare came over to join them. “Is he okay there, Flutters? Ah thought ah heard ya say somethin' about broken ribs.”

“Oh, um,” the yellow pegasus shrank down a little. “Please don't get angry, but I think you may have hit him a teensy bit harder than you should have.”

Crack.

Both ponies looked down at the young dragon, who shuddered. “Ugh... I hate that feeling.” He pulled himself into a sitting position.

“Whoa Cliff, was that yer ribs just now?”

He nodded with an embarrassed blush. “That was then snapping back into place. It, uh, looks like you're a lot stronger than I thought. Sorry.”

Applejack stared at them both like they'd gone crazy. “Now why in the name of all things oats an' apples are ya'll apologizin' ta me? Ah'm the one that went an' busted ya up.” She took off her hat and pressed it against her chest. “Look Cliff, ah'm real sorry.”

“Well I am the one who challenged you, so it's not really your fault.” He looked back and forth between Fluttershy's nervous, nearly tearful, expression, and Applejack's sincere regret. “Look, I'm all healed now.” He patted his ribs for emphasis. “So there's no need for hard feelings. I just forgot that ponies are more impact resistant than dragons.” Rainbow and AJ had been kicking each other around for several minutes before Cliff decided to join in.

“Well, if yer sure.”

He nodded. “Just don't be insulted if I let you and Rainbow duke it out alone from now on.”

Applejack chuckled. “Can't say as I'd blame ya.” She replaced her hat and walked back to the others. “Alright Dash, looks like Cliff's bowin' out, so it's back ta you an' me.”

Fluttershy waved to her friend before turning to Cliff with a surprisingly forceful look. “Why didn't you tell me that you'd been hurt so badly?”

The young dragon's ear frills drooped under her gaze. “I... didn't want you to worry.”

Some of the fire went out of her expression. “I understand, but you still shouldn't lie.” She gathered him into a hug. “I just don't want you to feel like you can't trust me.”

Cliff returned the embrace. “I'm sorry.”

“Promise you'll tell me the truth next time?”

“I promise. Better yet, I'll avoid playing Bash against Applejack, so there won't be a next time.”

She giggled softly. “That's a good idea.” Her tone let him know that all was forgiven.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Celestia returned with the bulk of the coven just in time for lunch. The coven members settled down to enjoy their meal, and visitors did the same to enjoy their sack lunches, including an extra large one for the Solar Princess. As they ate, Silent Halls explained to the coven what Twilight and her friends were there for, and asked all those who had promised extra years to come forward as soon as lunch finished.

They did so, forming a circle around the six heroines.

“Cliff,” Silent Halls patted the young dragon's back. “Since this was your request, would you do the honor of leading the circle?”

“I'd love to.” He felt the link snap into place around him as soon as he finished speaking. Cliff felt ten sets of emotions flowing into him, and his own emotions reaching out to each of them. Being linked was a sensation that couldn't really be described, except to say that it felt 'safe', like he was a part of something much larger than himself, which would do anything at all to help him, just as he would do anything to help any other member of the circle. “As you know, Rainbow Dash has already been granted her extra years. Last night, the Ponyville Coven also granted a full life extension to Princess Twilight and Rarity, and a minor one to Pinkie Pie.”

The group felt a little confused by that. The emotional language they knew couldn't express very complex ideas, but it was more than enough indicate Fluttershy and ask, wasn't she the reason for this? Why not extend her life first?

She wants to go last, Cliff explained before continuing out loud, “Pinkie, we'll finish with you first.”

“Okey doki loki.” She bounced forward.

Cliff drew on the group's combined willpower to cast the spell, draining from all the members equally, except for himself and Silent Halls. The elder dragoness didn't have any more years to give up, and Cliff was saving his years for somepony in particular. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and activated the spell. Aided by the others, centuries were poured into the pink mare with very little loss.”

“...Whoa, warm! Tons warmer than last night.” Pinkie giggled, “and tinglier too!” She bowed regally to the group before charging to the cavern's small river and jumping in its largest pool, shouting, “Hot, hot, hot!” all the way.

“Yeah,” Cliff and the others all smiled, even though most of them were feeling pretty cold. Breathing fire on each other helped clear that up. “Applejack, you're next.”

“So help me, ah'll get Granny, Big Mac, an' AB fer this,” the orange pony muttered as she came forward.

Four members of the group analyzed her stance, expression, and tone, and came to the realization that she was actually terrified. As Cliff knew the farm mare best, it was silently agreed that he should help her before going through with the life extension.

“Hey, AJ?” He moved forward and sat in front of her. “You know you don't have to go through with this.”

“Ah know,” she sighed, “but ah said ah'd do it, an' so ah'm doin' it.”

“But why?” Cliff asked. He had never brought it up, but he really couldn't see any reason for her to want a longer life. She was already happy with what she had.

“Partly cuz uh mah family, but mostly cuz...” she sighed and whispered, “somewhere down tha road, another one uh the Apples is gonna lose their parents, an' well, ah wanna be there for 'em when that happens. Let 'em know they still got kin, an' all.”

Admiration surged through the group. Caring for family, especially in times of loss and need. There couldn't be a more worthy way to spend one's life. Cliff told her so before casting the spell.

“Lansakes,” Applejack gasped. “Where's tha river? Ah feel like ah'm on fire!” She charged after he pink friend, slashing down next to her, hat and all.

Twilight and her friends chuckled. Most of them had reacted similarly when it was their turn.

“It's my turn now, right?” Fluttershy came forward. “If it's still okay, that is. I mean...” She swallowed and glanced up at Cliff nervously. “I-if you still want me.”

Go hug her! every dragon in the group ordered at once, but Cliff was already moving before they sent it. He wrapped his arms around the yellow pegasus and pulled her close. Her engagement necklace pressed between them, a constant reminder of how much she was willing to endure to be with him. “I'm not as good with words as Spike or Grandpa. So let me just show you how much I want to be with you.” He focused on all his feelings of love, friendship, and admiration for the mare who had come to mean everything to him, and then he added her to the link. The others respectfully calmed their emotions so that his could show through.

Fluttershy gasped as the emotions flowed into her. She was surprised and a little overwhelmed. The emotions radiating from her, however, were just as powerful as Cliff's.

No words were needed. The two were as close as they could possibly be, their hearts resonating with everything they loved about the other. Only one word could even come close to describing it: wonderful.

Cliff silently called for the others to help him once more, and cast Life-force Transfer. This time, he reached inside himself for the majority of the years to be given. The actual transfer was completed in mere seconds, leaving the young dragon feeling icy cold, and strangely hollow.

Even though her entire body was wracked with uncontrollable spasms, and she desperately wanted to join AJ in the river, Fluttershy wrapped her wings around Cliff and pulled him closer. His cold scales felt good against her uncomfortably warm fur, and she could feel through the link that the reverse was also true.

Their work completed, the others all severed their links, leaving the young couple to hold each other close, basking in the joy of their shared love.

Author's Note

River Wind is now Written Whisper, or just Whisper. Taking wyrm culture into consideration, it basically means, 'Keeper of Secrets.' You wouldn't believe how much I struggled with deciding on a true name for her.

Spike's talent for politics and manipulation brings up plenty of questions about the ethics of using that those skills. I'm honestly not sure whether effectively forcing Applejack to accept the lifespan extension should be considered a good or a bad thing. You'll have to come to your own conclusions on that one.

I feel kind of bad for not including changelings in this story. With so much emphasis on emotions, you'd think they would be a natural fit. Oh well.

Finally, I hope you enjoyed the cuteness between Cliff and Fluttershy. I know I did. If all this happy seems like I'm setting the stage for something horrifically bad, well, then you're extremely perceptive.

Chapter 29

“Celestia?” Spike asked. They had just made it back to Ponyville, and Pinkie had somehow already set up a 'Seven Hundred Years of Friendship,' party in the palace.

“Yes, Spike?” The white alicorn turned to him.

“Could I talk to you in private for a bit?”

“Of course you can.” She gestured for the others to go inside without them.

They got a few strange looks, especially from Twilight, but nopony said anything as they walked past the pair.

“Now, where's that bit you promised me?” Celestia asked with a smirk.

Spike winced. “Wow, I give that joke a C minus.”

She laughed. “Not one of my better ones, I agree. In any case, what did you want to talk about?”

He looked around. Several ponies were watching them, of course. The co-ruler of Equestria was a rare sight even in Canterlot. At least nopony was close enough to overhear their conversation. “Life-force transfer magic,” he said quietly, just in case. “We've asked everypony who knows about it to stay quiet, but it's only a matter of time before word gets out.”

Celestia nodded. “And you worry about what will happen then.”

“Exactly. Everypony in Equestria is going to want a few extra years. If we tell them 'no,' we're going to make a lot of enemies. If we say 'yes,' Cliff and the others will all be dead by the end of next week.” He sighed. “What's even the right thing to do in this situation? Do I let the other wyrms kill themselves because they're too selfless for their own good?”

“Perhaps it is not my place to say how any creature should spend its life,” Celestia said, “especially considering that mortality is one thing that I have never been forced to face. However, I believe that sometimes we must protect those who would allow others to take advantage of them.”

“So I should tell the other wyrms not to give out more years?”

“At the very least, tell them not to give out more than the five hundred extra that they all have. The lifespan of wyrms should never be considered some sort of bargaining chip for their acceptance in Equestrian society.”

Spike nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe we should tell the newspapers that wyrms will only give years to ponies that they're in love with.”

“Your grandfather and I have actually spoken at length about this very subject,” Celestia revealed. “We both feel that, as a general rule, wyrms should avoid giving their extra years to anypony that they do not plan on making a part of their family.”

“That makes sense,” Spike agreed. “I'll include it in my official statement.” He swallowed. “Do you have any other advice?”

“You should be open and honest about everything.” She leaned down enough to look him in the eyes. “However bad reactions might be, they would be worse if Equestria were to find out about this through rumors and gossip. Try not to think too poorly of the ponies who become upset. They will see wyrms as holding the key to immortality, but selfishly refusing to share it. Many of them won't even ask for themselves. They will simply want a few extra years for a beloved relative.

“You must constantly reaffirm that Twilight and her friends only received extra years as a diplomatic gesture to Equestria. Also, stress the cost that the Ponyville and Redstone covens have had to pay to grant even that much.”

“Okay...” Spike reviewed everything she had said, and made sure it was committed to memory. “Things are still going to be pretty bad, though, won't they?”

The white alicorn nodded gravely. “Yes, but we must endure.” She looked uncharacteristically vulnerable as she continued. “I believe that this is a cause worth fighting for, Spike. Living for eternity can be wonderful, meeting new friends every day. However, saying goodbye to those friends sometimes leaves a heavy weight on my heart. I am thankful that the generosity of your race will let me postpone saying goodbye to Twilight and her friends for at least a while longer.” She gave Spike a quick hug. “And I have always been grateful that I will be able to share a long stretch of my life with the caring dragon I helped raise.”

He hugged her back, even though it made him blush to do so in public. “Thanks, Celestia. I did have a question about that, though. You're immortal, so couldn't you use Life-force Transfer to give somepony as many years as you want?”

“Perhaps, but I can't risk trying that right now.”

“Really, why not?”

Celestia looked a little sad as she answered. “Giving up a piece of my life-force may very well take away my immortality. As arrogant as this may sound, I fear what would happen to Equestria without my guidance.”

Spike had never thought of that. “...Good point, and I don't think that's arrogant at all.”

She smiled gratefully. “I am working on a way to safely test my worries, but even if it turns out that I can grant extra life without affecting myself, I still haven't decided if I ever will.”

“Why not?”

“You may not understand this quite yet, Spike, but the entire world has a certain balance to it. Birth and death are at the center of that balance, and even I would not toy with it without first considering every possible repercussion. For a simple example, imagine what would happen if I never lowered the sun.”

Things would probably get really warm, for starters. Spike frowned as he thought about it some more. Nocturnal animals would be really messed up. Nopony would get a good night's sleep. Crops might start to wither. Streams and rivers would dry up. There wouldn't be enough food to go around. The economy would start to collapse... “So you think making some ponies immortal might lead to things as bad as turning Equestria into a scorched desert?”

“It might, or it might not.” Celestia lowered her head and her voice as she continued, “Remember, something as simple as visiting King Sombra in that alternate dimension nearly destroyed both of our worlds.” She looked away, and a single tear coursed its way down her cheek. “I cannot risk being so foolish again, and with the fate of the world potentially hanging in the balance, I will continue to err on the side of caution.”

“You always have cared more about the rest of us than yourself,” Spike said. It hurt to see his longtime mentor and friend, nearly a third parent after the Sparkles, still beating herself up for something as innocent as following her heart. Oh forget it, I don't care who's watching. He hugged her again. “Anyway, thanks for the advice.”

She patted him on the back. “Think nothing of it, my friend. Now then,” Celestia disentangled herself and nodded towards the door, “shall we join the festivities?”

The young dragon nodded. “Yeah, let's.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Dear Equestria,

This is Spike again, assistant to Princess Twilight and council member of the Cultural Exchange Program. I've written to you several times already to talk about dragons, dragon magic, and everything we can learn from our strange new allies. Well, I'm writing once again because I recently discovered the existence of a dragon spell that embodies everything I love about my race. Unfortunately, I also see it causing a lot of misunderstandings because of unrealistic expectations. Hopefully this letter will help prevent that.

As you all probably know, my older brother, Cliff Runner, was recently engaged to Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Like most of you, I was happy for them, but I was also concerned about the heartache that this would cause Cliff. Fluttershy is clearly a wonderful mare, but the difference in their lifespans was just so huge that it made me worry.

Imagine seeing a family member marry a being that would only live about five years before dying of old age. You'd probably be happy for them, but deep down, you'd all know that pain and loss are inevitable.

Luckily, this new spell provides a beautiful, if heartbreaking, solution. The spell is called Life-force Transfer, (yeah, dragons aren't really creative with their spell names). Anyway, it allows a dragon to give up some of his very life in order to extend the life of somepony else. The spell is only used between the closest of friends and family.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. My brother gave up nearly half of his lifespan so that Fluttershy could live as long as him. However, the charity of wyrms turned out to be even greater than I had imagined. The rest of the dragons living in Ponyville, and the coven where they came from, agreed to extend the lifespans of all six members of the Elements of Harmony as a gesture of good will to our country and our alliance, even though it took centuries away from them all.

They say that a hero is one who lays down his or her life for others. By that definition, each and every one of these wyrms is a true hero.

Unfortunately, I must come to my fears. Now that news of this spell has gotten out, it is only a matter of time before we start getting requests for a few years to be given to one pony or another. I don't doubt that most of these ponies have done a lot for their families and Equestria in general, but if my brother and his coven say yes to even one tenth of the requests we get, they will all be dead within the month.

These dragons have all already cut their own lives in half, and in so doing, provided Equestria with guardians that will live for centuries. Do we really have the right to tell them that it wasn't enough?

I wish, I really wish there was a way to grant everypony the long and happy life they deserve, to make it so every grandparent can attend one more birthday party, and every scientist can finish their life's work. Unfortunately, even if every wyrm in Ponyville and Redstone were to kill themselves, giving up every last year they have, it wouldn't even grant a full day to everypony in Equestria. There simply aren't enough years to go around.

As much as I must agree that none of us are qualified to say who does and doesn't deserve to live longer, I think we also need to recognize that my fellow wyrms do have the right to say to whom they will surrender a piece of their very life-force. After lengthy discussion with Celestia, we've decided that no wyrm should give up years to anypony they don't plan on either marrying or adopting. As cruel as this may sound, please don't ask to be the one exception. I'll state this as simply as I can; please don't kill the family that I've waited my whole life to meet.

Hopefully still your friend,

Spike

Spike licked his lips nervously as he read. He had spent an entire day working on this letter, alongside Twilight, Autumn, and Rarity, and now all he had to do was drop it off at Noteworthy's, so he could make enough copies to mail to every major newspaper in Equestria. He had to hope that reactions to Cliff and Fluttershy's engagement would be positive, as that was basically the crux of his argument. The sinking feeling in his stomach told him that problems were on the horizon no matter what he did, but he had to hope that this would prevent anything too bad from happening.

He had already informed the other wyrms that, under no circumstances, were they to extend the lives of any ponies that they didn't plan on either marrying or adopting, but he still worried. As the letter implied, it was entirely possible that Cliff and the others would kill themselves through their kindness. It just wasn't in any of their natures to say 'no' to a request.

An embarrassed groan from Cliff drew Spike away from his morbid thoughts. Both the older dragon and Fluttershy were looking a little red. “What's up?”

“Autumn's reporter friends,” Cliff replied. “They may have played up the, uh, physical aspect of our relationship a bit.”

“Wait, seriously?” Spike grabbed the paper and skimmed through it. His own cheeks were a bit red by the time he finished. “Well, look on the bright side. Nopony is implying that you and Twilight are involved anymore, and at least now when they call you 'insatiable' they mean it in a good way.”

Cliff gave him a flat look.

“...Sort of.” Spike suddenly felt a little guilty for encouraging them to agree to a story about their engagement. “And hey, they made a point of stating that wyrms mate for life.”

“Yeah, but we don't...” Cliff flushed, “mate, until after matrimony. Fluttershy and I even talked about it and decided not to.”

“Cultural differences,” Spike reminded him. “Wyrms wait until after marriage, ponies don't.”

Twilight cleared her throat loudly and fixed Spike with a rather unfriendly look. “I hope you aren't implying anything about your dating life with that, because if Mom and Dad heard about this...” she trailed off dangerously.

“No, no,” he said quickly. “Some ponies don't wait. That's what I was trying to say.”

“Uh, Spike?” Fluttershy whispered. “I think it's good to wait. You shouldn't share that with a pony you're just dating casually, that is. Not that you're a bad dragon if you already have, but, uh, maybe you should start waiting from now on?”

Somehow, hearing that from Fluttershy made Spike feel incredibly guilty, and he hadn't even done anything! “I'm a virgin, you guys!” He paused as soon as the words left his mouth, and then planted his face very firmly on the table. Why am I even being forced to explain this to my sister, brother, and... future sister-in-law? That's still weird to think about! “Remember, it came up in that interview about cultural values last week?”

“Yes, and a bunch of mares took it as a challenge,” Twilight said.

“Give me a little credit,” he moaned. “I was raised by our parents and Celestia too, you know.”

“Fine, I'll trust you, Spike,” Twilight went back to her reading, “just don't make me regret it.”

“I won't.”

Unfortunately, now that the subject of his dating life had come up, it was slow to leave Spike's mind. It weighed down on him all through his morning exercise. He wasn't accepting as many dates lately, not because he objected to going places and doing things, but because, as crazy as it sounded, he felt guilty for dating mares other than Autumn. It also gave him more time to spend with the crystal mare, which would have been a lot more fun if that accursed infatuation would just stop popping up in his heart.

She was kind and insightful, funny and smart, and had become a worthy rival in most video games. She was even starting to work through Spike's comic book collection. In short, Autumn was the perfect friend. Why, then, did he keep fantasizing about kissing her? Every time they brushed against each other, his scales tingled for minutes afterward.

Grandmother told him that the kind of love that formed relationships wasn't an emotion, but rather a product of thoughts and memories, reinforced by emotions, and perpetuated by a conscious and consistent decision to continue pursuing it. In simple terms, the Stillness couldn't help him because his brain was the part that was really falling for Autumn. It was just dragging his heart along for the ride.

Luckily, he found a chance to get some things off his chest that evening. “Hey, Twilight? Can I talk to you about something?” If the problem really was in his brain, then it only made sense to talk to the biggest brainiac around.

“Sure,” the alicorn replied as she massaged her temples. Even though Cliff was off with Fluttershy on another formal date (they had been doing that at least once a week lately), he had left them both with an impressive amount of homework to do on their dragon magic. “What is it, Spike?”

“I... kinda need help with a relationship.”

Her hooves stopped moving. “Uh Spike, you know I've never been in a relationship. I've only ever read about them in books. Isn't there somepony with more experience that you could talk to?”

“Twilight...” He stared at her pleadingly. “I really need some advice and you're the only one I can talk to about this sort of thing.”

“You know I'll always do anything I can to help you,” Twilight assured him, “but lots of experts have given conflicting pieces of advice. Are you sure you can't talk to Cliff or one of the other dragons?”

Spike shook his head. “Cliff is too straightforward. He doesn't get subtlety, or tact, or anything like that. My grandparents and Fire Eyes are even worse. I mean, I love them all, but if a problem can't be solved by either violence or brutal honesty, they're all helpless.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow at him.

“What? It's true.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I'll help. Tell me what the problem is.”

Spike dragon took a deep breath and began.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“...So in summary,” Twilight said a few minutes later, “even though you knew Autumn had a crush on you, you asked her to pretend to date you in an attempt to make Rarity jealous. It didn't work, but you kept dating her in the hopes that it would. Eventually Autumn asked to break up so that you could both stop pretending, but now you've developed real feelings for her, and don't know what to do because you're confidant that she only thinks of you as a friend.”

Spike nodded sheepishly.

“Oh for pony's sake, Spike!” Twilight buried her face in her hooves. “What made you think any of that was a good idea?”

“I don't know,” he said defensively. “It just kind of happened.”

She let out a groan of frustration as she flipped through a series of books and notes. “This is more complicated than any of the hypothetical relationships in my books. I really don't know if there's anything I can do to help you.”

“Don't say that, Twilight,” Spike begged. “You can find a solution to anything.”

“...I'll try, Spike.” She consulted her notes again. “As far as I can tell, there's only one question that really matters; what does Autumn feel for you? However, asking is dangerous because it might jeopardize the friendship you already share.”

He nodded.

“Then we should ask somepony who might know how she feels. She seems to be friends with Rarity, and gets along pretty well with Fire Claws. If neither of them can help us, I suppose I should try talking with Autumn myself.”

“Really?” Spike felt his spirits lift. “You'd do that for me?”

“Of course I would.” Twilight gave him a hug. “What are older sisters for?”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next morning provided two fortunate breaks. Firstly, reactions to Cliff and Fluttershy's engagement were largely positive. The same reporters who had been calling his brother a sex-obsessed animal for his 'affair' with Twilight were now talking about how 'romantic' the upcoming wedding would be. It was aggravating to no end, but that's just how the media was. Plus, it meant Spike could send that letter out without having to revise it again.

The second bit of good news was that Spike and Twilight were scheduled to go running together that day, giving them a chance to talk. While nowhere near as crazy as the runs Cliff and Rainbow Dash usually went on, the two siblings still managed to get a few miles in each time they raced. They made it back to the palace, covered in sweat, and with a plan of action, a few minutes before the other two did.

“I win again!” Rainbow shouted weakly.

“Alright...” Cliff wheezed, “that makes... fourteen to eleven.”

“Yeah, well,” she took a few deep breaths. “You'll catch up to me... someday.”

“Just not anytime soon.” The older dragon wiped a liberal amount of sweat off of his forehead as he turned to Spike and Twilight. “How did your run go?”

“Not bad.” Spike winced at the throbbing in his limbs. “We circled Ponyville once. How about you?”

“Out to Sweet Apple Acres, around the farm twice, past Fluttershy's cottage, and back here.” Rainbow grinned. “I am totally gonna destroy AJ the next time we race!”

“Good luck with that.” Spike commented dryly. If Applejack was anything, she was diligent, and Spike happened to know that the farm pony had bought a set of weighted running clothes the day after she'd heard that Cliff and Rainbow became workout buddies.

After they finished stretching, Spike and Twilight took turns cleaning off in the bath, and then set off, each armed with a to-do list. Twilight had another training session with Fire Claws, leaving Spike to talk to Rarity.

He wasn't exactly thrilled by this, as he was still about half in love with her, but there was a certain amount of poetic justice to it. Rarity had been trying to get them together almost from the beginning, and Spike knew that he could still use some closure on his feelings for the white unicorn.

With the political situation cooling off in Ponyville, there were fewer reporters than normal around to torment Spike as he walked. There were, however, plenty of mares. The title of 'Most Eligible Bachelor in Equestria,' was still working its magic, unfortunately.

Spike hadn't wanted to worry his siblings the other day, and so he hadn't elaborated on just how much of a challenge some mares seemed to take his statement about not having sex before marriage. Three had already tried to get him plastered, assuming a drunk Spike would be more compliant.

And Cliff had wondered why he took a sudden interest in a spell that neutralized poison, (it just so happened to work on alcohol as well).

Spike frowned slightly as he waved off yet another mare with some light flirting. I really need to hit up the bar with that spell. There are plenty of drinking contests just waiting for me... I'd have to explain things to Twilight first though. He shuddered, imagining the lecture he would get if she thought he was becoming an alcoholic.

He arrived at Carousel Boutique a few minutes later. Even with her P.R. team responsibilities, Rarity was still managing to produce new and amazing outfits daily. Spike really didn't know how she did it.

Fortunately for him, Rarity was having tea in the front of the shop, rather than slaving over a design somewhere in the back room, like he had expected. Unfortunately, she had a guest. “Oh,” Spike cleared his throat awkwardly as he embraced the Stillness. “Hi, Autumn. Hey, Rarity.”

“Oh, good morning, Spike.” Rarity nodded over her cup. “Would you care to join us?”

“Sure,” Spike said automatically. Leaving wouldn't do him any good anyway. What he really needed was a chance to get Rarity alone. Maybe I can just wait it out. Autumn will have to leave eventually.

“What brings you by on this lovely morning?” the crystal mare asked casually.

“I just thought I'd help out around here. Assuming that's okay with you, Rarity.”

She nodded. “Of course. I hate to admit it, but I have fallen somewhat behind on my orders recently.” Rarity tapped a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. “Actually, I'm running low on some very important fabrics. After we finish our tea, would you mind terribly if I asked you to go pick up more for me?”

“No, not at all.” Spike took a seat and poured himself a cup. He carefully observed Autumn out of the corner of his eye. She seemed calm and collected, and her coat was bright and clear, unusually so. He had spent enough time with her to recognize one of her masks. When a normal pony wanted to hide something, they became stiff and awkward. Autumn, on the other hoof, became more formal.

Autumn was a bit of social chameleon though, so some of it might just be the result of sitting next to Rarity. Around AJ, she became outspoken and cheerful. While talking to Rainbow, she tended to brag a little. Most crystal ponies were the same way, or so Spike heard. It was like how a regular pony reacted to the emotions of those around him or her, just more extreme, because of their natural empathy.

His mind quickly replayed her every action since he first walked in. It can't be just Rarity, Spike decided. She's too quiet. Autumn had been asking about the Stillness lately. She was probably talking with Rarity, and then went silent when I came in... Oh. It all clicked into place. Autumn and Rarity were talking about me. Then I showed up, and Rarity gives me a job that will get me out of the boutique for a while. He downed the rest of his tea in one gulp. “Sorry to drink and run, but I'd better get to the fabric store before the crowds build up.”

“Oh,” Rarity looked surprised, “why yes, thank you, Spike. That would be lovely. I have a few other errands you could run while you're out, if you would be so kind.” She jotted down a list for him.

“No, that's fine.” Spike took the list and skimmed through it. “I'll be back in an hour or so. See you then, Rarity. Take care, Autumn.”

The two mares nodded kindly, voicing their farewells as he slipped out the door.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Groceries, fabric, scheduling or rescheduling half a dozen appointments, and pick up a new toy for Opal. Spike checked off the last item on Rarity's list. He had been all over Ponyville, and walking slowly to boot. If that hadn't given the two mares enough time to talk, then nothing would.

He couldn't help but envy unicorn telekinesis as he made his way back to the boutique. Sure, the Strength spell helped him carry things more easily, but that didn't make the bags any less awkward or bulky.

With both of his arms occupied, Spike wound up opening the door with his tail. The back door, of course. There was no need to go bustling through the main shop. “Rarity?” he called. “I'm back.”

Surprisingly, it was Autumn who greeted him. “Welcome back. Were you able to find everything?”

“Uh, yeah.” He slipped back into the Stillness as he set his bags on the counter. “Have you had a good morning?”

“It has been quite eye opening.” She lifted a few bags of food and carried them to the fridge. “Rarity is a rather perceptive mare.”

“Yeah, sometimes.” Spike reflected on the time he had spent pining after her, without her ever noticing.

“And your own morning?” Autumn asked as she put things away. “I can't imagine that running errands is how you had hoped to spend it.” A playful smile graced her lips.

“Not really, but I just feel useless if I'm not doing something to help somepony or other.” He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Apparently that's normal for a wyrm.”

“It is understandable,” she replied. “The effect of greed on dragons means that natural selection favors the most selfless.”

“In other words, we're literally bred to serve others.” Spike put Opal's new toy on the floor where she could easily find it, and started gathering the fabric. “I wonder if that's why being Twilight's assistant feels so natural.”

“Perhaps.” Autumn finished putting the food away. “Let me help you with those. They must be heavy.”

“I can't let you help,” Spike stuck his tongue out at her, “that would be against my breeding.”

The crystal mare rolled her eyes. “Yes, but being selfless also means respecting the desires of others. Now give me some of that fabric.”

With an overly dramatic sigh, he gave her a few rolls. “Will this be enough, your highness?”

“I suppose it will suffice, good sir knight,” she replied in her best royal voice.

The two stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. Humor had as much to do with thoughts as emotions, otherwise the Stillness would have blocked it.

“Where is Rarity, anyway?” Spike asked after they had calmed down.

“Working on an outfit in the front of the shop.” Autumn led him up the stairs. “She asked not to be disturbed unless it's by a customer.”

Great, I'll probably have to wait around all day for her. Spike resisted the urge to groan. “You never did tell me what brought you to the boutique today.”

Autumn looked at him nervously. “It was...”

“Yes?”

“Relationship problems.” She flushed.

A small part of Spike withered and died.

I should have seen that coming. A smart, beautiful, rich, and exotic mare moves into town, and it never occurred to me that the other stallions would be interested? “Oh,” was all the response he could muster.

“I was hoping to get her insight, as she has more experience in these matters than I.”

They reached Rarity's inspiration room, and began putting everything away. Luckily Spike had done this enough to work without thinking. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

“I'm surprised you don't have any questions for me,” Autumn remarked, nervousness flittering across her coat, “or do you simply not care?”

“Of course I care!” Spike slapped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It's just... I feel like I should have noticed that you were in a relationship.” He gave a halfhearted laugh. “I'm a pretty bad friend, huh?”

“The opposite, actually.” She sat down, fidgeting slightly. “You're the best friend I've ever had. I wanted Rarity's help telling you, because I was afraid of damaging our friendship.” Her crystal coat was starting to fade.

Why would telling me that she's dating somepony damage our friendship? A chill swept through the young dragon. Uh oh, does she know that I like her? “C'mon, Autumn.” He forced his voice to hold steady as he sat next to her. “You know that you can tell me anything.”

“Are you sure?” She sounded as nervous as he felt.

“Of course.”

“Do you promise that we can still be friends?” She stared at him pleadingly. “No matter what?”

“Yeah, you know I'll always be your friend.” Friend-zoned. Of course. It's like Rarity all over again.

“Okay...” Autumn took a deep breath. “I think I'm in love with you, Spike.” She winced as soon as the words left her mouth.

…

…

…Huh?

“I'm sorry!” she said quickly. “I know you only ever wanted to be friends, and I tried to keep my feelings under control, I really did! I did my best, but I couldn't help you get together with Rarity, then I couldn't even carry through with our plan to fake being together because it was getting too easy to forget that it was all just an act!” The colors across her entire body had faded, leaving her gray and washed out. Even the metal rings in her mane and tail had somehow disappeared, leaving them to tumble listlessly to the ground. “Then you started blocking off your emotions, and I realized that I had been trying to make you like me, and you were using your dragon training to counteract my manipulations because you're too kind to just tell me to stop. I swear, I wasn't doing it on purpose!”

She's crying, you idiot. Spike's only functional brain-cell reflected. He closed his gaping mouth, then opened it, then closed it again.

The crystal mare took a deep, unsteady breath, and blinked away the moisture from her eyes. “I'm so sorry for doing that to you. Please don't hate me for it!”

She thinks I hate her? The Stillness crumbled as Spike pulled her to his chest. His lips found hers.

Autumn froze for a moment, but then she kissed him back, hard. Spike's sudden rise to popularity had given him lots practice with kissing. He was pretty good at it too, even if he said so himself. Autumn was better. Much, much, better.

By the time their lips parted, Spike could barely breathe. He was having trouble remembering why that mattered.

“I...” Autumn gasped, “I believe... there has been some sort of misunderstanding... regarding our feelings for each other.” She flopped against his chest. “It appears to have been cleared up now.”

“Y-yeah,” Spike breathed.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It took a while for them both to calm down so that Spike could explain his side of things. A creeping sensation of guilt began to take hold as he did so. He had always been a little resentful of Rarity for not noticing, or pretending not to notice, his feelings for so long. Now he was forced to confront the fact that he had put Autumn through the same thing.

He didn't even have the excuse of being unaware. The very first time they met, he had scanned Autumn's heart and learned of her fledgling crush. Spike remembered promising himself that he wouldn't take advantage of those feelings. At what point, exactly, had he slipped over the line and done just that?

Autumn frowned slightly during his story. “Might I suggest that you refrain from using the Stillness around me from now on?” she said once he had finished. “And perhaps, scan my heart from time to time? I would feel a lot more comfortable if we took steps to prevent confusion like this in the future.”

“No more Stillness,” Spike agreed, “but are you sure about reading your heart? I mean, that's kind of private.”

Autumn shook her head and laughed. “Only outside the Crystal Empire.” She paused before laying her hoof across his clawed hand. “And I need to apologize for assuming that you knew what I was feeling. Sometimes I forget that not everypony is an empath like myself.”

