Their Knight of Scales

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 1
Chapter 13

Chapter 2

The short walk from the ground level to the royal apartments was quiet and honestly a little awkward, since I was dreading bringing up a painful memory for Rarity. Besides that, as much as Fluttershy tried to call the night “friend time”, I was practically going to be swimming in a sea of estrogen. Not that I really minded, since I had a lot of experience dealing with the fairer sex, but I would be spending the night with six of them, and though I had my own room, it was likely Twilight was going to force me to sleep in a room with all of them, since a slumber party practically demanded sleeping bags and talking late into the night...or at least that’s what Twilight’s “The Ultimate Guide to Sleepovers, Vol. 3” stated.

Yet again, not that I minded any of that much, save for the fact that I was a light sleeper nowadays, and Rainbow Dash’s snoring was legendary.

What I saw when Fluttershy and I entered into the common room was pretty much what I expected: Rainbow Dash and Applejack were arm-wrestling while Pinkie was placing bets against Scootaloo on who would win, and Twilight and Rarity were chatting quietly while Rarity brushed the princess’ hair. While I hadn’t thought that Scootaloo would be here as well, I guess it made sense since Rainbow Dash would be at the slumber party, which would leave the younger pony by herself at Rainbow’s cloud home.

Upon seeing me, Pinkie gasped, which startled Rainbow Dash and made Applejack forcefully slam her opponent’s hand onto the table, simultaneously toppling the rainbow-haired mare and causing Scootaloo to burst out in a fit of guffaws. Rarity brushed too roughly through a knot in Twilight’s mane, yanking the alicorn’s head back and causing both to fall off the edge of the large bed they sat upon.

Yeah...I lost it.

Fluttershy squeaked adorably as I fell past her onto the floor, hugging my sides as I laughed uncontrollably at the sight of so much going wrong all at once. This in turn caused Fluttershy to begin giggling, and within only a minute, the entire room was full of laughter the likes of which was so rare that I treasured every second of it. Not that laughter was a novelty with us or anything, but it was so uncommon for us to be all together, all at once, and be laughing like idiots. It felt good, and I wished we had more moments just like it.

After nearly five minutes of excessive laughter, we all calmed down enough to greet each other.

Pinkie was first, of course, deciding that an overly-strong hug would suffice rather than words. From there, Applejack stood and approached, extending her hand with a warm smile.

“Glad to see you could make it, Spike. Ah was wonderin’ if y’all were really comin’.” the farm mare greeted in a friendly manner.

I wrenched myself from Pinkie’s grasp and shook her hand firmly, smiling as well. “Well, Fluttershy said it would be alright if I came by tonight, so here I am. I didn’t have anything else going on tonight, so…” I shrugged. “Besides, I’m always in the mood to hang out with you girls; I just didn’t want to intrude or anything.”

“Spike,” Twilight began, trying her best to fix her mussed hair, “this is your home. Beyond that, I think I speak for everypony when I say you’re always welcome being around us, no matter what; you could never ‘intrude’.”

“She’s right, Spike.” Rainbow Dash added with a grin. “Honestly, we were hoping you’d join us sooner; it just doesn’t feel right anymore without you around.”

I raised one of my brows. “Since when?”

Scootaloo stepped forward now, smiling brightly. “You’ve helped everypony in this town in some way or another; you’ve become a part of everyday life for everypony -- some of us more than others.” She stopped right in front of me, tilting her head back to look at me, as she was a rather petite young mare. “Do you remember when I found out from the doctors that I would never be able to fly like a normal pegasus?”

Her words brought to mind the memory, and I nodded slowly. “Yes. It was a hard day for everypony close to you...Rainbow most of all.” I glanced at Rainbow Dash, and she nodded to me with a smile. “We all banded together to make sure you knew that just because you might be short in the flight department, it didn’t make you any less of a pony; we love you for who you are, not whether you can fly or not.” I rolled my eyes and sighed, nodding. “Fluttershy and I talked about this on the way here. Apparently I’m really important to all of you.”

Scootaloo nodded, her gaze never breaking with my own. “You are. To older ponies, you’re the kind of dragon they wish most younger ponies could be like, and to the youth, you’re the one we aspire to be like. You inspire us to be our best, even if you don’t realize it.” Her smile then dropped away as it was replaced by a more somber expression. “We’ve all seen what your kind can be like Spike, and that’s why you’re so special to us; you’re not like other dragons, but you’re still willing to protect your home and everypony in it.”

Scootaloo held a special place in my heart. She was my first flame, so to speak, after I let go of my childhood crush on Rarity. Scootaloo and I had always been closer to each other than I had to the other “crusaders” seeing as how we had a lot in common as far as personality, hobbies, and even sense of humor. Beyond that, I had been the one to inadvertently prove to Scootaloo that she was not interested in stallions, and was subsequently the first one she had spoken to about her preferences. Now I know a lot of others out there that would see such a realization by a filly or mare right after dating them as a failure as a stallion, but truthfully I was relieved. I had noticed the whole time we were together that she seemed to just be going through the motions as far as a relationship was concerned, which had originally led me to believe that I was doing something wrong. She had later admitted to me that I was the one male she would ever consider marrying, if only for the fact that I was one of her best friends and she knew I would never hurt her. I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole situation, but I choose to see it as a positive.

“Don’t let all this praise give you a big head though, Spike.” Rainbow Dash commented with a smirk. “I’m more than happy to knock you down a few pegs if you get all full of yourself.”

I raised my brow again, this time with a smirk. “Is that a challenge? I’ll throw down with you right now if you’re feeling brave, and I’m pretty sure we both know I’d win.”

Twilight then stepped in front of me, her eyes narrowed in a glare. “If you two want to do that, take it outside.”

I looked out one of the nearby windows and saw clouds gathering for an overnight rain. I shook my head with a sigh as I looked back to my prismatic friend. “I guess we’ll have to wait until another time for you to get your butt kicked.”

Rainbow Dash just smirked right back. “Anytime anywhere, scales. Bring it.”

I simply shook my head and settled in for a night with a few great friends.

Night had settled in nicely in Ponyville, and Twilight’s gramophone was putting out some soft music for us all to listen to as we relived the adventures of our past. Scootaloo, of course, hadn’t been there, but seeing as how Rainbow Dash told her everything, she already knew of many of the things we had done. Needless to say, the eight of us had quite a bit of fun talking about old times and reminiscing about how we all came to know each other. It was a night that I think we all enjoyed immensely, since for those few precious hours we could forget about our responsibilities and chosen professions to just be friends again.

I found it funny that some things never changed about all of them, such as Pinkie’s exuberance or Fluttershy’s gentle nature. Though we had grown (some of us more or faster than others), we had never forgotten or forsaken the bonds we had with each other. It was worth more than its weight in gold or jewels to me, and I would protect what we had to my last breath.

On a less dark note, Applejack was happy to announce that she and Thunderlane would be celebrating their six-month anniversary soon, which meant that among all those present, she would have the longest-standing relationship. It was kinda sad when I really thought about it, but I guess we can’t all be winners. Besides, I pretty much had everything I could want anyway, minus anything physically intimate...and I’ll admit, the latter is something I do crave, as any other sane stallion does.

Nonetheless, we were all happy for Applejack, since she had so little time to herself with work on the farm and everything, which meant that not only was it nearly a miracle for her to even find someone, but also incredible that he understood just how much time she would have to devote to the farm. We all knew of course, but then again we weren’t her special somponies, so I don’t think that counts.

After that little congratulatory moment, we all sat down to watch a movie in Twilight’s bedroom, which from what the others told me was a regular thing, as was the fact that everypony would likely fall asleep around or on each other. Twilight told me (much to my disappointment) that scantily-clad female pillowfights were “not a thing”, as cited in her issue of “One-Thousand and One Things that Never Happen” (yes, it’s a real book, and yes, the rule was in there). However, I was overjoyed at the fact that mini-pizzas and chips were in plentiful supply, which more than made up for the fact that I wouldn’t be living every young stallion’s dream.

It was around one in the morning when I felt nature call, so I slowly and carefully extracted myself from the grasp of Twilight and Pinkie Pie -- the latter of which was drooling on me -- and made my way to the public lavatory.

After relieving myself and cleaning up, I strolled over to the railing of one of the balconies on the first floor of the apartment wing and gazed up at the moon, simply enjoying the night air. The night had gone pretty well, even though I had never gotten my chance to speak to Rarity alone, but I had come to find that perhaps sleepovers weren’t so girly after all. Besides, who doesn’t love hanging out with best friends?

“You seem troubled.” whispered a voice from above.

I looked up and smiled, waving to my visitor. “Hey, mom. Do the guards know you’re sneaking out at night?”

Princess Celestia, in all her sweat pants and tee-shirt’ed splendor, flared her wings quietly before landing on the balcony next to me, returning my smile. “I think what I do during my off-hours is none of their business. Besides,” she continued, reaching out to rub a hand along my newly-growing cranial fins, “I’m allowed to visit those most important to me from time to time, am I not?”

I raised a brow at this. “And Twilight?”

She shrugged, shifting beside me and extending her wing to wrap around me. “You do realize I hear from her every day, right? I haven’t heard from you in nearly two weeks, Spike. I’m starting to think you don’t love me anymore.” She then pouted in a way that immediately drew me to assume she must have been a real brat when she was younger.

I sighed and shook my head. “I just didn’t want to bother you is all. Besides, you told me that now is the time when I should be striking out on my own.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t keep in contact with family, dear.” she admonished gently.

I leaned against her side, enjoying the feeling of her soft, warm fur. “I guess. I just can’t help but think of how much you and the others have to do every day to keep this country running. By comparison, my daily routine seems pretty unimportant.”

I felt the large feathered wing tighten ever so slightly against me, and found two pink eyes almost glaring at me. “Comparing your wants, needs, and habits to another who lives a life so different from yours will always lead to a feeling of insignificance, my son.” Her hand once again brushed my soft head fins, and her glare softened into a loving smile. “To those that matter, how you feel and what you do are the most important things in the world. Never think for a moment that I or any of the others whose lives you have touched do not wish to keep in contact, no matter where life may take us.” She then smirked mischievously. “Besides, I know of no one else who was artificially aged by a curious princess.”

Her latter statement referred, of course, to Twilight; more specifically, it referred to the time when she was dabbling in magic and unfinished spells that were dreamt up to control or alter time. One such spell would allow her to open a portal to a fixed point in the past if she could figure out how to get it to work right. Instead of doing what was intended, the spell had backfired and altered both our ages by five years. It was after this incident that Twilight destroyed all copies of the spell and forwarded the original and all her notes to be kept safe in the Canterlot Royal Archives. She had later told me that seeing me grow five feet within two seconds had scared her more than she initially thought, especially when she recognized the fact that the spell could have very well aged me far past that point had it gone even worse...and by worse, she meant death, even though she never actually said it. Regardless, she promised both me and herself that she would never experiment with dangerous magic on another living subject again.

“That might very well have been one of the strangest things to ever happen to me.” I commented dryly. “Though, it did have some nice side effects; for one, I’m not small anymore.”

“You have a long life ahead of you, Spike.” she chastised gently. “Don’t ever be in a hurry to grow up.” I noticed as her ear flicked, and she grinned slyly. “It seems we have company.”

I turned with her toward the balcony door and smiled when I saw Rarity walk out before stopping abruptly, nearly falling in the process. “O-oh, I’m sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Celestia looked at me before shaking her head and spreading her wings. “Not at all dear, I’m just saying goodnight to Spike here.” She then turned to me with a smile as she stroked my cheek lovingly, kissing it shortly after before ascending with one powerful flap of her wings. As she hovered for a moment in the air, she looked Rarity and I over with a knowing smile before waving. “I’m off to the palace, dear. Take care of them.”

Rarity watched in confusion and awe as the alicorn of the day flew away, clearly unsure what to make of what she had just seen. “S-so, umm…”

“It’s not what it looks like, Rarity;” I began, still not taking my eyes off of the ruler as she continued to retreat in the distance, “she’s my mom.” Before she could say anything else, I turned around to face Rarity. “Why are you awake?”

Rarity looked away from the sky to focus on me, shifting uneasily on her hooves. “I-I heard you get up, and I was worried.”

I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose. “Rarity, we’ve been dancing around this for awhile now, and it has to stop. For months now, any time you don’t know where I am or where I’m going, you act as if I just took up a fight with a hydra. Accidents happen; I forgave you and-”

“You were dying,” she spoke suddenly, her voice very soft and her tone vulnerable, “and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it.” She stepped forward and leaned her rump against the railing, unwilling to look me in the eyes anymore. “We’re lucky there were guards on standby that knew what to do, because the sight of you suffocating was so horrifying that I just locked up in terror.” Rarity shook her head shamefully as the tears began to come, more quickly than I would have expected from her. “It was all my fault, and there was not a thing I could do to correct my mistake…”

I shook my head. “Rarity, we didn’t know; hay, I didn’t even know until afterward what had happened to me. It wasn’t-”

“IT WAS MY FAULT!” she suddenly shouted, her voice echoing briefly before the sounds of night once again enveloped us. She was hunched over, shaking with the effort of trying to keep silent, but choked sobs and tears still escaped.

We were all used to Rarity being dramatic, but there was a clear difference between something that she thought was important at the time, and something that truly bothered her. The way she presented herself the past few months -- her tone, her posture, and even her outfits -- screamed shame and depression. She had hardly ever approached me since the day of the incident, and spoke to me only in passing. For a long time I had worried I had done something wrong, but it was this night that confirmed to me that she didn’t feel worthy of being around me anymore; no...worse, she thought herself to be a hazard to me.

“Rarity…” I began, stepping over to her only to have her flinch away. I sighed and shook my head, shooting my hand out and grabbing her wrist before she could retreat, and pulling her close to me as I wrapped my arms around her. For a moment she struggled to escape and her horn even lit up with magic in an attempt to push me away or something, but soon she slumped against me and began sobbing against my chest. Her arms suddenly shot up and encircled me, clutching on for dear life as the two of us fell to our knees as her legs gave out.

“I-I’m s-s-s-so s-” she began, only for her words to dissolve into unintelligible babbles as she cried harder. Unable to do much else, I simply held her tightly as she soaked my shirt with tears.

Whenever it comes to anything dealing with emotions, Rarity truly goes all-out. When she falls in love, she falls hard, and the same extreme reactions happen whenever she’s very happy, very sad, or any strong emotion. Because of that, what would for anyone else be a mere few minutes of crying, she spent two hours on it, reducing my shirt to nothing more than a wet rag to be used for the explicit purpose of drying a unicorn’s tears.

One good thing did come from her breakdown though: she finally looked at me without shame swimming in her gaze, and didn’t retreat from me when I was close to her. While it’s true I didn’t actually say much to fix the issue, I think she may have finally gotten over her guilt that very night, as her behavior toward me did a complete turnaround.

Those hours later found the two of us laying together back in Twilight’s bedroom, her head on my chest and my hand lovingly stroking her mane. As I’d gotten older and larger, Twilight had been in Rarity’s very position a few times before, though never because of something having to do with me, luckily. This instance would make the first time I’d held Rarity in such an intimate manner, and I must admit, it felt exactly like I’d dreamed it would all those years ago when I was just a little whelp.

“Spike,” Rarity whispered suddenly, turning her head to look up at me as she pushed herself up from my bare chest, “why do you do all this for us?”

I raised one of my brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

She gestured to the six others who were sleeping. “Everypony here cherishes you for one reason or another. You are there for us whenever we need you, and ask for nothing in return. My question is: why? What do you gain from all this?”

Rarity’s eyes were still a little puffy from crying so hard, but to me, she was still as beautiful as ever.

I looked down to her with a warm smile and motioned to the position we found ourselves in. “What, this isn’t enough?”

She slapped my chest gently, frowning at me. “Spike, don’t play with a lady’s feelings.”

I nodded slowly, but didn’t lose my smile. “Okay, you want to know the truth? It’s because you all are family -- every one of you. We’ve been together so long and been through so much, and I’ve made sure we stay close no matter what.” I continued my act of running my claws through her mane, and brought my hand around her back, rubbing my thumb along her shoulder gently. “I do what I do for all of you because I like seeing all of you happy, and when you’re happy, I’m happy.”

She nodded a few times before setting her chin on my scales, still looking up at me. “Spike, do you lov-”

“Yes.” I interrupted plainly, with no hesitation or doubt in my tone.

Rarity’s eyes of sapphire continued staring deep into my own as she considered my answer until finally, “You know, I’ve spent a large part of my life looking for a fairytale prince to marry.” She paused and glanced away briefly before looking back to me with a sad smile. “And it appears I’ve overlooked the precious gem that lay in plain sight.”

My heart raced as I began to imagine the possibilities of what she meant, though it was pretty clear by now where this conversation was headed.

‘Easy Spike,’ I chastised myself sternly, ‘be cool and don’t be too eager. Yes this has been a long time coming, but don’t act desperate even though...though…” I closed my eyes and inhaled as my eyes rolled back in my head. ‘G-gah, she smells good...’

“Spike?” Rarity called quietly as I opened my eyes, concern and nervousness etched on her face. “Are you alright?”

Deciding to turn the tables, so to speak, I brought the palm of my hand to her cheek and asked her, “Rarity, do you love me?”

My dream was now within reach; she only needed to give me the answer I craved -- the answer I knew she wanted to give -- and all would be well.

For a long few minutes of silence, she simply looked at me, as if contemplating what to say to my question before she answered not with words, but by crawling forward and hovering for just a moment before planting her soft lips against mine.

It wasn’t my first kiss. Fireworks didn’t explode in my mind and the sun and moon didn’t weep at the sheer right-ness of the action between Rarity and I, but across my entire body a pleasant warmth spread, and my heart sped to match pace with Rainbow Dash on her best day.

Slowly, I reached up as we continued our liplock to gently grasp the back of her head, pushing her deeper into the kiss. Rarity let out a quiet moan of surprise and happiness as her hand began to roam over my chest and neck, seeking to heighten the pleasure of our shared experience as it continued. Without consciously thinking about it, I slid my free hand up under the hem of her violet nightgown, caressing the diamonds on her flank, eliciting a gasp-turned-moan.

Rarity disconnected the kiss, pushing away and whispering, “S-Spike, stop...please.”

I swallowed hard at what I realized I had just done and began stammering, “O-oh Celestia. Rarity, I’m so s-sorry.”

To my surprise, she was smiling as she stayed mounted on my stomach. She brought a hand down to mine and pulled it to her lips, kissing it gently before saying, “Don’t ever apologize for desiring me, Spike.”

I raised my brow in confusion. “B-but then why…?”

“Because,” she purred softly, bending down to hover just in front of my face, “it wouldn’t be very ladylike to explore each other in a room filled with our friends, now would it? Besides that, I have saved myself for the one who will be my husband, and I’ll not give what no other has had after only one night, Spike; not even to you.”

I felt blood rush to my cheeks at what she insinuated, and I cleared my throat nervously. “Um, I-I wouldn’t have let it go that far…”

I felt Rarity’s muzzle push past my cheek as she settled right against my ear frill and whispered, “But much more and I wouldn’t have been able to stop.”

I felt Rainbow Dash move down by my feet, and glanced to our mutual bedmate before looking back to Rarity with a smile. “Alright, my lady.”

Rarity nodded before dismounting and laying beside me once again, laying her head across my chest and placing her warm hand against my shoulder. She sighed happily before looking to me and whispering, “Goodnight, Sir Spike; I love you.” I closed my eyes and resumed stroking her mane as I reveled in the embrace my own personal princess, only to feel the bed shift as somepony began to crawl toward the head of it.

Rainbow Dash then settled next to me while mumbling, “S’cold,” and shimmying underneath the duvet. Her hand then reached for mine, and I let her take it as she laced her fingers in mine and smiled sleepily with her eyes shut.

While Rarity might have been the only one that loved me as more than a great friend, all the ponies in the crowded room were my family, and I was more content than I would be with a mountain full of the most priceless gems and precious metals.

With a final happy smile and shift of my wings, I let Luna’s realm of dreams take me, though one of my greatest dreams had already come true.

Chapter 3

“They’re so cute!”

That was the first thing I heard in the morning, followed by a chorus of hushed giggles. While it was true I wanted to pry open my eyelids and tell whoever they were to kindly be a bit quieter, Rarity’s grasp on me was far too comfortable. It was then that I realized -- by scent and touch -- that last night was indeed real, and I nearly jumped out of the bed with a start before thinking it would probably be pretty rude to wake my bedmate up that way. So, I instead slowly and gently pulled my arm out from underneath the unicorn beside me and sat up, letting loose a mighty yawn and stretching my stiff wings.

I finally opened my eyes to see that six ponies were gathered around me, Rainbow sitting with a smug expression to my left.

“So…” Rainbow Dash began, her smirk growing even larger, “did you sleep well last night?”

Letting my quick wit work this out for me, I immediately replied, “You were right beside me Ms. Cuddlepony; you tell me.”

The rest of the girls giggled as Rainbow’s face lit up in a fierce blush, and she turned away in embarrassment. It was cute to be honest, so I let it happen; besides, she’d laughed quite a bit over the years at my expense, so I counted this as payback. Rarity, however, was still getting her beauty sleep, so I hurriedly shushed the others and pointed to the slumbering unicorn. Not to sound cliche or anything, but I never really understood the reason for someone as physically and mentally beautiful as Rarity needing beauty sleep, but she would likely say something along the lines of it being needed for “maintenance”, so I just stop that train of thought before it even makes it to my mouth.

Let it be said that I do think ahead from time to time.

“All kidding aside though,” Twilight began, more quietly than her rainbow-maned friend, “is everything alright between the two of you now?”

I nodded, smiling as I glanced to my sleeping bedmate. “Yeah. Mom visited late last night too --” I then preempted Twilight’s correction by adding, “or this morning, if you want to be specific -- and spent some off-time with me for a bit.”

Scootaloo looked confused, as did most of the rest of them besides Twilight. “Your mom? A dragon came by here last night?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Not my biological mother Scoots, rather, the one I consider my mother: Celestia.”

Rainbow Dash had apparently recovered from her embarrassment since she broke in with, “Celestia’s your mom?”

I shrugged with a faint smile. “She raised me before Twilight took over later on, and like a lot of animals, dragons naturally imprint on those they spend the most time with shortly after birth. Twilight hatched me, but those first few months were spent exclusively with Celestia, so I’ve always thought of her as my mom.” I chuckled and added, “She actually had to explain to me later when I was old enough to understand that I was not, in actuality, a pony. It was quite the revelation, to say the least.”

“To find out that yer not just a scaly pony?” Applejack chimed with a grin. “Ah can imagine so. Bet that was cute; wish Ah could’a seen yer reaction.”

I chuckled softly at the memory, remembering my childish overreaction. “I cried...a lot; like any young pony would at learning they were not, in fact, a pony.” I glanced to Applejack and clarified, “I guess it would be like you finding out that you were actually a wingless pegasus and not an earth pony.”

It took the knowledge gained from years of study under Twilight to know that the two were not, in fact, the same thing. Pegasi were usually the smallest of the three tribes, whereas earth ponies were the largest. Mistaking an earth pony for a pegasus would be difficult.

I stretched and stood, doing both quietly so as not to wake the sleeping pony beside me. “Alright, who’s up for breakfast?”

As was the custom among my friends, I cooked us all breakfast. Besides Twilight and Scootaloo, the rest were perfectly capable of cooking a hearty meal for a group, but it was sort of an unspoken rule that I was the one to cook whenever all of us were gathered together. While some others might feel a bit used because of this, I didn’t mind in the least. Besides the fact that cooking for grateful friends was hardly a chore, I actually liked to cook; it was a bit of a private hobby of mine, and one that I’d perfected among other skills I possessed.

So it was that the cloudy morning was filled with pleasant chatter as I prepared the meal, with my totally macho frilly pink apron on, with “Kiss the Cook” written in glittery red letters across the front.

…

It was a gift from Rarity, so keep your judging judge-words to yourself. Besides all that, the “requirement” written on it had been followed by nearly all in attendance at least once, so I was perfectly content wearing something that was pink and frilly...a-and sparkly…alright fine, so it’s kinda girly, but whatever.

“Mmm, smells good Spikey!” commented the bright voice of Pinkie from behind me as she peered past my shoulder. “Could I just-”

As a pink hand reached around me toward the sizzling peppers and hay-browns, I tapped the digits with my spoon and shook my head. “It’s almost done, Pinkie. You’ll have some when everypony else does.”

She appeared in my field of vision, pouting adorably as her blue eyes seemed to widen to nearly comical levels; comical, at least, if it wasn’t so pitiful-looking. “Spiiiike…”

I glanced at her for a moment before my resolve completely fell away, and I huffed before grabbing a spoon from the drawer and scooping some of the mixture up and holding it in front of her mouth. She blew on the steaming food before wrapping her lips around the spoon, moaning in a borderline-inappropriate manner as she closed her eyes and chewed. It took all I had within me to keep my thoughts focused on something other than every fantasy I’d ever secretly had about her as a younger drake (and even from time to time more recently), but-

I slapped myself and took a deep breath, shaking my head at the fluffy-haired baker beside me. “You’re gonna get me in trouble one of these days Pinkie, and when that day comes you’re totally getting part of the blame.”

She shrugged with a smile as she swallowed her food with an exaggerated lip-licking. “As long as I get to share in the fun when it happens, that’s okay!”

I waited for Pinkie to clarify her statement for me since it was pretty vague as far as how I was supposed to take it, but she just winked at me before walking away. I knew for a fact that Pinkie was smarter than most strangers took her for, so I was pretty sure she knew when she was messing with me. No one, no matter how innocent, could tease the way she did and have no idea of the implications of what she said and did.

Sometimes it’s hard out here for a drake, but the perks make it worth it...most of the time.

With a flourish I began to serve the food up into the bowls set aside, topping Twilight’s with a generous portion of ketchup and adding fresh habanero Mexicolt peppers to Pinkie and Rainbow’s. With the meals ready, I began bringing them to the crystal dining table the mares were all sitting near. Conversation quickly died, replaced by grateful words and praise, but I didn’t let it get to me. Nope, I surely didn’t let the praise of six of my best friends inflate my ego, and I’ll completely deny that I had a bit of a swagger in my step as I served the meals up.

“Y’all might as well be an Apple with how good at cookin’ ya are, Spike.” Applejack praised with a smile and wink.

I shrugged, making my way back to the kitchen after setting all the assembled ponies’ meals in front of them. “It doesn’t come naturally, I’ll admit. Still, practice makes perfect, and dragons do have a lot of experience with cooking things. I just had to learn to stop heating food before it became ash and everything was good.” I ignored Rainbow Dash’s amused chuckle and instead looked to the stairs leading to Twilight’s room. “Anypony know if Rarity’s coming down?”

Scootaloo snorted to conceal a laugh. “Maybe she’s waiting for her dreamy dragon to come wake her with a kiss.”

My shock and surprise at the youngest of us all having put the pieces together was clear, and I looked worriedly to the rest of them. Pinkie decided to save me from my anxiety by adding, “You two aren’t really good at keeping a secret, Spikey. Rarity doesn’t hold just anypony like that.”

I furrowed my brows as I looked at the faces of all who were gathered. “You all aren’t...weirded out by this?”

Twilight shrugged with both her shoulders and wings, for some reason. “It was a little strange when she was twice your size, but it’s a lot easier to see you as a mature dragon when you look the part. Personally, I think it’s great; you finally got what you had been chasing all your childhood.”

I smirked as the metaphorical door was left open for me. “I also wanted to be a superhero and a valiant knight; do you think those will come true for me too?”

“Now you’re just being silly.” she retorted, but couldn’t hide a grin.

I raised my hand as I made my way to the stairs. “Well this silly dragon is going to wake up Miss ‘I-Need-My-Beauty-Rest’.” Before climbing the steps, I stopped and turned, offering a grateful smile. “All kidding aside though, I’m happy you all are being so supportive. I’ve had nightmares about something like this going horribly wrong.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes suspiciously at me. “How could this have gone horribly wrong?”

I shrugged, beginning my ascent. “I’ve imagined things from stern scolding ranging all the way to banishment and a forced make-out session with Discord.” At the silence that reigned after my explanation, I glanced to the room of silent ponies and shrugged. “If there is something worse than trading spit with one of my guy friends, I can’t think of it.”

Another bit of laughter answered my words, but I didn’t stay any longer; there was a portion of greasy, thrown-together breakfast with Rarity’s name on it, and I wasn’t going to let her miss it. I quickened my pace to skipping a stair or two with each stride, and soon arrived at the door to Twilight’s room. I knocked softly and waited for an answer, but only silence answered me. Assuming that Rarity was still asleep, I turned the crystalline knob and pushed the door open, shutting it behind me.

Rarity was still and breathing deeply, though without me nearby she had fully extended her legs to cover the entire surface of the bed. Contrary to what many of the others thought with how often I had been over Rarity’s home, this would mark the first time I had caught her in a natural sleep state...and it was adorable. She was holding the pillow we had shared tightly as she slept peacefully. Rarity was apparently just as refined asleep as she was awake, since she didn’t snore, didn’t drool, and only tossed and turned when she was ill.

Still, as blissful as she may have been, breakfast waits for no pony.

I made my way to her side and sat down on the bed, extending a hand and shaking her gently. “Rares...Rarity, it’s time to wake up.”

She groaned loudly before rolling onto her back, fluttering her eyes a few times before looking over to me. Once our eyes met hers closed once again, and she reached out to me as she sat up, embracing me. “Good morning Spikey-wikey.” She then surprised me with a few kisses to my cheek and jawline, causing me to stiffen a bit. While it was true she had finally seen me as more than just a friend (much) earlier in the morning, it was going to take some getting used to in order to not flinch or react when she openly showed affection to me. It was okay though; for her, I would weather a storm of kisses. Ah, the things I’ll do for love.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks as she repeatedly planted her lips against my face, slowly and lovingly. I did my best to keep from looking too much like I was losing myself to an overpowering giddiness, but my eyes momentarily rolling back in my head probably ruined that.

After gathering enough of my composure to speak I greeted, “‘Morning, Rares. How did you sleep?”

Rarity ceased her oral assault upon me (and I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed) as she laid her head against mine. “Mmmm...wonderfully, darling. And you?”

I chuckled and nodded. “Same.” I then gently nudged her and gestured to the door. “C’mon, I made breakfast.”

Rarity nodded against me and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, standing with a dainty yawn as she adjusted her sleepwear. While at one point in our history I might have to worry about her taking the next two hours just to make herself “presentable”, our years together as a family of seven had done wonders for her self-confidence around us. I suppose it took someone seeing you at both your best and worst -- still sticking around to offer love and support through it all -- in order for us to feel truly confident that we would not be judged by something so trivial as bedmane or mussed fur. Scootaloo might not have spent as much time with all of us, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t also trust her in that respect, since we had been the ones to help her through her tough times.

Still, I was often thankful that I didn’t have any fur to muss, and no mane to get tangled; it made getting ready in the morning a breeze.

As Rarity stumbled sleepily a few times, I bounded down the stairway ahead of her to prepare a strong cup of coffee. While it was true I was eager to prove I was observant and thoughtful enough to do that for the mare I loved, I knew it was more for everypony else’s benefit than hers. A cranky Rarity is scarier than an angry ursa, and I wanted our first day together as a couple to be a good one, as cheesy as it sounds.

I arrived at the common room to find the others already eating and chatting happily, so I silently prepared the steamy caffeinated drink and arrived with it at the table just as Rarity arrived in the room. She nodded thankfully to me as she took her place between Applejack and myself, sipping the beverage slowly and letting out an audible sigh of contentment.

“Mornin’ Rare. Ya sleep alright?” Applejack greeted with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Rarity took a breath and muttered, “Honestly Applejack, must you be so crass? As a lady I would never submit myself to raising my tail so quickly for anyone, much less in the company of others. Proper etiquette demands restraint and self-control, and I would never lose myself to such a base desire.”

I noticed a few things at that moment. First of all, Rarity never once denied that her and I were an item. Also, Applejack’s grin had slowly fallen away until she looked a little worried for offending a friend. Lastly but certainly not the least, Rarity’s mouth had slowly curled into a mischievous grin...and it was the following words that flowed from her mouth that proved to me that while Rarity considered herself a proper lady, this particular fashionista was far more complex than a stranger would think.

“But,” she began, taking another sip of her aromatic coffee, “more than that, I simply didn’t want to wake the entire town when I began shrieking Spike’s name to the stars in an attempt to find an outlet for the sheer bliss of mutual loving release.” The last word was said more slowly, and with a seductive purr; her words had the desired affect as Rainbow Dash began choking on her food and Fluttershy began chanting “oh my goodness” repeatedly as her face turned from pale yellow to ruddy orange. Twilight and Applejack just stared with slack jaws as Scootaloo giggled, and Pinkie was actually…

“I’m…actually kinda jealous.” Pinkie admitted, biting her lip. It took a playful shove from me to cause the pink mare to begin giggling, and I laughed as well. Soon, much as we had the day before, all eight of us were laughing loudly as the contagious joviality spread among us, and I basked in the warmth and love of great friends.

While we all made it a point to spend time together as often as possible, each of us still had our own obligations -- the farm for Applejack, for example -- so, after breakfast we were forced to say our goodbyes as the group split up.

As Rainbow pulled Scootaloo up onto her back to take her home, Rarity, Twilight and I were the only three left standing out in front of the Friendship Castle. Seeing as how I didn’t particularly have anything important to do at the moment, I thought it a good idea to suggest, “So...lunch later?”

Rarity and Twilight turned to me before briefly glancing to each other. After nodding Twilight answered, “That sounds nice, Spike. Your treat?”

While it was true we practically had to fight with the restaurant owners of some places simply to pay for our meals, most of the ponies who had known us when we were younger treated us exactly the same as they always had. It was because of that issue that Twilight and I often ate out at a specific eatery when we wanted to spend time out of the castle, so I already had a place in mind.

With a nod, I smiled. “Sure; we’ll head to Chunky’s at around 1:00, alright?” Before Rarity could comment on the name I added, “They have healthy food options available too, Rarity.”

Considering my answer, Rarity looked to Twilight again before smiling at me. “That sounds lovely, Spike. Thank you for offering.”

Taking a chance, I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her mouth, lingering for a moment before pulling away and cupping her face in my hand. Her eyes fluttered open after having closed for a moment, and she smiled at me as I whispered, “Just thought I’d treat two of the world’s greatest to a simple lunch, as well as show you off a bit.”

Rarity pulled away with a soft blush and shoved me half-heartedly, only to drape her arms around my neck a second later to plant a single kiss on my lips. By the stars, that will never get old.

“Then, my shining knight, your lady will see you midday.” she replied, still smiling warmly.

‘My lady...’ I thought quietly to myself. With a radiant smile I nodded before releasing her. “I’ll see you then, Rares.” Then, deciding to see just how-

“I love you.” she murmured, her hands still around my neck.

I stood stock still for a moment before answering, “I was literally just about to say that.” Even though she said it first (and in doing so, sent a very potent thrill through my entire body), I eagerly reciprocated with a soft, “I love you too, Rares. See you later.” Rarity finally released me and began walking away, her designer overnight satchel in hand. It seemed that even doing something so mundane as spending the night over a friend’s house, she still had to be “chic and magnifique” while doing it.

*sigh*...I love that mare.

“It’s about time, Spike.” Twilight snarked from beside me, leaning her weight against me as she did so.

I extended one of my wings and wrapped it around her, still keeping my eyes locked on Rarity as she slowly disappeared around a few buildings. “It just kinda all happened at once last night, Twi. We finally had a serious -- albeit short -- talk about what happened to me in Canterlot, and then it just kinda...escalated. Next thing I know we’re kissing, and I’m fighting my own instincts to keep from hurting her...or mentally scarring the rest of you.” After realizing what I’d just said I turned my eyes to Twilight with a sheepish smile. “Sorry; TMI, right?”

Twilight had a mild blush along the tops of her cheeks, but she smiled supportively at me. “Don’t ever be afraid to talk to me about anything, Spike. There are things that Discord just wouldn’t understand, and I honestly don’t think Snips or Snails could help you out with anything pertaining to Rarity or your relationship with her.” She then nudged me with her shoulder. “Besides, I’ve known you the longest. If you can’t talk to the pony you’re closest to, who can you talk to?”

While it was true that my concept of Twilight had slowly changed from friend/sister to something else over the years, it was times like this that reminded me of just how close we were. There were things I’d spoken to her about that no pony else knew...not even Celestia. I’d spoken to her about my greatest fears of turning into an aggressive, hoarding dragon, and of my most loved dream of us always being together -- yes, even more than winning Rarity’s heart. Twilight was the pony I valued most in the world, and so long as she stood by my side, I knew everything would be alright.

“I thank whatever force put us together, Twi.” I commented, tightening my wing-hold around her. “We’d be messes alone.”

I felt Twilight nod against my shoulder before she moved away from me toward the door behind us. “I have to get cleaned up,” she then threw a glance over her shoulder, “and you get to start the laundry.”

I groan and threw my hands up as I followed her to the interior. “But I did it last week!”

Twilight nodded, but her mouth curled into a satisfied smirk. “You did, but who was the one that filed all those tax forms for the mayor? And, in case you’ve forgotten, I was the one that made sure you were able to make it to Canterlot for Vinyl’s party last week; you owe me, Spike.”

While normally I would consider the favors she did for me a gift, she quite clearly said in the past on both occasions that I would owe her for it...and I couldn’t go back on a promise to deliver.

I sighed, groaning at the end of it. “Fine, I’ll do the laundry...but I won’t like it!”

Twilight giggled softly and said, “You’ll make the perfect husband someday.”

While it was new to hear Twilight say such a thing to me, the thought itself was not...and I have to admit, the thought of “Husband Spike” one day for Rarity was a pretty nice one.

“Spike, stop! It isn’t going to fit like that; just push harder!”

“Ugh...this is a really tight fit, Twilight. Are you sure that’s where you want it?”

“Quit playing around and just shove it in, Spike! You’ve kept me waiting far too long!”

*grunt*

“Harder S-Spike!”

*grunt*

“A-almost there…”

With a final, satisfying push, Twilight and I collapsed to the floor, completely spent. Twilight was sweating, both of us were gulping down air, and the library was silent once again.

“Oh *pant* Celestia, I *pant* can’t feel *pant* my legs.” Twilight whispered hoarsely.

I barked a laugh through my own heavy breathing. “You’ll *pant* regain feeling *pant* soon.”

Twilight lay on top of me for a moment before turning and looking at the relocated crystal bookshelf, now moved next to the fireplace. “I like it *pant* much better there.”

I lay with Twilight leaning over me from the side, looking to the bookcase as well. “You better, because *pant* I’m not moving that thing again for a long *pant* time.”

Twilight sighed heavily as she finally got her breathing back under control and stood, offering her hand to help me stand. I accepted and stood next to her, looking at the newly-organized library of our home. It was better-stocked than the Golden Oaks used to be, but it was also much more spacious. The problem was that Twilight -- ever since coming to terms with the fact that this was our home now and Golden Oaks was truly gone -- made it a point to “freshen the flow” of the room every now and again by moving things around periodically. While I appreciated the fact that we both lived here, sometimes I wish she could just do it on her own. Twilight’s excuse for requesting my help was that she didn’t trust she had enough control over her levitation to move such large things without bringing the whole castle down.

I call horseapples; she dealt with an ursa minor when she was still just a unicorn, but whatever.

“Looks good, Spike. Thanks so much for your help.” she spoke with a grateful tone and a smile.

Even though my breathing was still moderately heavy and my muscles were burning, I nodded with a smile. “Anytime, Twilight.”

Twilight then glanced to the clock on the wall, nodding with a smile. “We have some time before meeting Rarity at Chunky’s, so I want to clean up first.” Twilight made to walk toward the cloud-shower she had installed off of the commons room, but suddenly yelped and began to fall as she reached toward her thigh. I reacted quickly and caught her in a “dip” position as if we were dancing...which would have been smooth and -- dare I say it -- romantic if I hadn’t fallen as well when my balance shifted.

My wings flailed as I fell, still gripping Twilight in my arms. At the last possible second, my wings reacted as if by instinct, sticking both sharp spines that grew at the joints into the crystal floor and stopping my fall. I cringed at the sound of the crystal cracking, but breathed a sigh of relief as I found myself hovering a mere few inches off the floor with Twilight safe in my grasp. Twilight’s face was one of utter surprise as she stared back at me, her amethyst eyes focusing on my own. Her breathing was splashing over my face as gentle puffs of air, and I couldn’t help but notice just how matted her sweaty fur was. Still, it made her look...cute.

After a few moments of complete and awkward silence she whispered, “Thanks…”

I nodded slowly before setting her down and kneeling, looking over her worriedly. “What the hay happened?”

Twilight’s hand was still on her thigh as she sheepishly answered, “Muscle cramp.”

I recognized the problem and pushed myself up, retracting my wings and internally wincing at the two small dips my spines had cut into the floor. Nonetheless, I made my way quickly to the fruit bowl on the table a short distance away and grabbed a banana, tossing it to Twilight.

She raised an eyebrow at me before she slapped a palm to her forehead with a groan. “Potassium...right.”

“You drink enough water, so it’s not that.” I replied, grinning at her forgetfulness. While it was true that Twilight was a wonderful friend and well-loved princess, she could often forget to take care of herself...but then again, that’s what she had me for. “Besides all that, bookworm princesses aren’t made for strenuous physical activity...like moving a bookcase by hand.”

Twilight huffed, but couldn’t logically rebuke my argument. Granted she was stronger and more fit than she had been in the past, but working out with Rainbow only once a week wasn’t going to turn her into a powerhouse of physical strength, no matter how much her alicorn blood tried to change that; some ponies were just squishy.

Twilight quickly finished the yellow fruit (insert lewd banana joke here) before attempting to stand, only to wince and sit on her rump once again, rubbing her leg with a grimace. “Still hurts…”

I walked over and took a knee once again, bringing my hand to the affected area and kneading it gently. “Much as you wish it weren’t so, food takes time to digest. We talked about this once before, remember?”

Twilight rolled her eyes at my mention of another failed spell. “It would make things more efficient, though. How was I supposed to know it would make me sick?”

I chuckled as I continued working the tension out of the cramped muscles, shaking my head. “I hope you’ve learned not to test spells like that on yourself anymore. You were on the washroom floor for hours afterward, and I don’t think the toilet bowl can take it again.”

She crossed her arms as a light blush began to blossom over her cheeks and grumped, “It wasn’t that bad…”

I stuck out my bottom lip and nodded, giving me a very disbelieving look. “Right...so we must not remember the same night.” I cleared my throat and continued with, “S-Spike, hold my mane *BWLARGH*!” I glanced at Twilight with a smug smile. “That went on for almost four hours; I thought I was going to have to take you to the hospital! Could you imagine what kind of news headlines would have circulated because of that?”

The blush that had been growing on Twilight’s face began to extend to her ears and neck as she placed her head in her hands. “I know; Rainbow Dash was calling me ‘princess puke’ for weeks!”

“Haha...yeah, that was great.” I blurted with a chuckle before I could think about it. Twilight’s glare silenced my laughs however, and I coughed awkwardly before amending, “I-I mean, terrible...just terrible. How could she joke about one of her best friends’ suffering?”

Twilight stared at me with an unamused expression for a few tense seconds before breaking into a grin and releasing a giggle. “I guess it was pretty funny though. We can always trust Rainbow to be Rainbow.” Twilight’s smile then fell away briefly before she noticed me staring at her, at which point she plastered a noticeably fragile smile back on her face.

I wasn’t buying it.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” I inquired, frowning at the sudden change in her mood. Just as she began to shake her head and open her mouth I added, “And if you say ‘nothing’, by the stars I’ll hide Spells, Rings, and Other Things until you spill.”

My threat of hiding Twilight’s favorite nighttime reading material (lately, anyway) hit home, and her eyes widened in horror briefly before she closed her eyes, sighing deeply. “W-well, you and Rarity are together now, and that got me thinking about life moving on and all that…”

As she trailed off and went silent for a few seconds, I nodded encouragingly. “And?”

For some reason a noticeable sadness entered her eyes, and the looked away from me. “I got to thinking about, y’know, life moving on and-”

“You’re repeating yourself, Twilight.” I commented, placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

She breathed deeply a few times before looking up to meet my gaze once again. “What’s life going to be like for us in ten years -- or twenty, or so on…” Just from the way her lip trembled, I could tell she was holding back tears. “I mean, I know I’m not pretty like Rarity or outgoing like Pinkie, and I’m definitely not ‘awesome’ like Rainbow Dash...b-but I just…” She sniffled once, and that single sound seemed to launch a crack through my heart, even as she composed herself enough to say, “I just don’t want to go through life knowing that I have to be alone.” She then smiled weakly at me and waved it away. “I’m sorry Spike, I’m being selfish.”

While selfishness was generally viewed as a bad thing, everyone was allotted a certain degree of it during their lives for self-preservation and sanity. So, with a shake of my head, I gave her shoulder a brief squeeze. "Twilight, you're allowed to want things for yourself once in awhile. It's natural to desire things for your own use and experience, and no pony, not even Celestia and Luna, is completely without selfish desires." I smiled gently at her, proud at how she had lived her life. "You give far more than most ponies would, often asking for little to nothing in return, so you're allowed to be a little selfish from time to time." I then sighed and brought her a bit closer, resting my head just to the left of her horn. "But besides all that, don't ever think you're going to be alone. You'll always have me, and the girls as well; we're not going anywhere anytime soon."

Twilight sighed and reached a hand around my back, doing her best to hold me in the awkward position. "I know it's just..." she breathed deeply again, her body language laden with worry, "dragons live a long time Spike, and no pony really knows the lifespan of an alicorn either. Eventually, it's just going to be the two of us;" she then pulled away briefly to stare at me with tears brimming in her eyes, "doesn't that scare you?"

I had been told the same thing by Celestia years ago, once she felt I was mature enough to handle such a revelation -- the realization that I would remain while many others passed on, and would likely live and grow for a thousand lifetimes before death finally took me...if at all. Much like it was for Twilight, said revelation hit me pretty hard, and it was at that point that I began making my weekly trips out to explore other parts of the world, wanting to see and experience as much as I could. Granted I would have eons to do so, and the planet rarely changed so much that I wouldn't recognize it in ten years, but I wanted to experience the world as it was now, with all of my friends here; I wanted to remember everything about this time, which I had no doubt would be one of the best times of my entire life, regardless of how long I would watch time march on. Celestia, in my sorrow, had comforted me with wise words from a pony who had seen more in her life than most could ever imagine:

"Enjoy life to the fullest including all the ponies in it, and keep them alive in your heart forevermore. No one can stop time from moving ever onward, but in experiencing joy and love, those of us blessed and cursed to remain when others fade away will find life worth living, even in the darkest of moments."

"It terrifies me," I began, swallowing hard at the thought of having to watch a pony as vibrant and lively as Pinkie grow old and wither away, "but I won't let it keep me from enjoying every moment to the fullest. Our memories of these important times and beloved ponies will ensure we remember them forever, even if it hurts when they're gone." I then brought myself forward once again, resting my forehead against Twilight's. "But even after the skies fall and all that remains of Ponyville is dust, I'll still be here." I focused hard on her glassy eyes, which swam with both sorrow and hope. "No matter what, you'll always have me; you promised once to never leave me alone, and I promised you the same."

The hope I saw in her gaze retreated briefly as Twilight muttered, "B-but Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash...a-and Rarity..."

I nodded, understanding. "Yes...but they're not gone yet, and won't be for a long, long time. Worrying about the future isn't going to change it, and you've learned that not everything can be fixed with magic." I then smiled, "But you're the Princess of Friendship for a reason, so honor that title by ensuring the ponies who helped you attain that title realize how important they are to you."

Twilight sighed and nodded, closing her eyes. "Yeah...but it just kinda..." she motioned generally with a hand, "hits you sometimes, you know?"

"Because you try not to think about it," I replied knowingly, "and nor should you. Like I said, worrying about it won't change anything. Still, it's something you know in the back of your mind, and so every now and then those thoughts will rear their heads and will have to be dealt with." I shook my head, releasing my own sigh of sorrow. "Much as I love them all, our friends just wouldn't completely understand the situation -- sure, they'd be understanding, but they'd never really understand something they'll never experience." I then nudged Twilight's jaw with a curled finger, smiling affectionately. "But that's what you have me for, Twi. Don't ever be afraid to bring stuff like this to me, because I'm always willing to help any way I can, even if it's just to offer an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on."

Once again, as she had many times before, Twilight looked back at me with an expression of utter gratitude and love as she brought her free hand to the hand I had on her shoulder. She sniffled once again as a few tears fell, but she was smiling this time. "T-thank you s-so much Spike. I love you." I nodded, though nothing needed to be said, so I simply held Twilight and allowed her to bask in the comfort of an important person in her life.

After a few minutes, however...

"Um...S-Spike?" Twilight muttered, her voice shaking a bit with some sort of emotion I couldn't quite identify. "You uh...you can stop now; my leg feels better."

I raised an eyebrow before looking to her legs...and noticing my left hand was still kneading her sore muscle. I snatched my hand away in the same way that someone who felt the heat and danger of fire would, coughing nervously and stammering, "S-sorry about that, Twi. Didn't even realize I was doing that, to be honest."

Upon actually looking at her face, I noticed she seemed visibly flustered with both a blush and increased breathing rate, and internally cursed myself until she cleared her throat and replied, "I-it's okay, Spike. It felt really nice and my leg feels much better, so thank you. Just, umm..." she glanced away shyly, "b-be more careful should you find yourself in a similar situation; your hand was drifting a little bit." My shame at practically fondling my roommate without her consent must have been clear since she shook her head with a smile. "I know you didn't mean anything by it, Spike. You might be a little oblivious sometimes and even mischievous, but you're not a pervert."

I wisely decided to keep from her the fact that I had occasionally admired Pinkie's rump...physically, once or twice.

"Furthermore," she continued, making to stand and accepting my helping hand to do so, "you are almost constantly surrounded by nothing but mares, day in, day out. I think you need to be extended a little leeway to keep your sanity."

I raised an eyeridge at Twilight skeptically. "So you wouldn't be mad if something like that happened again?"

"Depends on whether or not it was on purpose." Twilight replied with a deadpan expression. "If it was, you can expect a slap to the face or other repercussions, depending on the offense committed."

I rolled my eyes. "I understand, but now you sound like a guard. It was an accident, and I think you know me well enough to realize I wouldn't do something like that on purpose." I glanced at the clock, only now realizing how much time had passed since Twilight had initially stated she was going to clean up. "Twi, we've been sitting here talking for almost an hour. You should probably hurry if you want to get cleaned up properly."

Twilight's eyes widened as she flared her wings and whipped her head around, smacking her mane in my face as she gasped. "Oh Celestia, I have to hurry!" She then rushed off to her room, completely overlooking the fact that I'd damaged the floor.

I chuckled and looked to the crystal stairway. "Don't ever change, Twilight."

"Twilight, hurry up! We're going to be late!" I urged playfully as my companion rushed to catch up with me, flapping her wings rapidly as we soared through the air. "If you don't hurry, we'll be *GASP* tardy!" Twilight was breathing rapidly, but spared enough energy to glare at me silently as we flew on. I shot her a playful grin before angling down to land at the restaurant, which we were fast approaching.

After a moment of waiting for the area to clear she and I landed, receiving a plethora of friendly greetings and even a few respectful bows, the latter of which we both felt weren't really necessary, but whatever.

"Spike, Twilight!" called a familiar voice, who could only be the friendly entrepreneur who owned the successful restaurant.

I turned to see "Chunky" Cheery (who, oddly enough, was in no way related to Cheerilee) bouncing happily on her hooves as we approached. I had always found it strange that such a fit mare was nicknamed "Chunky", and while I'm sure there was a story behind it, I had never been forward enough to ask.

I smiled and walked forward, embracing the tan pegasus tightly. "Heya Chunk, how is the family?"

Chunky hugged me back tightly before releasing me and smiling. "Just great! Cloud Bolt is starting to get a little air with his wings, and his sister just started flight school." She then squealed in a way that was adorable and disturbing at the same time for a grown mare, giggling as well. "Oh, I'm so proud of them!"

I grinned as she next latched onto Twilight, who unlike me was quite a bit more excited about the mare's children. "They are?! Wow, and at such young ages! Rainbow Dash will be proud, I'm sure!"

Chunky released Twilight before gesturing with her head to the restaurant off to the side. "A friend of yours came by just a few minutes ago; she's waiting inside for you." She then glanced to me with a sly smirk as she walked away. "Go on, loverdrake."

I raised an eyeridge at her as I muttered to Twilight, "What was that all about?"

As we entered the restaurant, I found out. Rarity was wearing a dress I'd never seen before. It was a long white gown with violet accents, but it was only when I arrived at the table she had chosen that I recognized just what the accents were made of

Scales...my scales.

Dragons shed scales all the time, in much the same way that ponies shed fur during the summer. However, strong as the scales are, they often drop off without me even knowing, and they aren't really of great value to me, since I grow new ones constantly. It appeared that Rarity had placed great value on them though, and had silently collected the ones she could when I would visit or do work for her. I hadn't thought something so simple would cause such a great impact on me, but the mere thought that Rarity was willing to wear literal pieces of me in public was an unbelievably large ego boost.

"R-Rarity...you..." Twilight gasped out, likely in utter shock as well. She slowly stepped toward our mutual friend, who was standing with a wide smile on her face, and reached out tentatively with her hand to touch the dress. "These...these are Spike's scales! They're small, but there are hundreds of them!" Just as Twilight's hand made contact with the dress accents, she gasped again and locked eyes with Rarity. "How did you get all of these?"

Rarity smiled gently and glanced to me. "Spike has been in my life a long time, and over the years has left behind quite a few shed scales. Being the resourceful mare that I am, I always thought it was a shame that such a beautiful, strong material, small as it is, could not be put to use after the dragon no longer needed it. So," she gestured to her dress with a smile, "I've been saving them. I didn't know quite what I would use them for until last night, when I suddenly found some inspiration."

"No coincidence there." I muttered, grinning.

Rarity giggled at my comment before lovingly replying, "I've worried for far too long what others would think of me for so many things, and I wanted to be sure this" she motioned to herself, then me, "was not one of them."

I smiled to myself; Rarity truly does go all-in when it regards matters of the heart, and I was going to do the same. Deciding once again to take initiative and having faith that Rarity was being completely honest in what she said, I leaned forward and kissed her softly, lingering a few moments before pulling away with a smile.

Rarity pulled back as well with a smile, bringing her hand to my cheek. "I'm glad you approve, Spikey."

We took our seat in the round booth in time to see Twilight roll her eyes, but I could tell my friend's reaction was in good fun. Besides, Twilight and I's conversation after the others left seemed to have deepened our bond even further, so I knew if anypony would be fine with me being affectionate with my new marefriend, it would be Twilight. Chunky arrived not a minute later to take our orders, and then Twilight, Rarity and I sat and made small talk while we waited...at least we were until Rarity randomly asked:

"So Twilight, what do you know about herding?"

Unfortunately I was taking a gulp of the glass of water provided to me, and ended up choking on a large quantity of it as I wet my shirt with the spill. Twilight let out an adorable squeak of shock and embarrassment as she reflexively raised her wings to shield herself, doing a very accurate impersonation of Fluttershy in the process. While it was true blushes didn't show too well through my scales, I was sure my face was crimson by now, and if drowning wasn't my demise, the amount of embarrassment I felt would surely kill me.

After spending a few seconds coughing and pounding my chest in an attempt to get the water out of my lungs, I calmed myself enough to stammer, "R-Rarity, what the hay?!"

Rarity, by her token, looked to me with a bemused expression on her face. "What? It's a perfectly valid question, and it isn't as if our dear Twilight-" Seemingly realizing what she had implied, Rarity suddenly brought her hand to her lips and shook her head. "N-no no no, that isn't what I meant! I was simply asking because a client of mine from Canterlot was thinking of starting one with his wife, and wanted some more information beforehand. I apologize if you took that the wrong way."

While Rarity's question had surprised me, what I failed to mention to either of them was that somewhere deep inside I wasn't exactly averse to the idea of a herd, but I kept my thoughts to myself; simply by Twilight's reaction, I knew she'd probably have a heart attack if I mentioned it, and I didn't want to cause her any undue stress since we'd already met our quota for this day's "heavy talks". Even without Twilight's reaction being taken into consideration, Rarity and I had just gotten together, so I wanted to spend some time getting comfortable before I even thought about adding any-

Oh horseapples, now I'm thinking about herding...

"Spike...Spike, are you alright?"

I snapped my head up and glanced at the mares on either side of me, nodding once I realized their faces held concern for my blank stare. "Y-yeah...yeah, I'm fine."

Twilight looked to be unconvinced. "We lost you for a few seconds there; are you sure there's nothing on your mind?"

For the first time in years, I followed through with a lie to Twilight...and I felt dirty with every word I spoke. "Nope, I'm good. Thanks for asking though." What hurt even worse was the fact that Twilight accepted my answer as truthful without another thought, nodding to me with a bright smile.

Lunch passed pretty slowly for me from then on.

The three of us walked away from the restaurant an hour later to a bright and sunny day, though to me it felt gray and dreary. I hadn't been able to get what I'd done out of my mind, and because of that, I hadn't been able to forget about why I'd lied either. It seemed my draconic instincts were surfacing stronger than they should have with such a situation, basically melding a dragon's instinctive greed with a pony's instinctive desire for a herd. It was something that I could never have predicted, and I knew this was something no other dragon would be able to level with. After all, as far as I knew, I am the only dragon to be raised by ponies instead of his own kind, and that alone made my situation a rather unique one.

Since we had opted to head home after lunch, I was walking Rarity to her door when she suddenly asked, "Would you mind if I borrow Spike for a short while, Twilight? I just have a few minor requests for him to complete for me, if you don't mind."

Twilight smirked at me and nodded, shooing me away with her hand. "Of course you can, Rarity. Don't tire him out too badly though; he has to be able to make it home!"

Rarity rolled her eyes while I tried my best to melt into the ground as Twilight took to the air and headed home. Who'd have known having Rainbow Dash as a friend would turn Twilight into a snark-shark? Ugh...

After Twilight left though, I was going to make it a point to-

"Spike, how long are you going to keep lying to her?"

Buck...

I turned to Rarity and feigned innocence the best that I could, including the large glistening eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Rarity's eyes narrowed to a glare, and she pointed to her door. "We'll talk about this inside, young drake."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Rarity we're together now; ordering me around like a little kid isn't going to work any-"

"INSIDE NOW!"

"Yes ma'am!" I whimpered, unwilling to make her more angry than she already was.

Chapter 4

*TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK...*

The grandfather clock Rarity had in her sitting room kept its steady pace as silence filled the room, the quiet only broken by the soft sipping of tea from her cup every now and then. She hadn't asked me a single question after forcing me to sit on the chaise across from her, only a small glass coffee table separating us. The tension was growing within the room as the quiet started to bother me, and I knew that any moment I was going to crack.