“No, I should have realized.” Spike squeezed her hoof gently. “You're my best friend, after all.” He brought his other hand up to her chest. “You're sure you don't mind?”

“Very sure.”

“Okay.” He activated his spell. A mixture of guilt, apprehension, and joy filled the young dragon. There were many other emotions, all with unique formations, but he focused on those first three. “Autumn, why are you feeling guilty?”

Embarrassment shot through her. “You are as well,” she pointed out, “but as I mentioned earlier... I tried to manipulate you into caring for me.”

“How, exactly?” Spike frowned. “I didn't notice anything.”

More embarrassment. “I flirted with you. Smiles, laughs, brushing against you, things like that. I wasn't even aware that I was doing it at first.”

“That isn't manipulation.” Spike hoped that she could feel how strongly he believed that.

Gratitude filled her heart, but it was tinged with doubt. “What else would you call flirting but an attempt to make you think romantic thoughts about me? That joke at Redstone's intimacy chambers could hardly have been more blunt if I'd tried.”

“Well yeah, but...” What made me think a duel of wits against Autumn would be a good idea? “The word 'manipulation' makes it sound like you were using mind control magic or something. Besides, I was clueless about it.” Like Rarity was clueless about me. He winced.

Sensing his embarrassment and guilt, Autumn winced too. Her own emotions flared in response, prompting a similar reaction in Spike.

Then she was kissing him again, and he stopped caring.

“Sorry.” Autumn smiled sheepishly as she pulled back. “I needed to distract you. Sometimes emotions resonate like that if you aren't prepared for them.”

“S'okay,” Spike breathed. “Kissing is good. I mean, distractions are good.” He shook his head. “What were we talking about again?”

She rolled her eyes indulgently. “It seems we both feel guilty over how we have been acting towards each other, but neither of us blames the other for it. Might I suggest that we each forgive ourselves and try to move forward?”

Spike took a moment to re-cast his spell. He must have dropped while they were kissing. “I know I'm not angry at you. In fact, I wish you'd been a bit more obvious with your flirting. Maybe then even a doofus like me would have picked up on it.”

Gratitude reflected in Autumn's heart at that. “I'm not upset at you either.” It was impossible to second-guess the sincerity he felt from her. “So...” an undercurrent of embarrassment, “can we try to date for real this time?”

The young dragon knew his emotions were shouting 'Yes!' so strongly that to vocalize it would have been redundant, so he didn't. He just kissed her instead.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Let me get this straight,” Cliff massaged his temples. “You two were only pretending to date all that time, and then you broke off your fake courtship, and each tried to hide your growing feelings from each other, but now you're dating her for real?”

Spike nodded. “Pretty much.”

“I don't even know where to begin with that,” Cliff replied. He and Fluttershy had come to the palace to make Twilight's lunch, and found his little brother, (what was the phrase? 'Making out'?) with Autumn.

“I think it's romantic.” Fluttershy smiled sweetly.

“Thanks.” Spike turned to his brother with a smile that said, ha ha, I've got your fiance on my side.

Cliff rolled his eyes. “Agree to disagree, Fluttershy?”

She nodded.

“Okay, in that case,” he looked over at Autumn, “he's all yours, but are you sure you want him?”

“Very much so.” The crystal mare smiled.

With a shrug, Cliff went back to preparing lunch. “You're a lucky dragon, Spike. Don't let this one get away again.”

“I won't,” he promised.

Author's Note

I seem to have a talent for getting into ethically dubious territory. Granting all of the mane six draconic lifespans is a good idea in theory, but denying that same gift to the population of Equestria as a whole is where shades of gray start popping up. The wyrms themselves are willing to shorten their own lives with hardly a second thought, but that's because, as Spike pointed out, they're bred to be selfless. Is it right for Spike to order them to go against their nature, even if it means saving their lives? I also think the rest of Equestria is going to be very much justified when they look at the mane six and start asking, “Why not us too?”

I hope I didn't rub anyone the wrong way with the talk about sex before marriage. I wasn't trying to make any sort of statement there. It's just my honest assessment of how things are in Equestria. As for the dragons, it made sense with their emphasis on family bonds and thinking in the long term.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I'm curious what everyone thought of Spike and Autumn finally getting together.

Chapter 30

“What do you think Twilight will be in the mood for?” Fluttershy asked. It was their turn today to make lunch.

“I'm not sure.” Cliff replied. It had been eight days since his younger brother's letter had been printed in nearly every magazine and newspaper in Equestria, and while nothing major had happened yet, there was a definite sense of growing tension among the ponies in town. “She likes oats.”

Thankfully, the road between Fluttershy's cottage and the palace had very little traffic. The only major landmark was a new construction site. If memory served, it was going to be a new store for a pony named Filthy Rich.

“That's true, but we had oat cereal yesterday for breakfast.” She hummed thoughtfully. “We could make a batch of oat muffins.”

“Good idea.” Cliff hated oat muffins, but everypony else seemed to enjoy them. He would just have some eggs for lunch.

As they approached the construction site, the young dragon's enhanced hearing picked up raised voices. At first he didn't pay much attention to it, construction workers were always upset about something or other, but then he heard a furious response, from a voice he recognized.

Cliff stopped. “Fluttershy, please go get Twilight and bring her to that building.” He pointed. “I just heard Fire Eyes shouting something, and she sounds angry enough to attack somepony.”

The yellow mare's pupils shrank. “Okay. Um, please be careful.”

“She won't hurt me. It's the other ponies I'm worried about.” He gave her a quick hug before launching himself in the direction of the raised voices.

Fire Eyes and a tan earth mare with a light blue mane and tail were glaring daggers at each other when the young dragon landed next to them. The mare jumped in surprise. His old friend, however, barely even blinked. Other ponies surrounded them. Based on their uniforms and hard hats, Cliff assumed they were the rest of the construction crew. They looked to be about halfway through their lunch break.

Taking advantage of the ponies' stunned silence, Cliff rose to his hind legs and activated Empathy for a moment. Disgust, fear, and even hatred existed in the group, but those emotions were all fairly weak. For the most part, they were just angry. Prompted by that, he reached out with his magic and linked to Fire Eyes, who accepted it gratefully.

She was uneasy about being surrounded by hostile ponies, and extremely angry as well. Yet in spite of that, the dragoness remained in control of herself.

Silently assuring his friend that everything would be fine, Cliff turned to the mare who had been arguing with her. “What is your name?” The line was a bit of advice from Spike. It came across as respectful, but at the same time, made the other pony worry that a higher authority was about to be invoked.

The mare reacted just as he had expected, by swallowing and taking a less hostile stance. “I-I'm Sawdust, sir.”

“Just 'Cliff Runner' is fine,” he said in an emotionless voice. “Now, as an ambassador between wyrms and ponies, I would like to hear from everypony what was going on here, and since it seems that you two were in the middle of it,” he nodded to Fire Eyes and Sawdust in turn, “that is where I'll start. You may begin.”

Sawdust lowered her head just enough to avoid his gaze. “I didn't mean to start an argument. I just wanted to know why you dragons aren't going to help anypony else live longer.”

His old friend strongly disagreed, but Cliff motioned for Sawdust to continue.

“Fire Eyes here said that it's because Spike said so, and that she would follow his order even though she doesn't know or care why he gave it. I tried to tell her that he's wrong, but she wouldn't listen, and we kind of started fighting over it.”

The young dragon raised an eyebrow. “From personal experience, I know that you must have said something else to make Fire Eyes this upset. Will you tell me, or should I ask her?”

Sawdust frowned. “All I said was that it's wrong to be so greedy with all those centuries you have when there are tons of ponies who deserve them just as much.”

Greedy? Cliff felt his blood start to boil. They dare call us greedy?! He fought down his outrage and embraced the Stillness.

Fire Eyes helped with a wave of calming emotions, though she wasn't faring any better.

“A word of warning, Sawdust,” he said between gritted teeth, “'greedy' is the worst thing you can possibly call a wyrm. It is grounds for expulsion from the coven, or even a duel to the death. You should count yourself lucky that both Fire Eyes and myself remember that it doesn't mean anything nearly as bad in pony society.”

Undaunted, the mare growled back, “I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.”

In spite of the Stillness, Cliff was tempted to grab that smug pony by the throat.

“Perhaps he wasn't clear,” the white dragoness said, coming forward, “calling a wyrm 'greedy' means stating that she will very soon be responsible for murdering her own family, and everydragon she cares about. It means you are calling that wyrm a creature so twisted and evil that she has to be killed in order to keep others safe. So not only are you insulting us in the worst imaginable way, you are also making threats against our very lives. Now I'll say it one more time,” she pushed past Cliff to glare down at the earth pony. “Do. Not. Call. Me. That. Again.”

Sawdust flinched away from the venom in her voice, but many of the other ponies shifted forward, like they were about to rush to her aid.

Cliff registered that fact as his mind scrambled for a way to diffuse the situation. Both dragons fueled more willpower into their defensive spells, just in case. “Though you didn't realize the severity of what you were saying,” he gently placed Fire Eyes behind him, “the fact is that you knew it was an insult. I won't push for the kind of punishments that would be leveled against a wyrm in your situation, but I will be reporting this incident to your overseers.”

The earth pony looked at the two of them for a long moment before nodding. “Fine, but this doesn't change the fact that all ponies deserve to benefit from longer lives, not just the ones that you happen to like.”

“You're welcome to that opinion.”

Sensing that a fight wasn't about to break out, the other ponies relaxed slightly.

Fire Eyes took a long, unsteady breath, then stormed off with a muttered, “and they call us greedy.” Most of her lunch was left on the ground behind her.

“Fire Eyes,” Cliff called after his friend. “I'm going to have to talk to your overseers about this as well, and Princess Twilight.”

“I know,” she said back, “and I don't care. I'm going back to work.” She cut the link as she walked.

Maybe we need to find her a different job, Cliff thought. It's no wonder she always seems on edge lately. “As for you, Sawdust,” he returned his attention to the earth pony, “how would you suggest that my fellow wyrms and I use the lifetimes we have been given?”

The tan mare raised an eyebrow at him, but remained silent.

“You obviously disagree with our decision not to share life-force with anypony who is not a member of our family, and so I'm inviting you to propose an alternative.”

“Share it evenly,” she said at last. “If everypony got a couple of extra decades, and dragons only lived as long as ponies, then things would actually be fair.”

“And by the same logic we should cut off the wings and horn of every pegasus and unicorn in Equestria, and neutralize your earth pony magic, removing your greater strength and connection to the land. That way nopony would have anything that the others don't.”

“That's not the same!” she snapped.

“How?” he demanded.

“Pegasi don't just clear the clouds over their own homes. They help all of us.”

“We're already healing everypony in town for free,” Cliff pointed out, “and we were nearly killed protecting you all from that drake. Yet in spite of that, you dare to claim that we are the ones being selfish when you ask us to give up our very lives and we say 'no?'” He got up and walked away in disgust. “Princess Twilight will be here shortly. Tell her that I'm with Fire Eyes.”

He found his old friend pounding a piece of wood into place. She looked up as he approached. “So you couldn't stand listening to her crap either?”

“We didn't give her what she wanted, so we aren't giving enough.” Cliff sighed as he grabbed a hammer for himself. “It was either come help you or try beating some sense into her.”

“I doubt Fluttershy would have approved,” she said wryly.

“Why do you think I left?”

Fire Eyes wordlessly motioned for him to give her another board.

He did, and they worked in silence for a few moments.

“...You're lucky, you know,” the white dragoness said suddenly.

“For finding Fluttershy?”

“Yeah, but more than that.” Fire Eyes paused to finish pounding in another nail. “You came halfway across the continent, right in the middle of our most powerful enemies and their bizarre culture, and yet somehow you found family, friendship, and even love.” She gave a humorless laugh. “The closest I've come is a handful of ponies that don't try to pick fights with me every day.”

“Wait, every day?” Cliff was shocked.

“Yeah, for the past two months or so.” She grabbed another nail. “It's kind of admirable, when you think about it. They know I could overpower any of them in a fight, but they still stand up to me because they're trying to keep the others safe. Herd mentality, I guess.”

“Fire Eyes, we need to get you a different job.”

The dragoness shrugged. “It's fine. I'm used to their crap by now. Besides, everydragon else was able to make things work here. Call me stubborn, but I just don't want to feel like I'm the only one who needed special treatment.”

Cliff gave his friend an appraising stare. “Just think about it, okay?”

Fire Eyes glanced over his shoulder. “It looks like the Princess is here.”

Following her gaze, the young dragon saw that Twilight had indeed arrived, along with a small group of reporters. She was talking with Sawdust, and doing her best to ignore the camera flashes.

“I guess we should go get things resolved.” The dragoness set her hammer down and walked away.

“Fire Eyes?” Cliff asked.

She sighed. “Yes, Cliff, I'll think about changing jobs.”

Satisfied, he followed after her.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Spike facepalmed. “You're kidding me!” An annoyed Twilight and embarrassed Cliff and Fire Eyes had just arrived at the palace and told him about the incident. Fluttershy, never one for tension, had excused herself to the kitchen.

“Look, Spike,” Cliff said, “I don't think you understand just how bad being called 'greedy' is among wyrms. There's literally nothing in pony culture that even rivals it.”

“I get that it's bad, Cliff,” the younger dragon assured him, “but I warned you all that this was a powder-keg situation. All it's going to take is one spark to make everything blow up in our faces.”

“Do you think this will be that spark?” Fire Eyes asked nervously.

“We'll have to wait and see,” Spike replied glumly. “For right now, though, we're going to find you a different job.”

She shook her head. “Cliff already tried to talk me into that. I'm fine where I am.”

“We're going to move you anyway.” The young dragon's tone left no room for arguments. “Staying there after all of this will just seem like you're trying to provoke them.” His expression softened. “Look, Fire Eyes, we always knew that at least one of you was going to get a crappy boss, or a bunch of jerks for coworkers, or something like that. I know you're tough enough to put up with it, but there's really no reason that you should have to. After all, weren't you the one who told me that a true warrior knows which fights to avoid?”

Some of the tension went out of the white dragoness. “Okay, fine.”

Spike visibly relaxed as well. “I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that. Anyway, we'll talk with the rest of the P.R. team tomorrow morning. Be here by nine. Until then, don't let anypony goad you into arguing with them, and if they ask about a life extension, just apologize and tell them that you're out of years to give.”

Fire Eyes nodded again. “I'll get back to work then.”

“No. As of right now, you don't work there anymore.” Spike pushed aside the books he had been studying when they walked in. “I'll go tell your boss. It'll make those idiots think you were fired. Hopefully that will keep them off our backs for a while.” He paused at the door before adding, “I meant it when I called this situation a powder-keg, and things are going to get even worse before they get better. So until then, don't do anything that even remotely seems like it might be the proverbial spark.”

Twilight finally spoke up after Spike closed the door, “Fire Eyes, would you like to join us for lunch? Cliff said that you didn't get a chance to finish your meal earlier.”

The white dragoness hesitated.

She's going to refuse. Cliff could tell. He nudged her in the side.

Fire Eyes turned to him, and they had one of those conversations-in-a-glance. “...Okay,” she surrendered. “Thank you, Twilight.”

Giving no sign that she had noticed their little disagreement, Twilight led the two dragons into the kitchen.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“I'm sorry, but I just can't afford to hire her,” the brown earth stallion said. He and Cliff were standing inside 'Quills and Sofas,' one of the most unusual businesses the young dragon had ever seen. “Filthy Rich would stop carrying my sofas in his stores if I did.”

“Of course he would,” Cliff sighed. He hadn't been there for it, but apparently the businesstallion had gone to the Dragon House the day after Fire Eyes was 'let go,' and attempted to buy an extra decade for his little brat, Diamond Tiara. The same Diamond Tiara who did everything she could to make school a living nightmare for the Crusaders. After Fire Claws made some very pointed comments about him, his money, and his daughter, Filthy Rich had come down firmly on the side of the anti-dragon sentiments that were sweeping the town. “Can you think of anypony else that might be willing to hire Fire Eyes?”

“Sorry, I can't.”

Cliff thanked him anyway and walked back into the crowded street. That was the last business on Twilight's list, and still no luck. The most frustrating part was knowing that if she or Spike had been doing this instead, they probably would have found at least three different jobs for his old friend. Unfortunately, they were both so busy with the P.R. team lately that they barely even had time to sleep.

“Excuse me, Mr. Dragon?” a young voice said.

He looked down and saw a light blue unicorn filly with a purple mane and tail. Cliff immediately sank down so their faces would be at the same level. He noted that her eyes were the same purple as her mane. “Hello there, little one. What can I do for you?”

She was obviously nervous, and fighting to remain calm. “I, uh, I wanted to ask if you would please help... my grandmother.”

A weight settled in Cliff's stomach. “Is she sick?”

“No, she, uh.” The filly swallowed, and tears began to form in her eyes. “She's really old. I know I'm not supposed to ask, but please, could you give her just a little bit more time? She's the nicest grandmother in Equestria.” Her eyes seemed to bore right into his soul. “Please?”

Cliff had to look away. “I'm sorry. I've already given up all of my extra years.”

“You mean,” her voice quavered, “you won't help her?”

This never gets easier. “I wish I could. I really do.”

He heard gentle sobbing. “Please! The doctors say she only has a few days left!”

“I'm sorry,” Cliff repeated. It seemed like such a pathetic thing to say. Every instinct within him was begging the young dragon to ignore what Spike had said about how giving in would undermine the entire future of dragon-pony relationships, and offer the filly's grandmother an extra year. What's one year anyway?

She latched onto his arm. “I don't wanna lose Nanna. You have to help!”

“I can't,” he forced his unwilling mouth to say.

“Yes you can.” The crying filly released his arm and collapsed in helpless sobs. “...You just won't!” she eventually shouted before the sound of rapid hoof-steps announced her departure.

Angry mutters sprang up in her wake.

Cliff released his hearing spell. He already knew what the crowd of ponies would say. There were many variants, but it all added up to one question: 'How could that dragon be so selfish?'

“I don't want to be selfish,” he whispered to nopony in particular. Maybe I am anyway. These ponies all seem to have so much love for life. Perhaps they would use the years better than I would... He cut off that train of thought. It was so much easier to deal with self-important ponies who demanded extra life than the ones who simply wanted to help an elderly relative.

Even without his enhanced hearing, Cliff could tell that ponies were arguing about him. Some claimed that he was a monster for denying the filly's request. Others pointed out that saying 'yes' would have meant killing himself a little bit. Fluttershy and the other Elements of Harmony were brought up, like they always were, and the argument started winding its way to the inevitable discussion of choice and love versus fairness and equality. 'Discussion' was probably the wrong word though. It implied a certain lack of anger, insults, and shoving.

Cliff moved away from the arguing ponies and into a back alley as quickly as possible. The disagreements tended to fizzle out when there wasn't a wyrm around.

He had only gone about a block when Derpy landed in front of him. A satchel of letters was at her side, but in place of her normal work outfit, she had one of Rarity's newest pieces, a shirt that read 'Their life, their choice' over a stylized picture of a wyrm. She didn't say anything, but her sad smile told him that she knew what had just happened.

“H-hey, Derpy, how-” He was cut off by a firm hug.

The gray mare's wings came up to cover his face. “It's okay,” she whispered. “Cry.”

He did. The filly's expression of desperate pleading stabbed into his heart. “How could I do that to her?” Cliff whispered through the tears. “How?”

Gentle words of comfort soothed the young dragon as he wept.

It took a few minutes before Cliff could pull himself back together enough to thank Derpy, and apologize for getting her new shirt all wet.

She just gave him another smile before passing him a piece of paper and a muffin from her satchel.

“Thank you,” he repeated, mustering a weak smile of his own.

Derpy nodded and patted him on the shoulder before taking to the air once more.

The paper was yet another flier by the Doctor, defending wyrms and pleading with the citizens of Ponyville not to ask for any more years from them.

Cliff skimmed through it, and took a bite of the muffin. He grimaced immediately. Oat. Of course. He ate it anyway though. For some reason, it felt like he owed Derpy that much.

As he made his way back to the palace, Cliff received glares and insults from some ponies, and smiles and praise from others. He did his best to look friendly for both groups, all the while trying to remember a time that living in Ponyville hadn't felt like being stuck between two warring berserkers.

-_-_-_-_-_-

After making a simple lunch for Spike and the rest of the P.R. team, Cliff left it on the table along with a note, explaining that he had failed again at finding a job for Fire Eyes. He forced himself to eat a gemstone and a few eggs before leaving again. It was Applebuck Season, and he didn't want to keep the others waiting any longer than he had to.

Granny Smith was overseeing their efforts when he arrived. She directed him to the field where Fluttershy was working, just past the one where his grandparents were competing against Applejack and Big Mac to see who could harvest the most apples.

He was in for a surprise when he got to the field. Fluttershy had somehow convinced Angel to help.

The white rabbit was glaring over a map as he directed squadrons of forest animals around the orchard, harvesting, sorting, and storing every apple in sight. He wore the metal pot on his head again, as he always did when leading the 'troops.'

“Good afternoon, Cliff.” Fluttershy swooped down from where she had been picking apples. “Were you able to find a job for Fire Eyes?”

He tried to act casual as he shook his head, but he knew he wasn't fooling anypony.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” She paused, and looked deep into his eyes, noting the tear stains across his cheeks. “Did you have to turn down another foal too?”

Cliff looked away. Unfortunately, that brought him directly into the line of Angel's (probably) soulless gaze.

“Angel,” Fluttershy said as she wrapped a wing around Cliff, “would you please let the two of us speak alone for a moment?”

In a move that shocked the young dragon to his core, Angel looked from Fluttershy back to him, and his expression didn't harden into its usual death glare. Instead, the white rabbit nodded slowly and saluted. A sharp whistle drew the attention of the other animals, and Angel directed them all to follow him to another part of the field.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy called after them. Then she turned and enveloped her fiance in a hug. “I'm so sorry, Cliff. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Her grandmother is dying of old age,” he whispered. “I was her last hope.” He shook his head. “What right did I have to refuse her? My life isn't worth more than the life of anypony else.”

Fluttershy's hooves tightened around him. “I think I'm starting to understand how scary it was for you when you didn't know if I would accept the extra years or not. If you start saying 'yes' to the ponies that ask for more life, then you'll die soon, and I'll have to live without you for centuries.” A few wet spots formed on his shoulder, where her head was pressed up against his scales. “You wouldn't let me or my friends sacrifice parts of our lives, so please, let me be just a little bit selfish; don't give up your own life either. Spend it with me instead, please.”

Cliff was silent for a long time before he finally answered, “Okay.” Even though hoarding his life when it could be used to help others went against everything wyrms stood for, he silently resolved to do so. For Fluttershy.

-_-_-_-_-_-

After a long day of harvesting and hauling apples, Cliff was more than ready to get back to the palace and collapse, but not before escorting Fluttershy back to her cottage, of course. As he walked the dirt road back to town, the memories of six different crying foals assaulted the young dragon's mind. He shook them off, and tried to focus more on his fiance.

Cliff was just passing the outer edge of houses when his instincts began screaming at him to move. He barely had time to look up before light flashed in the corner of his eyes and pain exploded across his side.

His vision swam as his body jumped forward, narrowly dodging another beam of light. Cliff rolled to his feet and threw up a shield, hissing in pain as something wet began to flow down his side. The shield appeared just in time to block a third energy beam, shot by a unicorn from the second story window of a nearby house.

There wasn't enough time think about what any of this meant. Cliff's shield was barely strong enough to withstand the assault. He surged Energy Resistance, dropped his shield, and launched himself at his attacker, ignoring the scales that were being blasted off of his forearms.

The unicorn ducked just in time to avoid Cliff's claws as the young dragon shot past him and into the room beyond, landing vertically on the far wall.

Cliff's first look at the unicorn revealed a stallion with a gray-blue coat and a yellow mane and tail. All of that was pushed aside for later though, as the dragon spat out a burst of green fire, setting the room around them ablaze.

Unfortunately for him, the stallion teleported away before the flames could reach him. He reappeared in the street outside with a look of horror as smoke began to pour out of the windows of his house. “You monster!”

The ground at his hooves exploded upwards into a cloud of dust as Cliff shot after him.

A unicorn shield appeared just in time to block him, and a blast of telekinesis knocked the young dragon backwards into the house.

The stallion grit his teeth as he poured everything he had into smashing his opponent against the wall.

Energy Resistance dissipated enough of the unicorn's magic that Scale Armor could save Cliff from being crushed to death. Even so, the pain was incredible, especially across his wounded side and arms. He surged Speed Burst, knocking himself to the side and out of the unicorn's telekinetic grip. Cliff went invisible before he landed, shooting away from another beam of energy.

The unicorn stallion let out a shout of frustration before charging towards the house. “Liza! Are you okay?”

He had only taken a few steps when Cliff reappeared right next to him. With his Strength spell at maximum power, the young dragon delivered a vicious palm-strike to the side of the unicorn's head, knocking him flat.

Cliff didn't bother to check if he was out before running towards the house as well, intent on putting out the fire before 'Liza' could be hurt by it, whoever she was. He realized what a mistake that was when a field of telekinesis wrapped around him, slamming him into the house across the street.

“I won't let you hurt my sister!” The stallion gasped as he struggled back to his hooves.

By now, several windows had been opened on the houses nearby, and shocked faces within stared at the two combatants. The door of the stallion's own house opened, and a light blue filly with a purple mane and tail came onto the front porch.

Surging his Strength again, Cliff ripped off a piece of wood from the wall behind him. Speed Burst plus Momentum Transfer sent it hurtling right into, and through, the stallion's left foreleg.

With a scream of pain, he released his telekinetic hold on the young dragon.

The filly gasped and shouted for her brother.

Cliff was in front of the stallion instantly, and this time he left nothing to chance. Momentum Transfer sent the unicorn crashing into his burning house, hard enough to leave cracks in the wall. He didn't even have time to hit the ground before Cliff grabbed his head and slammed it down. He pulled the unicorn's head up by his mane and slammed it down several more times, until he was absolutely sure his foe was unconscious.

Ignoring the shouts of fear and denial from the filly, Cliff brought the unconscious stallion's head up one more time, and bit down on his horn. There was a sickening CRUNCH, and then Cliff spat out his foe's broken horn, leaving nothing but a bloody stump on the unicorn's forehead.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Cliff took a few gasping breaths before hefted the stallion over his shoulder.

“No!” The filly shouted. Now that she was closer, he recognized her as the one he had met in the marketplace earlier that day. “Don't hurt my brother!”

Cliff didn't respond. He only paused long enough to cast a spell that would smother the fire upstairs before tightening his grip on the unconscious unicorn and then shooting away into the night.

Author's Note

Powder-keg, meet Spark.

Chapter 32

“Fluttershy, give her to me!” Fire Eyes grabbed the young dragoness and pulled her to her chest, ignoring the animalistic growls she was making.

“Whisper, listen to me!” Fire Claws knelt down next to the pair. “You don't have to leave your friends. We'll stay here! You aren't going to lose anything! It's okay! Everything is okay!”

They were all pouring as many feelings of selflessness and gratitude into the hatchling as they could, but greed was different than other emotions. It was like a fire that consumed everything in its path. Magic couldn't suppress it. Outside emotions could only slow it down. Even the Stillness was nearly useless once true greed took hold.

Cliff was at her other side, pleading with every star in heaven for a way to save Whisper.

“What's going on?” Autumn asked, her voice heavy with concern.

“...Greed growth,” Burning Torch replied. “You should all,” he choked down a sob, “stay away from her.”

“I won't leave my friends,” Whisper growled. Her voice was growing deeper. “You can't make me!”

Friends, Cliff latched onto that word, sending it through the link. She needs her friends!

It didn't always work, but a berserk dragon could sometimes be reverted by giving them the object that they were focused on. The more she was consumed by greed, however, the lower the chance of success.

“We need the other Crusaders. Fast,” Burning Torch announced. “Where are they?”

Applejack glanced at Whisper, who had more than doubled in size, and was biting her sister's arm in an attempt to get away. The farm mare shook her head. “Nuh uh, ah don't want AB anywhere near here!”

“I'm afraid I must agree,” Rarity said.

“They might change her back!” Cliff shouted.

“Cliff,” Rainbow began, obviously torn, “isn't there something else we can do?”

I don't know how much longer I can hold her! Fire Eyes stared pleadingly at her oldest friend. We only have a minute or two before she's gone completely!

There was only time to make a snap decision, but that was all they needed. The coven turned to Cliff, knowing that this choice would betray the trust of their closest pony allies. It was unthinkable, but Whisper would die if they didn't.

Go.

Cliff shot out of the palace window as fast as he could. Behind him, he heard surprised shouts, and a pair of feathered wings taking off in pursuit.

“Wait, don't do this!”

Rainbow Dash went after you. Be careful!

Under normal circumstances, Cliff wouldn't have had a chance against the blue pegasus in a race. Her top speed was double his own, her reaction time was incredible, and she could somehow pull off ninety degree turns without slowing down. However, dragon magic was powered in part by emotions, and the young dragon was currently linked as one in a group of four extremely emotional wyrms.

A continuous stream of Speed Bursts took him to Sweet Apple Acres before he even touched the ground. He spotted the Crusader's clubhouse, and released another blast of energy to shoot towards it.

Momentum Transfer brought him to a complete stop at the front door. It also sent out a powerful burst of air, shattering the tree-house's windows, and shaking the entire structure.

Cliff opened the door to see three shocked fillies. “No time to explain,” he said, mindful that Rainbow Dash would only be seconds behind him. “Whisper is in trouble. Will you please help her?” He knelt down and opened his arms.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo must have sensed his urgency, because they ran to him almost immediately. The earth pony voiced all of their thoughts with a simple, “let's go, then!”

A modified version of Spider Climb firmly held the three fillies on his back. Aided by the link, Cliff activated an especially taxing spell; Momentum Bubble. As long as the Crusaders remained in place, they would be protected against the intense g-forces that came with high speed movement.

Rainbow Dash was almost on them. Her slower acceleration had given Cliff the time he needed, but the young dragon could just make out a mach cone shrinking to a point around her. He jumped out of the tree-house just as a multicolored explosion rocked the area.

Mach ten. Cliff grimaced as he forced his way through the shock-wave. I max out at four point eight. He went invisible, hoping to throw her off.

They were at the edge of the orchard when the young dragon's invisibility wore off. His instincts screamed at him to dodge.

Momentum Redirection shot him to the right, just as a rainbow-patterned blur flew past. She immediately angled back, her mouth moving as she shouted something.

The words reached them just after Cliff dodged her next charge. “Scoots, you and the others need to get away from him!” Unfortunately, he was moving too fast to hear how the Crusaders were reacting, or for them to hear his reassurances. It didn't matter in any case, because dodging the blue pegasus required his full concentration.

Momentum Redirection let him instantly change directions with no loss of speed, and his surged Reflexes spell combined with wyrm instincts made him just slightly more agile than Rainbow Dash, but she was still much, much faster than him.

They dodged and jumped, twisted and dived, like a crazed version of tag. Cliff's invisibility and rudimentary skill with illusions let him break away a few times, but he couldn't maintain either for very long, and as a pegasus, Rainbow's eyesight was powerful enough that she always caught onto the ruse before he could get very far.

All the while, precious seconds were ticking away.

Cliff had no choice. He turned to face his pursuer, and readied a spell that might shatter his bones.

Rainbow Dash hit, and Cliff surged Momentum Transfer, absorbing as much of her speed as he could. The result shot him high into the sky, nearly soaring over Ponyville completely before he could disperse enough momentum into the air around him to regain control.

He angled his flight towards the palace and moved the Crusaders to his chest, curling around them protectively before crashing through one of the windows.

“Go to her,” Cliff whispered, stumbling to his feet so he could throw a shield over the windowsill.

The living room looked like a war zone. Twilight, Spike, Autumn, Rarity, and Applejack were blocked off by a combination anti-magic field and shield. Applejack and Rarity screamed at their little sisters to run away. Twilight and Spike looked hurt, betrayed, and utterly shocked. Autumn was hyperventilating from the furious storm of emotions raging around her.

Fluttershy was at the other side of the room, huddled in the corner. Her eyes were filled with the same kind of fear as when she first saw Cliff. It broke the young dragon's heart to see her like that.

Burning Torch and Fire Claws were standing perfectly still, their eyes closed as they poured everything they had into strengthening Cliff's spells and keeping the Princess contained.

Fire Eyes was trying to hold onto Whisper, who was now even larger than she was. The white dragoness's scales were stained with red from the wounds her sister had inflicted.

The three fillies would have been entirely justified in fleeing as quickly as possible, but they didn't. Instead, they ran to Written Whisper, hug/tackling her like they so often did to Cliff.

“Wow, Whisper. Calm down!” Scootaloo said.

“How'd ya get so big, anyway?” Apple Bloom asked. “Is it a growth spurt like what happened to Spike?”

“Did you get in trouble for what happened to Diamond Tiara? She totally deserved it the way she's been acting lately.” Sweetie Belle smiled sympathetically.

Rainbow smashed into Cliff's shield, shattering it and stunning them both as they collapsed in a tangle of limbs, but none of Crusaders seemed to notice.

Whisper had frozen completely when her friends arrived. She looked down at them, clutching at her legs and chest, and tears began to form in her eyes. Suddenly she was a normal sized hatchling, weeping freely as the four of them embraced. “I-I couldn't leave you,” she whispered.

“Now why'd ya think ya were gonna hafta leave us?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah, us Cutie-mark Crusaders gotta stick together,” Scootaloo said.

“What happened anyway?” Sweetie looked up from their group hug. “Why is everypony so tense?”

Cliff gingerly climbed to his feet and extended a claw to Rainbow Dash. The two exchanged a long, sad look before she took it.