Crack and tell what, I'm not entirely sure; I could only hope I didn't say anything too stupid.

After a few more stressful moments of silent waiting I finally blurted out, "What do you want to know?!" I cringed at how desperate I sounded, and felt my shoulders sag of their own accord with self-loathing at my inability to control myself.

Rarity's eyebrows rose as she glanced to the clock merrily ticking away. "Fifteen minutes -- I'm impressed, Spike." She gently placed the cup of steaming tea on its saucer before leaning over on her elbows and resting her chin on a bridge of laced fingers. "Well, let's start with something simple and to the point: what was bothering you during and after lunch today?"

I sighed and lowered my head as the finished asking, even though I knew she was going to be direct about this. "Umm...promise you won't get mad?"

"I will never be upset from honesty, Spike;" she replied firmly, "I am upset because you are hiding something from me, and secrets are not good for any relationship, romantic or otherwise." She sighed heavily, causing me to finally look up and see a deep frown on her face as she looked directly at me. "I love you Spike -- so much more than I thought possible when I met you those many years ago, when you were but a cute baby dragon -- but if you cannot be honest with me, no amount of love I have will be able to overcome that; if you cannot be honest, we will not work."

Knowing that Rarity was far more intuitive than I was, I opted to only answer with, "Herding..."

Rarity's eyes widened in understanding, and she nodded slowly. "I see. And I assume it is quite clear who immediately came to mind, given the situation." I nodded in response, but chose to keep silent to prevent any further embarrassment. Rarity silently pondered her thoughts for another few moments before assuring, "I'm not upset, if that's what you were worried about."

I raised my eyebrow while choking out, "Y-you're not? Really?"

Rarity smiled gently and shook her head. "No Spike, I'm not. I know you try your best to stay true to at least some of your draconic heritage, but you don't live with them, dear; you live with ponies -- you are in love with a pony for Celestia's sake. Why would you hold yourself to the standards of dragons in terms of relationships when you don't even live around them?" Before I could answer, Rarity's eyes widened once more as she blurted, "Greed...you're afraid this has something to do with your greed and hoarding instinct." She then stood and began pacing -- something she rarely did -- and muttering to herself.

"I'll just be over here if you need me for anything..." I snarked, resting my feet on the coffee table and-

"Feet off the table, Spike." Rarity commanded without stopping her pacing, or muttering.

I placed my clawed feet back on the ground and just waited patiently as Rarity continued her pacing. I couldn't help but admire the way her decidedly-casual wear still hugged her body and brought out all the femininity she possessed. She truly was beautiful no matter what she wore, but seeing her in her natural state, without a front put up for her clients, was far more attractive than anything else. Even though she was currently not in the most positive of moods, she was still real, and I loved her for it.

After some minutes passed Rarity finally turned and asked, "How long have you admired Twilight as a mare, Spike; be honest."

Her tone was gentle and non-accusing, so I softly answered, "A few years now -- ever since I could look her in the eye, really; it seems my hormones changed with my size and made me see her differently." I shrugged as I without shame added, "I've always loved Twilight -- that'll never change -- but the type of feelings I have toward her have slowly evolved as time has gone by." I sighed as I looked directly to Rarity's eyes, knowing that any further withholding of truth would only frustrate her. "I love you Rarity, so much, but Twilight is unequivocally the most important pony in my life, and it's always going to be that way."

Rarity, to my surprise, was not offended in the slightest. Instead of a scowl or a jealous twinge in her face, I only saw an understanding smile and nod. "The two of you have been through quite a bit together, and I imagine there are many things you both have experienced that the rest of us can only guess at. If it works out, living with somepony else can make the two closer than most on the outside could even fathom." Rarity then took a seat next to me on my chair, placing her hand upon mine with a loving grin. "What you're feeling isn't greed Spike, it's love. The heart -- whether it be that of a dragon or otherwise -- doesn't follow rules, and it refuses to allow culture to decide who it can love. Gryphons, for example, are monogamous in their relationships, and while I can understand their reasons for it, I imagine having to basically choose who you love the most causes a great amount of heartache and struggle in their society."

"But you're okay with that?" I asked nervously, staring at our hands since I was unwilling to look Rarity in the eye. "You're okay with knowing I love another pony?"

Rarity tittered softly and gave my hand a gentle, affectionate squeeze. "So long as that pony is someone I know will treat you well then yes, I am."

I sighed and shook my head at her answer. "I don't think we have to worry about any possible complications though."

Rarity tilted my chin up to look at her while she frowned with concern at me. "Why is that, Spike?"

"Because Twilight's not at all interested in me that way." I answered plainly. "As soon as I went through my little magical growth spurt, she moved me out of her room. I got the distinct impression it was because she didn't want me gawking at her like some lovesick teenager."

Rarity raised a single eyebrow at me skeptically. "And did you gawk at her?"

I bobbed my head around with a shrug of my shoulders. "M-maybe a little, but that's not the point. The point is that ever since that moment, it's felt like there was this...I don't know, barrier between us. We're still close and everything, but it's different now." I sighed in frustration. "It's...hard to explain, really. It's just a feeling."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she's nervous about having an attractive drake living with her?" Rarity blandly countered, as if she were teaching a child...and somehow, it felt like she was.

I shrugged. "Maybe, but it's unlikely. Twilight told me that we wouldn't keep secrets from each other ever again, so if it was something that important, she would have told me."

"Unless she doesn't know about it." Rarity commented with a knowing grin. "Our Twilight has a habit of being romantically oblivious, most often about her own feelings no less."

I sighed heavily as I sank into the cushioned chaise. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Of course not." Rarity immediately replied, a loving smile upon her perfect lips. "I will love and support you in anything you are going through, and that includes pushing you to confront things that are uncomfortable. While Twilight tends to be oblivious, you tend to ignore things that you are afraid of confronting, if you have the choice."

While I felt a little offended she felt the need to point that out, I couldn't deny it. Instead, I simply threw a glare her way. "Thanks, Rares. Love you too."

She giggled softly, situating herself between my legs and laying back against my chest. She then looked up at me from her position and shot back, "The mark of a true adult is being able to admit your faults, but sometimes we need friends to point them out to us. I don't do it to be cruel dear, I do it because I want you to continue to grow and mature properly as the years progress."

I slipped my arms underneath hers and rested my hands against her firm stomach, smiling as I did so. "Alright Rarity, I understand. I'll ask Twilight about it tonight." Groaning, I flopped my head back against the cushion. "Ugh, this is gonna be so awkward!"

Rarity playfully tapped my knee with the tips of her fingers. "Have more faith in Twilight, Spike. I have a sneaking suspicion there isn't much you and her haven't discussed over the years."

“That doesn’t make asking my oldest and closest friend if she has the hots for me any easier, Rares.” I grumbled, but with a smile adorning my face.

Even though I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to my little conversation with Twilight in the near future, Rarity had done a great job of reassuring me. I could only hope that confidence would hold strong until I spoke with Twilight. Rarity had understood and accepted what I felt -- even encouraged it, strangely enough -- which did wonders to calm me and correct my assumption that what I had been thinking was wrong. One question still remained, though…

“What if she’s attracted to me too, Rarity?” I questioned, at a loss for what to do if the future answer to my yes-or-no question ended up being an affirmative. “I mean...what do we do? I don’t know much about courting as it is other than that I should be nice and smell good, and make sure that I’m attentive and all that stuff.” I shrugged helplessly. “All that comes easy to me because it’s who I am as a drake, but I have no idea how to approach this situation.”

Rarity brought her hand to her chin as she thought aloud. “Indeed...what to do…” While her act said she really was poring over the issue, her tone told me she had not only predicted my question, but had an answer ready as well. “Well, what do you want to do? Could you see Twilight as a romantic partner?” Before I could spit out some lovely and careful explanation of how devoted I was to Rarity and the idea of an “us”, she interrupted me. “Forget about me for a moment and just think about Twilight: could you be with her not as simply her friend, but as a mate? Could you love her as a marefriend, and perhaps one day, a wife?”

That was the question, wasn’t it?

Opting to put some real thought into Rarity’s question, I went silent as I pondered the issue. ‘So,’ I thought silently, ‘could I? Could I love Twilight the same way I love Rarity? Could I be comfortable showing my love to her in a physical way?’ In theory alone, yes, I could. I had no problem admitting Twilight was an attractive mare, far more than she believed herself to be. While it’s true she was no Fleur de Lis, Twilight had a beauty that was real instead of just some unattainable thing. While I could readily admit that Twilight looked drop-dead gorgeous when Rarity had her get dolled-up for one reason or another, she never needed makeup to catch my attention; she simply had to just be herself, and that was enough.

Unfortunately, physical attraction wasn’t the only component of a healthy relationship.

While Twilight and I rarely -- if ever -- openly spoke about relationships in a general sense, I knew her well enough as just a pony to recognize that she was the type to worry more about ruining a relationship than enjoying it, which had caused her to unintentionally sabotage a few prior attempts of hers in the dating world. A fellow intellectual named Silver Lining had been her first, which she had unintentionally driven away by -- for lack of a better term -- trying too hard. Essentially, she had smothered him in an attempt to show her affection, and an unfortunate instance of “too much, too soon” had caused them to drift apart. Following that, her logical thinking had led her to believe that showing affection had caused the breakup, so her next attempt -- a gardener by the name of Golden Harvest -- failed abysmally, simply because Twilight showed minimal affection. This made her miserable and mistakenly insinuated to Golden Harvest that she only wanted a friend, all because the scientist in Twilight decided to completely remove the variable of physical affection, rather than just reduce it. From then on, every potential romance had failed, now because Twilight was so afraid of the possibility of failure that she was too nervous to devote herself to the other pony.

Now, logic would dictate that since Twilight already knew me -- better than anyone else, if you wanted to be specific -- that she would be more comfortable with the idea of a “me-and-her”. I knew in the back of my mind that would be untrue, since she would be so afraid of ruining what we already had that she would likely blatantly turn me down. While I was the kind of drake that could be turned down for a date by a friend and still be cool with them, Twilight was the kind of mare to feel awkward about it for weeks afterward, going so far as to avoid that pony -- or drake, in my case -- to keep the awkward feelings to a minimum. Before we moved to Ponyville, avoiding possibly awkward situations had led to Twilight missing out on a lot of potential friendships; I just hoped she cared and trusted about me enough not to do the same thing to me.

“So, what would you recommend I do?” I asked directly, foregoing small talk or beating around the bush.

I enjoyed the feeling of Rarity’s shapely form pressed against my body as she fully lay against me, sighing as she did so. “I would recommend you follow your heart, darling. You may swear up and down all you want that I would perfectly satisfy your wants and needs, but I know you better than that.” She glanced up at me and grinned. “I know it feels strange to hear me say this to you, but if you find yourself loving others as well as me, I give you my blessing to court them. If the attraction between you and any others is mutual -- and they treat you well, of course -- then I say follow through. To be honest Spike, many of the mares in Ponyville -- your friend Lyla included -- had expected you to start a herd at least a few years ago, or already thought you had one. You’re just about the only one who lives here that hasn’t mentioned or thought about it. We all know your heart is far too large for just one pony.”

I shrugged. “I’ve never understood why stallions are pushed to form herds. I mean I know it’s part of pony culture -- and it’s not like I’ve lived anywhere but Equestria, so it should make sense -- but I just don’t know why.”

“What’s the ratio of mares to stallions in Equestria?” Rarity asked ominously.

I looked to the ceiling as I called on my memory. “Um, I think last time the census was done, it was like 5.5 or 5.6:1.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, and females are naturally conceived more often than males. Why would having herds be so important then?”

With a roll of my eyes I boringly drawled, “Because to keep the population stable, the males that exist have to be available to offer their specific ‘assistance’ so that foals can continue being born, yadda yadda…” I shrugged. “As far as I know though, ponies and dragons aren’t compatible for reproduction; believe me, I’ve tried without thinking about it and- don’t look at me like that.”

Rarity’s glare would have been paralyzing to anypony else, but I had built up quite the resistance to it over the years.

“With whom, Spike?” Rarity ground out, her voice quiet in a way that a bomb was just before it exploded.

I chuckled and shook my head, knowing what she was basically asking. “It wasn’t Sweetie Belle. I know what the rumors around town have said over the years, but we’ve never dated or been anything other than just friends. Shoot, I’m closer with Scootaloo than I am your sister.”

Rarity’s righteous anger was replaced with embarrassment as she glanced back down and away from me. “O-oh...forgive me Spike. Um...who was it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I shrugged with a warm smile. “It’s alright Rarity, I forgive you. It was actually a mare by the name of Moonshadow; her and I were friends back when Twi and I lived in Canterlot. She invited me to her birthday a year ago, alcohol got involved and...well, you can guess the rest.”

Rarity raised her eyebrow as she turned her head to stare skeptically at me. “I thought alcohol doesn’t affect dragons, what with the whole ‘inner fire’ and all.”

I shook my head. “Untrue. The fire is actually created by four glands near the back of my throat, so there isn’t actually any fire burning inside me. Not to say it would hurt me if I were to swallow something that was on fire, but that’s not the way dragons work.”

Rarity hummed and pursed her lips in thought. “Hmm...learn something new every day. Do you still speak with her?”

I nodded. “From time to time. We had a long talk the day after about our relationship and where it would go, but decided that in the end we should just remain friends. She was going to be travelling a lot because of her career -- she’s a pianist with the Royal Symphony Orchestra -- and I wasn’t going to be leaving Ponyville anytime soon, so we both knew any attempt at romance was going to fail because of the lack of being able to be there for each other. She’s still a good friend of mine and I care about her, but it just wouldn’t work out. She’s not the type to settle down anytime soon, nor is she one to stay in a single place for longer than a month or so.”

“So the lack of physical intimacy is what drove the two of you apart.” Rarity surmised, then narrowed her eyes in my direction. “Spike, we taught you better than to be so superficial.”

“You did,” I growled in annoyance, “so I’m kinda offended that you think so little of me. You mean to tell me that you would be able to be with somepony if you couldn’t touch or hug them? You could stay in love with a pony that you were unable to hold as they cried, or who could hold you as you did the same?” Rarity’s mouth opened once for a rebuttal before she closed it and sighed, looking away. I nodded firmly. “I thought not. While the desire for physical intimacy is always there -- especially for a guy like me, who’s surrounded by mares twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week -- it’s not the most important thing in the world for me. Still, I want to be able to reach out and touch the one I love to let her know that I’m there for her, and so she can do the same for me.”

A few more moments of silence surrounded us as I just relaxed and felt the soft breathing of the pony in my grasp. Then, reluctantly, Rarity replied, “I...I suppose I can understand and agree with what you say, Spike. I do not like it, but you are correct in thinking that it is nigh impossible for long-distance relationships to work out for similar reasons.”

I chuckled softly. “I have learned a few things over the years, Rarity.” Then, as my laughter tapered off, I revisited what we had been speaking about before. “So...Twilight then.”

“Talk to her tonight.” Rarity answered, grasping my hand in one of her own and running her thumb lovingly along my smooth scales. “Tell her exactly how you feel, and know that you have my full support no matter what happens.”

“You know this still feels weird for me, right?” I muttered in defeat. “My marefriend is telling me to tell my closest friend that I totally want her.”

Rarity giggled softly and nodded. “Your marefriend is a mare of the times, and beyond that, trusts Twilight and the others with both her life and yours. As a male Equestrian citizen, you are encouraged to shoulder the duty of ensuring love continues to flourish here.” She then paused and laced her fingers in my own. “As Spike, I encourage you to spread the love that overflows from you to whomever is truly worthy. I am not the only one whose eye you have caught, and something tells me Twilight is not the last of the females that have drawn your attention.”

“There are already enough rumors that float around Equestria about me; I don’t need to make any of them right.” I grumbled, though I can’t say I wasn’t interested in just who Rarity might be talking about.

“Ponies always talk, Spike.” Rarity commented sagely. “You can no more stop the rumor mill than you can change iron to gold.”

“Actually,” I began, a smirk adorning my face, “through some clever transmutation that rearranges the protons and electrons of atoms, changing iron to gold is theoretically possible with enough magical control and a strong enough spell matrix.” After a moment of revelling in Rarity’s inability to come up with a better metaphor, I added, “I understand what you mean, though. Even so, that doesn’t mean I like it.”

Rarity tittered softly as she sat up and pulled away from me. “I don’t enjoy it when it rains just after I’ve done my hair, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.” She then glanced out the window near us and nodded resolutely. “You have a little over two hours until nightfall, so here is what you’re going to do: you will go to Sugarcube Corner and purchase something tasty for Twilight, and then you will cook dinner for her tonight -- something light yet flavorful would be ideal. You are going to prepare the dining area for the two of you to create an atmosphere of relaxed intimacy, which I am sure Twilight will find unusual, but not unwelcome. Then, after a lovely evening with each other, you will confess to her exactly how you feel, how long you’ve felt this way, and that I have given my full support.”

I took a deep breath, exhaling through my nose as I stood and stretched. “Alright then, we’ll see how this goes. Here’s hoping Twilight doesn’t freak out and teleport again; it took me almost two days to clean up last time.” I took a few steps toward Rarity and cupped her cheek before naturally leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on her lips, which she returned, causing a smile to blossom on my face. “I’m heading to the market to pick up some supplies, then I’ll head home to start preparing.”

“Good luck, Spike!” Rarity called after me as I made my way to the door and left, unable to keep a bit of a bounce out of my step.

The market was pretty empty, which made it easy to quickly gather what I needed and make my way home. True that with my burdens I was unable to fly without jostling them, but I liked to walk around Ponyville from time to time. While pegasi were able to see the world in a very different way from others due to their unique vantage point, the same went for earth ponies and unicorns; seeing things from the ground offered a different perspective, and made it much easier to experience the living, breathing organism that was Ponyville.

With the changing of the seasons though, Ponyville -- and Equestria in general -- was preparing to hunker down for the winter that was to come. In a few weeks the Running of the Leaves would be taking place, and then the first snowfall a few weeks after that. Rainbow had told me that the Weather Factory of Cloudsdale was preparing for a pretty severe winter, which meant really cold temperatures and a lot of snow. Technically speaking dragons were impervious to extreme temperatures, but painful ice crystals forming underneath my scales was not the way I wanted to spend winter. Nonetheless, I couldn’t deny that lazy days spent in front of a fire sounded really nice, and tonight would be cool enough for one as well, which would only add to the content atmosphere I needed to create.

Even with Rarity’s approval and suggestion that I actually talk to Twilight about us, the whole situation still felt odd to me.

Luckily for me, Twilight was out in town for whatever reason, which meant I had time to mentally prepare myself as I cleaned up the living quarters and prepared dinner for the two of us. I had quite a bit of experience with preparing meals in general, and etiquette training from tutors in Canterlot had refined my manners, the latter of which would let me look like someone respectable instead of...well, a dragon. Not that dragons couldn’t command respect, but I wanted to cook and eat with dignity instead of charring the food and shoveling it into my mouth like a savage.

“Almost done…” I muttered to myself as I pulled a pan of baked eggplant parmesan out of the oven, using my dextrous tail to grab a spoon and stir the simmering vodka sauce as I hummed a jaunty little tune. I then brought the spoon to my mouth and flicked my forked tongue out, allowing my well-developed sense of taste to work its magic. “Needs more cream and tomato.”

As I added a dash of the two ingredients to the mix and set the pan onto the countertop to cool, the door a room away opened with a loud, “Spike, I’m ho- oh wow, what is that?” I heard the hurried steps of Twilight’s hooves clicking along the crystal floor until she appeared in the doorway, taking a generous whiff of the air. “Mmm...what are you making tonight?”

“Just a dish I’ve never got around to actually cooking; I thought it would be nice for a treat.” I answered, bringing my eyes back to my work. “It’s called eggplant, and it’s a part of the nightshade family. The Zhongian people discovered it a few hundred years ago, but have only recently begun exporting to other nations. Soon as I tried it the first time a few months ago, I fell in love with it -- it’s got a ‘meaty’ texture that you can’t really get from other vegetables. I know you girls say you’ve accepted my diet, but I still try and stay mostly vegetarian.”

Twilight nodded with a smile. “And we appreciate that Spike, but you shouldn’t cut essential nutrients out of your diet; you could get sick, and that wouldn’t help anypony.” She then glanced at the pot of sauce and the noodles boiling merrily nearby. “Looks good though, Spike. What’s the occasion?”

I set the different utensils and pots down before turning to her with a smile. “What, I can’t cook a nice meal for you once in awhile?”

Twilight stared at me disbelievingly. “You can, but more often than not it’s because you want something...or did something.”

I rolled my eyes and pointed to the counter, which had a large bottle of marelot resting on it. “Pour yourself a glass of wine and go sit down; dinner’s almost ready.” Twilight stared at me skeptically for a moment before using her magic to comply, while I grasped my now half-empty stemmed glass and took a sip. Hopefully Twilight wouldn’t notice the bottle was only three-quarters full.

After taking a few more minutes to drain the noodles and arrange the meal on our plates, I wiped my hands off and brought them to the table with a smile on my face. A bit of liquid courage had done wonders to calm me, but while I still worried a bit about what would happen after tonight, I was confident that my fears about Twilight abandoning me or something crazy like that were unfounded. Besides, the warm fuzzies caused by the wine made it much easier to ignore the fact that my very recent marefriend was directly ordering me to confess to another mare.

“Your meal, princess.” I quipped playfully as I set Twilight’s serving in front of her, followed by me taking my own seat across from her at the crystal dining table. For those who would wonder, yes, crystal making up nearly everything in my home got on my nerves from time to time; stars, even most of our dishes were crystal.

Twilight didn’t seem to care much, but more importantly at the moment, she seemed embarrassed as she glanced away from me with a shy smile. “Spike, don’t call me that. You know how I feel about my friends using my title.”

“That doesn’t eliminate the fact that you are a princess.” I retorted with a grin. “You know I don’t mean it negatively, and I don’t treat you like a princess -- none of us do. You’re just Twilight to us, and no matter how much political power you have, that’s never going to change.” I shrugged as she looked unconvinced. “I know you’re still getting used to the whole thing, but just know that me and the girls are more than happy to remind you of who you are should you ever forget; a title isn’t going to change who you really are.” I then picked up my cutlery and pointed with my fork to her plate. “I made that for Twilight Sparkle, the adorkable alicorn that’s the pony I’m closest to in the entire world. For a princess, I would have made something unreasonably elegant that wouldn’t taste half as good as it looked.”

I couldn’t help but smile even wider at the cute way she squeaked and refused to meet my eyes at the word “adorkable”, but assured myself I had teased her enough for now. Instead, I allowed her to eat the meal I’d prepared, opting to remain silent instead of mess with her further. After a few moments of silent munching, Twilight thought it prudent to shout at me.

“Wow, this really good, Spike!” she exclaimed with a radiant smile, tearing into the saucy meal with gusto. Twilight was the picture of poise and grace due to Rarity’s etiquette training (which Rainbow Dash referred to as “lady-fying”), but put a plate of food she liked in front of her and she tended to wear a rather staggering percentage of it all over her face. Never in public of course, but it seemed over the years some things never changed about Twilight, regardless of how much the world wanted them to.

Twilight would always be Twilight, thankfully.

A content air of quiet enveloped the two of us as we ate, though happy hums of approval came from Twilight from time to time. I couldn’t help it as an amused smile found itself on my face, but said nothing. I was happy just enjoying the mutual companionship between the two of us as we ate and drank our fill.

A good amount of time later, the two of us were sitting satisfied at the table, me rubbing my stomach with a pleased grin at how well the meal had turned out. While I was definitely no slouch in the kitchen, it was nice to know I was able to get things right on the first try when it came to a vegetarian recipe. I had a lot of practice after all, since only Lyla and a few of my other friends and acquaintances ate meat.

“Okay,” Twilight finally sighed out, “what did you do?”

I raised my brow in slight offense. “Who says I have to have done something wrong to cook a nice meal for you? Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, I ate too, you know.”

“Yes, but the last time you cooked such a nice meal for me, you had started a forest fire in the Everfree.” Twilight returned with a frown. She then gestured around the main common room. “Plus there’s a roaring fire going, and you served wine with a meal; Spike, you hardly ever drink. What’s going on?”

Using a tactic Luna herself had taught me, I used my next sentence to both distract Twilight and unknowingly build up to my true point. “Twilight, why don’t you date anymore?”

Raising her eyebrow and sitting up straight, Twilight squeaked out, “W-what?”

“Date...why don’t you date anymore?” I repeated, louder this time. “It’s been almost two years since the last time I’ve seen you accept a date from anypony, or even be interested in another. You gave me a vague explanation of it not being worth it, but you never said anything beyond that.”

Twilight stared at me for a few moments in silence before she was able to put words together -- nervously, I might add. “W-why are you asking?”

“Why are you avoiding the question?” I shot back smoothly.

Twilight raised her hand, ready to fire off a response...but after a few moments she lowered it and slumped slightly. “I really don’t like talking about this, Spike -- bad memories and such, you know?”

I reached across the table and grasped her hand in my own, leaning closer and looking into her eyes with concern. “Then tell me about it. I’m curious about it lately, and I don’t like seeing you lonely.” Before she could counter my latter statement, I quickly added, “And don’t say you’re not, because I saw it very clearly when you found out Rarity and I are together. You’re happy for us -- I’m not denying that -- but I know a part of you wishes you had that same sort of connection with somepony. I want to know why you’re so reluctant to get yourself out there again.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, tightening her grip on my hand. “I already have too much to worry about as a Princess of Equestria, and while I’m allotted a fair amount of free time for royalty, the bulk of my weekdays is full of paperwork, meetings, and even court appeals. Outside of spending time with my close friends, I have just enough time to sleep and eat; it wouldn’t be fair to another pony to have to wait weeks or even months for us to go out and do something together.” She shook her head with a frustrated grunt. “Most ponies wouldn’t understand, and would just get frustrated.”

Seeing my opportunity, I took it. “Well, what about your friends?”

Twilight opened her eyes and glanced to me quizzically. “What about them? I always make time for you and the girls, as well as the few other ponies around, but-”

“No,” I interrupted firmly, “I mean why not choose somepony you’re already close to -- somepony that understands you and your obligations?”

Twilight’s eyebrows raised up into her bangs in surprise. “You’re suggesting I ask one of the girls out on a date? Something tells me that’s going to be more than a little awkward.”

“I never said that,” I answered with a grin, “I only said you should try it with a friend, and you have far more friends -- both personal and professional -- than just the other five Element-bearers.” I let Twilight simmer in her own thoughts for a moment before deciding I’d let her squirm enough. “Twilight, I’m just going to come out and say it: the possible romantic partner I was hinting toward is me.”

Twilight’s mouth fell open, and her eyes became focused as she entered what I call mind-freeze panic-mode, in which she quite literally freezes on the spot because something was so shocking that she honestly has to stop thinking for a moment, restart her brain, and then address the problem. It usually took a few moments for her to go through said process, so I simply sat back in my chair and waited, sipping the remainder of my wine.

After a minute or two of amusing face contortions, Twilight’s eyes focused on me as she squeaked out, “D-did you just ask me on a date?”

I shook my head. “No, but I do have something I need to tell you in regards to that.” Swallowing my nervousness with a close-eyed grimace, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again, locking my gaze with Twilight’s. “Twilight, I love you. I have for a long, long time now, and we both know it. You’re the most important pony in my entire life -- even more than Celestia -- and we’ve grown in each other’s company for years now. We’ve been through some of the world’s worst disasters together, and used one another as life rafts when the world threw metaphorical tsunamis at us. We say ‘I love you’ to each other every day; is it so strange that over the years, I started to feel differently about you besides just as a friend?” At her shocked and uncomprehending expression, I continued to explain. “Today when we went to lunch with Rarity and she started asking about herds, I’m sure you can guess what I thought, because you were obviously thinking the same thing. Guess who was the first pony to come to my mind when I thought Rarity was suggesting I start a herd?”

Twilight stared blankly at me. “But Spike, you and Rarity just got together and-”

“Talking to you about it tonight was her idea, Twilight.” I interjected with a smile. “We had a long discussion about this, and she supports me 100%.”

“-and I can’t be with you like that!” Twilight nearly shouted.

Her outburst completely took the wind out of my sails, and caused me to gape like an idiot. “W-why not? What’s wrong?”

Twilight pulled away from the table and stood, taking a few breaths before looking back at me with moist eyes. “I’m...I’m sorry Spike, but I can’t…” Without another word, she hurriedly left the room, her hooves clopping as they ascended the stairs to her room. I heard a door close from upstairs, and then save for the crackling of burning wood in the hearth, there was silence.

Rarity and I had apparently completely read Twilight wrong, and now I feared that I may have made a horrible mistake. Because of one little assumption, things between Twilight and I might never be the same. Twilight gave me her answer as a resounding no, and for some reason, I couldn’t help but worry if I’d just screwed up my relationship with the closest friend I might ever have.

With a long-suffering sigh, I stood and proceeded to clean up the remains of dinner.

Chapter 5

The next few days came and went without incident, but I was aware enough to recognize that Twilight was intentionally avoiding me, since she had taken to teleporting directly from her room or study to wherever she needed to be in the castle, so as to hopefully avoid talking to me. It hurt a bit that she went to such lengths simply because of what I had said to her, but I also can’t say I didn’t expect such behavior, either. With that in mind, after the first day of her antics, I chose to spend most of the following days out among the town.

Rarity had done her best to console me, but despite the whole situation, I took a sick bit of pleasure in laying a surprisingly satisfying “I told you so” speech on her. Fortunately, I knew worrying about what was going to happen between Twilight and I wouldn’t help the situation, so I just spent my nights at friends’ houses to give her the space she needed to think through everything.

Besides all that though, life in Ponyville proceeded as normal, even with a timberwolf encroachment and a group of hydras that had settled in too close to the town, the latter of which I dealt with myself. Ponyville was a flourishing town after all, but the truth of the matter was that it was surrounded by many different dangerous areas, which spawned all sorts of beasties that could terrorize the citizens. Seeing as how I was the most hardy resident that lived in Ponyville, I usually took it upon myself to usher these undesirables further away from town, though I sometimes asked Fluttershy for help. Among my usual duties of tending to Twilight and being the unofficial secretary of Equestria’s most recent princess, keeping the ponies of Ponyville safe from baddies kept things interesting.

It was the day just before the weekend when things calmed down finally, which left me without much to do other than sit by myself in the park and watch the day go by.

The main plaza of Ponyville had been built up into a lush, green park years ago, and that park surrounded the town hall. It was a place for young ponies to play and lovers to bask in nature’s beauty, which only added to the appeal of Ponyville. Ever since Twilight ascended those many years ago, ponies from all over began flocking to the small town, turning it into a near-city in its own right. Because of that, Ponyville as a whole had been renovated, and much of it was modernized. Traditional landmarks such as Sweet Apple Acres stayed the same however, which kept the warm, close-knit atmosphere from leaving Ponyville as it grew and matured.

It was always interesting to see how much the ponies of town had changed over the years. For example, the “Crusaders” had all matured, and while they would still often be seen together throughout town, they were now mares in their own right, with lives of their own. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were still Ponyville’s native upper-class, but their haughtiness had died down, and they were now respected members of the community that while not as kind as Fluttershy by any means, still showed respect where it was due and offered kind words and smiles to strangers and friends alike. New foals had taken the place of the colts and fillies I grew up with, but Ponyville was still a family-centric town through and through, and it was for that reason that I loved living here.

Ponyville as a whole had grown to become very warm and accepting of differences and the uniqueness of those who resided in it, which was also a great attribute.

It was in the park plaza that I found myself, going over paperwork and forms in the comfortable outdoors while life went on around me. The sounds of young ponies playing and laughing could be heard as they reveled in their weekend time off, and even though work bogged me down, I couldn’t help but smile. It was atmospheres like this that made Ponyville such a nice place to live, and I, personally, believed it was why so many chose to stay instead of move away. This all evened out the burden of parchment in my lap, making for a decent workday as I relaxed underneath a sparsely-leafed tree. The past few hours had been monotonous, but easygoing for the most part. It’s true that autumn in Ponyville was famous for its windy days, so I had been forced to chase down a page or two whenever I was caught off-guard by a wayward gust. Still, I enjoyed the cool air of late autumn.

Most of my friends were busy -- especially Rarity, who was working avidly on her winter clothing line -- which left me to get a head start on work for the coming month. Let it be said that the life of a national hero wasn’t all fame and glory; eventually, we all have to get back to normal life, and for me, that meant a lot of forms to sign off on and budgets to balance. Governmental forms and audits didn’t just happen after all, so I took it upon myself to do the more mundane work while Twilight focused on the more political matters.

Just as I was looking over a month-to-date fiscal report for Ponyville, a sharp whistle from off to the side caught my attention, and I brought my eyes up to see a familiar changeling strutting toward me. “Strutting” was the only way to describe the type of gait that Lyla naturally used, as nothing else truly did it justice.

“Yoohoo, darling!” she called to me, adding a bit more hip sway as she made her way to me.

I chuckled and shook my head. “Don’t do that; it doesn’t suit you.”

Lyla focused her shimmering aqua eyes on me before popping her hip out and resting a hand on it. “You like it when Rarity does it.”

“She nibbles my bottom lip after we kiss, too; are you going to do that as well?” I snarked, thinking I had won our short little verbal chess game.

Lyla placed a finger on her lips and turned her eyes skyward, mock-thinking aloud. “That depends...how long is your tongue?”

Checkmate: Lyla 12, Spike 2. To think after years of knowing each other and my own mental and emotional maturity, Lyla still knew hot to make me blush like an idiot. It doesn’t do much to strengthen my facade of being a cool, chilled-out adult in Ponyville, that’s for sure. Neither did it help that Lyla loved wearing form-fitting clothing

“So, why so glum, chum?” Lyla playfully quipped as she took a seat next to me. I sighed and held up the stack of forms I still had left to sign off on, which was nearly an inch thick. She whistled before resting against the trunk of the tree we sat under. “Well, can’t help you with that. I’m open to keeping you company until you finish, though.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I nodded to her. “Sounds nice, Lye.” I continued my work as I felt Lyla’s weight settle against me, just enjoying the cool air and the company of a good friend.

I offered small talk here and there as the hours passed, while Lyla kept my mind off of the boring monotony of my work, as well as...other things. Thankfully for me she never asked why Twilight and I hadn’t been spending much time together lately, though I suppose it wasn’t exactly a secret. For now though, I just chose to enjoy the company of a friend who didn’t ask questions.

In a few ways, changelings were a lot easier to understand than ponies were. Their magic was specialized for the most part, save for levitation and a few battle spells, and their bodies were pretty similar among others of the same caste. Beyond that though, changelings wore their emotions on their sleeves -- you could always tell what a changeling was feeling, and they never tried to hide it. In changeling culture, it was considered an insult to hide things from close friends or family members, and the hive-mind (it was a thing, apparently) pretty much cut privacy out. It took some time to get Lyla used to the pony world, which was a fair bit more private than that of changelings, but she had settled in rather well.

It was by this token that I learned pretty early on just how “connected” to me Lyla felt.

It probably had a lot to do with the fact that I had a personal hand in welcoming her to Ponyville and Equestria as a whole, as well as making sure she was protected from any retaliation because of the event at Shining and Cadence’s wedding. There were a few...less than ideal instances of said retaliation (as well as a hospital visit for Lyla), which ended with Twilight nearly screaming at the entire town from atop our home. After that, Lyla and I became nearly connected at the hip. I nursed her back to health and eased her into friendships with all of the rest of the Elements, which began to slowly change the way the town felt about her. It took some time -- and more than a few talks with the more prominent members of town -- but eventually Ponyville tolerated Lyla just fine...and in time, even grew to like her.

As time went on, Lyla and I spent more and more time together outside of practicality, to the point where we were meeting a few times a day, every day. Our visits with each other toned down once she had her own place, but we stayed close over the years. We met at least every other day since then, more often when Twilight or I needed something fixed (Lyla was good at fixing things), but generally we made it a point to see each other at least twice a week. Being Lyla’s direct contact with the princesses of Equestria wasn’t the reason, though; instead, it was because we enjoyed the time we shared together.

The current time we shared, for example, was quite nice. Resting against the tree with Lyla, I soon found all forms of tension leaving my body as I enjoyed the autumn air.

The day passed unbearably fast for me, though that made sense seeing as how I had fallen asleep in the park with Lyla. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to put all the papers back into a folder before doing so, otherwise my work would have been spread all across Ponyville. Still, I felt a little bad that instead of coming up with something fun and exciting to do, Lyla and I just fell asleep. Lyla didn’t seem to mind, however, and I had a sneaking suspicion she knew I was mentally burnt-out by more than just the paperwork.

Lyla wasn’t like Pinkie nor Fluttershy in the sense that she would try and cheer me up, and nor was she like Twilight and Rarity, who would try and get me to talk about what was bothering me. Instead, whenever I was down for some reason, she would keep me company and offer her comforting presence until I decided I was ready to talk about what had me bothered. I mentally thanked her for that, since I was in no mood to have someone poking and prodding at me for info. Sure she could be a bit of a handful sometimes when she was being particularly amorous, but when it came right down to it, she was a great friend who had proven herself time and time again.

Unfortunately, the day had to end, and I found myself standing in front of the castle doors. I mentally chuckled at how it likely looked as if Lyla had escorted me home after a date, but brushed the thought aside. Besides the fact that I was fairly sure Lyla preferred those of the female persuasion, I had more than enough on my plate at the moment when it came to relationships. Adding a flirty changeling that had little to no shame with PDA would only complicate things, and I didn’t want to damage any more relationships if at all possible.

With a sigh, I turned toward Lyla with a smile. “Thanks for the company today, Lye. I needed it more than I thought.”

With a smile she clasped her hand on my shoulder affectionately. “Of course, Spike. You know I’m always here for you.” She then inclined her head to the castle we stood in front of. “Get some rest. You seem like you need it.”

I nodded tiredly, but smiled nonetheless. “Thanks, Lye. You take care of yourself.” She nodded shallowly before turning and jogging away, leaving me to enter the crystalline tree-castle alone.

The overly-large front door gave way to a long entryway that led to a dais some hundred or so feet away -- which, considering the size of the entire castle, should have been impossible. Twilight had once explained it as “subspace organic spell matrices working in tandem to produce reality-bending compact volumes in real spacetime”. I simplified her explanation to “it’s bigger on the inside”. We happened to be having said conversation at a small outdoor cafe in town, and Timeturner chuckled for some reason when he heard it in passing -- I’m still not sure why. Regardless, because of said somehow-possible magic that the crystalline structure produced naturally, the deceptively-compact design of the castle gave way to an interior that rivaled Canterlot Palace in size. It really freaked me out the first few times, as trying to find my way through our home was like walking backwards through a maze with a blindfold on and one leg, but Twilight had come up with a very simple and practical solution to the entire dilemma: maps. Most public rooms within the castle had a map framed on one of the walls, which allowed those visiting or petitioning to make their ways through the place without getting lost for hours.

“I’m home!” I called through the empty throne room as I made my way toward the rear of the dais, where the stairs that led to the royal apartments resided. One thing was for sure: without Twilight answering me the past few days, the entire castle didn’t feel like home anymore. My voice seemed to echo more across the empty rooms, and the faint ringing of the crystal walls when they reverberated made it seem as if the castle itself was weeping.

Twilight’s study beside the stairs showed signs of work having been done, so I dropped off the paperwork I had finished on the desk before making my way up the spiral stairwell. My gait could certainly be called “trudging” at this point, as I was more exhausted than I would have liked. As I mentioned before, Twilight and I had trouble sleeping if we didn’t mutter our words of affection to each other at least once a day, so it goes without saying that with Twilight avoiding me, my nights had been restless at best. Rarity and I also weren’t at the place in our relationship where we would be sharing a bed every night either, so more often than not I was forced to stare at the ceiling of my quarters as the hours passed.

With a quiet sigh of defeat, I made my way to my room.

Something else that being a dragon made easy was grooming and hygiene. Since I didn’t sweat or have hair to catch dirt and debris, I technically needed to shower much less often than ponies did. Of course, I still showered every day simply because of habit, but if I were to go three or four days without a bath, I wouldn’t stink like a pony would. In addition, I could be in and out of the shower in three minutes, as I only really needed to rinse off unless I had actually come in contact with something distinctly filthy. Twilight, on the other hand, could often take an hour or more, seeing as how she had a coat of fur, a mane and tail, and wings to wash.

This is all pertinent information because of what I was doing as evening gave way to night, since I was bored and too tired to do anything besides clean up and go lay down. With that being the case, I had gathered a clean pair of underwear and walked down the hallway in my robe, towel in hand, to hopefully put another day of mundanity behind me.

Arriving at the shared washroom, I knocked and listened for any indication of occupation before opening the door and locking it behind me. I ran my eyes over the odd setup that Twilight had installed a few years ago, which was a style that she had fallen in love with during her visit to the far eastern nation of Neighpon. It took some getting used to, but being able to soak in a steaming bath for an hour or so after washing was pretty nice, I’ll admit.

Stripping off my robe and placing the towel on a rack, I turned on the faucet that would auto-fill the tub before making my way to the shower head and taking a seat on the small stool. I turned the knob to scalding before pulling on it, causing a spray of magically heated water to come pouring out. I methodically went about washing myself down -- paying special attention to my wings -- before shutting the water off and stepping over to the tub.

The water was pleasantly hot as I stepped in, and I released a sigh of pleasure as I eased myself in, taking care not to sit on my wings. While it was true I barely felt the heat through my hide, I soaked more for the hot, moist air that always seemed to relax me as I breathed it in. With nothing left to do but enjoy myself, I sat against the molded backrest and let my mind wander.

Knocks at the door roused me, and brought me back to the waking world. Realizing I had fallen asleep during my soak, I clambered out of the tub and pulled the plug, allowing the now-lukewarm water to drain. I quickly toweled myself dry before slipping on my underwear and donning my robe, then made my way to the door.

While I should have been happy that Twilight was actually purposefully approaching me (as it wouldn’t have been anyone else), I couldn’t help but snarl out, “What do you want?”

“...can we talk?” Twilight’s cracking voice answered through the door.

I couldn’t help a growl as it escaped my mouth, but opened the door fully and stood before the now-blushing princess. “What do you want, Twilight?”

“I…” she croaked out before clearing her voice, “I just wanted to talk about-”

“Oh, now Twilight wants to talk.” I interrupted, laying the snark on thickly. “Thank the Maiden Ponyville’s princess has decided to grace me with her presence after three days! Oh praise thee Faust, for you have blessed me today!” For some reason I couldn’t stop the words, and all my frustration boiled over for some reason. Flaring my wings and growling threateningly, I took a step closer to the smaller pony and shouted, “You swore you would never send me away or abandon me, yet the first thing you do when there’s any sort of stress between us is run away and ignore me!”

Twilight was nearly cowering now, and while I should have felt bad for how intimidated she suddenly was, I felt too upset to care.

“S-Spike, I just-”

“No,” I spat angrily, “shut up; you don’t get to talk right now. You’re going to sit there and listen to me, because unlike you, I never got to talk with anypony about this.” At her surprised expression, I nodded. “Yeah, I know you talked to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash about this. You know who I talk to -- who I bare my soul to -- when I’m upset?” I reached forward and firmly, yet gently, poked Twilight in the chest. “I talk to you. Not Rarity and not even Lyla are my first choices -- I seek you out first, because I know that you’ll understand me better than anyone ever has or will. And yet, here I was needing you, and you were only thinking about yourself and how stressful this was for you. Must be nice to have the ponies you confide in there for you when you need them.”

Twilight was the very picture of shame, with splayed ears, droopy posture, and eyes unable to meet my own. I never thought in a million years that it would be satisfying to intentionally make a pony feel bad, but wow, was it nice; I’d probably feel bad about it later, but in my emotional state I couldn’t find myself caring much.

I guess it’s true what they say: hurt ponies hurt ponies.

As the inferno bled away, a cold pit of ice was left in my stomach. “You give me no explanation, and instead of doing the sensible thing and politely turning me down, you immediately cut me out of your daily life. I told you I wanted to share my heart with you, and you ran without even telling me why.”

“I WAS AFRAID!” she suddenly shouted, bringing her magical voice to bear for one of the few times since she’d gained the ability.

Surprise warred with smoldering rage, and somehow won out, only to be replaced with concerned confusion. “Afraid of what?”

Twilight fell to her knees in front of me, and began sobbing as she brokenly answered, “...o-of lo-hoo-sing y-you!” She broke down into complete hysterics as she wrapped her wings about her body and shook with tears and sorrow.

At seeing Twilight so broken over such an innate fear for her, the remainder of my anger fled, replaced only with utter concern for the pony I was closest to in the world. Kneeling and wrapping my arms and wings around her, I placed her head under my chin and held her close as she continued to weep loudly.

After nearly ten minutes of this, her cry-heaving tapered off into mere sniffles, at which point I spoke to her once again. “No matter what happens between us or what trials may come our way, you will never lose me.” I sighed and held Twilight a little tighter, and felt her wings unfurl a bit as her own hands reached out for me. We held each other in silence for a few more moments, but I knew the issue between us needed to be addressed. “If you don’t feel for me the way I do you, that’s fine. I knew in the back of my mind there was always the chance that you would turn me down, but that won’t change the fact that I will always be here for you, no matter what.”

“Could you really still be around me if you knew we could never be together?” she murmured quietly, almost pleadingly.

I nodded solemnly. “Yes. It will be a little uncomfortable for awhile, but I’ll get over it and things will go back to how they’ve always been. Our friendship will trump whatever other issues we have every time, and nothing is ever going to change that.” For another few moments all was quiet, until I queried, “So, are you ready to tell me why you ‘just can’t’?”

Twilight flinched noticeably, but didn’t pull away as she muttered, “Romantic love is one of the things I’m just not good at, Spike. Every attempt has ended in failure, and I just can’t risk damaging our relationship. You mean too much to me for me to risk anything like that.”

“Hiding things and ignoring each other damages the relationship too.” I added with a sigh of frustration. “However,” I pulled away from her, holding Twilight at arm’s length, “if you’re really so against it, then I won’t bother you about it again.”

Twilight lowered her eyes and nodded shallowly. “O-okay, Spike. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head with a flat look. “Don’t apologize for saying ‘no’, Twi. I’ll love you no matter what, and that’ll never change.”

Twilight nodded once more before looking down and blushing. “U-um Spike...your robe fell off.”

I glanced down and noticed my nearly-naked body was exposed. “So it has; sorry about that.”

I had never understood the need to wear clothes really, seeing as how all my “parts” were internal unless I chose otherwise, but it was one of the many things I had gone along with to make it more comfortable for ponies to be around me. So, with a flick of my wings, the robe draped itself over my shoulders once more as I stood.

Now “decent”, I turned my gaze toward Twilight again and smiled gently. “Well, I’ll let you get off to bed then. And…” I cleared my throat nervously as I prepared to apologize for my actions, “and I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

Twilight’s face was a little flushed, but she shook her head and smiled at me. “It’s okay, Spike; I probably would have had the same reaction, honestly.” As I turned away, I was stopped as she blurted out, “W-wait!”

I turned around with my brow raised. “Yeah Twi?”

Twilight shuffled on her feet, looking down at the ground shyly as she did a very accurate impersonation of Fluttershy. “Um...c-could you stay with me tonight; you know, l-like you used to?”

Something about the way the situation was headed just screamed “bad” at me, but I couldn’t help but melt under Twilight’s teary-eyed pleading. So, with a sigh, I nodded. “Fine...just let me go and get some pajamas on.”

I knocked at the door to Twi’s private quarters, which only a second later opened by way of a magenta aura. I stepped inside and closed it behind me, seeing Twilight had already settled herself under the sheets, wearing only one of my long shirts that I’d given to her years ago to sleep in on a trip we took out of Equestria. In honesty I didn’t know why she still had the old thing, but that wasn’t really for me to question. I was in her room after all, so if she had chosen to sleep in lingerie or even naked, who was I to say no?

And I’ll admit I had to steel myself as the latter thoughts cropped up.

Twilight pat the space next to her with a gentle smile. “C’mon Spike, I haven’t slept in days. Let’s get to sleep so we can get up early tomorrow.”

Knowing exactly what she meant by the lack of sleep, I made my way to her bed and slid in beside Twilight, shifting for a moment to allow my wings the space to comfortably rest. Twilight then shuffled over to me and grasped my arm with her own before laying her head on my chest and sighing happily. I could only look down at the smaller form against me, thinking about just how doomed I was when it came to getting over Twilight’s refusal.

“I love you, Spike…” Twilight murmured quietly.

Unable to keep from replying, I muttered a heartfelt, “Love you too, Twi. Get some sleep.”

Silence reigned for only a few minutes before Twilight’s soft snores began to issue forth, which left me to stare at the ceiling as my emotions warred with one another. On the one hand, Twilight had pretty much denied my request to join Rarity and I and form a herd, but at the same time she was now holding herself against me in a way I imagined she would if we were together. Sleep eluded me as my heart both throbbed with elation and ached at the same time, so I was able to do little more than lay still and let Twilight sleep.

I turned my head and looked down at the slumbering alicorn, and was unable to restrain a smile from crossing my lips. Maybe, just for tonight, I could pretend -- I could pretend that Twilight had said yes to me, and that she had told me that she loved me the same way I did her.

Pulling my arm from Twilight’s grasp, I instead wrapped it around her and pulled her body right up against mine. A sleepy hum of happiness was her response as she rested her head against me again, and without thinking, I brushed the bangs away from her horn and leaned down to press a soft kiss just at the base. Twilight squirmed in her sleep and hummed once again in approval, and I felt as one of her wings extended to cover my body.

I could only sigh in happiness as well, and closed my eyes for some much-needed sleep.

‘What are you doing, Spike?’

Chapter 6

‘That was a terrible idea.’

The thought came unbidden to my mind as I stood in the doorway to Twilight’s bedroom, leaning against the doorframe and watching her sleep with a smile on her face. Before I even fell to sleep the previous night, the thought that I was making a mistake by even pretending had lodged itself in my mind, and looking down at Twilight and having to resist waking her with a good morning kiss just cemented the worry.

This was going to be far more difficult than I thought.

Nonetheless, the logic-driven side of me reminded that Twilight wasn’t the only pony that I cared enough about to start a herd with, should I be so inclined. I was friends with plenty of ponies -- and with it being Equestria, most were mares -- so there were plenty of other choices out there; there were plenty of other fish in the sea. While I cared deeply about Twilight -- loved her, even -- if she didn’t want to be with me, I wasn’t going to force the issue. I cared about her too much to throw away our long friendship over some silly crush I had on her, and I knew that even though it would be difficult, I could overcome this if I put my mind to it.

But did I want to?

...no, I didn’t.

Much as it hurt to know Twilight just didn’t want what I did, I didn’t want to just get over it. I’d felt differently about her for a long time, so simply forgetting about it all wasn’t an option. We lived together, and regardless of what Twilight thought of herself, she was a beautiful, desirable mare that anyone would be lucky to have. I knew for a fact that the relationship between the two of us was strong enough to weather almost anything, but if she wasn’t willing to give the concept of “us” a chance, I wasn’t going to push it at the moment. That didn’t mean that it didn’t bother me, but fear makes ponies do and think strange things. Perhaps with time things would change...or perhaps not. Either way, Twilight and I were going to remain close, no matter what happened between us.

The pain I felt in my heart from her rejection still hurt, though, and I knew I’d have to get away for a bit to clear my head. With that in mind, I made my way to Twilight’s personal writing desk and quickly scrawled a note out before walking over and placing at the bedside table next to her. Looking down at Twilight, however, I was unable to simply leave, and found myself reaching out and gently brushing the stray locks of hair away to frame her serene expression. Smiling gently at the sight, I turned on my heel and strode from the room -- and subsequently, the castle -- before extending my wings and pushing off with a mighty flap into the air.

Like pegasi, I was able to float on clouds as a dragon that had wings. Unlike pegasi, I didn’t have to worry about thunderheads jolting me, since dragonhide was virtually impervious to most non-magical energies. This meant that I had the perfect perch upon which to look out over Ponyville from the top of the supercell that was over the Everfree, alone with my thoughts.

Much as I tried to tear my mind away from her, Twilight dominated my thoughts, and I found myself halfway wishing I hadn’t admitted to her how I felt. However, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to hide from her what I felt, since we had long ago promised not to keep things of any import from each other. Now, that didn’t mean that neither of us had privacy from the other, but we had found over the years that it was better to be honest about what we felt and thought in order to keep harmony within the household, since we lived together.

Still, I’d just gotten together with Rarity after years of pining, so maybe I should just be happy with her.

With a deep sigh, I did a half-flip to point at the ground a few thousand feet away before plunging through the cloud. The powerful updraft pulled at me and the moisture drenched me, but I held firm and let myself fall on a course toward the earth far below. I couldn’t see the ground through the dense cloud, but the instinct within me to open my wings grew and grew until I couldn’t wait any longer, so I angled myself toward the unseeable sky again before flaring my wings and catching the thick air to slow myself. I burst from the bottom of the thunderhead to a torrent of rain and crosswinds, which I fought for about a minute before touching down on the soaked ground of the forest.

Even when ponies would be inside to get out of the rain, the Everfree forest was alive with activity in the midst of the storm, the many creatures of the forest delighting in the life-giving rain. From every direction I could see animals large and small drinking, washing or just playing in the rain that fell in droves. It made me smile, regardless of the fact that I was getting soaked straight through my clothes, which served to lift my spirits a bit in the process.

Being out in nature always served to give me a sense of peace even in my most stressful moments, which was why I enjoyed simply being able to fly wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It all allowed me a freedom I’d never known as a younger dragon, seeing as how I usually had to take a train or flying chariot to get anywhere in a decent amount of time, but having my own wings opened the world to me. True that there were some places I hadn’t been to -- the Lupine Tundra among them -- but being able to just...go places was nice.

Nonetheless, today was not an off-day for me, so I had work to do that couldn’t be put off any longer. With a long sigh of resignation, I pushed off of the ground with a strong flap of my wings and headed back toward Ponyville.

Work was boring and monotonous, as it usually was, but it was also pretty quick considering I had gotten started later in the day. By lunch I was finished with what was on the schedule, which left the rest of my day open to do whatever unless Twilight had something important that she hadn’t been able to put on the schedule (Twilight refraining to put something on the work schedule was near impossible though, so I didn’t really worry about that). The day was nice in late autumn however, which gave me the opportunity to just walk around town and see the sights.

As usual, everyone offered me a smile and/or wave as I made my way through the streets of the homey town, with more than a few ponies personally greeting me by name. It did wonders to bring me out of my mental rut, and before I knew it, I couldn’t help but smile as well. Things might not be at their best right now, but I knew that Ponyville was still the place I loved, with the ponies I loved living in it, and that was more than enough to bring a smile to my face.

“Spike!”

The panicked call quickly caught my attention, as well as that of everyone else within earshot, and we all looked to see Applebloom dashing toward me at a speed that was downright scary. Before I could even ask what was happening, she latched onto my arm and began using her powerful form to pull me away.

As I stumbled and tried my best to set my feet underneath me I asked, “Where’s the fire, ‘Bloom? What’s going on?”

“No time,” she huffed quickly, continuing to pull me along, “we need to get to the Acres quick!”

Recognizing the sheer amount of worry in her tone, I pulled her to a stop and kneeled, motioning to my back. “Then climb on and I’ll get us there while you explain just what you’re getting me into.”

She quickly complied, clambering onto my back and grasping tightly around my midsection. Before we could take off though, she said only one thing that kicked my urgency into overdrive: “Applejack’s in trouble!”

My wings flared strongly as I made a touchdown in front of the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres, barely noticing as Applebloom dropped off of my back and onto her hooves. Whirling my head around rapidly I shouted out, “Where is she?”

“This way!” Applebloom answered, taking off at a panicked pace toward the southwestern fields, where Sweet Apple Acres bordered the Everfree forest.

I followed just behind Applebloom, keeping my eyes and ears open for any indication of what I would find and trying not to think of the worst. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to see Thunderlane pacing around a collapsed section of fencing, giving way to what looked like a sinkhole. The sound of Big Mac’s deep voice shouting at him could be heard, though I won’t repeat the curses he was slinging, but it was clear to me what was going on.

My heart dropped into my stomach when I arrived on site and looked into the hole.

Big Mac had his hands wrapped around one end of an overturned cart that they used to haul things around the farm, shouting angry and frightened pleas to help at Thunderlane as the latter just paced with a panicked expression, muttering over and over again how he “just can’t”. I shoved the pegasus out of the way before hopping down into the giant hole that was far deeper than it looked -- at least twenty feet down -- and walking over to Big Mac.

I didn’t have to guess what had happened as I asked, “Is she all right?”

Big Mac locked eyes with me, and I saw tears gathering in the corners of his own eyes as he answered, “A-Ah don’t know, she ain’t answerin’ me.”

I wasn’t able to see any sign of Applejack because of the rubble of the broken cart, but I knew she had to be underneath it somewhere, and I wasn’t going to give up until she was safe.

Turning my head toward the lip of the hole I shouted, “Applebloom, I need you to bring me the axe!” Applebloom disappeared from the lip and I heard her hooves hitting the ground as she ran, but then knew I had to reassure the eldest sibling of the Apple family. I turned my attention to Big Mac and leveled him with a serious stare. “We’ll get her out of here, Mac; I promise. She’ll be fine.”

I just hoped I wasn’t lying to him.

Big Mac nodded slowly, but didn’t take his eyes off of the cart that his hurt sister was under. I then turned toward the frantically muttering Thunderlane and shouted, “Hey!” He jumped a bit and shot his eyes to me, so I pointed to the sky. “Make yourself useful and go get Nurse Redheart and Nurse Tenderheart from the hospital. We’ll need them here, because I don’t want to move Applejack any more than I have to.”

Seemingly relieved to be of use, Thunderlane nodded and shot into the sky in a blur of speed toward Ponyville General, which left Big Mac and I alone. The giant of a stallion was still holding firmly onto one end of the cart, his muscles straining and his body sweating. I quickly looked around the sinkhole and found two decently-sized stones, which I brought over to the side Mac was holding. With a grunt, I grasped the cart next to him and lifted, using my foot to slide first one stone, and then the other underneath the end of the cart we had been holding, allowing Mac to rest while we waited for Applebloom to return with the axe. With the immediate danger removed, I surveyed the site to see exactly what we were dealing with.

From the way the cart had fallen and splintered into the earth, it was clear that both Applejack and a few barrels had been on top of it, and the debris had prevented Big Mac from getting underneath to get his sister out. The cart didn’t look in danger of falling apart, though -- being made of well-tended, solid oak (which was what made it so heavy) -- but the stability of the cart itself meant that we couldn’t simply move it on our own or pull it apart. After all: Mac and I were strong, but we weren’t superheroes.

I continued inspecting the area, and found some rubble around the side of the cart that wasn’t part of what was keeping it together, so I slowly and carefully began to move it away to see if I could find a way to dig Applejack out. Much to my displeasure, there didn’t seem to be a way to move much without possibly causing the remainder of the cart to collapse, but the hole I’d made was large enough for me to reach through and feel around. It seemed that at least two barrels worth of twisted wood was still underneath the cart itself, but after a moment I found something that felt like a hand.

With wide eyes, I turned to Mac and beckoned him over. “I found her hand; check her pulse, Mac.” I held my hands up and explained, “My scales are too thick to feel it.”

Big Mac scrambled over to me with a nearly-manic expression, and dropped to his knees before fishing his arm through the gap I’d made. He felt around for a few moments, eyes closed, before gasping in relief.

“Sh-she’s alive...thank Celestia she’s alive!” he cried out in relief, releasing a long breath in the process. He then pulled away and sat on the rocky ground, nodding to me. “Pulse is nice ‘n’ strong, so Ah know she at least ain’t bleedin’ out. Prob’ly banged up purdy good, but that ain’t nothin’ the nurses won’t be able ta fix.”

The morbid part of my mind reminded me that there were plenty of crippling brain injuries possible that wouldn’t coincide with profuse bleeding, but I kept my mouth shut for the moment. Big Mac needed to be reassured, not scared, so I just nodded silently while we waited.

The pounding of hooves on dirt approached, and I stood just as Applebloom arrived at the side of the hole, axe in hand. “Ah got it!”

I opened my hands and gestured for her to toss it down, which she did without a moment’s hesitation. Catching the axe in my hands, I turned to Big Mac and handed it to him, pointing at the side of the hole. “Set it over there for now; we need to find some more stones to prop this up so it doesn’t fall when we split it.”

It took a minute or so of careful excavation around the area, but Big Mac and I found a few more suitable stones to prop up both sides of the ruined cart. With that, I handed the axe to Big Mac and stood back while he got to swinging.

I was a hardy guy -- there was no getting around that, being a dragon and all -- but Big Mac was a veritable powerhouse of pure earth pony strength. He hefted the axe into the air and brought it down repeatedly as if it were nothing, making quick work of the flat underside of the cart. A single, long split down the middle separated the two halves, and after gripping one of said halves, Big Mac and I gave a collective grunt as we lifted the halves, one by one, up and off of the trapped farmpony underneath.

What we all found was worrying.

Applejack wasn’t actively bleeding, but the entire right side of her face was discolored from blunt force, and swollen worryingly. Furthermore, her right arm was clearly broken -- it was bent oddly between the elbow and shoulder -- and shallow cuts from the splintered wood covered her body. She was breathing, luckily, but the rest of her looked like she’d been in a fight with a timberwolf.

Without waiting for prompting, I gathered Applejack into my arms gently before slowly and painstakingly flapping my wings to ascend as slowly as possible. Once I cleared the lip of the sinkhole, I walked a short distance away before laying Applejack down onto solid ground, then going back and helping Big Mac exit the hole. Once the both of us were on flat ground again, we both rushed over to see what we could do for Applejack. From just initial observations, I knew there wasn’t much we were going to be able to do for her arm other than splint it, but some basic triage could mean the difference between healing properly and being crippled for life.

“Applebloom, I need you go get two flat sticks we can use as a splint, and some rope or cloth to tie it.” I ordered, keeping my eyes on Applejack. “Big Mac, stay with Applejack and I’ll go get some ice for her face to bring down the swelling.” With the orders given out, I took to the skies toward the farmhouse at a speed that I rarely used, simply because the lack of tail fins made it harder to steer, but the worry for Applejack’s wellbeing overrode my need for personal safety.

I landed only a few seconds later in front of the farmhouse, seeing Granny Smith waiting anxiously on the front step for someone to tell her what was happening. I offered a simple explanation of, “Applejack alive; nurses on the way,” before entering the house and heading toward the kitchen. Reaching under the cabinet and grabbing a plastic bag, I flung open the freezer and began shoveling ice inside of the bag until it was full. I then wrapped a dish towel around it and headed back to the door, stopping when Granny Smith grabbed my arm in a surprisingly strong grip.

She fixed me with a stern eye as she ordered, “Ya better look after mah granddaughter, ya hear? Ah wanna have grandfoals from her yet, Spike.”

Despite the situation, Granny Smith’s words caused a smile to jump to my face, and I nodded. “I’ll take care of her, Granny Smith.”

The elderly mare nodded to me with a reassured smile and shooed me away, so I again took flight and made my way back to where Big Mac was waiting for me. I was relieved to see Applebloom had already returned -- rather quickly, I might add -- with two planks and a length of rope. I landed next to them and approached, handing the wrapped ice pack off to Applebloom and dropping to my knees next to Big Mac.

He looked at me with a grimace as he held the two planks in his hands. “We gotta straighten it.”

I looked down at the misshapen arm and swallowed hard, nodding. “All right then, let’s do it.” Just by the way it was broken, I knew Applejack wasn’t going to be doing heavy lifting for quite awhile -- her humerus was completely snapped -- but seeing as how winter was just around the corner, she would have plenty of time to recover. I just hoped the bash to her head hadn’t caused any sort of brain injury.

With another nod to Big Mac, I took the arm in my hands and wasted no time in quickly pulling and straightening the arm, causing a pained whine from Applejack as she squirmed around despite her unconsciousness. I grabbed the wooden pieces and placed them on either side of the break, then looped the rope around it a few times before tying a knot. I knew that it looked messy, but triage was about doing as much as possible to stabilize the patient before more specialized treatment could be administered, and I definitely wasn’t a doctor.

A whistling sound caught my attention, and I turned my eyes skyward to see Thunderlane approaching with an emergency chariot from Ponyville General. Two familiar ponies were on board -- Nurses Red Heart and Tenderheart, respectively -- which meant that Thunderlane had been at least somewhat useful and had returned with help.

Thunderlane flared his powerful wings, slowing to a hover so that the swiveling chariot could softly touch down first before he landed. The two nurses bounded off of the chariot as soon as it was safe, and rushed over to Applejack with instruments in their hands.

After a brief checkup, both looked to us with a smile as Red Heart assured, “She has a mild concussion, but besides that and her arm, it looks worse than it is. You three did a good job of getting her out of there and safe. If you’ll follow us to the hospital, we’ll get started right away.”

I nodded and helped them load Applejack onto the chariot, belting her in to be sure she didn’t move too much. After only a few seconds, the nurses boarded, and once again the chariot was airborne. I was happy that Applejack was going to be all right, but I couldn’t help as worry clutched at my stomach regardless. I didn’t like seeing my friends hurt, and Applejack was always such a strong mare; it just seemed wrong for her to be so hurt, for some reason.

I turned to the two Apple siblings standing worriedly behind me and stated, “I’ll fly ahead and gather all the girls to meet us there. You two get Granny Smith ready and come to the hospital when you can; we’ll be waiting.”

Without waiting for a response, I shot into the sky and went about finding and gathering the other five representations of the Elements of Harmony, trying my best not to think about how bruised and battered Applejack was.

Within the hour, the waiting room of the ER was clamoring with ten ponies, all stressed to the breaking point and trying to look on the bright side as best we could, but it wasn’t working all that well. For one, the Apple family looked like they were waiting for that terrible news that yet another loved one of theirs was lost, and I couldn’t honestly reassure them of otherwise. After all, I was well aware that complications with even the simplest injury could cause disfigurement or even death, so I knew that in this case, saying nothing at all and simply being a reassuring presence was the best thing to do at the moment.

Rarity, on the other hand, had a far more active way of letting her feelings be known.

“...AND YOU COULDN’T DO ANYTHING BUT STAND AROUND LIKE A USELESS SACK OF FEATHERS WHILE SHE COULD BE DYING!”

No one saw fit to correct her, because in all honesty, our feelings on the matter wouldn’t let us. I was understanding when it came to many things, but regardless of whatever issue he might have been having, I couldn’t understand how Thunderlane, who claimed to love Applejack, could do nothing when something so serious happened. I couldn’t help but morbidly imagine how bad things might have gotten had Big Mac or I not been available. True that Thunderlane was just one pony, but I was the one who’d had to take control of the situation when he’d been freaking out instead of helping.

I just didn’t get it, but then again I wasn’t him.

Thunderlane just glared at Rarity, as if trying to burn a hole in her head. “You wouldn’t understand; you don’t suffer from taphophobia like I do, so you wouldn’t know just how debilitating it can be. I can’t even be buried in sand at the beach without freaking out, and you all expect me to jump into a hole?” He shook his head with a sneer. “I’m not apologizing for that, so get over it.”

I caught the twitch in Rarity’s arm just before her hand rose to slap some sense into the pegasus she was shouting at, but at much as I wanted her to follow through with it, I had to stop her. From my place just behind her, I reached out before she could connect and grasped her wrist firmly, shaking my head with a frown.

“Rarity,” I urged in a firm yet calm tone, “this isn’t helping. Shouting at Thunderlane isn’t going to undo the damage done, and making him feel bad isn’t going to make anyone feel better.” I pulled Rarity back into me and wrapped my wings and arms around her, resting my head beside hers. “I know you’re upset, and worried, but getting into a shouting match isn’t going to do any good. For now, the best we can do is be here for them.” I ended my statement by pointing the joint of my wing at the three Apple family members.

Thunderlane looked relieved at my intervention. “Thanks Spike, I-”

I snapped my gaze to him with a snarl. “I didn’t do it for you, Thunderlane. I’m sure Applejack would have her own choice words for you, but for now, slinging venom your way isn’t going to solve anything, so everyone needs to just sit down, shut up, and wait for whatever the doctors have to say.”

Thunderlane looked like he wanted to say something, but he wasn’t stupid enough to start an argument while already being on thin ice with everyone, so he reluctantly took his seat and waited just like the rest of us. I wordlessly pulled Rarity to sit in my lap as I took the chair between Big Macintosh and Rainbow Dash, doing my best to keep the nervous tremors from showing through my wings as we continued to wait.

We waited, and waited, and waited some more.

Finally, after nearly an hour and a half since the time we arrived at the hospital, a doctor came walking out into the waiting room and announced, “Applejack Apple?”

All of us stood and approached the doctor, allowing the three family members to the front as Granny Smith asked, “How’s mah granddaughter, doctor?”

The doctor -- a tan stallion whose name I couldn’t read from my place behind Rainbow Dash -- flipped through the chart and read off what he had. “She was admitted with what seemed to be mostly surface injuries and a fractured humerus, but upon analysis we also found a mild concussion. Other than that, it appears she was very lucky. She will be on the mend for awhile, but we expect a full recovery.” We all released a collective sigh of relief before the doctor continued with, “She’s currently sedated at the moment so she could rest through the pain, but I can allow family to see her for tonight. The rest of you will need to return tomorrow, after she’s had time to sleep off the worst of it.”

Granny Smith reached forward and grasped the doctor’s hand, smiling brightly at him. “Thank ya for takin’ care of ‘er, doctor. Ah’d like ta see mah girl now, please.”

With the danger over and our fears assuaged, I nearly collapsed into the chair next to me as the doctor and Apples walked down the hall toward the patient rooms. I rubbed my tired eyes and sighed heavily, glad that Applejack was going to be okay.

Rarity took a seat next to me and the rest of the girls surrounded me as Rainbow praised, “Ya did good, Spike.”

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply a few times before muttering, “Y’know, the whole time Mac and I were trying to get her out of there, I couldn’t help but think that maybe we wouldn’t be able to save her, or she had, like, crazy brain damage or something. I didn’t say it because I didn’t want to worry him, but…” I sighed again, feeling more of the residual tension leave my body through the breath. “I’m just glad she’s okay.”

“Because of you, Spike.” Fluttershy commented softly, her tone light and relieved. “You were there when one of us needed you the most, just like you always are, and you saved her.”

I chuckled tiredly, shaking my head. “It was just a lucky break ‘Shy, and that’s just it:” I sat up a little straighter with a more serious look on my face, “if I hadn’t been there, she might not be so okay right now. What if I had been out of town, or in Canterlot?”

“Don’t do that to yourself, Spike.” Rainbow Dash chided sternly. “Don’t torture yourself by thinking about the ‘what-ifs’. What matters is that you were there, and you probably saved her life.”

“Yeah…” I breathed out, slumping back into the chair again, “I did, didn’t I? That was pretty cool.”

Rainbow Dash nodded with a wide grin. “It was. Yet again, you were there when one of us needed you the most, and I know Applejack will be thankful.”

For the mares around me all took seats close together, and we spent the following time just sitting quietly, letting the stress of the day pass out of us with the confirmation that Applejack was going to recover.

Twenty minutes had passed since the Apples had gone back to visit Applejack, and I was trying my best to relax when a voice suddenly brought me back to attention.

“Spike?” called a gentle voice from near the front desk of the waiting room, and we all swiveled our heads to see Nurse Redheart approaching with a smile on her face. “She’s awake, and she’s asking for you.”

I frowned slightly. “She’s asking for me? Why?”

Nurse Redheart shrugged. “She didn’t say, but she’s been calling for you for a few minutes now after finding out what happened to her. We don’t normally allow anypony but family members back after so soon, but she refuses to accept that. Her response was, and I’m quoting, ‘If y’all don’t get ‘im in here, Ah’ll drag mahself out there on mah own.’”

I chuckled despite it all, and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like Applejack.”

“Wait wait wait, what about me?” Thunderlane broke in angrily. “I’m her coltfriend!”

Nurse Redheart only shrugged as she looked to him with a neutral expression. “She didn’t ask for you -- she asked for Spike. You can see her tomorrow with everypony else.”

Thunderlane growled and looked as if he wanted to argue, but the hard stares of Rainbow Dash and Rarity kept him from causing trouble, and he instead stomped out of the hospital while muttering curses under his breath.

I watched Thunderlane leave until the doors closed, then turned back to Nurse Redheart as I stood. “All right then, let’s go see Applejack.” I turned back to the girls and offered, “I’ll be home in a bit, so you all can wait for me until I get back unless you have something important going on.”

One by one, they all shook their heads as Twilight answered, “We’re free, Spike. We’ll see you when you get home.”

I nodded before following Nurse Redheart as she led me through the double-doors that closed off the patient rooms from the rest of the hospital. We walked for a few moments before stopping at room 127, where the deep voice of Big Mac could be heard within.

Nurse Redheart turned to me with a strained expression on her face. “As I said, we don’t normally allow this, so try and keep it brief. Regardless of what she might think right now, she needs to rest.”

I nodded solemnly as the nurse walked away. I stood in the hall for a moment to collect myself before bracing my hand against the door and pushing it open, stepping inside.

Ponyville’s Apple family was huddled together, talking softly to each other in a way that made me feel as though I was intruding. Upon my entrance though, Granny Smith turned around to look at me, and beckoned me forward with a wrinkled hand. Applejack looked pretty much the same as I’d found her, though now covered in bandages and with a plethora of lines leading into her body from the various machines and drips around her. The blood around her face had been cleaned away, but she still looked like she’d just lost a fight with a timberwolf. Yet again, I was struck with just how wrong it felt for Applejack to be so...vulnerable. I was so used to her being so strong and dependable, that I seemingly forgot that she was just a pony like everyone else.

Applejack’s non-swollen eye was focused sharply on me, and she held up her arm in a beckoning motion. After a moment of me standing still like a fool, she frowned and threatened, “Spike, get over here and gimme a hug. Don’t think Ah won’t get outta this bed and put ya in a headlock if ya don’t.”

Chuckling despite it all, I nodded and approached, leaning down and wrapping arm around Applejack as gently as I could to avoid hurting her. She wasn’t having any of that though, and used her powerful arm muscles to drag me down onto the bed in a tight embrace, to the point where I was practically on top of her. Forgoing my original plan, I instead wrapped both arms around Applejack’s back and held her tightly until she let go, gently lowering her back to the bed as I stood back up.

Applejack, bruised as she was, was still able to smile warmly up at me as she quipped, “Saved tha day again, Spike.”

I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. “It was a group effort, Applejack. All I did was make sure everyone did what needed to be done instead of losing their heads. Applebloom got the axe, Big Mac chopped up the cart, and Thunderla-”

“Spike, Ah…” Applejack interrupted, her expression souring, “Ah don’t wanna talk about him right now.”

I didn’t like where this was going…

“Applejack,” I pleaded softly, “if you’d have been really hurt, him doing what he did might have saved your life.”

“Ah’ll tell you who would’a saved mah life:” she shot back, frustration and anger roiling in her eye and tone, “it was tha drake that helped get me out from under all that stuff, and tha one that took control’a tha situation when everypony was losin’ their heads. That’s who saved me, not some scaredy-pegasus who couldn’t even jump in a hole fer me. Ah don’t ask much’a mah friends, other than that they give as much as Ah do.” She then snarled up in my direction, the full brunt of her annoyance focused on me. “So, you tell me how Ah’m supposed ta feel when Ah find out mah coltfriend was so wrapped up in ‘imself that he couldn’t help me when Ah needed it tha most!” She was shouting by the end of her outburst, and after doing so was panting with rage. I knew her anger wasn’t actually directed at me, but it was scary to be around her when she was like this. After a few moments of deep breaths, she calmed and looked away from me. When she spoke again, her tone sounded much more sombre, almost broken. “If he wouldn’t do that fer me, Ah know he wouldn’t do nothin’ fer tha rest of mah fam’ly. Ah don’t need that kinda pony in mah life.”

Much as Thunderlane could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, I didn’t want Applejack making a rash decision simply because she let her temper get the best of her. “Applejack, you’re not thinking straight right now. Sleep on it; we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“Be here t’morrow in tha mornin’, Spike.” she continued, acting as if she hadn’t even heard me. “Ah want ya here when Ah talk to ‘im. Knowin’ his work schedule, he’ll be here at tha start of visiting hours at 9:00, so Ah want ya here then. Can ya do that fer me?”

I just stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded at how she was acting. “A-Applejack, I think you might be making a rash decision here.”

Her eye narrowed at me, and she repeated, “Can ya do it? Ah ain’t askin’ ya to agree with me; all Ah’m askin is fer ya ta be there fer me.” Even through her stern expression, I could see the wavering vulnerability in her eye, and the glassiness that came with unshed tears. Then came the clincher, as she nearly whispered out a soft, “Please, Spike?”

I didn’t like this at all. Out of all of us, Applejack had the longest relationship with another pony, and I had assumed she was happy with him. I had my own personal feelings about Thunderlane, of course -- to put it simply, I didn’t like him -- but he was Applejack’s special somepony, not mine, so I usually just avoided him when I could. On the surface it looked to me like Applejack was making a rash decision, but deep down, I knew her better than that. Applejack had a temper, it was true, but she made it a point to think through things that were important. That meant that either the relationship Applejack had with Thunderlane didn’t matter as much as I thought, or there were other issues in their relationship before this whole event happened.

I didn’t know the whole story, but I knew that I would be there for my friend, no matter what.

I reached out and took Applejack’s hand in my own, nodding firmly. “Okay. I’ll be here tomorrow in the morning.”

“Thank you, Spike.” Applejack replied with a smile, pulling me down once again to embrace me. It was then that something odd happened that had never happened to me before, at least not with Applejack.

As she held me close, her earthy-yet-feminine scent caressing my nose, I very clearly felt as Applejack’s soft lips planted a kiss on the side of my face, only an inch or so away from the corner of my mouth. I froze, and her lips lingered for a few seconds before she pulled away, causing me to do the same. Instead of a blush like I’d expected or even averted eyes, Applejack was smiling serenely at me, her good eye locked onto me.

I smiled crookedly at her, unsure of how to feel about her uncharacteristic gesture of affection. I suppose I should feel flattered that she thought me a close enough friend to do that to, but at the same time, I was both excited and worried about what it meant...or that it meant nothing at all. It was all so confusing and I wasn’t sure how to respond, but thankfully Applejack broke the silence on her own.

She groaned a bit as she shifted in the bed. “Well, Ah’m really happy y’all are here, but these drugs’re startin’ ta get ta me, so Ah’m gonna call it a night.”

We all said our goodbyes and goodnights to Applejack before leaving as a unit, walking to the waiting area together. It was a slow, somber sort of walk, more out of mental exhaustion than anything else. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about the unexpected kiss Applejack had given to me, but worked to steel myself and act simply as if I were very tired, which wasn’t much of a stretch, really.

When we finally made it to the waiting area that was still filled with the other five Element-bearers, I turned to the Apple family and asked, “Are the three of you okay, or do you want a dragon to walk you home?”

Big Mac looked over his younger sister and grandmother before shaking his head with a tired smile. “Naw, Ah think we’ll be all right. Have a good one, Spike.”

I nodded and waved goodbye to the Apple family as we all left the hospital, each going our separate ways as late afternoon gave way to evening. It had been a trying day for all of us, but because of a certain instance that apparently only I had noticed, my mind refused to stay quiet. I knew none of the others would judge me for it though, so as soon as I was sure it was just me and the Element-bearers, I made my thoughts known.

“Applejack kissed me.” I calmly stated, or at least as calmly as I could considering what I was saying.

Of course, all six of us stopped at hearing that, and Rarity blurted out, “I’m sorry, what now?”

“Applejack kissed me.” I repeated a little more loudly. “Not on the lips or anything, but...well when we were hugging before I left, she gave me a kiss on my cheek; she’s never done anything like that before, at least not to me.”

“Well,” Rainbow Dash began with a shrug, “you did just save her life, and no matter what you might think, that’s the truth. If you hadn’t been there, she might not have been able to do anything ever again.”

I shook my head. “She’s been grateful to me before for things, but that’s the first time she’s given me a kiss for anything. It’s just...odd for me, is all. I’m so used to seeing Applejack as almost one of the guys, so it’s different for her to act like that. I never dated her or anything, so I don’t know her as any different than a rough-and-tumble farmpony that makes fun of how prissy Rarity is.”

My half-playful jab at Rarity was received well enough, as she just smiled and shook her head. “We all know that Applejack has never placed much stock in acting like a classy lady, but that does not mean she is not still a mare. Though she may not show them as much, Applejack has feelings just like any of us, and after being told she could have lost her life -- and that you were the one that saved her -- it makes sense that she would wish to show her gratitude to her savior.”

I shrugged, having no choice but to accept it, as the alternatives were worrying for a number of reasons. “I guess. I just wasn’t expecting it is all.” Before we could continue our way home, however, I added, “I think she might be breaking up with Thunderlane tomorrow, though.”

At this, the only one who looked surprised was Fluttershy, though I’m not sure why. It’s no secret that Thunderlane and I had never gotten on well, and as Rainbow Dash had explained months ago, “Anypony who doesn’t like Spike isn’t the kind of pony I want to know.” I had to admit that I agreed with her, and not because of my own ego. All of the Element-bearers were close with me, so if someone didn’t like me, what did that say about them? Six mares -- and national heroines, at that -- can’t all be wrong, can they?

Rainbow Dash was the one to break the growing-awkward silence with, “It’s about time.” Everypony present nodded in silent agreement, except for one…

“What do you think, Fluttershy?” I asked gently, so as not to make my friend any more nervous than she had to be.

Regardless, Fluttershy almost cringed as she was put on the spot, but still answered with a soft, “I-I just think she might be making a rash decision in anger.”

I nodded, agreeing with her. “I think the exact same thing, but she wanted me to be there with her tomorrow when she talks to him. The way she was talking, I don’t think their conversation could be anything but a breakup. She was practically dripping anger when she talked about him, but this is her decision, not mine.” I then shook my head with a huff of both frustration and confusion. “What I don’t get is why she wants me there instead of somepony else.”

We started walking again as a group as Twilight questioned, “What do you think would happen if Big Mac were there and Thunderlane blew up at Applejack?”

I shrugged. “He’d tear Thunderlane apart, and then the hospital would have another patient. I get that, because she knows I’ll keep my cool regardless, but I still don’t get why she couldn’t have asked any of the rest of you, though.”

Fluttershy, who had been mostly quiet all day, piped up with, “She feels safe with you, Spike.”

“You’re always there for us, Spikey.” Pinkie chimed, smiling widely at me as she took my arm in her own and walked beside me. “Even when you were little, you were always there for us when we needed help, even if you couldn’t do much. You just protected Applejack when she was covered in ouchies, so she knows she can trust you to watch out for her when she can’t.”

I shrugged again. “I mean, I guess, but you all -- including Applejack -- would do the same for me.”

“Yes,” Rarity broke in, taking hold of my other, unoccupied arm, “but how many stallions do you believe Applejack feels she can truly trust like that? Not many, I imagine. Besides the fact that stallions are in short supply in Ponyville, you and I both know that earning the Element of Honesty’s complete trust is difficult indeed.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Still, it’s because we’ve been through so much together. I’ve saved her, she’s saved me, we’ve saved each other -- it’s a cycle, and we know we can count on each other. I don’t understand why she’s suddenly putting all this trust in me now though.”

“Regardless of what you might believe or what she might delude herself into,” Twilight began, flipping her hair to the side and looking at me out of the corner of her eye, “Applejack is in a very vulnerable position right now, and she is naturally going to seek out those she trusts the most. In you, she likely sees the proof that there are good stallions out there that will treat her right, and so she is latching onto you for that reassurance, along with the comfort of knowing you will be there for her when she needs you, no matter the reason or severity of the instance.”

I just shook my head with a wry chuckle. “I really think you all are placing more importance on this than there needs to be, but all I know for sure is that Applejack wants me there with her, and I’m going to follow through. Whatever she’s actually feeling, that’s her business. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that trying to get Applejack to talk about her feelings is like trying to give a dragon a root canal: it’s going to be ugly, bloody, and I’m probably gonna get hurt.”

All the girls laughed at my words, which lightened up the atmosphere as we continued home. Once we reached the town’s heart though, we all began to separate and go to our separate homes. I gave Rarity a kiss goodbye -- much to the teasing of Rainbow Dash -- but eventually, it was just Twilight and I again, like it had been before I woke that morning.

As Twilight and I walked arm in arm toward our home, the creeping thoughts from the morning resurfaced, and I found myself soon having to fight from pulling away from her just to avoid the desire to kiss her. Twilight’s action of leaning her head on my shoulder -- which was neither new nor uncommon -- forced a sigh from me, soft though it was, and I couldn’t help but find it strange that Twilight still felt so comfortable around me. I mean, wouldn’t it make sense that Twilight would feel strange around me now -- at least a little bit? Instead, she was acting just as she always did toward me, which both relieved and stressed me: it relieved me because it meant that she still trusted me and cared deeply about me, but it stressed me because the whole walk home, I was constantly thinking of how easy it would be to just lean down, cup her cheek in my hand, and kiss her.

Just like I’d thought this morning, I couldn’t help but imagine that my “moving on” was going to be much more difficult than I thought, and I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to move on.

I was in love with Twilight, and it took Rarity’s prodding for me to realize it.

“Spike, are you all right?” Twilight asked suddenly, and I found her looking at me with concern clear in her amethyst eyes. “You seem very deep in thought.”

I mentally shook myself and sighed. “I’m just tired, and worried about Applejack.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but neither was it the complete truth.

Luckily, Twilight bought it, and nodded before magicking the door in front of us open and leading us inside. “Me too. Today’s been quite a day for all of us, and I’m worried about Applejack’s emotional wellbeing. I can’t say I ever really thought she and Thunderlane were right for each other, but I don’t want her to make a mistake simply because she’s upset with him; that wouldn’t be fair to either of them.”

Glad to have another subject to think and talk about, I just shrugged and pushed my previous thoughts out of mind. “Well, it’s her choice in the end, and she’ll have to live with whatever consequences there are, good and bad. She just asked me to be there for her, so that’s what I’m going to do.” I then rolled my shoulder as Twilight finally pulled away from me, setting my jaw as thoughts of what tomorrow would bring washed over me. “As much as I try and keep calm, I almost hope Thunderlane loses his cool tomorrow, just so I can have an excuse to sock him in his face once or twice.”

Twilight patted me on the shoulder softly. “Easy Spike, we don’t need the guard called in because you beat Applejack’s ex-coltfriend.”

I rolled my eyes and brushed Twilight away. “Aw c’mon, it’ll just be a few love taps. He’s a grown stallion; he can take it.”

Twilight also rolled her eyes in response, shoving me playfully as she made her way to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and rummaging through it for something quick to eat for the two of us. Respectfully, I looked away so I wouldn’t stare at the way her blue skirt framed her firm rump, her well-groomed tail slowly swishing from side to side in an almost playful manner.

It bothered me that Twilight was attractive in that adorably cute way without even trying, just by being herself.

Twilight finally pulled back and righted herself, turning to me with a small container of strawberries and a tub of whipped cream. Much as I tried not to, I couldn’t help but imagine that had things between Twilight and I been different, this would be a very flirty treat where we fed each other. Instead, she simply brought the two items over to the table, and we sat across from each other as we began fishing out strawberries and eating them with the sweet cream.

We ate in silence for quite awhile, just enjoying the downtime after such a long day.

“Why me, Spike?”

In a comical manner, her question caused me to inhale and choke on the strawberry I had just popped into my mouth, leading me to pound on my chest a few times to dislodge it. My mind was racing with questions of just what she could have meant besides the obvious, but I came up with nothing.

After coughing up the errant chunk of fruit and swallowing it to allow it to go down my esophagus instead of my windpipe, I brought my eyes to Twilight and blurted out, “Bwah?”

“Why me, Spike?” she repeated, her tone even and face relaxed despite the question. Had I been deaf and only able to go off of her facial expression, I would have thought she was just talking about the weather as she asked, “What about me made you think, ‘I want her’?”

While it was much harder for a blush to show through my scales, I was sure my face was flushed as I worked to compose myself even just a little bit. It took a few awkward moments and several throat-clearings later, but I was finally able to choke out, “A-are you serious?”

Twilight, who was usually the one out of both of us to get embarrassed, was calm enough for two, and simply nodded. “I’m very serious.”

Finally in control of myself -- though the flushed feeling in my face remained -- I coughed to clear my throat again and asked, “What brought this up? I was under the assumption that you had said all that you needed to about all of this.”

Twilight suddenly looked a little ashamed, and looked away from me with a deep sigh. “When we were sitting in that waiting room -- both with you and after you left to meet with Applejack -- I didn’t have anything to do but think, and I found myself wondering the greatest and most common question of all: why? Why me; why now?”

During Twilight’s short explanation, I had calmed myself down again, and was able to respond in a way that better suited me, rather than as a nervous and jittery little drake. “Well, you’re the pony I care about most in the entire world. You’re beautiful inside and out, you’re intelligent and kind, and you care more about others than you do yourself. Beyond that, I’ve known you my entire life; how could I not fall for somepony like you?” My explanation caused a faint dusting of blush along her cheeks, but I powered on anyway. “As for why now, you can thank Rarity for that. When Rarity asked us what we thought about herds, we both likely thought the same thing: that she was asking you to be in a herd with me and her.” I shrugged. “For the rest of the day, herding was on my mind, and for some reason even though I’d never really had a problem with herds nor ponies who were in them, I found the idea of me having a herd pretty strange. Still, you kept coming to mind at the forefront, and…” I nervously scratched the back of my head, “well, the idea was pretty attractive, I’ll admit. Rarity brought it all out of me, but it was something I wanted.”

“Wanted?” she echoed, raising her eyebrow at me.

I sighed and leaned back in the chair, chomping down another strawberry to give myself time to think about how to respond. On the one hand, I didn’t want to make things between Twilight and I any more strained than they were (at least on my end), but I also knew that Twilight deserved the complete truth. I’d made the mistake of keeping things from her lately, and it hadn’t worked out well for anyone.

“Well,” I began, swallowing harder than necessary, “I guess the present tense ‘want’ is more accurate. Unfortunately, wanting something isn’t enough to have it when it involves someone else.” I then shrugged helplessly. “I’ve experienced what it’s like to be forced into something you don’t want to do though, so I’d never do that to somepony else.” I then turned my eyes to Twilight, smiling softly. “...especially you.”

Twilight returned a ghost of a smile, but said nothing for a few minutes as we just ate in silence.

Eventually, the berries and cream ran out, and Twilight cleared her throat before leaning forward with a serious look on her face. “Spike, I want you to listen very closely to what I’m about to say, okay?”

I raised my brow, but nodded. “Y-yeah, sure.”

Twilight stared at me for a moment before taking a deep, calming breath. “Spike...the other reason I’ve stopped seeking another pony to add to my life is because I already have everything I need. I have friends that love and care about me, and…” she closed her eyes as her cheeks brightened a bit from a blush, “I have a certain special drake that means everything to me, and he’s everything I could want in a special somepony.” She then opened her eyes and smiled at me brightly, her eyes almost sparkling with happiness...or tears, I’m not sure which. To my surprise, she reached across the table and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she added, “I just...I can’t risk losing you because of my own inadequacies. I wouldn’t be able to survive it.” Twilight released my hand at that point, and glanced away as she muttered, just above a whisper, “You’re not the only one that’s thought about us being together.”

While one part of me was unbearably happy at what Twilight had just said, another much larger part of me was frustrated and angry. So, in an effort to keep from having an unfair outburst, I slammed my head on the table and groaned. After a few moments of this, and Twilight prodding me while worriedly calling my name, I picked myself up and stood from the table.

I composed myself as best I could before commenting, “I’m trying my best to get over all this Twi, but saying things like that is going to make things infinitely harder for me. I appreciate the honesty -- truly, I do -- but some truths are better left unsaid.” I sighed and rolled my shoulders, which were starting to cramp up with stress from the day as a whole. “I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow.”

Twilight called me at least once when I left, but I ignored it and just made my way to bed.

I had locked my door and activated the soundproofing crystal in my room, which meant that I would be left alone for the night, but I still wasn’t able to sleep. My mind and body were both exhausted, but still my thoughts ran in circles over what had happened during the day. Much to my annoyance, I just wasn’t able to rest, no matter what I tried, so I instead took flight off of my balcony and soared through the cool air of evening for awhile.

There’s no denying that I enjoyed the day, but the night had its own wonders that drew me, one of which was the fact that it was quiet. There were no ponies that wanted to talk to me, no noise from the bustling marketplace of Ponyville, and the sky was clear and free. The responsibilities and obligations of day were gone, which left me with time that was truly mine to do with as I wished. More than anything though, the flight through the cool air of night allowed me to relax just a bit, which would have to be enough. I was a social guy -- there was no getting around that -- but sometimes I needed time to just focus on me for a bit, since the majority of my time was devoted to doing things for everypony else in one way or another.

“Didn’t think I’d see you out here.”

The voice stopped me dead in my flight, and I turned around to see a familiar changeling soldier standing on the limbs of a tall tree I had been flying over near the Everfree. I thought for a moment that it was an odd place for somepony to stand on since there were plenty of clouds around, only to remember that changelings couldn’t stand on clouds.

I pulled back and reversed until I was hovering near the tree, and I could see Lyla bathed in the moonlight of the half-moon above us. She wore a half-shirt that cut off at where her bellybutton would be (if she had one), and the fitted shorts she wore told me she was likely enjoying the cool atmosphere as well. Unlike most other creatures, changelings required far less sleep than the rest of us, so it wasn’t exactly uncommon for me to see Lyla out and about late at night.

Still, if I didn’t know better, I’d say she was…

“Were you looking for me?” I asked, genuinely interested. After all, I had lived long enough to be skeptical of something that seemed to be a coincidence.

With a nod, Lyla confirmed what I thought. “I heard about what happened today, and I could feel your inner turmoil from across town. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but something tells me you could use a friend right now. After all, it isn’t often you just go for a night flight without a friend to accompany you.”

I sighed heavily; Lyla wasn’t going to outright make me tell her how I felt, but we both knew that with something of this magnitude, I would anyway. Putting it off was just going to waste both of our time, so I sucked it up and began to explain.

It took a few minutes to give backstory as to why I felt and thought the way I did at the moment, and then a few minutes more to catch Lyla up to what all had happened that day. By the end, we had both landed at my home and entered my room, and we both sat on my bed as I basically poured out my heart in an effort to get some of the pain and frustration out of me.

During my explanation, Lyla had moved over to my side and draped her arm around my shoulders, offering what comfort she could as I bled out all the stress that I had picked up from the past weeks and this day. Though I didn’t say it in words, we both could feel just how much her support meant to me.

“Well,” she began after I had finished, “it appears you’ve been dropped head-first into a pool of emotional turmoil. It seems that every time you turn around lately, there’s something else that’s putting strain on your heart and mind.”

I shook my head with a dry chuckle. “Ponies always praise me for keeping the Everfree border safe and such, but dealing with the beasts of the forest is easy compared to having to put up with everything else going on in my life right now.” I fell back onto my bed, in turn, falling out of Lyla’s embrace. For a few quiet moments, I just stared at the ceiling without saying anything. Finally, mostly to myself, I muttered, “Why can’t things ever be simple? Why can’t somepony just say, ‘hey, I like you; let’s be together’? There’s always some crazy thing that they’re dealing with, or there’s the fact that I’m head over heels in love with her, but she’s too afraid to take a risk with me.”

Lyla followed me to lay down, settling herself next to me as she let out a long breath of her own. “This thing with Twilight has you really torn up, I see.”

I nodded glumly, unable to do much else. “It’d be different if I didn’t live with her, but things would still be complicated; my entire life is complicated.” I then shook my head, as if trying to convince myself of what I was about to say. “I love my life, but I just wish it could be a little more simple in some aspects.”

I felt Lyla shift beside me before laying still, almost as if she were hesitating about something. For a long few minutes we were both silent, but then she broke the tranquil quiet by rolling over and mounting me in one smooth motion. I could only stare up at her as she straddled me, wondering what she was doing before she descended upon me and connected us in a kiss.

I’d never kissed a changeling before, so I didn’t know what I was getting into, but for those few moments we were connected, I felt everything she felt about me, and knew instantly that this act was not random for her. Through the unspoken bridge she had made with me, I saw who and what she was inside, and found that in much the way I had pined for Rarity, Lyla had been pining for me, her savior and best friend in the entire world.

And then, the moment was broken as she pulled away and looked down at me, capturing her lip between her teeth as she waited for me to respond. In those few moments we had just shared, I had seen all I needed to...and I acted on what I felt for once, instead of what I thought.

I reached up and pulled Lyla back down, bringing my hand up through her silky hair as I connected us once again. In Lyla, in that moment, I found simplicity in itself: she liked me, and I could readily admit that I liked her; we were -- and had been, apparently -- attracted to each other for a long time...and that was everything I needed to know.

Maybe later I would think back on how much a mistake this was or that I should have done things differently, but for tonight, there was only Lyla, my dark beauty.

Chapter 7 Author's Note

Many thanks to my two prereaders, an-observer and EchelonHawkeye for checking things over before I posted. Here's hoping their eyes helped turn this into a more polished chapter.

Chapter 7

Morning came, as it did every day, with a precision beam of sunlight somehow finding a way through the minute gap in the curtains, and landing right on my eyelid. I groaned angrily, silently wishing Celestia would follow my request and push morning back just another hour, but woke nonetheless...only to find something very different this particular morning. I was naked and a little sticky, which was odd enough, but I also felt that something was...off.

I cracked open an eye and started methodically scanning the room...

Ridiculously ornate crystal ceiling: check

Framed, signed photo of Sapphire Shores in a decidedly alluring pose: check

Dresser strewn with a shirt and pair of underwear that…

Wait…

‘Those aren’t mine.’

I began to push myself up from my stomach to a kneeling position, only to be held fast by a deceptively slender obsidian arm, the mere sight of which immediately brought me to be fully alert. I followed the arm to the sleeping face of a special changeling friend of mine, at which point the previous night’s events flowed back to my mind. Despite the lingering tension from mine and Twilight’s talk, I couldn’t help but smile lovingly at Lyla’s serene expression as she rested. While I would never say so to her face -- while she was awake, anyway -- the innocent vulnerability she portrayed while she was asleep was adorable, as proven by the faint snort and wiggling of her nose as she dreamed.

“You are just too cute for words.” I whispered, reaching over and using the tip of one of my claws to brush the hair away from her eyes. Acting completely on impulse, I leaned over and placed a kiss on her bare temple, to which she responded with a murmur and a smile as I pulled away. With a brief mental comb of today’s schedule, I surmised that I could afford an extra hour or two of sleep, so I stretched my arms and wings to loosen them up before carefully laying back down beside Lyla, my left wing covering her bare back.

“You wake up far too early.” she grumbled, startling me in the process. She scooted closer to me and draped one of her own, see-through wings over me as she cracked an eye open in a half-glare. “Just because you were raised by the sun princess doesn’t mean you need to rise with her.”

I chuckled softly and shrugged. “Sorry, force of habit.” I leaned over to her again and planted a kiss on her lips, closed-mouthed to avoid morning breath, before asking, “How did you sleep?”

Lyla smiled and closed her eyes, bringing her arm around and laying her head on it. “Wonderfully, thanks to you. Your wing makes a good blanket against the cold, and whoever claims otherwise is lying.” Slowly, almost so subtly that I didn’t even notice the transition, her mouth curved into a small frown as her eyes opened to look at me, worry clear in their depths. “Please tell me the truth, Spike: did last night mean anything to you?”

I couldn’t help but frown as well, a little offended at her question. Nonetheless, I knew why she was asking: I had felt in that first kiss, clear as the moon in the night sky, the true depth of her feelings for me. I had thought she would have felt the same from me, but it appeared I was mistaken in that assumption. So, I simply reached over and took her hand in mine, pulling her a little closer with my wing as I stared directly into her eyes.

“Lyla, I’ve always felt close to you, and I won’t lie about that.” I answered truthfully, then grinned at the next thought that came to mind. “Honestly though, I never really thought about you that way until last night. I kinda…” at this, I nervously scratched my cheek with a sheepish grin, “...I kinda always thought you were bent towards mares. Now,” I interrupted her as her mouth opened to retort, placating her with a soft smile and squeeze of her hand, “that doesn’t mean that last night didn’t mean everything to me that it did to you, because it does. What I’m saying is that…” I sighed and gave her a flat look, “you’re going to laugh at me for this.”

She raised her brow at offered a mischievous smile. “No, c’mon, I wanna hear it!”

I motioned nondescriptly to the air. “Before this whole thing with Twilight, and me getting with Rarity, I had kinda given up on romance and all that stuff -- since I assumed you weren’t into guys, I kept daydreaming about how nice it would be if I could find someone like you to be with.” I felt blood beginning to congregate in my cheeks, and I turned my face away as I continued to explain. “I mean, you’re a loyal friend, you’re smart, witty, and yeah, I’m not supposed to say it because it’s rude and all that, but you have a great body.” Again, I shrugged, as I couldn’t really think of any other motion to do that would fit how I felt at the moment. “We’ve been through a fair bit together -- you’re one of my closest friends out of dozens of ponies I know by name, and you’re one of the few that I know will give me an unbiased opinion of whatever I ask of you.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Lyla asked, hugging me closer with her arm wrapped around me. “Even if I weren’t into you -- which, I’m pretty sure you know otherwise, now -- I would still want to know how my friend feels about me.”

I shook my head and let out a deep sigh, clutching the pillow in my claws and resting my chin on it. “Ponies and dragons aren’t the same as changelings, Lye.” I answered glumly, waving my hand towards the door. “What’s happened with Twilight is pretty much the exact thing I was afraid was going to happen if I told her how I felt, which is why I kept quiet about you too. I know that changelings think differently than the rest of us when it comes to emotional stuff, but the fears I have are based off of the way I was raised, so it has no bearing on you specifically.” I glanced over to Lyla at that point, trying to convey to her just how much she meant to me as I whispered, “Twilight and I are gonna live a long, long time, so my friends are really important to me. The experiences and memories I share with all of you are going to stick with me, even after you’re all gone. The last thing I want is to look back on my time with all of you and have regrets because of a stupid decision I made.”

Lyla stared at me for a few moments before nodding understandingly. “I guess I can understand that; I’m afraid of things too. I guess it’s a good thing that you have a friend that’s willing to make the first move, then.” She smirked and traced her fingers over my spine, the digits dancing playfully between the joints of my wings. “It’s nice to hear that you’re still afraid of things, once in awhile.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the warm tingles caused by her fingers. “Are you kidding me? I’m scared of a lot of things. Even when I go out and drive hydras or timberwolves away from Ponyville, most times I’m standing there afterwards thanking the sun, moon and stars that they ran instead of fighting.”

Lyla rolled her own eyes and shook her head at me. “Spike, I’ve seen you spar with Rainbow Dash and the local guard, and you’re not too shabby. True you’re not gonna be beating a hydra into the ground anytime soon, but those scales of yours are strong enough to protect you. Besides,” she raised her brow at me again, “you think I win all my fights because I’m stronger than who I’m fighting? Any true soldier knows that preparedness, the lay of the land, and the illusion of power is just as important as ability and skill. Most of my battles were over before they ever truly began, because I struck hard, I struck fast, and I was able to put into the mind of my opponents that it would be smarter for them to run than to fight. Across the entire world, dragons are revered or feared by everyone, so you’ve got a lot of pull simply because of what you are. Stars, most of Ponyville sees you as a real-life superhero, who chases off the baddies and gets the girl...well, girls.”

“Good thing they don’t know I’m practically shaking in my scales whenever I have to chase away a pack of timberwolves, or convince a rival dragon to find another place to roost.” I countered with a frown. “I don’t like ponies making me out to be something that I’m not, especially since most of the ones around here have known me since I was knee-high.”

Lyla nudged me with her knuckles, and leaned over to touch her nose to mine affectionately. “Hey, don’t worry about that. Your close friends all know who you really are, and that’s all that matters.”

There was a simple sort of wisdom in Lyla’s words, and even though I’d heard the same words from all of my other friends at least once, it seemed more meaningful coming from a changeling, since Lyla’s kind were still often judged on what they were, instead of who they were.

I nodded understandingly to Lyla, and returned the little nose-bump with a smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” With a glance at my bedside clock, I sighed and retracted my wing. “Well, it’s still kinda early, but I gotta be there for Applejack this morning,” I then glanced down at the sheets we were laying on, my nose scrunching in the process, “and I think we should wash ourselves and this bedding.”

Lyla frowned briefly, turning her eyes down to her blanketed lower half. “...this is one of those pony-things, isn’t it?”

I shrugged, pushing myself up from the bed, and trying not to cringe at the fact that the soiled sheets started to follow me. “Well, it’s rude to be around other ponies if you stink, and the smell of sexual pheromones is pretty hard to miss.”

Lyla stood with me, pulling herself away from the bed and frowning down at her rather messy skin. “Hmm...that is kinda strange. I mean, I know you told me a long time ago that ponies wash every day, but I never really thought about why, beyond cleanliness. Changelings actually use pheromones for most of our communication between each other, so while we strive to keep things sanitary, we don’t make it a point to overpower our natural scents.”

I raised my brow at her words, then on a whim, leaned over and took a long sniff of her before pulling back and shrugging. “I don’t know if it has something to do with different biology or something, but you don’t really have all that strong of a smell, at least to me; I haven’t heard any of our friends complain about you stinking either, so I think only changelings pick up on the pheromones of other changelings. Still,” I motioned to the mess that was clear on our naked bodies, “I can smell myself all over you, and so would any pony, so you’re showering.”

I turned away and gathered our clothes and my bedding into a wad as Lyla grabbed towels out of my closet for us. Pulling on a pair of shorts to cover myself, I grabbed the dirty laundry and pushed open my door, sticking my head out and looking from side to side before stepping out into the hallway, Lyla following. She made her way toward the washroom as I closed the door behind us, only for me to notice a slip of parchment taped to the back of my door. I pulled it off of the door, already knowing who it was from and what it was likely to say:

“Spike,

We need to talk.

-Twilight”

I stared at the note for a few moments, surprised that it was so short and to the point, as well as halfway annoyed that I got a note at all. I crumpled up the note and headed down the hallway, reminding myself that Twilight would have to wait; this morning, my time was going to be set aside for Applejack, and Twilight and I had spoken enough about all this, I think.

I was pleased to see that Twilight’s door was still closed when I passed it, meaning I wouldn’t need to speak with her until later, but I couldn’t deny that a part of me was still curious of just what she wanted to say to me. Nonetheless, I made my way to the utility room to start the washing, before bounding back up the stairs to join Lyla in the shower.

After a good forty-five minutes of playful washing between the two of us, Lyla left with me from the front door of the castle, the two of us dressed in clean clothes and much more put together than we were when we woke. Granted, we were walking quite a bit closer than usual to each other, and yes, our fingers were entwined, but it was otherwise a normal walk between us toward Ponyville’s Business District. We needled each other as we always did, throwing banter back and forth, before Lyla was forced to go her separate way as we came to Ponyville General.

She looked up at the hospital and gave my hand a firm squeeze before releasing it, and patting me on the shoulder. “Well, this is where I leave you. I have some things to do, and you have a friend that needs you, so I’ll see you later.”

Lyla had taught me quite a bit about changelings over the years, so instead of doing the pony-thing and giving her a kiss goodbye, I cupped her head in my hands and brought her forehead to mine as we closed our eyes and enjoyed a moment of silence as we performed the changeling version of an affectionate hug. I could hear Lyla’s wings buzzing happily behind her at the action, and I smiled as we held the moment for a bit before she pulled away and nodded to me. Without another word, we went our separate ways, and I strode through the automatic doors to the hospital.

Nurse Silver Lining -- who was one of only five male nurses in the entire hospital, mind -- was calmly organizing the front desk as another day was beginning, no doubt looking forward to trading off with whoever was going to relieve him for the day. He glanced up at me as I entered, and nodded silently before pointing to the sign-in sheet on the desk. He was a very methodical stallion that was good at his job, but tended to not speak very much, even compared to Big Mac. So, I simply made my way to the clipboard and signed my name, then waited patiently for him to lead me to the room.

…

A few minutes later, I found myself approaching Applejack’s room with Nurse Silver Lining at my side, trying my best to prepare myself for whatever was going to happen today. I could guess what Applejack was going to do today concerning Thunderlane, but he wasn’t in the waiting room with me, which meant he would probably be arriving a bit later in the morning. That might give me a little time to try and glean a bit more from my friend before he arrived, and maybe prevent her from making an impulsive decision in anger.

The two of us arrived at Applejack’s room without preamble or fanfare, and the nurse simply nodded to me before leaving me to my visit with Applejack. I watched him walk down the hallway before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open.

Applejack wasn’t awake yet, and was sleeping rather peacefully, considering the state of her. I had learned, through my own schooling and Twilight’s tutelage, that because of the way blunt force injuries healed, they always tended to look and feel worse the two or three days following the actual incident, and the state of my sleeping friend proved that. The bruises along her face were quite a bit more noticeable, as was the swelling that accompanied it, turning her robust orange fur different colors as the bruises on her skin shone through. It was a disturbing sight, to say the least, but the logical side of me knew that the fact she was sleeping, and wasn’t on life-support, was definitely a good thing. For my part, I would just need to be supportive as she healed, and schedule out a bit more time to help out around the farm until she could handle things on her own again.

That conversation could come later, though, and I wasn’t looking forward to trying to convince the stubborn mare that she wouldn’t be able to do much until the doctors gave her the okay to work in the fields again.

I moved around the bed and took my seat in one of the three chairs along the wall beside it, just in front of a large window that had the early morning light of day pouring through it. I stretched my wings out behind the chairs and took to waiting patiently for Applejack to wake, which would no doubt be the moment the light touched her eyelids; she had always had a penchant for rising and setting with the sun itself, even on days she hadn’t woken before dawn to work, so I knew that I just needed to wait, and she would wake on her own.

The rays of sunlight that were settled on her blanketed lower half slowly crawled up her body as the minutes passed, until finally, it reached her closed eyes. As I expected, she started to stir from the light, and groan a bit as she came into the waking world, though whether that was soreness from her injuries or the loss of a good dream, I didn’t know. Nonetheless, it only took a minute or two for her to fully enter the waking world, at which point she cracked open her eyes, squinting against the sunlight, and spotted me sitting in the corner.

Immediately, her face morphed into a gentle smile, and she held her good hand out to me, which I took into my own as she smiled at me. “Spike...you came.”

Her voice was barely loud enough to be called a whisper, which was a far cry from the regular for Applejack. The weakness in her words scared me more than I care to admit, but I offered her a supportive smile nonetheless, and nodded to her. “Of course; I promised you I would.” I looked the pony over again, frowning at the state of her. “You must be feeling it today, pretty hard.”

Applejack glanced down at herself, shrugging her good shoulder. “Ah guess. Medicine’s doin’ its job purdy good, but Ah’m still not feelin’ mah best. Could use a good soak in a hot bath, t’be honest.” She then turned her eyes back to me, her gaze narrowing slightly as her expression became more serious. “Ah guess ya know why Ah asked ya here today.”

I shrugged faintly, releasing her hand and sitting back against the chair. “Kinda hard to misunderstand your reasons, frankly. All I want to ask is: why? If he’s really got a phobia of being buried alive or underground, that’s not fair to hold that against Thunderlane; he can’t help it.”

Applejack’s lips pressed into a thin line as she seemingly thought to herself, then took a deep, pained breath and shook her head slightly. “It ain’t jus’ that. We been on tha rocks fer about two months now, an’ it’s just been gettin’ worse.”

I raised my brow at that; she’d never told us about issues they’d been having. Sure, it wasn’t really any of my business, but I didn’t take Applejack as the type of mare that would fake her way through a relationship. “Care to elaborate? You two seemed pretty happy together, to me.”

Applejack pursed her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah...Ah guess we were, for awhile. Thing is, he’s been gettin’ really upset about how much time Ah been spendin’ on the farm lately, among other things.”

I frowned at hearing that Thunderlane was getting upset about her dedication to the farm. “I kinda figured you would have let the guy know up front that your family and farm came first, no matter who he was.”

Applejack nodded faintly at that, still looking at the ceiling. “Ah did, a buncha times, actually.” Again her eyes gravitated to me. “Past few months, he was hintin’ at us movin’ away to Canterlot or Fillydelphia one day; never actually said it, but it weren’t hard ta catch on ta what he was askin’ me. So, Ah told him Ah had ta think about it, an’ from then, things’ve just been gettin’ more strained ‘tween us.”

The thought of him trying to take Applejack away from us -- away from me -- awakened an irrational possessiveness within me that I just barely quelled by reminding myself that I didn’t own Applejack: she was my friend, but she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. I knew it was my dragon instincts kicking up in me, but I’ll admit that I couldn’t completely stamp out the feeling of wanting to protect Applejack and keep her near me, even though I knew it was wrong to think of her that way.

After a minute or so of calming myself down, I was finally able to articulate a response. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t like the guy.” The tail-end of my sentence was growled out, and I had to stop myself from smoking up the room as my fire glands started to throb.

The feeling of Applejack’s hands on my hand brought me out of my growing agitation, and I looked to see her frowning at me while shaking her head. “Don’t, Spike. Thunderlane ain’t a bad guy -- fact, he’s a durn good stallion -- but we want different things outta life. He wants ta go out into tha world and find a place ta call his own, travellin’ and havin’ adventures out in far ‘way lands, but Ah already found mah place when Ah was just a filly.” She smiled gently, squeezing my hand a little more. “It’s here, in Ponyville, with mah friends ‘n’ family. Ain’t no place else Ah’d rather be.”

A knock on the door caught our attention, and Applejack pulled her hand away as the door opened to reveal the very stallion we had been talking about. His brown eyes flicked between the two of us, a frown coming to his face, as he entered the room. Without a word, he walked toward me, grabbed one of the chairs, and dragged it to the opposite side of the bed, where he took his seat. Applejack watched him the whole way, saying nothing as he settled himself, obviously waiting for him to speak first.

“I’m sorry, Applejack.” Thunderlane nearly whispered, his head and posture drooping a bit in the process. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help when you needed me.”

Applejack’s eyes rolled to me briefly before she took a strained breath and turned her attention back to her coltfriend. “...Ah don’t blame ya, sugarcube.” Thunderlane’s head shot up at her words, and I could see a smile crossing her lips as she continued. “If y’all really got one’a them phobias, Ah can’t hold that against ya: ya didn’t ask fer it, and ain’t much ya can do about it, from what Ah’ve heard Twi say.”

Thunderlane’s lips slowly curled into a smile as he said, “I thought you said you didn’t listen to Twilight when she was doing her lectures.”

Applejack rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, but held the smile. “Throw enough nails at a barn ‘n’ some’a them’ll stick, even if ya don’t mean fer ‘em to.”

Thunderlane let out a long breath and relaxed a bit at her words. “Phew, I thought you were gonna be really mad at me.”

Applejack stared at him for a long few moments before reaching her good hand over her chest, which he reached for and took without hesitation. She smiled at him, just looking into his eyes before she finally answered, “Naw, Ah ain’t mad atcha. Ah was at first,” she then glanced to me briefly before turning her full attention back to Thunderlane, “but a friend helped me see it ain’t fair t’be mad at somepony fer bein’ who they are. ‘sides, y’all fetched tha med team that brought me in, so Ah think ya did all y’all could do in that situation.”

Thunderlane noticed Applejack suddenly go very quiet, and he prompted her with the words I knew she was thinking, but was apparently afraid to say aloud: “But…”

Applejack let out a long sigh, closing her eyes and breathing through her nose, likely in an effort to calm herself and keep from breaking down. “Hun...Ah know y’all want me ta travel with ya.”

Thunderlane looked momentarily caught off-guard, but quickly composed himself and answered, “Well yeah, when you’re ready.”

Applejack’s eyes opened again, focusing intently on him. “...Ah don’t think Ah’m ever gonna be ready fer that, sugarcube.”

Those few words of hers had a noticeable effect on Thunderlane, his face and body language the look of a person whose heart was breaking. I knew things were about to get really heavy in the room, so with a brush of my hand along Applejack’s arm to get her brief attention, I pointed to the door before walking out of the room, closing the door behind me.

The talk between the two was taking longer than I had thought it would, so during my wait, I had gone to the hospital cafeteria to get some breakfast before heading back to the room and waiting patiently. They had been talking for the better part of an hour by this time, but I knew that whatever was being said wasn’t for my ears to hear, so I just kept quiet and stood outside until I was needed.

I didn’t have to wait too long for the door to open again, Thunderlane exiting with a noticeably melancholy look on his face. There were clear tear-tracks along his cheeks, even as he wiped them furiously in an attempt to appear as if he hadn’t just been crying.

Thunderlane sniffed his nose twice before looking over to me, a far more serious expression crossing his features. His body turned to me, obviously tense, and he only looked at me for a moment before he spoke. “Spike...I know we’ve never really gotten along all that well, but…” he swallowed hard at that point, I would guess to keep his voice from cracking, “...can you promise me you’ll look out for her when I’m gone?”

I shrugged faintly, trying my best to appear nonchalant. “Well yeah, but I hope you don’t take it the wrong way when I say that I’m not doing it for you.” I looked to the door, able to mentally picture the mare that lay in the bed beyond it. “She’s family, and I’ll always look out for her, for better or worse.”

“...thank you.” Thunderlane replied, his voice only followed by retreating hoofsteps down the hallway as he left the hospital. I turned my head and watched him go, feeling somewhere between ill and relieved, though I wasn’t sure of the reason for either of said feelings. All I knew was that I was moderately happy that things had gone a whole lot better than I had mentally prepared myself for, but as the tension that had been held in my body started to melt away, it only left a faint feeling of exhaustion within me as I pushed on the door, entering Applejack’s room once more.