Taking that as a sign, the older dragons dropped their spells, and all of them, including Cliff sank to the floor, clawed hands raised in surrender.

“You may now punish us as you see fit, Princess Twilight,” Fire Claws said. “None of us will resist.”

The alicorn looked around her in disbelief. “What?”

“Wait, punish?” Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash. “Did they do something wrong?”

“Yes,” Fire Claws said gently. “It's okay. Don't let it trouble you.” She turned to the alicorn princess. “Just promise that you'll take care of Whisper, like you've done with Spike.”

Since Twilight seemed incapable of words, Applejack stepped forward. “Is... she safe now?”

Burning Torch nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay then.” The farm mare walked over to Cliff and gave him a long look before she spoke. “Ah don't know if ah'll ever be able ta forgive ya for puttin' mah sister in danger, Cliff.” She sighed and shook her head. “But ah think ah understand why ya did it.”

“Perhaps an explanation is in order.” Rarity stepped around Spike, who was still frozen in shock. “You all seem to acknowledge that you did something most unbecoming. I would like to know why.”

“There wasn't time to argue, or explain, I'm afraid,” Burning Torch said. “We only had one minute, maybe two, before Whisper transformed completely. If we could give her the focus for her greed before that, there was a fifty-three percent chance that she would return to normal. If we waited until after, the chance dropped to thirteen percent.”

While Burning Torch explained their reasons, Cliff's gaze moved to Fluttershy. She was sobbing into Autumn's chest as the crystal mare rocked her back and forth.

Sensing her grandson's desire, Fire Claws sent him what the yellow pegasus was feeling.

Guilt. Anger. Sadness. Most of all, fear. All of them terrified her, especially Cliff. She was easily twice as frightened of him as any of the others.

“Princess Twilight?” Cliff cut the others off. “Please allow me to wait at the Dragon House until you decide our punishment.” He couldn't stay here any longer.

For a moment, it looked like Twilight was going to refuse, but then she followed his gaze to Fluttershy, and her expression softened. “I understand, but please wait for a moment.” She turned to her friends. “Do any of you want to press charges?”

“What did you have in mind if our sisters weren't able to help?” Rarity asked.

“A shield to protect them.” Fire Claws looked down and blinked away tears. “Then... slit the berserker's throat before it could kill anypony.”

The Crusaders immediately began asking what berserker the adults were talking about, except for Whisper, who curled into a tiny ball, shivering slightly.

“Then I suppose you made the best choice you could, given the circumstances. I shan't press charges.” She gathered the four Crusaders in her magic. “Come, let's play upstairs, away from all this dreadfulness.”

As soon as she was out of sight, Rainbow smacked Cliff across the face. Hard. “That's for making me choose between my friends!” Then she hugged him. Also hard. “Don't ever make me do that again, you jerk.”

“I'm sorry,” was all he could offer her.

“You'd better be.” She furiously rubbed a tear away as she turned to Twilight. “I'll talk to Scoots' parents. Trust me, they'll understand.”

All eyes turned to Applejack.

The farm mare shook her head sadly. “Ah woulda done the same thing if AB was in trouble.”

Twilight nodded. “Then as a princess of Equestria, I decree that you shall not be punished. However, the next time you use brute force to get your way, I'm afraid I won't have any choice but to do something more severe.”

“We understand,” Fire Claws said, “and since it looks like we can't risk leaving anytime soon, we need to figure out what we're going to do next.”

Fire Eyes, who had been wrapped in the Stillness the entire time, severed her link and left without a word.

Cliff was about to go as well when Twilight place a hoof on his shoulder. She nodded her head towards Fluttershy, who was still sobbing. “Maybe, you should talk to her first.”

The young dragon's only response was to reach out and join his heart to Twilight's. First the coven let her feel Fluttershy's immense terror, especially towards Cliff, then he shared his own unbearable heartbreak and regret that things had worked out this way. Twilight could only weep softly as he too left without a word.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Walking through the streets of Ponyville, accompanied by two guards, Cliff did his best not to think or feel anything. Strangely, the occasional pony shouting at him seemed to help. His grandparents were still there in the link. Their love and concern was all that kept him moving at times. A couple of ponies asked what in Equestria he and Rainbow Dash had been doing earlier. The young dragon simply ignored them and continued on his way.

The Dragon House was empty when he arrived there. Cliff worried about Fire Eyes, but couldn't muster the energy to go looking for her. Instead, he buried himself in the communal nest and let the warm emotions from Fire Claws and Burning Torch lull him to sleep.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It was late afternoon when Cliff regained consciousness. He was alone, in body and heart. His grandparents must have cut the link while he slept. Not that he could blame them. Maintaining a link became more difficult as the members moved further apart.

Fluttershy is more scared of me now than she was when we first met. He let the thought come slowly, feeling it out in his mind. Was it worth it? Images of Whisper, alive and happy, flashed through his mind. …I don't know. He got up. A hollow pain in his stomach reminded Cliff that he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

With a sigh, the young dragon went to the kitchen and ate some leftover chicken from the fridge. He couldn't stop thinking about Fluttershy. Should I go see her? What if she's still afraid of me? It's not like I could blame her. We did betray her trust and attack her friends. He snapped a chicken bone with his teeth. Spike and Twilight were hurt too. I don't think Spike even said anything to us after things calmed down. Then there's Fire Eyes. She must have been seriously traumatized to nearly lose her sister like that, especially after everything this town has put her through. Full, but in no way satisfied, Cliff set out for the palace. He had a lot of relationships that needed mending, and family seemed like a good place to start.

Spike and Twilight were in the living room, along with Fire Claws and Burning Torch. They all looked up from where they were sitting when Cliff walked in.

“Hi,” he said awkwardly.

Twilight smiled softly. “Hello, Cliff.”

Spike nodded. “Hey.”

“I just wanted to tell you both that I feel horrible about what we were forced to do earlier, and I hope that you'll let me try to earn back your trust.” He bowed and held it.

“Cliff, get up.” Twilight lifted him back to a standing position with her magic. “I meant it when I said that you're like another brother to me, and I think my friends and I are as responsible for what happened as you are.” She approached the young dragon and gave him a hug. “So I'll forgive you if you can forgive me.”

A smile touched his lips. “Thank you.” He squeezed back before releasing her. It hadn't escaped his notice, however, that his younger brother had remained silent. “What about you, Spike? How do you feel?”

“...Ugh.” The younger dragon looked at him from his spot on the couch. “Four words, Cliff: We'll. Protect. Your. Sisters. I get that you were attacked not too long ago, and ponies in general haven't done much to earn your trust, but if you had just taken a few seconds to tell everypony that you'd keep the Crusaders safe, then none of this would have happened! You probably would have made it back faster without having to dodge Rainbow Dash the whole way.”

Fire Claws nodded glumly. “Don't worry, Cliff. He's been giving us the same speech for the last three hours. He isn't actually mad, just frustrated.”

“You can say that again,” Spike muttered. “Look... just try to think a bit before you act.”

“I'll do my best.”

The younger dragon took a deep breath. “Okay. One last thing, stop thinking about all this in terms of 'us' and 'them.' Twilight and I both know all the basics of linking. We could have helped keep Whisper under control until you got back. The fact that you didn't ask means that, on some level, you don't really think of us as coven-mates. Even worse, you registered us as potential enemies, and took preemptive action against us.” He got off the couch and approached his brother. “No alliance, or relationship, is going to work if you always act like that when all the cards are down.”

His words stung, because they were true. There wasn't any reason or explanation he could offer that would change that. “...I understand, and I'm sorry.”

In a strange reversal of normal, Spike reached out and tousled Cliff's head spikes. “I know that you love me, bro, but try trusting me, okay? Not my skills, just me.”

“Okay.” Cliff forced a smile. “I promise that I will.”

“Good, then we can move on.” Spike gave him a hug. “So who're you going to apologize to next?”

“Fluttershy, if she wants to see me.”

“Actually, Cliff,” Fire Claws said, “she's upstairs with Autumn, Rarity, and the Crusaders, but it would probably be for the best if you didn't go see her right now.” Sensing her grandson's dismay, she quickly added, “it isn't what you think. What happened earlier reawakened her phobia of dragons. Just seeing us scares her right now, and that's overwhelming her with guilt. Autumn is finally getting her to realize that she isn't a bad pony for being afraid, but seeing you... it would probably make her feel worse than the rest of us combined.”

There was really nothing Cliff could say to that. His fiance would be terrified at the sight of him, and hate herself for feeling that way, and it was his own fault for rushing ahead without taking a few seconds to explain himself to her friends. “...I understand. Could you just... ask Autumn to pass along a message?”

His grandmother nodded.

“Tell her that I love her, and not to blame herself for things she can't control.”

“...Autumn just told her.” Fire Claws smiled sadly. “I think it helped.”

“I hope so.” Cliff sighed. “I guess I'll go find Fire Eyes now.”

“Wait, Cliff,” Burning Torch called after him.

The young dragon turned back. “What is it, Grandpa?”

“It seems some good has come from all this. We've been talking about it, and Twilight believes she may have found a way to reverse the berserker transformation.”

“Really?” He turned to the alicorn. “How?” Berserkers were immune to emotion control magic.

Twilight grinned. “There's a memory spell I can use to let subjects relive certain events in their lives. If I hone in on memories of charity and selflessness, it should be enough to snap a dragon out of its frenzy.”

Cliff could barely believe it. “H-how difficult is that spell to cast?”

“Most unicorns could learn it with enough effort,” the alicorn frowned slightly, “but the target does need to be held still for a few seconds.”

“It's not a perfect solution,” Burning Torch said, “but it's still better than we could have hoped for.”

Cliff had to agree. Restraining a more powerful berserker was nearly impossible, but weaker ones, like when a hatchling transformed, could be managed. Countless lives could be saved because of this! He actually managed a real smile, in spite of everything that had happened. “Thanks for telling me. Hopefully I'll be back in time to help with dinner.”

“If you find Fire Eyes,” his grandmother said, “could you tell her? I know this will help her feel better.”

He nodded. “Will do.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Finding his old friend was more difficult than Cliff had expected. She wasn't at the Dragon House, so he dismissed his guards and went to their training grounds in the Everfree Forest. When he didn't find her there either, he could only sigh and continue combing the forest. Hours passed, and he was nearly ready to give up when a flash of white on the hills caught his eye.

Fire Eyes was sitting alone on a rocky outcrop, staring out at the horizon, where a sunset would be in another few minutes. She barely even blinked as he came up to her.

“Hey, Eyes,” he said gently. “I've been looking for you.”

“...Can't see why you'd bother.” She continued to stare into the distance.

“Probably because you're my best friend, and have been since before I can remember.” Cliff settled down next to her. The world was slowly fading to gold and red around them.

“You don't need me anymore,” she sighed. “Nodragon does.”

“What?” He looked at his friend in shock. “Why would you even say that?!” He tried to form a link with her, but she pushed it away.

“Not now, Cliff. I feel like enough of a loser without dragging you down too.”

“I'm trying to help because I care.” He tried to put an arm around her, but she shrugged that off too.

“Don't you get it?!” Fire Eyes was suddenly on her feet. “I haven't helped anydragon since I got here, but you've all been helping me! I'm not contributing anything to this coven!”

The ferocity in her voice stunned Cliff for a moment. “Yes you are. You're teaching Spike and Twilight how to use magic and how to fight, you helped us with that drake-”

A bitter laugh cut him off. “We both know that the coven could have handled all of that without me. All I gave them was a 'bad dragon' for the newspapers to attack for a few months. Face it, Cliff. I'm a failure here. I haven't made any friends, I don-”

“What about Rainbow Dash?”

“I barely see her anymore. She's too busy with her job and her friends.” The white dragoness paused and stared at the horizon again before flopping down next to Cliff. “I can deal with ponies giving me crap everywhere I go. I can deal with having no job and being forced to sit around the house, doing chores I hate. I can even deal with having all of Equestria think I'm a monster. The one thing I can't deal with, though, is what happened today.” She sighed. “I couldn't help Whisper at all.”

“None of us could.”

“I should have been able to! I'm her sister, by the stars!” The energy went out of her, and she slumped against her companion. “...In the end, what she needed wasn't me. It never was me. It was these ponies.”

“Whisper needs you too,” Cliff assured her. “She just forgot it for a moment.”

Fire Eyes shook her head. “That's a nice lie, Cliff, but let's face facts. None of you need me around.” She closed her eyes.

Unable to think of a response, the young dragon put a clawed hand over one of hers, and gripped it tightly.

She squeezed back with a surprising amount of strength.

After a few moments of silence, Fire Eyes whispered, “I'd give anything to feel useful again.”

Cliff stared at the town in the distance, wondering how things had come to this.

Suddenly, his friend began to tighten her grip on his claws.

“...Uh, Fire Eyes?” he said when it reached the point of being legitimately painful.

The dragoness didn't respond. Instead, she snarled fiercely and let out a roar that must have been heard back in Ponyville. Her body shook violently as she did so.

“Fire Eyes!” Cliff wrenched his hand away. “Snap out of it!” He recognized the signs. He didn't know how he had missed seeing them earlier.

A sudden palm-strike sent the young dragon hurtling backwards.

He rolled to his feet at the bottom of the hill. Looking up, his worst fears were confirmed.

Fire Eyes was more than four times her normal size, and growing quickly.

“Don't do this to me!” Cliff shouted in desperation. “I almost lost Whisper today. I can't lose you now!”

“You won't need me as long as you have them!” the berserker roared back. As soon as the words left her mouth, the beast more than doubled in size. “If I get rid of them, you'll need me again!”

Oh no... was all Cliff could think. He ran between her and the town. “Fire Eyes, this isn't you! Stop, please!”

The berserker released a shock-wave, demolishing the hill she was on, and forcing the young dragon to shoot away. “Make me,” she growled.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff crashed through a window into the living room, fighting down his rising panic. Twilight, Spike, and his grandparents were there, and surprisingly, so were Rainbow Dash and Autumn.

“Whoa, Cliff!” Rainbow jumped. “You scared me. Look, there's a berserker out in the Everfree Fores-”

“It's Fire Eyes.” He gasped for breath. “Rank six.”

While the others reacted with shock, Fire Claws immediately snapped a link into place for herself, her husband, and Cliff. After a moment's hesitation, she extended it to Spike and Twilight as well. Speak the details, she commanded. We all need to hear this.

“Listen!” Cliff cut off the other chatter. He took a deep breath before pressing forward. “She retained some intelligence, she can still use a few spells by instinct, and she's angry at Ponyville in general. If we don't stop her, she'll level the town.”

The three more experienced members of the link started moving instantly. Burning Torch grabbed Rainbow Dash and told her to get Celestia as fast as she possibly could. Fire Claws told Autumn to gather the other Element Bearers and start evacuating the town. Cliff confronted Spike and Twilight.

A roar echoed in the distance.

“Twilight, can you use that memory spell if Fire Eyes is unconscious?”

“What?” She had been trying to keep up with the rapid, emotion-based discussion of the others. “I, yes. It would be like a vivid dream, but should have the same effect. Isn't a rank six berserker-”

“Extremely rare, and with an estimated power of three hundred forty-three, yes.” For a berserk wyrm to retain any amount of intelligence, or spell-casting, or to have a target it wanted to destroy were all rare. Having all three was nearly unheard of. Cliff had to force himself to say the next bit, “Y-you can help us fight if you choose, but even with your help, and burn spells, each of us would only have about a...” his grandfather quickly did the calculations and sent it to him, “fifty-five percent chance of survival. You don't need to go risking your lives over this.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Spike grabbed the other dragon by the shoulder. “I became an adult specifically to help when things like this happen. I'm not going to abandon you now!”

“Spike, you don't understand!” Cliff shook his brother. “Not one of us has ever faced a berserker this powerful! If you go out there to fight her, odds are either you, or Twilight, or both, are going to die!” He looked deep into the younger dragon's eyes. “You don't have to do this.”

Spike returned his gaze. Grim determination reflected through the link. “You said fifty-five percent chance of survival if we all go. What are the odds if it's just you three?”

Rainbow took off, followed quickly by Autumn.

Another roar, this one much closer.

“...One in five.”

“And that, right there, is why I'm going.” Spike broke off and turned to their grandmother. “I'll need some guidance with the burn spells though. It's a good thing I'm a fast learner.”

Cliff couldn't decide if he felt more proud of the younger dragon, or terrified for his safety. “What's your decision, Twilight?”

“If we can distract her long enough for either Rainbow Dash or Autumn to get back, Celestia or the Rainbow of Harmony can fix this.” She emanated as much determination as Spike.

Their decision made, the three dragons began casting a spell that would take about a year off of all of their lives for every hour it remained active, but increase the power of their spells by twenty percent during that time. Luckily, it could be cast on others as well. Spike and Twilight allowed it to be used on them without complaint.

“Whoa,” Spike gasped, his claws twitching uncontrollably.

Twilight was experiencing a similar problem with her wings, and Cliff knew they were both feeling the strange combination of icy skin and burning hot insides that came with the spell.

“The twitching goes away once you start moving,” he assured them.

Cliff, Fire Claws sent him, Fluttershy is still upstairs with Rarity and the Crusaders. We can afford a few seconds for you to go see them. Just in case...

No we can't. Every second they let the berserker get closer to Ponyville could spell the death of an innocent pony, and they both knew it. Cliff began casting spells. Thank you though, for offering me the chance to at least say goodbye.

They all finished casting their enhancement spells as quickly as they could, and then they were off.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The berserker was just clearing the Everfree Forest when Cliff reached her. By some bit of morbid irony, it was nearly the same place where he and Fire Eyes fought the drake.

As the fastest runner, Cliff was a few seconds ahead of the others. He went invisible and launched himself at one of the monster's rear ankles.

Somehow, she anticipated the attack, and kicked at him with the same foot he had been charging towards.

Momentum Redirection shot him straight upwards. Away from the blow, and directly into the path of her swinging tail. He changed his momentum again, flying between her foot and tail with barely any room to spare. Cliff hit the ground hard, barely dispersing enough speed to keep from breaking his legs.

“Weakling.” The berserker lashed out at him with her tail.

Speed Burst got him out of the way on time, but only just.

A tendril of fire wrapped around the berserker's arm, pulling her back from a followup attack. Rays of green light followed, charring scales across the monster's white hide.

Careful! Cliff warned. I think she still has her precognition! He pulled a gemstone out of the ground with telekinesis and hurled it as hard as he could. The stone impacted against the berserker's ankle and embedded itself in the scales there.

A beam of purple energy announced Twilight's arrival. She must have poured a lot of unicorn magic into it, because the blast sheared off several scales along her foe's ankle, right where Cliff's gemstone had hit.

The alicorn teleported away from a fiery counterattack, landing next to Cliff, and shooting again.

This time, however, the berserker dodged out of the way, and sent out a magical shock-wave.

Cliff was blown backwards, which actually saved his life. Their foe slammed her tail into the ground where Twilight was, and where he had just been.

Whatever type of shield magic the alicorn used, it was obviously superior to anything Cliff could do. The protective sphere around Twilight was smashed into the ground, but it still held firm.

Before she could recover, the berserker brought her teeth down, biting into the ground to crush at the shield.

Get out of there! Cliff sent. A berserker's teeth could bite through anything, magical or otherwise. He shot forward, slashing at the monster's eyes with Ghost Claws.

Meanwhile, a thick tendril of flame wrapped around her lower jaw, and one of Burning Torch's shields pressed against her upper jaw. Combined, they relieved enough pressure to let Twilight turn her attention away from the shield and teleport to safety.

Furious, the berserker shook Cliff off and pulled on the fire around her jaw. Fire Claws was ripped out of the underbrush and towards the monster's slashing claws.

She quickly let the tendril fade, and shot away.

Unfortunately, the berserker somehow accelerated as she chased after her, knocking the purple dragoness through a tree and into the ground on the other side.

Grandma! Cliff charged the monster's ankle again as his grandfather moved between their opponent and his downed wife.

Undeterred, the berserker pushed past them both, ignoring their blows as she moved in for the kill.

Thankfully, Spike was close enough to throw up an illusion. He framed it in front of the berserk dragoness, taking everything she saw normally, and angling it up and to the side.

In the heat of battle, she didn't notice until her claws hit only air.

Meanwhile, Fire Claws jumped back to her feet and shot away as she healed herself.

With a growl, the berserker latched onto Burning Torch's shield and crushed it between her jaws.

The unfortunate thing about more powerful dragon shields is that they were connected to their caster. Talented users could minimize the feedback, but regardless of talent, having one destroyed was going to hurt, a lot.

The brown dragon clutched his chest and gasped.

Cliff crashed into his grandfather, knocking him away from a slash that would have killed them both.

More energy beams from Twilight and an illusion from Spike bought the two wyrms enough time to get away.

She gave me a broken arm, Fire Claws reported. It'll be healed in another few seconds. The others all sent extra willpower to help. How are you, Torch?

Nothing so bad it needs healing. The brown dragon formed another shield. Here she comes!

Cliff went after the charging berserker's ankle again, but she countered with something completely unexpected. She fell flat on her stomach, right on top of him.

Every member of the link surged their willpower into his Scale Armor and hastily cast Shield, but the sheer weight of the berserker's body shattered the latter almost instantly, and nearly collapsed his entire chest cavity.

Fire Claws created a small pit just beneath Cliff, dropping him away from the crushing force, but the damage had already been done.

Almost every bone in his body had been cracked or broken, and the shock was so bad that he couldn't breath, see, or hear, let alone move. Just remaining conscious was a struggle.

Twilight, teleport down there and heal him!

Something crashed into the berserker with enough force to make her whole body shift. Then suddenly Cliff felt a hoof on his back.

Sweet relief flowed through him as Twilight ran the hoof up and down his body. Meanwhile, the monster above them arose and charged at somedragon with a roar.

Look out, Fire Claws!

I've got it.

Focus, Spike! We need a distraction.

When her hoof reached his head, Cliff's eyesight and hearing returned, accompanied by an agonizing migraine, that was mercifully healed almost instantly. Thanks, he sent. They need you. Go!

With a nod, the alicorn took off, firing more energy beams as soon as she cleared the hole.

Cliff launched himself after her. His body still ached, as there hadn't been time to heal him completely, but at least he could fight once more.

The berserker was bearing down on Spike, Fire Claws, and Burning Torch, in spite of their best efforts to distract or stop her.

He landed on her back, slashing wildly with Ghost Claws before shooting away when she tried to swipe him off.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Burning Torch and Fire Claws released bursts of lightning.

More angered than injured, the berserker motioned, and an explosion shook the area. Greed acted as an amplifier to almost any spell, making those few berserkers that could still use magic especially deadly.

Even at the other end of the field, Cliff felt a wall of air slam into him. Trees were blasted to tiny fragments, and thousands of pounds of dirt were hurled into the air.

Burning Torch created a shield in time to protect himself, his wife, and Spike. However, because he had been forced to rush its creation, the backlash was many times worse than normal.

Spike ran across the newly formed crater to his grandfather as Fire Claws created a wall of living flames to hold back the oncoming berserker.

Get him out of here! We'll distract her. The message didn't come from any one member of the link, so much they all agreed on it simultaneously.

High above them, Twilight threw all of her power into a telekinesis field, slowly dragging their foe away from her companions.

Cliff went after the beast's ankle again, though more carefully this time. If they could just immobilize one of her legs, that would buy the town some time.

Caught between three pests, a normal berserker would have paused, unsure of which one to attack. However, this one had access to Fire Eyes' mind, allowing her to think and plan. A burst of silvery flame in Twilight's direction broke the alicorn's concentration long enough for her to launch another explosion at the fleeing shapes of Spike and Burning Torch.

To their credit, both acted without hesitation. Burning Torch threw out another shield as Spike surged his weaker version and wrapped himself protectively around his injured grandfather.

Spike! Twilight teleported to his side instantly.

Forcing himself not to run to their aid as well, Cliff continued to slash at the berserker's ankle, and was rewarded with the first drops of blood as its hide finally yielded to Ghost Claws.

Twilight, she's about to use Explosion again! Fire Claws shot every ranged attack she knew at the beast's face, hoping to distract her. At the same time, she pulled back her flames and began to refine them into something more solid.

The alicorn teleported herself and the two dragons away just before another explosion rocked the area. They landed in the middle of town, surrounded by many frightened ponies. They're both alive! Twilight sobbed in relief. I'll heal them.

I'm fine, Spike sent back, but grandpa's hurt pretty bad.

Heal his chest and head, Fire Claws instructed. Her fire had begun to take the shape of a giant spear, and the grass at her feet was beginning to smoke and turn black. Then get back here. Torch will be unconscious for a while after that, but we still need the two of you.

With the others gone, Cliff and Fire Claws went invisible to see how the berserker would react.

The results weren't encouraging. She let out a triumphant roar and began running towards Ponyville once more.

Cliff was in front of her instantly. He threw his willpower into three spells simultaneously, absorbing and reversing the berserker's momentum, before shooting it right back into her chest.

The force of the blow knocked the berserker back, rolling once before she came back to her feet. Cliff took only a small fraction of the blow, but it was enough to send him crashing into a building on the edge of Ponyville, and then through it, and into the one behind it. Cliff felt like the world was spinning around him, and somepony had bucked him in the chest repeatedly. He gasped for air.

I need extra willpower! Fire Claws shouted through the link. He gave up as much as he could, and felt Twilight and Spike do the same. Whatever she was doing, it was eating up an unbelievable amount of willpower.

Cliff healed his dislocated shoulder and then shot back into the fray. The knowledge that his grandmother was facing that thing alone was all the encouragement he needed.

He reached the battlefield just in time to see a boulder the size of a small house get ripped out of the ground and smash into the berserker's side, knocking her back towards the forest. Meanwhile, Fire Claws stabbed her spear into the monster's good ankle. Impossibly, the blade sliced right through the scales, nearly severing a major tendon beneath.

When the berserker swiped at Fire Claws, her spear took off one of her claws before she jumped away.

Stay back, Cliff! His grandmother warned just before another explosion rocked the area around her. Time seemed to freeze as the explosion reached its limit, and then reverse as it was sucked into the fiery spear. Fire Claws threw it with a roar.

The weapon burned a line across Cliff's vision before slicing completely through the berserker's upper arm. It seemed to wink out of existence as it came out the other side.

Pained roars erupted from the berserker as she clutched her wounded arm.

Fire Claws dropped to her knees, breathing heavily.

Cliff couldn't blame her. Just creating a plasma blade took more willpower than he had on a good day. He found another gemstone in the ground nearby and pulled it out with Telekinesis.

A light from the berserker's palm made Cliff's legs go weak.

She was healing herself.

Despair was quickly cut off as Fire Claws surged determination through the link. If we don't hold her here, all of Ponyville will be destroyed!

Twilight and Spike reappeared just before Cliff launched another gemstone. Six Speed Bursts going off at once were enough to propel the gem through the skin Cliff had weakened on the berserker's other ankle. It was getting harder to focus, but Cliff managed a grim smile as the monster roared in pain.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Fire Claws cut two more gouges into her other leg.

Twilight followed up with a blast of energy as she took to the sky once more.

A wall of fire from the berserker made her teleport away and prevented her from continuing the assault.

Meanwhile, Spike readied an illusion, which distracted the monster long enough for the others to land a few more hits.

Though blood still poured from the wound on her arm, the berserker had healed it enough to use the limb once more. She growled and charged the group, moving unsteadily on her damaged ankles.

A rumbling in his chest told Cliff that their foe was about to cast something again. He warned the others and shot onto the berserker's back, hoping to distract her if she was readying another Explosion. Instead, she rolled out of the way faster than should have been possible, and slammed her tail into the young dragon in midair.

Caught completely unprepared, he was sent hurtling into the ground. A sickening CRUNCH and a wave of agony told him that at least one of his legs had been shattered.

Struggling to remain conscious, Cliff could only look mutely up at the monster that had once been his best friend as she half limped, half ran forward to finish him off.

A purple shield appeared around him just before the claws descended.

“I'm here, Cliff!” Twilight said over the crashing sound of the impact. I'll heal you!

Don't bother. He could barely think straight through the pain. It would use more willpower to heal me than I have left.

The berserker's claws crashed into the shield over and over again above them. Focused as she was on her assault, she didn't notice the rainbow patterned streak of light flying towards her, or the sonic rainboom it had left in its wake.

An explosive impact knocked the white berserker away, rolling several times before she came to a halt. Meanwhile, a stunned Rainbow Dash landed next to Cliff and Twilight.

Pull her over to me and get back to the fight! Cliff ordered. Spike and Grandma need you out there!

The alicorn hesitated.

An illusion dropped into place around them. It looks like they're gone. Now give us a hoof! Spike shouted, barely dodging an explosion.

Okay. Twilight moved Rainbow over to Cliff before teleporting away.

Muscling his way through the pain, the young dragon grabbed the unconscious pegasus and shook her.

“Huh- wha?!” She jumped upright, making Cliff wince as the movement jostled his broken leg.

“Rainbow.” Cliff grabbed her mane and pulled her to look at him. “Where's Celestia?” He meant to shout it, but it came out as more of a whimper.

“She'll be here soon. The guards were running to get her, but I couldn't just wait around while you guys were in danger.”

In the distance, the berserker cast Reflexes again. She lacked the focus to maintain the spell, but just casting it gave her a few seconds of unbelievable agility for something so large.

Spike's illusions made her waste most of it attacking false targets, but she did score a lucky hit, forcing Fire Claws to waste more willpower on a Shield.

Cliff pulled his attention away from the others and back to Rainbow. “Listen, they need another fighter to keep her occupied. I can link you to the others and cast some protective spells, but I only have enough willpower to keep them going to a minute or two.”

The blue mare shook her head. “Forget those. Just give me anything you can to help me fly faster and hit harder.”

With a nod, Cliff let most of his spells drop. He nearly blacked out as the magical enhancements to his body disappeared and the full extent of his injuries hit him. After a few moments, he recovered enough to reach out to Rainbow. “Stronger, faster reflexes, and more resistant to damage.” He winced from a combination of pain and willpower loss. “That's all I can manage.”

“How long can you hold them at full power?”

A bolt of lightning from the berserker hit both Twilight and Spike. The alicorn's pegasus magic protected her from the worst of it, but Spike wasn't so lucky.

“...A few seconds.” It was getting harder to think.

Spike! Twilight teleported her younger brother away. He was alive, but needed immediate healing if he was going to stay that way.

Rainbow Dash's face was a mask of determination. “All I need is ten.” Then she took off, a speck in the sky within seconds.

Dash is coming, Cliff told his grandmother. Just hold out a little longer!

She dove so fast that it was impossible to even follow her, leaving not one, but two, sonic rainbooms in her wake. A rainbow patterned mushroom-cloud engulfed the berserker when she hit, hurling the monster into the woods. It probably made an unbelievably loud crash, but Cliff couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears or the pain shooting through his lower body as he was tossed away like a broken doll.

Twilight reappeared in the aftermath, jaw hanging open in awe of the massive crater her friend had just made.

Fire Claws, ever the practical one, rushed down to help the collapsed pegasus at the pit's bottom. Unconscious, but alive. Her smile could be felt thought the link. The stars have been merciful to us today.

An eruption of fire from the forest contradicted that thought. The berserker was back up. She was battered, bleeding, and extremely angry.

Twilight, how long do you need to cast your memory spell? Fire Claws asked.

A few seconds, standing on her head.

I'll give you as long as I can. The purple dragoness mustered as much willpower as she possibly could. It probably won't be enough, but we're out of options.

Twilight sent back agreement. If she said anything, Cliff was too far away to hear it.

If this doesn't work, take your friend and run.

To Cliff's surprise, the alicorn reflected fervent denial. You're all my friends, and I'll never abandon you!

There was no time to argue, as the berserker was almost upon them once more.

If I can do this, Fire Eyes will come back to us, the dragoness sent, more to herself than anydragon. A wall of fire exploded from her outstretched claws, wrapping around the berserker completely, except for the top of her head.

Twilight landed there a second later, her horn already charging the memory spell.

Fierce determination rolled off of Fire Claws, as she tried to will her magic to do the impossible and restrain such a powerful foe. Not even her unshakable strength of spirit, however, could keep the berserker from thrashing wildly within its bonds.

Unable to hold her place, Twilight could only watch as the tendrils of flame began to snap like cords.

Let me help, Cliff whispered through the link. He formed the spell that had earned him his name all those years ago; Spider Climb. Push through the wall.

Twilight did, and her hooves immediately locked into place on the berserker's head. She jammed her horn down, and activated the spell.

Oh no... Despair flooded through them. Her mind is so clouded that it will take me nearly a minute to restore it. Twilight wept. They all knew that holding Fire Eyes for so long would be impossible.

Do what you can. Fire Claws could barely breathe through the strain.

Seconds ticked by like hours as the two fought to contain the berserker. Twilight funneled every bit of willpower she could spare into Fire Claws' spell, but more and more tendrils snapped regardless. Her memory spell seemed to hurt the beast as it shook and twisted to get away.

With a final roar, she burst free, clutching her head in pain.

Twilight narrowly avoided being crushed as she teleported away to stand beside Fire Claws and the fallen Rainbow Dash at the bottom of the crater. Drained from overuse to two different fields of magic, it was all the alicorn could do to stay upright.

The link shattered. None of them had the willpower to maintain it anymore.

“Fire Eyes,” Cliff tried to shout. It was barely louder than normal speaking.

The berserker looked between her claws at the young dragon, who was painfully dragging himself over to the others.

“I'm sorry,” he gasped as another lance of agony shot up his leg. “I know you probably can't hear me in there, but I'm so sorry for all of this.” Cliff reached the edge of the crater, and tumbled down next to his grandmother, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash.