The head of her bed was tilted up this time, allowing her to sit comfortable at a relaxed incline as she looked out the window at the sunny autumn day the weather team had brought us. With her posture and subtle body language, she was the very picture of introspection, but the periodic sniffles that she elicited made it clear that she was likely as hurt as Thunderlane had been, if not more.

“Ah did tha right thing, Spike.” she spoke aloud, without turning her head to me. “Ah know Ah did -- fer both of us. Ah talked to ‘im, asked ‘im if this was just some passin’ fancy or if him travellin’ was his dream, just to be sure, and Ah had ta make a decision offa that.” She then shook her head almost unnoticeably before turning to look at me. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying, and the faint tremors in her facial muscles told me she was fighting to keep herself composed. “...so why does it hurt so much? Why does doin’ tha right thing hurt so dang much?”

Applejack sniffled again, but didn’t break down into sobs like I would have expected most of the rest of my friends to do -- minus Rainbow Dash, of course. However, I still couldn’t stop myself from quickly making my way to her good side and leaning in to give her a firm hug. Even if she didn’t show it on the outside, I knew that she needed me now more than ever to assure her that someone was there to offer support. Applejack was a strong mare -- I would be one of the first to say so, in fact -- but I knew that even the strongest of us needed someone to lean on from time to time, even if no words were spoken.

So, for the next hour or so, I just held Applejack as close as I could, letting her know that I would support her no matter what.

By about 10:00, Granny Smith and Applebloom arrived to visit with Applejack, so I said my goodbyes and went on my way. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to stick around, but regardless of what was going on with Applejack, I still had work to do. The value of schedules had been drilled into me from an early age, so I knew that I couldn’t put off work just because I wanted to spend time with a friend. Applejack and the two others of her family in the room had understood my reasons for leaving, so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving the hospital.

First, I swung by the town hall to fetch whatever was in our inbox for the day, then I headed to Sweet Apple Acres to briefly discuss some budgeting with Big Mac, to be sure their tax rates for land and produce hadn’t suddenly risen within the last few months as a result of Canterlot bureaucracy; unfortunately, the latter happened more than I’d like to admit, and not always maliciously. From there, I traipsed across town to the local guard department, and set up a meeting between Twilight and the acting superior.

After my royalty-related errands were finished, the remainder of my day was spent on the more mundane side of things, though they were just as important, in my opinion. These errands were comprised of things like: grocery shopping, meeting up with a few of the more prominent members of society, chatting up a few pretty mares, simply for the fun of it (don’t judge me), and swinging back around Sweet Apple Acres to help Big Mac with some of the chores he had in preparation for winter.

Yes, I’ll admit, I was intentionally putting off heading home.

The truth is, I hadn’t really organized my thoughts yet. Twilight would want to speak with me for whatever reason -- though I was moderately sure I knew where the subject lay -- and, to put it simply, I wasn’t entirely sure us talking was going to do anything to help; Twilight had made it quite clear what her stance on the matter of “her and I” was. I would be able to handle it if Twilight simply didn’t want to be with me -- regardless of the reason -- but the problem with the whole thing was that she seemed to want all the closeness of a romantic relationship, but without physical intimacy or kisses...which, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t really change a whole lot in a relationship unless you want it to.

A kiss was just a kiss, after all; instead, it was the person I kissed and the feeling behind the act that made it special. At the base level, a kiss was just two ponies mashing their faces into each other: a kiss only mattered as much as we wanted it to, and only complicated relationships that didn’t have a strong foundation. The truth of the matter was that even before Rarity opened my eyes to things, Twilight and I had been about as close as two ponies -- or a pony and dragon, in our case -- could be. While we never touched our lips together or engaged in actions of a more intimate manner, Twilight and I never felt uncomfortable sleeping in the same room or even the same bed. We hugged and smiled together, held hands, and routinely used “the L word” with each other. Anyone who didn’t know us would assume we already were an item, but for some reason, Twilight was adamant that if we were together “like that”, things would be different enough for something horrible to go wrong.

And because I was part of the “problem”, it was unlikely I would be able to convince her that she was just being a silly filly.

“Spikey-wikey, dear!.”

The familiar, cultured voice of fashion brought a smile to my face, even in my deep thoughts. As I rounded the tree that was currently obstructing my vision, I saw Rarity sitting outside of a sidewalk cafe, sipping what I assumed was a cup of tea. She was dressed in a functional-yet-fashionable ensemble of a soft blue dress and hoofshoes, with a certain fire-ruby necklace clasped around her neck. The sight alone caused my smile to widen, and I couldn’t help but put a bit of a bounce in my step as I made my way over to her.

I leaned down and took her hand, offering a soft kiss to it before taking the seat across from her and setting my satchel down beside me. “Hey Rares. You okay today?”

Her eyes brightened at my greeting, and nodded to me. “I’m doing fabulously, darling; thank you for asking.” After giving me a moment to settle myself, she broached the obvious subject on her mind: “How was Applejack this morning?”

I let out a loud sigh and slumped in the chair, rubbing my hand over the semi-soft spines of my head. “All right, I guess. She broke up with Thunderlane, but she seemed pretty down about it. I don’t think she really wanted to, but she felt like she didn’t have much of a choice.”

Rarity’s brow rose at my statement. “What do you mean?”

I shook my head solemnly. “It’s not really my place to say. Ask Applejack when you visit her.”

She nodded slowly with a soft smile. “Very well, I’ll do that. Well, on the more juicy side of things: Lyla looked to be positively glowing this morning.”

The mention of Lyla, and her demeanor this morning caused a spike of panic to rise within me, so, like a fool, I tried to play it off like it was nothing...though I’m sure I was trembling a bit. “...I don’t know what you mean.”

Rarity’s smile became decidedly shark-like. “Oh, don’t avoid the subject, darling; what of you and Lyla?”

I felt a bit of heat start to crawl up to my face as I struggled to compose a proper answer. “W-well, I...um…” After a few moments of me gaping like a fish from trying to formulate a more elegant response, I blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

Rarity’s hand froze in the middle of bringing her tea in for a sip, and her lips curved into a slight frown. “What are you apologizing for, Spike?”

My nerves began to get the better of me, and I found myself tugging at the collar of my button-down shirt in an effort to get some more airflow to my suddenly-boiling body. “W-well I, er...what I mean to say is...well…” Again my words failed me, and I found myself slamming my head down on the table in frustration, mumbling out a response and cringing.

“I’m sorry dear, what was that?”

I took a deep breath and looked up to meet Rarity’s deep sapphire eyes. “We slept together.”

Rarity’s brows climbed up her forehead as she innocently replied, “You shared a bed with her? Well of course -- you’re far too polite to let a lady sleep on the floor.”

Now, if I were thinking clearly, I would easily pick up on the fact that Rarity was messing with me, but in the state I was in at that time, all I could do was become a little frustrated that I had to “dumb things down”.

My face showed zero amusement at her words as I bluntly clarified: “We bucked...vigorously; several times.” Before I could even think of what I was doing, the reflex caused by my own stupidity caused my palm to meet my face as I groaned in mortification of what I’d just said. I had let my frustration get the best of me, and once again let my mouth speak before my brain could think. Unwilling to face the perceived wrath of the mare in front of me -- and halfway expecting her to resolutely state that we were “through” -- I kept my face covered and slowly lowered to the table until my forehead rested against it. From there, I silently berated myself for letting my mouth get me in trouble, again.

“Well,” Rarity began, her tone even and neutral, “I suppose I have a few things to ask, then:” she went silent, and the suspense built, until… “is it true what they say about changelings?”

Though she couldn’t see it, I frowned in confusion. “Is what true?”

“Do changelings not have nipples?”

I raised my head slightly, also raising one brow high as bewilderment overcame me. “...what?”

“And do they have tentacles ‘down there’, or is everything more mundane?” she asked, a finger finding its way to her chin. “Shamefully, I’ve often found myself wondering just how versatile a changeling would be in the bedroom, but...well, you know my rule.” Rarity leaned closer to me, locking her eyes on my own. “I’ve also heard that both male and female changelings can ‘accommodate’ any size lover quite snugly, as well.”

Can’t brain...think is broken.

As I struggled to put my thoughts in order -- as well as decide which issue needed to be addressed first -- I could only stare blankly at Rarity with what was likely a very amusing expression. I know this because Rarity had her hand held over her mouth, shoulders shaking with repressed laughter and eyes sparkling with mirth. I had no doubt that, had we not been in public, she would be doubled over in laughter.

As it was, she was still unable to completely stifle a silly snort, which made me laugh a bit despite myself. The reaction helped to dissolve the tension I felt, which brought me back to a coherent state, at which point I could only respond with, “What kind of smutty magazines do you read?”

Rarity’s eyes widened at my comment, and a fierce blush lit up her face as she retorted, “They aren’t magazines...they’re novels.”

“I like how that’s the only thing you refuted, there.” I countered, a grin crawling across my face. Internally, I was smiling as well. Rarity always had a way of loosening me up when things were really getting to me, and I’m pretty sure I’d actually verbally thanked her for it a few times.

A few audible giggles came from Rarity before she settled down and just smiled lovingly at me. “Do you feel better now, darling?”

I nodded with a deep breath, though I was still a little confused. “Yeah, but I still have a question: why aren’t you screaming at me in anger?”

Rarity flipped her masterfully-styled mane and rolled her eyes at me. “Do you remember nothing that I told you, Spikey? I told you that I don’t mind if you desire others, so long as they treat you well and I approve of them. And, as you know, I would only have your best interests at heart: I wouldn’t disapprove of another you were interested in because of something petty. However…” her expression suddenly darkened, and the sky itself seemed to darken as well, “...should anypony willingly cause you or our friends suffering, there is not a place they can hide, nor any distance they can run to escape my wrath.” Rarity held the fierce, predatory expression for a moment before she immediately brightened, smiling at me with that same, loving smile as before. “Could you pass that message along for me?”

“...n-no problem, Rares.” I muttered nervously, forcing a smile.

Though her lips didn’t move, her smile seemed to become warmer, somehow. “Marvelous, darling. Now,” she lifted the remainder of her tea to her lips, and took a long sip to drain the rest before lowering the cup back to the saucer, “about Lyla; first things first: do you love her?”

I didn’t even have to think about my answer. “Yes.”

One of Rarity’s eyebrows climbed up her forehead, and she regarded me curiously for a few moments before she spoke. “My my, that was a rather resolute answer.”

“You taught me that I shouldn’t be afraid of what my heart feels.” I answered, then frowned as I found myself looking at the table. “I forgot that for awhile, but I’m not going to screw up with Lyla.”

Rarity’s hand reached across the table to settle on my own, and I looked up to see her smiling gently. “That’s good, Spike. That resolve will make solving issues between the two of you much easier.” She then released me and sat back in her chair, composing herself with a ladylike air even as she relaxed. “I would like to get to know her a bit better at some point; I am ashamed to say that I am not nearly as acquainted with our resident changeling as I would like to be, and I wish to rectify that.”

I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know everything about her either, but one thing I do know for sure about Lyla is that she isn’t shy about her life: if you want to know anything, just ask and she’ll tell you. Changelings aren’t as secretive as ponies, so you tend to get a lot more if you just ask.”

Rarity’s eyes rolled skyward and she placed a finger on her lips as she thought quietly for a moment. Then, suddenly, she asked, “What does she do for a living?”

I opened my mouth to respond...only to look like an idiot when I realized I didn’t have an answer. What did Lyla do? She had a house of her own and, though she didn’t have the same fashion preferences as Rarity, Lyla made enough money to buy plenty of her own clothes -- which usually consisted of what was commonly known as “athletic wear”. Clearly she had a plentiful source of income that was stable enough for her to live quite comfortably, but I had never thought to even ask where it all came from. It didn’t really matter in the end, but it was weird to think that I didn’t even know what she did for a job.

“I have no idea.” I concluded aloud, after a few moments of silent thought. After trying to stare a hole in the table for a few more silent moments, I leaned back in my chair and brought my eyes to Rarity’s, shrugging. “Never thought to ask, really.”

“Hmm,” Rarity hummed aloud, absently stroking her silky dress, “curious. I wonder how she pays for that lovely home of hers, and the clothes she has custom-made.”

I raised a brow at that. “Custom-made clothes? What do you mean?”

Rarity’s expression resolved into a smirk at my words. “Take it from a clothing designer, dear: those clothes were, quite literally, made for her. The way they drape over her form and hug her close in all the right ways confirms that they were created specifically for her body, much like how all my favorite works were cut and measured to fit a specific body, for a specific mare or stallion.”

I brought my hand to my chin and rubbed thoughtfully. “Hmm...I never really noticed. I might have more of an eye for fashion than most guys, but compared to you, I’m still just a novice.” I shrugged, sitting back in my chair once again. “Well, I know that she turned down the offer of a royal stipend from Twilight, so she’s getting her cash from somewhere else.” I glanced at the sky, noting the sun’s position, before shrugging. “Well, I guess I’ll ask her the next time I see her. Anyway, I have to get home.”

When I brought my eyes back to Rarity, she was frowning at me. “What was that just now, Spike?”

I raised my brow to her, her flat tone making me nervous, for some reason. “What was what?”

She pointed at my face. “When you mentioned going home, your expression dropped to what I can only describe as morose, which in turn leads me to believe there is something -- or somepony -- at home that you want to avoid.” I looked away, a little ashamed that she was able to read me so easily, but her firm call of, “Spike,” forced me to bring my attention back to her and explain what had happened the past few days.

It didn’t take long, thankfully, but by the end of it, Rarity’s eyes held both sympathy and frustration, likely on my behalf. While not the Element of Kindness, Rarity had always been very empathetic, which helped her better relate to those she cared for.

“That is...quite the situation, Spike.” she spoke after a lengthy silence spent in thought. She brought her tail up onto her lap and petted it, a gesture I came to recognize as a clear indicator that she was worried about something. “...are you going to tell her about you and Lyla?”

I shrugged nonchalantly, trying my best to act like I didn’t really care. “I don’t think that’s any of her business, do you? I think she’s made it pretty clear that she’s not interested in becoming a part of my life that way, and thus, she doesn’t have any right to information pertaining to it.”

“Spike, don’t be needlessly spiteful; you’re better than that.” Rarity shot back, her frown deepening.

A part of me wanted to be a jerk about the whole thing -- it kinda felt like, with everything she was putting me through, Twilight kind of deserved it -- but I just wasn’t that kind of dragon, when it came right down to it. For better or worse, I had a kind heart, and I would never be mean to anyone without reason. Because of that, I could only let out a big sigh in response to Rarity’s mild chastising. “I’m sorry, Rarity. The truth is, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about all this with Twilight.” I held her gaze as I continued, reaching across the table to take hold of her hand. “With you, it was so easy. I mean, besides the fact I’ve been chasing you for years, when things actually played out with you and I and we admitted our feelings for each other, it just fell into place. And with Lyla, since we met, we’ve always been there for each other. Because I figured she didn’t care for stallions, I always just cut my feelings for her off, telling myself they would never happen and I should just get used to that fact, but when she kissed me and I felt how she felt about me, it was like a dam being broken down, and…” I shrugged helplessly, “well, things just kinda went from there.”

Rarity nodded understandingly, holding my hand and my gaze for a long few seconds before she answered with a simple, “You and Twilight need to have a long talk.”

I let out a long sigh at the suggestion. “We’ve talked about this all we can, and it hasn’t helped.”

Rarity shook her head this time, frowning at me, for once. “She has spoken plenty Spike, but when did you get a say in things? From what you’ve told me, your ‘talks’ have been either you answering her questions, or her talking to you; perhaps it’s time that you have your own turn to get things off your chest, regarding the two of you.”

I thought about what Rarity was saying for a moment or two, only to realise she was right. The problem was… ”I’m not sure what to say, though. I just know that it bugs me that Twilight basically wants the hugs, support, and occasional bed-sharing that comes with being together with somepony, but she doesn’t want to actually commit, because that would ruin everything, apparently. To be honest, the whole thing’s just making me mad: she reminds me of somepony that lives on the beach without ever actually touching the water, but then wonders why they were in the damage path of a tidal wave.”

“Well,” Rarity began after a moment’s thought, “maybe you should just tell her what you just told me. At the very least, it seems like a good place to start; it adequately explains what you’re feeling, at the very least.” She released my hand and sat back in her chair, her posture dignified and authoritative. “Sometimes, to get through to those we care for, we have to remind them that they aren’t the only ones affected.”

It was an idea, at least -- not the best, but I didn’t have one of my own, so it would have to do. I would have to give it a try and hope for the best, I supposed. Standing, I made my way around the table and leaned down to give Rarity a chaste kiss on the cheek and thanked her appreciatively before gathering my burdens and setting off toward home. Regardless of what happened after tonight, I knew that I would have Rarity’s support and advice to help me through it.

It was completely quiet when I arrived home, which made sense because of the fact that Twilight’s workday was still in progress, while mine was over. With that in mind, I put my groceries away and made my way towards our apartments, noticing that the door to Twilight’s study was cracked open, and the scratching of quill against paper could be heard. I pushed through and set the stack of papers on Twilight’s desk, her mumbling a “thanks” to me, but not looking up from her work. Her response wasn’t exactly uncommon, as when she was focused on her work, she tended to block everything else out. In the past, I’d had to force her to eat so she wouldn’t starve.

After that, I made my way to the bathroom to give myself a quick rinse to refresh myself from the day, followed by me lounging in a loveseat in the common room with a book in hand. Seeing as how I had nothing else to do for the next few hours, I resolved to relax and try to mentally prepare myself for the “talk” that Twilight wanted to have with me.

Much to my annoyance, I had only just opened the book when I heard the telltale sound of hooves upon crystal stairs, the noise getting progressively louder as they approached the common room. A few moments later, Twilight appeared around the corner, stretching her arms and wings high above her head as she walked to the plush chair across from me. Without a word, she flopped onto said chair with a grunt, her face buried in the armrest.

I closed the book and set it aside, swinging my legs over the edge of the loveseat and curling my tail off to the side. “So,” I began, thinking it prudent that we get things over with as soon as possible, “you wanted to talk.”

“I did.” she replied, not moving from her awkward position.

“What about?” I asked, though I already had a pretty good idea what the subject would be.

“Us…”

Bingo.

I let out a long, tired sigh as I settled my face into my hands. “I think we’ve done enough talking about ‘us’, and your stance on the matter is pretty clear to me.”

Twilight rolled over to sit properly, fumbling with her large wings for a few awkward seconds before she settled herself to stare at me with a frown. “Spike, you don’t understand-”

“You love me, like ‘that’, but you’re so afraid that you’ll ruin our relationship that you’re unwilling to take that leap.” I summarized, my lips twisting in a half-frown of my own. “Also, even with that being the fact, you still want the hugs and cuddles that you would get with your special somepony, and you want me to comfort and support you like always.” I snorted, a small flame shooting out between my teeth as I began to get frustrated. “You’re not the only one involved in this whole thing, Twilight; your indecisiveness hurts, and I’m sick of it. If you just didn’t like me, I could take that: I would be a little put out from the rejection, but I could handle it because I knew I never had a chance, but you keep telling me how much you care about me and the fact that you love me more than Celestia loves cake.” The frustration bled away after that statement, and all that was left was smoldering annoyance. “Twilight, do you realize that the only two things we don’t do already is kiss and stare into each other’s eyes lovingly? Seriously, everything else that couples participate in, we already do; we even argue like a couple!”

“I told you: I’m afraid!”

“Of what?” I asked, purposefully keeping my voice flat. “Twilight, of all the ponies in the world -- even Celestia and Rarity -- you’re the one I’m closest to. We grew up together, learned together, and went through some of the most dangerous events together as well; if anything could tear us apart, it would have happened already.” I stood and stretched out my wings to relieve some of the tension, then walked to Twilight. “Do you love me?”

“Yes, but-”

“Do you want to be with me?”

“Of course, but-”

“Stand up.”

Twilight looked a little annoyed at being interrupted twice in quick succession, but did as I said, looking up at me with a half-confused, half-fearful expression. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing anymore, instead letting my heart guide me more than my head, but my mind was screaming at me that I was about to do something extremely stupid...but at the same time, it had to be done.

Or at least, that’s how I felt at the time.

I stood a mere foot away from Twilight for a moment before leaning forward and embracing her, both my arms and wings enveloping her safely and securely. I felt her wings attempt to flare purely on reflex, but after a moment, she settled herself and let out a happy sigh. Looking down at the top of her head, I asked, “Does this feel bad?” I felt more than saw her shake her head, so within the cocoon of my wings, I brought a hand up and ran it through her mane, nuzzling the top of her head affectionately. “And this?”

Despite the fact that she had been very tense moments before, I could feel Twilight practically melting at my touch as she whispered, “...no. ‘t feels good.”

Twilight was a complicated pony -- there was no getting around that -- but in some ways, she was easily-understood, as well. For example: Twilight related sensations with memories, which made her a very stimulus-oriented pony. The smell of lavender -- her favorite scent -- reminded her of her mother, and of long days spent reading at her side. The feel of silk sheets reminded her of her younger years growing up under Celestia’s wing -- sometimes literally. And, the feel of a strong hug from someone she cared about brought to mind cold days spent in front of a fireplace, a mug of hot chocolate in hand and me at her side. Because of the latter -- which, I’ll admit, was something I was purposefully using to manipulate her into a relaxed state -- it was very easy for me to coax her to do nearly anything I wanted, and I knew it. However, at the moment, I only wanted the truth from her.

“Twilight,” I whispered carefully, gently, “do you trust me?”

She moved her head from my chest, where her muzzle had been buried, to look up at me, her eyes shining with emotion. “...of course, Spike.”

“Do you believe for a moment that I’d ever leave you, for any reason?”

Twilight bit her lip, which had begun quivering slightly, and shook her head after a few moments. “...n-no, Spike. I know you better than that.”

And now, for the leap of faith…

I creeped my face forward slowly, her watching me the entire time with wide eyes, before I purposefully deviated and have her a gentle, affectionate nuzzle along her cheek. I felt her smile against my face, and as I pulled away, I made my request. “Kiss me, Twilight.”

Twilight stared at me for a moment -- only a moment -- before she pushed forward and connected us by the lips. It was feather-light, simple, and only lasted a few seconds before she pulled away with a visible blush on her face.

Slowly, a smile crept across my lips as I said, “Guess what, Twi? I feel exactly the same about you as I did ten minutes ago. Nothing has changed between us, no horrible force has come to tear us apart, and nothing unfathomably bad has happened.”

Twilight simply stared at me for a few moments, her lip beginning to quiver in what I noticed was a nervous reaction. “B-but Spike, I’m scared that I’ll mess this up. I...I can’t…” She gulped audibly, steadying herself before choking out, “I-I can’t lose you like I did the others. You’re my closest friend in the whole world, and-”

I placed a finger on her lips, offering a gentle smile to the panicking alicorn. “Twi, it’ll be okay. I know you, and you know me better than anypony else. I know neither of us can screw this up, because we care about each other too darn much, and have been through enough in life to be able to weather a little romance.”

Twilight still looked a little unsure, but was no longer on the verge of a panic attack, which was a plus in my book. She caught her bottom lip in her teeth and darted her eyes around my face before whispering out, “...c-can I kiss you again?”

I cracked a grin, moving forward to nuzzle against her again as I quietly replied, “You never need to ask, Twi.”

Slowly, with trepidation clear in her posture and expression, Twilight again connected our lips together, this time pushing deeper into me and wrapping her arms completely around my back to hug me tight. The kiss was kept simple, close-mouthed and without anything fancy, but it was still clear to me just how much Twilight was enjoying it. My hand moved to her ear, kneading it softly between my thumb and index finger, causing her to moan softly and suck in a deep breath through her nose as her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

After a few more seconds, we separated, and I gently pulled her to the seat she was sitting in before. I took my place first, and then pulled her onto my lap, again wrapping my arms and wings around her as I settled in for the night with my closest friend in the world. Now freed of most of her trepidation, she nuzzled up against my throat and jaw lovingly, curling up to be as close to me as possible.

“I love you, Spike.”

I looked down at her and smiled with love in my eyes. “I love you too, Twi.”

Nothing had changed on the whole in regards to how we showed affection to one another, save for kissing, but at the same time, this night had opened us up to something bright and beautiful with each other. We had always stood by each other’s side in life -- whether it be an assignment from Celestia on the line, or the world itself -- but now, I had proven to Twilight that the courage and support we offered to each other could now be used for each other. I had no doubt that this would not be the end of Twilight’s insecurities when it came to romance -- or my own, for that matter -- but I knew that, just like everything else, we could overcome it together.

“Will you be here when I wake up?” she asked with a half-yawn, her half-lidded eyes tiredly focusing on me.

I nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead, tightening my grip around her waist. “Of course. Goodnight, my pretty purple princess pony.”

Twilight’s response was nothing more than a muted, tired giggle before her breathing slowed and evened out, confirming she had fallen asleep. I stayed awake for a bit longer, watching her sleep with a smile on my face. Talking to her about Lyla could wait for now: tonight was only about Twilight, and having the beautiful mare in my arms was a great way to end the day. Tomorrow, we would talk about what was to come and who would be there with us, but for tonight Twilight was my primary focus.

I was only able to stay awake for a few minutes before I followed my mare into the realm of dreams, where I would allow my subconscious to attempt to come up with something better than the present I found myself in.

Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

“Rarity, this is cruel and unusual, and you know it!” I groaned out pitifully, doing my best to control my...urges.

Rarity, on the other hand, was clearly enjoying tormenting me as she modeled some of the lingerie she had created for a new “personals” line of clothing she would begin marketing next year. The set of violet panties and brassiere, coupled with stockings and a certain fire-ruby necklace, was enough to completely hold my attention. To be honest, a swarm of parasprites could have eaten everything in town at that moment, and I wouldn’t have even noticed.

“Oh come now, dear,” Rarity began coyly, winking at me, “you can’t tell me you aren’t enjoying yourself. Besides, regardless of what you may believe, you are helping me.”

Trying my best to remain indignant, I rolled my eyes...only for them to snap right back to her gorgeous form a moment later as I grumbled, “By boosting your ego and letting you know that you could take over the world if you used your powers for evil? Yeah, really helping, I’m sure. It doesn’t matter what you wear -- you could have on a burlap sack, and I’d still think you were beautiful.”

Rarity smiled at me in that way that let me know I was being corny, but she loved it anyway. “I appreciate that, but you and I both know that presentation is everything, in my business.” She crossed the room with a slow saunter before sitting sideways on my lap, throwing her arms around me. “What I look for is something that is comfortable and keeps one modest, while still causing the audience’s eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets.” With a slow, sensual rub of the fins on the sides of my head, she added, “You are proving what is and isn’t good, simply by your reactions. For example: what did you think of the corset and garter belt?”

“It looked uncomfortable and the corset would probably be a pain to get on and off, even with help. Just doesn’t seem practical.” I answered honestly, remembering the first set she had shown me. “Also, because of the bulkiness, you couldn’t really wear it under anything, so it would be limited to just the bedroom, instead of a surprise for a lover after a nice date, without even having to go home...if that’s how the night ends, that is.”

Rarity smiled again, clearly pleased with my answer. She gave a loving kiss to my temple before replying, “See? You have more fashion sense than you think. Most ponies believe that the point of lingerie is simply a wrapping to be removed from a present, but any mare will tell you that the tease is just as important as the physical acts themselves. After all,” she held a hand to my cheek, grinning like a cat, “it’s gotten you quite bothered, hasn’t it?”

“Considering you can turn my insides to goo just by fluttering your eyes with a cute pout, that’s not a big accomplishment.” I shot back playfully, relaxing a bit at realizing that -- even in a small way -- I was being a help to my marefriend, instead of just being a toy to be played with.

Rarity’s expression dropped a bit as she queried, “I’m not putting undue stress on you like this, am I? I don’t mean to be needlessly cruel, if that’s how you perceive it. I just...” she glanced away as she bit her lip, “it’s nice to be desired by someone that cares about me as more than just a thing or an ideal.”

Her words caught me a bit by surprise -- Rarity was always so confident, so it was uncommon to have her actually seem regretful or unsure about something she did or said. While it’s true that I’d be more than willing to rip off the undergarments she wore, should she ask me to, I knew her teasing and playful moments weren’t done out of maliciousness or spite, and neither were they even done out of a need to assert a form of control over me. Instead, from what I could gather, Rarity was enjoying having a romantic partner that adored her for more than her well-kept body. True that said body was very nice to admire, but the time we’d spent as friends had helped me look past all that to fall in love with the mare she was.

“I don’t really mind.” I answered honestly, smiling at the mare in my lap. “Sure, you acting like this, wearing what you are tends to make my mind head in only one direction, but I know you love me. Besides,” I ran my fingers up her spine, starting just above the dock of her tail and trailing all the way to her neck, causing her to shiver violently, “we both know it’s all building up to the future, and we’ll have plenty of time to express ourselves.”

Rarity was unable to stifle the soft whine that escaped her mouth, nor could she stop the subtle roll of her hips that told me I was by no means the only one that felt the desire for more carnal delights. Still, she had been quite adamant that only the one that she would spend her life with was going to be given her body, and I could understand that. I had a great amount of respect for someone who could stick to their morals, even when they strongly desired something that would go against said morals. Still, part of the reason Rarity teased me so much was because I did the same, and it only made the anticipation for our mutual future that much more intense.

And so I continued, pulling her body until she was pressed firmly against me, to the point where she could feel the strong thumping of my own heart, even through her fur. I buried my nose in her neck, taking a deep breath and laying gentle nips along the sensitive flesh, eliciting gasps and more whimpers from my victim. She writhed against me, reaching behind and grasping at the back of my head to keep me there, as if I ever wanted to stop. Unfortunately, free time was a novelty for the average working pony, and doubly so for Rarity.

The chime of her shop’s bell caused Rarity to freeze momentarily before letting out a muted groan of frustration. I echoed the noise as we both slumped in annoyance.

Rarity stood and sashayed over to her wardrobe, quickly throwing together a white business-casual outfit with violet accents, winking over her shoulder at me as she chose to keep wearing her new creations underneath her outfit. Even though it shouldn’t have, knowing she chose to keep on the lingerie made me smile. Without hesitation, she then pulled me up from my seat and engaged me in a kiss, which I was perfectly happy to return.

As we separated, I jerked my head to the balcony. “I’m actually going to go meet Big Mac at the hospital; AJ’s being released today, as all her tests came back and the doctors feel safe sending her home.”

Rarity grinned and planted another kiss on me before suggesting, “Give her my love, dear.”

I chuckled a bit and pulled away, heading to the open balcony. “I don’t know if she’d appreciate me giving her some love, but I think some support would do just fine.” I felt Rarity slap my one of my extended wings playfully, which I only chuckled at before stepping outside and taking off into the air.

By now, everyone knew that Rarity and I were together, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to seem unprofessional in the face of her clients, which was why I chose to duck outside instead of walk with her downstairs. It was true that many of her clients had known the two of us for years now, but I didn’t want to risk her business due to my own carelessness. That said, I landed shortly after leaving the boutique, and walked the rest of the way into town.

One of the upsides of being with a clothing designer was that I had first pick of some of the latest fashions, the most recent of which was a new type of collared shirt that opened down the entire front, and was fastened with buttons. It was meant to be worn with an undershirt, and depending on how one wore it and with what pants, it could be considered casual or business-casual, which meant it could look nice regardless of the setting. I knew this was a fact when I recieved casual praise for the nice outfit by ponies in town, most of whom usually didn’t comment on my clothing choices otherwise. I’d have to tell Rarity about her success later on, though something told me she’d already know by the time I saw her again.

It only took a few minutes to reach the hospital -- it was one of the largest buildings in Ponyville, and was purposefully located right in the center of town -- which allowed me time to greet the staff and meet up with Big Mac when he arrived as well. The two of us only had to wait a few moments before AJ was wheeled out to the waiting room, and we didn’t even have to ask how happy she was to go home, as it was pretty clear just from looking at her face. After a quick sign out, the three of us were on our way out of the hospital, and to Sweet Apple Acres.

Against her wishes, Big Mac forced his younger sister to be wheeled home in the wheelchair, as she had some nasty bruising along her left leg. This meant that I had a front-row seat to see Applejack foalishly pouting with her arms crossed as we made our way to the farm -- I’ll admit it: it was adorable, and I have no problem saying so. The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was quiet and calm the whole way, which probably had more to do with the time of day than anything else -- most ponies were still at work, which meant clear roads for us.

Upon arriving at our destination, I silently offered my aid in getting Applejack into the farmhouse and set up on the well-loved couch in the main room, after which Big Mac went to fetch Granny Smith. This left me alone with Applejack for a few minutes as we waited, so, with no other pressing obligations, I sat next to my friend and offered silent support. I enjoyed the moment of comfortable silence in my day, happy that Applejack was home.

“Thanks f’r bein’ there for me, Spike.”

The gratitude was simple, yet powerful, as Applejack didn’t like being vulnerable in any way. Beyond being the Element of Honesty, Applejack made it a point to only say what she meant, and only if it needed to be said. So, for her to feel she needed to thank me again for offering her support when she needed it, she must have felt it was important I knew how valued my actions were. Granted that I may have saved her life, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t done for me in the past. In my mind, I was just returning the favor for a best friend, and that was enough for me. I’ll admit it was nice to receive the gratitude, though.

I nodded to Applejack in response before asking, “So, are you looking forward to a stay-cation from work?”

I heard her blow out an exaggerated breath as she grumbled, “Are ya kiddin’ me? It’s drivin’ me crazy. Ah don’t know how some ponies just laze around, doin’ nothin’.”

I shrugged with a grin, turning to look at her. “I don’t know, it all depends on what you have to do, and who you spend the time with. Time off can be a blessing, trust me.”

Applejack glared at me before slumping with another loud sigh. “Maybe, but an entire season? Last time Ah had that much time to mahself, Ah was four.”

I rolled my eyes with a smirk. “You’re being dramatic, but if it really bothers you to have that much free time, you can focus on the logistics of Sweet Apple Acres while you mend. That way, when the time comes for you to get back out in the fields, all the paperwork has already been worked out.”

Applejack huffed and tried her best to look indignant, but it was clear her heart wasn’t in it as she let the tension of the day leave her. She closed her eyes, absently pushing her “scratch stick” down into the cast on her arm to rid herself of an itch, before commenting, “Ah hope it’s a calm winter, because Ah’m about full-up on mah big surprises for tha year.”

“Well, funny that you should mention surprises.” I commented, taking a sort of mischievous joy in how Applejack stiffened, as if bracing herself for a physical blow. After a few seconds of watching her try and fail to keep herself calm, I blandly stated, “Twi and I got together...and me and Lyla got together as well.”

By how big of a flinch it caused, I had a feeling that if she’d been standing, she’d have fallen over.

It took a minute or two for Applejack to compose herself enough to cutely squeak out, “T-Twi and Lyla?” I simply answered with a nod, which prompted a shake of her head. “Mah word, y’all don’ waste any time, do ya?”

I shrugged nonchalantly, crossing my arms behind my head and relaxing on the sofa. “Sounds like jealousy to me, AJ. If you want in, you need only ask.” I’d meant the comment to poke fun at her -- as I always did -- but the way she clammed up made me think I might have said the wrong thing. The wound from her breakup with Thunderlane was still pretty fresh, after all, but before I could apologize, the matriarch of the family entered the room. I quickly stood from my place and offered it to the wizened old mare, who took it gratefully and nodded her thanks to me.

As the two mares began speaking, Big Mac pulled me aside and quietly asked, “Can ya wait f’r the others outside? We got some family stuff ta work out, and Ah hope ya don’t-”

I waved his concern away with a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry about it, Mac. I know there’s some stuff that’s just between blood, so I get it.”

He nodded to me, smiling slightly. “Right, thanks. Anyway, Cheers and tha others should be ‘round soon, so could ya greet ‘em and bring ‘em in when they get ‘ere?”

I nodded back to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Sure, I gotcha. See you in a bit.” I left without another word, closing the farmhouse door behind me and taking a seat on a well-loved bench on the front porch. With the trees having lost all of their leaves by this point, it was a simple thing to see all the way to the gate in the distance, so I simply waited patiently for some of Big Mac’s herd to arrive, or Applebloom. Until then, I just closed my eyes and kept an ear out for any visitors.

It didn’t take long for the telltale sound of hooves on dirt to catch my attention, as well as the sound of multiple voices. I waited until the voices were close enough to pick out individually before opening my eyes and standing to greet the visitors.

The first one I noticed was Big Mac’s first flame, Cheerilee. While I had never been one of the younger generation that was “hot for teacher”, I had to admit that Cheerilee pulled off the modest teacher look very well, creating an authoritative yet supportive presence, all wrapped up with a warm smile and kind eyes. Next to her were the twins, Flitter and Cloudchaser, both of which worked on the weather team and both of which loved Sweet Apple Acres cider (which was probably how they met Big Mac in the first place). Following them was Sea Swirl, the soft-spoken marine biologist, and Boysenberry, a fellow farmer -- the latter of whom was offering support to the final two ponies: Berry Punch and her daughter, Ruby Pinch.

I had grown up around most of the ponies in Big Mac’s herd, so it was easy to feel comfortable around them, which made the near-Pinkie-level glomp from Ruby Pinch easy to deal with. Even with the new generation of foals around Ponyville, being the only dragon around had the perk of me being quite popular, which was why I was asked to speak as a special guest at the schoolhouse every year. Being different had its own positives, it seemed.

“Hiya, Spike!” Berry Punch greeted brightly, moving swiftly over despite using crutches. Upon settling herself in front of me, she reached down and used her uncommon strength to pull me up before wrapping me in a half-embrace. I returned it with a smile, shifting Ruby Pinch to rest comfortably in my free arm.

Much as ponies wouldn’t think of it just from meeting the jovial, unorthodox earth pony, Berry Punch was quite the martial artist, and had gotten quite a few bruises and bumps from her ring fights. Her busted leg was the most recent one, as a result of a bout with a thestral from Wispy Woods far to the east. Though she was an unassuming mare otherwise -- she was a loving mother and owner of the town’s commercial distillery -- Berry Punch lived up to the second part of her name easily.

Pulling away, I motioned to her immobile leg in a cast. “How’s it feeling?”

She glanced down at her cast and tapped it with one of her crutches. “Eh, it’s all right. It itches more than anything else, though. Luckily, doc says I’ll be able to take it off in another three weeks, if I keep healing the way I have.”

I gently set down Ruby Pinch and jerked my head toward the door. “Well, the family’s inside talking, so give them a few minutes before you all go in. I’m sure you and AJ will have a blast signing each other’s casts.”

Berry Punch grinned before taking a seat on the bench I had been using. This was followed by warm greetings from the rest of the group, before all of us took seats and waited patiently for Big Mac to fetch us. We made small talk to pass the time, though it only took a few minutes before a certain giant red stallion came to the door and greeted his herd, at which point Ruby Pinch happily jumped off my lap, only to be swept into a gentle embrace by Big Mac himself. He exchanged kisses and hugs with his mares before beckoning them inside and turning his eyes to me with a serious look.

“AJ wants ya here at sundown, Spike. Didn’t say why, other’n she wants to talk ta you.” he intoned thoughtfully. He then shrugged before waving at me. “Be seein’ ya, Spike.”

I raised my brow at his words, but nodded. “Yeah, see ya.”

As the door closed, I turned on my heel and walked away from the farmhouse, letting out a loud sigh. Much as I didn’t want to, I still had a bit of work to catch up on before tomorrow, so I took flight to run some errands around town to kill time.

A meeting with the the local guard’s district clerk had taken up a good chunk of time, and by the time I left the town hall, the sun was well on its way to the horizon.

I still had about an hour left to drain, so I slowly glided towards Lyla’s home to see what she was up to. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to spot her place from the sky, being the only changeling home in the town, since it was in a rather sizable hill outside town. Since most changelings lived and worked in their respective hives (most spent their entire lives there), they tended to build their dwellings to reflect what they felt comfortable with, which meant Lyla’s home was largely underground, with only a very small structure on top to serve as a visual entrance. This, of course, made pegasi pretty claustrophobic when they visited, but I never actually minded much. Truthfully, I enjoyed the quiet, and the ground insulated far better than artificial insulating materials ever could. Changelings also lined their rooms, hallways, and corridors with a sort of mucous they created naturally -- which, I’ll admit, was kinda gross -- and said mucous dried into a durable, shiny material that added structural integrity to the earth it was bonded to. As an odd side-effect of the biological building materials used, changeling pheromones were more concentrated in their dwellings, which lent the places an odd, sweet scent that, for ponies at least, worked as a natural freshener for what would normally be a damp, earthy smell. Living underground, changelings were also far more adept at sensing seismic waves, which was proven by the fact that Lyla didn’t have a doorbell. Instead, like all the other times I visited, she greeted me at the door thirty or so seconds after I arrived, having felt me land.

Lyla opened the door for me with a bright smile, practically yanking me inside as she exclaimed, “Spike, welcome! It’s so good to see you.”

Once inside, I brought her in for a strong embrace, letting my own joy be known. “It’s good to see you too, Lyla. Sorry I’ve been busy the last few days; things have been kinda hectic.”

Lyla pulled away after few moments and just smiled comfortingly to me. “It’s all right, I know you’re a busy guy. Frankly, we’re all busy this time of year, so I kinda expected it. It’s good you’re here though, because I could use some help from someone with your unique skills.”

I followed her as she pulled away and began descending into her home, intrigued by what she could be talking about when referring to my “unique” skills. Generally speaking, anything intimate we participated in was limited to the evening, when the day’s work was done, so I was fairly sure it wasn’t that. Still, the possibility existed, which, I’ll admit, was exciting.

“Fluttershy, guess who’s here...”

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t a possibility after all.

As we rounded one of the passageways that led to Lyla’s main sitting room, I saw Fluttershy sitting on the ground a short distance away from a very agitated wyrm pup, the latter of whom was half-buried in Lyla’s floor. I just raised my brow to the two girls, who just shrugged helplessly.

“From what I can deduce,” Lyla began to explain, her hand rubbing her forehead, “this little guy was tunneling around, and happened to dig straight into my sitting room. He got stuck because of the kherak gloss* covering the floor, and so I called Fluttershy in to try and keep him calm until we can dig him out.”

“It’s not working too well, though.” Fluttershy added helplessly, releasing a frustrated sigh. “I can’t communicate with wyrmkin, and he doesn’t seem too fond of ponies.” She held up part of her green flower-print sundress, which was clearly shredded by claws. My eyes widened as I noticed more than a few red lines through the fur of Fluttershy’s thigh, and while she blushed a bit, she still assured, “It’s fine, Spike. I’ve had worse from Opal.”

Maybe it shouldn’t have really bothered me -- I had seen worse on some of the other girls, after all -- but for some reason, I didn’t like the idea of Fluttershy getting injured, even if it was only minor. Be it an innate protective instinct or simply how Fluttershy’s personality made others want to keep her safe, it made my gut twist up uncomfortably at the thought of her being in any sort of pain. However, that could wait until later -- for now, I had a problem to solve.

Now, wyrms and their kin were very closely related to dragons, but only as close as monkeys and minor primates were related to the great apes of Equis. Regardless, because of this, wyrms were drawn to inhabit the same areas as dragons did, and some species had actually been domesticated as pets because of their ability to be trained and submissive nature towards dragons. Intelligence-wise, they tended to be about as smart as the average domesticated dog or cat, and were actually known to be very affectionate to their masters.

What Lyla had originally said now made a little more sense.

I took a deep breath and shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve ever dealt with a wyrm on my own before, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything.” Slowly making my way over to the pup and doing my best to appear non-threatening, I desperately tried not to think of all the ways this could go wrong. Nonetheless, my decision was made for me when the wyrm pup’s head whipped around to me, and its glossy, orange eyes immediately locked on my face. While I hadn’t ever personally spent time around wyrms (what I knew was taken from books shared with me by dragon scholars), judging only by the look the little creature gave me, this little wyrm pup definitely knew what I was.

With painstaking care, I kneeled a short distance away from the pup, and while it had ceased thrashing its forelimbs in an attempt to dislodge itself from the floor, I had the distinct impression it was more afraid of me than anything else; much like how Fluttershy could become paralyzed with fear when something sufficiently scary startled her, the wyrm pup was, quite literally, too afraid to move. While there were still doubts in the scientific community as to whether all animals had a true sense of self and some sort of rational thought, even the most instinctual animal was well aware when it had caught the attention of a larger, more dangerous predator -- not that I did any predation in my day-to-day life, but a wyrm pup wasn’t going to know that. Regardless, I still had to be careful: the nails and teeth of a scared pony might not be much good against dragonhide, but the claws and fangs of a terrified wyrm pup were certainly capable of causing me quite a bit of pain.

Without taking my eyes off of the wyrm pup, I gently shooed Fluttershy away with a wave of my hand. Taking my cue from how dragons related to one another, I spread my wings wide to assert dominance, my gaze neutral, but unwavering. The pup let out a growl -- which, I’ll admit, was just cute -- which I returned as we continued to stare each other down. It only took a few seconds before the pup took a much more submissive posture -- prostrating itself as much as it could, and crossing its large claws under its belly -- which was much better than fear or hostility. I shot a satisfied look to Fluttershy and Lyla before moving closer to the pup and slowly reaching my arms out to attempt to dislodge it from the ground. I quite clearly saw the pup’s eyes flash crimson for a fraction of a second, and I only had enough time to start to wonder why it had happened before the small wyrm reached out and sank its teeth into my extended hand. I clearly felt the intense pain of fangs sinking through my flesh before the whole world flashed white as it fell away around me.

…

I couldn’t see anything, but I knew I was being watched. A very intimidating and oppressive presence was somewhere, watching me, but without being able to see, I had no idea what to do or where to run.

“I SEE YOU!”

The voice came from all around me, and I only had a moment to cringe in fear before I felt myself “falling” again.

…

Something that felt like knives piercing my skin brought me to full attention, and I noticed the wyrm pup was clamped on my hand firmly. Before I could do something stupid, like jerk my hand away, the pup released me with what I could only discern as a very confused look on its face. It glanced around curiously before it seemed to notice me, as if for the first time. And then, to completely confuse me, it held its forelegs up to me, like a child would to their parent. After a few moments of me standing there completely dumbfounded, it whimpered helplessly.

With a great degree of confusion and hesitation -- with my hand actively bleeding, mind -- I shook my head and reached down to attempt to pull the pup out of the ground again. “I must be nuts…” Much to my surprise, it allowed me to touch it this time, and I quickly and easily pulled the little wyrm out of Lyla’s floor. Once free, the pup wasted no time in giving me what I imagined was a thankful nuzzle, before diving headfirst back into the hole, I assume to head home.

…

“What in the bucking hay just happened?!”

I normally don’t curse much, if at all, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment. All I knew for sure was that my hand was in immense pain, I had some sort of vision that I couldn’t explain, and my hand hurt like a motherbucker. I mentioned my hand twice because one sentence wasn’t enough to completely explain how much it hurt. At least, that was until I realized…

“...forgot about the venom.” I muttered, sighing angrily as well. I turned around to the girls, only to find one of them missing.

Lyla walked over and gently took my injured hand in hers as she led me over to a chair to sit down. “Fluttershy bolted out the door when you were bit, saying something about an ‘antivenin’. For now, let me clean this so you don’t get an infection.”

“You’re surprisingly calm right now.” I observed aloud, glad that both of my friends were quick to act on my behalf. After my words, I slapped myself on the forehead with my free hand. “Soldier...right. Don’t know how I keep forgetting about that.”

Despite the situation, Lyla let out a soft chuckle as she walked out of the room, presumably to fetch her first aid kit. “It pays to be calm in a battlefield scenario, and life as a whole tends to be the same. When you let your emotions take over, you lose focus. When you lose focus,” she stepped back in the room, holding a small red box with a white cross on it, “you could die. Granted that the venom of a wyrm pup isn’t exactly deadly, but it can cause a fair amount of soft tissue damage, and the bacteria in its mouth could be deadly. So, let’s get this cleaned up.”

The first thing she took out of the kit was rubbing alcohol, so I took a deep breath and braced myself as she brought a gauze pad over, dampened it with said alcohol, and began gently dabbing my hand. Still, the wounds already hurt, and the added burning sensation didn’t help how it felt. All I could do was bite my lip to keep from crying out as she disinfected the small pictures. After what felt like hours, she pulled away briefly before wrapping my hand in fresh gauze.

“There, that’ll have to do until we can get you to the hospital.” Lyla concluded, inspecting my wrapped hand critically. “At the very least, it should keep it clean until we get there.”

I stared at my wrapped hand as well, huffing angrily at the situation. “It just figures that the first thing in five years to hurt me is a quarter of my size. I’d be laughing if it didn’t hurt this much.”

“Venomous snakes are just one of many examples of how danger can come from something small.” Lyla commented with a grin, snapping the first aid box closed and pushing it aside. “So,” she began, turning and boring her eyes into mine, “are you going to tell me what else happened during the bite?”

I raised my brow, trying to seem confused about it, since I wasn’t really sure I wanted to talk about it. “What do you mean?”

Lyla let out a slow breath through her nose as she answered, “For about half a second, your eyes went completely glossy and I could tell you weren’t conscious of the world. Something else happened, and I would like to know what it is so I can help.”

Mentally cursing how observant Lyla was, I sighed in defeat as I prepared to explain. “I...I’m not sure what it was. I guess you could call it a ‘vision’, though it only lasted a few seconds before I came to again. All I remember is it being dark, and then some loud voice says it sees me. I did notice the wyrm pup’s eyes flash red before it bit me, though I can’t be sure that’s connected.”

Lyla frowned briefly as she thought aloud. “I can’t be sure, but going only off of what I saw and you experienced, it sounds like a form of consciousness projection. Whatever you ‘heard’ could have been what led the wyrm pup here.” Lyla let out a long, slow breath as she stood and began pushing the loose rock and soil back into the hole made by the wyrm pup. “It’s only a theory, but it might be that wyrm pup was looking specifically for you, which is worrying.”

Going simply by how quickly Lyla had packed the rock and soil back in the hole and covered it with more kherak gloss, I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time a ground-dwelling animal had ended up in her home, but what she was suggesting regarding what had happened was a little more upsetting. It took me only a few seconds to come to a possible conclusion.

“Do you think it might be the dragon?” I asked carefully, trying not to sound as worried as I was.

Lyla froze and tensed briefly before turning to me with a frown. “It could be. Most of what changelings knew about dragons was destroyed in the Great Crusade*, but I distinctly remember reading about dragons being capable of much of the same magic unicorns use. It stands to reason that it’s quite possible you were the target all along.”

I was still worried, but the fact we didn’t have a castle-sized dragon bearing down on us spoke volumes. If our theory was correct, the dragon knew where I was now, and if it had wanted to come for me, it would have already arrived by that point. What this meant was that either the dragon simply wanted to confirm where I was, or that there was another entity we didn’t know about. I hoped with everything I had that it was the former instead of the latter.

Lyla perked up and looked down the hallway, putting the jar of kherak gloss away as she headed for her front door. “I think Fluttershy’s here. Wait here and I’ll be right back.”

After Lyla left the room, I spent the brief time marvelling at how the glossing changelings applied to tunnels could not only add strength and stability, but also change the color of the surface itself. Even now, if I let my mind drift, it’s easy to forget her home is underground, even with the distinct lack of windows. I liked it, though: it was well-decorated and furnished, lending the home an elegant, homey feeling. Plus, the fact it was underground made modern heating unneeded, since the insulating ground could keep the entire home warm with just the single indoor fire pit located in the main chamber.

I had no more time to admire the decor, as Fluttershy practically sprinted into the room, sliding to a stop next to me. She handed me a vial of what I assumed was the antivenin before kneeling and pulling out a larger hypodermic needle, which was specifically made for thick-skinned creatures like myself. She wasted no time in quickly wrapping a rubber tourniquet around my arm and disinfecting the chosen site of my inner elbow, then connecting the needle to the syringe and sticking it into the top of the vial. Another few seconds later she finished, and looked to me apologetically before bringing the needle in and pressing around on my arm as she presumably tried to find a vein. Again she disinfected the site before slowly and carefully sticking the needle into my arm. I was thankful for the fact that I only had scales on certain parts of my body now, but to pierce dragonhide, the needle still had to be large and strong so that it didn’t break. This all meant that the injection was uncomfortable to say the least, and I had to suppress the knee-jerk reaction of jumping away.

It was all over within about five seconds, and Fluttershy pulled the needle out of me before placing a folded piece of gauze over the needlepoint on my arm, and bending my elbow so that it was held there. Removing the rubber band from my arm, she then glanced to me with a worried frown. “That should take care of the burning sensation, but how do you feel otherwise?”

I shrugged, holding my wrapped hand up. “Like I just got bit by an adorable little monster. Hand hurts like crazy and I’m more than a little upset by it, but I guess I’ll be okay.” I then glanced to Lyla briefly before adding, “...that’s not all that happened, though.” I briefly explained what else I had experienced during the bite, and while Fluttershy was clearly concerned, she seemed more confused than anything else...which was pretty much what I was expecting, because it’s what I felt.

Busying herself with doing something constructive while she thought, Fluttershy gently unwrapped my hand and took a look before wrapping it back up with a relieved expression on her face. “Well, you may need a few stitches, but it appears the wyrm pup didn’t want to hurt you, since it looks like you only have a mostly surface damage. I think some proper care from the hospital and some rest should make you feel much better, i-if you want to do that.”

Fluttershy’s token shyness seemed to disappear whenever she was working -- whatever that may be -- but came right back once she realized it. Much as we had all gotten used to it over the years, it still made me want to give her a squeeze until she squeaked, because she was just so darn cute. Luckily, I had learned to control those impulses, since a cute baby dragon giving a hug was...well, cute. A dragon larger than most mares, though? That could be a little scary.

Instead, I simply smiled at her, and nodded gratefully. “That sounds like a good plan, actually.”

Unfortunately, before I could even glance at Lyla, she suggested, “I guess Fluttershy can go with you, then. I’ve got to stay here and make sure the floor sealant sets right so that I don’t end up with a crater in my home.” She nudged Fluttershy towards me with her elbow, grinning in what I could only discern was a mischievous way. “Go get’im, tiger.” Fluttershy’s face lit up like a ripe red tomato at the words, but nodded before taking my hand and guiding me out of the home as quickly as she could.

As much as I tried to ignore it, I could easily tell something was bothering Fluttershy. While she’d never been overtly outspoken on much of anything unless she had to be, she also wasn’t known to be so quiet around her close friends. Even though soft-spoken, she usually had no problem with conversation between us, which meant something was really wrong. I just hoped I would be able to figure out what it was, because dragging information out of a walled-off Fluttershy was about as likely as teaching an earth pony how to fly without wings.

“So,” I began, moseying along languidly next to her, “nice weather we’re having.” My words were only answered by a soft mumble and a meek nod, so I tried again. “I’m sure your critter friends are enjoying the clear skies as they prepare to go into hibernation, so at least there’s that.”

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, muttering a barely-audible, “Yes...it’s, um...nice.”

Frowning in frustration, I just continued following Fluttershy toward the hospital silently, doing my best to keep from grinding my teeth. As kind as she was, if Fluttershy truly didn’t want to talk to me, there was very little I was going to be able to do about it.

That being said, I still had just one question before I shut up and just dealt with it: “Did I do something wrong, ‘Shy?”

My question seemed to shock Fluttershy out of whatever funk she was in, as she was quickly at my side, spreading her wing under mine across my back. She firmly shook her head as she answered, “No Spike, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

I stared at her for a few moments, a little surprised by the complete turnaround in her behavior. “But then why have I gotten the cold shoulder since we left Lyla’s?”

It was interesting to see the blush slowly grow on Fluttershy’s face from up-close, just before she pulled away from me and shuffled nervously in place, darting her eyes away. “Well, um...I was just really embarrassed. I-I was in a hurry to get to the cottage and back with the antivenin, and I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I was flying above everypony on the way there and back, and I only noticed when I got to Lyla’s door.” Again she was wringing her hands together as she fidgeted in place with that cute embarrassed expression she often got.

I raised my brow as I tried to understand what had her so worked up, only to look down and gasp in realization. “Oh gosh, everyone saw up your dress, didn’t they?” Fluttershy’s blush seemed to increase even further, but she nodded meekly in response. I’ll admit, I was silently ashamed at myself for my first thought being, “I wish I could have seen that.”

“...th-there’s more, though.” Fluttershy added, so embarrassed I imagine she wished the ground would just swallow her up at that moment. At my questioning look, she added, “My dress wasn’t the only thing that the pup tore when it scratched me. Th-they must have come off when I was flying.”

“What do you mean by ‘they’?” I questioned, hoping what I was thinking was wrong.

I was certain that if Fluttershy blushed any more, she would have fainted at that point, but she was still able to point to her lower abdomen and mutter, “...undies.”

My mind froze with my body at the implications of what she just said, and now I was definitely jealous of the ponies who happened to be out and about. Still, I knew Fluttershy was likely going to die of embarrassment if I didn’t think of something to make her feel better. Instead of taking a few seconds to come up with something comforting that might help, my stupid mouth decided to take the initiative with, “Well, look at it this way: you probably made somepony’s week.” The sharp intake of air from her made me realize what I’d said, so I amended with, “I-I mean, it would have made my week at least…” I felt the blood begin to congregate in my face as I embarrassed myself, so I ended with a quiet, “...I’ll just shut up, now.”

Needless to say, the rest of the walk to the hospital was completely silent, and I spent the entire time mentally kicking myself.

I only had myself to blame for it, but Fluttershy was quite quick to leave as soon as I was signed in at the hospital, which made me feel further guilt on my behalf. Then again, though, I knew I only had myself to blame for speaking before I thought, so I resigned myself to dealing with it until Fluttershy could find it in herself to forgive me, or at least allow me to make it up to her. This all made the trip to the hospital seem to take a lot longer than it actually did.

With a hand covered in salves and fresh bandages, I later found myself soaring through the sky toward Sweet Apple Acres, just as the sun sank beyond the horizon and the moon began its journey across the sky. I knew I’d have to apologize to Applejack for my words to her earlier in the day -- I later realized they were not appropriate, at all -- but I knew that Applejack, as a pony, was quick to forgive if the apology was honest and straightforward, so I held out hope that I wouldn’t thoroughly upset two of my friends in the same day.

I was a few minutes late, but I was pleased to see the lights still on in the home, which meant I wouldn’t be waking everyone up if I knocked. With that in mind, I quickly landed and walked the last few feet to the farmhouse door before knocking firmly and waiting for someone to answer. Big Mac was the one to greet me after a minute or two, and wasted no time in inviting me in with a nod and smile. I thanked him before entering, and moved quietly to the living room.

I was just about to ask where Applejack was before hearing a loud, “Ah said, Ah can do it mahself! Mah leg’s sore, not broke, so gimme some room!” It wasn’t hard to identify the voice shouting at her family, so I just waited patiently for her to get downstairs.

A few knocks and thuds against wood, followed by some muffled curses, slightly preceded Applejack, and she rounded the stairwell only a few moments later. I stood to assist her, noticing the slight limp in her gait, but a glare she shot my way strongly recommended I sit back down, so I took my seat again. She hobbled her way over and leaned over to brace her left hand on the arm of a well-loved armchair before gently sitting down and exhaling loudly.

“Ah swear, Ah ain’t never gonna take a healthy body f’r granted again.” she droned tiredly, reaching up and rubbing her eyes as she wiggled her slinged right arm around uncomfortably. However, because she didn’t ask a question, I didn’t say anything in response, and just waited patiently for her to speak again.

Unfortunately, once again, my adverse reaction to tension in the air caused me to blurt out, “AJ, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have teased you about my new relationships; it was insensitive, and I apologize for that.”

“Ah ain’t mad atcha, Spike.” Applejack answered immediately, saving me from making myself out to be more of a fool. She let out a long, measured breath before continuing. “Ah’m sore -- ain’t no way around that -- but Ah ain’t sore at you. It’s like when ya do a number on yer wings flyin’: ya f’rget ‘bout tha ache after awhile, ‘til someone mentions it. Then it all jus’ comes back fresh.”

Even though she said she wasn’t mad at me, I still felt bad for what I’d said, so I found myself saying, “Is there anything I can do to make it better?”

Applejack was quiet for awhile, her eyes glancing toward the ceiling as she sat there and thought. Finally, almost so quiet that she was whispering, she answered, “...Ah could use a hug right about now…”

I was momentarily caught off guard by the request. It wasn’t that Applejack was distant normally, but I wasn’t used to her being so vulnerable either. After all: Applejack was known to be as honest as ponies came, and was “the most dependable of ponies”, in her words. Though she was the middle child of Ponyville’s Apple family, she was the one that took the dominant role in the household, and nothing happened around the farm without her say-so. She was proud, and strong, and though loving to friends and family, had a strictly no-nonsense attitude when it came to life. She was one of the ponies I admired, so it was still odd to think she could be scared, or need comforting.

Nonetheless, I didn’t have to think long on her request, because while Applejack might be the most dependable of ponies, I was the most dependable drake of Ponyville, and I had no problem proving it. So, I stood and gently pulled her off of the chair before wrapping my arms and wings around her, nestling her head on my shoulder as I held her close and rubbed her back in a comforting manner. With her one good arm, she held me just as close and seemed to relish the embrace as she relaxed in my arms and drew deep breaths as we stood there for several minutes. I heard her sniffle a few times, and saw a tear or two fall down her cheek from the corner of my eye, but said nothing as we just enjoyed the closeness.

After an indeterminable amount of time, I heard her whisper, “Pinkie always said ya gave tha best hugs, and Ah gotta agree. Yer warm, and two arms just can’t compete with a set ‘a wings.”

“I didn’t know that was a thing ponies around town said about me.” I returned, smiling despite my words. “But, I guess if I have to be known as ‘the scaly hugger’, I’ll deal.”

Applejack chuckled softly before pulling away, and she wiped her eyes as she looked up at me. “Thanks for comin’ by, Spike.”

I nodded gently. “You’re welcome, but why did you want me here? I mean, I figured it was because I was going to get a talking-to for saying what I did earlier today, but you said that you weren’t mad at me.”

Applejack nodded before taking her seat again, and waited until I had done the same to answer me. “Well, Ah wanted ta tell you that, first of all, but other’n that…” she shrugged helplessly, “Ah wanted ya here. Can’t rightly say why, but Ah wanted ta see ya tonight, so Ah asked Mac ta tell ya.” She then pointed to me and drawled, “So, are ya gonna tell me why yer hand is wrapped up?”

I raised my hand up and glanced at it, honestly forgetting about the injury until that moment. “Little mishap from visiting Lyla after I left here. A little wyrm pup had popped up through her floor, and before I could get it out, it bit me. Fluttershy gave me antivenin to counteract the venom, then I went to the hospital to get it stitched and wrapped, and that’s pretty much it. Well, except…” I paused as I rolled my jaw around in thought again, remembering what I had seen during the bite, “when it bit me, I kinda went out of it and had some kind of vision of something that apparently saw me. Lyla said it could’ve been that dragon that I’m supposed to meet, and it was controlling the pup to find me.”

Applejack twitched her mouth around as she silently pondered what I told her, then answered, “Well, Ah guess if that lady dragon wanted ta hurt’cha, she’dve been here already. Still, Ah got a bad feelin’ about this, Spike.”

I nodded solemnly, letting out a loud sigh. “Yeah, you and me both. I guess we’ll find out her motivations when I meet with her at the end of the week. I figure if she wanted to do anything violent, she’s had plenty of chances. Honestly, at this point, I’m actually kinda curious to see what she wants with me.”

“An’ yer sure Ah can’t convince ya ta take some backup with ya?” she questioned hopefully, though I could tell she already knew my answer.

I shook my head, shooting a smile her way. “I appreciate the concern AJ, but this is something I have to do alone. It’s clear she doesn’t want to hurt any of us, or she’d have bolted here once she found me, so I’m just going to go see what she wants. Hopefully, I make a new ally, and we can put this all behind us.”

“Ah hope yer right.” Applejack mumbled half-heartedly.

It was clear she would much rather I accepted help for this, even though I’d already explained to her why I had to handle this alone. Much like Rainbow Dash, Applejack felt lost whenever she couldn’t do something in a situation, but unlike Rainbow Dash, she didn’t have anything to distract her. Instead, all she was going to be doing was sitting around worrying, and probably praying that she wouldn’t lose someone else close to her so soon. I knew that, but there still wasn’t a whole lot I would be able to do to help her feel better about my “mission”. Still, there were a few things I could say to at least give her something to focus on, other than the possibility of me getting hurt.

“Chances are that I’m going to be pretty tired by the end of that day, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to crash here that night, unless you mind.” I suggested casually, glancing over to her again. “You’re the closest to where I’ll be coming from, and some Apple hospitality is just what I could use after a rough day -- even if everything goes good, I’m still going to be stressed out.”

Applejack wasn’t a stupid mare, so I had a feeling she knew there was more behind my proposal than the obvious. “Are ya sure? Won’t Twi get ‘er wings in a twist if ya don’t come ta her first?”

I shook my head resolutely. “Twi’s going to be in Canterlot that day, so she won’t be here, and the rest of the girls will be sleeping by the time I get back. I have a feeling that, without something to tire you out, you’re probably still going to be up when I arrive back in town, so I figured I’d chill with you that night.” I then gave her a pleading look as I added, “Plus, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to need some that pie of yours by the end of that day. I’m not gonna have time to stop somewhere on the way back, and I’m going to try and bring as little with me as possible, so that I can get there and back quicker.”

Near the end of my explanation, Applejack snickered, and it was only after I’d finished that I noticed what I’d said. She had no problem bringing it up as she commented, “So, ya want my pie, do ya? Can’t say Ah ain’t heard that from plenty’a smooth stallions b’fore, but it’s a first fr’m you.” Her grin was decidedly lascivious and playful, so while I had to suffer near-death by embarrassment, it was clear Applejack was already in a better mood than she had been just a few minutes prior. I just closed my eyes and tried to will away the warmth in my face before making a response.

I just stayed silent for a few seconds before deciding to return fire with, “...I mean, are you offering? I just wanted some apple pie, but if I’m allowed to-” I was silenced by a couch pillow thrown at my face, followed by Applejack’s laughter. When I pulled the pillow off my face, I let out a chuckle of my own, unable to keep the smile off my face at the sight of the smile on Applejack’s face. It wasn’t much, but I’d made her smile, and that would be enough for now.

Eventually the laughter tapered off, and Applejack answered, “About yer question, Ah’d love ta have ya, Spike. Ya can tell me all about yer ‘grand adventure’, and Ah’ll make sure some warm apple pie is waitin’ for ya.” She gave me a teasing grin, but she was sincere nonetheless.

I stood with a firm nod, stretching my back and wings out. “Thanks, AJ. Anyhow, I hate to flirt and run, but I have to get back home.”

She nodded with a grin and stood as well, walking over and embracing me without hesitation. After a few silent moments, she whispered, “Thanks again f’r comin’, Spike. Ah needed it.”

I nodded and pulled away, holding her at arm’s length. “Before anything else, we’re friends, and I’m going to help you get to 100% again. I don’t care if it takes the whole winter: I’ll be here every week, if I have to.”

Applejack’s smile softened to something much warmer, and nodded to me. “Ah wouldn’t have a problem with that.” She then reached up and ruffled the fin on the side of my head. “Now go on, git. Twi’s prob’ly waitin’ for ya, loverdrake.”

Applejack walked me to the door and nudged me on, so I quickly jogged down the front steps and spread my wings before glancing back. Applejack was still there, smiling at me, and offered me a silent wave.

I returned the wave before blasting into the air, rapidly gaining altitude until Sweet Apple Acres was visible in its entirety. I hovered for a few minutes, just looking down at the farm with a faint smile on my face. I hadn’t been able to do much, but a smiles and laughter were good enough for the moment, and I would make sure I was there for Applejack through the winter. Applejack’s body wasn’t the only thing that would need time to heal, but I hoped that with some support, I could help bring the sunshine back to her life.

Author's Note

kherak gloss: a changeling-manufactured paste comprised of changeling glandular secretions, various plant matters, all heated to boiling in a pressurized environment. The resulting creation can then be modified with different ingredients, making it usable in anything from construction to home decoration, depending on the type used and pigments added.

The Great Crusade: in the time before Equestria became a nation, the lupine and ursine nations led a bloody crusade with the objective of ridding the badlands and the neighboring jungles of anything that was not a mammal. The reasons are debated, but many historians believe it was due to decades of encroachment from changelings and dragons. It is widely believed that eventually, the cornered beasts of the ursine and lupine formed an uneasy alliance borne from a desire to survive, and they slaughtered tens of thousands over the next thirteen years. While the reasons for the crusade are still only hypothesized, all agree that it ended with betrayal between the two races, and the fledgling gathering of ponies that would become Equestria helped the changelings push the weakened armies all the way back to their homelands. Thus ended the great crusade, and the changelings returned to the badlands to rebuild their destroyed homes.

Chapter 10

The previous day had ended with me getting scolded by Twilight for getting bitten by a wyrm pup, but after I explained what led up to it and what happened afterwards, she let me off the hook and we just went to sleep early. As had become more common recently, we shared a bed -- mine, this time -- which gave both of us a most restful sleep.

As I woke, it was to a dark room, which meant I had awakened earlier than normal. Twilight was still asleep, nestled next to me under my extended wing, while I lay on my stomach. As usual whenever she got a good, restful sleep, Twilight’s hair was adorably mussed and sticking up in different directions, but to me, it was still one of the most beautiful sights in the world. To think that after all these years of knowing each other, we would pair up; it was surreal, in a way, but definitely an enjoyable turn of circumstances. We couldn’t lay in bed all morning, but for a few minutes, I afforded myself time to just lovingly watch over Twilight as she slept.

“If you were anyone else, that’d be creepy, you know.” she mumbled sleepily, opening one eye to look at my startled expression. Though at first seeming annoyed, her face eased into a gentle, affectionate smile as she let out a happy sigh through her nose. “But you’re not anyone else. This isn’t the first time you’ve kept me safe, and I know it won’t be the last.”

My surprise gradually changed to a warmth on my face, and in my chest, as I moved forward to connect us in a chaste peck on the lips. Pulling away, I answered, “Yeah, but I didn’t get to do that until recently. Besides, there’s not much to protect you from inside your own castle.”

Regardless of the fact that Twilight had chosen to commit to a relationship with me, it was still easy to make her blush with just a short, casual kiss. In much the way that I imagined Fluttershy would, Twilight shifted her wings from underneath mine, hiding all but her eyes behind one of them as she muttered, “Well I still felt safe. I never said we have to be in danger for me to feel that way.” After a few seconds of us just looking at each other, smiling, she glanced at the clock and sighed. “It’s a bit early, but we’ve got to go over those guard reports today. I’ve cleared out a good block of time in our schedule for it, and the more prepared you are, the better.”

I’ll admit, I let out a whine, but pushed myself up and crawled out of the bed. “Fine. I’ll get breakfast started while you clean up. Come downstairs when you’re ready.”

Twilight walked over to the door with me and out into the hallway, leaning over and placing a kiss on my cheek. “Mmwah. Thanks, Spike. You’re the best.” I couldn’t help but grin like a fool as I watched her walk away, letting out a lovestruck sigh before heading to the private kitchens.

While Twilight’s castle was massive on the inside, it was predominantly for looks. Like a museum, most of the rooms, furniture, and fixtures were largely for decoration, as they were either rarely used, or never, in some cases. For example: the grand dining hall was only slightly smaller than the one in Canterlot Castle. While large, and opulent, it was primarily just for show, as we had only used it once since the castle sprang from the earth. Twilight, being a master of forethought, had decided it was best to put powerful enchantments on these rooms that would repel dust, so long as they remained unattended. I mean, let’s face it: if not for Twilight’s spells, it would take the two of us all week to clean an entire castle, and by that time, we’d need to start again; it would be an everlasting battle against dust that we could not win.

This was all important because of the fact that there were two separate kitchens: one for the private apartments, and one for the public floors. Both were well-stocked with kitchenware and dishes, but the “royal” kitchen had never actually been used, while our private kitchen was used nearly every day. It was important to have a separation between the public areas and our own, because regardless of the fact that the castle was a major landmark and place where ponies could meet their local branch of royalty, it was also our home, and we needed our privacy. Besides, I didn’t want just anyone seeing me in my frilly “kiss the cook” apron.

It took some time to sterilize and wrap my hand wound, but I was soon cooking a fresh, healthy breakfast for the two of us, which also included a small pile of gemstones for me. Due to the inherent magical nature of dragons, I had to consume some form of magic every now and then to remain healthy -- the amount increased whenever I needed to heal from injuries, as my body used that magic to help mend my body. Gems, being natural storage vessels for ambient magic, were simply the easiest way to get magic into my body. The other was to hunt, but for obvious reasons, gems were much simpler to find, process, and consume.

Twilight entered the dining area just as I brought out our breakfast, dressed in a simple v-neck tee and skirt, obviously opting for function over fashion, since we would be spending the day studying. Nonetheless, she still looked innocently cute, which was a type of beauty only a few ponies my age could easily pull off. That and, maybe because Twilight was one of the most dedicated students alive, she rocked the schoolgirl look. She unhurriedly made her way to her chair, offering me a loving kiss on the cheek as I bent down to set her plate on the table. I allowed myself a smile as I walked back over to my side, unfolded my napkin in my lap, and began eating to energize myself for the day ahead.

The guard reports were largely monotonous, with simple time and date marks showing that the dragon rarely left the cave it had claimed, only doing so for short amounts of time to hunt some of the other undesirables in the area. Thankfully, even for the guards or other curious ponies that approached close to the lair, the dragon did not attack them; other than a roar and some warning firebreathing, the dragon did not actually do anything that was a danger to anyone. In fact, simply going by what was documented, the dragon seemed to only want to be left alone, which matched what we had learned from our time in the dragon lands. Much of our research involved going through the guard reports and cross referencing the behavior with our notes on dragons, but when we came upon the descriptions of the dragons, our work became far more intensive.

One of the things we had documented while in the dragon lands was the different dragons we met, recording detailed descriptions, names, and even their prominent personality traits. The reason for this was simple: dragons were not restricted to one color, and came in a variety of hues, body types, and even demeanors. Dragons, unlike ponies, were a more primal race, and though they had evolved beyond mere beasts, the majority of them were still bound by their genetics in such a way that it could even affect their behavior, depending on the clan they came from. Color usually related to clan directly, so one could make an accurate assessment of which clan a dragon came from simply by the color of their scales. So, while the color of skin might not mean much to a pony, it was incredibly important when dealing with dragons.

“Blue.” Twilight read aloud as she looked over the dragon’s description from the guard reports. “From the lustre of the scales, it appears to be a younger female, likely only a short stretch past adolescence.”

I nodded my acknowledgement, looking over the extensive notes we had on dragons. “Blues belong predominantly to Clan Narrowscale, an older dragon clan that can trace its roots thousands of years into history. They are shrewd negotiators and diplomats, and Valla, one of the more notable members, was once able to convince a rival dragon to hand over its hoard, using nothing more than words. Because of this, they are more commonly known as ‘the Silvertongues’, and they are feared due to their intelligence, which is rare for a dragon.” I frowned at that note. “I mean, not to say that other dragons are dumb, but I suppose these are just known to be some of the best and brightest.”

“Dragons don’t really share their knowledge with many outside of their own clan, so ponies can largely only guess at what they are capable of, and what they know.” Twilight placated while still looking at the reports. “One can’t rightfully assume someone is stupid, simply because one doesn’t know anything about them.”

I nodded in agreement, looking back toward our notes. “The last time we were in the dragon lands, the leader of Clan Narrowscale was Torch. Through the competition years ago, it was decided that his daughter, Ember, would succeed him when he decided to pass on the reigns of leadership.” Memories sprang forth at the mention of Ember and the competition we were dragged into, and I couldn’t help but smile fondly at them. “It’s been awhile since Ember’s returned my messages, but I guess dragons aren’t really keen on mail, at least as much as ponies are.”

Suddenly, as if being physically struck, I flinched as realization overcame me: Ember was a blue female dragon, as was the dragon I was supposed to meet. I felt stupid for not realizing it earlier, but before I could voice my thoughts, Twilight beat me to it.

“You don’t think…” she muttered, looking up and over at me with an unsure expression.

Catching her eyes, I gave a firm nod in confirmation. “It would make sense. I mean, if it is Ember, I guess she would be more comfortable around ponies than most other dragons would be, which would explain why she chose a location so close to us. What I can’t figure out is why she wouldn’t just send a letter or something if she needed to see me, assuming it is her.”

Twilight shrugged helplessly. “I can’t say, and the only way you’re going to find out is when you go to meet the dragon tomorrow. Although, if it is Ember, please let me know via dragonfire so I don’t have to sit in Canterlot worrying about you until the next day.” She frowned slightly as she looked at the reports again. “Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure who it is until you get there. I hate going in blind like this, but we don’t have another choice.”

I stood from my desk and walked over to Twilight, ducking through her circle of floating guard reports. My sudden arrival startled her a bit, but her surprise was short-lived as I gently took her chin and captured her lips with my own. Twilight and I both let our eyes drift closed and enjoyed the moment of closeness, followed by a tender hug between the two of us. Sometimes there were no words needed, so I was content to just hold her close and do my best to assuage her fears.

We released each other and Twilight took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she opened her eyes and looked to the reports again. “All right, let’s see what else we can learn. We already know the basics, but maybe there’s something in the description that would mean more to someone acquainted with dragons.” She began going through the reports again, and with nothing to do until she found something, I pulled my chair over and brought the journal to sit nearby. Other than the shifting of parchment in the air, the study was quiet, and I decided to just offer my silent support as Twilight did her thing.

“Wait…” she muttered as she reached and snatched one of the reports out of the air. Looking over it, she hummed to herself for a few moments before requesting, “Turn to the section about clan marks. I think I’ve found something.”

“Clan marks” were essentially tattoos, the dragon equivalent of pony cutie marks; since dragons were a far older race than ponies, the practice technically came before cutie marks, or ponies, for that matter. In simplest terms, dragons used a combination of precise scorching and inked pricking of their hide to create colored designs that were used as both decoration and identification. Some of the more intricate designs covered whole swathes of the body, or even the face, but those were often the marks that were for decorative purposes only. Clan marks, by comparison, were often simple, small, and were always situated on the forehead or chest.

Opening to the requested section, I handed the journal to Twilight, which she held in front of her as she compared it with the reports. Her eyes darted back and forth a few times before she nodded and looked to me as she turned the book around and pointed to the mark. “It’s a current dragon lord. There are only six -- one for each clan -- and only two of them are Blues, so there’s a one-in-two chance it’s Ember.”

I took the book from her magical grasp and looked over the mark -- a stylized dragon head with a circle over the top and three horizontal lines underneath. I brought my hand up and rubbed my chin as I thought, wondering what a clan leader would want with me. I mean, if it is Ember, why hadn’t she contacted me before now? If it wasn’t, however…

“This just got a whole lot more complicated.” I mumbled, letting out a sigh of frustration.

“And potentially dangerous.” Twilight reminded dourly. “We could be dealing with an unknown dragoness clan leader, and if she is here for you, and it’s not Ember, things could be quite volatile.” She magically gathered up all the reports and stacked them before putting them back in the folder. With that done, she turned to me and pulled me into another hug. “I’m going to say it again: I don’t like this.”

Bringing my hand up to cradle her head, I nodded gently as I held her close. “I agree with the sentiment. Gotta do this, though, so I’m going to make sure I’m as prepared as possible. I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not nervous, but this is the kind of thing a royal has to do for their people, sometimes. And,” I preempted Twilight’s rebuttal, “I know my title as Celestia’s son is kept a secret, but this is still my home, and I'm going to do what I have to in order to protect it.”

Twilight remained nestled against me before letting out a long, slow breath as she looked up at me. “A part of me knows that we have little to worry about -- if the dragoness wanted to cause trouble, she’s had ample time to do it -- but the fact that we don’t know what she wants is what’s worrying me the most. I almost hope she just wants to steal you away and elope, because at least that would be something relatively simple to deal with.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought, and ran my claws through Twilight’s mane as I worked to assuage her fears. “I’m coming home, Twi. AJ will take care of me tomorrow night, and I’ll see you the following day. Just like everything else, we’ll figure this out, and we’ll all have another story to tell and likely laugh about.” Twilight giggled and nodded in agreement, so I counted it as a win.

Giving me one last squeeze, Twilight pulled away and straightened her clothing before setting her face in a determined glare. “All right, we finished earlier than I predicted, so we should get things caught up so that you and I don’t have to come back to be swamped with paperwork and appointments.” She snapped her fingers and held her hand open, and two folders flashed into existence in her open hand. She handed one to me and nodded firmly. “Since I have to meet with the Ponyville guard detachment today, I’ll handle the errands on the east side of town, and you can handle the west. Pick up Lyla and Fluttershy on the way back, and I’ll get the rest of the girls gathered so that we can all head to Sweet Apple Acres together to have dinner with Applejack. I think that should end the day quite nicely.”

My stomach let out a loud rumble of agreement, which I could only bashfully smile at, but nodded regardless. Grabbing the folder and opening it to do a quick skim, I quickly followed Twilight out of the castle via our balcony, eager to get some good food in me.

My half of the errands consisted of doing a quick patrol of the Everfree border, gathering samples from the soil around Sweet Apple Acres, and filing a report with Town Hall about what I would be doing tomorrow regarding the dragon. Needless to say, news of the dragon had been intentionally kept a secret, as was my role in dealing with it. Having a crowd of ponies milling around a dragon’s cave would complicate things, and I already had enough to deal with without that being a factor. I just hoped that no gums had been flapping in Canterlot, because the last thing we needed was a noble house trying to make a power play somehow, and causing innocents to be hurt.

Thankfully, when I arrived at Fluttershy’s, it was to the serene scene of her lovingly tending to Harry the bear in her front yard, brushing his fur in long strokes as the large mammal ate his fill of fish to prepare for hibernation. This was always a busy time for Fluttershy, being one of only three ponies who assisted the wild animals in preparation for winter, so it didn’t bother me so much that she had little time to meet with friends. I knew the following week would be different, but until then, we would have to grin and bear it.

Hehe, bear, because she was brushing...ah, whatever, that was funny.

Harry nudging her with his nose and pointing in my direction caused Fluttershy to look at me, and though she blushed a bit, she still waved with a gentle smile. It seemed she was still a little shy about what happened the previous day, but she wasn’t dashing inside her house like the old days, so that was a good sign. Nonetheless, I still needed to apologize for sticking my foot in my mouth and embarrassing the hay out of her by implying I would like to see under her dress. I readjusted my wings and walked toward her as I returned the smile and wave, trying to think of a way to apologize without causing further unneeded embarrassment to her. After a few moments, I concluded that was impossible, so I decided to suck it up and do what had to be done.

Stopping by Harry’s head to offer him a good scratch behind the ears, I focused my gaze on Fluttershy and chose to just be direct. “Fluttershy, first, I’d like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I said some things that were inappropriate, and I’m sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me.”

Exactly as I had predicted, Fluttershy’s face quickly flushed as embarrassment overcame her, and she did that adorable squeaking thing she does when she was trying to say something, but was too embarrassed to form coherent words...or a pitch that was audible to ponies. Her soft pink mane worked well as a shield as she retreated her face behind it, even going so far as holding up a wing to cover herself and attempt to shut out the world. I knew both were a coping mechanism for her shy nature, so I stood silently by her side, gently laying a hand on her back above her wings and rubbing soothingly as she trembled, likely fighting to not bolt from the mortification alone. The fact that I had suggested I was jealous of the ponies she had unintentionally flashed was what I was apologizing for (or, at least, the fact that I said it aloud), but I knew Fluttershy was probably reliving the embarrassment of the entire situation, at that exact moment.

“I-I forgive you, S-Spike…”

In traditional Fluttershy fashion, the words had been genuine, but so quiet that calling it a whisper would be more accurate. It was completed by a single teal eye peeking out at me and a slightly wobbly smile, but Fluttershy wouldn’t have said she forgave me if she didn’t mean it. Things between us might be awkward for a bit, but it was good to know that we were back on solid friendship ground again.

I nodded to her with a reassuring smile. “I really am sorry, though. It was stupid for me to say something like that, especially in public, so I’m going to think of a way to make it up to you.”

At that, she practically burst forth from her barrier of soft locks and feathers, shaking her head fervently. “O-oh, no Spike, you don’t have to do that. Really, it’s-”

“Too bad,” I interrupted firmly with a smile, “still gonna do it.” I tried not to chuckle at the pouty lip she gave me, as even though she turned away with what most would think was a frustrated huff, I caught the smile that crossed her lips before she turned away. Replacing my hand on her upper back and rubbing gently, I shifted subjects. “Anyway, that wasn’t the only reason I came over, though. Since I’m going on my little ‘adventure’ tomorrow, and Applejack is at home, Twi thought it’d be nice if we all got together at the farmhouse for a dinner together, tonight.”

At the mention of my mission the following day, I felt as every muscle in her back and shoulders tensed, and she froze completely still. It didn’t take a genius to know she was worried about me -- no matter how you looked at it, the situation was scary -- but the fact that she started trembling again worried me. The love and support of her friends had helped her come out of her shell a little more over the years, but Fluttershy had a tendency to bottle up her more uncomfortable emotions, unwilling to become anything like her “new Fluttershy” phase. Fluttershy’s very nature was that of a worrier, so I knew that she had likely been purposefully not thinking about it in an effort to not work herself up into a tizzy. My mention of what was coming had probably brought all that to the forefront of her mind, and so she was having to deal with it, now.

At this point, even Harry was looking up at his caretaker, a worried expression clear even on the bear’s face. Just as I was about to verbally ask if she was going to be okay, all of the tense muscles relaxed, and she unhurriedly put the brush down on the nearby worktable with all the gentle ease she normally embodied. She then turned slowly to me, and I was unfortunate enough to witness “sad Fluttershy”, complete with a lip bite that any other time would be adorable, and the teary turquoise eyes of a heartbroken pegasus cutie. The lip tremble was the final straw, and I immediately closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms and wings around her in a powerful hug. The sound of shifting beside us preceded two large, furry arms enveloping the both of us, as Harry and I did our best to comfort the distraught pegasus.

Unhealthy as it likely was, Fluttershy rarely let out the entirety of her true emotions. Even now, nestled in the protective embrace of two of her friends, she still only released a stifled cry every now and then, unwilling to truly let go, as she probably should have. Still, I knew that if she was being affected even this much, she was likely feeling much worse inside, so I did my best to comfort her.

“I’ll be okay, Fluttershy.” I assured, tucking her head underneath mine and ensuring she was as secure in my grasp as possible. “If the dragon wanted to cause trouble, it’s had ample time to do so. And besides that, I’m fireproof.”

“...b-but you don’t know that for sure!” her soft voice vehemently argued. The worry had driven her voice to a volume much louder than normal for her, though even calling it a raised voice was ludicrous, by anyone else’s standards. “Y-you can’t know that you’ll be okay, Spike!” She pushed herself up until her face emerged from the cocoon of arms and wings around her, and she looked me square in the face with an intense, pleading stare. “Please Spike...please don’t do this. I-I’m so afraid something terrible is going to happen, and I don’t want you to be hurt…”

The glassy, teary eyes of Fluttershy nearly broke my will, but a single thought was all it took to put me back on track.

I reached a hand up and affectionately stroked her soft, pink locks as I let out a deep sigh. “I have the best chance of coming out of this unharmed, Fluttershy. The dragon doesn’t seem to be here with the intent of purposefully starting anything with the local populace, but every time one of the guard patrols has gotten close, it’s noticed them, and warned them to keep away. How do you think I would feel if one of our friends got hurt because of something gone wrong with this situation? How would you feel if Twilight, or any of our other friends ended up severely hurt?” I saw the uncertainty in her expression, so I pressed my advantage. “I don’t like this either, and neither does Twilight, but we’ve gone over all the data available to us, and the chance of me actually getting hurt is very low. Dragons generally don’t respond well to non-dragons, which is why I was the most logical choice. I’m doing this to prevent my friends from getting hurt, Fluttershy. It has to be done.”

Her soulful teal eyes just stared back at me, as if judging my words and searching for any deception in them. Finally, after a few silent moments, Fluttershy released a resigned, shuddering sigh as she pressed her face into my hand and nodded with a sniffle. “...o-okay, Spike. I’m still scared for you, but I know you aren’t someone who does dangerous things for no reason. Just…” she swallowed hard and looked to me again, “just promise me that if things go bad, you fly as fast as you can to safety. Don’t worry about being brave o-or noble, just get away and be safe. I...I-I don’t know if I could handle it if something really bad happened to you.”

Rubbing my thumb and forefinger along the lower part of her ear -- and earning a pleased sigh in the process -- I nodded firmly. “I promise. You can trust me when I say I’m in no hurry to die.”

Again looking deeply into my eyes -- almost looking through me, it seemed -- Fluttershy finally nodded with a gentle, if nervous, smile. “O-okay, I believe you.” She pulled away from me, so Harry and I released her from the impromptu “safe-zone” we had created with our arms, and she rubbed the tears from her eyes with a final few sniffles. “W-well, I would love to share a meal with my best friends. I have some things to finish up here though, so can we meet in front of Sweet Apple Acres in twenty minutes?”

Nodding an affirmative, I replied, “Sure. I have to go and get Lyla anyway, so I’ll be doubling back that way regardless. I’ll see you soon then, Fluttershy.” Another gentle nod was my answer, so after giving another good ear scratch to the large brown bear, I headed to my next destination, hoping that I had helped settle some of Fluttershy’s nerves...and also hoping I hadn’t been lying when I said I’d be fine.

Lyla and I exited her home, with me looking a little less put-together due to her rather...spirited show of affection she’d heaped on me as soon as I arrived. I had barely crossed the threshold into her home when I was pounced upon and shown exactly how much she had missed me in the past few days. In some ways, it was like having an affectionate puppy for a marefriend: whether it be a few hours or a few days, I was given love and affection as if we hadn’t seen each other in months. Not that I was complaining at all, of course.

After finishing buttoning up my shirt and straightening my trousers, I took Lyla’s hand in my own and walked with her toward the main town. I found myself reminiscing about the earlier days of Lyla’s life in Equestria, we had also held hands when walking together, though more for her safety than anything else. Now, the simple contact was a way for us to show our feelings for each other -- both to each other, and to those curious enough to watch us. I was quite adamant in publicly acknowledging the relationships I had formed, even in little ways, so that the less romantically-confident ones -- Lyla and Twilight -- were reassured that I wanted this with them, and was not afraid to show others. Twilight had her own hang-ups about a relationship, due to her past experiences, but Lyla had never had one before, so I was just fine with taking the lead and showing the town that I was secure in my choices.

Besides, though I worked every day to keep my draconic nature in check, sometimes it needed to be sated in more overt ways. The simple act of holding hands with a chosen marefriend of mine was asserting to anyone watching that they were mine, and that actually worked quite well to keep “Spike Want” quiet.

After crossing through the town center and taking the long walk to the north fields, we crested a final hill and saw Sweet Apple Acres. A familiar rainbow-headed mare was sitting on top of the sign, talking to our yellow pegasus friend as they waited for us to arrive. Rainbow, being the one facing the road, spotted us first, and shouted a greeting as she waved happily. Fluttershy turned around and gave a much more demure smile and wave, though she was no less happy to see her friends.

Lyla and I extended our wings and flew the last few dozen paces, landing moments later in front of the main gate to the farm. Some quick greetings from our friends preceded the four of us walking at a sedate pace through the dormant apple fields, making our way to the old farm house in the distance. At this point, only a few of the trees even had leaves left on them, so the vibrant fields of Sweet Apple Acres looked far more barren. We all knew that come springtime, the trees would blossom beautifully, and they would continue with another year of vibrant life, but even when I was young, the sight of the leafless trees unnerved me -- it just seemed...wrong, somehow.

I didn’t have to think about it all for very long, since within only a few minutes, we were standing in front of the farmhouse. Voices could already be heard inside, and Rainbow Dash wasted no time in pushing open the door to let us in, closing it firmly behind us. Immediately the warmth of the home permeated my body, and I found myself smiling as the atmosphere of the old, yet well-kept house soothed my mind and body. Judging just by the familiar voices, it was clear the four of us were the last to arrive, which was further evidenced by Twilight’s familiar scarf hung on a coathook, and Rarity’s “fashionable-yet-functional” white coat. The last of the group, Pinkie, surprised me from behind by wrapping me in a tight hug and nuzzling the spot between my wings.

While moderately surprised, the familiar scent of my bubbly baker friend caused my smile to widen, and after using my tail to reach up and tickle her ribs, I turned around and greeted her with an embrace of my own. Even with the night just beginning, I could already tell this was exactly what I needed to steady myself for the mission the following day. Somehow, just the presence of these important ponies already made the whole thing seem not so big and intimidating, and I felt more confident that everything would be fine. In addition, it was the little things like a Pinkie-hug that reminded me of exactly how much I had to come back to. Not that I didn’t already have reason enough to make sure I made it back to Ponyville, but it was always nice to have little reminders of just how great my home was.

“Spike, ‘s that you? Ah could use some extra hands in here!” Applejack’s voice called from the kitchen, so I quickly freed myself of Pinkie’s grasp and made my way through the home.

The kitchen was a bustle of activity, with Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, Rarity, and even Twilight in it (though the latter seemed to be focused on grabbing the needed utensils and pans, instead of actually preparing the food). With it being so full, I quickly headed to the sink and washed my hands before looking to Applejack for direction.

She pointed with her good arm toward the table against the wall of one side, where the produce was settled. “Ah’d appreciate some peelin’ ‘n choppin’, if ya could. We’ll take care’a tha cookin’ if you can get tha food ready.” I nodded my assent before heading to the table and grabbing the peeler, starting on the potatoes first. It was monotonous work that didn’t take any thinking, so I let my body do the work as I let my mind blank out everything but the current task. Before I knew it, the table was now full of peeled and chopped veggies and apples, so with my work done, I took the skins and put them next to the barn in the pig feed trough before making my way back inside the house.

Upon my arrival, Mac nodded his thanks to me before shooing everyone that wasn't an Apple out of the kitchen, rumbling that they'd take care of the rest. So, with that done, I joined the crowd in the family room, where a few of Mac's herd were gathered, including the other stallion: Caramel.

I had known Caramel for awhile. Being a Ponyville native and the older brother of Bon Bon, he was a common sight around the market district of Ponyville. He lacked his younger sister’s proficiency for making sweets, but he was well known as one of the best and most reliable construction ponies around, which, in a town like Ponyville, was a high-demand job. While a good deal older than me, he had always been a laid-back stallion that was a friend to any and all, so long as they didn’t cause trouble in his town. Even though she’d never admit it, Twilight even had a bit of a crush on him for awhile, when we first came to Ponyville.

The tan-coated stallion glanced over to me as I entered the family room, and flicked his thick, wavy hair out of his eyes with a jerk of his head. Offering me a smile and a fist to bump, he greeted me warmly with all the hospitality of any other Apple family member -- though he wasn’t born into the family, Mac had once commented that he somehow just “fit” into the herd so well, it was like he had belonged there all along. This was evidenced by the clear love and affection he had for the mares he herded with, and the loving attention he gave to the little Ruby Pinch, who was currently slumbering on his lap.

In honesty, since there weren’t too many others in Ponyville, I secretly modeled a lot of myself after him and Macintosh, when it came to being a stallion.

I took a seat on the opposite end of the large, L-shaped couch in the room, and was quickly joined by Lyla and Rarity -- the latter deciding to claim my lap. For the first time in awhile, there was nothing I had to do and no one I had to impress, so I just settled into my cozy seat and held my two girls close, content to let all the friends catch up and enjoy themselves for the night. It was a night together we all needed, I think, for several different reasons. The Apples -- and Applejack in particular -- needed a nice family night to give love and support to the injured family member, and the most common way of doing that was a large family dinner. For Twilight, Rarity, and the other Elements, the night was a way to reassure themselves that Applejack was okay, and to show their support for their dear friend. And, for me, it was a good way to recharge after a stressful past few days, as well as to prepare for the mini-adventure I’d be a part of the following day.

In addition to all this, for the Apples themselves, hosting a dinner was as natural as bucking apples, or working on a farm; it was no imposition to them at all, and Granny Smith herself had been quite clear on that, as Twilight had explained to me. When I really thought about it, it all made sense: the Apples were spread across all of Equestria, but were known to be a very close-knit family where foals grew up knowing four or five different pairs of grandparents, just as many aunts and uncles, and dozens of cousins. Quiet and solitary was simply not the life they were used to, so in actuality, they were quite comfortable with -- and even desired -- a home full of family and friends laughing, telling stories, and sharing their life experiences with each other. Their doors were truly always open for family and friends that were ready to help out, tell good stories, and share a good meal. Though it seemed simplistic to a lot of city ponies, I still find it impossible to explain in words just how the atmosphere of the home, the ponies in it, and the history of that home infused one’s body, relaxing away tension and bringing a smile to the face.

That must be why, with just the two of us, Twilight’s castle felt so empty.

After she finished up in the kitchen, Twilight joined the rest of us in the room, and took the place I had left next to me, against the armrest. It was a snug fit for two people with overt wings, but after some maneuvering, I was comfortably nestled into the cushions, surrounded by my three girls. It was warm, and cozy, and after such a busy day, I found myself falling asleep before I even realized I was tired.

What felt like only moments later, I was being gently nudged awake by a certain changeling, who was grinning at me like a loon. The second thing I became aware of was the scent of lovely food, and that worked quite well to rouse me to full awareness -- there were...other things Lyla could have done to wake me, but we were in polite company, so we silently elected to explore those options sometime later.

With everypony else having already taken their places, I headed with Lyla to the last two open seats, nestled between Big Mac at the head, and Twilight along one side. With everyone seated, Macintosh started us off by spooning some roasted vegetables in gravy onto his plate, passing it to his right as another dish was passed to him from the left. This continued until everyone had been served, at which point we began eating, trading stories and comments as conversation flowed freely. The long table itself was easily as large as the one in the dining hall back at the castle, but having it filled with friends and family somehow made it so much better, even though it was carved from oak instead of opulent crystal. Luckily, most of the conversation was focused around the six Elements and their adventures, so I was largely left to just silently eat and enjoy reminiscing about the events mentioned. Eventually, though…

“So what’s this Ah hear ‘bout you goin’ on some solo mission t’marrah?” Granny Smith spoke up, looking directly at me from the foot of the table.

Nearly choking on a bite of roasted turnip, I swallowed hard and focused my gaze on the elder matriarch. “...umm, it’s just a bit of trouble that’s cropped up that I need to go and take care of. I actually can’t really talk about it, at the moment. Suffice to say it’s a state secret for reasons I can’t disclose.”

Granny Smith squinted at me for a few silent moments before raising a weathered eyebrow. “Ain’t no danger ta mah fam’ly, is it?”

Thinking about how to answer properly, I took a moment to myself before replying, “I’m going to prevent danger, not cause it. No pony’s going to be in trouble if I have anything to say about it -- and I do. I promise to do all that’s in my power to keep everypony safe and sound.”

A long stare was the response I got from the old pony, before she nodded gently and returned to eating. “Just ‘slong as ya take care’a yerself. Ain’t gonna do nopony no good iff’n ya get yerself hurt.”

I admit, it was discomforting to see every single one of my friends stiffen up -- even if just for a second -- at the thought of harm coming to me. While a part reminded me that it was just more proof of how important I was them, another part of me hated that I was the cause of this much stress. Much as I detested the very idea, a tiny voice whispered in my mind that I should have kept this to myself, so as to spare them all the worry.

Giving a hard swallow -- and not to clear food out of my mouth -- I nodded firmly to Granny Smith. “I will. I’ll make sure I come home safe.”

With that said, we all went back to eating, and while the conversations never drifted toward that particular subject again, I’m fairly sure I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As a group, we all helped clean up afterwards. With nearly twenty of us on hand, picking up after the meal took practically no time at all, but so as to allow them all time to relax and spend time with Applejack, I elected to help wash the dishes in the kitchen. This left me alone with Applebloom and Granny Smith, but with the older pony rinsing and Applebloom drying, the job went very quickly, even with an entire counter full of dirty dishes.

I tuned out the chatter, for the most part, as it just consisted of Granny Smith asking the youngest sister about school and what her friends were up to these days, but I was aware enough to recognize a dismissal when I heard one.

“Bloom, Ah think we c’n finish tha rest. Go spend time with yer sister.”

“Okay Granny!”

It was clear she wanted to speak to me alone, though I had no idea what it could be about.

We finished washing up the remainder of the dishes, and after putting them away, I leaned back against the sink and looked at the old mare. “I take it you wanted to talk to me privately.”

Despite my light accusation, Granny Smith smiled a wrinkly smile. “Ya catch on quick, sonny.”

Nodding and slowly hobbling over to a free chair against the wall, she took a seat and looked up at me with deep, wise eyes. Most didn’t know it, but Granny Smith was older than she looked (which, without being mean, was hard to imagine). Celestia had once explained to me that every pony subspecies drew ambient magic from the environment whenever they used the abilities unique to their subspecies -- flying and cloud-forging for pegasi, for example -- and a little bit of that magic became a part of the pony every time they used it. Magic was a neutral energy -- it wasn’t inherently good or bad -- but some of the races, such as ponies, had evolved to make it a part of who they were. For ponies specifically, bonded magic bolstered their bodies, as well as slowed the aging process. Granny Smith, for example, often told the story of her traveling and fighting off timberwolves before she stumbled upon the site of what would one day become Ponyville. This, in particular, was all the more impressive when one took into account the fact that Ponyville was founded nearly two centuries prior. Granny Smith had seen and experienced more than most normal ponies had any right to, so when she spoke, you listened.

Settling herself more comfortably, the elderly mare nodded to me firmly. “Right. Now, Ah ain’t gonna nag ya ta be careful again, and Ah ain’t gonna say this all is a bad idea ‘r nothin’ -- Luna knows Ah’ve done mah own share’a things that don’t make no sense ta nopony but me.” She shifted her legs, digging into her pocket and pulling out an old, worn pipe. Pulling out a small plastic baggie of dry brown leaves, which I could only imagine was tobacco, she methodically packed a bit into the pipe before lighting a match and bringing it to the mouth of the apparatus. After a few puffs to get a good, slow burn going, she slowly exhaled the smoke and pointed to me. “Ah ain’t here ta try ‘n’ convince ya ta not do what yer doin’: Ah’m here ta talk ‘bout AJ.”

I raised a brow, confused. “Applejack? What about her?”

“She cares ‘bout ya somethin’ fierce, Spike -- more’n Ah’ve ever seen ‘er care ‘bout anypony but fam’ly.” My eyes widened at this, but she simply took a long drag from the pipe, letting the breath out her nose this time. “Ah can’t say what’ll happen ‘tween tha two’ve ya, but first, Ah want ya ta make me a promise.” The old pony sat up a little straighter and her expression became very serious as she spoke: “Ah want ya ta promise me y’all will always watch out f’r each other. Keep ‘er safe, but most’ve all, keep ‘er happy. Mah girl’s been through too much ta have ta live without ya. Y’all don’t have ta live in tha same place f’r tha rest of yer life, but Ah want tha peace of mind ta know y’all ain’t gonna f’rget about ‘er one day.”

I could only stare at her for a few silent moments, the only sounds in the kitchen that of her taking slow draws from the pipe and breathing out the smoky air. Maybe I was misreading things, but by the way she spoke, it almost sounded like…

“Are...are you insinuating that I’m going to be a part of Applejack’s love life?”

Granny Smith just stared back with an unreadable expression.

I stared right back at her before fervently shaking my head. “W-whoa, whoa, that is not what’s going on between us at all. We’re just friends, and besides that, she just broke up with her coltfriend. Even if that were my intention, I have no desire to be ‘the rebound guy’. Applejack…” I took a breath to calm myself, and shook my head again. “Applejack doesn’t need some other guy trying to slip his way into her pants, no matter who it is. She’s a friend and family first and foremost, and that’s what I’m going to be to her.” Realizing I had raised my voice a bit, I quieted down so as to keep our conversation private. Taking another calming breath, I let it out slowly before bringing my eyes back to Granny Smith. “I would never forget about Applejack, and I’ll always be here for her. Maybe I’m too young to understand completely, but Ponyville is my home, and I don’t want to be anywhere else. Applejack and all the ponies I care about make it home, so I wouldn’t want to be in a place where I couldn’t be around them anymore.”

Again, the strangely deep eyes of the Apple matriarch bored into me, until she seemingly found what she was looking for, and smiled. With a resolute nod, she replied, “Then that’s good ‘nough f’r me.”

Blinking once, I nodded. “Um...a-all right, good.” I then pushed off of the counter and shifted unsteadily as I thought of how to word my thoughts. “...what exactly did you mean by you don’t know what’ll happen between us? You know I’m not trying to ‘woo’ her or anything, right? She doesn’t need that, especially now.”

“Y’all might be a dragon Spike, but not even tha most magical of critters c’n see tha future.” she replied, grinning softly. “B’cause’a that, ya can’t say it won’t happen. Mah lil’ Apple loves ya like yer already fam’ly, an’ it might be one day she wants more’n friendship from ya...and somethin’ tells me you’d ‘least give it a chance.” She slowly pulled herself to stand, moving over to the sink and pounding out the ash from her pipe into the sink before washing it down. Without looking at me she voiced, “Iffin’ mah mem’ry serves, used to be all yer girls started out as ‘just friends’ too, right?” Finishing washing her hands, she slid the pipe back in her pocket and turned to me, reaching out and giving a firm pat on the shoulder. “Jus’ somethin’ ta think ‘bout fer tha future, sonny.”

With that, she slowly meandered out of the kitchen, likely to go rejoin the rest of the ponies in the home. This left me alone with my thoughts, and It’s a safe description to say they were violently turbulent.

I trusted Granny Smith’s analysis of her granddaughter more than I did my own, so it was okay to take her words at face value. Now, I wasn’t surprised that Granny Smith had said Applejack loved me -- after all, ponies in particular were easily able to understand the fact that there were many different types of love, and referring to love between two people didn’t necessarily mean romance; I knew Applejack loved me, and I loved her back, but as a friend. However, the old mare had clearly seen something I didn’t, and whether it was merely wishful thinking or a true possibility, I couldn’t say. Even with just myself, I couldn’t lie and say I’d never thought of Applejack as attractive, or that I’d never had a fantasy of bagging the cutest “farmer’s daughter” this side of Equestria. The difference is, I’d grown up around Applejack, and she was never the type to be swept off her feet and wooed properly -- frankly, when she initially started dating Thunderlane, I was surprised more at the fact she was dating, rather than who she was dating.

Applejack was a tough farm girl, and wasn’t usually huggy like Pinkie was, and nor was she particularly one known for kisses between friends (much as I didn’t want to admit it, the kiss she had given me was still stuck in my head). Applejack, for the most part, related to her friends in ways that a stallion would -- it was common for her to show support with a reassuring, firm pat on the back rather than a hug, and she was more likely to laugh off something uncomfortable, rather than let it pull her down. Like Rainbow Dash, while her body was clearly “mare”, her personality and the way she handled day-to-day life was more akin to a stallion. While it was easy to look at her from afar and admire her prominent curves -- especially around the rump -- for someone like me who had known her for years, it was difficult to see her as an attractive mare and possible romantic partner. Unfortunately for me, much like it had started for me and Twilight, I was sure this was going to be on my mind for days or weeks afterward, whether I wanted it to be or not; the only difference was I knew there was no chance of Applejack and I becoming an item, let alone just after she broke up with her coltfriend.

With my mind quieted, I nodded resolutely and left the kitchen, determined to be a good friend to a friend in need.

Being a get-together with the Apple family, the night ended relatively early, as farmers rose with the sun. We all said our goodbyes and gave our thanks to the gracious family that had us over, and Applejack surprised me with another hug as her way of saying goodbye. With a whisper in her ear that I would be okay and I’d see her tomorrow night, she released me, and the rest of us headed home.

Rainbow Dash opted to fly straight to her house after a hurried farewell, and Lyla chose to escort the skittish Fluttershy home, which, after parting ways with Pinkie, left Twilight, Rarity and I alone for the night. Since the workload was relatively light the next few days, Rarity accepted Twilight’s invitation to stay the night at the castle.

Twilight’s temporary portal within the private commons area allowed Rarity to step through to her home and fetch a few toiletries and some nightwear, after which we all cleaned the day off of us and dressed down to relax for the rest of the night, but with it being so early, we treated the gathering as a sleepover. This, of course, meant junk food in Twilight’s room while watching silly B-movies, and the three of us laughing uproariously at just how bad the acting and special effects were. It was...nice.

Of course, as we relaxed in our pajamas on a bed, sitting graduated to laying, and simply being close to each other became an impromptu cuddle session between the three of us. Luckily for me, the two mares had been friends for many years, so although there were little bouts of competition between the three of my new herd, there was no jealousy, so it was all in good fun. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that, for the most part, things were turning out exactly like they were supposed to: Twilight and Rarity were different ponies that brought different things to the herd, but they added to it and supported one another, rather than fighting. I guess part of what made it so easy was the fact that we all knew each other, so there was none of that awkward “getting to know you” phase most ponies had to deal with. It was because of all this that the two of them were laying at either side of me, cuddled close, watching and giggling at the silly “horror” movies that were playing. I, of course, was more focused on the warm, curvy bodies on either side of me, and while it was true that I enjoyed a silly movie as well, two gorgeous mares holding themselves against me was quite distracting, to say the least.

Unfortunately, as I found out fairly early in my life, lying on one’s back with wings is not comfortable without the room to stretch them out, so I had to shift to a sitting position against the backboard. This, of course, left my sides uncuddled, but like so many other things in my life, I had to just remember that it was a part of growing up. I mean, at some point, I wouldn’t even be able to fit inside buildings anymore. For that reason, I found myself content with just being able to be near those I cared about. I occupied myself by reaching down with my hands to gently rub the ears of the two mares still laying down, and just watched the remainder of the movie, savoring the simplicity of a quiet night between friends.

As usual, I woke up in the middle of the night, after we had finally succumbed to sleep. I was nestled on my stomach, as was Twilight, while Rarity was turned on her side, facing away from me. Both were pressed tightly against me to conserve warmth on the cool night (though I knew that wasn’t the only reason), so I had to carefully shimmy myself from between the two as I thought about how to get off the bed without waking the two of them. It took a minute, but I finally found my answer when I looked up, and saw the ornate crystal light fixture securely anchored to the ceiling by being part of it.

A little known fact about flying dragons: they can climb really well, too. In the mountainous regions where my kind evolved, flying wasn’t always an option, and so our wings evolved over millions of years to be able to help us climb when the lay of the land became too restricted to allow us to take flight. The sharp, earth-rending claws of our hands and feet were already well-suited to the task, but to give us an edge, our wings slowly evolved to have small claws at the wrist (third joint), which was also where those bony spines were.

Looking at my own wings, I flexed muscles I rarely used (though they were still strong), and a small clawed appendage unwrapped from the base of the bony spine, looking like a finger, except much thicker. I stood and reached my wings up, hooking both of them on two of the arms of the light fixture. Slowly, I pulled myself up and with a quick swing of my legs, let go and let my momentum carry me through the air. Flaring my wings just before landing, I touched down relatively softly, the sound audible, but not enough to wake the two ponies sleeping in bed. I couldn’t help the triumphant grin that crossed my lips, but made sure to keep quiet as I silently left the room.

My first stop was the bathroom, which was the reason I had awoken in the first place, but after relieving myself, I made my way to the large window overlooking most of the town. Gazing out over the slumbering town I called home, I loosed a gentle sigh and smiled as I thought of all the friends I had made since Twilight and I moved to Ponyville. We had traveled a lot in our relatively short lives, and seen more than most ponies do in their entire lifetimes. Even so, with the culture and food of Manehattan, or even the glitz and glimmer of Los Pegasus, Ponyville would always be home for us. Even now, just reminiscing about the many ponies I had grown up with, I could almost see the flower sisters selling their wares out in front of their shared house. Derpy and Time Turner were trotting happily through the park with Dinky, who was not so little anymore. Lyra and Bon Bon were relaxing on a bench underneath their favorite red maple tree, the former playing soothing music on her lyre while the latter tried to look as though she wasn’t enjoying it as much as she was. Octavia and Vinyl, the two local musician big-shots, were playfully bantering back and forth as they walked the streets of Ponyville. Then, of course, were the seven that were far more important to me -- they were family. The strange thing was, it seemed odd now to picture any one of them just on their own. Even Lyla, who had come into our lives years after we had all gotten to know each other, had become a part of the group as if she had always been there. Sure, there were things about her that we still didn’t know (mostly because we hadn’t asked), but who she was as a person...we already knew all that. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Lyla...every single one of them had left their mark on my life, and it no longer seemed right if they weren’t a part of mine. Maybe it was a bit selfish when I really thought about it, but I didn’t want to live my life without any of them. I had already lost one or two important people in my life because I allowed them to drift away, and I couldn’t let it happen to my closest friends.

That, of course, meant I had to be there, too. It meant that whatever happened the following day, I had to make it back to Ponyville, and keep my promise to Fluttershy. Besides that, I had a feeling that Applejack would completely lose it if I didn’t show the next night, because as much as she would never admit it, Applejack was depending on my support as she healed her physical and emotional wounds. It was a little intimidating to know that my safety -- or lack thereof -- was going to be weighing heavily on the minds of seven mares (nine, if you counted Celestia and Luna). They all knew this was one dangerous mission they wouldn’t be able to follow me on, but after years of watching Twilight and the others go on adventure after adventure, I think doing one on my own was acceptable. I didn’t like knowing this was all stressful to them, so I promised myself that I’d return safe and sound, and hopefully, with news of a new draconic ally.

I glanced once more at the sleeping town, feeling the warmth in my heart that reminded me of what home truly was, before I turned on my heel and headed back to bed.

Chapter 11

“Twilight, you -- mmh -- really need -- mmh -- to go-mmh.”

Twilight appeared to be trying to drown me in kisses for good luck, and while I would normally have no problem with that at all, we both had places to be. Besides that, I was pretty sure the flower sisters (whose stand we happened to be in front of) were going to faint if we didn’t stop.

On the spectrum of intimacy, Twilight was the opposite of Lyla. While comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me, she was not ready to do anything beyond kissing. I didn’t mind, as I was in no way starved for affection, but even in the short time we had been together, Twilight had been quite happy to give me smooches, even in public. I’ll say one thing for sure: Twilight was a quick study, which was evidenced by the fact that my knees were weak when she finally pulled away after a particularly loving kiss on my lips. While a more carnal side of me whispered that I could teach her oh-so-many other things, I beat it back mentally with a stick labeled “Friendship Comes First”.

The guards that were in charge of flying the chariot were watching with amused grins, neither willing to tell the princess she had to do anything. I would be getting no help from them, unfortunately, so I was finally forced to grab Twilight by the shoulders and push her away from me. It was cute how she whined briefly and attempted to lean back in, but I held firm and shook my head at her.

Leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on the end of her nose, I gave her a reassuring smile. “Twilight, it’s gonna be okay. Go to Canterlot, do princess things, and have some good times with Celestia and Luna. I’ll be home by tonight, and you and I can spend tomorrow trading stories of our adventures.”

Pouting slightly -- though because I stopped her or for some other reason, I wasn’t sure -- Twilight huffed good-naturedly. “Presiding over a budget meeting with engineers and scientists is hardly an ‘adventure’, Spike. You might be spending the day dodging fireballs, while I’ll be having to bite my own lip to keep from falling asleep.”

Releasing her arms, I quirked my brow at her. “But this is the kinda stuff you love learning about.”

Finally pulling away and straightening her blouse, Twilight only stared at me. “It’s a budget meeting, not a scientific expo. We’ll be talking about how much money everything costs, not the wonders of modern science and engineering. Boring isn’t a strong enough word. It won’t even be a good distraction to keep from worrying about you.”

Realizing she was right, I thought furiously about how to help her, and an idea immediately came to me. Grinning at her, I offered, “Tell Celestia I told you to ask about carrot and pickle soup.” The mention of the odd combination of course caused her to stare at me questioningly, but I just shook my head. “It’s a code, basically. She’ll know what it means, and she’ll take care of everything. You won’t be bored, I promise.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at me, but I refused to say anymore on the matter.

Resigning herself to whatever it meant, Twilight sighed and nodded to me. “Fine. I’ll follow this, and here’s hoping things don’t get weird somehow.”

“Oh, things are gonna get weird,” I answered, grinning like a shark, “but that’s what’ll make it fun. Trust me.”

Twilight leaned up on the tips of her hooves and planted another kiss on me before huffing and pulling away. “All right, I need to go now or I’ll never leave.” Glancing back at me once more, she frowned in worry. “Stay safe, Spike. See you tomorrow.” I offered nothing more than a nod, and quietly watched as she boarded the chariot, taking off a few moments later. I watched silently until she disappeared into the dense cloud cover, then turning on my heels and making my way back to the castle.

Both Rarity and Lyla had things to do today, so that left me alone to pack the few things I was going to bring with me. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it became much more difficult to distract myself from my growing anxiety if I didn’t have someone to talk to. The beautiful crystal of the castle itself seemed to echo with my own thoughts, and within only a few minutes, I was hustling to finish packing as quickly as possible, just to get going and stop working myself into a destructive spiral of self-doubt and anxiety.

My pack was modest even by my standards, only having a notebook, a brief summary of my job, a change of clothes, a few dozen gems, and a short-use fire-repelling crystal enchantment. The bag itself was woven with magical fibers and spells that would protect it from all but the hottest fires of the sun itself, but the clothes I was wearing were still very flammable, so I could only hope that this would be a more cordial meeting. Not that being naked would be the worst thing to happen, but I didn’t like losing clothes, especially those made by Rarity.