“You should have stayed hidden.” Fire Claws gently propped the young dragon up against her. “You might have been safe.”

He winced from the movement. “Couldn't let you face this alone.”

The dragoness smiled gently. “Idiot.” She looked up at the berserker, who was starting to growl angrily again. “Eyes, you're my best student, and my best friend. If you survive this, don't blame yourself for what happened.”

The monster's claws crashed down on them. Cliff fully expected to be killed, until they deflected off a purple barrier.

“Sorry,” Twilight whispered, dropping to her knees. Tears clouded her eyes as more blows rained down on them. “I can't focus enough to teleport us away, and I can't hold her off much longer.”

Fire Claws shook her head. “You've given more than should be expected of anydragon. Thank you, Twilight. It was an honor.”

Cliff leaned over so he could see her on his grandmother's other side. “I never told you this, but you were just like a sibling to me as well. Hay, Grandpa asked me if we could adopt you a few days ago.”

The berserker bit down on them, slowly crushing the shield between her jaws.

“I remember that.” Fire Claws smiled. “I told him that you already had you own family. You didn't need another one.”

Twilight closed the last few inches between them and wrapped both dragons in a weak hug. “Applejack taught me that you can never have too many family members.”

A golden aura surrounded the berserker.

The alicorn continued, unaware. “If... you don't mind, could we say that we're family... here at the end?” The last few words came out in a broken sob.

The dragoness gently shushed Twilight and held her close. “Of course.”

Cliff, however, was finally realizing what the golden light meant. He shook the two of them weakly, and pointed.

As soon as they looked up, the jaws around them were forcibly pried back, and the entire berserker was lifted into the air.

Princess Celestia landed in the middle of them, and surrounded the group in a protective shield of her own. “Twilight, are you alright?! Where are the others?”

“Celestia!” The purple alicorn ran to her friend and mentor, or stumbled towards her, more accurately.

The Princess of the Sun lifter her up and hugged her fiercely. “You frightened me, my dear friend.”

“I'm sorry,” Twilight sniffled. “E-everypony is alive, but Spike, Rainbow, and Burning Torch are hurt.” She motioned towards the unconscious pegasus. “The others are in front of town hall. We were trying to restrain Fire Eyes so that I could cast a memory spell. We think it will turn her back to normal.”

Celestia absorbed this information with a grim nod. “I understand. I can hold her still for you, assuming you're able to cast it.” She brushed aside some of Twilight's frazzled mane. “This battle must have been a difficult one.”

“I can cast it.” Twilight smiled weakly. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“You are my friend, Twilight. I rushed here as soon as my guards told me what was happening.” She surveyed the ruined field. “I only wish I had been able to arrive sooner.” With a sigh, she lifted the smaller alicorn into the air with her magic. “In any case, please allow me to help.”

Twilight landed on the berserker's head moments later, surrounded by a protective field of light, just in case.

Cliff wasn't at all ashamed to admit that he cried when his oldest friend emerged from her frenzy weak and bleeding, but very much alive. Fire Eyes was lowered down to them, and he and his grandmother just held her and let the tears flow. He felt her offering a link to him, and gladly accepted it.

Sorrow, guilt, love, fear, joy, it was impossible to tell where his emotions ended and those of Fire Eyes or his grandmother began.

Celestia gently healed them all before teleporting away to retrieve the others.

Burning Torch and Spike awoke soon after, with a generous amount of healing provided by the white alicorn. Burning Torch was added to the link, and unlike Cliff or Fire Claws, had enough willpower left to help maintain it. He silently joined the group hug, radiating amazement that they were all still alive.

Spike went to his sister, and they were both swept into an embrace by Celestia's massive wings.

Around the edges of the pit, Cliff could see a small crowd beginning to form. Whisper jumped out of the group and scrambled down to join them, sobbing as she embraced her sister and was added to the link.

Cliff wished that Spike and Twilight could be added as well, but with Fire Eyes so emotionally vulnerable, he understood her desire to link only to those she knew and trusted most. Even with all of their support, she was still too overcome by what had happened to even speak.

Rainbow stirred, and got up with a groan. “Remind me never to do a triple rainboom into a giant dragon again.”

“I certainly hope that you are never required to,” Celestia told her with a faint smile. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash, for pushing yourself so hard to reach me. If not for that, I would have arrived too late to help.”

The pegasus scratched the back of her neck. “Ah, it wasn't all that much. Twi and the others deserve the real credit.”

Unknown to them, Cliff and the other dragons entered into a silent, and very serious conversation. He blinked away a few tears when they reached their inevitable conclusion. “Celestia?”

“Yes, Cliff Runner?” She turned to him.

He ignored the crowd. “We've talked about it, and... we think it would be best for us to go home.”

Rainbow shouted, “what?!”

Twilight's jaw dropped.

Even Celestia seemed at a loss for words.

“You mean back to the Dragon House, right?” Spike asked. “Please tell me that's what you mean.”

Cliff shook his head sadly. “Spike, what's the point of us staying in Ponyville any longer?” He hugged the others more tightly. “Equestria has been attacking us since we got here. Do you really think that's going to change after today? After they've seen what we can become? Even if they did, it wouldn't be fair of us to stay.”

“We still want a better relationship between wyrms and ponies,” Fire Claws moved to shield Fire Eyes and Whisper from the crowd, “but if the media attacks, and the protesters, and the hatred is going to get one of us killed...”

“Then it's not worth it,” Burning Torch finished. “Nor would it be worth the lives lost if the next one of us goes berserk in a crowded marketplace.” He gently stroked Whisper's back, who was crying into her sister's shoulder.

“We're dangerous, Spike.” Cliff blinked away a tear. “It was wrong of us to put all of you at risk like this.”

“What about Fluttershy, huh?!” Rainbow shouted.

The crowd behind her was growing larger. Cliff thought he saw a yellow and pink pegasus, but he refused to look at her, knowing it would shatter his weak resolve.

“You two are engaged, and you're just going to abandon her like that?!”

“What am I supposed to do?!” Cliff shouted back. “Fire Eyes has more control than I ever did. If I stay here, I could kill her in another few weeks!”

“Isn't that her decision to make?” Twilight asked.

The young dragon bowed his head. “I'm not going to ask her about it. We all know what she would choose.” He blinked away more tears. “I'd be fine with risking my life, but I'm not going to let her die because she's too kind to think about the monster I could transform into!”

None of them spoke. Even the crowd was silent.

“Spike, keep an eye on Twilight, our sister. She needs you more than you realize.” Cliff forced himself to smile. “We'll come back to visit you every month, but for now, we're just tired of all of this.” He finally gave up fighting the tears, and let them flow once more. “We just want to go home.”

Spike exchanged a tear-streaked look with Twilight. “What are you going to do about Whisper?” he asked. “Remember what happened when she thought that she would be forced to leave Ponyville?”

The hatchling took a deep breath, and turned to face him. “I-I'll be okay, Spike.” She tried to put on a brave face. “I'll see the other Crusaders when I come back to visit, but,” fresh tears began to fall, “I can't lose my sister again.”

Even with his dreams being crushed to dust around him, the little hatchling's feelings of love brought a weak smile to Cliff's lips. “We'll be going now. Thank you for everything, everypony.” He tried to rise, but his legs gave out beneath him.

Celestia gently extracted herself from Twilight and Spike to approach the cluster of dragons. “None of you are in any condition to travel. Would you be willing to spend the night in Canterlot Castle?” She lowered her head. “It truly is the least I can offer after how thoroughly I failed you all.”

Fire Claws shook her head. “You didn't fail us, Celestia, Equestria did, and we failed them just as completely.”

Cliff finally gathered his courage and turned his gaze to the crowd. Fluttershy was there, looking more hurt and betrayed than he had ever seen her. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. The other Elements of Harmony were with her. Pinkie's hair had gone straight somehow. She looked lost and confused. Applejack and Rarity were trying to comfort their friends, but the looks they were shooting his way revealed deeply conflicted emotions. No matter his reasons, Cliff's decision to leave was tearing out Fluttershy's heart, and they simply couldn't forgive him for that. What hurt most, though, was the emotion slowly building in Fluttershy's eyes.

She still loved him.

In spite of terrifying her. In spite of all his stupid mistakes during their courtship. In spite of his cowardly, selfish decision to leave, because he couldn't live with the fear of hurting her. In spite of everything, she still loved him, and would come running down in another few seconds, willing to abandon her entire world to go with him.

Cliff knew he wouldn't be strong enough to tell her 'no.' It was taking everything he had not to go to her right then. “We accept your offer.” He looked away with a sob. “Please take us there. Quickly.”

Celestia nodded just as Fluttershy started to run forward. The yellow mare was only halfway to them when Celestia and the Ponyville Coven disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Author's Note

Only two chapters to go.

Next time: Spike has a realization, and Fluttershy makes a difficult choice.

Chapter 33

They're gone. Spike's legs gave out beneath him. Nearby, Fluttershy let out a heart-wrenching cry. He looked up in time to see her fly away, followed closely by Rainbow Dash. The young dragon watched them fade into the distance, gritting his teeth in anger. They had fought their way though scandals, misunderstandings, and even the fundamental differences between species, but in the end, the Cultural Exchange Program had been a failure, and he had lost his dragon family because of it.

Click

Spike froze. It was a reporter, and dozens more were starting to snap pictures or run forward, asking for an interview.

It was almost funny how anger brought such clarity.

He saw Autumn in the crowd. Her coat had lost its crystalline appearance, but she looked him in the eyes and nodded.

As you wish. “Congratulations, you irresponsible, self-centered, short-sighted morons!” he yelled over the crowd. “You finally did it. You drove away my family, cementing a gap between wyrms and ponies that we were trying to mend! Why don't you all give yourselves a round of applause as we think about what you've accomplished?

“You took a group of beings who instantly healed any injured ponies they saw without a single thought of profiting from it, who put their lives on the line to protect our town three separate times, who shun selfishness and jealousy in any form, and you said to yourselves, 'hey, let's convince Equestria that they're a bunch of evil, invading monsters!'

“Somepony tried to kill my brother, and you didn't care! It was in the papers for a few days, and then everypony forgot about it! The crime of the decade ignored, because it was against a dragon. They refused to kill themselves when you were all insisting that you somehow had more right to live a dragon's lifespan than an actual dragon, and how did you respond?! 'Oh, how could they be so selfish?'” Spike mocked. “Try looking in a mirror, you hypocrites!”

Autumn walked up to him and turned to the crowd. Spike didn't know if her furious expression was from her own sense of outrage, or because she was reflecting his own emotions. At the moment, he didn't care. “Do you want to know what happened today?” She managed to make her voice both calm and condescending at the same time. “We made it quite clear that Fire Eyes only killed that drake because her magic warned her that it was about to attack, probably killing you eleven,” she pointed at several of the reporters, “who were idiotically standing too close. Yet, instead of thanking her for saving your lives, you started attacking everything about her. Eventually you managed to make her feel so worthless that she would have done anything to feel needed again. When a dragon feels that desperation, she becomes a berserker, which almost always forces the others to kill her. In other words, you repaid Fire Eyes by attempting to torture her to death!” She was shouting by the end. After a deep breath, she turned to Spike and nodded for him to continue.

“So now they're gone,” Spike growled. “Why don't you just revel in your victory? Try not to think about the millions who will die because no dragons are around to heal them, or the hearts you've broken, or the lies you've spread, all because you wanted a good story.” He laughed. It was low and bitter. “The sad part is, I doubt most of you even care. You couldn't possibly do the decent thing and tell the truth for once. That would require moral fiber, wouldn't it? So go ahead. Lie to everypony again. Don't admit that this was your fault, that you said so many cruel lies about my dragon family that they started to believe you, and left because they were afraid of hurting this town and the ponies in it.”

He held up a clawed hand and summoned the remains of his willpower. “Let's turn the tables for once and give you a taste of your own medicine. Let's make you understand exactly how I feel right now.” Spike surged Heart's Mirror.

The effect was immediate. Nearly everypony collapsed as waves of despair, loss, and helpless frustration washed through them. Spike only had enough willpower to hold the spell for a few seconds, but it was more than enough to get his point across. “Now if you'll excuse me, I have to catch the evening train to Canterlot. My dragon family needs me.”

He had only taken the first step when a warm feeling spread from the young dragon's chest to fill his whole body. Fresh tears trickled down his cheeks, but it wasn't because he was sad. Quite the opposite, in fact. His life finally made sense.

“I'm coming with you, Spike,” Twilight said.

“I am as well,” Autumn added.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack followed after him too, but the young dragon barely noticed. He could even ignore Twilight suddenly calling him by a nickname. Something Cliff had said was starting to click in his mind. “Equestria has been attacking wyrms since they got here,” he whispered to himself. “They didn't like it when we brought the dragons to them, but the research team that went to the coven is doing just fine. The entire coven agreed to let them come. Dragons need to go to the ponies, but the ponies also need to go to the dragons.” More ideas started to go off in his head. Choice. A tributary state. Smaller population. Mixed culture. “We'll need somedragon to visit the other covens,” he muttered. “Cliff would be perfect.”

“Spike,” Autumn asked, “what are you talking about?”

Great, now Autumn's calling me by that nickname too. “Cliff's right. Individual ponies might be willing to accept having wyrms as neighbors, but an entire town full of ponies that didn't ask for it is just begging for trouble, especially with the media selling a million papers a day telling everypony how horrible wyrms are. They'll only stop that if dragons and ponies living together is already normal enough that they don't consider it newsworthy.” He grinned. “I think I know what we need to do.”

“I'm afraid I don't understand,” Rarity said as she pulled up alongside Autumn. “How are we to make dragons and ponies living together seem normal, if the media will not allow them to live together in peace until after it already is normal?”

“With a couple of decades, a lot of volunteers, and the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“I'll explain it once we're on the train.” They were only a few blocks from the station anyway.

“Okay, Spike,” Twilight said, “but I hope your idea is as good as you seem to think.”

Enough is enough. “Seriously, Twilight, what's up with the nickname all of the sudden?”

“Nickname?”

“Why did you call me 'Spike?'”

Twilight frowned in confusion. “Because that's your name?”

He frowned right back. “No it isn't. My name is Spirit Shield.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fire Eyes was shuddered as yet another memory attacked her. Cliff curled around her more tightly. He didn't know how long it had been since Celestia brought them to this room, since they had all collapsed on the large bed. The only thing he knew was that neither he nor his old friend could sleep, and so they held each other tight in the pile of dragons, offering whatever comfort they could to the other.

Cliff? Fire Eyes sent.

Yes?

You should go talk to Fluttershy in the morning.

Just thinking of his fiance drowned Cliff in so many conflicting emotions that he had to abandon the emotion-based language and reply with a soft whisper, “I'm not abandoning you again.”

It isn't abandoning me. I'm trying to talk you out of abandoning her. She held Whisper's sleeping form a little more tightly as she continued. I've been thinking about what you said. How you're leaving because you can't stand the idea of hurting her one day.

Cliff nodded into the back of his friend's neck.

Look, Cliff... that's stupid, even for you.

“I can't be the cause of her death, Fire Eyes.”

“Cliff, I nearly killed all of you today.” Pure sorrow began to course through the white dragoness. “I might finish the job tomorrow, or maybe it'll be you, or Whisper, or your grandparents. That's what it means to be a dragon.” She had to pause and fight down a wave of self-loathing. “The first time I had to kill a berserk hatchling, Fire Claws told me that, even if we are all just berserkers waiting to happen, if you want to be near anydragon, you have to accept that you might hurt them one day, and they have to accept it too.”

Cliff remained silent.

You know, you might kill one of us someday, or one of us could kill you.

“I know.”

But you still don't want to abandon us.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. “No.”

Then what makes things with Fluttershy any different?

“I don't know,” Cliff admitted.

So you're abandoning your fiance forever, and you don't even know why? Fire Eyes released a surge of anger. She deserves better than that.

They were silent for a moment before Cliff found himself nodding.

Just talk to her, okay? Stay with her, or let her come with us. It doesn't matter. Just don't throw away your happiness because I made you panic about going berserk.

...Okay, his emotions whispered. Just the thought of seeing Fluttershy again made him shake, partially because he loved her so much it hurt, and partially because he was terrified that he had ruined things between them.

Good. Fire Eyes gently nuzzled her little sister. The rest of us don't have a place in Ponyville anymore, but maybe you still do. Another wave of guilt hit her.

Cliff fueled as many positive emotions into the link as his troubled heart could manage. “Thank you, Fire Eyes. I was supposed to be helping you, but it looks like you helped me instead.”

“You fought a rank six berserker to save me.” She radiated guilt and gratitude equally. “I'm just trying to even the score.”

The young dragon wordlessly pulled her closer, and since there wasn't much else to say, the two dragons were content to simply relax and bask in their mutual feelings of companionship and support.

Minutes passed before the silence was broken by a gentle knock at the door.

“Of course,” Cliff groaned. He and Fire Eyes had a quick, emotion-based argument about who would get it, before he won on the basis that he wanted to eat another of the jewels Celestia had left for them. He disentangled his arms from the white dragoness, and pushed his grandfather's tail off of his waist before rising.

Whoever it was had just started knocking again when Cliff opened the door.

“Ye-” That was all he got out before a yellow and pink blur crashed into him, knocking him to the floor. “Fluttershy?!”

Both of Cliff's grandparents jumped up, awoken by the sudden noise. They relaxed as soon as they saw who it was though.

The yellow pegasus hugged Cliff so tight that he could barely breath. “Y-you meanie! Why did you run away?” Tears ran down to where her cheek was pressed against his. “I always knew you could turn into a berserker one day, but I didn't care! So why? Why did you leave?”

I think we can handle bringing her into the link for a little bit, Fire Eyes sent him as the two older dragons joined it. Unless you'd rather do things the hard way.

Cliff barely noticed her. He just held his fiance with as much strength as his weakened limbs would allow. Tears of his own began to flow. “Fluttershy, I am so sorry.”

Fire Eyes took that as his answer, and added the pegasus to their link. She and the others weakened their connections, giving the two some emotional privacy.

Love was the first thing they both felt. Real, pure, romantic love, built on mutual interests, respect, and attraction, nourished by time spent together and cherished during times apart. Other emotions existed in both of their hearts, a tangled mess of them, in fact, but everything else stopped mattering as the two realized just how much they loved each other, and how much it had hurt them both to imagine being separated.

“I'm sorry for everything,” Cliff whispered. “I won't ever leave you again.”

“I won't ever leave you either.” She nuzzled into his scales. “Can you forgive me for being afraid of you?”

“You aren't anymore,” he pointed out, as his heart said that he would forgive her for anything.

“...Uh, Fluttershy, were you ever going to get off of him?” a familiar voice asked.

The two jumped apart.

“Rainbow?” Cliff gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, somepony had to carry Fluttershy the second half of the way here.” She came forward. “Just one thing first.” The pegasus smacked him across the face, hard enough to knock the young dragon flat. “That's for running off on her!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy jumped between them. “Hitting Cliff won't solve anything.” She knelt beside the young dragon and helped him up.

“It's fine,” he assured her. “I deserved that.” He wrapped his tail around her waist and pulled her a little closer.

She responded with a wing around his shoulders and a warm feeling of gratitude.

“Yeah, anyway,” Rainbow blushed a little at their display of affection, and walked back to the door, “now that that's taken care of, you two can talk things out and make up.”

Fluttershy smiled a little at Cliff. “Um, actually, I think we already did.”

The other pegasus blinked. “Look, Fluttershy, I get that you're quick to forgive and all, but you've been talking for like ten seconds.”

“Linking magic.” Cliff massaged his tender jaw. “It's tough to argue when you can both sense exactly what the other is feeling.”

Fluttershy nodded. “We're going to stay together from now on. No matter what.”

“Okay.” Rainbow seemed to notice the other dragons for the first time. “Oh, uh, sorry about disturbing you all.” She motioned to the door. “C'mon, let's talk outside.”

Cliff looked back at his coven-mates. Even Whisper was awake by then. They all nodded sadly, and gently severed him and Fluttershy from the link. His heart felt hollow now that it wasn't filled with the emotions of his friends and family, but they recognized that he might be leaving with Fluttershy, and weren't going to risk letting their emotions influence his decision. “Alright...” Cliff rubbed away a tear, “let's go.”

The three of them relocated to the hallway. Rainbow turned to Cliff immediately. “So you're coming back to Ponyville then?”

“We can try that,” Cliff said, “but I don't think they'll want me anymore.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “We should go to Redstone, at least for a little while.”

Rainbow paused, and looked at her friend. “Wait, Fluttershy, you can't mean that you're actually leaving us.”

The yellow mare looked down as she hugged Cliff with her wing again. “Ponyville is dangerous for Cliff right now. I can't make him face that when we could go somewhere safe.”

“Fluttershy,” Cliff whispered, “you don't have to do this.”

“We can come back to visit sometimes, but until you can live in peace in Ponyville again, I'll stay with you at Redstone.” Her eyes glowed with quiet determination.

Cliff sighed, and then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He kept his face there, eyes closed, as he whispered, “I don't deserve you, but I love you.”

Rainbow scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Uh, maybe we can talk about this tomorrow? Celestia might have some other ideas.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Alright,” Cliff said. “For now, let's find somepony we can ask about a room for you two.” He really didn't want to leave his fiance, but, well... pony culture.

“No.” Fluttershy's wing tightened around him. “We can get a room for Rainbow, but I'm not letting you go again.” She blushed. “Uh, if that's okay with you.”

Cliff looked back at the room he had been sharing with his family. Fluttershy would never be comfortable sleeping in there, as much as he wished otherwise. “We'll ask for two rooms,” he said. “One for Rainbow, and one for us.”

Dash's jaw dropped, but Fluttershy just smiled and said, “Okay.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Somepony was knocking at the door.

Again? Cliff resisted the urge to growl. For a single moment there, curled up in bed with his arms around Fluttershy, he had been able to forget about his worries and relax. Then the knocking came. Knowing my luck, that will be an angry mob.

Fluttershy smiled apologetically as they untangled themselves. “Let's just see who it is.”

He nodded, and the two of them climbed out of bed. He pulled the door open. “Yes, what is it?” Cliff's eyes widened. “Oh... hi?”

Next to him, Fluttershy turned bright red.

Spike, Twilight, Autumn, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stared at the couple in shock.

It was Spike who finally broke the silence. “Well, I was going to tell you that I earned my true name, but I see you have bigger news. I gotta say, bro, I didn't know you had it in you, or in her, as the case may be.”

Fluttershy passed out, Twilight and Autumn smacked the younger dragon, Rarity and Applejack blushed heavily, Pinkie somehow already had a cake that read, “Congratulations on your first time!” and Cliff did the only logical thing to do in that situation. He facepalmed.

“Nothing happened! We just decided that neither of us will leave the other behind.” Still covering his face with one hand, he knelt down and gently shook his unconscious fiance.

“Suuuure.” His brother grinned.

“Ignore him,” Twilight said as Fluttershy started to wake up. “I think we've finally figured out how to make things work, and as luck would have it, you two working together would be perfect.”

Cliff and Fluttershy exchanged a look. She nodded slightly.

He turned back to Twilight. “What do you need us to do?”

---Six months later---

“I think we might be lost,” Fluttershy said as she studied the map. “There aren't enough landmarks for me to be sure where we are.”

Looking around, all Cliff could see was grass, scrub, and the occasional tumbleweed. They had lost sight of the mountains some time the day before. “Yeah.” He checked his saddlebags, made by Rarity and enchanted by his grandmother to be several times larger on the inside, as long as he fueled some willpower into it every day. Otherwise, the larger inside would tear the bags apart. “The good news is we have enough rations to keep going for another week, but we're running low on water.”

Fluttershy turned to the bird that had landed on her shoulder a few minutes ago. “Excuse me, Mr. Chickadee, but do you know of any streams nearby?” Her mane and tail were both trimmed shorter these days, and her entire body was more toned and lean from endless days of travel, but some things never changed.

The bird chirped and whistled before taking off.

“Oh, thank you!” She put the map in her own bags and turned to Cliff. “He says there's one this way.”

Cliff nodded and followed after her. He didn't know how he had survived in the wilderness without Fluttershy. A year ago, 'Mr. Chickadee' would have been a small meal. Now, he was a valuable source of information. Granted, Cliff was starting to miss fresh meat, as his fiance objected to him eating her new friends, but the jerky in his bags was at least decent.

They found the stream a few minutes later. It was small enough that spotting it from the air would have been difficult.

While Cliff filled and sanitized several bottles, Fluttershy asked Mr. Chickadee a few more questions.

“He says there aren't any berserkers in the area. He does see wyrms sometimes, usually over in that direction,” she pointed, “but he doesn't know where their coven is.”

Cliff considered that. “Well, at least we're probably close.”

“Silent Halls said it's a very small coven. Do you think we'll be able to convince anydragon to come with us?” Fluttershy's wings flickered, revealing her nervousness. “I hope I didn't slow you down the whole way out here, and then have it be for nothing.”

“You don't slow me down nearly as much as you think,” Cliff assured her. The yellow mare couldn't reach mach speeds, true, but she had enough speed and endurance that Cliff needed at least basic magic enhancements to keep up with her. “Besides, you're the one who changed everydragon's mind when they didn't want to listen to me at the Seacliff Coven. With how cute you are, I can't say I was surprised.”

Fluttershy smiled gratefully and leaned in for a quick kiss. “You convinced them at Rock Hall before that.”

He kissed her back. “And what about Snowspire a few weeks ago?”

“I think they just wanted to go somewhere warmer.” She nuzzled his cheek before looking up at the sky. “Do you think we'll find the Emerald Meadow Coven before dinner?”

Cliff shrugged. “Maybe. I can shoot up and take a look.” If there really was a coven nearby, it would be too risky to let Fluttershy fly around on her own. Many covens still believed that all ponies were evil.

“Would it be easier to send up a signal fire?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a burst of bright red fire appeared in the distance.

Cliff and Fluttershy exchanged a look. That probably wasn't the strangest coincidence of their journey so far, but it was definitely in the top five.

“Either somedragon else is looking for the coven, or they know we're out here somehow. In any case, I guess we should answer them.” Cliff took a deep breath, then shot out two large puffs of green fire.

Two more red puffs in the distance.

Fluttershy turned to the small bird that was still on her shoulder. “It looks like we found somedragon. Thank you for all of your help, Mr. Chickadee.”

The bird chirped a few times and bowed before taking off.

“You too,” she called after it.

With a nod, the companions set out towards whoever had created the red signal fires. Fluttershy rested her wing across Cliff's back as they went.

They had only been walking for a few minutes when somedragon shouted, “Get away from him, you monster!” A purple and red shape exploded out of the bushes nearby.

Seriously, this again? Cliff snapped a link into place with Fluttershy and threw out a shield immediately. “Wait, she isn't attacking me!”

Unfortunately, the dragoness leaping at them didn't seem to hear. Cliff was sure he recognized her from somewhere, but most of his attention was directed at the blue light extending from her claws.

Most of the time, he thought it was great that Ghost Claws could pass through any shield. Right then, not so much. Cliff moved forward, surging Scale Armor as he deflected the blow with his forearm. It left three bloody gashes there.

Sensing his pain, Fluttershy hit their attacker with an extra powerful version of The Stare.

The dragoness instantly collapsed in a shivering wreck.

A second dragon, gray with green spines, appeared behind her, clutching his chest and trembling. The Stare tended to have that effect when it was used on a linked group.

Cliff tackled the newcomer before he could recover, throwing him into a headlock with his face pressed against the grass.

“W-why are you helping that pony?” the dragon gasped.

His voice made Cliff freeze. “Dad?” He let go and stumbled back, glancing at the fallen dragoness. “Mom? What the hay, you two?”

The gray dragon flipped onto his back. “Cliff, run! That pony must have been controlling you!” He sent a blast of green fire at Fluttershy.

She shot into the sky to dodge. Not that it was really necessary. Cliff had already cast a spell to make her immune to heat. Oh my goodness, she sent. These are your parents? I'm so sorry, Cliff! I didn't know!

It's fine, he sent back, healing the cuts on his arm. “Dad, she hasn't been controlling me.” He extended a link to his father. “See for yourself.”

His eyes shot nervously to the hovering pegasus, and then back down to his son before he accepted it.

Cliff gasped as waves of terror and regret hit him. Whoa, Fluttershy, how strong was that Stare?

“I'm sorry,” she squeaked as her face turned red. “She hurt you, and it made me really upset, and I just wanted to make her understand that it isn't nice to attack strangers like that. Here, let me fix it.”

With a nod, Cliff looked up into the eyes of his fiance.

Fluttershy hit him with something they had been working on for a few months. She called it the Love Stare.

As the name suggested, love and warmth poured into the young dragon, and from him to his parents, erasing the lingering effects from her first Stare.

Cliff went to the fallen dragoness and helped her up. “Not exactly the reunion I was expecting, but it's good to see you, Mom.”

“It's good to see you too, Cliff.” She pressed a hand against her forehead. What did that pony do to me?

Sorry, Cliff sent her. The Stare is a magical effect, so not even the Stillness can block it out completely.

Fluttershy landed slightly apart from the wyrms. Experience had shown that getting too close to nervous wyrms too quickly only caused problems. “I, um, I'm sorry for hurting you.” Embarrassment and nervousness radiated from her.

Cliff, his father glanced at the pegasus, why are you working with one of the creatures that stole your brother from us?

Fluttershy cringed a little.

Dad, she can understand you.

It's still a valid question, Cliff, his mother sent back.

The young dragon resisted the urge to sigh. My brother is the one that convinced me to try getting along with ponies in the first place, and she happens to be one of his best friends.

Wait, you found him?! Both parents shouted simultaneously.

Now that he was confidant that she wasn't going to fall over, Cliff released his mother and moved to stand next to the yellow pegasus. “Yeah. There's a lot that I need to tell you both, but let's get introductions out of the way first. Fluttershy, meet Scenic Trail, my mother, and Sky Painter, my father. Mom, Dad, this is Fluttershy, my fiance.”

They stared at him in shocked silence for a moment before Sky Painter turned to his wife and asked, “So what's your vote? I'm sticking with mind control.”

Scenic Trail facepalmed. “Cliff, start talking.”

Author's Note

Hey, happy feelings. I remember these.

Spike finally got his true name; Spirit Shield. You all knew it was going to happen eventually.

I'm curious what you think of Fluttershy's decision to leave Ponyville with Cliff, and your theories about what Spike, now Spirit, has been cooking up.

Cliff's parents are finally back from their travels. Boy are they in for some surprises!

Chapter 34

It was long past sundown by the time Cliff and Fluttershy finished their tale. The two older dragons were a bit uncertain at first, but slowly began to relax as the link allowed them to feel the love, trust, and respect that Fluttershy and their son radiated towards each other.

“Spirit Shield,” Scenic Trail whispered with a smile. “I can't believe we finally found him.” She pulled Fluttershy into a warm embrace. “Thank you so much for taking care of both of my sons.”

Sky Painter watched them with a grin. “You might want to ease up, dear. Cliff probably wouldn't like it if you strangled his fiance.”

“Oh hush.” She pulled back long enough to stick her tongue out at her husband. “I just learned that my son is alive and well, I have an adopted daughter, and very soon I'm going to have a daughter-in-law. I need to hug at least one of my new family members.”

“Does that mean you approve of us, Scenic Trail?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.

“You followed Cliff all over the continent because you wanted to support him. Of course I approve.” She gave the pegasus one last squeeze. “Oh, and call me, 'Mom.' Everydragon else does.”

Cliff let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. It wasn't that he expected his parents to reject Fluttershy or anything, but there had always been that nagging worry.

Meanwhile, the yellow mare pulled Scenic Trail into another hug. “Oh, thank you so much... Mom.”

Apparently overdosing on adorableness wasn't lethal, otherwise Cliff would have died happy. “Dad, record them.”

“With pleasure.” Sky Painter motioned, and the air in front of him seemed to solidify, perfectly capturing the image of Fluttershy and Scenic Trail embracing. He pulled out a small metal sheet from his bags, and the image shrank down to fit onto it. “By the way, Cliff,” he leaned over conspiratorially, “what's it like kissing a pony? Is it furry?”

Cliff didn't justify that with a response.

“Fine. Party pooper.”

Scenic Trail finally released Fluttershy, and moved to embrace Cliff next. “How long do you think it will take us to get to Everfree Village?”

“Well, first we have to find the Emerald Meadow Coven,” Cliff said as he returned the hug. “After that, depending on how many want to come with us, it will take about eight days to reach Redstone and pick up the dragons from the other covens that are waiting there, then eleven more days to lead them all to Dodge Junction. After that, it's just an overnight train ride and a quick walk away.”

“We've waited twenty-seven years to meet Spirit,” Trail said with a sigh. “I suppose another twenty days won't kill us.”

“Actually, we could send him a message right now,” Fluttershy said.

“He'd definitely appreciate it.” Cliff released his mother and dug through his saddlebags until he found a quill, some parchment, and a glowstone. He gave them all to her. “Here. Celestia used some sort of magic on me before we left. It lets me send letters to either her or Spirit just by breathing fire on them.”

“Are you serious?” Trail asked, staring at the quill and parchment dubiously. “Even when you're this far apart?”

“It's Celestia, Mom. Do you really think there's much that she can't do?” Cliff pulled out a letter and gave it to Sky Painter. “Spirit sent us this just yesterday, telling us how the second group we took to Everfree is settling in.”

Sky Painter took the letter and skimmed through it in the glowstone's light. “Who's AJ, and why is she about ready to kill somepony named Angel?”