After checking over everything to be sure I was ready, I launched into the air from the second floor balcony and headed north toward the edge of town, passing the town hall and Sweet Apple Acres in short order before the lush greenery of the Whitetail Wood became all that was visible in every direction. Using the position of the sun as orientation, I mentally settled myself in for a long, boring flight toward the barely-visible mountains in the distance.

It was well into the afternoon when I arrived at the foot of the mountain range, as the flight itself had taken me around three hours at a casual pace. I was somewhat surprised that my wings barely felt tired at all, but then remembered why Rainbow Dash’s training was so hard on me: dragon wings were built for power and distance, not speed and agility. While this worked against me when Rainbow Dash ran me through the wringer, it was a blessing for long flights, since I could practically fly all day long and still be relatively okay. I thanked my luck for that, since I was unsure how this was going to go.

The cave I was looking for was about halfway up one of the mountains in front of me -- high enough to be safe from most rain, but still well-insulated to keep its occupant shielded from chilly mountain storms. Not that a large dragon had much to fear from the cold, but it was still miserable to be chilly and wet, even if it wouldn’t make them sick. Unfortunately, the only way to safely approach the cave was by flight, which was also what made it impossible to approach stealthily. The dragon would know I was coming, if it didn’t already, so there would be no subtlety to this whatsoever.

I mentally sighed and pulled my satchel up from my hip, digging inside blindly and finding a few gems. Popping them into my mouth, I sated a bit of my hunger before taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. Turning my eyes toward the mountains, I scanned the faces to see if I could spot any obvious caves. There were a few to be seen, just from the ground, but none of them were big enough to house a dragon, which meant the cave was likely on the other side. Unfortunately for me, this meant I was going to have to brave the chilly winds around the mountain for a good length of time, while I located the cave.

Settling my satchel against my side again, I blasted into the air and began to eyeball the mountain faces, looking for a sufficiently-sized opening for an average-sized dragon. Starting from the lower portion of the three mountains, I slowly rounded each one in a weaving pattern, working my way up higher and higher. It was unfortunate that the caves and alcoves were still too small for what I was searching for, which eventually drove me into the clouds. The icy winds and snow buffeted me as I continued to ascend, but after nearly an hour, I found what I was looking for, and immediately swerved to land on the lip leading to the large recess in the mountain. I shook the forming ice crystals from my hide and head spines, brushing the more stubborn ones away by hand. I couldn't help but release a frustrated sigh at the feel of the tiny, but still noticeable pricks against the sensitive skin underneath the scales of my hands and face, hoping that the warmth of the cave would melt them.

And yes, it was indeed warm.

The obvious smell of smoke and sulfur, along with an accompanying heat, told me I was either inside a volcano, or I had found what I was searching for. Frankly, at this point, I had hoped for the former, since while a volcano could be dangerous, it wouldn’t be actively trying to hurt me. Much to my disappointment, however, the very noticeable claw marks on the ground and walls around the entrance made the latter possibility far more likely.

Pulling open my satchel again and fishing out my notebook and a pencil, I turned back toward the windy entrance and stepped out to the lip again. It took a moment of squinting to be able to see through the harsh winds and snow, but I was able to get an approximate location of the cave in mind, and after cross-referencing it with what I remembered from the guard reports, I concluded I was in the right place. I turned on my heel again and looked around the entrance chamber, jotting down quick notes on what I saw, just in case it might come in handy later. What I was sure to notate was that the dragon was not in view, but from the reports stating it had spotted the pony scouts and warned them not to get closer, I could only conclude it already knew I was there. I noted that as well, unsure what information would be useful in the future. Taking a few deep breaths in an effort to calm myself a little, I placed my notebook and pencil back in the pack before deciding to abandon the idea of sneaking in -- an adult dragon’s hearing was about the same as the average pony’s, but they were able to sense vibrations within the ground to great effect. Unless I suddenly discovered how to teleport without magic, I wasn’t going to be surprising this dragon.

Even though I kept mentally reminding myself that it was clear this dragon wanted to see me for some reason, not knowing why was still making me quite nervous.

And so my nervousness gave way to tapping my fingers on my chest, which was something I did whenever I was feeling particularly uneasy. I could only hope I wasn’t going to somehow insult this dragoness by doing so, but I also had no idea who I was dealing with, so my mere presence might be that insult. Nonetheless, I continued down into the deeper part of the cave, carefully sliding down a steep descent and trying not to imagine the odd dripping noise I could now hear was blood instead of water. With each step, my heart began beating just a little faster, and it became quite clear that all my self-psyching hadn’t done much to actually prepare me for facing something like this. A growing part of me began screaming to just run, fly away and not look back -- damn the mission and damn whatever ponies would be stupid enough to bother a dragon. I’ll admit, I was a little ashamed that I seriously thought about doing just that.

Regardless, I continued on. What kept me going, kept my feet moving forward instead of back, was the mental image of a bruised and burned friend of mine, looking at me with an odd sense of betrayal and acceptance as the trust they once had in me was replaced with disappointment. The mere thought of such a thing happening, when I could have stopped it, was what kept me going. I might not be able to fight off a full-grown dragon, but perhaps meeting with one would be enough to avert tragedy.

The breathing was the first thing I noticed. It was deep, relaxed, and decidedly not-smoky. I was pleased this wasn’t a repeat of the dragon that covered Ponyville and Canterlot in smoke just from breathing, but that “smoky” dragon had also been napping. This one clearly was not, which meant she was waiting for me. I stopped just outside of a large chamber, and judging by the scent of jewels, the heat of dragonbreath, and the quite audible sound of breathing, this was where my quarry would be found. Heart beginning to race, I peeked around the side of the rocky wall, and immediately caught sight of a massive blue tail laying haphazardly over a decent-sized pile of gold and jewels. It felt like my heart juddered in my chest at the confirmation that I was here, and this was happening, and I found myself momentarily frozen.

“If you’re going to ogle me from afar, at least come out where I can see you.”

It should be mentioned that female dragons, while different from the males in quite a few feminine ways, were difficult for those without experience to discern from male drakes. Her voice, while not recognizable as “feminine” to a pony due to the deep tones, was smooth and yet powerful, like the oozing of fresh magma from a dome volcano. Male dragons, on the other hand, tended to have a rumbling, gravelly voice that was reminiscent of the churning of rocks during an earthquake. Just for this reason, both could easily be referred to as “exotic” when compared to most of the other sapient creatures of the planet. Of course, there was the fact that they towered over nearly all other living things in the world, but their voices alone were unique. Twilight, of course, had quickly discovered that the reason for such a deep voice was rather simple: a larger body and longer neck meant longer vocal cords, which, in turn produced deeper, lower tones than those of smaller creatures.

Regardless, even with the surprisingly gentle tone, such a deep, loud voice quickly brought me out of my momentary paralysis. Taking a trio of deep breaths to try and settle my nerves, I prepared myself for the possibility of the worst, and stepped out into the open area of the cave.

While the majority of her leathery hide was a vivid sky blue, the thick scales of her chest were the color of desert sands, and her eyes were a piercing silver. She had only two straight, rear-facing horns (the small number an oddity for a dragon her size), and the small black clan-mark was featured on her forehead, between the two horns. While a similar color, the eyes and shade of the underbelly scales immediately confirmed to me that this was not Ember.

“You look as if you were expecting someone else,” she observed aloud, her expression giving nothing away.

Deciding it was best to keep things to myself, lest I somehow insult her, I shook my head slowly. “Not so much that as the fact that I’ve never seen a dragon so calm about someone intruding on their hoard.”

Though the scales of her face were tougher than most armor, they were malleable enough for her to smile in a decidedly gentle way, almost slyly. “Everydrake knows who you are, little Spike, and we know about your connections to the living Sun and Moon. I knew it would simply be a matter of time before they sent the only native dragon in Equestria to try and ‘talk me down’.”

Immediately, something about her words didn’t add up to what I had experienced the last week, namely, my encounter with the wyrm pup. I had both Twilight and Lyla give me a layman’s rundown on consciousness projection, and the one thing that was always noticeable in the victim was that their eyes would change color to match that of the caster. That wyrm pup had red eyes when it had bit me -- this dragoness had silver eyes, which meant this whole thing just became much more complicated. It appeared that this dragoness had no clue I was coming, and had simply elected to play the waiting game.

I kept my expression as stoic as a mountain so as not to give away my thoughts, and simply nodded to her. “You thought right. I don’t want anyone getting hurt, so I came here to see what you wanted.”

Rolling her eyes and waving a giant claw dismissively, the dragoness huffed. “I just wanted to keep them away, not hurt them. How would you feel if you had strangers hovering around your home all hours of the day?”

Already, this was not at all going how I assumed it would. First of all, the informality was a bit jarring -- dragons liked their traditions, generally -- and this dragon was far too placid for one raised with other dragons, at least by my experience. There was something odd going on, but I couldn’t put a finger on what. The off-putting feeling had the unfortunate effect of making me tense up ever so slightly, and if the nearly-imperceptible flash in the dragoness’ eyes was any indication, it was noticeable. I felt my wings twitch in anticipation and I found myself taking a cautious step back, keeping my eyes on the larger dragoness across the open cave space.

Her sharp silver eyes were focused intently on me, and she carefully brought up a hand to her mouth and breathed a silvery flame over it. She began “drawing” in the air with a flaming claw, leaving odd symbols floating where they were drawn. I was momentarily awed that a copy of those same symbols faded into existence in front of me, merrily burning in mid air. I had only a moment to admire the odd magic before a giant blue claw reached through the suddenly-portal, and pulled me through. The next thing I knew, I was looking at the large eyes of a rather intimidating dragoness.

Her long, serpentine forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air around me, while I tried not to spoil the smells by wetting myself. Her expression morphed into something resembling pity as she casually dragon-handled me. “Just as I thought: their scents are all over you. You don’t even smell like a dragon anymore.”

Unfortunately, I had a bad habit of snarking when I was put in an uncomfortable situation.

Rolling my eyes and speaking before I could think about it, I blurted, “O woe is me, I don’t smell like old gems, charcoal, and musty caves. Whatever shall I do?” A rather uncomfortable tightening reminded me that I was being held in a hand as large as my body, and my wings casually notified me that wing bones were significantly less durable than the rest. In essence, if I wanted to get out of this without mangled wings, I should probably shut up.

Shooting me with a sharp glare, the dragoness continued to inspect me. “You’re a fair bit older than your size would suggest, and you’re even wearing pony clothing. Do they even let you hunt, or are you kept in a cage like a pet?” She snorted out a jet of smoke derisively. “Though I suppose we can’t expect much from a race of prey creatures who live in their little bubble of harmony.”

“What do you want?” I queried, surprised at my unwavering tone despite being utterly helpless.

Seemingly realizing that she wasn’t, in fact, speaking to an inanimate object, her eyes once again focused on mine as the dragoness leveled me with a flat stare. “I’m taking you home.”

Staring right back, I retorted, “I was home, just this morning, before I flew here. It’s a nice little town at the base of a mountain, named Ponyville. I’ve spent most of my life there, have my friends and family around there, and all my stuff is there. That’s home, to me.”

The dragoness shook her large head, still looking at me with a mix of contempt and pity. “Home is the place where you belong, and a dragon does not belong amongst ponies. You may walk, talk, and dress like them, but you will never be a pony. I will not have my mate living away from his own kind.”

Opening my mouth to shoot back with the venom I had ready, the latter part of her explanation suddenly struck me cold. It took a few moments, but I was able to barely croak out, “...m-mate?”

“Why did you think I came here? I remember you touring our homeland with that pony caretaker of yours, so I’m quite sure you’re aware my appearance here had something to do with you.” she condescendingly explained with a roll of the eyes.

I found myself shaking my head vigorously. “Not that! I mean yeah, I knew it was a possibility, but why on earth does it have to be me?”

Shrugging her shoulders, the dragoness explained, “You are the adopted son of The Living Sun, you are connected to great heroes and heroines alike, and you are hailed as the hero of an ancient kingdom-”

“Oh, that doesn’t even count!” I shot back with a groan. “I grabbed the Crystal Heart and brought it to Cadence -- that’s it. If that’s all it takes to be a hero, I’m sorely disappointed.”

“That,” she broke in harshly, glaring at me, “and you are one of the last of your clan.” At my uncomprehending stare, she tilted her head. “You toured our lands for quite some time; did you not find it odd that there were so few that shared your color?”

Shrugging to the best of my ability, I could only answer, “Not really. Whatever clan I belong to, no one was able to tell me, and I wasn’t there to learn about me specifically, but dragons as a whole. Knowing what clan I came from doesn’t change who I am, or what I’m going to act like, so it’s irrelevant.”

“You say that now,” she sneered, still glaring at me, “but-” suddenly she stopped, sniffing the air and tilting the right side of her head toward the cave entrance. After a moment of my confused silence, she snarled at me. “You were to come alone, and you know this!”

Leaning back from her suddenly quite-close proximity, I squeaked, “I did! I flew here alone!”

Pointing one large, clawed finger to the entrance, the dragoness boomed, “THEN WHY DO I SMELL PONIES?!”

Mouthing the word to myself, I turned my own head to the entrance and only muttered one word: “Buck.”

Twilight was away on business, and knew to follow the rules, and as for the rest, all but Rainbow Dash would be too slow to keep up with me, without being seen. Well, her and…

“LYLA?!” I shrieked fearfully as a certain unassuming changeling walked in, followed shortly thereafter by a slightly shorter sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. “R-RAINBOW?! You both need to leave NOW!”

Neither female seemed particularly worried, or even nervous, for that matter. Both were dressed in their regular clothing, consisting of athletic wear, and were either not expecting a fight, or didn’t think they’d need armor. They were either ignorant, or crazy, though I tended to lean toward the latter.

Stepping forward, with the calm presence of a lurking monster, Lyla announced, “Spike’s not going anywhere, but you are. You aren’t welcome here, and it’s time for you to leave.”

While Rainbow didn’t have the presence to back up her determination, being a small pony, I knew she wasn’t going to back down either, no matter what. “Ditto.”

The dragoness was not impressed, and the tightening of her hold on me was proof of that. Shooting a glare and a snarl their way, she replied, “This isn’t your business, bug-pony. Take your pony pet back home, and you might yet live to see another day.”

“...did she just call me-”

Lyla shot a look at Rainbow Dash, which silenced her. Her bright eyes then settled on the dragoness again, and she just smiled in what would otherwise be a completely non-threatening manner. “First and last time I’m going to ask, dragoness: put Spike down and leave. I would advise against making the wrong choice.” To my horror, the dragoness merely squeezed me tighter, and I felt the bones in my wings starting to creak from the pressure; she was not backing down, and I was in the middle of it all. Heaving a heavy sigh, Lyla briefly shot her eyes to Rainbow Dash. “Dash, your job is to get Spike out of here. I’ll take care of the rest.”

With that, Lyla began calmly crossing the chamber, the dragoness having no clue about what was going to happen. I did, however, and I just hoped I could get out of the way in time.
Stopping a dozen or so paces away from the massive dragoness, Lyla sighed noisily through her nose. “Just remember: I tried to give you an out, for this. This is on you, now.” The next moment, Lyla seemed to explode in a burst of heat-less emerald fire, concealing her from the widened eyes of the dragoness. A moment later the fire receded, revealing the tiny “bug-pony” had completely transformed herself.

Thick, plated chitinous armor covered her body, and she had grown another set of arms. Each thick, armored arm ended in massive, clawed appendages with retractable blades on each wrist. Her head had morphed into something more akin to a hornet, but with giant, powerful mandibles more at home on an umber hulk. Her legs had shifted to something more primal, even bestial, with claws that were made to rend flesh, and even climb walls. Wings unfolded from the protective shell on her back, buzzing angrily. Lastly, the small, unassuming size of the lovable changeling had increased tenfold, allowing her to look the dragoness in the eye with her own large, compound eyes.

The dragoness, who had been so confident and even arrogant a few moments before, was now frozen in shock. Sensing this as my chance, I reared back with a wide-open mouth before clamping hard onto one of the fingers holding me. A shrieking roar answered my attack as I tasted iron, and I found myself tumbling through the air and hitting the hard stone ground rather roughly, but I was free.

Letting loose a Tartarus-borne screech, the monster that was once Lyla charged the distracted dragoness, latching her giant mandibles onto the throat and driving her into the wall with an earth-shaking rumble that threw treasure everywhere. Each clawed hand gripped onto the dragoness’ thick hide, unable to draw blood, but more than capable of getting a firm hold so as to not let Lyla’s prey get away. The dragoness could only shriek in pain as she found herself suddenly in battle with a very large, very angry changeling soldier.

Watching the ensuing battle in awe, I was suddenly brought back to reality by Rainbow Dash grabbing me firmly as she shouted, “Spike, we gotta go now!” Half leading, half dragging me to the entrance, we tripped and stumbled over some coins and jewels before taking flight...only for me to stop at the entrance to the outside air.

Looking at me with frantic eyes, Rainbow Dash tugged at my arm. “Spike, we gotta go! What are you doing?”

I looked away from her, back at the cave we had just left. The sounds of a giant battle could still be heard, and as much as it scared me, “...I can’t leave her, Dash.”

Jerking my arm again, Rainbow Dash shook her head. “My job is to get you somewhere safe, and I'm gonna do it. This is exactly what Lyla is trained to do -- it's what she was born to do. She can handle it.”

“Can she? Are you sure?” I spat back, my worry turning quickly to anger as I tore my arm from her grasp. Pointing firmly back toward the cave, I growled, “She's fighting a dragon, and a clan-leader at that. One changeling soldier isn't gonna cut it, not for long. This is exactly why I told all of you to stay out of it!”

“Hey!” she shouted back, poking me in the chest with a finger, “If it weren’t for us, you would be halfway to the dragon lands by now, Spike. You’re welcome.”

Snorting angrily, I shot back, “Right, because someone I care about getting hurt or possibly killed is so much better.” Realising I was letting my anger get the better of me, I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. My heart rate slowed, my fingers stopped trembling, and I was finally able to open my eyes and look at Rainbow Dash with a calm mind. “Look, I appreciate what you both are trying to do -- truly, I do -- but there are ways to handle this, even if I get foalnapped and taken to the dragon lands. We both know Twilight would have gone all ‘fire and fury’ just to get me back, so I wasn’t really worried about that. But now,” I jerked my head toward the cave, “someone I care about is fighting a losing battle, and I’m not gonna let her do it alone.” With that, I began methodically removing all my clothes one by one, which caused an amusing blush to light up Rainbow Dash’s face.

Sputtering and turning her head away, she squeaked, “W-what the hay are you doing? Look Spike, you’re cool and all, but now really isn’t the time!”

I quirked my brow at her as I finished removing my underwear, being more naked in front of her than I had been in almost ten years. “What are you talking about? I’m about to step into a fight with a fire-breathing dragon. Clothes burn pretty easily, and I kinda like these clothes.”

Glancing back at me with an abashed expression, she smiled sheepishly. “Oh...r-right, I knew that.” She reached up and nervously scratched the back of her head as she kept her eyes averted. “S-so, um...what are you gonna do?”

I stared at the rumbling cave for a moment before sighing heavily through my nose. “I have no bucking idea, but I have to do something.” We both stood in silence for a few moments, furiously trying to come up with a decent plan.

“... a high-altitude dive.”

Turning my head back toward Rainbow Dash, I quirked my brow again. “Say again?”

Her eyes lit up with sudden clarity as she wildly pointed to the sky. “Do a high-altitude dive right into that dragoness!”

I could only stare at the elite flyer for a moment before countering, “You've seen the inside of that cave; you're suggesting threading the needle at breakneck speed. I think we've established I can't fly anywhere near as well as you, Dash.”

“Spike,” she placed a comforting touch on my chest, staring into my eyes with fiery determination, “you got this. I’ve seen how you fly, and I know you can do it. Compared to all the stuff I put you through just for training, this is a cakewalk.”

“If that’s the plan,” I motioned to her, “then why can’t you do it? You’re faster and far more agile than I am. You could build up and connect with double the speed.”

Dash chuckled ruefully. “Yeah, and I’d break every bone in my body, too. I figured out that’s part of the reason you’ll never be as fast as me: you’re a lot denser than I am. Your bones are thicker and heavier, and your whole body is built to fight. The difference between the two of us is that while slamming into a tree would put me in the hospital for a few days, all that would happen to you is maybe a bruised ego.”

Again I raised my brow at her. “Rainbow Dash admitting someone’s better than her at something, hm? Wow, you really have matured over the years.”

Rolling her eyes, she slung an arm around my shoulder. “The most important thing to learn in life is your own limits. I know mine, but you apparently don’t, yet.” A loud, screeching roar caused both of us to shoot a glance toward the mouth of the cave, and I felt Rainbow Dash shiver ever so slightly before she gave me a squeeze. “You got this, Spike. Break up the fight, and I’ll get Lyla out of there while that dragoness is stunned.” Her other hand, which oddly hadn’t left my chest, began pressing around my pectoral muscles as she released a low whistle. “Wow, all that training is really paying off.”

My wings flared out like those of a pegasus, and for the same reason, as a flush began to crawl through my face and neck. “Aaaand, now you made it weird.” I quipped, raising one claw and miming a squeezing motion. “We can always go tit-for-tat, to make it even.”

Seemingly realizing what she’d done, I was privy to seeing Rainbow Dash explode in a blush that hit the tips of her ears, and extended down onto parts of her neck. She jerked away from me as if my entire body were a hot coal, and she brushed herself off, trying her best not to appear as if she’d just been feeling me up.

Clearing her throat loudly, Rainbow Dash jerked her head toward the sky. “S-so, um...you go...do the the thing, and I’ll...thing, with Lyla.”

While part of me wanted to tease her for sticking her metaphorical hoof in her mouth, I had more pressing matters to attend to, so I shot off the ground without another word and quickly ascended as far past the cloud level as I could. Before I knew it, Rainbow Dash was just a little blue speck in the shifting cloud cover, and I found myself momentarily floating in the high-altitude, thin air before flipping toward the ground and diving straight at the ground. My speed increased rapidly, and before I knew it, I had broken the cloud layer and could see my target fast approaching. Beginning to tilt my wings, I transferred my vertical velocity into a lateral vector, pointed straight at the mouth of the cave. Knowing I only had one chance at this, I felt my wings quivering as I prepared for the split-second, high-speed maneuvers I was about to perform, and squinted my eyes to see better in the growing dark. With a subtle flick of my wings -- forward, then left, then right -- I successfully made it through to the main chamber, and the dragoness only had a moment to catch sight of me with wide-eyed shock before I slammed into her face at a few hundred miles an hour. The entire chamber rumbled from the impact.

I was quite sure a few ribs were broken, and the metallic taste told me I again had blood in my mouth, but the dragoness was out of commission -- her head had slammed into the cave wall, and while it was highly unlikely a creature her size would have life-threatening injuries, she was out cold for at least a few minutes. With the immediate threat out of the way, I picked my sore body off the ground and turned my attention to the changeling soldier, concern overtaking me as I swore under my breath.

The armor of a changeling soldier was nothing to scoff at, and it had kept her alive for far longer than anything but an alicorn or another dragon would have been able to survive, but her body showed several large bite marks and scratches where her dark green blood was flowing in rivulets. While largely whole, Lyla was significantly injured, and the bacteria in a dragon’s mouth was far from harmless.

Holding my right side and grunting in pain, I dashed over to Lyla and stood in front of her so that she could focus on me properly. She was kneeling on the ground in her transformed state, doing her best to catch her breath as she recovered from what was likely the fight of her life. With a glance at me, she erupted in bright emerald flames again, the column of green fire giving way and revealing a battered, bleeding familiar changeling. Her clothing was normal other than being specially tailored, which meant it had shredded when she transformed, leaving her completely nude. Despite the situation, I couldn’t help but admire just how unassumingly feminine her body was. That was, of course, until I noticed Lyla was looking up at me with a look somewhere between relief and annoyance, but she smiled regardless.

“Y-you,” she began, only to be overtaken by a coughing fit for a few moments, “...you were supposed to get to somewhere safe.”

Ignoring the spots of blood on her chitin, I pulled her soft, warm body close and hugged her firmly, focusing on every positive emotion I could in an effort to nourish her and hopefully give her the energy to survive the trip to the nearest hospital. After a moment of silence, I pulled back and looked her in the eyes, smiling sadly. “I couldn’t leave you behind, Lye. I’m not willing to let you sacrifice yourself for me, because I’m not ready to let you go.” Looking over to Rainbow Dash, who had come up behind us, I jerked my head to Lyla. “Get her out of here. Hollow Shades is closer than Ponyville, so take her there.”

Rainbow Dash walked over and took my place, slinging Lyla’s arm over her shoulders. “The thestral town? Do they even have a hospital?”

“They do now.” I confirmed, trying not to cringe at the sight of the new holes in Lyla’s wings. “It’s more of a small clinic, but thestrals are quite familiar with changelings, as well as how to treat them. They’ll take good care of her.”

The pony nodded and slowly guided Lyla toward the cave entrance before glancing back at me. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

I focused on Rainbow Dash for a moment before glancing back at the dragon, frowning as I did so. Upon bringing my eyes to Lyla and Rainbow Dash again, I slowly shook my head. “I can’t leave. You two need to get out of here.”

Nearly dropping her hold on Lyla, Rainbow Dash stumbled and furrowed her brow at my words. “What the hay are you talking about? The dragoness is down for the count, so let’s make tracks.”

“Have you ever tried to take something from an adult dragon?” I questioned rhetorically, knowing she hadn’t, simply by the fact she was still alive. “Dragons as a whole take their hoards very seriously; besides being a collection of pretty things to decorate whatever place they choose as their home, it feeds their greed instinct, which is what causes them to grow.” I pointed to myself, and despite the situation, it was still amusing to see the blush that crawled over Rainbow Dash’s face. “If I had been raised by dragons instead of ponies, I would have my own hoard, and would be much larger than this -- being a male,” I pointed at the downed dragoness, “I would actually be bigger than her. Because of this, dragons are extremely protective of anything they claim as theirs, and they will do anything to get it back. You two were here, so I have a feeling you heard what she called me.”

Rainbow Dash quirked a brow at me in clear confusion, but Lyla’s face suddenly showed stark realization and horror as she realized what I was getting at. “...she called you her mate. She’s claimed you.”

Deciding to clarify for Rainbow Dash, I explained, “Whether it’s realistically true or not, in her head, she’s decided I belong to her now. In essence, she’s decided I’m a part of her hoard. This means that if I just leave now, she’s going to come looking for me, and she’ll be willing to tear through anything or anyone that gets in her way.”

Finally, Rainbow Dash seemed to realize what I was saying, and for the first time in a long time, I saw unadulterated panic on her face as she wildly shook her head. “No, hay no! You are not staying here with her! We’ll figure something out, but there is no way in Tartarus I am leaving you here!”

Looking around the open area, I took in the sight of all the treasure...and began to formulate a crazy plan. “...well, I have an idea on how to deal with her, but you still need to leave. Get Lyla to Hollow Shades and then fly as fast as you can to get Luna from Canterlot. Bring her here, and she can handle me.”

“Handle you?”

Looking back to the desperate pony and changeling, I nodded solemnly. “I’m going to claim this hoard as my own. When I do that, I’m going to get big enough to deal with her. The problem is, I haven’t had an entire lifetime to learn to stay level-headed in the height of greed, so I’ll probably lose control like I did on my birthday that one time.” Letting out a loud, tired sigh, I picked up a few golden coins from around my feet, and tossed them one by one back to the pile. “Luna’s the only one that’s going to be able to bring me back without being in danger, since she has the power to protect herself until she can knock some sense into me.”

“But what then?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, gesturing wildly to me with her free arm. “You’ll be right back where you started, with a ticked-off dragoness wanting to take you back to the dragon lands!”

“Except that dragons are, shall we say, wary of alicorns.” I answered quickly, grinning slightly. “Suffice to say they have a history with Celestia and Luna, a history that taught them that alicorns are not to be bucked with. Luna will be able to take care of things, but Lyla needs medical treatment, and I need to stay here to keep the dragoness in one place.”

Rainbow Dash slowly hobbled the two of them back over to me before she unceremoniously pulled me into a tight embrace, with Lyla adding herself to the hug as well. I held the pony and changeling close for a few moments -- and it might have been my imagination, but it felt like Rainbow Dash nuzzled my cheek -- before pulling away and nodding to them. I pulled the fire-protection charm off of my neck and eased it over Rainbow Dash’s head, patting it gently with my hand.

Rainbow Dash clapped a hand on my shoulder and stared sternly at me. “You better not die, Spike, or I’ll drag your butt back from Death itself and beat you to a pulp.” Though her words were meant to be threatening, the effect was ruined by the shakiness in her tone. I said nothing, only reaching up and taking her hand in mine, giving it a firm squeeze before jerking my head to the mouth of the cave. Rainbow Dash only stared at me for a few moments more, her wings twitching madly, before she pivoted and began quickly pulling Lyla to the entrance. While externally, I was merely listening to them leave, on the inside, I was practically crying like a little whelp, wishing there were another way to do this -- a way that didn’t make me into a monster, and that didn’t make the ones I cared about worry about me. Unfortunately, Lyla and Rainbow Dash’s valiant attempt to get me to safety had made this necessary, so now I had to deal with the aftermath.

A part of me wanted to be mad at Rainbow Dash for coming when I told her not to, but I was instead proud, and touched that she cared so much about me that she was willing to put herself in harm’s way for my sake.

The blast of air from the entrance signified their departure, so I took a deep, steadying breath, and began gathering a small pile of gold and jewels at my feet. Having trained myself for many years to resist my kind’s natural greed instinct, I knew I was basically going to have to trick myself into giving in, since I didn’t feel any desire to hoard material things anymore. So, I slowly began gathering nice, shiny things into a growing pile at one side of the room, until I recognized the attraction toward a steel lockbox. I felt a desire to open it, to see what shiny, pretty things might be inside, and pick which ones were the nicest. I was aware of the feeling immediately, because it was something I dealt with every day in little ways, but this time, instead of turning away from it, I willingly chose to follow the desire.

The box was, of course, locked, but a blast of fire to the lock itself heated it enough to be malleable. I dug the claws of both hands into the soft, red-hot metal, and tore the box open, noticing that it was quite a bit easier than it normally should have been. Inside was a mini treasure trove of glittering gems and semi-precious stones, and I found the desire to take them much stronger now. I didn’t even try to fight it, and before I knew it, my little pile I had started was beginning to be bigger than I was. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was quite aware that my hands were able to hold far more than before, and the ground was further away than usual, but they were mere unimportant details. Eventually, I gave in completely as I felt the desire to own more and more of these pretty things overwhelming, and I found myself rapidly gathering and rearranging entire armfuls of precious metals, artifacts, and gems to my side of the cave. Each load was bigger, yet easier to carry than the last. I felt my head bump into a low-hanging portion of the ceiling, and carefully ducked under it as I continued gathering all the nice things in the cave.

A snort and a grunt from the forgotten side of the cave drew my attention, and seemingly for the first time, I realized I was not alone. Another dragon was stirring, seemingly coming out of a deep sleep. Up until that point, I had been lucid enough to still have my mental faculties, but the sight of another grown dragon made me realize that she might try to take the things I had gathered for myself. I felt what was left of my logic slip away as a red haze began to seep into my vision.

With a mighty roar that shook the cavern, I charged the dragoness.

”...c’mon Spike, come back. There you are. Easy now, don’t try to sit up. Just rest.”

I came around sometime later, my clarity of thought restored, yet sluggish. I could tell I was laying down even though I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, and someone was holding my head in their hands as the world slowly came back to me. As my senses completely reawakened, a steady throbbing pain became noticeable on my right temple, and I groaned as it pulsed in time with my heartbeat. Through the annoying pain and the murky thoughts of what had happened, I tried to place the voice I was hearing to a face I knew. For some reason, I just couldn’t seem to identify it, though the voice was frustratingly familiar. I decided to try opening my eyes, and while it felt like lead weights were attached to my eyelids, I managed to slowly pry them open.

The late afternoon sky was the first thing I saw, its subtle oranges, purples, and reds painting a beautiful transition into night. The sky was marred by only a few puffy clouds, and the air was just chilly enough to let anyone know that winter was on the way. Turning my head to the right, I found myself looking up at the one holding me: another blue dragoness, with two front-facing horns curling from the sides and two more curved, ridged horns going back over her head. Unlike the one from before, she was roughly pony-sized; a dragon lord clan mark was proudly displayed on her forehead, but it was her warm, ruby-red eyes that drew me in.

“...E-Ember?” I croaked, not believing what I was seeing.

The dragoness smiled down at me and nodded, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Long time no-see, Spike.” I pushed myself up, wincing as I did so. “Easy, easy. Not so fast, now. Take it slow; you’ve been through a lot, today.”

My entire body ached as if I had just been through the harshest workout of my life. I felt like I could eat the entirety of Canterlot Palace kitchens and leave nothing, and I also felt like I needed to sleep for the next week or two. With Ember’s help, I was able to bring myself to a sitting position, though my muscles protested every movement. I was still as naked as the day I hatched, but that was unimportant at the moment.

“W-what happened? Where am I?” I muttered, holding the throbbing side of my head with a grimace.

“Well,” Ember began, a tone of mischief in her voice, “we’re at the foot of what used to be three mountains. Now, it’s more like two and a half.”

Shaking my head slightly, I grumbled, “What do you mean two and...a half…?” My words trailed off as I took a look around, and noticed that the center mountain -- the one I had been in -- was now collapsed upon itself. My mouth dropped open, and my pain was momentarily overridden by shock and a sense of self-loathing. “Oh…”

“If it allays your shame, technically speaking, you were defending yourself and your loved ones.”

I turned my head toward the new voice, and saw Luna standing before me in a midnight blue tunic, cotton trousers, and boots -- much to Rarity’s annoyance, Luna always preferred function over fashion. She had a longsword strapped to her hip, and her right hand was wrapped in bloody bandages.

Noticing my gaze had focused on the bandages themselves, Luna chuckled wryly and explained, “The head of a full-grown dragon is not exactly soft, dear Spike.” I silently pointed to the tender part of my head, and Luna nodded solemnly. “Suffice to say, you were beyond reason, so I was forced to incapacitate you. Worry not: save for some raw knuckles and bruising, I am unharmed.”

Letting out a slow breath, I nodded to her. “Thanks, Auntie Luna. Sorry you had to be called here on my account.” Suddenly realizing I was forgetting something, I glanced around the open field. “Wait, where’s that other dragoness?”

The look that Luna gave Ember, and the embarrassed expression Ember wore, worried me. Luna simply nodded to her and announced, “I will give you some time to speak.” With that said, Luna fluffed her wings and walked off to a tree a dozen or so feet away, taking a seat on the opposite side of it.

Once Luna was deemed far enough away, I turned my gaze toward Ember, who still looked embarrassed, and even a little ashamed. “What’s going on, Ember?”

Releasing a drawn-out breath, the dragoness finally brought her eyes to mine as she shifted closer to me and wrapped her wing around me, pressing her warm body to mine. After a few false starts, where she would open her mouth, only to close it again, she finally began speaking. “That dragoness won’t be bothering any of you again, Spike. I made sure of that.” The look of horror on my face must have been quite noticeable, since Ember rapidly shook her head and waved her claw frantically. “No, no, no! I didn’t kill her, I just made sure she will be leaving you and Equestria alone from now on.”

Catching my breath from the sudden mini-heart attack, I nodded absently. “O-okay. Geeze Ember, don’t do that to me. I mean, she needed to go, but I wouldn’t have been able to handle getting rid of her that way.” The question went a bit unanswered, though. “Wait...how did you get her to leave?”

Bobbing her head from side to side, Ember reached back and scratched the back of her head. “Honestly, it wasn’t that hard. I know you don’t remember, but you did a number on her, so she was more...well, shall we say, pliant.”

I began to get the feeling she was deliberately avoiding telling me exactly what she did, and that worried me. “Ember...what’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”

She shifted nervously, and while it was clear she was uncomfortable, a part of me still enjoyed the comforting contact. Seemingly deciding on a plan of action, Ember began, “Okay, before I tell you, I just want you to know that I said what I did because it was the only way to permanently get rid of her without having to kill or disfigure her. I also want to apologize beforehand, because...well…”

The sound of fluffed feathers nearby made me aware of Luna’s return, as she walked over and took a knee, placing a hand on Ember’s back. “Go on, Ember. He needs the truth. Trust in your friendship.”

Ember’s, dare I say, cute lip-bite told me how nervous she was, so I brought my hand over and took hers. She jumped at the contact, but looked to my eyes as I locked my gaze with hers. “Look, Ember, I know we haven’t really spoken in awhile, but you’re still my friend. Whatever you had to say or do, that doesn’t-”

“I told her that she was poaching what didn’t belong to her, and I used what happened at the Gauntlet of Fire as grounds to claim you for myself!” she blurted in a Pinkie-esque rush, turning her face away from me as she cringed.

Due to the speed of the words, it took me a few moments to decipher what she had said, but when I did, “...what exactly do you mean by ‘claim’? And why does it have anything to do with what happened during the Gauntlet?”

Ember refused to look at me, but took a few deep breaths and spoke. “The Gauntlet of Fire was a contest to decide who would become the dragon lord of the Narrowscales, and you won, Spike. By winning, and by taking the Bloodstone Scepter, the right to be the dragon lord was yours.” Despite how much this situation clearly pained her to explain, she smiled when she continued with, “But then...you showed a generosity that no dragon has ever shown before. You took the Scepter -- a prize that you won fairly, despite your friends -- and you willingly gave it to me.” She shook her head with a dry chuckle. “The Scepter isn’t just some pretty trinket, Spike. Besides being a sort of ‘badge of office’, it gives a dragon lord a degree of control over fire itself, and even the volcanoes in the dragon lands. Even if the other dragons don't like the one who wields the Scepter, they are still respected due to the power they command, and their hard-won place as a dragon lord. Even though you didn't know it at the time, you passed all that on to me, simply in the name of friendship.”

She chucked ruefully, holding her tail the same way I did whenever I was really anxious. “What you did that day...it's never happened before.” She went silent for a few moments before looking to me again. “Traditionally, whenever a dominant dragon bestows a gift of that magnitude to another of the opposite sex, they usually become mates -- that's because things usually don't get to that point until the two have known each other for quite some time. However, because we barely knew each other, you were so young at the time, and you honestly had no idea what other connotations your action had, nothing came of it.”

Throughout her explanation, all the pieces slowly fell into place, but this only caused more issues than it solved. “So what you're saying is, when you told that other dragoness that you ‘claimed’ me, you were essentially just following through with what should have happened in the first place." Hesitating briefly, she answered with a silent nod. This only caused the majority of the blood in my body to seemingly congregate in my face as I just barely avoided fainting.

Noticing the symptoms of an impending freak out, I took a deep breath, held it for three seconds, and then exhaled to keep my heart from jumping into my throat or out of my chest. After repeating the process a few more times, I felt calm enough to work through this new issue. ‘Okay,’ I thought to myself, ‘so by just being a good friend and giving the reigns of leadership to Ember -- who is far more qualified to lead than I am -- I essentially publicly proclaimed that I wanted her for my own. I had thought she was blushing because she was awkward and embarrassed by making a friend; turns out, she was embarrassed because to her and every other dragon, it looked like stupid little me had a crush on her or something.’

Turning my eyes back to Ember, I thought about her as an individual, in that way. After all: if this really was a thing, I needed to at least consider the possibility.

Being a dragoness instead of a mammal, Ember was built quite a bit differently than a pony female was. First of all, she was taller than most, more muscular, and was lacking any mammary structures -- dragons hatched from eggs, after all, and they were ready to eat solid food from the moment they're born. Her legs were a more primal shape, being more akin to those of a quadrupedal predator; this made sense, since dragons were able to run just as well on all fours as they could on two legs. Though lacking the bountiful chest ponies had, it still had a gentle slope to it, and her hips and hindquarters were distinctly feminine (and alluring, I might add). Her hide, though mostly a uniform sky-blue, had what I could only imagine were the dragon equivalent of freckles on parts of her body, offering darker blue accents that accentuated her unique look, along with a line of four cyan spots under each eye. What drew me in the most, however, were her vivid carmine eyes situated on an almost dainty face.

Yes, she was quite attractive, and if I were honest with myself, I kinda sorta had a crush on her when I was little.

More than that, though, she was the first dragon that proved to me that they weren't all greedy jerks, and I wasn't the only one that felt that I sometimes didn't belong. Before the long silence between us, we had sent letters at least every week, if not every other day. Through those letters, I got to know a cheeky, witty dragoness that had aspirations to bring her people to a new age of intellectual advancement, to show the world that dragons like me could be the norm, not the exception. While she didn't have a formal education like I did, she was very intelligent (which, because of Celestia and Twilight, was a trait I placed high value on), and she loved to learn about the world outside of the dragon lands. And, even though she put on a tough front for the outside world, she was actually quite bubbly in private. She was certainly the kind or person I could be friends with, and if I were completely honest, I’d had daydreams in the past of it going further than that.

“What’s on your mind, Spike? You’ve been frown-thinking for a few minutes, now.”

Ember’s voice brought me out of my mental review, and without thinking about it, I blurted out, “I was thinking about you.” Glancing at her face, I saw as a noticeable tremor ran through her at my words, and I mentally facepalmed at my stupidity. “No, I meant…” I sighed heavily, turning from under her wing so I could look at her properly. “It’s just...what does this all mean to you, Ember? Was what you did simply the best way to handle a bad situation, or is there an underlying motive behind it?” Raising my hand, I revealed the faint scars of the wyrm bite wound that had healed along with my ribs during my recent growth. “I know it was you that sent that wyrm pup, so I need to know: were you just checking up on me to keep me safe, or is there something more behind your actions?”

Dragons didn’t blush the same way ponies did. Because of their scales and thick hides, blood could only be seen through the frills on the head, and the the soft spines. Due to this, when Ember blushed, her head spines flushed a deeper blue, almost purple color, which was what was happening at that moment.

“W-well, I uh…” she mumbled, turning her face away in what I imagined was embarrassment. Much as I was serious about my questioning, I couldn’t help but notice how adorable the suddenly bashful dragoness could be.

Again taking her hand in mine, I gave a comforting squeeze. “Hey, I’m not going to judge you, and neither is Luna.” At this, the alicorn nodded as we both briefly looked at her, and she smiled to us as I continued. “I just need to know where we stand, and what both of us feel. I’ll start: when I was little, I had a crush on you. You were -- and still are -- an eye-catching dragoness, and you have a personality to match. You’re strong, proud, and cunning in ways I wish I could be, and I admire you for your leadership abilities. I never thought of the two of us being more than just friends -- you were just an unattainable ideal for a young, foolish drake, and I knew it was likely nothing would ever come of it -- but I can admit that the potential for a deeper relationship between the two of us exists, for sure. So, that’s why I’m asking: did you do what you did just to save me and keep me safe, or was there an additional motive behind it?”

At the contact of our hands, her spines flushed darker, but she tightened the grip and breathed slowly for a few moments of silence. After seemingly settling herself, she turned back to me and focused intensely on my eyes. “Dragons generally don’t become mated for love or physical attraction, Spike. Usually, it’s due to who’s the strongest, or the biggest, or the most willing to fight for their right to be with a certain mate. My mom and dad were only the twentieth pair to break that mold in all the history of the dragons, and honestly, I thought I would have to stick to tradition on that aspect of my life.” Her expression softened a bit, and she smiled a tiny, fragile smile at me. “But then, I met you. When we first met, and the few years after, you were just too young for me to even consider anything like that with you. But then, not only did you grow physically, but I got to know you through our letters. I learned how smart and kind you were, and how you showed a loyalty to your home and friends that most dragons couldn’t even fake, even if they wanted to. I learned that you have a silly, dorky sense of humor that can always put a smile on my face, even when life was particularly grim, and I can’t tell you how much I treasure that about you.” Her smile was affectionate, even loving, but then she sighed and lowered her gaze. “But I have to return to the dragon lands, and I know you wouldn't leave your home for anyone, so beyond the title I've claimed with you, there can't be something more.”

Realizing what she meant, I could only nod sadly, knowing that our conflicting duties and loyalties wouldn't allow us to leave our homes for any significant length of time. With a forlorn expression, I found myself asking, “Do you wish it were different? Do you wish we had the luxury to find out where this could go?” I punctuated the latter part of my statement with another firm squeeze of her hand, which she immediately returned.

It took a few moments of silence, but eventually, “...yeah. I'm sorry about not returning your letters, but that's part of the reason why: I was basically trying to wean myself away from your friendship, because I doubted if we'd ever see each other again. Thorax has helped us a lot, and I even see Starlight Glimmer from time to time, but there's just too much back in the dragon lands that needs my attention. My people have to come first, and I'm going to make sure I'm worthy to be called a dragon lord.”

Nodding solemnly, I released her hand. “I can respect that. I don't like that we hardly ever get to see each other, but I've also learned that being a part of the bells and whistles of a nation means you have to do a lot of things you don't want to do, for the good of the majority.”

Pulling away from her warm body and out from the shelter of her wing, I carefully stood before reaching down and pulling her up with me. Before she could react, I pulled her in close for a hug, holding her tightly as she slowly returned the gesture with equal fervor. I savored the moment, realizing how much I had missed her.

“No matter what, I'll always care about you, and we'll always be friends, Ember. Never doubt that.” I whispered to her gently. She responded by momentarily squeezing me a bit tighter before releasing me.

She stepped back and took a deep breath before breathing magenta flames on her hands. Much like the larger dragoness from earlier, Ember began drawing odd characters in the air. After a line of them were formed, she twirled her fingers and they rolled into a circle and shrank, then retreated to the palm of her hand.

Ember looked at me with an apologetic expression. “Do you trust me?” I nodded, and she approached me with her marked hand held up. She brought it to the right side of my neck, just above my collarbone, and sighed. “This is going to hurt. Brace yourself.” I nodded and did as she said as she brought her hand to press against my neck.

Being a dragon, I was unaware just what a burn felt like, so needless to say, feeling it for the first time was a shock. For the first time I could remember, heat was painful, and I had to grit my teeth and tense my entire body to keep from jerking away. Luckily, it only lasted a few seconds before the burning was replaced with an oddly pleasant wet sensation on the burn itself. I pried open my eyes and looked over to see Ember’s face tilted down, and she was darting her forked tongue out to coat the burn in thick saliva. While I felt this was odd and even a little gross, it was soothing the pain, so I stood still, blushed like a whelp, and trusted that Ember knew what she was doing.

After one final pass, Ember pulled away, also flushed, and cleared her throat. “All right, your turn.”

…
…

“I have no idea what you just did, or how to do it.”

Ember nodded and stepped behind me, pressing herself against my wings and back as she took my wrists in her hands. Her slightly larger form allowed her to easily rest her head next to mine as she explained, “It's a physical claim mark, used between mates to show others who ‘belongs’ to who. It's a little outdated, but with you being so small for your age, it's the only thing that's going to get rid of other dragonesses, should they show up. Now, get some flames on those hands, and point your index fingers.” I did as she instructed, and breathed a gentle stream of emerald fire on my hands. She then guided my wrists, drawing shapes in the air with my flames as she narrated, “This is your name in what ponies call ‘Drakespeak’. I'd love to teach you more about what dragons are truly capable of, and the language itself, but right now I don't have the time or materials to do that.”

She then did the same roll and flicking motion with my hand, and the characters rolled up and shrank before settling onto my right palm. She stepped out from behind and took her place in front of me, tilting her head slightly as she pointed to the right side of her neck. “Press your palm here and hold it there until you feel the warmth fade. When you do that, focus on the good memories you have of me, the ones that make you happiest; that activates the brand.”

Nodding to show I understood, I reached my hand out, hesitating briefly before placing my hand on her neck. I focused on the happiest memories I had of Ember, and oddly found them to be the correspondence we held through the letters. Immediately, a gentle warmth emanated through my hand, yet Ember immediately tensed up and whimpered before holding still. Watching her standing there suffering ignited a spark within me, and I quickly closed the distance and wrapped my free arm around her waist, pulling her against me. She responded by snaking her own arms around my body and under my wings as she held herself close and breathed in a stuttered manner, likely to keep from outright yelling in pain.

Luckily, after only a few seconds, the warmth in my hand faded, and the sizzling sound stopped. While still clinging to me, Ember relaxed ever so slightly, so I took her actions as inspiration and extended my tongue, beginning to gently coat the affected area in my thick saliva after I removed my hand. Almost immediately, I heard a gasp from her, and her grip tightened once again, her claws kneading the muscles on my back. One of her legs also curled around my back as she forced our midsections together, and she spread her wings wide as she began breathing a bit faster. Now, I knew what all this seemed like, and I’ll admit my mind wandered a bit as I continued my ministrations, but it wasn’t until Ember let out a soft, girly moan that I felt my more primal instincts fighting against my will to do to this dragoness exactly what she wanted. It was made infinitely harder when she whispered my name in my ear, but I finished coating the brand and pulled back my head to look Ember in the eyes.

Contrary to normal, she looked at me with a definite note of longing and desire, along with a vulnerability that I had never seen in her before. I’ll admit it: it was hot.

Seemingly realizing what she had done, and the compromising position we were in, Ember dropped to both of her own feet again and nearly jumped away from me as her spines somehow lit up in a blush even darker than before, and she refused to look at me. I knew what the embarrassed “just kill me now” feeling looked like, as both Twilight and I had experienced it many times before. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to say anything without making the situation even more embarrassing, so I just kept silent and waited for her to speak.

“That, uh…” she finally began, clearing her throat twice and rolling her hand in the air, “so that just happened. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

I nodded, reaching and scratching the back of my head with a sheepish smile. “Yeah. I swear I wasn’t trying to get you off or anything, I was just doing for you what you did for me.”

She nodded immediately and answered, “I-I know. I wasn’t expecting it either. Let’s just, uh...pretend that didn’t happen and I still have my dignity.”

“Good plan.”

Both of us jumped at the voice, and slowly turned to see Luna still standing there, a small smirk on her lips. It seemed that in our focus, we had both completely forgotten she was there.

After a moment of staring and doing a good impression of a suffocating fish, Ember covered her face in her hands and groaned. “Right, I’m going to go back to the dragon lands and kill myself, now. Spike, I’ll write you. Bye.” Without another word, Ember blasted into the air, quickly gaining speed and altitude until she disappeared in the darkening sky.

Luna stepped beside me and passed me my clothes, as well as my pack. “Worry not, I will not tease either of you about this -- it was a personal moment, and though I was a spectator, it is private and will remain so. Get dressed and I will teleport us to Ponyville.”

Nodding absently, I began dressing myself. “Sounds good. Where’s Rainbow?”

“She was beyond exhausted by her frantic flight, so I lay her down in a guest room in the palace. You will see her tomorrow, I promise. And before you ask, Lyla is well, and recovering. She will rejoin you all in Ponyville in a few days.” Luna answered my questions, even the ones I hadn’t asked yet.

Again I nodded, smiling faintly. “Thanks for taking care of things, Auntie. I appreciate it.”

After I pulled my shirt on, I felt a warm hand settle on my shoulder, and I looked to see Luna’s brilliant eyes looking to me with nothing but love and affection. “Of course, Spike. You know I would do anything for you.” She paused. “Anything within reason.”

I chuckled at her response before pulling my pants on and buckling the belt. After being sure I had everything I needed, I stood next to Luna and nodded to her. “I’m actually staying with AJ tonight, so if you could get us somewhere near Sweet Apple Acres, I’d appreciate it.”

Luna nodded as she lit her horn with a bright spark, and I closed my eyes to prepare for the teleportation. I felt the grass leave my feet, and the world seemed to fall away.

With her eons of practice, Luna’s teleportation was as seamless and simple as walking from one room to another. There was no snap-crack discharge of magic, and save for the fact we hadn’t actually moved our bodies, it was as easy on the senses as stepping over a door threshold. I opened my eyes to see we were standing just in front of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse, which was startlingly accurate for a long-distance teleport. I couldn’t help but stare at Luna in awe: with her occasionally immature mannerisms, it was hard to remember she was an alicorn that had seen and done more than anyone currently alive except her sister, and she had both the power and knowledge to put almost everyone but Twilight to utter shame.

“I wonder when I’ll stop being surprised by the things you can do.” I muttered, mostly to myself.

Luna smiled bashfully, nudging me with one of her wings and jerking her head to the farmhouse. “Goodnight, Spike. I will ensure your dreams are pleasant and free of troubles.” I nodded to her as she lit her horn again, and other than a bright flash, there was no evidence she had been standing beside me a moment before.

I smiled to myself and strode up the steps to the porch, offering a soft knock on the doorframe. Only a few moments later, Applejack opened the door and ushered me inside, only to stop and gasp as she saw what was on my neck.

“Landsakes...Spike, what is that on yer neck?” I felt as she reached out and touched it, immediately whipping her hand away and grimacing. “Blegh….and why’s it slimy?”

I walked with her to the family room and helped her ease down onto the sofa with me, setting my bag down beside me and grinning as I conspiratorially answered, “Have I got a story for you, AJ. Get comfortable, because today was wild, and I got some cool stuff to tell you.”

And so, we talked long into the night about my own adventure, and I excitedly regaled Applejack with what I had been through in just a day.

Chapter 12

“WHAT?!”

Twilight really had a pair of lungs in her, that was for sure.

The end of the previous night had been simple, with me regaling Applejack about what had happened during the day as we munched on fresh apple pie, washed down with her special spiced apple cider. There were some parts I left out, of course (the embarrassing bits of what happened between Ember and I, for example), but all the important bits were covered, and Applejack was awed at my story. And, while she seemed unhappy about me choosing to give into my greed like I did, she also was pleased that Rainbow Dash, Lyla, and I had all come out of it alive, and relatively unharmed.

Twilight, however, was another matter entirely.

I met Twilight at the door to the castle when she arrived home sometime around mid-morning, and her smile immediately dropped when she saw the brand on my neck. This, of course, led to me having to explain to her what had happened, which was why I had taken a blast of the “traditional Ponyville librarian voice” at point-blank range.

I did a yawning motion a few times in an effort to get my ears to pop so I could hear again. When they finally did so, I looked to Twilight with a deadpan expression. “Are you ready to calm down and listen, or do I need to get some earplugs?” While externally, I was calm and even seemed bored by the outburst, inside, I was making plans on how I would keep Twilight from rushing to the dragon lands and “putting that blasted dragoness in her place” (her words, not mine).

Twilight did the motions for the breathing exercise that Cadence had taught her so long ago, and it still worked to calm her down. After getting herself under some semblance of control, she looked to me with righteous fury, though it was tightly contained. With clenched teeth, she growled, “This had better be good, or that dragoness is going to get a personal visit from me, and the dragon lands is going to become short a few mountains.”

The statement caught me a little off guard, so I had to ask for clarification. “Wait...you’re not mad at Ember?”

Twilight held her angry regality for a moment before slumping, her wings hanging listlessly instead of folding properly. She looked tired, and worn out, as if she hadn’t slept all night -- which, if she was as worried about me as I assumed she was, that was probably the case. She shook her head wearily as she walked over to her throne in the map room, flopping down on it with a lazy exhalation of breath. “No Spike, I’m not angry with Ember. I understand that dragons do things very differently from ponies, and I know that most ponies would find it absolutely abhorrent that part of their traditional practices involves branding their mates with their name -- which I didn’t think was possible, due to the nigh-immunity to heat. But, I traveled with you through the dragon lands, and I learned that I can’t relate their practices to those of ponies, because they are very different. This is just a part of their culture that I have to accept, and I’ll make sure the others are aware of all of it so they don’t completely lose it.”

I winced as I thought about the reaction Rarity and Fluttershy would have. “...yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

“Anyhow,” she continued quietly, “besides the fact the dragoness was essentially going to foalnap a member of the royal family -- which, legally, you are -- she was taking you away from me, and Rarity, and Lyla...you see where I’m going with this?” She let out a long sigh, bringing a hand to rub between her eyes. “Because of your status within Equestria, there are quite a few laws that can be brought against her.” She raised her free hand and began counting off, “You’re a diplomat for relations between the dragon lands and Equestria, you’re a part of the Council of Friendship, you’re close friends with Thorax, the leader of the new changelings, you’re a citizen of great importance to the Crystal City for your work there, not to mention the fact that you’re the adopted son of one of the Two Sisters, and the beloved nephew of the other. Spike,” she breathed out a few more times, likely trying to keep from having another outburst, “...this could have started a war -- you’re that important, and this idiot dragoness thought she was going to subvert our laws and your rights as an Equestrian citizen. The only -- and I mean only -- reason the entire special forces unit hasn’t been mobilized with Luna at the helm to take her into custody by force is the fact that it would cause too many problems for Ember and our relationship with the rest of the dragon clans. But,” she removed her hand from her face and looked at me sorrowfully, “we can’t let this lay as it is, Spike. As much as I wish we could just sweep this under the rug and forget about it, the collapsing of a mountain and the sounds of a dragon fight nearby has been witnessed by too many, and it’s only a matter of time before this event goes public in some way. We have to take action, and there are only two possible options that will lay this to rest without too much fallout.”

Taking my seat in my (thankfully resized) throne beside her, I propped my head up on my hand and nodded to her. “All right, so what can we do?”

“Well,” she began, pulling herself up to sit more properly and fluffing her wings to settle them, “if we can somehow get the other dragon lords to denounce the actions of this one dragoness, we can call for a summit between Equestrian dignitaries and the other dragon lords so that we can come to a consensus about how to enact justice on the dragoness.” Twilight stopped suddenly, chuckling dryly. “Did she ever introduce herself? Do we even know her name?”

I shook my head, chuckling as well once I realized how stupid the situation was. “No, that never happened. She was basically handling me like a toy until I grew, at which point I wasn’t exactly in a talkative mood. To me, she’s just ‘the jerk dragoness,’ so that’s what I’m gonna call her.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, that got a giggle out of Twilight, and she whapped me with the tip of her wing before she composed herself and nodded to me with a grin. “All right, fair enough. Anyway, I’m really hoping the first option is the one that works, because the second is...less desirable.”

I couldn't help but frown at her words. “Exactly how much less desirable are we talking?”

Again, Twilight began rubbing the space between her eyes. “If the other dragon lords are unwilling to denounce her actions and/or engage with us, it'll likely lead to Equestria marching sixty-thousand strong to the border, and Luna threatening to drop meteors on them if they don't give us the dragoness. I don't think I have to say why that route would be bad for dragon-pony relations.” Letting out yet another annoyed sigh, she shook her head ruefully. “If and when ponies find out what happened -- even if it’s just the most basic points about the event -- they are going to ask us what we did to handle the situation. Very few ponies know about what you did for us, but sooner or later, one of them is going to talk, and the public is going to demand answers. And, when what the dragoness tried to do finally comes to light, we either need to have already done something about it, or need to be in the process of bringing the aggressor to justice.” She opened her eyes and looked over at me, an expression of grim acceptance. “Ponies have to know that if something like this happens, the royal family is going to make sure they are safe and protected. To keep from losing the support of the public majority, we have to do something about this.”