Fluttershy blushed. “AJ is short for Applejack. She offered to look after my animals when we first left. Angel is my pet bunny. Sometimes he can be a little...”

“Evil,” Cliff finished.

“I'm sure he just misses me. It has been a few months since our last visit.”

Sky looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “And is it normal for Spirit to pass along death threats from your mother?”

Cliff nodded. “We get those about once per week. She just worries about Fluttershy, and wants to make sure I'm keeping her safe.”

“Sky,” Scenic Trail looked up from the letter she was writing, “set up an illusion to signal Emerald Meadow. They've got to have at least one sentry on lookout.”

The gray dragon groaned. “Can't we just find them in the morning? I was hoping to get a good night's sleep.”

“The sooner we find that coven, and let Cliff and Fluttershy ask for volunteers, the sooner we get to meet Spirit. You can sleep some other time.”

“As you command.” He closed his eyes and focused for a moment. Giant glowing letters flickered to life in the sky above them, spelling out, 'WARNING, OVERBEARING DRAGONESS! SEND HELP!!!'

Scenic Trail rolled her eyes and went back to writing.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Hey guys,

I can't believe you're in Dodge Junction already! Glad to hear your trip was uneventful. Nothing much has happened around here either. It's amazing how much things have calmed down since Celestia passed those anti-libel laws. Denying visitation permits to the worst reporters hasn't hurt either. Yeah, yeah, it's kind of fighting dirty, but in all fairness and maturity, they started it! Besides, what was the point of setting up a new country inside of the Everfree Forest if we weren't going to take advantage of the powers that come with it?

Twilight's holding Friendship Court right now, but I'm sure she'd be honored to officiate at the wedding. Well, after she finishes panicking about it. You know her.

Oh, Fluttershy, we got the response from your parents a few days ago. They say a week from Saturday will be fine, and send their love, along with the usual death threat for Cliff if he lets you get hurt.

No, Mom, Autumn isn't made of crystal. She sends her regards, by the way, and has set aside a bowl of crystallized flowers for you and Dad. It's a good thing so many crystal ponies asked to immigrate, because Pinkie keeps ordering more crystals to bake into party food. It was getting to the point that Autumn couldn't keep up by herself.

Speaking of Pinkie, she says to tell you that she's working on an extra big surprise party for your arrival tomorrow, “So you'd better be surprised!”

I think you're going to like some of the changes that we've put into effect around here since your last visit. The only thing still giving us grief is trying to figure out how to run an economy when nearly half our population is still against the idea of some form of money.

It isn't that big of a problem as long as they stay inside of Everfree Village, where pretty much everything is free, but lots of ponies, and even some of the dragons, like to go shopping in Ponyville's marketplace. Right now we're having them charge purchases to the village itself, but it's only a matter of time before somepony starts abusing that.

At least Everfree's finances are sound. How ironic is it that dragon magic works so much better than unicorn magic for enchanting, when most dragons avoid owning anything? Anyway, we're still exporting glowstones, fashion accessories, etc, as quickly as we can make them. Twilight just put the finishing touches on a new invention. It's a suit of armor that maintains a Scale Armor effect on anypony wearing it. Sure, the willpower in it needs to be recharged every few years, but that's a relatively minor issue. Celestia already commissioned enough for the entire royal guard, along with a bunch of those heat-immunity medallions that everypony in the village wears.

She also started a new project recently. You know how Rainbow Dash's dragon abilities only turn on when she wants them, right? Well, wyrm spellcasting and the berserk transformation are too closely linked for her to remove one without the other, but Twilight thinks she can install a 'switch' similar to what Rainbow has, making it so wyrms can only use spells when they're consciously willing that ability to be active. Put simply, it would be impossible to go berserk unless you're currently using magic. Sure it won't be much use for adults that are always maintaining at least one spell, like Grandma, but we think it should help a lot with hatchlings.

In other good news, we had another berserker scare just this morning. The wyrms nearby were able to restrain him immediately though, and a unicorn cast the memory spell before there were any serious injuries. Those mandatory training exercises have obviously been doing some good.

I've enjoyed being your pen pal too, Cliff, but it's going to be great to finally have you back to stay! I'll see you all tomorrow!

-Spirit Shield

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Alright, everydragon,” Cliff shouted over the crowd. “We're nearly there now. Come this way.”

Sky Painter walked alongside his son, eyeing the ponies nearby nervously.

Just over fifty wyrms followed the pair away from the train station. Most were adults, but quite a few hatchlings either rode on their parents' backs or walked along with the group. At the very back, Fluttershy was making sure nodragon fell behind, as she talked with Scenic Trail.

“As you all know, this is Ponyville. It's where we first experimented with dragons living in Equestria. Unfortunately, inter-species tensions eventually forced us to seek other options. If it weren't for the tireless efforts of my adopted sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and our brother, Spirit Shield, the Cultural Exchange Program would have collapsed entirely.”

Several reporters ran up to the group, snapping photos and asking for quotes. Luckily, the dragons had all been warned to expect this, and ignored them.

Cliff activated a voice-amplification spell and continued, “WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT CHOICE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT FOR PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE, SPIRIT SHIELD CAME UP WITH THE SIMPLE IDEA OF MAKING A NEW TOWN, SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR TWO RACES TO SHARE. THAT WAY, EVERY PONY AND DRAGON THAT MOVED THERE WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE GETTING INTO.”

Cliff continued to talk, explaining everything that went into the founding of Everfree Village, including the extremely long waiting lists for ponies that wanted to immigrate. “PONIES ALL OVER EQUESTRIA ARE WILLING TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH US. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT WE WANT TO KEEP THE RATIO OF DRAGONS TO PONIES ROUGHLY EVEN. NOW THAT YOU'RE ALL HERE, WE CAN EXPECT A STEADY STREAM OF NEW PONIES OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.”

After passing the outskirts of Ponyville, and the still abandoned Dragon House, Cliff directed the group to a well traveled path, leading into the Everfree Forest. “Remember, everydragon, this forest can be dangerous. Stay in the protected zones, like this path, or you might run into timberwolves, or manticores, or the stars only know what else.”

A few minutes later, The Castle of The Two Sisters came into view. It had been fixed up a lot since the last time they were here. Cliff could hardly tell it had once been a ruin at all. A cluster of buildings surrounded it, encompassed by a stone wall. He led them up to the front gate. “Technically, this isn't even a part of Equestria. It's a tributary state. In essence, we obey all of Equestria's laws, but the Council has freedom to add, remove, or modify as needed for our... unique population.”

They passed through the front gate, which was always left open. Twilight had cooked up some kind of magical ward to keep any unwanted creatures out.

“Remember,” Cliff said as they walked through the empty village and up to the castle, “act surprised.” He pushed the door open.

“SURPRISE!!!” Pinkie jumped out of the darkness inside amidst a rain of confetti.

Behind her, over two hundred dragons and ponies cheered and applauded under a banner that read, “Welcome Home!”

Leaving the newcomers to mingle, Cliff and Fluttershy led his parents to where Spirit, Twilight, and the rest of their friends and family waited. The Cutie-mark and Name Crusaders ran to meet them halfway, and Cliff scooped all four of them into his arms for a big hug. Behind them, he noticed a disheveled Applejack standing next to a cage containing an even more disheveled Angel Bunny.

Fluttershy flew to them immediately. “Oh, Applejack, I hope Angel didn't cause you too much trouble.” She took out the white rabbit and tenderly hugged him to her chest.

The farm mare kept her expression carefully neutral. “It was an experience. Tha's all ah'm gonna say about it.”

Cliff winced a little for what she must have gone through, and carefully set the Crusaders down. “Anyway, Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Spirit Shield, the best little brother I could have asked for. Spirit, meet Scenic Train and Sky Painter, your-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Fire Claws cut him off and shoved her younger grandson forward. “Hug your parents already.” She then followed her own advice and wrapped the three of them in her arms.

Cliff and Burning Torch joined them.

“Twilight, Fluttershy,” the older dragoness jerked her head, “get over here. No family members are getting left out.” She turned her gaze to Autumn, and though she didn't say anything, the crystal mare nodded and joined in as well.

The moment would have been perfect if it weren't for Angel hopping out of Fluttershy's arms to kick Cliff's shins. It was pretty good anyway.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Technically, Twilight is the ruler of Everfree,” Spirit explained as he gave them the tour. “Just like, technically, I'm its ambassador to Equestria, but really, we're just two of the ten members of the Council. Sure, Twi's got the deciding vote in case of a tie, but that's really it.”

“Melding two distinct cultures was always going to be difficult,” Autumn said, “and we wanted to be sure that neither species had more power or representation than the other.”

“At least for the first few years,” Spirit continued.

Autumn nodded. “After that, species won't be a factor at all in determining who fills which seats on the Council.”

Sky Painter leaned over to Cliff and whispered, “Am I the only one getting whiplash from the way she keep finishing his thoughts?”

“That's just something Autumn does,” Fire Eyes replied. It had taken some convincing to get the white dragoness to give living with ponies another try, but Whisper's constant begging had eventually won her over. “You'll get used to it.”

“The nests in the castle can be used by any villager, but for the most part, they're for visitors and newcomers that don't have a house yet.”

“Speaking of which,” Autumn continued, “we have a number of vacant houses at the moment, so most of this group should be able to find one and move in right away.”

“And if they can't,” Spirit took over, “even most of the ponies around here have gotten used to sleeping in a nest with strangers, so nodragon will have to sleep in the castle unless they want to.”

“Quite a few are still wary of owning a house though. The nests in the grand hall are filled almost every night.”

By the time they finished in the castle and moved outside, Sky Painter was holding his head and groaning softly.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Scenic Trail finished writing something and looked up at Twilight. “Okay, what happened on the eighteenth day of their courtship?”

Twilight consulted the journal she shared with the rest of her friends. “Ah, that's the day Spirit and Autumn asked them to go on a double date in Canterlot. He was unsure of pony courtship rituals, and so he came to me for advice...”

“Are you sure you need to be here for this?” Cliff asked. They were in Rarity's second boutique, the smaller one she had set up in Everfree Village, but while the two females were sitting and enjoying a light snack, he was being forced to stand in place while Rarity made some last-minute adjustments to his suit. As though the endless stream of suits he had been trying on all week hadn't been enough. “It sounds like you have all the important details.”

“Yes, but we need you to check the facts on what I have written,” Twilight explained. “Otherwise we might get something wrong.”

It had been a crazy week, that much was for sure. Between Everfree Village's bizarre mix of pony and wyrm culture, getting used to having his parents around again, and planning a wedding, Cliff had barely had a moment to relax.

“You know how important it is to get the historical aspect of my stories correct, Cliff.”

Twilight nodded. “And this is being made for posterity as well. Poor record keeping is why there are so many misconceptions about zebras.”

Cliff decided to stay quiet. He knew better than to argue with either of them when they got like this.

“Now now,” Rarity said as she worked. “There's no need to gang up on him. After all, it is his wedding day tomorrow, and he isn't even having a bachelor party to celebrate.”

“By my own choice,” Cliff reminded them. As soon as he found out what a bachelor party was, he informed everypony that he wouldn't be following that part of pony tradition. The decision was made even easier by the fact that Spirit and his father were to be in charge of planning it. The stars only knew what those two would have cooked up. “If anything, I would have wanted to do the Day of Reflection, like normal wyrms.”

“Hmm, yes.” Rarity marked something on the suit's hems. “Spending the entire day together, talking about the future does seem rather romantic. However, it's a pony tradition not to see the bride on the night before the wedding, let alone sleep next to her, and Autumn and I did put a fair amount of effort into planning the bachelorette party.”

Twilight checked the clock. “Speaking of which, we need to get over to the palace and start setting up.”

Cliff nodded. “Before you leave, would you mind if I asked you something?”

“Of course not.” Twilight closed the journal and put it in her saddlebags. “What is it?”

“I heard Autumn mention something about getting edible clothing to give to Fluttershy tonight. Why would Fluttershy need to eat her own clothes? Is that part of some tradition that nopony has told me about?”

Twilight blushed, and exchanged a long look with Rarity, who was also turning red. “No, it's, uh, something that you and Fluttershy should talk about in private. We really need to get moving, Mom!” She practically ran from the building.

“No clue what that was about,” Scenic Trail commented, “but at least she's finally calling me 'Mom.'” The dragoness put away the last of her notes and climbed to her feet. “I'll see you later tonight, Cliff.”

“Yeah, see you then.” He shook his head as he turned back to Rarity. “What could be so embarrassing about clothes anyway?”

Rarity cleared her throat delicately. “You may understand after you see her wearing my own gift.”

“You mean the wedding dress?” She had refused to let them pay for it.

“No, an outfit with a,” Rarity cleared her throat again, “slightly different function in mind. In any case, we still have two hours until the bachelorette party begins. We should make the most of them.”

Cliff resisted the urge to groan. Another two hours of this? And I still don't know what sort of clothing they're talking about...

-_-_-_-_-_-

It was still dark when Cliff awoke. Like a traditional wyrm wedding, the ceremony was to be performed at dawn. He gently shook his friends and family awake. Spirit, Twilight, and Autumn had really adapted to wyrm sleeping arrangements during his absence. It was almost a shame that he hadn't been there to see the awkward transition phase.

Getting ready was a blur. Cliff couldn't believe how nervous he was. He wasn't afraid, at least, he didn't think he was, but his heart wouldn't stop racing. After slipping into his suit, a black tuxedo with green flame patterns, the young dragon joined the rest of his family at the door, and they made their way to the castle.

The inside was filled with flowers, ribbons, and balloons. Putting both Rarity and Pinkie Pie in charge of decorations had led to a bizarre mixture of styles that was somehow perfect for the young couple.

Nests ran down both sides of the main hallway. Since they couldn't be moved, they would take the place of normal seats. An altar to the stars had been erected on the small landing at the end of the hall, where Cliff and Fluttershy would say their vows.

“I'm going to forget something!” Twilight moaned, frantically reviewing her flashcards.

Spirit Shield rolled his eyes. “Come on, Twilight. You say a few words, pronounce them mare and wyrm, and that's it.”

“But what if I make a mistake? If I accidentally pronounce them mare and colt instead, then the wedding will only be valid if Cliff is a stallion. I'd have to transform him into a pony!”

“Remember the Stillness, sis.” The dragon patted her back. “We both know that you won't make that mistake, and even if you did, you could just correct yourself, and everything would be fine.”

“I'd actually like to see Cliff as a pony,” Fire Eyes said. After Rarity explained what a 'best mare' was, Cliff had immediately asked his oldest friend to fill the role. “What do you think he'd look best as, pegasus or earth pony?”

“How about an alicorn?” Cliff suggested.

“How about not?” Spirit replied. “I vote earth pony.”

“I say pegasus.” Fire Eyes said.

“So long as Fluttershy likes it, I'll take either.” Cliff excused himself and walked to the altar. Dragons and ponies were already starting to flood in, and they would be starting soon.

Discord waved cordially at the young dragon as he passed. Cliff still had mixed feelings about the draconequus being invited, but he had given them the most astonishing wedding present imaginable by Pinkie promising that he wouldn't pull any pranks or cause any chaos or mayhem.

Fluttershy's parents sat next to him. Her mother, Silver Lining, was giving Discord a look that guaranteed death if he broke that promise.

Celestia and Luna were among the last to arrive. It was a bit surprising that they had found time to come at all, but given that Fluttershy was a national heroine, Cliff couldn't say that he was completely shocked. If the Council hadn't outlawed reporters for the day, it would probably have been a media circus outside.

Once the Immortal Sisters had been seated in their private booth, Twilight gave the signal for them all to get into position.

Fire Eyes, along with Cliff's parents and grandparents stood behind him as his 'stallion's men,' even though none of them were stallions, and only two were male, while Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Autumn, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie took their places on the opposite side of the room as Fluttershy's bridesmaids.

“Is everypony ready?” Twilight asked.

They all nodded.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and motioned for Spirit to start playing the organ.

As the music began, the front door of the castle opened, and all four Crusaders pranced up the aisle, tossing flowers as they went.

Walking behind them came the most beautiful creature that Cliff had ever seen. Fluttershy's mane spilled down her neck and shoulders in a style that looked completely natural, until one noticed that it framed her engagement necklace perfectly, and drew attention to her large teal eyes, which shone with tears of joy. A white lily was tucked behind one ear. Her dress was of the same color, with white ribbons woven through her wings. Pink shoes and a matching belt finished the outfit.

Only one word could adequately describe her: angelic.

Cliff had to remind himself to breathe. I can't believe that such an amazing pony would actually want me for her husband. He didn't even care that her demonic pet, Angel, was carrying her train.

Fluttershy drew near, and gave Cliff the most heartwarming smile imaginable.

He couldn't have stopped himself from smiling back if he'd tried. And of course, he didn't try.

Twilight had to wipe away a stray tear. “Fillies and gentlecolts, dragons and dragonesses, we are gathered here to celebrate the union of Fluttershy and Cliff Runner, who showed the world that love really can overcome anything. Not because it can destroy armies, but because it inspires each of us to be the best we possibly can, to reach out to others, to accept each other for who they are. Love is the purest form of friendship, and I can think of nopony who deserves to find it more than these two.”

Using her magic, the alicorn lifted a small emerald, the same one Cliff had once given to Fluttershy to look after. She pressed it against her friend's engagement necklace, and in a flash of light, it replaced the sapphire that had once been there. “I now pronounce you, mare and col- wyrm!” She blushed, and a light chuckle went through the audience. “Y-you may kiss the bride.”

Their lips came together in a tender expression of love. Cliff felt like he could lose himself in that one perfect moment. He gently stroked his claws across the soft fur of her cheek, and broke off the kiss so he could nuzzle his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, Fluttershy.”

“I love you too, Cliff Runner,” she whispered back.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The celebratory breakfast in the courtyard was everything a newlywed couple could hope for. No pony or dragon was surprised by this. Pinkie had been placed in charge. Food was everywhere, including a variety of meats. This might have caused problems once, but the residents of Everfree Village had long since accepted that dragons were omnivores and ponies weren't. Games for both the young and old were scattered around the area. A Canterlot string quartet played alongside a choir of dragons. Everywhere, dragons and ponies were celebrating, not just the union of Cliff and Fluttershy, but the union of their two races.

After hugging and being congratulated by nearly the entire village, the newlyweds were finally able to get their food and take a seat with the rest of their friends and family.

Spirit leaned over and patted his brother's back. “Congrats, bro. Is it weird to be married?”

Cliff looked at Fluttershy, who was talking with Rarity, but smiled when she saw him looking. He smiled back. “No, it's the most amazing feeling under the stars.” He nudged the younger dragon playfully. “Why don't you just propose to Autumn already so you can see for yourself?”

“Give me time. Aren't you the one who told me that dragons should get used to thinking in the long term?”

“Yeah, I suppose I did. Well then, what's the long term for all of this?” He gestured around them.

“Work out the kinks in the Everfree Village, then build another one like it next to Canterlot,” Spirit said without hesitation. “From there, spread them all across Equestria. Give it another century, and we won't even have to keep them separate anymore. Dragon-pony coexistence will just be the way things are.”

“Your name suits you.” Cliff smiled.

'Spirit Shield' could mean, 'One Who Protects the Hearts of Others,' or, 'One Who Calms the Raging Beast.' Given what Spirit was doing with his life, however, the best interpretation was probably, 'One Who Guides Others Towards Greatness,' and Spirit wasn't just guiding anydragon, he was guiding two whole species.

“Thanks, Cliff.” The younger dragon frowned for a moment. “I still think it's weird that I can't think of 'Spike' as my name at all anymore.”

“Your whole sense of identity gets tied to your true name when you earn it,” Cliff said with a shrug. “Of course nothing else seems to fit you after that.”

Spirit nodded thoughtfully. “You know, you never did tell me what your name means.”

Cliff leaned over to his new wife, and caught her in a firm hug, planting a few kisses on the back of her neck.

She giggled cutely and returned the embrace, kissing him once on the lips before returning to her conversation with Rarity.

“One Who Embraces the Future,” Cliff said, and motioned towards Fluttershy. “I just had to figure out which future to embrace.”

The End

Author's Note

Wow, I can't believe it's finally over, and I have to admit that I'm getting a bit teary-eyed just writing this. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Lots of people have asked if I'm going to do a sequel of some kind. I'm working on one, but it'll be a while before I'm ready to put anything up. In the meantime, if anyone wants to use any of these characters/this culture, in their own stories, feel free. You can find two blogs connected to this story that give just about any details you might need. If anything isn't covered, PM me, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

There are certainly plenty of stories left to tell in this world, so if you have any specific requests for what I include in the sequel, mention them in the comments. I can't guarantee that your suggestions will work, but I do promise to give them fair consideration.

Chapter 1

Cliff Runner was a trained warrior and explorer. He had spent years traveling and living in some of the most dangerous areas of the continent. He was smart, he was driven, and he was careful. Unfortunately, at the moment, he was also terrified, completely immobilized, and facing down one of the three most powerful beings on the planet. In a dark alleyway. In the middle of an enemy capital.

It hadn't been a very good night.

He poured every last ounce of strength and willpower into breaking free, but the magical field around him didn't so much as budge. Not surprising, given that the Princess of the Night herself was the one maintaining it.

The dark blue alicorn barely spared him a glance before moving to help the unicorn stallion that Cliff had been holding down just seconds earlier. “Did this young dragon harm thee, citizen?”

“N-no, I'm fine.” The stallion bowed deeply. “Thank you so much, Princess Luna!”

She acknowledged the thanks with a nod. “Wouldst thou tell me what happened?”

“Yes, your highness. I was just on my way home when that dragon attacked me! I didn't even know he was a dragon at first, because of his cloak, and by the time I realized, it was too late to get away.”

Liar! Cliff thought. He had walked up to the unicorn and said, 'excuse me, I need your help.' When the stallion turned around to face him, and saw into his hood, he had screamed and run away.

For being such a vicious race, ponies were surprisingly cowardly when caught on their own. It probably had something to do with being herd animals. In any case, Cliff had tackled him to the ground so that he could at least ask a few questions. Then, well, this.

Princess Luna turned back to Cliff, her eyes glowing white with power as her ethereal mane and tail billowed out behind her. “YOUNG DRAGON,” she shouted in a voice that threatened to shatter windows, “WHY HAST THOU ATTACKED A CITIZEN OF GREAT CANTERLOT?!”

If the stories were true, Princess Luna had recently returned from her thousand year banishment, and spent her nights hunting down and destroying any creature that threatened her subjects in any way. Cliff figured that his odds of escape were about zero, and survival, if possible, even lower. He closed his eyes, cleared his heart, and waited for the inevitable.

“I ordered thee to speak.” Her voice wasn't nearly as loud, but somehow, it was much harder, and far more close.

Cliff opened his eyes to find the alicorn only a foot or so away. He also found that his jaw had been released. “I didn't attack him, Immortal One,” he said at once.

Her white eyes narrowed. “What I witnessed says otherwise.”

“I just need information, Princess. I was going to release him as soon as he answered my questions.”

Princess Luna's eyes faded from white to blue, but the look she gave him certainly wasn't friendly. “Pray tell, what is this information thou dost seek?”

Cliff considered lying... to an immortal, god-like being. 'Stupid' didn't quite cover how bad of an idea that would be. He took a deep breath. “I'm here looking for another dragon; my older brother.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

Several minutes later, Cliff Runner found himself standing in the royal throne room, confronted by not one, but two legends. Princess Luna explained to her older sister that she had noticed a cloaked figure moving through the alleyways, and had followed him until the incident with the unicorn.

While they talked, Cliff weighed his options. His emotions were screaming at him to run, but the logical part of his mind pointed out that he wouldn't get very far. There were guards surrounding the door, and even if there weren't, it would only take a fraction of a second for one of the Immortal Sisters to grab him with their telekinesis again, and probably break a few bones for trying to get away. He could only remain in place, and pray they were feeling merciful.

Celestia's eyes widened when she heard that Cliff was looking for his brother, but remained silent until Luna had finished her account. “There are very few dragons living in Equestria, young one,” she said at last. “Why would you come here looking for your brother?”

Cliff embraced the Stillness, washing away all his emotions so that they couldn't distract him. “His egg was stolen from my parents many years ago. We have searched for it ever since. I recently heard that a young dragon without a family attended the Great Migration. I also heard that he was exchanging letters with a pony princess. I came here hoping that princess was one of you two.”

The Princess of the Sun studied his purple scales and green spikes. “How long ago was his egg taken?”

“Twenty-seven years, Princess.”

“And you believe that it was ponies who took it?”

Cliff Runner nodded silently. If I'm lucky, they'll just sell me into slavery. He could handle that. Getting away from some rich pony would be much easier than escaping from these two... unless one of them decided to keep him for their own. He tried not to think about that.

The white alicorn sighed. “It is true that dragon eggs are sometimes stolen and sold on the black market, despite my attempts to prevent it. I know of an egg that was confiscated from smugglers twenty-seven years ago, and I do, in fact, exchange letters with the dragon who hatched from it. I would be happy to tell you where he lives. However, may I first offer you my deepest apology for the cruelty your family suffered at pony hooves?”

Cliff stared at her in confusion. He could feel her sincerity, but this was the god-like ruler of Equestria. How could he be sure that anything she did wasn't a trick? Still, she was offering him what he had come to Canterlot to find, and being polite to a veritable goddess couldn't be a bad idea. “I accept your apology, Princess Celestia. If you can indeed help me find my brother, then I would be most appreciative.” He bowed deeply.

A small smile touched the Princess's face. “There is one thing you should know first. This egg lay dormant for quite some time before we were able to hatch it. The brother you seek may be much younger than you were expecting.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The ride to Ponyville was somehow both too short and too long. Cliff spent most of it lost in thought. The Immortal Sisters had been... nice, especially Celestia, and it was making him question what he thought he knew about ponies. Sure, they might have lied about egg theft being illegal, or wanting peace between ponies and dragons, but what would be the point?

Cliff was a lone dragon, hardly a powerful ally, let alone a threat. The Sisters had absolutely no reason to help him, and yet they had. Maybe she put me under a mind control spell. It would explain why he was even considering that his kind might be wrong about ponies. But there it is again, why would she bother?

Princess Celestia had cast some sort of spell on him, but she claimed it was to verify his relationship to Spike. That was the young dragon's name, Spike, and if what the Princess said was true, he really was Cliff's brother.

Spike was the personal assistant of a new alicorn princess, whom he had served for his entire life. Both Sisters had assured him that Spike stayed with her voluntarily, but Cliff couldn't imagine why anydragon would choose to serve some bratty princess. Is this all part of some scheme?

He briefly considered taking the baby dragon and running, but dismissed the idea as too dangerous. Either of the Sisters could lay waste to his entire coven. Cliff couldn't gamble all of their lives on the chance that the alicorns might track him with their magic.

They were nearing the cluster of lights that Cliff had to assume was Ponyville. He sighed. If he couldn't risk upsetting Celestia or Luna, then he really had no choice but to play along with whatever they had planned.

The chariot touched down near a large crystalline tree/building hybrid of some kind at the edge of Ponyville.

Cliff had to wonder why anydragon would bother to make a building out of a tree. Ponies are just strange. He climbed down and thanked the two bat-winged pegasi who had brought him.

They made some indecipherable noise, and took off for Canterlot again.

Cliff watched them go with a sigh. At times he couldn't help but envy those with the power of flight. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to the door, and paused. All these years, he had imagined meeting an older brother, and returning together to their parents. Somehow it had never occurred to him that the ponies would have taken nearly two decades to hatch Spike's egg, or that he would have a life among them. Will he even want to come home with me? There was only one way to find out. Brushing his worries aside, Cliff gave the door several firm knocks.

…

He knocked again.

…

Do ponies hibernate or something? Cliff knocked again.

“Coming,” a voice called. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a tired, and slightly grumpy looking purple alicorn. Her eyes widened when she saw him. “Spike? No...” She looked more closely. His coloring was the same as Spike's, but he was as tall as she would be standing on her back hooves, and his face was a little different. The tattered cloak he wore failed to hide a lithe body and whip-like tail, very different from the cute baby dragon she knew and loved. “Who are you?”

“My name is Cliff Runner, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He was getting sick of bowing, but did so anyway. “Does a baby dragon named Spike live here with you?”

“Of course he does,” the Princess confirmed. “Is he a friend of yours?”

“We've never met, but,” Cliff took a deep breath, “he is my brother.”

“Brother?” Stars literally appeared in her eyes. “Spike has a brother? That's wonderful! Come in. I'm so happy to meet you!” Cliff was ushered inside amid a barrage of questions. “How old are you? Where do you live? Why haven't we met before? Why are you wearing an old cloak?”

He waited for her to calm down before he tried to answer anything. “I'm twenty years old. My coven lives in the south-west, past the borders of Equestria. Spike's egg was stolen from my parents many years ago, and we've been looking for it ever since. I needed a way to blend in with ponies.”

“Spike has parents!” The stars grew even brighter. “Tell me everything about them!”

“I have what?!” a new voice said.

Cliff and the Princess looked behind her to see a baby dragon with Cliff's exact colors staring at them.

It was strange. He had rehearsed this moment thousands of times in his head, but now that it was finally here, Cliff didn't know what to say. His body seemed to take action on its own, pushing past the alicorn and walking towards this new arrival. “You're Spike...” he breathed, “right?”

The little dragon nodded. “Y-yeah. Who are you.”

Cliff didn't answer. He didn't care if this was what Celestia wanted, just looking at the baby dragon was enough to confirm that they were related. He knelt down and pulled Spike into a hug. “You have no idea how long we've been searching for you,” he whispered, “brother.”

“I, huh, what?!” the younger dragon sputtered. “Brother?!”

Another pair of limbs wrapped around them both. “Oh Spike, he's your brother! I'm so happy for you!”

At any other time, Cliff might have cared that he was being hugged by a pony princess. Tonight, however, his every thought was for the small body in his arms that had stopped struggling, and then slowly returned his embrace.

Author's Note

I've been writing for years now, but this is the first time I've worked up the courage to post anything. In spite of that, please don't hold back in your comments. If you're trying to help, then I'll give your feedback the attention it deserves.

Chapter 7

Consciousness returned slowly to Cliff Runner. There were flashes of light; images, and sounds that he couldn't quite make sense of.

Slowly, the flashes grew closer together until they became one, and Cliff found himself lying in a bed somewhere. The ceiling was leaf green, and the walls were blue, just a few shades darker than the sky. He sorted through these two facts until his sluggish mind had to admit that he had no idea where he was. More importantly, every inch of his body seemed to be screaming in pain all at once.

Cliff tried to move his right arm, but a sharp poke at the front of his elbow stopped him. He turned to see a tube of some kind attached there. The young dragon stared at it dumbly, but it didn't provide any answers either. Turning to the left, Cliff gingerly tested that arm. A flare of pain told him that his wrist was probably broken. He tried to hiss in pain, but a much larger burst of agony in his chest left him speechless. It seemed only the most shallow breaths would let him avoid that.

Considering that Cliff hadn't expected to wake up at all, he didn't think he had room to complain.

He embraced the Stillness, which helped him ignore the pain as he inched his hand up onto his chest. Exhaustion threatened to claim him, but Cliff fought it down. Inside of the Stillness, he allowed hope, wonder, and love. It was a good thing he knew how to create those emotions at will, because he wasn't feeling any of them naturally.

He felt relief to still be alive, of course, and joy that the children were most likely safe, but the strongest emotion around the edge of his heart was anger that nopony had bothered to help him. At least Rainbow Dash had been doing something useful. Sending the fastest flier in Equestria to get reinforcements just made sense. Princess Twilight Sparkle, on the other claw, had flown off for a planning session, leaving Cliff to face the threat alone.

Refocusing on his current situation, Cliff imagined an opening flower. He pushed through the wall, and felt sweet relief as healing magic flowed into his chest. Weak and groggy as he was, Cliff only managed to heal a small amount of the damage, but it was enough that he was able to slip into a deeper, far more rejuvenating sleep.

-_-_-_-_-_-

When Cliff awoke, he was still alone, and somepony had moved his arm back to his side. With a sigh, he endured the pain of moving it back to his chest. His mind still refused to clear, for some reason, but at least he had some willpower for his spells. This time, he was able to heal his entire chest, wincing as the ribs snapped back into place. Even so, it felt wonderful to breathe without pain.

Time to deal with that wrist. He gently moved it under his other hand, and cast the spell through that one this time. So much better, Cliff Runner thought. The rest of his body still felt like it had been dropped off a mountain, but at least nothing else seemed to be broken. He closed his eyes, and let sleep take him once more.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Gentle voices stirred Cliff from his slumber. He opened his eyes to find Spike, Twilight, and some pony in a white jacket standing at the door.

“Cliff!” The baby dragon shouted, running to his brother's side. “I was so worried about you!” He grabbed onto the older dragon's arm, and smiled at him with tears in his eyes.

Cliff mustered a smile of his own. It's a good thing I healed that wrist. “I'm just glad you're safe, Spike.”

The pony in the jacket excused himself, leaving Twilight alone with the two dragons. She smiled nervously. “The doctors say it's a miracle. All of your worst injuries have disappeared.”

“Healing magic,” Cliff replied, his smile faded as he looked away. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her. It looks like it's early night outside.

“Oh, I... I kind of suspected...” She sighed. “I'll just leave you two alone.”

Once she was gone, Cliff gently squeezed his brother's shoulder. “I'm sorry for scaring you.”

Spike tried to force himself to smile as tears began to trickle down his cheeks. “I thought... I thought that... I'd lose you.” He buried his face in Cliff's arm. Gentle sobs rocked the little dragon.

There wasn't much that Cliff could say. Death had been a real possibility when he chose to face that monster. If it had been Fire Eyes, or Grandma, they would have beaten it easily, but because it was me, Spike nearly lost the only dragon family he's ever known. He silently vowed to be more diligent with his combat training.

After several minutes, his little brother let go of the arm and wiped his eyes. “Are you going to be okay?”

Cliff gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position. “I'll be fine. I just need to finish healing myself.” He activated the healing spell again and started going over his head, neck, and arms. “What about you, Spike? How are you holding up?”

“I'm fine.” The younger dragon climbed up next to him, staring at his brother's glowing palms intently. “The hydra never got anywhere near me.”

“No, I meant...” Cliff sighed. He never knew how to say these things under the best of circumstances. Let alone now, when it felt like his head was packed with sand. “The first time I saw Grandma get hurt fighting a berserker, I couldn't sleep well for days. I just didn't feel safe anymore.”

“Oh.” Spike sat down and leaned back against his brother. “Well, yeah, I guess I'm doing okay. It was pretty scary to see you all beaten up like that, but Twilight has made it through some pretty tough spots too, and Zecora promised that you'd be fine.”

“Okay.” He hugged the younger dragon with the arm that didn't have a tube sticking out of it. “Just remember that you can talk to me about anything.”

“I will.” Spike hugged him back.

Cliff started healing his lower body. “What happened after I passed out?”

“Twilight brought you here after you... uh, fought the hydra. Its been two days since then. Most of the town has calmed down now.”

“Calmed down?”

“Well, the ponies around town kind of panicked.” Spike shifted uncomfortably. “They were afraid that you attacked the hydra because you just like fighting.”

Cliff stared at his younger brother in disbelief. “Did they miss the part where it almost killed me?”

Spike hugged him again. “I know... you just did it because you were protecting the Crusaders, and all of us, really, but some ponies saw you running out to meet it, and they started saying things.”

Cliff's thoughts were too fuzzy to ponder the implications of that. “What have you been up to these last two days?”

“Twilight and I oversaw removal of the hydra's, uh, body.” Spike took a deep breath, and looked his brother in the eyes. “She promised everypony that she would talk to you after you woke up, and figure out exactly what happened. They'll probably hold a town meeting about it tomorrow.”

“Why do they care so much?”

“Well...” Spike looked down. “Some ponies were saying that we should ask you to leave, but Twilight wants to show everypony that you were just protecting the four of us.” He rushed through the last bit.

Cliff took a moment to let his mind wrap around this latest revelation. Nothing about this town makes sense! Why would they want to get rid of somedragon who just fought to protect them? Maybe he could understand it all if his head wasn't still so foggy. “Hey Spike, I hate to say this, but maybe I should talk with the Princess alone for a bit.”

“Oh... okay.” Spike slid off the bed. “I'll see you soon.”

“I won't be long,” Cliff promised as his brother left.

A few moments later, Twilight entered. “You wanted to see me?” She looked nervous.

“Yes.” Cliff pulled on the tube connected to his arm, removing a thin metal needle that had been embedded between his scales there. He healed the small wound, and turned to the Princess. “I've had a rather difficult couple of days, and I want to know two things.” His voice was soft, but angry. “First, why did nopony try to help while I was fighting that monster by myself? Second, why do you ponies want me to go after I nearly died protecting you all?”

Twilight shrank back from the venom in his voice. “Cliff, you have to understand that these ponies aren't fighters. They were all just trying to get their families away from danger. I tried to help when I realized that you were fighting it, but by the time I got there it was nearly over. I don't want you to go, and most of the other ponies in Ponyville don't either. There are just a few that got scared, and started saying hurtful things.” She bowed her head. “I'm really sorry that we made you feel this way.”

Cliff took a moment to reign in his emotions. Getting mad at her wouldn't accomplish anything. “Apology accepted.” He took a long breath. “You kept it from biting me there at the end?”

She nodded. “And I caught you when you broke out of its mouth.”

“Then you saved my life.” Cliff sighed. “Thank you.” He couldn't even be angry at her after hearing that. “Will you please tell me why everypony is freaking out?”

She took a moment to respond. “Ponies don't usually... kill. Most of them had never seen an intelligent creature kill something before two days ago; let alone in a way that was so violent.”

“You think I did the wrong thing by killing it?”

Twilight didn't need to answer. The look on her face said it all.

It hurt Cliff more than he wanted to admit to see his closest pony friend second-guessing him. “Do you think I enjoyed it?”

She shook her head. “No, I know that you were only protecting Spike and the Crusaders, but... did you really have to...?”

“Yes.” He didn't look at her. “Trust me when I say that sometimes bloodshed is the best of bad options.”

“No it's not!” Twilight surprised herself with the firmness in her voice. “I'm sorry,” she added immediately, “but killing is never the best option.”

Cliff closed his eyes and calmed his heart. I have to find a way to make her understand this! Opening his eyes, he said as gently as he could, “I tried to lure the hydra away, but it refused to leave. In fact, it was going straight for the palace. Straight for Spike and those three fillies.” He paused for a moment. “I don't know any spells to create shields, or to control the mind of another creature. What better option did I have?”

“I... don't know,” she said.

“I don't either,” Cliff got off the bed so he could be at eye level with her. His limbs were shaky, but managed to hold him up. “A more powerful dragon would have had more options. A wiser one would have seen ones that I missed. For me, however, my choices were to either kill the thing, or let it kill four young ones.” He felt tired in a way that had nothing to do with his body. “Twilight, I'm trying, but I just don't understand why you think that was the wrong decision.”

The alicorn closed her eyes and stood perfectly still. Cliff realized that she was using the technique she had learned to clear her heart. “I didn't know that you tried to lure it away,” she said at last. “The first thing I saw was when the hydra had you in its mouth. Other ponies told me you had attacked it, and I believed that it was your first option.” The Stillness slipped away and a few tears coursed down her cheek. “I'm a horrible friend for assuming the worst of you.”

Was this really just a misunderstanding? Cliff shook his head to clear it. “Do you think it was wrong of me to kill it as a last resort?”

She shook her head.

A weight lifted from him. “I was assuming the worst of you too.” A chuckle escaped his lips at the stupidity of it all. “I thought you were a fool who wouldn't even fight to defend her friends and family.” Cliff sank to the floor as relief washed through him. “I have never been so happy to be wrong.”

Twilight laughed too as she wiped away her tears.

“Would you still be my friend, even though I just made such a jerk of myself?”

“I'd be honored," the alicorn replied immediately, "as long as you're willing to forgive me for being so judgmental.”

“Of course.” Cliff climbed shakily to his feet. “So what's going to happen now?”

Twilight watched him with concern. “Are you sure you should be getting up?”

“Yes.” Cliff stretched his limbs. They were strong enough to get him back to the palace, at least. He motioned for Twilight to continue.

“We'll hold a town meeting tomorrow. After I explain the situation, I'm sure everypony will realize that they were letting their fears get away from them, and calm down.”

Cliff moved past her to the door. “What happened with Rainbow Dash?” He went through to a hallway with the same colors as the room.

Spike and Rainbow Dash were standing next to the door. They both grinned when they saw him.

“She got back not long after it ended.” Twilight said, coming alongside the dragon. “She flew to get Zecora as soon as we realized you were hurt. Her potions saved your life.”

The blue pegasus feigned nonchalance. “Well yeah, I couldn't let my workout partner go and, you know, die on me.”

Cliff gave her a short hug. “Thanks Rainbow, I owe you.” He made a mental note to thank Zecora as well.

She coughed a little. “Y-yeah, no problem. Just don't go all sappy on me.”

He lifted his little brother onto his back. “To the palace?”

The others nodded and led the way.

“What is this place anyway?” He asked as they walked.

“It's a hospital,” Rainbow Dash explained. “The most boring place in the world.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “A hospital is a place where sick or injured ponies are treated, and can rest and recover.” She glanced back at Cliff. “Don't dragons have them too?”

“Why would we need them?” Cliff replied. “Our magic can heal nearly anything.”

“Which is totally awesome, by the way,” Rainbow Dash said. “If I ever break my wing again, I'm coming to see you.”

Spike tousled his older brother's head spikes. “Yeah, my brother is pretty awesome, isn't he?”

“Thanks, Spike,” Cliff said while the two ponies laughed.

Their light mood only lasted until they got the young dragon checked out, however. The streets were far from busy, but nearly every pony they passed stared openly at Cliff. Expressions ranged from surprise, to fear, to hostility, and whispers seemed to follow their every step.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash moved a little closer to him, both looking around like they were daring anypony to say something.

Against his better judgment, Cliff used a spell to improve his hearing.

“I heard that he was locked up because he wouldn't stop attacking ponies.”

“Why is the Princess keeping such a dangerous creature?”

“Isn't there somewhere else he could go?”

Cliff ended the spell, wondering what he had expected to hear.

-_-_-_-_-_-

They reached the palace after a short walk, which had taken several eternities. “What is wrong with them?” Rainbow Dash demanded. “You were protecting them, for pony's sake!”

Cliff Runner remained silent as he set Spike down. He was wondering about that as well.

“Everypony is just frightened because their town was in danger, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I read all about this kind of reaction in my books. They need an outlet for all that fear and frustration,” she turned to Cliff apologetically, “even if that target has nothing to do with the problem.”

“Nopony treated me like that after I attacked the town,” Spike pointed out.

“I know, Spike, but we had both lived here for a while when that happened. You had a lot of friends who stood up for you. Cliff has only been in town for two weeks. He's...” She hesitated.

“An outsider,” Cliff finished. They all tried to disagree, but he cut them off. “It's okay. I'm different, and it's easy to be frightened of anything that's different.” He took a deep breath. “They scare me a little. I shouldn't blame them for feeling the same way.”

“Are you serious?” Rainbow Dash stared at him in disbelief. “You beat a hydra with your bare claws. How can you be scared of a bunch of ponies?”

Twilight glared at her. “Rainbow! That's not the sort of thing-”

“It's okay,” Cliff repeated. “I don't get it either.” He led the way to the living room, and flopped onto one of the couches. “I'm not going to cause you problems by staying here, am I?”

“Actually, Spike and I had an idea about how to prevent that.” Twilight took a seat on the adjacent couch. “I want to hire you to be my official tutor for all things dragon related.”

He shook his head. “You don't have to pay me to teach you, Twilight.”

“It would involve more than that,” she assured him. “I sent a letter to Princess Celestia, and she says she'd like to get written copies of everything. Ponies know next to nothing about dragons. This could be our chance to educate all of Equestria!” Her smile was so large that it threatened to jump off her face and take on a life of its own. “Once they understand dragons better, I'm sure everypony will be more willing to accept them.”

As far as he could tell, money was their society's way of thanking an individual for benefiting it. Teaching Spike and Twilight didn't really help the town at all, but teaching a country... “Okay,” Cliff decided, “but if you want to know about dragons, I should go back to the Redstone Coven and get a copy of Egghead's notes.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Rainbow Dash laughed. “You know a dragon named Egghead?”

“He actually likes his name,” Cliff chuckled, “but yeah, it's pretty silly.”

“What about going back to your coven?” Twilight asked over her friend's laughter. “Won't that take a long time?”

Spike grabbed his brother's arm. “You aren't going to leave me, are you?”

He gave the little dragon a hug. “Of course not. I'd bring you along if I could, but that would make the trip take several weeks, instead of one day.”

His brother looked down, “O-okay...”

“Where do you live?” Rainbow Dash asked over the baby dragon.

Cliff squeezed his little brother again. “Do you have a map of the continent?”

“Of course.” Twilight ran to one of the bookshelves in the room and came back with a scroll. She unrolled it on the table in front of them.

The dragon pointed to a spot near its center. “This is Ponyville here, so...” his claw trailed down to a mountain range far south of Equestria's borders. “Redstone is here.”

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash stared at the map. “No offense, Cliff, but there's no way you could cover that distance in one day.”

“Actually, Rainbow,” Twilight said, studying the map intently. “If you were to use a sonic rainboom, you could go that far in just over five minutes.”

“Well yeah,” the pegasus rolled her eyes, “because I'm awesome.” She paused. “Wait a minute, Cliff, do you have some sort of sonic dragonboom you can do?”

“I wish,” the young dragon replied. Spike had told him all about the sonic rainboom a while ago. “With all of my spells at maximum power, I could probably make it in fifteen or twenty minutes.”

“Really?” Twilight looked up. “You would have to be going at least mach two point six to accomplish that. I've never heard of anything without flight moving so quickly.”

He shrugged. “It's not that impressive. Rainbow Dash is still much faster.”

The mare in question grinned. “You're darn right I am, Cliff!”

“Anyway,” Twilight said. “Are you sure this will even be necessary? We can just write everything down ourselves.”

“Trust me, Egghead's records will be far more complete than anything I could teach you on my own. Besides...” he looked down, “it might be a good idea if I left for a few days.”

Spike looked like he was about to say something, but then a look of determination crossed his face. “Okay, Cliff, but I'm going to talk to every last pony in town while you're gone. By the time you get back, they'll want to throw a parade in your honor.”

“Me too.” Twilight nodded. “Uh, when will you leave?”

“Tomorrow after lunch.” Cliff told her. “I should get back around nightfall the day after.” He turned to Rainbow Dash. “Sorry, but I'll have to cancel our next few runs.”

The pegasus shook her head. “Nu-uh, we'll get them in on our way to your home and back.”

Spike and Twilight immediately burst into objections, but Cliff just stared at her with an amused smile. Once the other two had calmed down, he spoke. “You actually want to come along?”

She scratched the back of her neck. “Well the last time I left you hanging, you wound up in the hospital. I figure I owe you one after that, so I'll come along and keep you out of trouble.”

“What about your job?” Twilight objected.

“What about Tank?” Spike added.

“I'll ask Fluttershy to take care of him, and I already finished the weather plan for this week. As long as it's only a few days, Cloud Kicker should be able to handle things without me.” She turned to Cliff and puffed out her chest dramatically. “So don't bother arguing. I'm going to keep you safe whether you like it or not.”

“It looks like I don't have a choice.” Cliff bowed in his seat. “I graciously accept.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next morning was bright and clear... again. Cliff reflected on how nice it would be to see real weather once more. After his morning stretches, he checked the door. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he should expect anything, but a paper bag was waiting there as usual. The young dragon smiled. At least some ponies haven't changed their minds about me. He fried the fish and eggs to go with Spike's breakfast of pancakes and fruit smoothies.

“I packed some saddlebags for you,” Twilight told him over their food. “They have three days' worth of rations, some blankets, and room to hold Egghead's notes.”

Cliff thanked her as he plowed through his eggs. Healing magic always left him starving for days after he used it. “Do you want to try some, Spike?” He gestured at his plate.

Spike shook his head. “No thanks, I like my pancakes.” He took a large bite to emphasize his point.

His little brother was an odd one, to be sure.

Once breakfast had finished and cleaned up, Cliff spent a few minutes going over Twilight's map. He was fairly confident that he knew the way, but it was surprisingly easy to get lost while traveling at supersonic speeds. Satisfied that he knew all the major landmarks, Cliff rolled up the map and put it away before pulling his cloak on. He still needed to grab a potion for Fluttershy before he left. It would also give him a chance to thank Zecora.

Cliff Runner paused at the door. It was already late enough in the morning that the streets would be filled. It would be like the night before, only without Twilight or Rainbow Dash to serve as buffers. Well, I'll have to face it eventually. He pushed open the door and walked outside.

It was all he could do to walk calmly around the edge of town, avoiding eye contact with any ponies he passed. Cliff could almost feel them taking aim with a spell or a lightning bolt. Shifting uncomfortably beneath his cloak, he reminded himself what he had felt in the hearts he read, and told himself to stop being paranoid.

Even so, he didn't start to feel comfortable until the town disappeared completely behind the trees of the Everfree Forest. Sure there were monsters in the forest, but at least Cliff knew what to expect out of them.

Zecora smiled when she opened the door for him. “Ah Cliff, young dragon friend, so good to see you on the mend.”

Cliff smiled back and followed her inside. Fewer potions were scattered around the house than usual, but not much else had changed. He had to wonder if she ever took a break from mixing new potions in that cauldron. “Twilight said you mixed up a special potion for me while I was at the hospital. I wanted to thank you for that.”

The zebra took a sip of her potion. “Protecting the young is a noble cause. That mix was my way of giving applause.” She tossed a few flowers into the cauldron and began stirring.

“Thank you for that too.” Cliff sat down and shook his head. “The rest of Ponyville seems to think that I attacked the hydra just because.”

She paused for a few moments before responding. “Most ponies have never had to take a life. They cannot see value in strife.” Zecora took a seat in front of Cliff. “Their path is different, that is true, but it does not mar the path of you.”

Sometimes it took a bit of work to translate what Zecora said. “In other words, ponies are herbivores, and so they can't see the point in killing anything. Their way of handling things is different than mine. Neither superior nor inferior, just different.”

Zecora nodded. “To try and be something else, would rob the world of your own self.” She gestured to a group of multicolored vials. “A one colored world would be very sad. That there are many makes me quite glad.”

Thinking about the metaphor made Cliff chuckle just a little. “I guess it would be pretty silly to call red inferior to blue... Thank you, Zecora. You always know what to say.” He fished a bag of bits out of his cloak. “I'll be out of town for a few days, so could I get an extra large potion for Fluttershy?”

-_-_-_-_-_-

After making his purchase, Cliff left Zecora's and made his way to Fluttershy's cottage. He was feeling better after his conversation with the zebra, but there was still a lot that he needed to think about. For starters, just how different were the minds of ponies from those of dragons? Was it all to blame on them being herbivores and omnivores respectively, or was there some other factor? Most difficult of all, if he wanted the ponies to accept his culture and ideals as equally valid to their own, then he would need to do the same for them. He wasn't sure if it was even possible to be that objective.

When he reached the cottage, Cliff found himself hesitating. The normal procedure was to leave the potion at the front door and walk away, but it had meant a lot to see her gift at the door that morning. Should I thank her, or would that embarrass her? Even though they had been giving each other gifts for nearly as long as he had been in Ponyville, Cliff had to admit that he still knew very little about the timid pegasus.

After rolling the issue around in his head, Cliff knocked on her door. He would rather have something bad happen in spite of his best efforts than because of a lack of effort.

…

…

…

Just when Cliff was about to knock again, the door creaked partway open. “I... uh, hi Cliff.” She muttered, looking at her hooves. “It's good that you're out of the hospital.”

Cliff was a little disappointed. She was still as uncomfortable around him as ever. He put the potion on the porch between them. “I just wanted to say thank you for being a friend. I'll be gone for the next two days, but I'll bring more potions when I get back.” He turned back to the path. “Take care, Fluttershy.”

She didn't say anything, and so Cliff walked away. He wondered if things would ever be less awkward with that mare.

Author's Note

Yes, wyrms have healing spells. No, unicorns don't. I mostly call on Read it and Weep for that, since they didn't seem to use any magic on Rainbow's wing. As for Cadence using her magic to 'heal' Shining Armor (A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1), he only seemed to be suffering from magical exhaustion. I'm going off the theory that everyone thought she was recharging his magic with her own, which is very different than repairing physical damage.

Healing magic is actually responsible for a large part of the wyrm's cultural attitude towards combat. Wyrms tend to fight in groups, and unless one is killed instantly, the others can usually get to their injured ally and heal him/her. Even without others, healing magic makes your own injuries a lot less meaningful. Think about it, Cliff should have spent months recovering in the hospital, but thanks to his magic, he was out of there in two days. Because of that, wyrms tend to be a bit reckless, bordering on suicidal, when it comes to a fight.

Next time, you'll finally get to see a dragon coven for yourselves.

Chapter 8

Spike made sandwiches for lunch, like usual. They would never rank among Cliff Runner's favorite foods, but at least his little brother made an effort to change the ingredients every day. There were two varieties this time around: fruit and nut, and lettuce, tomato, and cheese. They were both decent, but the second was really calling out for some meat to go on it.

Rainbow Dash arrived as they were cleaning everything up. “Heya Cliff, ready to go?”

“Yeah, in just a moment.” He gathered his cloak and the bags Twilight had packed for him. After getting a promise from both her and Spike that they would practice their magic while he was gone, Cliff said his goodbyes and met Rainbow Dash outside.

Twilight's palace was at the northern end of Ponyville, and they needed to go south, which meant a trip through town. Cliff imitated Fluttershy and studied his front claws as he walked. Rainbow Dash, however, met the stares they were attracting with an angry glare. “I can't believe those ponies,” she said when they reached the edge of town.

“I just hope my coven is better behaved with you,” Cliff replied, mentally tracing their path.

“Of course they will be.” She ran a hoof through her mane. “Who wouldn't be impressed by my awesomeness?”

He smiled and rolled his eyes. Her bravado had a way of cheering him up. “Anyway, stick close to me once we reach the third mountain range. If you don't stop when I do, we could wind up separated by several dozen miles.”

“No problemo.” She crouched and spread her wings. “Let's do this!”

It took Cliff a few moments to cast all the spells he needed, but then he dropped to a crouch as well and pushed off. Colors swam before his eyes for a fraction of a second before exploding away. He had broken the sound barrier.

The southern edge of the Everfree forest seemed to rush forward to meet him, but Cliff surged a Speed Burst and shot into the sky. Additional uses of the spell propelled him higher and faster. The forest gave way to a large clearing, and Cliff used another blast to angle himself towards it. Momentum Redirection absorbed the impact from his landing and transformed it into forward momentum.

He couldn't risk dodging through trees at these speeds, and so Cliff had to jump again almost immediately. This time, he was able to reach the edge of the forest and land in the fields beyond.

Switching his focus to other spells, Cliff raced across the landscape. One spell helped hold him to the ground so that he had enough traction to maneuver, while others improved his reaction time and senses enough that he could actually see obstacles coming and avoid them. Luckily, there wasn't much need for that. He only had to worry about the occasional tree.

Minutes passed, and the ground turned to sand as they entered the desert. Traction became a nightmare. Cliff had to invest more and more of his willpower in spells to keep himself upright.

He was breathing heavily by now. This would be a draining run under the best of circumstances, and his body and will were still recovering from his fight with the hydra. Luckily, some ponies had recently built a town between two upcoming mountains. The firm dirt of their fields provided welcome relief from the unsteady sands, as well as a helpful guide through the rest of the mountain range.

A jump at the edge of the fields brought Cliff nearly to the edge of the desert. He only had to endure a few more seconds of sand before the dirt returned.

Another mountain range loomed ahead. This one was far more steep and rocky than the one in the desert. The Spider Climb spell combined with Momentum Redirection allowed him to shoot up one of the cliffs that blocked his path. He landed at the top of one peak and immediately jumped to another, and then another, and then one more.

By the time Cliff reached ground-level again, he was well and truly into dragon territory. The dirt, rocks, and mountains were all a shade of orange-red. It was as though some creature had painted them all with a massive brush. Forests still dotted the landscape, but they were mixed with large rock formations, and even the occasional volcano. High above, dark clouds blanketed the sky. Between gasps of air, Cliff allowed himself a smile. It was good to be back.

It was getting harder to run, but Cliff pressed on. Stopping out in the open like this would leave them vulnerable if any berserk dragons were in the area.

The third and final mountain range came into view. He shot to the top of the nearest peak, like before, but then transferred his momentum into the air around him, sending out an impressive shock-wave.

Rainbow Dash landed beside him with a loud thud. Their combined sonic booms reached the pair almost instantly, shaking quite a few rocks loose, and leaving a ringing in Cliff's ears.

“You okay?” he asked the pegasus between gasps of air.

“Never better,” she replied, also breathing heavily.

“Good... we should move.” Cliff's limbs were a bit unsteady, but they managed to keep him up as he led her down the other side of the mountain.

“It's a good thing... you're purple.” Rainbow Dash commented. “It was hard enough to see you at times... without you being brown... or something.”

Cliff studied the valley below them. Aside from a river and a couple of trees, it was mostly clear. “Good... now follow again.” He launched himself down.

Not to be outdone, Rainbow Dash went into a swan-dive, pulling up just before she reached the ground.

He applauded softly. “Good job... Just don't use too much energy.... We still have one more mountain to climb today.”

“Ugh,” Rainbow Dash moaned. “Another one? Why didn't you land on that one instead?”

“I didn't want my coven to get the wrong idea... if they saw you chasing me.” Cliff started walking towards a nearby mountain. “A group of pegasi attacked us just two months ago.”

“What?!” She went after him. “Why would pegasi attack you all the way out here?”

“I don't know,” Cliff admitted. “They came into our cave, freaked out when they saw us, and started shooting lightning bolts from the sky.”

Rainbow Dash thought about it. “They probably didn't realize that you're intelligent, and were just trying to scare you off.”

Cliff turned and gave the pegasus a flat look. “A word of advice, never shoot lightning at a dragon's family. If it hadn't been for our magic, River Wind might have died.”

She gulped. “Oh, I didn't know that they actually hit somepony.”

“Somedragon,” Cliff let out a deep breath. “Sorry for getting angry. I'm still kind of upset about that.” He continued walking.

“It's okay. I'd be angry too if some...dragon hurt my friends.” She flew alongside him as he walked. “Who's River Wind, anyway?”

“She's one of the hatchlings that's learning magic from me.”

“So it isn't just Twilight and Spike that you're teaching?”

“No.” Cliff shook his head. “I actually teach most of the hatchlings in our coven.” They reached the base of yet another cliff, and he activated his Spider Climb spell to ascend it.

Rainbow Dash flew up beside him. “You must be really good at magic, then.”

“Not really,” Cliff grunted. His arms and legs were exhausted after the run, making the climb much more difficult than normal. “Everydragon else had vital duties to worry about, and so it kind of fell to me by default.”

The pegasus went silent as he finished his climb.

Cliff reached the top with a relieved sigh. The worst was behind them. He started up a familiar, winding trail. “You should probably walk next to me from now on. We could run into another member of the coven anytime now.”

She landed and fell into stride with him. “What are they like?”

“Which one?” Cliff chuckled. “There are thirty-seven of us in all.”

“How about your friends?”

“Fire Eyes is my closest friend, and my rival. Kind of like you and Applejack.”

“Cool.” Rainbow Dash gestured for him to continue.

“She's very energetic and loves to push herself, but sometimes fails to plan ahead.”

“Sounds like we'll get along great!”

“I hope so,” Cliff scanned the path ahead, “but don't be upset if she avoids you.”

The pegasus looked confused. “Why would she do that?”

“River Wind is her little sister.”

“Oh.”

They walked in silence for another few minutes before Cliff noticed a draconic shape jump from further up the mountain. It shot into the sky before angling down towards them. “Don't move,” he whispered to Rainbow Dash, who had noticed it as well.

The newcomer landed in a thunderous impact of purple scales, blue spikes, and a wide smile. “Cliff Runner, you came home early!” She caught him in a tight hug.

Cliff hugged her back. “Hi, Grandma.”

After squeezing him one more time, she stepped back and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Greetings, pegasus. I am Fire Claws, Cliff Runner's grandmother.”

It took the blue mare a moment to respond. “Oh, I'm Rainbow Dash, Cliff's friend.”

“I'm sure there must be an interesting story behind that.” Fire Claws gestured up the trail. “You can tell me while we walk, since Cliff doesn't look like he'd be up to running right now.”

“We were in central Equestria less than an hour ago,” Cliff said as he followed after her. “I've earned the right to be tired.”

Fire Claws looked back at her grandson in surprise. “That is impressive, even for you.” She turned back to the trail. “Why don't you start at the beginning?”

“Well, I took Silent Hall's advice and went to Canterlot first. It was a lot larger, and much busier than we expected.”

“Hm, you'll have to give Egghead the details later.” She turned back to Rainbow Dash, who was suppressing a laugh at the name. “Is that where you and Cliff met?”

“Nah, we met at Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight brought him there to help with planting.”

Fire Claws laughed. “Cliff was helping on a farm? I can't wait to hear that part of the story.”

“Anyway,” Cliff interjected. “I had a run-in with the Immortal Sisters... We need to reconsider our whole stance on ponies after everything that happened since meeting them.”

“I'll arrange for a gathering.” Fire Claws shook her head in wonder. “I can't believe you actually met those two.”

“Who're the Immortal Sisters?” Rainbow Dash asked from behind them. “Do you mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?”

Both dragons nodded.

“What happened next?” Fire Claws prompted.

“The Sisters directed me to a smaller town named Ponyville, where...” He took a breath. “I found him.”

Fire Claws was there immediately with one of the tightest hugs he had ever experienced. “I can't believe it! Tell me everything!” She let go and took a seat.

As tired as he was, Cliff was more than happy to settle down beside his grandmother. He told her about first meeting Spike, the dragon's surprisingly young age, the friends he had made, re-introducing Rainbow Dash as he went, and everything that had happened during Cliff's time in Ponyville, including the reason for his visit to the coven.

“And I thought your trip to the griffon kingdom was eventful.” The purple dragoness laughed. “No wonder you're exhausted.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “The others will have to make up their minds about you themselves, but you've passed my test, so I'll put in a good word for you.”

“Uh, thanks,” Rainbow Dash said, fanning herself with her wings. “What test?”

“She read your heart while I was talking,” Cliff told her.

Rainbow Dash put both front hooves over her chest. “She what?”

“Relax,” Cliff assured her while his grandmother laughed. “She does that with every newcomer, just to make sure their intentions are pure. Grandmother is the best fighter in the Redstone Coven, so security is her job here.”

“Ookay.” The pegasus shrugged uncomfortably, wiping away sweat from her forehead. “Do you think we could hurry to the cave? It is way too hot out here.”

The two dragons exchanged glances. Too hot? Was that even possible?

“I'll go ahead,” Fire Claws offered. “Give me a minute to explain things before you follow.”

Cliff nodded that he understood, and watched the older dragon jump back up the mountain.

“Don't dragons get hot?” Rainbow asked.

“We go swimming in lava for fun,” Cliff reminded her.

“Okay, I can get that.” She looked up the mountain. “How old is your grandmother?”

“One hundred and seventeen. Why do you ask?”

The pegasus rubbed her chin. “Well, she doesn't look any older than you, and I guess I was expecting an older dragon to act, I don't know, more like Princess Celestia.”

Cliff laughed. “Grandmother is hardly an old dragon. Some members of the coven are nearly seven times her age.”

This came as a shock to Rainbow Dash. “Did she have kids really young, or something?”

“No, dragons can't lay more eggs after they turn one hundred.” As always, Cliff was surprised at how little ponies knew about his kind.

She frowned in confusion. “So... Fire Claws is still just a kid, but she has grand-kids?”

“She's an adult, like I am.” Cliff shrugged. “But yes, we're effectively the same age as far as the others are concerned. The only difference is that I'm still fertile.”

“Weird.”

“From my point of view, it's ponies that are weird.” Cliff rose to his feet. “We can probably head up now.”

Rainbow nodded, and the two of them shot up the mountain, propelled by wings and magic respectively.

They came to rest on a relatively flat section of rock in front of a large cave. Nearly a dozen dragons were gathered there.

Fire Claws stood at the middle of the group. “Spread the word,” she told them, and then came towards Cliff and Rainbow as the others dispersed. “I gave them the abbreviated version of your story.” She turned to the pegasus. “Everydragon has agreed to trust you, for now. Anyway, Cliff, I'll be back tomorrow. Your grandfather is with an expedition in the deeper ruins, but I know he'll want to see you before you leave.”

“I'd like that too.” He gave his grandmother a hug. “Be safe down there.”

“Of course.” She nodded to Rainbow Dash. “It was nice to meet you.” Then she ran into the cave and disappeared from view.

“Deeper ruins?” Rainbow asked as one of the other dragons came towards them. The rest had disappeared to whatever jobs they were working on before being interrupted.

“There's an ancient dragon city under this mountain,” Cliff explained. “Our coven lives here because we wanted to excavate it.”

“Not that Cliff here ever helps.” The new dragon punched his shoulder affectionately. She had bright red eyes and silvery white scales and spikes. “He's always off looking for his brother.” She gave Cliff a big hug. “Congratulations on finding him, by the way.”

He thanked her. “Rainbow Dash, this is Fire Eyes.”

Upon hearing the name, Rainbow folded her wings tightly against her sides. “Oh, hi.”

Fire Eyes noticed the action. “Cliff told you about my sister, didn't he?”

She nodded.

The white dragoness sighed. “There's no need for that. Fire Claws said we can trust you.”

“She idolizes Grandmother,” Cliff whispered.

“...Okay then.” The blue mare's confidence returned. She held out a hoof. “Good to meet ya.”

Fire Eyes shook it. “How did you and Cliff wind up traveling together, anyway?”

“We just finished explaining everything to Fire Claws,” Cliff said as he walked past her to the cave. “You can wait until the gathering.”

“Oh fine.” The dragoness walked after him.

Rainbow Dash could only follow them. After a few paces, the tunnel-like entrance expanded into a large chamber lit by glowing rocks. Near the back, a stream wound its way from one side of the cavern to the other. Some kind of work area had been set up next to its banks, and beyond it, she could see three tunnels branched off to other areas. Six rock nests lined the walls next to them, leaving the majority of the chamber open. Eight hatchlings were there, racing from one side of the chamber to the other and back again. “Cliff is back!” One shouted, and the entire group rushed over to him.

“Hey there, everydragon!” Cliff knelt down to meet them. “How have you all been!”

They jumped all over the older dragon; laughing, and shouting, and telling silly stories, and asking about his adventures. Cliff kept their visit short, but made sure to spend at least a few seconds with each one of them; asking a question, answering one, complimenting them on something, or just giving a quick hug. “Okay.” He rose to his back feet. “My friend Rainbow Dash and I are thirsty, so go back to your game while we get a drink.”

The group obediently returned to their race, except for a dark green hatchling with white spikes. She followed them silently to the back of the chamber, where a stream provided water for them all.