I stared at Twilight for a few moments before dropping my head into my hands with a groan. “This is why I hate politics. Nothing can ever just be simple when politics are involved.”

“Don’t worry Spike, we’ll handle this.” she replied, and I felt as she rested her hand on my shoulder. “It’s going to take some clever diplomacy, but one way or another, we’re going to prevent an all-out war. I promise.”

I could only nod as I removed my face from my hands, looking forlornly to Twilight. “Of course, I’m sure the nobles are going to have a hayday with this. There are a few of them that still think I should be banished for being a liability, and they still haven’t let go of what happened on my tenth birthday.”

“They probably will kick up a fuss,” Twilight admitted with a resigned frown, “but they also know there isn’t much they can do about it. Legally, there’s nothing me, the girls, or even Celestia or Luna can do if they start causing trouble for you, so long as it's within the bounds of the law, but they also know that our political power and influence will overcome theirs, especially since you grew to protect Equestria, even though you weren’t aware of it during the fight itself. Motive determines quite a bit when it comes to politics, and your motive takes quite a bit of the heat off of you for ‘becoming a raging beast,’ as I’m sure they’ll try to say. Besides that, losing the support of so many powerful members of Equestrian society isn’t worth them pushing an agenda or narrative of some sort, and they know it.”

“Have I ever told you I hate politics?”

Twilight smiled gently at me and got out of her chair, walking to me and leaning down to hug me tightly. “Yes, quite a few times. I don’t particularly like them either, but I’m good at playing the game. Celestia’s basically been training me to be royalty since I was a filly, so I’m well aware of how to handle things should they try and somehow turn this against you. Don’t worry about it, Spike. You just focus on making sure you stay out of trouble, and...just keep being yourself. Your day to day life is mundane and uninteresting, so if you just stick to it, chances are they’ll lose interest when they find that there’s nothing they can do to ruffle you, at least not without hurting their relations with fifteen important political leaders across Equestria, the Crystal City, the badlands, and the dragon lands. As much as I know you don’t like using your friendships with us all to get favors, in instances like this, it helps to know people in high places.”

She was right, on the latter note. The only major incident that had happened was my first greed growth -- and, being a non-pony citizen, I made sure to keep a positive public reputation -- but I still didn’t like knowing that, if it weren’t for my relationship with these “Pillars of Equestrian Society” (as they had been called in the media, on a few occasions), I might have been banished or imprisoned for causing so much damage, even if it had been fixed. As it was, the only reason we were going to be able to spin this one as a positive was because there had been another dragon that had willingly illegally entered Equestrian borders and had outright refused to initiate a dialogue with the guard scouts that had found her. When it came down to it, even if they were more than willing to do so, I didn’t like knowing that my friends and adopted family had to stick their necks out for me because some of the less-accepting members of Equestria still had a hate-boner for me, after all these years.

Regardless…

“I think I should make a public appearance of some sort, before all of this comes to light through the rumor mill.” I grudgingly suggested. “As you said: they’re going to find out anyway, so I think it would be better if we released the details as a cohesive unit rather than let it happen without our hand in it. It’ll look better that way for all of us, and I’ll get to prove to the dissenting citizens that I’m not afraid of their petty slings and insults.”

Twilight nodded before standing, and unceremoniously taking a seat sideways in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her midsection without hesitation, and released a pleased grunt as she leaned against me. She released a gentle sigh as we sat silently for a few moments, before she nodded against me. “I was thinking the same. I’ve already passed the idea on to Celestia and Luna, so we’re going to be gathering for a public announcement tomorrow to ‘nip this in the bud’, as Applejack would say.”

I nodded as well, pleased that no matter what, I could always depend on Twilight to have forethought on important matters. “Sounds like a plan.”

I brought my right hand around her back and rubbed her stomach in slow circles, something that I’d found she especially enjoyed when she was stressed or feeling under the weather. Twilight released a pleased coo and I felt her nose nuzzle into the crook of my neck. For a few minutes, we just sat silently and bathed in the glow of our mutual love and affection -- much as work took up most of our daily life, it was important for us to remember to spend what little free time we had with those we cared about, even if it was only for a short time. Twilight had it the easiest, of course, since we lived together, but her days were also far more full than any of our other friends, so our time together was often spent a few minutes at a time between work, or the short hour or so during meals and before bed.

“So what about Ember?”

Though she wasn’t looking up at me, still comfortably nestled against my body, I still glanced down at her from the corner of my eye. “What about her? I mean, there’s not much to say, other than her promise that we’re going to keep in contact better from now on.”

Twilight reached up and rubbed below the brand on the opposite side of my neck. “Dragons don’t do this on a whim, Spike. A mate’s brand is permanent, as I’m sure you know, so Ember feels for you quite a bit stronger than just a passing fancy. She’s a bit hot-headed at times, and is still learning as far as friendship is concerned, but she doesn’t strike me as the type to jump headlong into something like this without it meaning something more.”

Slowly, I nodded my acquiescence. “Yeah, I agree, but she made it clear that unless something changes, there’s nothing that can really happen between us. Other than sporadic visits here and there, she has to stay in the dragon lands, and I need to stay here.”

Twilight was silent for a few long moments before she spoke again. “...I don’t want to get your hopes up, Spike, but I’ve been working on something in secret that could help. I don’t want to reveal what it is just yet, but if you had the opportunity to have a steady relationship with Ember, would you?”

I didn’t even need to think about it, after having all night to go over it in my head. “Yes, of course.”

“Good,” she answered lightly. “If nothing else, I'm sure Ember would be happy to know you take her and her feelings seriously.”

I shrugged, as if it were an odd thing for me. “I mean of course I do; I take all of your feelings seriously. It would be insensitive and mean of me to do otherwise.”

Before I could comment further, the sound of the bottom floor door opening caught our attention. Twilight and I glanced at each other briefly before we both stood, Twilight grabbing me with her magic aura as I closed my eyes to prepare for the imminent teleport. After the lurching sensation ended, I opened my eyes to see we had arrived in the “traditional” throne room, and at the long end of the hall stood a familiar pink-coated unicorn with a violet and teal mane, suitcase in hand and knapsack still secured to her back. She seemed to be simply basking in the warm feeling of the castle she called home, eyes closed and a gentle smile upon her lips.

Twilight, of course, couldn’t contain herself, and only briefly called out to our close friend and roommate before she practically cannonballed into Starlight Glimmer with all the excitement of Pinkie on a sugar high. I imagine Starlight would have been far more upset had Twilight not conjured a poofy plush purple pillow and teleported her luggage safely a few feet to the right. As it was, Starlight Glimmer just giggled as she hugged her friend back, obviously enjoying the welcome home just as much as Twilight did.

I slowly made my way over to the hugging mares, only barely restraining my laughter, and just allowed them to enjoy the affectionate moment in peace. I’ll admit, even though royal duties kept us busy, Starlight’s presence and support had been something we both missed over the past few months of her tour of Equestria. The once-student of Twilight was now an expert in her friendship studies, but even though Twilight had long ago said there was nothing more about friendship she could teach the unicorn, Starlight had voiced her desire to stay regardless, and Twilight had wholeheartedly replied that she also didn’t want her student to leave. If I was honest with myself, I liked having Starlight around as well, so I shared the sentiment. True that often meant having to tolerate Trixie, but the showpony’s friendship with Starlight had done her a lot of good, so it was “baggage” I was willing to accept for the sake of having a good friend around.

A few minutes passed before I finally cleared my throat, causing both mares to look up at me. Upon Twilight realizing she was lying on top of the unicorn, and upon the unicorn realizing she had been nuzzling Twilight’s face with great affection in front of another, they both lit up with fierce blushes that made me finally chuckle aloud. Twilight shot to her hooves immediately, and offered a hand to Starlight so she could stand as well.

Starlight straightened out her blue camisole and fixed her silky hair with magic before smiling and walking to me, embracing me tightly as well. Granted she didn’t tackle me like Twilight had her, but I could tell by the firmness of the embrace just how much she missed being home, and I returned it with gusto.

“It’s good to have you back, Starlight.” I whispered to her with care.

She nodded with a muted giggle. “It’s good to be back, Spike.” She pulled away briefly before her smile morphed to a frown. She again embraced me, pulling back, then doing so once again. I could only stare in confusion before she pulled away the last time and inspected me with her focused gaze. Just as I started to become uncomfortable, she asked, “Spike, have you grown?”

Thinking back to the odd thought this morning that my clothes seemed somehow more snug than usual, I glanced to Twilight, who nodded emphatically. “I knew I wasn’t just imagining things! Spike, you have grown, just since yesterday!”

“Did something happen yesterday?” Starlight questioned, concern flashing in her eyes.

I took a long inhalation and nodded. “Yeah. You might want to take a seat though, as this is going to take some time.”

Twilight had been kind enough to brew some tea for us as we chatted, which left us to relax as I recounted my recent “adventure”. To put it simply, Starlight was stunned.

For a minute or two, all Starlight was able to do was stare, slack-jawed, after I finished my recollection. I wisely chose to ignore the growl she had made earlier when I told her the larger dragoness had tried to foalnap me, but now it was clear she definitely felt strongly about all that had happened. I couldn’t say why exactly, but it was obvious she was shocked that something like this could happen without her hearing about it.

“...wow. Okay, umm…” she intelligently mumbled, again falling silent as she closed her mouth and sat back to think for a moment. “That’s certainly something. A whole lot of somethings, actually.” She pointed to my neck, upon which the brand was proudly displayed. “So, with that mark, you’re basically married to a dragon lord, now?”

I felt a flush crawl up my neck and face as I realized she was accurate in her analysis. “I can’t say I thought of that, but yeah, you’re right. Dragons don’t exactly have marriages like ponies do, but yes, we’re officially bound for life with these marks. Not magically or anything, but any dragon that sees them will know what they mean, and who we ‘belong’ to.” I shrugged helplessly. “This isn’t exactly the way I thought things would happen in my life, but I learned pretty early on to go with the flow and adapt, so here I am. Nonetheless, even though it wasn’t the primary reason for it, being bound to Ember can only help Equestria’s relationship with dragons, even if just in small ways.”

Again Starlight’s mouth had gone slack from the information, but she quickly shook her head to compose herself before chuckling softy. “I have to be honest, I always thought you’d propose to Rarity or something. Did you give up on that while I was gone?”

“…we're not married, but actually...”

She was staring again. “No way. Really?” She pouted adorably and huffed. “I swear, I missed all the fun stuff when I was gone.”

“I also, kinda sorta, started a herd…”

“Seriously, what the hay, Spike?” Starlight blurted, followed by a laugh. “Were you just waiting for me to leave before you did all kinds of crazy stuff?”

I brushed off her playful accusation with a chuckle of my own. “Nah, it just kinda happened that way. Anyhow it’s Rarity, Lyla, and…” I glanced subtly to Twilight.

Twilight decided to pick it up from there. “And me, Starlight. Spike and I are together. I um...I hope that doesn’t make things weird between us, y’know, with us living together and all.”

Starlight continued laughing and just shook her head. This continued for a minute before she finally calmed down enough to reply. “Honestly, I’m more surprised it took this long. You two were dancing around each other for years; I expected this sooner. I’m just a little disappointed I missed you two getting together.” She shrugged and took a long sip of her tea, closing her eyes and savoring the simple black tea with lemon. After taking a moment to enjoy the hot beverage, she opened her eyes and looked back to us. “Apparently you’ve forgotten all the embarrassing moments we’ve shared together, Twilight. I’ve walked in on both of you naked at least twice each, I’ve caught both of you reading less-than-innocent material more than a few times, and there was even that one time where I caught you in your study with a ‘private apparatus’ shaped like a dragon’s-”

“Okay, that’s enough! We get it!” Twilight cut in loudly, a furious blush on her cheeks that reached all the way to the tips of her ears.

Unfortunately for her, my curiosity was piqued. If what I assumed was true… “A dragon’s what, Twilight?” I’ll admit, my grin was decidedly predatory as I watched her freeze and shiver ever so slightly. She slowly turned to face me, still blushing brightly, as she did her goldfish imitation. After a few moments of her gaping silently, and me trying my darndest not to laugh, I prodded, “Twilight, have you been doing naughty things in the study?”

While most of the teasing was because Twilight was adorable when she was embarrassed, I admit, the thought of her pleasuring herself with something shaped like a certain part of me was more than a little arousing. Thoughts for another time, I suppose, when she’s comfortable enough to open herself up to me that way.

“Twilight, we’re just teasing you.” Starlight assured with a warm smile. She placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “What you do in private is your own business, and neither of us are going to judge you for it. It’s a natural act that everypony does at some point or another -- some more than others -- but it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ve done it, Spike’s done it,” while I blushed a bit, I nodded, “and I’m pretty sure all your friends have done it.” Starlight paused briefly. “Except maybe Pinkie Pie. I don’t think she even knows what sex is.”

I wisely chose not to mention some of the teasing Pinkie Pie has given me over the years.

Twilight’s blush had not abated, and now she was holding her head in her hands, as if trying to hide away from the world as she grumbled, “That’s several images I won’t be getting out of my head anytime soon. Thanks, Starlight.”

The unicorn giggled and rubbed Twilight’s shoulder soothingly. “It’s okay, Twi. I’m just trying to help you realize that what you feel -- and sometimes do -- is completely natural, and normal. Honestly, with as much as an academic as you are, I had figured you to already think like that, but that’s beside the point.” She scooted closer to Twilight and pulled her into a tight embrace, setting her cheek next to her mentor’s. “You don’t have to be embarrassed around us. I can’t speak for your other friends, but with us, at least, it’s okay to talk about this stuff, and we’ll never judge you. If it wasn’t clear already, I’m perfectly fine with you and Spike being an item, and I’m actually happy for both of you. I just ask that if and when you both decide to become physical, please lock the door and activate the silencing crystal in your room. That’s one thing I’d really prefer not to walk in on.”

Twilight’s face was still flushed, but she was clearly enjoying the hug and had a warm smile on her face now as she affectionately rubbed her cheek against Starlight’s. “Thanks, Star, for being so understanding about all this. I really missed having you here to help me realize when I’m being silly.”

Starlight pulled away from Twilight slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes as she gestured to me. “I’m sure Spike will agree that your ‘silliness’ is one of the things we love about you. Never change, Twilight.” When Twilight looked to me, I offered a firm nod and a smile of my own, which seemed to comfort her.

“So,” Starlight began, pulling fully away from Twilight and levitating her knapsack to her lap, “let me regale you with my travels, if you both have the time.”

I caught Twilight’s eyes briefly before nodding to Starlight. “For you, we have all the time in the world.”

Starlight’s stories weren’t as wild as mine was, but they were still important, and told a lot about how the neighboring nations were living and growing. Griffonstone, for example, had just opened its first set of businesses and lodging specifically catered toward ponies, which meant their tourism industry was about to boom. Minos was still in the midst of a civil war, while the neighboring badlands were slowly becoming greener as the magic of the new changelings brought life back to the wasteland. The several zebra nations (none of which I could pronounce...or spell, for that matter) had just passed a law as one that would outlaw slavery within their borders, which was sure to bring in a new era of progress for their people.

The most interesting story, however, was about a place we long thought only a myth.

“Wait wait wait,” Twilight interrupted, her quill writing furiously as she struggled to take everything down, “Atlantis has reappeared?”

Starlight nodded excitedly. “It has! Oh, it was amazing to see the mythical ‘floating island’ for myself.” She then narrowed her eyes and pointed to the parchment in Twilight’s magical grasp. “You also might want to note that by ‘floating’, the legends apparently didn’t mean on just the ocean.”

I quite clearly heard as the tip of the quill punctured the parchment, and Twilight lowered it to stare intensely at Starlight. “You mean…?”

She nodded with an almost manic grin. “It’s in the sky, Twilight! An entire landmass, just floating in the sky! It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen! I wasn’t able to get close enough to get a reading on the energy fields, but there’s something very interesting going on to cause it, some sort of anti-gravity tech or magic.”

“That’s insane.” I voiced with no small amount of surprise. “I mean, up until now, that place was just a legend, from before the time when alicorns even existed. Imagine how differently the flora and fauna evolved, isolated from the rest of the world for ten thousand years. Did you catch sight of any seaponies?”

Starlight shook her head, still grinning. “No, I wasn't so fortunate, but I saw what looked like architecture built into the cliffs.”

Twilight nodded as she continued taking notes. “I'm sure Celestia will want to send research teams to scout the location as soon as possible. Where did you last see it?”

“In the Placid Sea, heading slowly northeast, about a week ago. I came home immediately after I spotted it.” Starlight answered with a frown. “I can only hope it hasn't somehow changed its heading, or it could be anywhere by now.”

“I don’t think it’ll be too hard to find a giant floating island, and there aren’t any flying species near that part of the continent anyway.” Twilight assured as she literally wrapped up her notes, rolling the scroll and tying it with a lavender bow before handing it to me. I blew a puff of emerald fire over the parchment and watched it turn into ash, carried away by magic toward Canterlot. Twilight then stood from her spot beside Starlight and stretched, her wings flaring wide in an impressive display of plumage. I admit, I stared for a few moments at the sight, wishing I could touch them.

Starlight stood as well, glancing between the two of us. “So, what do the two of you say to lunch at Sugarcube Corner? My treat.”

While Twilight and I were likely thinking the same thing -- Starlight shouldn’t waste her money paying for two people that practically have to fight with most restaurants to even pay -- the gesture was appreciated, and Starlight wasn’t even close to being poor. We both nodded our acceptance to her and I answered, “Sounds good, Star. I’m sure Pinkie will be happy to see you again, if she doesn’t already know you’re here.”

Walking through Ponyville with attractive mares was always a fun experience for me. Everypony in town knew Twilight and I were together by now, so seeing Starlight on my other side garnered quite a few interesting looks from the locals. The majority of the stallions gave me a thumb-up or a smile and nod, and I would often get a look of profound approval from the mares who had seen me grow up over the years.

The looks that made the walk interesting were those from tourists, or Twilight’s (thankfully few) would-be courtiers. Those from the smaller towns or neighboring nations were usually more focused on me than Twilight, since alicorns in Equestria were more common than dragons. The other looks were from the upper class ponies that tended to come from Manehattan, Canterlot, and Los Pegasus, and those tended to be a bit more...accusatory. As a younger, smaller drake, the looks made me uncomfortable, as if they were loudly proclaiming that I did not belong in the same town as ponies, let alone ponies like Twilight and her friends. Now though, it just made me giggle, since it reminded me of just how little they knew about Twilight, or any of the rest of us. Considering all that had happened in the past years since we came to Ponyville, a dragon in Equestria couldn’t even be called odd anymore. What I found truly entertaining, however, was just how many looks of envy would be directed toward us -- to me or the girls specifically, I was never sure, but it was always funny nonetheless.

This was why I took great pleasure in holding Twilight close to me with a wing, proclaiming to everypony that saw us that she was mine.

Luckily for Twilight, who was blushing profusely from all the attention we were getting, Sugarcube Corner was relatively close to home, and within only a few minutes, the three of us were stepping up to the front door. I pushed it open, the brass bell chiming merrily as always, and waited for both mares to enter before following in behind them. It was around lunchtime, so while only a few of the tables had ponies sitting down for a meal, there was a line to the counter where working ponies were grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading back to work. Starlight motioned to Twilight and I to find a place for us to sit, so I grasped Twilight’s hand in my own and gently pulled her along to sit in one of the booths off to the side of the room. Like always, the bakery was full of friendly faces, and both of us were on the receiving end of pleasant smiles and greetings from the ponies there, and a few of the out-of-towners even bowed to her (much to her chagrin). I merely chuckled at the embarrassed blush from Twilight, steadily making my way to an open booth and allowing Twilight to sit on the inside, so she could use me as a sort of shield from prying eyes.

A few minutes of silence later, Starlight slid in the opposite side of the booth, passing a paper cup of coffee each to me and Twilight, and by the smell alone, I was able to discern that Starlight had a good memory of what we liked. I brought the paper cup and sipped heartily, enjoying the sweet-yet-bitter brew that ran down my throat and into my stomach. I felt Twilight lean into my side, and reflexively, I wrapped my wing around her and grasped her hand in mine as we continued to enjoy our morning beverages.

When I looked across the table again, it was to see Starlight smirking at us. “You two are adorable, you know that? If I’d known you two would be this sweet, I would have asked Mrs. Cake to leave the sugar out.” She shook her own cup, still grinning.

I just snorted good naturedly, turning my nose up in a snooty manner. “I hope you know I’ll remember this when you get your own special somepony. I’ll be hazing the hay out of both of you.” I then smirked right back at her. “Speaking of that, how’s Sunburst?” I completed the accusation with a wiggle of my brows.

Starlight just stared at me, her smile having fallen away. “...you can’t be serious.” My look of confusion must have answered her question, as she just slapped her palm to her face. “By Luna, you are serious. Okay,” she removed her hand and pointed to me, “did you never notice just how friendly he was to you when we were visiting Flurry Heart on her birthday last year? You know, how he stayed by your side, laughed at all your jokes, and didn’t take his eyes off you even once while you were talking? Did you not notice how he would playfully touch your shoulders or your arms when he was conversing with you, and he was stuck to your side nearly the entire night?”

“Oh…”

I turned to Twilight in confusion, whose mouth was still formed into an “Oh” of realization. “What? What am I missing, here?”

At that, Twilight palmed her own face as well, muttering, “Sometimes, Spike, I swear…”

Starlight had reached across the table, and my eyes were drawn to her as she took my hand in her own and looked to me with a serious expression. “Spike, Sunburst wasn’t interested in you because you helped save the Crystal City, or even because you’re part of the royal family; he was interested in you because you’re a male.” She punctuated her statement with a raised eyebrow.

It took a few moments of thought before the reality struck me, almost physically, and I flinched in realization. “W-wait, so he…?”

Starlight just grinned as she pulled back to recline victoriously on her side of the table. “Do you seriously think I’d let a cute colt like that get away if he was at all interested in mares? I’ve never had a special somepony before, but I’ve known him since foalhood, Spike. If I had even the slightest chance, I’d have snapped him up faster than Rainbow Dash does cider during cider season. Yes, he’s very into stallions, and you certainly qualify.”

I now felt very awkward, thinking back on my previous interactions with the stallion. “Oh...wow. He does know I’m not…”

Starlight nodded with a faint smile. “Oh yes, he knows. I actually was forced to confront him about it years ago, since he spurned every one of my advances. In his own words, he did nothing to hide his attraction to other stallions, and honestly thought I knew beforehand. Since I learned that, I spoke to him after Flurry’s party, and told him that I knew for a fact that you were completely and utterly uninterested in stallions. I believe he’s holding out a hope that I was wrong and that he can somehow interest you, but I think we all know the answer to that.”

Twisting my lips slightly, I shook my head. “Yeah, no. That’s never going to happen. I really like Sunburst -- he’s a great guy, a great friend, and a wonderful crystaller for Flurry Heart -- but that’s not going to change the fact that I just plain don’t feel anything toward other guys. I mean yeah, I can admire a stallion in a way like, ‘Oh, I wish I looked like him or had a voice like his,’ but there’s literally zero attraction whatsoever. I honestly feel kinda bad about it now, because I have a feeling I’m gonna have to break the guy’s heart some day.”

Again Starlight reached across to take my hand, and she gave it a firm squeeze as she focused her eyes on mine. “I’ll be sure to talk to him when that time comes. You’re both important to me, so I’ll make sure you both come out of that without hating each other.”

Taking a steadying breath, I nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Star. I’d appreciate that.”

“SPIKE!!!”

My free wing flared on instinct at the shout, and if I hadn’t already been sitting in the booth, Pinkie’s glomp would have mashed me into the ground. Instead, the right side of my face was shoved into Twilight’s lap, while the left side was pressed against a pair of warm, soft things covered only by a tee shirt and an apron. I returned Pinkie’s hug with my non-pinned arm and released a muffled laugh into my not-so-bad prison, only for the familiar tingle of Twilight’s magic to grab both me and Pinkie to sit us up properly...and remove my face from the skirt between Twilight’s thighs.

I wisely decided to ignore the full-face blush that had broken out on Twilight and instead just pulled her close with my wing again as I resigned myself to being suffocated by Pinkie Pie. I suppose there were worse ways to go than being forcibly mashed into a mare’s dirty pillows.

Of course, the gasp from Pinkie made me realize that my mark was in full view, and I cursed silently to myself.

Deciding to bite the bit and get on with it, I pulled away from Pinkie a bit -- who, thankfully, had relaxed her grip -- and looked into her confused and concerned blue eyes. “Long story short, Ember claimed me to protect me from a dragon that wanted to take me away from Equestria, as well as any future ones that might try the same. It’s similar to a pony marriage, except it’s more obvious, and it hurts more. And yes, it still hurts.”

Pinkie’s big, soulful blue eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as she more reservedly hugged me, nuzzling the top of my head comfortingly as she sighed loudly. “...I don’t like it Spikey. Why did she have to hurt you just to stop a mean ol’ dragon?”

Reaching up with my left arm, and wound it around one of hers and up to the back of her head, scratching softly behind her ears. “It’s just part of dragon culture. I did it so that something like this wouldn’t happen again. Lyla almost died, Pinkie. This,” I tapped just above the mark, “will keep a similar situation from happening again. A little pain is worth the life of somepony I care about.”

I felt Pinkie let out a long breath before she pulled away and wiped her eyes with her thumbs. She looked down at me, still with glassy eyes, and nodded slowly. “I don’t like that you had to be hurt Spikey, but I know you wouldn’t be saying it was okay if it really wasn’t.”

Seeing that she was still distraught, I pulled my wing away from Twilight and stood, wrapping both arms and wings around Pinkie as tightly as I could without crushing her. She immediately reciprocated, settling into the embrace and closing her eyes as she let out a content sigh. I held the embrace for a few moments before pulling away a bit reluctantly, using a hand to grasp her chin and force her to look up at me.

“I promise, I’ll be okay. I just didn’t want to have to leave any of you, so I did what I had to in order to prevent that from happening because of dragons.” I explained slowly, hoping she would understand the reason behind it.

Thankfully, by her more accepting expression, it seemed she did. She spoke in a low tone, still a bit somber. “I just don’t like thinking about my friends being hurt. It makes me sad, ‘cause I can’t do anything about it; I’m a baker, not a nurse.” Before I could even think about the statement, I noticed a twinkle in her eyes as she commented, “...I mean, unless you want me to be a nurse.”

“PINKIE!”

My face felt flushed, and I was sure she could see the blush on my spines, but she just giggled adorably as she reached up and patted me on the head. “You’re so cute when you’re all embarrassed, Spikey. Well okay, I guess everything’s okie dokie, so,” she reached behind her back, into nothing, and pulled out a tray that had three sandwiches and three muffins on it, placing it on the table, “I think some good eats will lighten things up. Anyway, I’ll see you later, Spikey! Be good!” She ended her farewell with another firm embrace, and was then gone faster than I could blink.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that pony.” Starlight muttered, mostly to herself.

I just shook my head with a quiet chuckle. “She’s definitely an acquired taste, but you’ll not find a more friendly pony in Equestria. I wouldn’t be who I am today without her, so she’ll always be special to me.”

Glancing back to Starlight, I saw her nodding to me. “Yeah. You were just a little baby drake when you first came to Ponyville, so I imagine she influenced you quite a bit as you grew up.”

“Not all of it good,” Twilight grumbled as she took a bite of her sandwich, and I knew she was referring to my love of pranks. Regardless, Twilight was smiling slightly, so I knew it was all in good fun.

For the next few minutes, the three of us just silently enjoyed lunch in the bakery, basking in the warm, homey atmosphere of the place. Before we knew it, however, lunch was finished, so the three of us simply offered our thanks to the proprietors before leaving.

Now out in the free air again, I noticed the distinct chill of the coming winter, as well as the many weather pegasi helping the ponies of Ponyville finish their preparations for winter, which mostly consisted of gathering up all the dead leaves and disposing of them. Rainbow Dash was absent, and that worried me briefly until I remembered she was likely still in Canterlot resting after her experiences the prior day; Rainbow Dash often joked about being the most awesome pony alive, but we all knew that even she had limits, and yesterday definitely qualified her for a good, long rest. Nonetheless, it was nice to see that Ponyville was still as friendly and helpful as ever, and were, at this point, a bit jaded to the events that took place nearby, or in the town itself. None of them were even glancing twice at us, even after the dragon fight the day before, and Twilight’s angered shout from earlier in the day. I could only assume they gauged their reactions off of the members of The Council of Friendship: if we weren’t panicking, whatever was happening wasn’t something to worry about.

As a group, we decided we should visit Rarity. Besides all of us wanting to check up on what winter clothes she had available, I was going to need a new wardrobe because of my slight increase in size (two or three inches in height was slight, right?). Besides that, Rarity needed to know what had gone on, and I needed Twilight there as a buffer to explain the culture of dragons to her, so she wouldn’t freak about a permanent scar given to me as a part of that culture. I also missed her, since it had been almost a week since I’d seen her, so there was that.

The Carousel Boutique came into view as we crossed the center of town, and I found my steps becoming just a bit lighter and a smile adorning my face as I thought about my beautiful, generous unicorn marefriend. I suppose it’s true what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this was evidenced by the fact that I was not concerned whatsoever about how angry she was likely going to be with Ember, or how upset she was going to be with me for allowing someone to brand their name into my skin -- as long as I could be with her, I knew everything would be okay.

The three of us stepped up to the door, and I gave a firm knock on the door to let Rarity know she had company. A musical “~Comiiing~,” answered, so we waited patiently for the owner of the home to invite us inside.

The beautiful white-furred unicorn pulled open the door, eyes closed with a bright smile upon her face as she greeted, “Welcome to the original Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magni- Starlight, darling!” Rarity’s eyes had opened midway through her greeting, and she excitedly pulled Starlight into a hug without hesitation. Starlight, while initially looking a bit startled, soon relaxed into the embrace and returned it readily. After a few moments, Rarity pulled back with a much warmer smile. “Darling, it is wonderful to see you home again. How was your journey? Oh,” she scoffed, stepping back through the doorway, “where are my manners; come in, come in!”

The three of us entered the boutique, and just a cursory glance was enough to confirm we had caught Rarity in the process of finishing up her winter line of designs, if the half-finished outfits upon mannequins and scattered bolts of cloth were any indication. “Rares, we’re not in the way right now, are we? I know you get busy this time of year.”

She simply waved my concerns away. “It’s fine, dear. I can afford an hour or two for the ones I care about. Besides, I’m nearly finished and ahead of schedule, so it’s really no trouble at all, I assure you.” She led us to her sitting room and asked, “Tea, water, cocoa?”

The three of us glanced at each other, a wordless conversation briefly being exchanged, after which Twilight looked to our hostess and answered, “Some tea would be nice, Rarity. Thank you for the hospitality.” Nodding with that same warm smile, Rarity pivoted with practiced grace and strode into her kitchen to prepare us some fragrant hot tea, which was always nice to have during the cooler months. The three of us took a seat on the plush sofa Rarity kept for customers in the sitting room, me sitting on the end with Twilight in the middle, and Starlight on the other end. Rarity returned only moments later, however, her horn alight around a fine porcelain teapot as she carried a tray with the teapot and four cups and saucers into the room, along with a small set of containers that held the sugar and milk for the tea and a bowl for lemon wedges.

Though Rarity would never admit it, she was an expert at brewing the proper cup of tea, so much so that even Celestia had picked up her current favorite brew from Rarity herself, as well as the skills to properly make it. I had once asked Rarity why she had taken so much time to become a master at brewing teas, and she simply told me, “A properly brewed cup of tea can turn a battle negotiation into the end of a war, a business proposal into a successful deal, and a simple day with friends into a memorable experience. A good cup of tea can make a bad day better, it can soothe the soul from the crushing weight of life’s trials, and it can offer good friends a reason to be together, if only simply to relax with a good cup in each other’s presence.” I had to admit that Rarity’s tea brews had a way of giving us a respite from whatever might be happening during the day -- even if only for a few moments -- but sometimes, that little change in the day could turn things around for the better. Because of this, I deferred to her judgement on the matter, because even though I didn’t understand all the subtle nuances that she did, what we experienced from simply having tea together spoke for itself.

Rarity took her seat at her favorite chaise next to me, and set all the implements down on the table as she gestured with a wave of her hand. “Please, enjoy.”

I took the cup closest to me, poured a little sugar into it with a squirt of lemon, then grabbed the teapot still covered in a faint blue glow. Deeming it hot enough, Rarity’s magic faded from the teapot, and I nodded my thanks before pouring the dark, steaming liquid into my cup. Immediately the myriad of exotic spices and earthy scent of the tea itself filled the immediate area, and I inhaled deeply as I reveled in the smell. I had never really been one for tea before coming to Ponyville -- and, I’ll admit, my initial interest had been as a way to get closer to Rarity -- but now, I enjoyed it quite a bit; unless it was morning and I hadn’t yet had my coffee, it was generally my drink of choice. Tea truly had the ability to calm the nerves and relax the soul, with the right brew.

“So,” Rarity began, setting her own cup down on the saucer as she sat a bit straighter, “I’m pleased to see you back home, Starlight. I’ll admit I hadn’t expected you back today, but Spike here had- OH MY WORD!”

I cringed at her explanation, as well as the sound of a teacup and saucer shattering on the table. It was clear she had seen my brand.

Rarity had jerked to her hooves, hand held over her mouth as tears glistened in her eyes. Her arm was half outstretched, as if afraid to touch me, so I slowly reached out and grasped her hand in mine and slowly brought it to the mark, ignoring the uncomfortable warmth of her hand. She initially jerked away, but I held her hand against the mark and smiled guiltily at her. “I suppose I have some explaining to do.”

Rarity’s eyes were still glistening with tears as she took a seat on the plush armrest, nodding to me. “I suppose you should, yes.”

“Well,” I began, organizing my thoughts to the simplest explanation, “to be as direct as possible, this,” I pointed to the mark that was still covered by Rarity’s left hand, “is a mate’s brand. The odd writing is the draconic language, and it...spells Ember’s name. Basically, she had been watching me since before I went to confront the other dragoness, and in order to get her to leave, Ember claimed me as her own mate -- what happened between us during the Gauntlet of Fire gave her that right. The reason she did so was because the other dragoness wanted to do the same, and take me back to the dragon lands against my will. I gave the same mark to Ember, and both of them together mark us as bonded in the eyes of all the dragon clans -- no other female has the right to claim me now, and my name on Ember will make the other dragonesses aware that I’m off limits. This was the only way to end the possibility of more dragonesses coming to try and claim me for themselves, without starting a war.”

I watched as she gently wiped the growing tears away with a thumb, but the sour look on her face remained. “But why you, Spike? I mean no disrespect when I ask this, but what makes you so important?”

Holding up my hand, I began to count, like Twilight had earlier. “I’m a member of the Council of Friendship, I’m the intermediary between Equestria and the dragons, I’m connected in some way to all the Equestrian princesses, I’m a personal friend of Thorax, and I’m the adopted son of Celestia herself. Dragons place quite a bit of importance on status, and due to all the connections I have and the friendships I’ve made, I’m very important. Even though dragons don’t necessarily have a high opinion of ‘squishy races’ like ponies, there’s no denying the marvels they’ve created, or the fact they’ve survived and flourished in such a dangerous world. My connection to Celestia and Luna is also very desirable -- while they’re not worshiped or anything, ‘the Living Sun and Moon’ are highly respected and revered among dragons. While Equestrian nobles tend to believe I’m, at best, a liability, the other races know exactly how much power I hold because of who I am in Equestria, who I know, and what I’ve done.” I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. “I’ve never really had reason to think about it before, but now that I have, it’s actually surprising it took this long for a dragoness to attempt this.”

Still rubbing the skin around the brand, Rarity frowned as she thought aloud. “I suppose it makes sense, then. I detest that the situation called for this, however. Also, ponies will talk about this downright…” she glanced to me, as if asking for permission.

I nodded to her. “Go ahead, you can say it.”

Smiling briefly to me, Rarity continued with, “This...barbaric practice is not exactly acceptable among ponies, Spike. It’s too detailed to simply pass off as an accident of some sort, so ponies will talk. I shudder to think of the rumors that will be created in response to this.”

Again I nodded. “Yeah, same. However, this was the result of a willing action between two participants, and that’s exactly what I’m going to tell ponies that kick up a fuss about it. What it means to Ember and I is not their business to know, so that’s all they’re going to get.”

Removing her hand from the tender mark, finally, Rarity leaned a bit onto my side and more comfortably settled herself. “Speaking of that, I think it’s a safe assumption that this is a rather intimate gesture, considering the fact it’s called a ‘mate’s brand’, but what specifically does it mean to you, Spike?”

I glanced to Twilight, and she nodded to me encouragingly. Taking a deep breath I prepared to explain as plainly as I could. “Ember cares about me, Rarity. A lot. It’s more than just friendship, too, but she refuses to push further due to the fact that we can’t be together for any length of time. She trusts me, and has clear attraction to me, but our respective duties are going to keep us apart. We both agreed that a long-distance relationship wouldn’t work, so while we care about each other, my place as her consort is merely a title that will work to our mutual benefit.”

“That’s...not very romantic at all, Spike. I’m rather disappointed, actually.” Rarity bluntly countered. “While I understand that a relationship of such a distance would be all but impossible to maintain, it is...frankly, it’s saddening that the two of you cannot explore your mutual affections for one another.”

I raised my brow at that. “Wait, I thought you didn’t like Ember.”

Snorting gently through her nose with a grin, Rarity shook her head. “I admit, she’s unrefined, completely lacking feminine decorum, and is rather brutish, but I don’t distinctly dislike her, Spike. We do not share much in common when it comes to personality or hobbies, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like Ember. I simply don’t know her well enough, and we haven’t spent more than a few minutes together at a time, and she is hardly interested in gossip or dressmaking.” She placed a velvety hand on my chest as her smile changed to something warm and loving. “What I do know is that she cares for you -- deeply, it seems -- and she has nothing but your happiness and wellbeing in mind. That alone tells me she is a good person, and though I do not know her personally, that is good enough for me.”

I nodded gently, surprised and pleased. “Cool, works for me. Well, now that the main deal is out of the way, we actually came by to check on your winter line, and also…” I chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck, “I’m gonna need some new clothes.”

At the latter part of my statement, I saw Rarity’s eyes begin going over my form with a critical eye. Of course, the signs that the clothing was tighter was obvious: since Rarity made our clothes tailored to our respective bodies, they weren’t really made to stretch. The tightness of the relatively new buttoned, collared shirt was most visible around my biceps and chest, where the cloth and buttons could be seen straining a bit. They were still nice clothes -- and, I suppose if I were the type, they’d be good for showing off a muscular form -- but I didn’t regularly wear my clothes to be form-fitting, so it felt uncomfortable to me.

“My my, has someone been working out?” Rarity purred, reaching out to stroke my chest as she not-so-subtly felt me up.

While I reflexively flexed the muscles there to show off (don’t judge me), I released Twilight and stood, shaking my head. “Yes, but that’s not why I need new clothes.”

Again Rarity’s eyes roved over me as she also stood, when she suddenly gasped as she summoned a tape measure and dropped one end to the floor. Her magic held it above my head, and she brought it down to read off the marking, only to gasp again. “Seventy-six inches -- Spike, you’ve grown four inches in just a day! Did you-?”

“I had to grow and fight the other dragoness while Lyla and Rainbow Dash escaped to safety.” I answered guiltily. “They had both followed me, and Lyla transformed to take on the dragoness so I could get somewhere safe...but I couldn’t leave her. I knocked out the dragoness so Rainbow Dash could get Lyla medical attention, but I had to keep the dragoness in one place until Dash could get Luna to me. I don’t remember anything after the fight started, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up in Ember’s lap, and I was normal-sized again.”

Staring at me blankly for a moment, Rarity’s mouth hung open dumbly as she took in what I said. Following a quick shake of her head, her tape measure began flying all over my body, taking the many different measurements she normally gathered when making clothes. She meticulously marked down all the measurements on her notepad until she finished, at which point the tape measure unceremoniously dropped into a coiled heap on the floor.

Rarity lowered her red working glasses over her eyes and I watched as her eyes darted over the page. She flipped back a few pages -- presumably to compare my old measurements with the new ones -- before nodding firmly and lifting the glasses to rest on her horn as she looked up at me. “You haven’t just gotten taller, Spike. All of your measurements have increased -- you’ve grown. Even…” she quickly used her magic to ease open my wings, once again floating the tape measure up to take numbers before nodding again, “even your wings have gotten bigger. I think it’s a safe assumption that this is due in part to what happened yesterday, though I cannot say what.”

“Neither can I.” Twilight added from behind me. “His behavior hasn’t changed, so I’m not worried, but it is a bit jarring. There’s simply too much that happened yesterday to effectively pin down a cause.”

Rarity nodded while looking off to the side, biting her lip. She eventually looked up to me with a loving smile and a nod. “Of course I will make you a new wardrobe Spike, and I’ll only charge for the cost of materials and a quarter of the labor.”

Knowing how much Rarity normally was able to price her clothes, I raised my brow at her incredulously. “Are you sure? I mean, I’m thankful, but I would feel more comfortable paying in full for taking up your time.”

With that same loving smile and a gentle rub of my cheek, Rarity nodded resolutely. “Of course I’m sure, darling. As I said, I’m nearly finished and ahead of schedule with my current orders, and I have nothing on the calendar after that, other than a visit to my Manehattan shop in two weeks. That is more than enough time to make a few necessary items for you, and I would not think of charging a friend or lover the same as a normal customer. If,” she began, silencing my attempted counter, “you still feel indebted to me, you can take Twilight and I to La Porte du Paradis for dinner tomorrow night, and we can call things even.”

I held my brow high. “Taking two of my mares on a date? That still doesn’t sound like I’m losing anything in this deal.”

Fluttering her lashes with a saucy smile, Rarity stood as tall as she could, a mere few inches from my face, as she whispered, “Well, I suppose you will just have to endure taking two beautiful mares out, won’t you? Oh dear, I don’t know how you’ll cope.” With a more coy lip bite and a challenging raised eyebrow, she punctuated her statement with a gentle rub of the unbranded side of my neck.

Shivering slightly from the teasing, I cleared my throat and nodded. “O-okay, yeah. I think I can do that.”

“Wonderful darling.” Rarity replied as she pulled away and released me, levitating her notepad back to her hands as she began walking toward her sewing room. “Now, the winter clothes I have planned for all of you should be ready tomorrow. Spike, I should have something ready for you by tomorrow as well, though I’ll need to make a few alterations to the original design. Twilight if you could…” she looked to see Twilight had already repaired the cup and saucer, as well as cleaned up the spilled tea. Rarity gave her a bright smile in response, “Thank you, darling. Now, I hate to talk and run, but inspiration calls, and I must prepare for tomorrow. Twilight, do be sure Spike gets a good rest tonight. Ta, dears!”

I watched Rarity leave briefly before reaching down and pulling Twilight up with me, then jerking my head to the front door. “Guess we should leave her be. I know Fluttershy’s really busy this time of year, so it would be pointless to visit her until tomorrow, earlier in the day. So, what do you two want to do for the rest of the day?”

As we made our way out of the boutique, and Starlight shut the door behind her, Twilight took her place at my side and looked up at me with a smile. “Well, we don’t have any work to do until tomorrow, so I’m up for spending the day at the park, unless you have a better idea.”

I shrugged. “Not really, and some fresh Ponyville air sounds nice.” I glanced to the other mare, who was waving to one of our fellow residents. “What about you, Starlight? Feel like spending the day together?”

At hearing her name, Starlight’s ears twitched my way before she swung her gaze around and looked at me incredulously. “Really? I mean, I don’t want to cramp the two of you.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I’m having a date with my girls tomorrow, this is just a casual outing between friends. Besides, Twilight and I both missed having you around, so we should spend some time together. You’re not intruding or anything, I promise.”

“Spike’s right,” Twilight added warmly, “we’d love to spend time with you. Please join us; we’ll pick up some fizzy drinks from Barnyard Bargains, some snacks from Sugarcube Corner, and we’ll make a day of it. Frankly, I think we could all use some real downtime, and the weather is still warm enough to enjoy time outside without warmer clothing.”

I looked back to Starlight with a raised brow. “So? I mean, if you have other things to do, we don’t-”

“No, I…” Starlight blurted, wincing slightly before continuing more confidently, “I’d love to join you two, if you really don’t mind. It feels like forever since I’ve been here, and I did miss my friends while I was away. A day in the park sounds nice.”

“Cool.” I answered, giving a thumbs-up. I nudged Twilight and suggested, “You go with Starlight to Barnyard Bargains, and I’ll pick up some eats from Pinkie. We’ll meet by the great oak in a half-hour. Sound good?” With nods from both mares, I turned on my heel and began walking back toward Sugarcube Corner.

Only a short time later, the three of us had reconvened and were settled in the shade of a massive oak tree growing near the center of town. Even in the late fall, the air was still warm enough that even in the shade of the old tree, it was a pleasant and enjoyable day. Twilight and Starlight had bought a couple of bottles of pop, and I had gathered a few sweet pastries from Sugarcube Corner. With our snacks and drinks gathered, we whiled away the day in pleasant company, mostly reminiscing about the past. I was pleased to notice that Starlight had settled into Ponyville life again just fine, since she was on the receiving end of friendly greetings from the local populace. It was always nice to see all my friends being accepted as just another citizen, regardless of their past.

For over an hour, we just enjoyed each other’s presence in a rare moment of completely free time.

The relaxing day was disrupted by a deep rumble in the distance, which could easily be mistaken for thunder, if not for the fact that it was a clear day. Looking toward the source of the sound, I caught sight of a familiar rainbow contrail heading directly for Ponyville, which only one pony alive could make. I pointed to it, drawing the attention of the two mares sitting with me, and we all stood and waited for the speedy pegasus to arrive -- due to her flying at such a speed, I was pretty sure it was because she would be looking for me.

I came up with an idea to keep Rainbow Dash from frantically flying all over town at dangerous speeds, so I looked to Twilight and suggested, “Could you send up a flare so she can find us?” Twilight’s face brightened at the idea, and nodded before lighting her horn. A moment later, a bright lavender spark shot up into the air, through the branches of the tree and into the open sky. I knew that for a pony with eyes as good as Rainbow Dash, it would be foals play to find the origin of the flare.

Just as I planned, we were all able to see exactly when the approaching pony changed course, flying directly for the base of the tree, and though I had seen it hundreds of times, it was always amazing to see the power and control over flight that Rainbow Dash had. Even after flaring her wings and bleeding much of her speed away, she was still approaching at a velocity that would make most pegasi sick from being so close to the ground. It only took me a second to realize what was about to happen, so I casually stepped away from the other two mares and extended my arms and wings, waiting for Rainbow Dash to-

WHAM!

...grind me into the ground like a plow blade. It took a moment for my head to stop spinning, but when I was finally able to see clearly, I looked down at the messy head of rainbow hair and wrapped my arms tightly around her. Just from the look of her, it was clear she hadn’t slept very soundly the night before -- and likely only got the little sleep she did due to a spell from Luna -- so I just held the embrace silently and waited for her to ease up, regardless of the new soreness in my chest and back. After a minute or so, her grip relaxed slightly, enough so that I could maneuver my arms to push us up to a sitting position with help from my wings. From there, I was able to get my legs underneath me to stand, and when I did, Twilight and Starlight joined the hug from both sides.

Reaching up with both hands just under her wing joints and pulling her closer, I nuzzled the top of her head with my nose, reassuring her. “I’m okay, Rainbow Dash. Everything’s okay. Lyla’s safe, the dragon’s gone, and everything’s okay.” It took another minute or so for the anxious trembles to die away, and eventually Rainbow Dash calmed enough to look up at me with a critical eye. Like Starlight, it took a few moments, but a gasp suddenly escaped her, followed by my preemptive, “I’ll tell you all about the mark. And yes, I’ve gotten bigger.”

“I’ll say.” she breathed almost reverently. I watched as her gaze roved over my chest and arms, silently amused at her sudden interest in the way my shirt now barely fit. Seemingly realizing what she’d said, she shook her head and couldn’t quite keep from blushing as she amended, “I mean, it’s kinda hard to ignore you growing bigger when I just saw you yesterday. That’s all.”

I decided not to tease her -- now wasn’t the time for that -- and instead motioned to the collection of snacks and drinks by the base of the oak tree. “Why don’t we take a seat and I’ll catch you up on everything that happened after you left, hm?”

Rainbow Dash glanced at the food, and immediately her stomach roared angrily. With a deeper blush, she admitted, “...sounds good. I kinda slept in, and skipped lunch to make it here.”

The four of us sat down and allowed Rainbow Dash to eat in peace for a few minutes before I began to recount the events that took place after she had fetched Luna. She didn’t speak the whole time (which made sense, since she couldn’t eat, breathe, and talk all at the same time), but it was clear to me that she was listening intently to the story. She had a look of distinct concern when I went over my forced growth -- like, for example, the fact that I didn’t consciously notice myself getting bigger -- but the expression changed to wonder when I talked about how I fought and won against the dragoness. Surprise colored her as I spoke about my next conscious memory of waking up in Ember’s lap, followed by a chuckle at how Luna had needed to Goddess-punch me in the face (her words, not mine). Concern washed over her as I talked about what the mark was, as well as how it was given to me, but her worries were apparently sated when I assured her that I wasn’t going anywhere, and we’d be hearing more from Ember from now on.

She had finished her stand-in meal by that point, and sat in silence for a quiet minute or two as she mentally went over everything I had told her. Finally, seemingly coming to a conclusion, she looked to me and shrugged. “Well, you didn’t get to bang that one dragoness, but Ember’s a good prize. She’s pretty hot.” Her teasing smirk was enough to force a mirthful chuckle out of me at her antics.

“Really Dash? Just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” I mildly chastised, without any real heat behind it.

She only grinned like a dork. “What? I mean, at least you got something out of this. Ember’s a catch; heck, if I swung that way, I might make a pass.”

I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. “This ‘union’ is largely for our mutual benefit. We can’t be anything more due to the distance. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. For now, this is just the best of a bad situation. Although, I will admit that it was good to see her again, and she promises to send messages back and forth again.”

Rainbow Dash’s playful mirth receded, leaving only a warm affection in its place as she reached out and took one of my hands in her own. She gave it a firm squeeze and smiled at me with relief. “All kidding aside, I’m glad you’re okay, Spike. When you sent me away yesterday…” she momentarily glanced away and caught her bottom lip in her teeth before continuing, “gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared before. I flew like a bat out of Tartarus after I dropped off Lyla with the thestrals, and I’m pretty sure the castle staff isn’t happy I destroyed pretty much an entire section of the garden when I landed outside. I couldn’t stop thinking about what might be happening without me there, but my wings were shaking, and I could barely even fly after all that. I got Princess Luna and told her what was going on, and then the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a guest bed today.”

I nodded my understanding. “I kinda figured Luna would have put a spell on you to make you sleep. She probably knew she could get things handled at that point, and you needed to sleep to keep you from basically killing yourself flying in your state. Don’t be mad at her, Dash. She did the right thing, and everything turned out fine.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I’m not, I just wish she would have let me know what she was gonna do before she did it. It was...um…” she snapped her fingers a few times and looked to Twilight.

“Jarring, I believe.” Twilight answered with a faint smile. “Luna’s sleep spells usually are, due to her connection with the night. Other similar unicorn spells make a pony get progressively sleepier until they finally succumb, but for Luna, they just...knock you out.”

Rainbow Dash nodded her thanks to Twilight before looking back to me with a smile. “Well, I’m glad everything’s cool, now.” When Rainbow Dash looked away, I shot a subtle glance at Twilight, only for her to shake her head. She was right; Rainbow Dash didn’t need to know this was a lot more complicated than it seemed, since she couldn’t do anything about it. I hated keeping secrets, but this one wouldn’t do anything but upset her, and she’d feel helpless.

“So, when did you get back, Star?” Rainbow Dash chimed, sipping from her glass of sarsaparilla as she looked at the pink unicorn.

Starlight smiled at Rainbow Dash, shrugging slightly. “Eh, not too long ago; just a few hours before now, actually. I figured it was time to come back home and tell some stories. Oh, speaking of,” her grin turned slightly smug, “you’ve got fans all the way at the southern cape, past the Black Forest. I told them I’d come all the way from Equestria, in Ponyville, and a few of the minotaurs and even gryphons immediately asked me if I had met any of the Elements. When I said yes, I did know all of you, this little chick named Griselda would not shut up about you. It was all ‘Rainbow Dash’ this, and ‘she’s so awesome’ for hours. So, if you ever need your ego stroked, keep in mind that there are people all over the continent that know who you are.”

I was able to witness the pride practically filling Rainbow Dash’s body, and if it weren’t for the fact she was already a pegasus, I imagine she’d be able to fly on ego alone at that point.

“Hah, little chick has good taste, then!” she answered, her smile brighter than the sun at that moment. She thumped her chest and closed her eyes with a pleased smile. “I mean, I guess it’s only natural word’s gotten out. You can’t keep this much awesome contained in Equestria!”

From my place next to her, I reached with a claw and poked Rainbow Dash in the ribs, eliciting a girly, adorable squeak from her as she practically jumped away from my finger. I just smirked back at her scowl and teased, “Yeah, awesome. So awesome she squeaks like a dog toy when you poke her, and she still squeals like a fanfilly when a new Daring Do book comes out.” She blushed and visibly deflated, so I reached out and gave a pat to her shoulder patronizingly, and she mockingly snapped at my hand like an angry dog. I only found the gesture all the more adorable, and I had to restrain myself from laughing at her embarrassment. The foalish raspberry she blew at me broke my composure, and she soon joined me in laughter, along with Twilight and Starlight.

After a few enjoyable moments of laughter, we got ourselves under control and just sat together, smiling happily. Rainbow Dash was okay, Starlight was back, and there was no dragon pillaging Ponyville, so today was a good day.

The day ended with a heartfelt goodbye from Rainbow Dash to the three of us, and a promise from her that she would be swinging by to visit tomorrow after she finished work. We all exchanged parting words -- and me, gratitude for what she’d done yesterday -- before she flew home to leave Twilight, Starlight and I alone for the rest of the night.

The night was relatively boring by comparison to the last few days, but I told myself that was a good thing. It was mundane in the sense that we simply ate a modest dinner, bathed, and then gathered in Twilight’s room to watch a movie as early evening progressed to night. Termarenator was one of my favorites, but a worry that had been politely knocking on the back of my mind became impossible to ignore, now that I had very little to distract me.

I was worried about Lyla. I knew that, as a soldier changeling that was practically gorged on love and positive emotions every day, she was quite capable of holding her own in combat against most of the dangerous things of the world, but that didn’t mean I liked that she was hurt. I also knew that thestrals, with the help of modern Equestrian medicine, would be able to adequately provide for her and make sure she made a speedy recovery, but I still felt a little sick to my stomach knowing that she was likely laying in a bed right now, alone, with nothing to do but wait for her wounds to heal enough to safely make the trip home. Part of me wanted to blame her for putting herself in harm’s way for my sake, but I knew I had my own list of stupid decisions I’d made in life, so I couldn’t judge her.

Before I knew it, much like the slumber party Twilight and the others had invited me to some time ago, we had all progressed to laying down, eyes half-closed, as we tried to continue watching the movie -- even I was unable to resist the call to sleep. Twilight was the first to fall, quite literally faceplanting into her pillow in a comical manner. Starlight glanced sleepily at her, before catching my eye with an unsaid question. I nodded toward the video player and television, and with a light of her horn, both shut off for the night as the room was bathed in darkness. I yawned, relieved that I hadn’t had to get up from the comfortable spot, before I rested my own head on the pillow in front of me as I surrendered to sleep. Distantly, I felt who could only be Starlight nestling her pillow against my side as she also settled in, but paid it no mind as Luna’s realm welcomed me. Tomorrow was sure to be busy for all of us, but for tonight, it was nice to just enjoy a nice day with friends.

Or at least it would have been, if not for a tapping on the far window.

With a muted growl, I lifted my head and glared at the window in question. At this height, it could only be a pegasus or alicorn, and for this window (which was just a plain wall when viewed from the outside), it had to be somepony that knew the layout of the castle. I let out a pitiful whine before carefully extracting myself from the soft bed and comforting presence of two best friends, and I would have stomped over to the window if not for the fact that I didn’t want to disturb my two roommates. Regardless, the snarl on my face could have curdled milk.

I flung open the window, darted my head out, and growled, “This had better be important.” A part of me was screaming in self-admonishment -- what if it had been Fluttershy that I had just rudely growled at? However, besides the fact that it was also rude to knock on someone’s window late at night, I was tired. Tired dragons get cranky.

I admit I was surprised to see a rainbow-patterned mane and powerful wings the shade of a beautiful blue sky.

Still, my annoyance bled through my surprise and was audible in my tone. “And what can I do for you, Rainbow Dash?” We only called each other by full names when we were upset, so I’m sure that would be enough anyway. I admit, I felt guilty at the flinch my words caused, and it made me aware enough to take in her appearance: splayed ears, crossed arms against a hunched form...oh, and she had apparently flown over without a shirt on, only wearing her sports bra and a pair of mesh shorts. Concern overrode my crankiness, and I opened the window a little wider as I whispered, “Dash, are you okay?”

I couldn’t see her eyes, since her bangs were in the way, but I could see her catch her lip between her teeth as she continued hovering silently outside the window. Without another question, I backed up and motioned her inside, and she took the invitation immediately. With a strong flap of her powerful wings and aerial precision that could only come from nearly twenty-five years of rigorous training, Rainbow Dash entered the bedroom, and landed nearly silently on the fluffy rug. Her wings folded tightly at her side, little tremors running through them as she continued to do the impression of a pony trying to melt into herself. At this point, I was almost fully awake, so I silently led her out of the room to the commons area, where we could talk without waking the other two.

I took a place on the plush loveseat, and to my surprise, Rainbow Dash took the spot right next to me. She still wouldn’t look at me, which worried me, but I knew that trying to pry out things Rainbow Dash didn’t want to tell was going to be nearly impossible, so I just waited silently, offering what I could with my (hopefully) reassuring presence. It took a few somewhat-awkward moments of silence before she spoke, but when she did…

“It was a nightmare.”

I raised my brow at the nearly-silent words. “A nightmare?” She only nodded faintly, her posture still defensive. I rolled the thought around my head for a moment, and thought about the impact of it.

Since Luna’s return to Equestria, nightmares had become increasingly rare among the populace. As the princess of the night, dreams were a part of her realm of power, and she could influence them, as well as banish them completely, if needed. I had once asked Luna why she didn’t banish all of them, and she simply replied that, “Not every nightmare is without purpose, Spike. Sometimes, to spare somepony from a greater evil within his or her life, I must allow the nightmare to run its course so that they can learn from the experience.” Luna’s power within the dream realm was without equal, so if she wanted to banish every bad dream that happened every night, she could. By her words though, sometimes, people needed a bad dream to push them to confront something in the waking world. Sometimes it was a simple fear, much like the dreams themselves, but sometimes it was far more complex than that. What this all told me was that, while Rainbow Dash was undoubtedly shaken from the nightmare, there was a reason Luna had let it run its course.