“This area is for drinking,” Cliff explained. “Over there, where it starts, is where we collect water for cooking,” He pointed out the kitchen next to it. “And down there is the swimming pond.” Cliff took a long drink of the cool water.

Rainbow Dash looked at the stream. “Don't you guys use cups?”

“Not for water,” Cliff replied, going down for another drink.

“Are you saying that ponies do?” Fire Eyes asked.

“Well, yeah.” She looked at the stream again, and with a sigh, bent down to drink.

“River Wind,” Cliff said to the hatchling who had followed them. “How are you feeling?”

The little dragon remained silent, but she looked at Rainbow Dash and touched her shoulder where the lightning bolt had struck.

Rainbow's eyes went from Cliff to the hatchling and she winced a little, obviously unsure of what to do.

Fire Eyes watched them too, her expression carefully blank.

Cliff gave them both a reassuring smile and scooped the little dragon into his arms. He had almost forgotten how much smaller she was than Spike. “How about I tell you a story?”

Her expression brightened. “Please.”

“Let me tell you about how a good friend,” he nodded towards Rainbow Dash, “and I worked together to save three young ones, from a monster.”

Cliff didn't have his mother's natural talent for storytelling, but he could weave a decent tale when he needed to. He told River Wind about how he and Rainbow Dash would go running each morning, and about finding the three fillies being chased by a “giant monster with four heads.” Their run back to town got embellished a little. In this version, Rainbow Dash flew dangerously close to the monster, distracting it, and knocking over trees to slow it down while Cliff escaped.

“Then we reached the town, and Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to where the warriors lived. I just had to keep the monster busy for a few minutes until they arrived... but I did something stupid.”

“What?” River Wind asked.

“I ignored my allies and tried to fight the monster on my own.”

She gasped.

“Like I said,” he hugged the little dragoness against his chest, “it was stupid. It's lucky for me that those ponies still wanted to be my friends. One of them used her unicorn magic to stop the monster right before it killed me, and when Rainbow Dash came back and saw that I was in trouble, she flew super fast to get another pony who could heal my injuries.” He smiled down at her. “I'm lucky to have such good friends, aren't I?”

“Yeah,” River Wind smiled back. “Did you kill the monster?”

“Of course, it didn't stand a chance against all of us.” He set her down. “That's why I invited Rainbow Dash to come meet you and the rest of the coven. Did you know she can fly so fast that she kept up with me the entire way here?”

“Wow,” she turned to the pegasus. “You can? Can I see it?”

“Probably not right now,” Cliff said. “She's really tired after coming so far. Maybe she could show you tomorrow?” He looked at Rainbow Dash for feedback.

The pegasus flapped her wings experimentally. “Actually, I think I could manage a sonic rainboom right now.” A determined grin settled across her lips.

The baby smiled widely, even though she had no idea what a sonic rainboom was.

“Are you sure?” Cliff asked, even though he knew it was a silly question. Rainbow Dash would never go back on her word.

“Absolutely!”

-_-_-_-_-_-

A few minutes later, Cliff and Fire Eyes had gathered all the hatchlings outside. Several other dragons had joined them as well; partially from curiosity, and partially to keep an eye on the pegasus.

It was a standard gathering for the coven, which is to say that the young chatted among themselves while the adults either watched in silence or held whispered conversations. After living in the energetic chaos that was Ponyville, Cliff was almost surprised by the calm and quiet that marked his home. He shook off the odd feeling and approached Rainbow Dash. “Are you ready?”

She nodded. “Hey Cliff, thanks for talking me up to that kid... I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” He held up a claw. “You can repay me by letting me use a spell on you.”

Rainbow looked at the claw nervously. “What spell?”

“Just something to increase your muscle strength,” Cliff assured her. “It will help with the fatigue.”

“Okay, fine.” She tried to feign annoyance, but a smile had slipped through when Cliff mentioned what the spell would do.

Physical contact was all that mattered, and so Cliff touched her on the shoulder, assuming that would be the least intrusive area.

As the spell's energy flowed into her, Rainbow's expression went from neutral, to shocked, to ecstatic. “Ah yeah!” She turned to the crowd. “Prepare to be amazed!” Then she shot into the sky.

Cliff settled next to Fire Eyes and her little sister as they watched the blue pegasus climb ever higher. When she was barely more than a dot, the mare dove. Like the dragons around him, Cliff couldn't help but stare as she descended faster and faster. She was just a blur shooting towards the ground. How could anything move so quickly?

BOOOM!!!

An explosive shock-wave that somehow looked like a rainbow coursed through the sky above them. The wave hit, and Cliff grabbed onto River Wind for fear she'd be blown away. Clearly, Spike had been underselling the power of the sonic rainboom!

Rainbow Dash touched down in the aftermath, grinning wildly. “And that, dragons, is what awesome looks like!”

The hatchlings tackled her, shouting praises and begging for an encore. Most of the adults could only stare in awe.

Cliff turned to the dumbstruck Fire Eyes. “It's good to know she's on our side, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” the dragoness breathed. “If you're training with her, then I'll have to work even harder if I want to keep up.” She leaned closer to Cliff. “Are all pegasi able to do that?”

“No.” Cliff shook his head. “She's the only one.”

“Good.” Fire Eyes sighed in relief. She noticed one of the older dragons signaling that it was nearly time for dinner. “Do you and the pegasus want to lend a claw in the kitchens tonight, or would you rather teach the hatchlings?”

Cliff seriously doubted that Rainbow Dash would be much help with either chore, but asking her to help cook meat might lead to a complete mental breakdown. “We'll teach the hatchlings. They seem to like her anyway.” He nodded to the blue mare, who was laughing as she wrestled with the young ones.

“Okay, I'll talk to you at dinner.” She left for the kitchen.

When Cliff finally convinced the hatchlings to leave Rainbow Dash alone, she looked up and found that the adult dragons were all gone. “Where is everypony?”

“Everydragon,” Cliff corrected her. “They're finishing off their duties before dinner.”

“Okay.” She laughed as she dusted herself off. “Do you want to go for a light run?”

“Actually, we have a class to teach.” He motioned for her and the hatchlings to follow them into the cave.

“Wait.” Rainbow caught up with him. “Why are we teaching them?”

“Everydragon helps where they can around here,” Cliff replied. “Trust me, this is better than the other job they had available.”

“Oookay.” She was far from convinced, but followed Cliff as he and the hatchlings sat in a loose circle near the center of the main chamber.

“What would you like to learn tonight?” Cliff asked the group.

Two of them stood.

Cliff gestured to the first one.

“I want to know more about pegasi.” He sat down.

The group remained silent as Cliff gestured to the second hatchling, River Wind.

“Cliff told me that he lived among ponies recently. I want to know why some ponies are willing to be our allies, while others try to kill us.” She also sat.

Rainbow Dash's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the young dragoness's statement. “Whoa, what? How can you be so calm about that?!”

Cliff put a clawed hand on her shoulder. “They know that it's time to be calm and learn right now.” He turned back to the group. “I believe we can cover both subjects if we discuss pony culture in general, and how it differs from our own. Is that acceptable to everydragon?”

They nodded.

“Why don't you start, Rainbow Dash?” Cliff suggested. “Tell us the basics of pony society.”

She scratched the back of her neck. “Uh, we have earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, like me. Pegasi control the weather. Unicorns can do magic with their horns. Earth ponies grow the food.” She looked at Cliff with an expression that clearly said, 'Is that enough?'

Cliff nodded, and elaborated a little. “These three types of ponies interact freely with each other, unlike the limited contact between ourselves and the drakes. They also have a fourth variety, called alicorns, who combine the physical characteristics and special abilities of the other three. Alicorns are extremely rare, though. I was told that there are only four in the whole country. Two of those are, of course, the Immortal Sisters, who rule the day and the night. The other two aren't nearly as powerful, and appear to be mortal, but they are still quite remarkable.” He gestured to the group, signaling that they could ask questions.

All eight hatchlings stood. That hadn't happened in a while.

Cliff went around the circle, answering questions as best he could. Some were simple, like what colors ponies came in, (all of them). Others required more thought, like why the three pony tribes could live together in peace, but the two dragon tribes could not.

Once she had recovered from the strangeness of this 'classroom,' Rainbow Dash started answering questions as well. “They could live in Cloudsdale if they wanted, but they'd need magic to keep from falling through the clouds.” “Of course the tribes intermarry. Nopony is small-minded enough to care about that anymore.” “No, not even unicorns can breathe fire... probably. I'll check with Twilight on that.”

After a while, Cliff decided that it was time to tackle the proverbial manticore in the room. He held up his hands to forestall further questions. Once everydragon was sitting again, he spoke.

“The ponies in Ponyville were generally quite friendly, and the ones we see around here have almost all been hostile. I can't claim to to be sure why this is, but I do have a few theories. First, and most likely, ponies seem to understand us even less than we understand them. This might lead them to think dragons are stupid animals, or will attack them on sight. The hostility we see might just be them trying to get us before we get them. Second, some ponies are bad, just like some dragons. This area might draw in the bad ones somehow. Third, it's unlikely, but possible that ponies are generally violent, and the ones in Ponyville are the exception.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “How can you say that?!”

“I did say it was unlikely.” Cliff replied calmly. “Every option needs to be considered before you reach a firm conclusion.”

“Ugh, now you're sounding like Twilight.” Rainbow Dash calmed down, but she still looked a little hurt.

Cliff turned back to the group to see if they had any questions. River Wind was the only one standing.

“Are you going to go live with the ponies?”

“River...” Cliff gently chided her. She knew better than to ask personal questions during a lesson.

“Oh,” she said, realizing her mistake. “Sorry, I just wondered if living together would keep dragons and ponies from fighting.”

“That's actually a very good thing to wonder about.” Cliff managed to catch Rainbow Dash's eyes. “What do you think, Rainbow?”

They exchanged a long look before the blue mare broke into her usual grin. “Hay yes.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The discussion went on for a while longer before Fire Eyes called them over for dinner. The rest of the coven had gathered as well. Cliff had to grab Rainbow Dash to keep her from rushing to the front of the line. “The youngest eat first.” He explained.

“Why's that?” the pegasus asked, holding her rumbling stomach.

Cliff took them to the eleventh spot in line, just in front of Fire Eyes. “In case there isn't enough food for everydragon.”

She winced. “Sorry.”

“You don't need to apologize,” Fire Eyes assured her. “This dope,” she smacked Cliff, “should have told you earlier.”

When they reached the trays of food, Cliff picked up a stone plate for himself and gave another to Rainbow Dash. He took a few slices of pork, fried chicken, mashed beans, some fruit salad, and steamed vegetables. He looked back for his pegasus friend, and saw that she was causing a slight holdup in the line.

“Fire Eyes, uh, is that...?” she asked, looking a bit nauseous as she pointed at a tray of chicken parts.

“Yeah, you want some?”

“Gross!” Rainbow pushed past the meats with a disgusted shudder. “At least Gilda only ate fish.”

Once the three of them had filled their plates, they found an empty part of the cave to sit down and eat.

“I still don't get how you can eat that stuff,” the pegasus muttered.

Cliff could only shrug as he helped himself to one of the slices of pork. Stars above, I've missed this! “For what it's worth, eating grass or hay seems just as strange to me.”

“Well yeah, but at least hay doesn't have a face before you cook it.” Rainbow looked from Cliff to Fire Eyes. They both seemed perfectly happy to eat the roasted body parts on their plates. She faked a gagging noise, and focused on her own food.

It was rather amusing for Cliff to watch the pegasus frown over her meal. She refused to touch the beans or roots, and barely tolerated the vegetables. She downed the fruits in just a few bites, and then sighed discontentedly.

“Now you know what I've been enduring in Ponyville,” Cliff said with a smile.

“At least you had Fluttershy bringing you eggs and fish,” Rainbow Dash countered. She frowned at her plate again. “Don't you have any lettuce or hay?”

“Sorry,” Fire Eyes said. “Our garden isn't very big, and this is all we can grow in it.”

“It's rude not to finish your plate,” Cliff told her between mouthfuls.

Rainbow glared at Cliff, and shoveled some of the beans into her mouth. “Blrg,” her face contorted as she swallowed. “Sorry, but I'm going to have to be rude.” She set the plate on the floor.

Cliff was wolfing down the contents of his own plate. “Just leave it there. I'll finish it off in a bit.”

“Here comes my sister,” Fire Eyes observed. “Ready for the barrage?”

He glanced up. The dark green hatchling was indeed making her way towards them. “Probably.”

“Cliff?” River Wind asked as she drew near.

The older dragon patted the ground next to him, answering her unspoken question.

Her eyes lit up. “Thanks.” She sat beside him. “Would you tell me more about Ponyville?”

Cliff and Fire Eyes exchanged a smile. If there was anything that River loved, it was a story. “Of course,” he told her. “What would you like to know?”

She rubbed her cheek thoughtfully. “Everything. Is that okay?”

He tousled her head spikes. “No problem.”

Fire Eyes leaned over to Rainbow Dash. “Sure, he's fine with telling her everything.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.

“I guess he has a soft spot for kids,” Rainbow whispered back as Cliff began his story.

“You have no idea.”

Cliff ignored them and continued. He toned things down a bit for his young audience, but kept all the important details. He finished the story at nearly the same time he finished Rainbow's leftovers.

River Wind's eyes grew larger and larger as he spoke, drinking in every detail with glee. “Are you going to bring Spike to visit?” She asked when he was done. “I want to meet him.”

“Of course,” Cliff assured her.

“Do you think the ponies will accept you when you get back?”

“I don't know.” He looked to Rainbow Dash. “What are your thoughts?”

The pegasus waved a hoof dismissively. “Ponyville has learned to trust Twilight's judgment by now.”

The young dragoness shifted uncomfortably. “Does that mean you'll be staying there?”

“For a little while, at least.” Cliff patted her on the shoulder. “Don't worry. I'll come back to visit all the time.”

“Thank you.” Her eyes flickered to the pegasus. “Are you and Rainbow Dash in love?”

A combination cough, gasp, and snort escaped from the mare in question before she collapsed to the floor, laughing uncontrollably.

“You might say that we share the love between friends, but no, I'm not romantically interested in her.” Cliff smiled at the ever-curious hatchling. “It would seem that Rainbow Dash here feels the same.”

River looked from Cliff to the laughing pegasus and back again. “Are you in love with anydragon else in Ponyville?”

“Anypony else,” Cliff corrected her absentmindedly. She asked these same types of questions nearly every time he returned from a journey. He gave his usual response. “I'll find love when I find it.” He collected their plates and stood. “You three can wait here while I go wash these.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

He returned a few minutes later to find all three females laughing. “Do I want to know?” Cliff asked.

“I was just telling our new friend here about the time you tried to court me,” Fire Eyes chuckled.

Cliff covered his eyes. “Great. How much did you tell her?”

“There isn't that much to tell,” she pointed out.

It was true. Cliff had expressed his interest, and been flatly rejected. Then he challenged her to a fight for the right to date her, and was soundly defeated. Out of desperation, and a hefty dose of stupidity, Cliff had then set out to find some noble deed that would win Fire Eyes' heart. Two days later, he had run home with a berserk dragon hot on his tail. “In my defense, I was young and dumb.”

“I don't know,” Fire Eyes teased. “Falling for me was one of the few smart things you've ever done.”

“And we can all see how well that turned out.” Cliff took a seat beside River Wind. “Haven't you ever had problems with love?” He asked Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much.

“Nope.” She smiled. “I'm not the type to slow my life down for a stallion, and I haven't met one yet who could keep up with me.”

The rumbling of thunder echoed through the cave.

“It's starting to rain,” a dragon called from the mouth of the cave.

River excitedly grabbed Cliff's arm. “Come on!”

He rose and started walking with her towards the entrance. “Are you two coming?”

“As if I'd miss it,” Fire Eyes replied, walking after them.

Rainbow Dash watched them in confusion. “What's going on?”

“It's raining,” Fire Eyes said as though that explained everything.

“So? Is it off schedule or something?”

Her question only brought confused looks from Fire Eyes and River Wind.

“Pegasi can control the weather,” Cliff reminded them. “They actually have schedules for it in Ponyville.” To Rainbow Dash, he said, “we like to enjoy the rain around here.”

There was a brief silence as both sides absorbed the new information. “You schedule your weather?” Fire Eyes asked as the group walked.

“Well yeah, how else would we make sure all the crops got enough water?” Rainbow Dash replied. “What did he mean about enjoying the rain?”

The dragoness just pointed outside, where most of the coven had gathered in the darkness. There was no real rhyme or reason to it. Instead, each dragon had found a place that seemed comfortable and settled down.

Cliff found a small clearing and took a seat. He motioned for Rainbow Dash and the others to join him.

River curled up on the older dragon's lap, while Fire Eyes lay on her stomach beside him, curled up so her tail nearly touched her head. Rainbow sat on Cliff's other side. “Okay, now what?” She asked over the light drizzle.

“Just relax, and enjoy it,” Cliff told her. He closed his eyes and took his own advice. The cold rain splashed against his scales like a gentle caress. The feeling was enhanced by gusts of night air, bringing with it what could only be called the scent of purity. Thunder rumbled overhead, and Cliff smiled. It was like listening to the heartbeat of the planet. In his lap, he heard River gasp in awe.

Minutes passed, and a soft chattering sound began to distract the young dragon. He opened his eyes to find Rainbow Dash shivering beside him.

“Yeah, it's raining alright,” she said. “Can we go back in now?”

Cliff smiled. “Here.” He placed his claws over her chest. “Focus on the power of nature.” He soothed the other emotions out of her heart.

Her posture relaxed. “What are you doing?”

“Just helping you to experience this like we do.” He replied.

Unfortunately, maintaining the spell made it difficult for Cliff to focus on the storm as much as he would have liked, but at least Rainbow Dash seemed to be enjoying herself. She had an expression similar to the one he often saw during their morning runs.

Less than thirty minutes after the rain started, it stopped. All the dragons around them seemed to come alive again. Some laughed, others embraced, and they all seemed to be smiling as they made their way back inside.

“Okay, so that was... nice,” Rainbow Dash admitted, though she was shaking from the cold. “It was kinda like flying, except not.”

“Ponies don't do this?” River Wind asked.

“No, we most-” she jumped when a group of dragons ahead of them started breathing fire on each other. “What are they doing?!”

“It's to dry off and warm up,” Cliff told her. “Uh, maybe we shouldn't do that with you.”

Rainbow stared at him. “Ya think?”

“How do ponies normally dry off?” Fire Eyes asked before breathing a stream of fire on her little sister.

River Wind leaned into the flame with a relaxed smile.

“Towels, duh.” Rainbow shook her head vigorously, sending water droplets everywhere.

The sisters stared at her blankly.

“They're like small blankets,” Cliff explained. He had seen Twilight use them back at the palace. “We can use a few from my nest,” he said after drying himself off with a few puffs of fire.

“You have a nest?” Rainbow asked, still shivering.

“Well, the nest my family shares,” he replied. It was the second one on the left in the main chamber. Like the others, it was shaped much like an extra large bird's nest, except that it was made from stone that had been melted together. The edge only came up to his shoulders while on all fours, and Cliff hopped over it easily. Inside, the floor was covered by soft wool and scattered blankets. He grabbed one and climbed back out. “Here you are.”

Rainbow Dash took the offered blanket and began rubbing it vigorously across her dripping wet coat. “Uh, why are you all staring?” She asked after a few moments.

“It's fascinating.” Fire Eyes leaned closer to her. “I never thought that your fur would hold in moisture like that.”

“Uh yeah.” Rainbow was clearly uncomfortable about the close scrutiny. “That's normal.”

River Wind was also staring. “Doesn't it make you cold?”

“Yes.” The pegasus began working the makeshift towel through her multicolored mane.

“We could share a nest tonight!” The little dragoness said brightly. “Since the rest of Cliff's family is gone right now.”

“What?” Rainbow frowned in confusion.

“Good idea.” Cliff patted her head. “I can't tell you how much I've missed that. Would your parent's mind?”

“No,” Fire Eyes assured him. “They're both working the farm tonight, so they won't even be here.”

“What's going on?” Rainbow's expression hadn't changed.

“We're going to share a nest tonight to help keep you warm,” Cliff told her, then he turned to the other dragons. “Which one should we use?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” The pegasus cut in, her face going from blue to red. “You want to share a nest, as in, sleep together?!”

All three dragons nodded like it was obvious. “What's the problem?” Cliff asked.

“Well, that, you,” she sputtered, blushing even more heavily. “That's just wrong!” Her voice attracted the gaze of several other dragons, but none moved to interfere.

“Sharing body heat is... wrong?” Fire Eyes asked slowly.

“Are we missing something?” Cliff scratched his cheek, trying to guess what had his friend so upset.

Rainbow Dash looked at the three dragons one by one. “What exactly did you mean when you said that you wanted to...” she struggled to get the words out, “sleep together?”

Fire Eyes and River Wind both turned to Cliff, who could only shrug. He didn't know what she was getting at either. “We'd climb into the nest,” he said slowly, “curl up near each other, probably sharing blankets to help keep warm, and then maybe talk for a while before going to sleep.”

“And... that's it?”

He nodded.

The mare let out a long sigh. “Don't scare me like that, Cliff. I thought you were seriously messed up for a minute.”

Fire Eyes and her little sister just looked at Cliff. Apparently they had decided not to talk, for fear of setting the pony off again.

Not that he didn't appreciate their trust in him, but Cliff was every bit as lost as they were. “What did you think we meant?”

“Uh.” Rainbow Dash started nervously drying her tail. “Never mind. You guys can share a nest. I'll sleep alone tonight.”

Since the entire reason their coven existed was to gain and share knowledge, it was no surprise that neither Cliff nor the sisters were prepared to let the matter drop. He stepped closer to the pegasus, while the others backed away to give them some privacy. “Rainbow Dash,” Cliff said gently. “What did we say that scared you so badly?”

Rainbow let out a sigh. “I wasn't scared, okay? I just thought that...” She met his eyes and immediately looked away. “I thought you meant sex.” The blushing returned in full force.

Cliff paused while the pieces clicked into place. If sleeping together means having sex among ponies, and I just invited her to sleep with the three of us... “Oh stars above,” he buried his head in his claws as his own face turned red.

“Uh, yeah.” She smiled uncomfortably. “Sorry for the mix up?”

“Did you honestly think that I would...?” Cliff decided it would be best if he didn't finish that sentence. He did manage to lower his claws and return her gaze though.

“Well, no, but you just surprised me.” Rainbow shook her head, probably to clear it of uncomfortable thoughts.

Cliff could see that she was still shivering. He pushed the awkwardness from his mind so he could focus on the more important issue of keeping a friend from freezing. “Look Rainbow, it's night in the mountains, we're in a cold cave, and you're still all wet. Just let us keep you warm tonight. I promise that nothing... like that, will happen.”

She remained silent, except for the slight chatter of her teeth.

“Would it be better if it was just Fire and River? I know Twilight has had sleepovers before, so it'd be fine if it was just girls, right?”

She nodded slowly. “You can be in the nest too, but not... right next to me.”

“Deal.” Cliff sighed. It was good to have that topic behind them, even if it meant sleeping alone.

“Mind if I ask you something?” Rainbow said before he could turn back to the others.

Perhaps his relief had come too soon. “Sure.”

“If 'sleeping together' doesn't mean...” she blushed, “what it does to ponies, then what do you say for it?”

It was far better than Cliff had feared. “Sharing a private meal.” He turned to where the sister dragons were still waiting. “Come on, let's get you warmed up.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

As they lay in the nest that night, Cliff Runner couldn't help but reflect on how different ponies were from dragons. Basic parts of life, like drying off with fire, were completely foreign to the equine race, and then one of the ponies he had believed understood dragons fairly well had thought that he was propositioning her for... He shuddered.

Pushing that part from his mind, Cliff turned to where Rainbow, Fire Eyes, and River lay, still chatting quietly. Chatting about him, he guessed, based on the fact that they kept glancing his way and laughing.

River Wind's question from earlier sprang to his mind once more. Could dragons and ponies live together in peace? He also remembered Zecora's words, 'A one colored world would be very sad. That there are many makes me quite glad.'

Perhaps that was his answer. It didn't have to matter that dragons and ponies were different, so long as both groups were willing to accept the other for who they were. The scene in front of him, two dragons and a pegasus sharing a blanket, was a precious bit of hope that it was possible.

River Wind and Fire Eyes could both live for many more centuries, and they would remember this night for that whole time. Dragons had the blessing of time. Ponies, on the other claw, had the blessing of prosperity. Rainbow Dash could tell her children about this night, and they could tell their children about it, and so on, extending across the generations. With dragons to keep the message of peace alive, and ponies to share it, they could change the world.

When Cliff closed his eyes for the final time, he might be leaving behind a world where warfare between the two races was just a myth. It was a comforting thought for the young dragon as he drifted into sleep.

Author's Note

I'd like to state right here that I think Rainbow Dash is both awesome, and a little OP. According to Deathbattle (which you should totally watch), she can go up to mach 10. If you read her micro series comic, it's implied that she can even double that, but it does so much damage to her body that she can't fly for months afterward. And yes, going that fast creates a double rainboom. I'm honestly not sure if the comic came out before or after the fan project.

So here's your first look at wyrm society. As I've said before, I wanted it to be an idealized society, but going in a different direction than what you see in Ponyville. Between their need to avoid possessions and focus on self-control, I envisioned it as a sort of eastern style monastery.

Chapter 31

Spike took another long drink of coffee. Twilight was on one of her researching kicks again, which probably meant another all-nighter for both of them. “Here's that research paper on social science.” He dumped a scroll in front of his sister. “The info you need is in the sixth paragraph.”

“Thanks, Spike.” The alicorn sighed and rubbed her temples. “I swear I'm getting close to a breakthrough that can help us fix all of this.”

The young dragon tried not to roll his eyes. She had been saying that for the last three days. “Maybe you should take a break. You've been at this for hours.”

“I can't stop now, Spike. I still need to finish recording-” A loud crash cut her off.

Turning around, Spike was greeted with a sight that made his blood run cold. The door to the living quarters had been smashed open so hard that it was knocked off of its hinges, and standing in front of it was Cliff. The older dragon tossed an unconscious blue-gray stallion onto the floor in front of him, as blood poured from a wound in his side. His bared teeth were stained red as well, and dozens of scales had been ripped from his forearms, revealing angry, red skin. The pony, now at his feet, was bleeding from a wound on his leg, and another on his forehead, staining his yellow mane red.

Twilight went pale. “Oh my Celestia, what the hoof happened?!”

“This pony tried to murder me,” Cliff growled. His clawed hand began to glow as he healed his wounds. “I formally request your permission to kill him now for that crime.”

Spike's entire world seemed to freeze at those words. Murder? Kill? He didn't so much sit as fall down. I could have lost my brother tonight? Now he wants to become a killer?

“Y-you... wha...?” Twilight breathed.

“Do I have your permission to kill him?” Cliff asked in an emotionless voice.

Spike finally found his voice, “You don't mean that.” He shook his head as though it would somehow negate what his brother was saying. “You can't actually want to kill him. Please tell me you're joking, Cliff!”

Annoyance flashed across his face. “Maybe you two didn't understand me. I was on my way back from Fluttershy's cottage, on the outskirts of town, when this unicorn tried to kill me with a surprise attack. If I didn't have Energy Resistance active, then I would be dead right now. We fought, I bit off his horn to disable his magic, and then I brought him back here so that you could pass judgment, Princess.” He spat the last word like it was a curse.

Twilight gasped. “You what?!” She rushed to the fallen pony and wiped away some of his blood-soaked mane to reveal a broken stump. “We need to reattach his horn immediately or he'll never use magic again!”

“You would actually heal a murderer?” Cliff growled. “He deserves to die!”

The words made Twilight flinch like she had been hit. “Cliff...” she looked up at him, blinking away tears, “please understand this. Equestria hasn't executed anypony in decades. He'll go to jail, for a very long time, but I can't... I won't, give you permission to kill this pony.”

The older dragon remained silent as he looked deep into each of their eyes. Then he looked down and put a clawed hand over the unconscious stallion's forehead. Spike was terrified that he might kill the unicorn anyway, but then he saw the light of a healing spell.

Spike and Twilight watched in breathless silence as Cliff healed his attacker's wounds, leaving a stump where the unicorn's horn used to be. Everything felt so unreal that Spike had trouble believing that this was actually happening. He distantly noted that his brother could have restored the horn completely, if he had wanted.

“I'm going to bed,” Cliff muttered as soon as he was finished. He started walking towards his room without another word.

“Cliff, wait,” Twilight said gently.

He stopped halfway across the room and looked back at her.

“Thank you for not killing him.” She gestured towards the unconscious stallion. “You did the right thing.”

Her words seemed to shatter whatever illusion of control the young dragon still had. His back legs gave out, dropping him into a sitting position, and his head drooped with a defeated expression, tears building in his eyes. “Twilight, what are we going to do?” he breathed. “I was lucky to survive this. What if the next one goes after Whisper?” His eyes clenched shut. “I... I don't know if any of this is worth it anymore.”

Spike looked down at the stallion, with his blood-soaked mane and stump of a horn, then at the crimson trail leading across the room to his older brother's stained claws. Cliff looked... broken. There was no other word to describe him.

“I don't know either,” Twilight said through her tears. “I'm so sorry for everything that has happened, especially this.” She looked back at the door Cliff had broken when he entered. “I have to take this stallion to the hospital and then tell the guards what happened. They'll need you to show them where the attack took place, if you're feeling up to it.”

Cliff nodded.

“Okay, I'll be right back.” Twilight leaned over to her brother and whispered, “stay with him, Spike. He needs somepony to lean on right now.”

Spike fought down the numbness that had invaded his mind enough to nod. He waited until the alicorn lifted Cliff's attacker and teleported away, then slowly approached his brother. “Come on, Cliff. We should get you cleaned up.”

The older dragon remained silent, but followed. He mechanically washed off in the shower while Spike cleaned up the bloodstains as much as he could.

Twilight returned just as Cliff emerged once more. He still looked tired in a way that had nothing to do with his body, but at least there was some life in his eyes again.

The two guards she brought back with her asked Cliff about everything that happened. He explained things as best he could, and led them to the sight of the attack.

Ponies were clustered there, arguing loudly as they approached. Spike could make out several guards in the crowd, probably sent ahead by Twilight.

She gestured for Cliff to stay back and moved closer with the rest of the group.

“Princess Twilight!” A blue-gray unicorn mare with a purple mane ran to meet them, tears flowing down her cheeks. “What happened to my son? Is he safe? Please tell me that dragon didn't,” her voice broke, “kill him!”

“He's alive,” Twilight promised. “He's at the hospital right now. We just need to retrieve his horn so they can reattach it.”

The mare nodded shakily. “I-it's over there.” She pointed to where somepony had thought to place the severed horn in a bowl of milk. Just looking at it made Spike feel queasy.

As one guard went to get the horn, another approached from the crowd. Spike recognized him as the captain of the local guard. “Princess Twilight, perhaps we should escort you back to the palace. Two ponies here witnessed the entire thing, and confirmed that Cliff Runner was attacked without provocation, but I'm not sure if the others fully believe them, and seeing you or Spike might set them off.”

Twilight nodded glumly. “I understand, is there anything else we can do to help your investigation?”

He shook his head. “We've got things under control. Just don't let Cliff Runner be alone. This probably shook him up real bad.”

On their way back to the palace, the captain promised that they would keep an eye on every member of the coven, at least until they knew if Cliff's attacker had acted alone.

After they left, Cliff climbed into bed without another word. Spike and Twilight could only sit at his bedside and worry.

“We should get Rarity and Autumn,” Twilight whispered at last. “We need to figure out what we're going to do about this.”

“I'll start another cup of coffee,” Spike whispered back. P.R. business or not, there was no way he would be getting any sleep tonight.

-_-_-_-_-_-

It was still dark the next morning when Cliff came into the living room. Spike would have been happy to see him up, if it weren't for the distant look in his eyes. “I'm heading out,” he said without preamble.

“Oh no you aren't.” Spike grabbed his brother's arm as he walked past. “Somepony tried to kill you last night. You're staying right here. The rest of the coven is staying home today too.”

Cliff grabbed the younger dragon's hand with his other arm and twisted.

It was a maneuver that Spike knew well; one of the first joint locks that he had learned. As such, he knew exactly how to get his arm free and grab at his brother again.

A palm-strike deflected his claws as the older dragon's tail lashed out at him. Training kicked in, and Spike jammed his elbow into the oncoming tail as he used his other arm to swipe at the back of his brother's knees, but something paralyzed his arm mid-swing.

“What is wrong with you two?!” Twilight shouted, lifting both dragons into the air with her telekinesis. “I understand that you're upset, Cliff, but you'd actually attack Spike?! I thought you were a better brother than that.”

The older dragon's anger melted away, leaving a confused mess of emotions behind. He closed his eyes. “I'm sorry. I just... I'd rather not be touched right now.”

Twilight accepted that with a nod. “I understand.” Then she rounded on Spike. “And what the hay was that? Using your elbow? Slashing at Cliff's knees? Why in Celestia's name did you think that attacking your own brother, the night after he was nearly murdered no less, was a good idea?!”

The weight of what had just happened began to sink in for the young dragon. “... I don't know. I was just angry, and I felt like I had to do anything I could to stop you from going out there, Cliff.”

The alicorn slowly nodded once more. “You two aren't going to start fighting again if I let you down, right?”

“No,” Spike replied.

Cliff just shook his head.

“Good.” Twilight gently placed them on the floor and released her hold. “Now, Cliff, Spike and I were up all night talking with Rarity and Autumn, and we think we know what to do about it.”

Cliff nodded that he understood.

“First off, everypony needs to know what happened. We've already talked to the local newspaper, and they'll be running the story today. That way, nopony can say that we tried to hide anything. Second, you and the other dragons need to stay inside today, just to be safe. We've already spoken with them.” Twilight shuddered just slightly.

Spike didn't blame her. His grandmother was scary when she got mad.

“Third,” Twilight rushed ahead, “Fluttershy deserves to hear about this from you. Since you can't leave, I'll go get her and bring her back. We can be here when you tell her, if you think it would help.”

“... I'd appreciate that,” the dragon whispered. “If you don't mind.”

“You're Spike's brother,” Twilight smiled gently, “that kind of makes you my brother as well. I'll do anything I can to help. Anyway, lastly, an investigation is already underway. Two witnesses saw the attack, so there's no question that you were only acting in self defense. Also, it seems that Elite, that's the stallion's name, by the way, Elite Pony, was acting alone. The rest of his family had no idea what he was planning. From what we can tell, he attacked out of anger because you refused to extend his grandmother's life when he asked you a few days ago, and again yesterday, when his sister asked. However, you absolutely cannot tell anypony that you were planning to kill him. That would be... bad, especially considering the political situation right now. The rest of Ponyville needs to think you were just bringing him to me so I could order the guards to arrest him. Do you understand?”

Cliff nodded. “How are the other wyrms? You said that you spoke with them.”

“Well,” Spike chuckled uneasily, “we had to talk Grandma and Fire Eyes out of doing something pretty drastic. They were expanding the basement to blow off steam when we left.” It was actually kind of surprising that Cliff hadn't heard the tremors last night.

“What about Grandpa and Whisper?”

“Burning Torch said he wants to develop a lower tier version of Anti-magic, so that you can use it if you're ever attacked again,” Twilight answered.

“And Whisper?”

Spike exchanged a worried look with his sister before answering. “She cried, a lot.”

“You're her hero,” Twilight said gently. “I'm sure she'll feel much better when she hears that you're up.”

“Tell her not to worry,” Cliff whispered, “and that I'm fine.”

“I will,” Twilight promised. “I'll stop by on my way to Sweet Apple Acres. They'll need to know that you won't be there today.” She paused at the door. “Do you want me to tell them why?”

He considered it for a moment. “Don't tell Apple Bloom. AJ and Big Mac should decide how to break the news to their sister.”

“Good idea. I'll be back in a little bit with Fluttershy. Spike will be staying inside today as well. Try not to get in any fights while I'm gone.” She forced a few chuckles in an attempt to break the tension.

Neither brother laughed. Spike just arched an eyebrow. Cliff winced as though he had been slapped.

“No, I didn't mean that I think you'd actually try to hurt each other,” Twilight stammered. “I was trying to joke because I know that you won't fight and-”

“Twilight,” Spike interrupted. “We get it.”

The alicorn turned a little red. “Sorry... I'll be back as soon as I can.”

Once they were alone, Spike turned to his brother. “Hey, Cliff?”

“Yeah?” The listlessness in his voice just wasn't normal. It was really starting to unnerve Spike.

“...This might be rude, but would you mind linking with me for a second? I don't think I can say what I want to say with words.”

Cliff stared at his brother for several long seconds. There was an almost desperate need there. “Okay.”

As soon as the link snapped into place, Spike gasped. Fear coursed through him like ice water flowing through his veins. Love was there too, providing some warmth, but it was mostly stifled by a seemingly endless fog of despair. He had sensed uneasy emotional states before, but most of them were the short kind of thing that would calm down in a few minutes or hours. The way Cliff's emotions were right then, it would probably take them days to normalize.

He could feel his own positive emotions, of which there were admittedly few, being pulled on, like a freezing wyrm might clutch a warm coal.

“Whoa,” Spike breathed, taking a moment to adjust. “Cliff, what's wrong? I mean, you fight hydras and berserkers like it's nothing.” Sympathy and disbelief welled up within him. “Why is one unicorn freaking you out so much?”

Cliff looked away, though he absorbed the sympathy gratefully. “The Second Insanity,” he whispered, “the urge to murder. A creature possessed by it is worse than a berserker, and potentially even more deadly.” He sighed, and frustration, coupled with despair, began to grow within him. “I finally realized that the controversy over wyrms makes my closest friends and family prime targets for those monsters. I'd have to be crazy not to be freaked out by that.”

So wyrms see murderers the same way they see berserkers, Spike reflected. In a twisted kind of way, wanting to kill Elite made sense in that light. Showing mercy to a berserker was a good way to get your whole coven killed. “You don't understand ponies quite as well as you think, Cliff.” He moved to sit beside his brother. “This is the first attempted murder Equestria has had in over a decade. The odds of there being even one more 'monster' in this town are literally millions to one.”

The older dragon looked up at him, and a spark of hope appeared in his heart. “...Really?”

Spike sent absolute confidence through the link. “Really. I mean, sure, they'll have guards follow everydragon around for a while, to be safe, and this Elite guy is in for a mind scan once they find somepony other than Twilight that can do it, she's too involved in this case, just to be sure he doesn't have any partners, but realistically, we're in the clear,” he laughed, “and that's not at all what I wanted to tell you, but whatever.”

Cliff didn't laugh, but a tiny smile appeared on his lips. “What did you want to tell me?”

Now that it came time to actually say it, Spike felt a little embarrassed. “I just... wanted to say that I'm really happy that you're okay, and that it really scares me to think that you might have been killed yesterday.” He punctuated each admission with an outpouring of the appropriate emotion. “So yeah... Thanks for not dying?” He face-palmed. “Ugh, that sounded better in my head.”

A bit of reassurance flickered through the link. “I understand. Thank you.” The older dragon got up and walked slowly to the window. He looked out at the town, still cloaked in Luna's night. “What should we tell Fluttershy?”

Spike pretended to think about it for a moment. Fluttershy was going to have a panic attack when she found out, that was inevitable, but there wasn't really anything Cliff could say or do to help her through it other than just holding her, which he was going to do anyway. What the younger dragon was actually reflecting on was his brother's emotional state. He was fighting to stay calm on the surface, but there were a lot of mixed up, and generally negative emotions churning just beneath that facade.

Being linked seemed to help though. It was even helping Spike's own feelings of fear, confusion, and betrayal from tormenting him as much as before. I guess we can leave it in place for a while. The amount of willpower it drained was relatively minor anyway. “...Just keep telling her that you're alright, and that everything will be fine... eventually.”

The older dragon nodded, but remained silent. Spike could tell that he didn't feel like talking, and with the link in place between them, words weren't really necessary anyway.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Spike felt a surge of alarm from Cliff the second before it happened. Rainbow Dash came crashing through an open window at nearly supersonic speeds. Unfortunately for her, while Cliff had curled up on the couch, he was still very much on edge. She almost immediately found herself pinned to the ground with his claws pressed against her throat. “Oh,” she chuckled nervously, “heya, Cliff.”

The dragon released her and fell backwards. “Rainbow?” he gasped. “Oh stars, are you okay?” Guilt and shame were coursing through him.

“You'll have to excuse my brother,” Spike said as he helped the pegasus up, “he's always a bit on edge the day after somepony tries to kill him.”

“I still can't believe somepony would actually do that.” Rainbow's wings flared angrily. “I swear, if I ever get my hooves on that pony, I'm gonna beat him within an inch of his life.”

“I'm really sorry, Rainbow.” Cliff sighed and looked down at his claws. “For some reason, I can't stop overreacting today.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Like I said, attempted murder makes you nervous. Seriously, Cliff, relax about not being able to... relax,” he finished lamely. “Look, the point is, we understand.”

His timing could have better though, because Applejack chose that moment to burst into the room, prompting the older dragon to jump in front of his friend and brother, throwing up a shield to protect them all.

“Good ta see ya too, Cliff.” The orange mare took off her hat and fanned herself with it. “Whew, ah haven't sprinted that hard in a coon's age.”

“Sorry.” He let the shield drop and stood there uncomfortably.

A thought occurred to Spike, making him wince. Oh dear Celestia, please don't let Pinkie Pie show up next! Luckily, the pink mare didn't mysteriously appear, even though she had a habit of doing just that.

“No need ta be sorry.” Applejack walked up to the older dragon. “Ya'll aren't gonna flip out if I give ya a hug, are ya?”

Anxiety warred with a desire for comfort within Cliff. After pausing for a moment, he shook his head.

The farm pony needed no further prompting. She caught him in a bone crushing embrace. “How're ya fairin'?” she asked as she let him go.

The dragon rubbed his tender ribs before answering. “I'm okay. A little shaken up, but okay.”

Liar, Spike thought. Cliff was obviously more than a little shaken up, but he kept trying to pretend that he wasn't, even to himself. The younger dragon was beginning to suspect that his brother had yet to realize a very simple fact; he was scared. Not for the sake of the others, or inter-species relationships, or any of the other reasons he had told himself, but rather for his own life. The thought of dying scared him, but his wyrm selflessness was preventing him from admitting it.

Spike couldn't blame him for that. Cliff would have to be crazy not to be scared after what happened, but selflessness was literally the fundamental principle of wyrm society. There was no way the older dragon would acknowledge that he was concerned for his own well being.

“It's good to see you two, but don't you have apples to buck?” Cliff asked. He was, arguably, lying. Seeing their concern for him was lifting his spirits, but for some reason, being near them was making him uncomfortable as well.

“Seriously, Cliff?” Rainbow gave him a flat look. “You think we'd be worried about that right now?”

Applejack nodded. “Dash's right. We can afford ta skip one day ta be there fer a friend. Big Mac, AB, an' Granny'll be here with breakfast fer everypony in a bit. 'Till then, just relax.”

A surge of nervousness coursed through Cliff. “Uh, why are you bringing breakfast?”

The farm mare slapped a hoof across her eyes. “Oh fer pony's sake, Cliff. Just accept tha hospitality already!”

Her reaction made Cliff flinch slightly, but neither of the mares seemed to notice. “Okay, I'm sorry. Thank you for breakfast.”

Spike watched silently, trying to make sense of his brother's conflicting emotions.

“Maybe you should go take a nap,” Rainbow suggested. “You look totally wiped out. We'll take care of everything for you today, so you can worry about resting and recovering.”

Cliff took a deep breath to steel himself. “No. Fluttershy will be getting here soon. She deserves to hear about this from me.”

“Wait, she doesn't know yet?” Rainbow asked in shock.

“Twilight said she'd get her after she stopped by the farm,” Spike explained as he glanced out the window. The predawn light cast everything in shades of gray, but he could already see a few ponies going about their business, not counting the guards posted near the palace. Two blobs of muted color in the distance caught his eye. He cast Senses to confirm it. “Speaking of which, I can see them coming.”

Fluttershy, ever the sensitive one, must have known that something bad had happened, because she was flying quickly towards them, followed by Twilight. She all but sprinted up the stairs, and then dive-tackled her fiance. “Oh my goodness, Cliff! What's going on? Are you okay?! Why are there so many guards around town?”

Cliff stiffened at first, then he pulled her as close as he could, burying his face in the fur of her chest.

Spike looked away, cheeks flushing slightly as he felt just how much his brother loved Fluttershy, and how that love let him tear down the walls he had built around his heart and simply cry, not caring who was watching. It seemed wrong to spy on such an intimate moment, and Spike would have cut the link if he hadn't felt Cliff silently reassuring him that it was okay.

The older dragon's emotions were too muddled to communicate very much, just the firm impression that Cliff was neither ashamed of his feelings for Fluttershy, nor of crying in front of the brother he loved.

Thanks, Spike sent back. For some reason, he felt a tear slide down his own cheek.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fluttershy panicked when they told her what happened, of course. She stayed so close to Cliff for the rest of the day that Spike was honestly surprised when she didn't try to follow him into the bathroom.

Autumn and Rarity returned shortly after breakfast, which was prepared and served by the Apple family, looking a little better for the naps they had no doubt taken.

Spike gave Autumn a hug and a quick kiss before pulling Rarity to the side.

“What is it, Spike?” Rarity asked. “Did something else happen that I should be aware of?”

“No, nothing like that.” Spike paused and looked around the living room.

Twilight and Autumn were starting to go over the emotional landscape of Ponyville. Big Mac was still beating Rainbow Dash at hoof wrestling. The blue pegasus seemed determined to win at least once, but Spike really doubted that it was going to happen. Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and AJ were busy mixing up something in the kitchen. Fluttershy was pressed up against Cliff on the couch, practically hiding the young dragon completely beneath a combination of wing, mane, and tail.

“It's just, so much has happened lately that I thought it would be nice to clear the air a bit. An angry mob could be banging down the door in another hour, so who knows when we'll have another chance?”

The white unicorn nodded glumly. “I'm afraid you may be right. Did Celestia ever respond to those letters you sent?”

“Yeah, the new guards arrived a while ago. She'll be popping up in front of the Dragon House of town around noon, with any luck. If there's no angry mob there, she'll come here to talk while the guards start spreading the word that she wants to hold a town meeting that will, hopefully, keep ponies from doing anything rash.” Spike couldn't help but glance at the clock. It was just past eight. “Anyway, in case something happens before then, I need to thank you for everything. Your connections in Canterlot and those awesome outfits you keep coming up with have pulled us through a lot of rough times.”

“As have your own connections, and your talent for persuasive writing.” Rarity looked over at Twilight and Autumn. “The same can be said of Twilight's diligence in researching political theory, and Autumn's ability to predict and influence the emotions of entire cities.” She turned her gaze back to Spike. “Let us be honest. None of this would have been possible without all of us working together.”

Spike had to nod.

“But,” Rarity continued, “I assume you were hoping to clear the air on a slightly more personal matter.”

“...Yeah.” He sighed. It's now or never. “I'm really happy with Autumn, and I'm glad that you helped get us together, but... why? Both Autumn and Grandma say that you developed feelings for me a few weeks after I became an adult.”

“Yes, I imagine that would seem rather confusing.” Rarity looked away as she continued. “I suppose I should begin with why I developed feelings for you in the first place. It is no secret that I have, somewhat naively, been hoping to meet my Prince Charming. Though you may not hold a royal title, you are very much a part of the royal family. You are also genuinely friendly, intelligent, and when the occasion demands it, quite charming. In short, I was beginning to see you as the prince I had been waiting for.”

She let out a long sigh and turned back to him. “However, your interest in me was, quite frankly, unhealthy. You put me on such a pedestal that I knew you would be disappointed, perhaps crushingly so, when the rose-colored glasses fell off and you saw me as an actual pony. Because of that, I promised myself that I would never agree to date you unless I felt that you were seeing the real me.”

Spike opened his mouth to protest, then stopped. “...I guess you have a point. Still, why Autumn? I thought you two didn't like each other at first.”

“We didn't,” Rarity confirmed, “at first. I feared she simply wanted to use you, in spite of your reassurance about reading her heart. Once I was able to get over that, I realized that you actually felt comfortable being yourself around her, far more so than you ever did with me. That's when I decided to gently push you away from your, shall we say, fixation, and towards a mare that I honestly believed would help bring out the best in you.”

It took Spike a moment to digest everything he had heard. “You really are the best, and most generous friend I could ever have hoped for.” A bit of a sad smile crossed his face as he said, “I hope you find your Prince Charming one day.”

“I'm a national heroine, famous fashionista, major political activist, and I have seven hundred years to hunt, Spike.” Her eyes twinkled as she smiled. “I would be quite disappointed in myself if I didn't manage to find several.”

A small laugh escaped the young dragon. “True that; and by the way, call me 'Spikey.' It's nice when one of your best friends calls you by a nickname.” He smiled a little nervously.

“Very well, my dear friend, Spikey.” Rarity smiled back. “Now let us go assist Twilight and Autumn before that mob arrives.”

“Don't jinx it,” Spike warned.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The hours came and went, and by some miracle, no mob of angry ponies swarmed the palace. That 'miracle' was explained just before lunchtime, when Pinkie Pie arrived, covered in sweat, completely hoarse, and with balloons and confetti sticking randomly out of her mane and tail.

“Happy Thursday, everypony,” she croaked before collapsing into a chair. “I haven't had to throw so many emergency parties and sing so many Cheer You Up and Calm You Down songs since... ever!”

“How many parties did you throw?” Twilight asked. “You look exhausted.”

Pinkie reached behind her back and pulled out a large pink cake, which she half placed, half dropped, onto the table in front of Cliff and Fluttershy. “This one,” she coughed, and threw a hoofful of confetti, “makes eight hundred forty-six. A new record.”

“That's nearly one for every family in town,” Autumn said in awe.

Pinkie nodded. “Almost everypony is staying inside today, but some groups were getting together. They seemed especially angry about Cliff and Elite, so I had to make my parties and my songs extra good to make sure they didn't do anything bad.”

“We owe you big time, Pinkie.” Spike patted her on the shoulder as he leaned over enough to read what was written on the cake.

He facepalmed.

'Glad you aren't dead!' was spelled out in cheery white letters.

Fluttershy paled slightly as she read it. “Oh, uh, yes. Thank you for calming everypony down, Pinkie.”

“No problem. I just want to see everypony and everydragon smile again.” The party mare flopped back in her seat and promptly began snoring.

Celestia arrived a few minutes later. She gave them all a warm, if tired, greeting before approaching the couch where Fluttershy and her fiance still sat. “Cliff Runner?”

“Yes, Celestia?” As he looked up at her, Spike could feel his brother fighting to control his fears.

The white alicorn bowed deeply, amid shocked gasps from around the room. “I can never apologize enough for what nearly happened to you last night. In spite of that, I am truly sorry.”

“It wasn't your fault,” Cliff mumbled, slowly lowering his eyes to the floor. “Besides, I probably destroyed the entire Cultural Exchange Program by fighting back. I should have just run away.”

“Nopony can change what is done, Cliff. However, you have my word that I will do everything I can to help set things right as we move forward.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Actually, yes.” Celestia knelt down to be at the same level as him. “There is a spell that will allow me to see into your memories. My guards have already concluded that you weren't at fault, but that announcement will carry much more weight if I have scanned your mind myself, and can personally assure the townsponies that you acted only in self defense. I must warn you though, this spell will cause you to relive the memories I need to see. None of us would blame you if you would rather not experience those events again.”

Cliff's emotions suddenly disappeared from the link as he embraced the Stillness. “Please, do it quickly.”

Celestia nodded solemnly, and her horn began to glow.

Spike had never actually seen a mind scan, even though he'd been used as a test subject when Twilight was learning how to do it. The biggest surprise was how little time was required. It seemed that Celestia had only just touched her horn to Cliff's forehead when she pulled back and the light of her magic winked out.

“I see.” She smiled sympathetically. “Thank you. I will be sure to tell everypony that you fought only to incapacitate Elite, in spite of the increased risk to yourself.”

Cliff only huddled further under Fluttershy's mane. His emotions let out the equivalent of a long, deep shudder.

“He did?” Spike asked.

“There were three times when Cliff could have used Ghost Claws to kill Elite,” Celestia confirmed. “He chose not to for fear of the political consequences.” She turned to the other ponies in the room. “The town meeting will begin soon. Twilight, you will need to come so that you can tell Ponyville what happened after Cliff left the scene of the attack. The rest of you may choose if you would like attend as well, or remain here. Though I am sorry to say, Spike, that you should stay. I fear the streets would explode into chaos if the wrong ponies saw you, or any other dragon, today.”

Most of the others decided to go to the meeting, including Autumn, after Spike pointed out how useful her empathy would be for gauging everypony's reactions. Fluttershy remained, of course, gently cradling her fiance, while Spike watched his departing friends through the window, a small frown across his lips.

It wasn't that he could fault Twilight or Celestia for wanting to keep him safe, but being forced to stay inside for his own protection still left a bitter taste in the young dragon's mouth.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“While a guilty verdict has, inevitably, been reached, I would still like to plead with the court for sympathy and a light sentence,” the black-suited lawyer said. “Elite was about to lose his beloved grandmother, and his younger sister had recently returned home in tears after the dragon Cliff Runner refused yet again to provide aid. His actions were fueled by grief and despair, not anger.”

The courtroom, the largest in Ponyville, was filled to overflowing with ponies. Twilight and Spike were sitting next to the prosecuting lawyer that Celestia had hired for them. The booth that would normally be reserved for VIP's was filled by Fluttershy, Cliff, and his grandparents instead. Given the circumstances, keeping them away from the crowd had probably been a good idea.

“Yes, what he did was unforgivable, but he would never have been forced into that position if the Ponyville Coven had simply done what The Manehattan Expositor has been suggesting for weeks now, and established some method whereby ponies could obtain extra years, rather than effectively telling all of Equestria that they aren't important enough for that to even be considered. Elite would even have accepted giving up some of his own life-force to help his grandmother, in spite of the doubled transfer loss, had they only announced a few days earlier that doing so was an option.

“We all know what happened during the altercation itself, and how Elite, who spent most of his life studying at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, whose special talent is magic, had his horn bitten off, after he had lost consciousness. And yet, when our best medical treatments failed to reattach it, these supposedly completely selfless dragons all refused to use their own magic to restore it to him.” The lawyer, a unicorn himself, paused long enough to glare at up Cliff and the rest of the coven.

Cliff met his gaze steadily. If Elite had spent so much time studying magic, and was still willing to abuse it, then he didn't deserve to have it.

“My client has lost his horn, his special talent, his grandmother, and is about to lose his freedom. He deserves at least some degree of mercy, and I can only beg the court to provide it. Thank you.”

“In simpler terms,” Burning Torch whispered, “he was upset that you didn't want to kill yourself, and that makes it okay that he tried to do it for you.”

Cliff nodded silently. He didn't really bother to listen to the prosecutor's final statement. After twenty-two days of this, he had heard it all several times anyway.

On his other side, Fluttershy gently squeezed his hand with her hoof.

After a lengthy, and boring, speech about the unfair treatment wyrms had received, their lawyer took his own seat.

Then they had to sit and wait while the judge deliberated.

“Elite Pony,” the green earth mare said at last, “for the crimes of attempted murder and attacking a foreign ambassador, I hereby sentence you to life in jail, with the possibility of parole after ten years.” She lifted a small hammer and then whacked it onto her desk.

Elite, who had barely looked up or made eye contact with anypony during the entire trial, nodded listlessly and was led away, as his parents and sister wept and called out for him.

“Finally,” Fire Claws muttered. “I still don't see why it took them more than three weeks to do that.”

The wyrms moved to the door, where a group of guards silently began to follow. More guards met them just outside the front door. They formed a protective ring around Fluttershy, Cliff, and his grandparents as they left the courthouse, amid shouts of encouragement from one crowd, and taunts and threats from another. Even more guards were keeping the crowds separate, for fear they would attack each other.

Spike and the rest of the Public Relations team would be staying behind to hold a brief press conference. Cliff felt that everything worth saying had already been said, multiple times, but he wasn't going to question his brother's decisions.

“Perhaps Fire Eyes is correct,” Burning Torch said as the crowds began to thin out. “Living in the Everfree Forest might be easier than continuing with this.”

Fire Claws nodded her agreement.

“How is she, anyway?” Cliff asked. Between her growing uneasiness about being near ponies, and the need for an armed escort whenever a wyrm went into town, he hadn't seen his old friend in days.

“She's wiping out every timberwolf and manticore she can find in the Everfree,” Fire Claws said. “It's the only way she can think of to help anymore. Anyway, I need to get to work. I promised Derpy that I'd cover her shift today so she can spend some time with Dinky.”

After a brief round of farewells, two guards broke off to follow the dragoness.

Their path took them by the schoolhouse. Cliff couldn't see it, but he could certainly imagine Whisper trying not to look nervously at the guard that would be standing at the back of the classroom.

“I'll be at the Dragon House if you should need me,” Burning Torch said as they neared the palace. “Celestia wanted to hear my thoughts on a new law that would punish newspapers for knowingly printing false information, and it's past time that I responded to her.”

Cliff and Fluttershy waved as two more guards followed after the older dragon.

“It's about time to get started on lunch. What would you all like?” Cliff asked the six that remained.

“I'm in the mood for some scones, sir,” one replied.

“Just a salad is fine with me, sir.”

The others rattled off their preferences as well.

Cliff committed their orders to memory. “We're going to need some more carrots and another loaf of bread. Would anypony mind picking those up after I grab the bits for it?”

“I will, sir.”

It had taken a direct order from Twilight to get them to open up, but completely stoic, silent guards only made Cliff more uncomfortable. Besides, most of the guards were rather nice once they knew they could relax and be themselves. Perhaps more importantly, none of them blamed Cliff for defending himself. It was just a shame that still couldn't tell any of them apart.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Cliff had barely finished preparing the last guard's lunch when he heard the palace's front door open, and a sobbing voice that made his heart skip a beat. He dropped the fruit he had been carrying and ran to the entryway to meet Whisper, scooping her up and holding her against his chest. “Shh,” he said over her wails. “What happened?”

“I-I hurt somepony!” The dark green hatchling pressed herself against his scales. “I'm so sorry, Cliff,” she bawled. “I didn't mean to!”

“I know.” The older dragon stroked her back as he created a link between them. “You're far too sweet to hurt anypony on purpose.” He sent a wave of reassurance and nuzzled the top of her head. “Now tell me everything that happened, and we'll make it right.”

Fluttershy, Spike, and Twilight joined them as the tale unfolded. A tale that nearly made Cliff's legs go out beneath him.

Diamond Tiara had been trying to get a rise out of the hatchling since her first day of school. It seemed she had finally given up on taunts and insults, and attempted to physically beat Whisper into submission.

With Whisper's guard distracted breaking up a fight at the other end of the playground, the other Crusaders blocked off by some of the bully's allies, and Whisper herself held down by Silver Spoon, the young dragoness had done the only thing she could think of, and breathed fire.

Against another dragon, it would have had the same effect as a burst of warm air. Diamond Tiara, however, was a pony. Whisper's fire had charred and blistered her entire face, scorching off most of her mane in the process.

In the chaos that followed, the hatchling had escaped her tormentors and run to the palace.

“This is bad,” Twilight said quietly.

“Well duh.” Spike buried his face in his hands. “Okay. Here's what we need to do. Twilight, they will have taken Diamond Tiara to the hospital by now. Get there, heal her, and do anything you can to keep Filthy Rich from going ballistic. Cliff, round up the rest of the coven. The last thing we need is one of them causing problems. I'll go get Autumn and Rarity so we can figure out how to handle this. Fluttershy, take care of Whisper until we get back.”

Cliff gently broke the link and passed the crying hatchling to his fiance. They exchanged a nervous smile before he took off.

A few guard pegasi flew after the young dragon, trying in vain to keep up with him.

Luck, of a sort, was on Cliff's side. Burning Torch was at the Dragon House, and so was Fire Eyes, for a change. He sent them to the palace immediately before taking off again.

Rather than risk pushing his way through the crowds in town, Cliff opted to jump from rooftop to rooftop, looking for his grandmother in the streets below. Even though he didn't want to waste any time, the young dragon stopped and landed when he saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. All three of them were in tears.

“Cliff!” Apple Bloom shouted, tackling the dragon along with her friends. “Somethin' horrible happened-”

“I know,” he gently cut her off. “Don't worry, Twilight is healing Diamond Tiara right now, and Spike and I are going to make sure nothing happens to Whisper.” He wrapped them all in a warm hug.

“It wasn't her fault,” Scootaloo sniffled, fighting to keep her voice steady. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon ganged up on her.”

“I know,” Cliff repeated. “Just go back to school for now. You can come see Whisper at the palace once it gets out.”

“Cheerilee ended school early,” Sweetie Belle said. “We tried to talk to Rarity, and then Applejack, but they both told us to go to the clubhouse for now. Can't we go to the palace instead?” She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

For a moment, Cliff was torn. On one claw, Whisper could certainly use her friends right now, but on the other, it wasn't his place to undermine AJ and Rarity's authority as older sisters. The last thing we need today is more fighting... “I'm sorry, but you'd better go to the clubhouse for now.” At their disappointed whimpers, he quickly added, “but I'll come get you myself if anything changes.”

Only seconds after sending the three on their way, Rainbow Dash landed next to the young dragon. “Hey, Cliff, did something happen? Why were the Crusaders here instead of at school?”

He caught her up on the situation as quickly as possible. “...So have you seen Grandma around?”

“Yeah, she's just a few streets over. Follow me!”

-_-_-_-_-_-

All three of them arrived at the palace moments later. Whisper was still curled up in Fluttershy's lap. Cliff and Fire Claws snapped into the link as soon as they could, fueling positive emotions into the distraught hatchling alongside the other wyrms. Applejack was also there, which came as a bit of a surprise. She was sitting with Spike, Autumn, and Rarity as they tried to figure out what to do.

“Is she going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes,” Fire Claws replied with a slightly pained smile. “She's just scared.”

“I'm a b-bad dragon,” Whisper sobbed.

“No you aren't, gemstone.” Fire Claws gently lifted the hatchling's face so they could look at each other.

“D-Diamond Tiara was just trying to hurt me, b-but I almost killed her.” She clenched her eyes shut. “G-good dragons don't do bad things.”

“Of course we do, Whisper. Everydragon makes mistakes and does bad things sometimes.” The older dragoness leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “You're only a bad dragon if you don't feel bad, or don't try to fix your mistakes after you've made them. You feel bad about hurting that pony, don't you?”

Whisper nodded.

“Then you're a good dragon, and learning from this will make you even better.” She nuzzled the hatchling affectionately. “Now quit beating yourself up over it. I won't let anydragon make you feel bad after you've learned your lesson, even yourself.”

The tiny dragoness threw her arms around Fire Claw's muzzle, hugging it tightly as she continued to sob.

She gently returned the embrace.

“Twilight and a very upset pony are coming,” Autumn said loud enough for them all to hear. “I believe it's Mr. Rich.”

Fire Claws nodded a few seconds later. “Yes, I can sense them now too.” She passed Whisper to Fluttershy and stepped forward.

Cliff turned to his brother. “What do you need us to do?”

“Just don't kill him.” Spike walked to the door with an air or grim determination.

Fire Eyes stepped between the door and Whisper. “I make no promises. His brat tried to hurt my sister.”

Filthy Rich was already in a heated argument with Twilight when Spike opened the door for them. “...I don't care! She's old enough to be responsible for what she did.” The brown stallion stepped inside, only to be met by a veritable wall of claws and scales.

“Hello, Mr. Rich,” Spike said calmly. “I take if you're here to discuss the unfortunate events of this morning?”

“No.” The normally calm earth pony was fairly shaking with rage. “I already know what happened, and I'm here to offer them,” he jerked a hoof at the other wyrms, “this deal: leave Ponyville today, or I'll take legal action tomorrow, and then kick them out.”

“In other words, you came to threaten us.” Burning Torch stepped forward. “You obviously believe that you are in the right on this matter, but the simple fact remains that you are not. A fact that would certainly be proven in the Equestrian legal system.”

“That's where you're wrong,” Filthy Rich shot back. “No adults saw what happened, but seven of the eleven children who witnessed the attack are willing to testify that it was an overreaction to harmless foaling around.”

“Then they would all be liars,” Fire Eyes spat. “My sister is the most gentle hatchling under the stars. She would never lie about what your daughter was trying to do.”

“I should also point out,” Fire Claws added, “that dragons are less impact resistant than ponies. Even if your daughter thought it was just 'harmless foaling around,' it might have seriously injured Written Whisper.”

“Don't give me that!” the stallion shouted. “Diamond Tiara was in the hospital with third degree burns all over her face because of that little monster! Both eyes burned beyond use. Lungs scorched by super-heated air.” He was shaking even more strongly now. “She would've been permanently disabled, or even died, if not for Princess Twilight! Now all I'm asking is that you take that creature and leave Ponyville, before the same thing happens to some other poor foal!”

Spike cut in between him and the other wyrms before it could come to blows. “Mr. Rich, we understand that you're upset, and Whisper feels horrible about what happened. Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow, once we've all had a chance to calm down.”

“Oh I'll come back tomorrow, with my lawyers.” Filthy Rich stomped the floor. “Mark my words. I'll call in every favor, spend every bit, do everything it takes, until every last dragon is bucked right out of Equestria! You're all barbaric, violent, greedy, monsters,” he pressed on, over a chorus of growls from the coven, “and you have no place in pony society!” The earth pony stormed outside and slammed the door behind him.

“Nice guy, isn't he?” Spike said, earning a slap from Twilight.

“Maybe I should show him what dragon-fire from an adult can do,” Fire Eyes growled.

Cliff let out an unsteady breath. In a strange way, it was a relief to have a political opponent who spread lies about dragons because he actually hated them, rather than because he thought it would make a good story. He increased the flow of positive emotions to Whisper, who was crying loudly in Fluttershy's hooves. “Maybe we should leave town. For a few days, at least.”

“I agree,” Fire Claws said. “It took Pinkie Pie and Celestia combined to stop riots when that pony attacked Cliff, and that was with witnesses to prove that Cliff was in the right. With another incident so soon afterward, Ponyville won't be safe for us anymore.”

Fire Eyes and Burning Torch nodded their agreement.

Spike and the others tried to object, but anything they were going to say died out as the reality of the situation began to sink in. They slowly lowered their heads, as Fluttershy hugged Whisper to her chest, tears pouring down her cheeks.

“I guess that's it,” Cliff said quietly. “We'll be going now.”

Something changed.

“N-no, I won't leave my friends!”

Through the link, Cliff felt an unfamiliar emotion flicker into life. It burned along his senses, demanding his attention, almost pulling him in. What is that?

He turned, and stared in horror at Whisper, who had already grown a few inches.

Author's Note

There isn't much that can be said. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, the unthinkable happens.