I had to choose my next words carefully, since I didn’t want her to completely shut me out. Thinking for a few moments, I eventually settled on, “Is there anything I can do to-”

“It was about you, Spike.”

My mouth seemed to stop working at her words. I just sat there with what was likely an amusing look on my face for a few seconds before I closed my mouth and nodded. “I see. Well, as you can see, I’m safe, and I’m not going anywhere.” I slowly reached out to grasp her hand, and while she initially flinched away, Rainbow Dash eventually allowed me to make the contact with her. Though she still wouldn’t look at me, I tried my best to soothe her. “Yesterday was...it sucked, but we’re all okay, and everything’s the way it should be. Sure, I’ve got a new scar, but we’re all okay, and even Lyla will be coming back in a day or two.”

She breathed a shuddering breath before croaking, “But what about the next time? I feel like every time we do this, we’re just pushing our luck now. This wasn’t a friendship emergency or anything, so you could have just said ‘no’ to the guard when he came to ask you.” She looked up at me finally, with glassy magenta eyes. “Why didn’t you? I could tell you were scared, so why didn’t you tell him to shove it up his plot? You didn’t have to do any of that, Spike!” Her voice had risen considerably by the last word, and she suddenly shot to her hooves to begin pacing. “I mean, surely if it came down to it, Luna could have gotten involved, or we could have flown to the dragon lands before this and gotten Ember involved!”

“And we would have shown Equestria, as well as the rest of the world, that Twilight and the others in the Council of Friendship are either incapable or unwilling to handle threats to Equestria.” I answered blandly, but firmly. “I measured the distance; this dragoness was much closer to us than any other settlement, so it was technically our jurisdiction on this. If we have to call on Celestia and Luna to handle problems every time, it’s going to look like Twilight’s not able to do it on her own. Legally, I’m Twilight’s registered honor-guard -- it was the only way to keep from having to spend tax bits to build a guard barracks in Ponyville; I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we don’t exactly have the room for a building of that size anywhere near town. I did this because it had to be done, and if we needed to call on the other two princesses to help, it would have looked bad that me -- another dragon -- couldn’t deal with this threat.” I snorted a bit at the thought; it still irked me. “I didn’t want to be the one to do this, and, to be honest, I was practically shaking in my scales. I did it because it had to be done, and because me handling it had the most positive outcomes to it.”

Rainbow Dash glared at me, with tears in the corners of her eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest again. “I thought I was talking to Spike, not some Canterlot diplomat. Who gives a flying feather about all that; what about you? Don’t you matter?”

“Not to Equestria, no.” I answered immediately. At that, Rainbow Dash’s mouth dropped open in shock, and any other time, I would have laughed at the look. At the time, however, I could only sigh heavily and rest my face on my hand. “Here, I’m just a number, and as a part of the ruling class -- though only as Twilight’s second, in the eyes of the public -- I have a duty to do what’s best for our people.” Removing my hand from my face, I focused on her face as I stood and made my way over to her. I stopped only a few inches from her, and bored my gaze into her eyes as I poked her in the sternum. “But in my heart, I did it for you, and all my friends.” Her lips began quivering, though she kept silent, so I soldiered on. “In my mind, as a dragon, Ponyville and all of you are a part of my hoard, and even though you don’t know as much about dragons as Twilight, I know you know how dragons are about their hoard. You and all the other girls are what’s most important to me in the entire world, and I’d rather face my fears than let something happen to you.”

She continued gazing at me for some seconds before she whispered, “S-so…” but took a moment to clear her throat before trying again, “...so, you really were scared?”

I snorted at the innocence of the question, and I couldn’t quite stop the small jet of fire that shot out of my nose. “Are you joking? Of course I was scared. Remember what I was like when I was smaller? Yeah, that hasn’t changed at all. I’m still a big scaredy-drake when it comes down to it; I’ve just gotten better at hiding it. ‘Fake it until you make it’ is what Shining Armor always told me, so I’ve gotten really good at acting.” I released a long breath before smiling at her, giving an affectionate squeeze to her shoulder. “But you showed me how to be brave, when I was younger. You taught me that being brave doesn’t mean we’re not scared, it just means that even when we’re afraid, we can overcome it to do what we need to do.”

The expression on Rainbow Dash’s face changed to one of mild pride at my praise, and I counted that as a win. She still looked a little shaken up, and it was clear this was going to be bothering her for awhile yet, but she looked reassured that I hadn’t been acting needlessly recklessly, and I had a good reason for it. And, most importantly, that I was afraid, just like everypony else could be.

Since when did she place me on a pedestal?

A squeaky, cute yawn escaped her as the exhaustion became clear to her once more, and while she pouted with a blush at my chuckle, she didn’t try and deny it as I gestured to her to follow me again. “C’mon, you’re staying the night. We both need sleep, and I think you’ll sleep better with some friends nearby.” She didn’t deny the attractiveness of my suggestion, and just quietly followed me back to the bedroom.

Twilight, as usual, had stretched out in my absence -- so much so that she now had a leg and wing draped over Starlight. I chuckled quietly at the sight, but walked forward to gently make room for me again. Twilight slept like a floppy stuffed animal, her limbs everywhere, but loose, so it was relatively easy to move her into a more comfortable position. Starlight, for her part, hadn’t actually moved much at all, other than to flip from her back onto her side, so I carefully stepped onto the princess’s oversized bed, nestling myself into the area between the two slumbering mares, extending my wings over Twilight’s body and Starlight’s legs.

Rainbow Dash, after looking around for a few moments, fluttered into the air behind me out of sight. I felt a weight settle onto my back and between my wings as her compact chest pressed against the skin just under my wings. Any other time, the feel of that particular type of softness would have brought a flush to my face, but with the talk we had just shared and exhaustion again creeping in, I just enjoyed the warmth and the way she nuzzled the back of my neck as she got comfortable. Eventually, she lay still, which left me in silence for the next few minutes.

“Hey Spike?”

While my eyes didn’t open, I couldn’t help the raise of my eyebrow, even if she didn’t see it. “Yeah Dash?”

A long silence followed. I didn’t think she was going to say anything, but eventually she answered with a nearly-silent, “...thank you. For everything.”

I reached around the back of my head and playfully tousled her hair before murmuring, “Anytime, Dash. I mean that.”

Again silence descended, and within only a few minutes, I found myself welcoming the embrace of Luna’s dream realm as the world faded away.

Chapter 14

It had been about a week since the incident with Fluttershy and my non-greed growth. We had sent a letter to Ember early the following morning, and the dragoness had been rather evasive with her response as to what was going on. Apparently, she had explained that it was something she would have to tell me about in person, and while I was quite happy to be seeing her again so soon, it irked me that I still didn’t have answers.

Rarity had made good on her promise to make me a new wardrobe, but with my recent incidents regarding my fluctuating size, she chose to create clothing that was incredibly stretchy, though a bit less fashionable. I distinctly remembered her face looking quite pouty when I remarked that the skintight clothing made me look like a superhero, though I’ll admit to liking the way her eyes roved over my body as I wore the stuff. Her and I had been sure to prepare for any clothing emergencies, so I was always sure to carry some extra clothes with me, just in case.

For the following week, life progressed as usual, and we even had a friendship problem come up that the map sent Lyla and Rainbow Dash to handle, out near the badlands. I still helped Applejack with her work at the farm, and royal duties never seemed to end, but the difference was that I ensured I had a few hours set aside every day to spend time with Fluttershy.

The kind pegasus was taking Angel’s passing particularly hard (which was to be expected), so I personally did all I could to support and care for my friend. I spent the afternoons helping out around her house, cleaning and organizing for winter for the most part, and spent at least half of the time just talking with her about the good memories she had of her animal friend. Rarity had come by to take her to the spa on Thursday, and all the other girls had done what they could to try and cheer up our friend, but for the most part, it was me ensuring Fluttershy wasn’t alone during her grieving period. Many times, the days ended with her just crying silently in my arms, and my heart broke, knowing there honestly wasn’t much I could do other than just be there for her. Nonetheless, it was nice to know I was able to do something to help, even if it seemed insignificant. The side effect of spending so much time with Fluttershy was that her and I inevitably grew closer as a result, so much so that it felt normal to be holding her in my arms, even if it wasn’t to comfort her. It was a bit alarming once I noticed my growing attachment to my friend, but I buried the worries for the time being; my assistance to her was because she needed me, and so I was going to do whatever it took to help her through this tough time.

And so the week passed in similar form, until finally, during the weekend, Ember arrived.

“I have to give credit where credit is due, Spike: you certainly know how to make life interesting.” Twilight snarked from beside me.

The two of us were waiting out on the front balcony of Ponyville’s castle, keeping our eyes on the sky for Ember. Due to flying all the way from the dragon lands, she couldn’t exactly give an ETA other than “some time on this day”, so Twilight and I took shifts waiting for the dragoness to show. As the day bled into the afternoon, and we had finished our daily duties, we decided to wait together on the balcony of the castle that faced the direction our guest would appear. Twilight had been stretching herself rather thin trying to discover just what was happening to me, even though Ember was coming to explain all of it to us, which was why the alicorn currently looked a bit more disheveled than she would otherwise at this time of day. Normally, Twilight would be worried about incurring Rarity’s wrath because her state was “unbecoming of one of the royal family,” but since she had practically been working herself to the bone for the previous three days, she was apparently beyond caring. Even though I’d never say it aloud, I thought she looked cute with her fur mussed and hair not-quite-perfect; it gave her a more “down to earth” feel that she hadn’t had since she was a unicorn, and I felt privileged that I was often the only one to see her that way.

“You act as if I did this on purpose, Twi.” I retorted, snorting a shower of annoyed sparks out of my nose. “I didn’t ask to be weird, or to grow, or for any of this.” I then glanced to Twilight out of the corner of my eye. “Besides, compared to some of your exploits, my life is comparatively tame.”

Twilight opened her mouth to return fire, only to close it and pout instead. We both knew she practically invented “excitement” when it came to life. Celestia had long ago told me that she had guided Twilight toward some of the more character-defining moments of her young life, but most of Twilight’s life was completely her own. It didn’t help that we had a rather interesting set of friends and acquaintances, all of whom were crazy in their own way. There was no denying we could fill volumes upon volumes of books with our adventures, and most of them would be considered fiction simply based on the insanity of it all.

“The girls are really worried about you, you know.” she voiced, shuffling over to lean against me as we rested against the railing, eyes scanning the horizon for a familiar dragoness. “I know they haven’t exactly been able to spend much time around due to prior obligations, but all of them have been asking about you, making sure you’re okay. I’m not really sure what to tell them, other than ‘we’re looking into it’.”

I nodded to her, nudging her with my shoulder. “It’s okay, Twi. We don’t exactly know what’s going on either, so we just have to wait for Ember to give us the details. I don’t blame them for not being around more; it isn’t like when we were younger, when we could just drop whatever we were doing to run to the assistance of each other. We all have important duties now -- whether they be royal or otherwise -- and there are other ponies depending on us. Rainbow can’t just abandon her students, Rarity can’t tell her clients to go screw themselves, and Lyla promised to help rebuild the clock tower after the last storm.” I shook my head with a tired sigh. “Adult life is full of responsibilities to keep up with, so I don’t blame them for any of it. I miss them, and I wish we could be together more often, but I don’t care about them any less, nor am I upset with them.”

“Well, we need to be sure to keep them up to date on the situation, no matter what it is,“ Twilight advised, her fluffy wing settling over both of mine. “Rainbow Dash in particular has been practically pulling out her mane with worry, so the sooner we can tell them something, the better.”

I raised my brow at the words, turning to look at Twilight. “Rainbow Dash? I figured she’d be the most calm, out of all the girls. It isn’t really like her to worry about things;” I nudged Twilight at that point, “that’s more your job.”

Twilight took the good-natured jab well, shaking her head with a sigh. “You know how she is about things she has no control over. If she can’t be doing something about a problem, she gets anxious. You should know by now that Rainbow Dash is far more complex than she appears.”

“Maybe,” I conceded, “but she never talks about it. It’s like she’s afraid of looking weak if she’s worried about something. I thought we had gotten past the bravado by this point.”

Twilight finally looked to me with a small frown. “Which means that if she’s acting this way, she’s very worried. As a mare of action, she prefers to do things instead of talk about them; she can’t do anything about this, so she just worries and feels helpless.” Twilight nudged me back. “You should probably go see her tomorrow, after Ember arrives, to let her know everything’s all right.”

“If everything’s all right.” I reminded, frowning a bit at the thought. “I’d like to think everything is fine, but we don’t really know until Ember tells us. I might have some kind of weird dragon thing going on that’s going to turn me into a monster at any moment, or I might be growing again. If I grow much more, I won’t be able to fit indoors anymore.”

Again, Twilight opened her mouth to fire off some sort of denial, but she could not. We met with Rarity the next day after my sudden growth, and we discovered I had grown another two inches in height. Luckily, I wouldn’t need new clothes again, but it was still worrying; it was the most I’d grown within a year in the past ten years, not counting the temporal spell Twilight had unknowingly cast on us. Even though I hadn’t told Twilight, I’d actually had nightmares about literally outgrowing Ponyville, becoming so large that it would be dangerous for me to live around ponies. That nightmare in particular was why I was really hoping for Ember’s help, because I didn’t know what I’d do if I was forced to leave Ponyville due to getting too big for it. I’d like to imagine perhaps that was a reason the huge “mature” dragons were so grouchy: they outgrew life as a whole, and had to isolate themselves to keep from breaking things...and people.

A gentle kiss to my cheek brought me out of my inner thoughts, and I looked to Twilight, who was frowning with concern. “Spike, if worse comes to worst, we’ll figure something out.” She stomped her hoof on the crystal floor. “I’m not letting you go, ever. I don’t care if it means I need to leave, too; we’re not splitting up because of something beyond your control.”

The determination in her gaze and the finality in her tone practically made my heart explode with love, and I couldn’t stop myself as I pulled her close, and captured her lips with mine. As always, she melted into me, and we both relished the kiss as long as we could before pulling away. As I looked into her bright eyes, I was reminded once again of just how much I owed to Twilight -- how much I depended on her. I hoped with everything in me that my plight wouldn’t end with voluntary banishment, but I knew without a doubt that Twilight would willingly follow me to the gates of Tartarus if she had to.

Still…

“I couldn’t let you do that, Twi.” I replied, shaking my head sadly as I bored my eyes into her own. “You’re the Princess of Friendship; how can you be the princess of something that you give up on? Twi, I appreciate the sentiment, but what makes you think I’d let you abandon all your friends, Equestria, and your family, just for me?” Before she could launch into a rebuttal, I turned and cupped her cheek in my hand, wiping away the gathering tears of her eyes with my thumb as I smiled sadly to her. “I love you, Twi -- and I love that you would be willing to sacrifice that for me -- but I couldn’t stand by and watch you destroy everything that you’ve worked for, and everything you care about, just for me. Don’t worry,” I pulled my wings out from under hers, and wrapped my significantly larger wingspan around her, “we’ll figure this out. One way or another, we’ll make sure things turn out okay.” I tried my hardest to sound more confident than I felt, but I had a feeling the effect was miniscule at best. Twilight didn’t look entirely convinced, but knew we should wait and see what happened with Ember before she started freaking out.

She nodded gently, resting her head against my chest as she silently relished in my warmth, safe from the winter cold.

We were thankfully not kept waiting long, as a blurry dot appeared on the horizon from the north, quickly approaching Ponyville. As it drew closer, I was able to easily make out the coloration of the person approaching, as well as the fact it wore nothing in the realm of clothing. Though the distance was at least a few miles, my sharp eyesight was able to identify Ember as she approached, her polished scales shining in the winter sun as she flew over the northern Everfree border, and the light reflected off of the snow made her lighter-colored scales glitter like jewels. She truly was a beautiful creature to behold, even from a purely academic standpoint, and I couldn’t look away from the dragoness as she journeyed ever closer to us. Twilight and I were both able to recognize the moment Ember spotted us, as she changed her vector to our location, and I could clearly see a toothy smile grow on her face.

Twilight and I backed up a few feet just as Ember flared her wings to land, and once her clawed feet touched down on the balcony, Twilight immediately rushed forward to greet the dragoness. “Dragon lord, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for coming.”

Ember folded her wings and settled into a more comfortable stance, rolling her eyes at Twilight. “Twilight, stop with the titles. I’m not here as an ambassador or even a dragon lord: I’m here as a friend to both you, and Spike. Anyhow,” she continued before Twilight could inevitably start to apologize, “can we head inside and warm up? My tailtip went numb over an hour ago.” I looked to the feathered appendage with confusion, only to remember that we were technically two different subspecies of dragon: as a narrowscale, Ember did not share my immunity to cold, but she could also fly far longer than I could, and was effectively immune to lightning; it made sense, then, that cold was far more inconvenient for her than it was for me.

I opted to just keep us moving, so I opened the glass doors that led inside, ushering the dragoness and pony indoors before shutting out the cold. The pleased sigh that escaped Ember told me she was enjoying the warmth of the fireplace, which she directly approached and sat in front of; I was quite sure that, if it weren’t for the fact she wouldn’t fit, she would have climbed onto the fire. With the confident, assertive exterior she often displayed, it was nice to see Ember sitting cross-legged in front of the fireplace, eyes closed, with a smile of childlike happiness on her face.

It was a few moments before she spoke again. “Sorry if I was short with you, Twilight. Like I said, I was cold, and I get...grumpy when I’m cold. Anyhow,” she opened her ruby-colored eyes and tilted her head back to look at us, “it’s good to see the two of you, and I’m grateful for the hospitality.”

Twilight composed herself and nodded to the dragoness, smiling in return. “Thank you for coming, Ember. While I wish it were under better circumstances, it truly is good to see you again.”

Ember’s eyes slowly navigated to me, and we both locked eyes at the same moment. For a long few moments, neither of us spoke, just letting our eyes do the talking for us. In hers, I saw more than I ever thought mere eyes could display: I saw concern, happiness, weariness, uncertainty, and utter joy all at once, along with a faint note of desire. I imagined my eyes showed much the same, since we both began to smile at each other at the same time.

After those moments passed, Ember looked to Twilight with a pleading expression. “Do you have anything hot to drink? I’m not like Spike -- I get cold -- so I could really use something to warm me up.”

Twilight jumped a bit at being addressed after a stretch of complete silence, but she nodded and answered, “Um, I suppose it depends on what you want. I have hot chocolate, coffee, tea…” Twilight trailed off as she thought, then she glanced to me. “Do you think she’d enjoy a hot toddy?”

I smiled at the suggestion and nodded. “I think she will. You could fix us all one; I think we’re going to be here for awhile, and a warming drink would be nice for a day like today.”

Twilight nodded before retreating from the room, likely to the private kitchen. This left me alone with Ember, and without even thinking about it, I immediately made my way to her side and sat next to the dragoness. I didn’t know it at the time, but the magical mate’s brand worked with dragon instincts themselves, which was why the desire to be near Ember was so strong.

Ember didn’t hesitate in leaning against me, drinking in the furnace-like warmth I gave off, compared to her. I extended my wing around her body, finding it slightly amusing that I was a good deal larger than her now. Still, it felt nice to be with Ember after what felt like far too long apart, so I just enjoyed the silent moment in front of the fireplace. It was a few minutes before either of us spoke again.

“I missed you.”

It wasn’t me that spoke, and such words coming from Ember were all the more surprising. Still, the declaration made me feel all sorts of nice, regardless of how out-of-character they seemed at the time. I held Ember tighter against my side, running the palm of one hand along her arm that was closest to me, and leaning my head to rest against her (my mate, my instincts reminded me).

“I missed you too, Ember.” I whispered affectionately, smiling as she nuzzled against me, not unlike a happy pony.

“I wish I could have come back sooner, you know.” she muttered, almost sounding disappointed in herself, “But, like I said before, I can’t exactly just pick up and leave. I have duties just like the two of you do, so I couldn’t just bail and fly away...even though I kinda wanted to.” She turned her head slightly, but only enough so her eye found mine. “To be honest, I wanted to come back as soon as I left. I wasn’t even five miles out, and everything inside me was screaming, ‘Just go back to Spike. Fly back, and forget about everything else.’ Fortunately, what’s happening to you gave me a perfectly legitimate reason to come back, as a dragon’s ‘awakening’ isn’t exactly something that can be ignored.”

“Is that what it’s called?” I asked, pleased to actually have a term to match with what was going on with me.

I felt Ember nod, still refusing to move away from me. “Yeah, or at least, that’s the best short explanation. In what ponies call ‘Drakespeak’, it’s called ‘voire wvōk,’ which roughly translates to ‘fire awakened’ in common*. Think of it like puberty, but for a dragon’s magic instead of their body.”

I pursed my lips at the thought, nodding only slightly. With that in mind, I relaxed further, knowing that, “This is a completely normal thing to happen then, right?”

Again, Ember nodded. “Yeah, though you’re going through it a lot later than other dragons do. That’s not your fault, though; you haven’t been taught to use dragon magic the way you should have, as most dragons learn to use their magic from their parents, only a year or two after birth. You’ve only been using your breath, which is why it took so long for your fire to ‘mature’.”

I absently brought a hand to my chest, rubbing it slightly. “My fire?”

Chuckling softly, Ember finally pulled away so that we could properly look at each other. Her eyes danced with the firelight, amusement and happiness flickering in equal measure within her glittering ruby irises. “As you’ll find out, fire plays a very important role in dragon culture, and the word is mentioned pretty regularly in what few recorded stories we keep. It’s the first bit of magic any dragon uses -- most do so instinctively -- and it does many things for us in life: for those of us not blessed with a resilient hide,” she gave a pat to my neck, “it keeps us warm. We hunt with it, cook with it, and even build with it; we use it for protection, and to attract mates. When we refer to a dragon’s fire, however, we’re referring specifically to his or her magical core, not the magic breath they expel.” She chuckled slightly. “If you ask Twilight about maturation of a magical core, she’ll know exactly what you’re talking about, though. Ponies go through the same thing in their lives, though not with the same effects we experience.”

“We do indeed.” Twilight answered as she reentered the room, a tray with four oversized, steaming mugs on it floating in her magic. She passed the drinks between the three of us, and at Ember’s questioning stare, explained, “It’s whiskey, slightly watered down, with honey and a stick of cinnamon in it, warmed to steaming. It does a good job of warming the body up from the inside, without actually making you drunk; it’s perfect for cold days and nights.”

Raising one of her brows at the explanation, Ember looked down appraisingly at the mug in her hand. She gave a sniff, and then a small sip, before humming happily and taking a larger pull from the warm, sweet drink. I followed her example with my own, and for minute or two, the commons area was filled only with the sound of a crackling fire, and three people enjoying warm drinks on a cold day.

“So,” Ember began, swallowing a gulp of the steaming beverage as she turned her eyes to Twilight, “the good news is that what’s happening with Spike is completely normal for dragons. We all go through it, and there’s nothing inherently bad about it. He’s going through the process later than most do, but that’s because he hasn’t been raised like a dragon.”

Twilight released a breath she had apparently been holding, relaxing slightly. “Okay, good. That’s a load off of my mind. Is there bad news?”

Ember shook her head, motioning to me. “Nope, not really. There is, however, news, but it’s not bad: I have to be here to teach him things that he should have learned a long time ago. It’s because of this lack of ‘education’ that his magic core is maturing much later in life than it should have.” She again looked to me, her eyes twinkling with noticeable joy. “I won’t lie and say I’m not happy to get to be around Spike, but he also needs someone to teach him the things he never learned as a younger drake, which is what I’ll be doing.”

Twilight stood and moved closer to us, sitting in a cushy chair just off to the side of the fireplace. “How long do you think it’ll take?”

Ember shrugged her shoulders, nudging me in the ribs with a claw. “That depends almost entirely on him -- it could be weeks, or it could be months. I’m leaning more toward the former though, considering the guy isn’t known for being stupid.”

Twilight giggled at the jab. “Maybe a little goofy and oblivious sometimes, but no, not stupid.”

“Hey!”

Twilight giggled again, reaching out and poking me in the cheek. “Oh, don’t act like it’s not true, Spike. Don’t worry, it’s endearing.” Twilight then turned her attention back to Ember. “Well, we’ve got plenty of room available, and we’d be happy to have you. But please, don’t eat my castle this time.”

I felt Ember’s body go rigid, and watched as her head spines turned a deep, vivid blue as she blushed. “Hey, how was I supposed to know it wasn’t food? To a dragon, your place looks like a giant gemstone, and gems are food, so…”

I chuckled at the memory, shaking my head. “To be fair, the castle does look like it’s made out of gemstones. And, it doesn’t exactly taste bad.” Twilight’s glare made me laugh again. “Hey, it grew back! I promise, no eating of the castle.”

Twilight’s expression softened as she continued looking at me, and she smiled as she flicked her eyes from me to Ember, and back again. Finally, she commented, “Even though there was a good reason you had to come see Spike, I’m glad you did, Ember. As much as we all try, there are simply some things about being a dragon that we can’t help with, and I know he’ll enjoy having someone in his life that can easily empathize with what he deals with as a dragon. And, of course, even though you did it with good intentions at heart, I know that the brand is magical, and has affected more than just his exterior.”

Again, Ember stiffened and again she blushed, but this time she looked distinctly ashamed. “R-right, I guess we should start with that, then.” She cleared her throat and turned to look at me directly. “A mate’s brand isn’t just a physical mark, Spike; as I’m sure you know by now, your hide is pretty much immune to heat and fire. The brand has to be magical to burn into a dragon’s hide, and it’s more than just an exterior mark. When we branded each other, we were also trading our magic with each other, as well. Doing that creates a form of imprinting that I’m sure Twilight is familiar with.”

Looking to Twilight, she gave me a nod. “Basically, anything a pony puts a significant amount of magic into, they feel connected to it -- the technical term is ‘harmonic imprinting’. This is part of the reason I seem so obsessed with the books I read, as well as why Rainbow Dash loves to fly so much; whether it’s an action or an object, anything a pony spends a lot of their magic on becomes something they are drawn to have in their life.” She motioned to the two of us. “If a mate’s brand is so magical I can still feel it, then it’s a safe bet that the two of you exchanged a fair share of magic to give them to each other. Because of that, it makes you feel drawn to the one you gave the brand, missing them when they’re gone, even if only for a few hours.”

Ember nodded as she picked up where Twilight left off. “For dragons, though, the fire we use for the brand merges with that of our chosen mate, and it affects thought and behavior to a minor degree. A mate’s brand makes the two more affectionate to each other, more protective, and even more...amorous.” The last bit was said with a much deeper blush, and Ember looked away, this time.

It took me a few seconds to understand exactly what she was saying, and when I did, I matched her blush with my own. “...a mate’s brand increases the sex drive?”

Ember shrugged helplessly. “Mates are supposed to procreate, right? Evolutionarily speaking, the reason for mates is to ensure the species continues, and to do that, mates need to...well, mate. The mate’s brand was created with that in mind, though,” she raised a claw and waved away my growing concern, “it only works with the two that have the brand. Giving a dragon a mate’s brand doesn’t make them sluts, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Twilight quirked an eyebrow at the new vocabulary word. “Slut? What’s a slut?”

Ember looked to me for help, and I just shrugged. “I don’t really know either. Speak pony, if you would.”

The dragoness snapped her fingers a few times. “Umm...I think you use the word whorse, right?”

“Oh. Oh! Okay. Well, that’s good.” I replied, understanding and relief washing over me. I chuckled a bit at the thought of all the new words Twilight and I could learn, just from talking with Ember. However… “So you mean that I’ve been missing you because of the brand?”

Ember chuckled a bit as she shook her head. “No, not really. Think of how you would water the ground to grow a tree: if there’s no seed, nothing happens. The mate’s brand works the same way. If we didn’t already care about each other, it wouldn’t do much of anything. The brand only amplifies what’s already there, if that makes any sense.”

I nodded slowly as the pieces all fell into place, and I understood the entirety of what the brand entailed. “Okay, cool. Well, that’s a load off my mind.” I then glanced between the two females questioningly. “So, what’s the plan as far as what I have to learn?”

Ember took another, larger gulp of her drink, enjoying the warmth it gave before she answered. “Well, I think we should start with your recent growth, and why it’s happening. We can cover that tonight, and the rest we can start with tomorrow, and go from there.” Ember pulled away from me a bit reluctantly (I have to admit, I shared the sentiment) in order to face me properly. “I think I should start by breaking down some of the incorrect assumptions you’ve likely made about our kind. First of all, dragons don’t grow due to greed on its own.” She nodded toward Twilight. “From what I understand about how horned ponies cast spells, you need to be calm, with a clear mind, or else you could risk miscasting the spell; well, dragons don’t work that way. At heart, all dragons are very emotional creatures, and our emotions are our power.” She then pointed a claw to me. “That’s actually probably the reason you stayed so small for such a long time. Without an older dragon to teach you, you basically learned to emotionally chain yourself up to keep from doing anything dangerous.”

Thinking back on how I grew over the years, I realized she was completely right. After learning that greed could cause me to become a hoarding beast, I made it a point to keep calm at all times, even if I didn’t particularly feel that way. With fire breath, wings, and sharp teeth, I knew I could be very dangerous to everyone around me if I lost my cool.

I gave a slow nod, half-ashamed. “...yeah, you’re right. I didn’t really know what else to do.”

Ember finished off her toddy, setting the mug aside as she reached across the small gap to place her hand on my shoulder. Giving me a smirk, she soothed, “And that isn’t your fault. You did the best you could do at the time, with no other input. Starting really soon, though, I’m going to have to teach you the opposite of what you’ve done pretty much your entire life.” Removing her hand and bringing it to press against her own chest, Ember closed her eyes as she reverently recited, “Emotions can be as unwieldy as an unbalanced blade: powerful, yet dangerous to handle. But, with training and dedication, you can master your emotions -- you can master your power. While all others train to resist emotion during critical moments, we embrace it willingly, and let it give us power. Control your emotions, and you will control one of the greatest forces on the planet.” Ember opened her eyes, focusing on me as she smiled sheepishly. “Or, at least, that’s what the elders say. They get kinda convoluted with their ‘lessons’ sometimes, but there’s truth to the words. Your emotions directly affect the amount of power you have at your disposal. So, in order to efficiently use that power without losing yourself to whatever emotion you’re feeling, you have to become mentally resistant to your own emotional whims, so that you can channel them into power without losing yourself and becoming a danger to everyone and everything around you.”

I’ll admit, it was a bit jarring to basically be told I had been living my life wrong the entire time.

“When dragons rage, they can level entire mountain ranges.” Ember continued, her tone slow and low, as if she were speaking from experience. “When dragons fall to sorrow, they can become as still and unmoving as the earth itself. When dragons embrace joy, the land itself rejoices with them, blooming and growing vibrant life.” She then smirked at me, sensually purring, “It’s because of this reason that, a long, long time ago, dragons were world-renowned for being the best lovers, bar none.”

While I took the comment as an ego boost, I was also privy to seeing Twilight’s entire face light up like a ripe tomato. I couldn’t help but tease her further by poking her in the knee with a lecherous grin. “See Twi? You’re missing out.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but her face reddened further as she mumbled, “...I thought Lyla was exaggerating when she said she saw stars.” At my surprised glance, Twilight rolled her eyes and retorted, “Oh please, you can’t tell me guys don’t get together with their other male friends and preach about their sexual exploits. Well, mares do the same, and Lyla, as you know, practically has no filter.”

“Right, the changeling.” Ember mused aloud, glancing to me. “I gotta admit, I never thought a dragon would fall for a changeling in modern times. There are claims of it happening in the past, but not since the time when the clans burned the hives.” She bobbed her head from side to side as she thought aloud. “Though, come to think about it, dragons have long memories, and some of the older ones still hold a grudge. I guess it’s lucky for your changeling mate that you were hatched and raised around ponies, so you could see her kind without centuries of racist stories.”

I raised a brow at the words, suddenly a bit worried. “Do you have a problem with changelings?”

Ember shrugged. “Can’t say I do. I never put much stock in the stories, because they were written centuries before even my parents lived. Times have changed a lot since then,” she gestured to Twilight, “and you ponies are proof of that. Going by the stories dragons kept, there’s no way one pony could stand up to a demon like Tirek, or turn an enemy like Discord into a friend. But, it happened, so clearly, the old dragons were wrong. Nowadays, I choose to believe what happens now, not what a biased history claims happened.” Again, she shrugged. “If what happened with that other dragoness is any indication, I think this ‘Lyla’ might be worth getting to know.”

I gave a wide smile at her answer. “Well, you’re going to be here for awhile, so you’ll have plenty of time to get to know her. I have a feeling you’ll get along pretty well with both her and Rainbow Dash.”

Ember gave a grin at that before clearing her throat. “Anyway, we’re getting away from the topic. The bottom line is that you grew in the face of Fluttershy’s grief because of an innate need to protect what you value the most. For most dragons, that would be their hoard, but a tiny minority place their value on their loved ones, or their mates. Instinctually, your desire to comfort and protect her fed your growth, because your primal brain recognizes that ‘size’ means ‘power’, and more power means you’re better able to protect what you care about. It was mostly temporary because you were fully rational the whole time, so once you recognized the immediate ‘threat’ to what you value had abated, you didn’t need that extra power any longer.” She held up a hand as I prepared to ask a question, silencing me. “As for why you’ve actually grown larger in your ‘resting’ state, that has more to do with your fire having matured than anything else. While the comparison is a little flawed, you can think of your body as a balloon: as the ‘pressure’ from your fire increases, your body grows to accommodate it. Unlike a balloon, however, you don’t have to worry about exploding, so stop making that face.”

The look of abject horror on my face faded to relief at her words, and I released a breath. “Wow, okay. That makes me feel better. Wait,” I felt myself tense again at what I was thinking, “so I’m going to keep growing?” I looked to Twilight with a worried expression, seeing it mirrored on her own face.

“If you didn’t have a fellow dragon to help you, yes.” Ember interjected with a smile, stopping my spiraling depressing thoughts. “However, if a dragon was completely at the whims of their fire, that wouldn’t make for a very powerful race, now would it? We would have to basically live like you have: locking away our powerful emotions, unable to embrace life to the fullest, due to the fear of losing control of what makes dragons, dragons. To be direct: through your magic, there are ways to regulate your size to pretty much any size you want, within reason. If you don’t want to outgrow ponies,” she glanced to Twilight on that, “then you don’t have to.”

As if a great weight had been suddenly lifted off of me, I slumped and released a happy sigh. “That is literally the best news I’ve had in a long time, Ember. Thanks.”

“Hey,” she nudged me with the tip of one of her wings, “a dragoness takes care of her mate. If you’re not happy, I’m not doing my job.” Seemingly realizing what she had said, Ember lost her bravado and turned adorably awkward as she glanced away and blushed hotly through her head spines. She turned her eyes toward Twilight as she asked, “Um...me being here isn’t going to be a problem for you all, right?”

Twilight frowned a bit, tilting her head in confusion. “How do you mean?”

Ember cleared her throat and gestured to me. “I mean, Spike already has mates here, and I’m an outsider. Technically, I’m a foreign dignitary and I’m not even a pony; is that going to cause issues with all of you?”

Still, Twilight was pretty confused (and, to be honest, so was I). “What do you mean? You’re a friend, you’re always welcome here.”

“No,” Ember growled, slapping her palm to her face, “I mean with his harem, or herd, or whatever you call it!”

I mouthed the words for a moment before I “oh’ed” in realization. “Oh, no, I don’t think so. Lyla might want to have some words with you to be sure you’re not going to try and steal me away or anything, but Twilight clearly doesn’t have an issue with you, and Rarity won’t either. The only one you might have to worry about would be Pinkie, but she’s not a part of the herd, so you don’t really have anything to fear from her anyway.”

Ember raised one of her brows. “Pinkie? The loud, poofy, pink one? She doesn’t exactly strike me as scary...or remotely threatening.”

I chuckled at that, shaking my head. “Oh, just wait. That mare has a way of surprising you in ways you never imagined, and I swear she has eyes all over town. I’m pretty sure she already knows your here, and is probably planning something for you tomorrow. I’ve known her for over a decade, and I still haven’t figured her out.”

Twilight picked it up from there. “She’s a sweetheart, and lives to bring a smile to the faces of everyone she meets, but she just...doesn’t operate in what most consider the ‘normal’ laws of reality. All I can recommend is: don’t try and figure out how she does what she does, or how she knows what she knows. If you don’t get it, just smile and nod, and eat the cupcake.”

“What cupcake?” Ember queried, looking at us as if we were crazy.

Catching sight of a paper plate behind her, I pointed. “That one.”

Following my finger, Ember pivoted on her behind and noticed the plate. She whipped her head around back to us, then back to the cupcake, and then back to us again. “Okay, I know darn well this wasn’t there a minute ago. How did…? What…?”

“What did we just say?” I asked rhetorically. “Don’t question it. Eat it, and enjoy. Thank you, Pinkie!”

“You’re welcome!” echoed from somewhere in the castle.

Ember retrieved the plate, which held a chocolate, blue-frosted, ruby-topped cupcake on it. She stared at the cupcake, as if trying to divine its secrets from sight alone, before shaking her head with a sigh. “I know she’s a great friend to you two, but that pony freaks me out.”

I shrugged with a bright grin. “If you’ll let her, she’ll be a great friend to you, too. You’ll get used to her, I promise.”

Ember pursed her lips as she looked at me before turning her attention to the cupcake. She cautiously peeled the paper off of the bottom before tossing the whole thing into her mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing. Her long, forked tongue leapt out to lick the frosting off of her lips and she hummed with delight as she closed her eyes happily. “Okay, I’ll admit, that pony knows how to bake a good cupcake.”

I chuckled at Ember’s response, knowing we all had similar reactions the first time we met Pinkie. While I didn’t see Ember and Pinkie becoming best buddies, I knew the pink mare would grow on Ember, if the dragoness let her. Just as I was about to comment with the thought, a knocking on the second story window (which looked like a blank wall from the outside) caught my attention, and all three of us looked toward the curtained window before I stood and made my way over.

With a grin, I loudly commented, “Only a flying pony can reach this window, and only one pony I know of practically refuses to use the front door, because it’s not fast enough.” I pulled open the heavy insulated curtains and pushed open the window, greeting, “Hey Dash. C’mon in, we got company.”

The cyan mare dashed inside with a front flip and a flourish, landing masterfully on her hooves as she shook off the dusting of snow from her coat and scarf. She wasted no time in unbuttoning the heavy fleece coat, removing it and tossing both it and the scarf over to the coat rack in the corner of the room, both catching onto the hooks with perfect precision. Next, Rainbow Dash bent over and removed the insulated boots she wore on her sensitive hooves, tossing them into the corner next to the rack before finally hopping over the back of the sofa and settling onto it, fully prone.

I readily admit to being jealous at how cool she could be just doing regular, mundane things.

“‘Sup Ember? How’s it hangin’?” Rainbow Dash greeted with a lazy grin from her resting place.

While Ember wasn’t necessarily “uppity” (as Applejack would call it), she still had a more proper way of speaking than Rainbow Dash, nevermind the fact that she wasn’t exactly up to date with pony slang. With a look of confusion toward the rainbow-maned pony, she glanced to me next with a pleading expression.

I chuckled again, shaking my head at the mare’s antics. “Translated, she’s saying, ‘What’s up, Ember? How are you doing?’”

Realization dawned on the dragoness, and she turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Oh, I’m good. Spike needed me, so here I am, and I’m going to be staying for awhile to teach him some things he should have learned a long time ago.”

While Rainbow Dash gave off the impression of unflappable calm, after having known her for so long, I was easily able to catch the tension that invaded her core, even as she laid lazily on the couch. I knew she was doing it because she didn’t know Ember all that well yet, and I knew it would be a blow to her ego to bring that up in front of Ember. Because of that, I decided to handle the situation in a way that would let her retain the image of “the cool pony” in front of the dragoness.

I jerked my head toward Ember. “She came here because of what happened last week, as well as a few other things. Bottom line: what happened to me is normal, and she’s going to help me learn to keep it under control so that I don’t just keep getting bigger and bigger.”

It was nearly imperceptible, even for those of us that had known her for so long, but I was able to detect the exact moment Rainbow Dash’s body relaxed fully, the worry nearly tangibly leaving her body as she sighed almost silently through her nose. “Cool. That’s...that’s good news. So,” Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and glanced to me, eyes twinkling with mirth, “this is your dragon honey, huh? She’s a lot better looking than I remember. The years are pretty good to dragons, I guess.”

Ember blushed through her spines once again, unsure how to respond to the compliment other than an unsure, “Uh...thanks, I guess. You’re very, um...blue. And rainbow-y.”

Rainbow Dash gave a bark of a laugh at Ember’s nervousness. “Girl, chill; I’m just teasing you. Strictly stallions for this mare, so stop looking at me like I’m going to molest you in your sleep.”

Ember just stared at the pony for a few moments, tilting her head side to side as she just took in everything that Rainbow Dash was showing her. After a minute of silence, Ember cracked a grin and held out a fist to the mare. “You’re all right, Rainbow Dash. I think we’ll get along just fine.”

While I told myself it shouldn’t matter, I was still very happy that Ember was getting along with my friends, especially the one that was essentially one of the gatekeepers to our inner circle. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the leader that Twilight was, she was hotheaded, and kindness was not her schtick, but her loyalty to her friends and family ensured that she was going to make the life of anyone she didn’t approve of a living Tartarus. Rainbow Dash’s casual teasing of Ember meant that not only did she like her, but the mare approved of her as a friend; Rainbow Dash didn’t tease people she didn’t like.

“Oh, Spike, I forgot to tell ya something.” Rainbow Dash announced, bringing me out of my thoughts. After getting my attention, she jerked her head generally toward the door. “I swung by Shy’s place earlier, and I told her she should come over tonight.”

Deciding not to chastise Rainbow Dash for inviting a friend to someone else’s house, I nodded to her with a smile at the thought of seeing Fluttershy again. “Cool. When’s she gonna be here?”

As Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to answer, a knock could be heard echoing from downstairs, the spells in place working to amplify the sound so we could hear it from the private floors of the castle. The pegasus grinned and hopped off the sofa, straightening her tank top as she answered, “Right now. I totally planned that.”

Hopping to my feet as well and offering a nod to the other two in the room, I followed Rainbow Dash out of the room toward the main door. We both opted to just bypass the stairs with our wings due to the hurry we were in, and after landing, I walked the last few dozen feet to the traditional throne room, hooking a right toward the main doors after that.

Grasping the oversized handle, I pulled the door open, inviting a chilling blast of air in as well as some snow flurries. Fluttershy entered first, wrapped up tightly in warm clothes and matching insulated boots, but she was also followed by a certain bouncing mare, who was immediately recognizable due to her pretty blue eyes and wide smile.

“Oh, hey Pinkie. I wasn’t expecting you as well, but I’m not complaining.” I greeted happily, helping the two mares dust off before taking their coats, hats, and scarves. I jerked my head toward the side door that led to the private stairwell. “Twilight’s already upstairs with Ember; why don’t you swing by the kitchen and fix up some warm drinks for you, Fluttershy, and Dash, hm? We’ll meet you upstairs.”

Pinkie nodded before zipping off at what would, for any other pony, be an impossible speed, leaving a poof of the snow that clung to her clothes in her wake. I just shook my head before turning toward Fluttershy, opening my arms with a warm smile. She looked up with those beautiful aqua eyes, still saddened, yet grateful for my offer. She wasted no time in pressing herself against me, and I cocooned the two of us in my wings as I just held her tightly for a few moments of silence. I released her and nodded to Rainbow Dash, who then led the way to the commons room on the upper floors. As had become more common in the past week, Fluttershy didn’t speak, but was practically glued to my side as we walked. Her fingers casually laced in mine, and I gave her hand a gentle squeeze for support. Similar gestures would have felt oddly intimate with any of my other friends, but I knew Fluttershy didn’t mean anything by it other than a desire for support and comfort. Besides, as I stated before, something about Fluttershy brought out a strong protective instinct within me...which makes more sense now that Ember had explained how dragons worked, in regards to emotions.

Huh…

As I expected, Pinkie was already waiting for us in the commons room when we arrived, already dressed down, with a small tray of steaming drinks prepared for her and the other two newcomers. She was sitting next to Twilight on the love seat, and I tried not to laugh out loud at the apprehensive look Ember was giving her. Rainbow Dash again flopped onto the sofa, taking up practically the whole thing, so I led Fluttershy to sit with me close to the hearth. I helped the yellow pegasus remove her heavy winter coat, gloves, and boots, allowing Twilight to levitate them over to the proper area. After helping the mare dress down, I took notice that she was still wearing a pair of cute, teal insulated socks with little yellow ducks on them, and I’ll admit, Fluttershy looked adorable in socks.

When I turned back to the others, I saw Ember with an odd little smile on her lips, nodding softly. “I get it. I can see how much you care about her, and I understand how she would have awakened your protective instincts.”

Fluttershy normally would have been mortified by the attention of a stranger, but wrapped in one of my wings, in front of a warm fire, and with a cup of hot cocoa, she might as well have been in her own little world. The pegasus just snuggled up close to me, with her eyes closed and a relaxed look on her face; while she wasn’t smiling, due to still grieving the loss of a dear friend, it was clear that simply being around us was doing wonders to help her heal.

Thinking on Ember’s words, I could only nod as I kept my eyes fixed on Fluttershy, ensuring she was symbolically shielded from the world by my wing. “...yeah, she does.” Glancing around the room again, I was treated to multiple smiles from my friends, including an uncommonly warm one from Rainbow Dash, who was giving that rare, gentle grin that only her closest friends regularly saw. Though the arrival of our friends was unexpected, the end of the day was turning out very nicely so far.

“So,” Ember began, raising her voice to draw attention to her, “for those of you who weren’t here earlier, Spike is okay, and I’m going to help him learn to control his magic; that’s why he’s grown, and why he temporarily grew a week ago. With my help, I’ll ensure he doesn’t keep growing endlessly, so that you all don’t have to say goodbye to your friend.”

“Oh. That’s...that’s very good.” Fluttershy answered, speaking for the first time that day. When I looked down to her, Fluttershy released a long, drawn out breath through her nose as she opened her eyes and returned my gaze. “I was very worried about Spike, so it’s nice to know he’s all right.” Though she spoke as if addressing the group, her eyes never left mine, and I had the distinct impression the words meant far more than I was able to grasp at the time. The intensity in those intense, yet vulnerable eyes somehow made me unable to look away (at the time, I could only rationalize it was some version of “The Stare”).

“Do uh...do the two of you need a room?” Twilight asked, her query breaking the spell on me.

I blinked a few times and looked away from Fluttershy, though I never once released her. “Um…n-no, we’re fine. Sorry.”

While none of the girls teased me about the fact that I had been staring “like a lover” into Fluttershy’s eyes for over a minute, Twilight’s insufferable smirk persisted.

Night had fallen a few hours ago, and Pinkie had helped me prepare a meal for all of us. The food was simple since it was a casual gathering between friends, three of whom hadn’t been expected whatsoever, but the meal was filling, the company was good, and the warmth of the fire and of the shared companionship was more than enough to make a mundane, unplanned night into something special.

To my surprise, Ember settled into the group just fine, compared with the past. While it had only been six years, it appeared time had calmed her down quite a bit, as the previously fiery dragoness (no pun intended) was much more understanding and less overbearing than she used to be. She had never been outright disliked by our friends, but since she had very little contact with ponies for most of her life, Ember was unintentionally abrasive to most ponies. Ember was truly a good friend and even selfless, when the situation called for it, but dragons related to each other very differently than ponies did, and so for years she was partially an outsider to most of my Ponyville friends.

Now, though, she was just one of the girls, and I can’t express how happy that made me. She was easily able to hold a conversation with Twilight in regards to history or even most magic, she was playfully competitive with Rainbow Dash, and even though Pinkie still threw her off-balance every now and then, she knew the mare just wanted to be friends, and she took the teasing well. As for Fluttershy, the mere fact that the pegasus was not cowering was a great accomplishment, and Ember even got her to smile a few times when she started a conversation on some of the animals native to the dragon lands.

As for me, I mostly kept close to Fluttershy and Ember, since they were the two that needed me most that night; for different reasons of course -- I somehow doubted Fluttershy wanted to be my mate.

Eventually, it became time for us to clean up and prepare to rest for the night, which left me with a bit of a conundrum. Normally, it would be no problem for me to sleep in the same room or even the same bed with my friends -- we had done it many times before, and there was nothing strange about it for us. However, Ember was a dragon, and I knew for a fact that dragons only slept in the same area with their own young whelps, or mates. Ember had been very understanding about Equestrian herd mentality, my own herd, and the fact that she was not the sole object of my affection, but I wasn’t sure how she would react to me asking if she would sleep in the same area with several ponies she didn’t know that well.

Fortunately for me, I knew that for Ember, at least, the direct approach would be best.

“...so are you gonna be okay sleeping in the same room, or do you want a separate room?” I asked the dragoness, standing next to her as the other girls all changed clothes for the night. As the only one not wearing any clothing, she was already prepared for bed. If nothing else, a lack of a need to wear clothes was efficient.

Ember stared at the door we were standing in front of, which led to Twilight’s bedroom. While her tail wasn’t lashing in the obvious display of anxiety or irritability, the lack of a response told me she was uncomfortable with the situation -- less so than she would have been earlier, before she got to know the mares better, but a lifetime of living in dragon culture wasn’t exactly something one could just disregard. She didn’t even move until I settled my hand on her shoulder, and then, only a subtle twitch of her left wing was all that happened.

After a few moments of complete silence, she sighed and turned to me. “I mean, are you sure it would be cool? I don’t want to be cramping your friends or anything; I feel like I’d be intruding.”

“Our friends.” I corrected. “You may not have known them as long, but this is something ponies do regularly with friends. I trust you, and Twilight trusts you, so that’s your in. If you want, you can think of the two of us as the alphas for this little group: the rest will go with it because we approve, and that’s good enough for them. Besides,” I nudged her in the ribs with a claw, “they like you. I watched you all night, and all of them became very comfortable with you, even to the point where Dash dropped the cocky attitude.”

Ember turned her eyes to me, raising a brow. “And that’s special?”

I nodded with a chuckle. “Of course it is. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that mare acts like she’s got bigger balls than most of the stallions in town.” That earned me a snort of a laugh. “If she sets down that front, she likes you. Just…” I cleared my throat as a thought came to mind, “don’t be surprised if you find a pony or two cuddling up to you. Apparently, we run hot, so we’re like giant, personal heaters for a pony trying to keep warm.”

The words caused a slight blush to show through her spines, and she cleared her throat nervously. “Right. Ponies I just got to know might snuggle with me. Totally normal.”

“For ponies, it is.” I commented, wrapping my tail around hers. That, of course, immediately caught her attention, and I imagined if I had done that in front of the others, she would have practically leapt away in embarrassment. With us alone in the corridor, however, I knew I could afford such an intimate gesture to reassure my mate (my mate...that’s still sinking in).

As Ember looked to me, I smiled supportively. “Besides the fact I don’t think I could, I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to do. I would like you to be in there, with me, but if you really don’t feel comfortable, there are plenty of comfortable guest rooms you’re more than welcome to take. You and I can pick one of those, and I’ll stay with you tonight.”

Her mouth twitched, and from the way her eyes widened, I could tell she was considering my offer. After a moment of silent thought, she shook her head. “No, I can’t ask you to do that. Besides the fact that your friend Fluttershy clearly needs you, this is a regular thing for you all. If you’re not in there with them, I’d essentially be stealing you away from four of your friends, and that...doesn’t sit right with me for some reason.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, letting it out through her mouth, before she opened her eyes to look at me again. “No. If you say it’s okay, and that this is normal, I have to trust you. It’s...weird, but if they disagreed, Rainbow Dash, at least, would have said something.”

I chuckled and nudged her with my shoulder. “You’re learning already.” I gave her another supportive smile. “If you’re really willing to do this, then I’ll be right there beside you the whole time. Anytime you start getting nervous, or don’t know what to do, just grab my hand,” I demonstrated, lacing my fingers in hers, “and I’ll be there for you.”

At my words and my touch, Ember’s posture relaxed, and she nodded with a more confident expression. “...okay. Let’s do this.”

I chuckled again at her words. “Ember, you act like you’re getting ready to run the Gauntlet of Fire again. Calm yourself; you’re just sleeping in a room with a few ponies that consider you a friend. That’s not something to be afraid of, I promise.” Though her body was relaxed, it appeared she was still nervous: she had just chosen not to show it through body language. I sighed heavily at this, knowing I was going to have to do something uncomfortable. “Okay, I’m sorry Ember, but you’ve left me no choice. I apologize beforehand for what I’m about to do.”

“Wait, what?”

That was as far as she got before I pushed the door open, walking in on four mares, already dressed in night clothes, preparing to settle down for the night. I pointed to Ember and announced, “She’s under the impression that she’s intruding, and thinks she shouldn’t be here tonight- OW!” I rubbed my shin in pain, since Ember had saw fit to retaliate for me embarrassing her in front of the ponies. Still, even with the stinging pain, this had to be dealt with or it was never going to get better.

Twilight tilted her head in confusion with a frown. “Is that true, Ember?”

The dragoness threw a heated glare my way, but eventually sighed and nodded in defeat. “Well...yeah. You all have known each other for years, and I’m sure this had become a regular thing for you all, but dragons don’t really sleep in the same room as anyone but their young whelps and their mates. This feels...odd, for me, and I feel like I’m disrupting something special between Spike and his friends.”

Twilight seemed to frown harder as she stepped around Rainbow Dash, approaching the dragoness directly. Ember took a nervous step back as the normally calm alicorn approached almost aggressively. Once Twilight was standing directly in front of Ember, having to look up slightly to match her gaze with the taller female, she shook her head with disappointment. “Ember, I know we haven’t really known each other that long, but I’ve always considered you a friend. Sure, we’re not as close as you are to Spike, but I still consider you a friend of mine, and I know the girls agree.”

“We wouldn’t have invited you to stay the night if we weren’t comfortable with this.” Rainbow Dash threw in, smirking at the dragoness. “I know most dragons think ponies are all soft, squishy little scared things, but that’s not what’s going on, and it’s not why Spike suggested this.”

Pinkie picked it up from there, plopping down on the large bed with a much more reserved smile. “For ponies, it’s normal to want to be with your friends and those you care about, even when you’re sleeping. We wouldn’t just ask a random acquaintance to share a bed; we’re asking you because this is one of the ways ponies welcome and support close friends.”

“There’s nothing weird about it, Ember.” Rainbow Dash added, her grin slowly turning lecherous. “I mean, it’s not like we have a crazy orgy every night, but -OW!” She rubbed her arm with an abashed expression as Fluttershy, of all ponies, glared at her.

The normally-timid pony shook her head at the other pegasus. “Rainbow Dash, that was inappropriate. She’s nervous, and that’s making it worse.” She then turned her eyes to the dragoness, and while a bit of her token shyness kicked in, she still kept her eyes focused on Ember. “W-we don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Ember. If you really don’t want to join us, there are plenty of other rooms to stay in, and Spike can stay with you.”

I gestured with an open hand to Fluttershy as I glanced to Ember. “See? It would be fine. Besides,” I grinned mischievously again, “we only have orgies on Wednesdays -OW! The same place? Seriously?” And I was back to rubbing my shin with a grimace.

Ember was scanning the ponies in the room as she thought, before finally making a decision and shaking her head firmly. “No, it’s cool. If I’m going to be a part of Spike’s life, I need to adjust to the fact that he lives differently than I’m used to.” Extending her hand to me, she pulled me to stand once I had finished trying to soothe my throbbing leg. Looking to my eyes she continued, “If you can do it, I can do it. It’ll be weird at first, but I can deal with it.”

“I just want you happy, Ember.” I countered, frowning at the thought she was doing this because of me.

Her face relaxed finally, and she gave me a gentle smile. “I’m happy when I’m with you.”

“Awww, that's so CUTE!” squealed a familiar bubbly voice. Realizing we were all suddenly staring at her, Pinkie shrank a bit with a sheepish smile. “Uh, hehe. Oops.”

Ember, of course, began blushing again, but she strode confidently you the bed, stopping upon realizing I wasn't following. Throwing a raised brow my way, she taunted, “Well? Are you coming, or what?”

Shaking myself out of my momentary stupor, I followed behind Ember and quickly removed my shirt, tossing it into the hamper in the corner of the room. I grew my own blush at the approving gaze from Ember, but climbed into the giant bed next to her, regardless. Ember moved to the edge of the mattress, and immediately afterward, I felt Fluttershy slide in behind me. From my position, I was unable to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash, but the loss of the room's lights told me Twilight had dimmed them as everyone got settled.

Other than a single, awkward night during my tour of the dragon lands, Ember and I had never shared sleeping quarters before, and if her fidgeting tail was any indication, she was feeling just as awkward. Luckily, this time, I would be able to calm her down with a more hands-on approach.

I shifted to lay on my right side, extending my right wing behind me for Fluttershy to use as a warm, makeshift blanket, which I felt her do without hesitation. My other wing, I brought over to cover Ember, along with wrapping my arm around her stomach to pull her until her body was molded against me. If I was completely naked, like she was, our new position would be a very forward move on my part -- going off of the gasp and anxious trembling of Ember's wings, she still might see it that way. However, this was a position I shared with my other herdmates, and since Ember was my mate, I was going to share this with her, too.

“Spike,” Ember hissed, turning her head to shoot a glare at me, “we're not exactly alone right now!”

At her half angry, half embarrassed expression, I had to laugh. When her glare didn't abate, I calmed down and explained, “We're not doing anything. From how you reacted, I can guess what this,” I gestured to us with my wing, “means to you, but for me, it's just a comfortable position to sleep in with someone special. You're one of those, so I'm doing it with you.”

Ember squirmed a bit regardless, whisper-shouting, “But your crotch is pressed right up against-"

“Hence the pants I'm wearing.” I interrupted, whispering in return. It was at that moment, I saw an opportunity: Ember was here to teach me, but what if I could teach her things as well? I smirked at the thought, adding, “Let's call this a lesson.”

At that, Ember stopped moving. “...aren't I supposed to be teaching you?”

“We'll teach each other.” I answered, slowly moving my hand to rub the soft, broad scales of her stomach.

“Ooh~” Ember cooed softly (I'll readily admit, I enjoyed the sound, and promised myself to find more reasons to coax it out in the future). She turned her head to glance at me from the corner of her eye, and while I still recognized nervousness, underneath that was curiosity. “A-and what exactly is this supposed to be teaching me?”

I smiled a warm, private smile just for her, and nosed the area behind her ear as I answered, “Being close to others is nice, and physical affection doesn't have to progress to mating. Also, this position,” I pressed my palm against her stomach again, forcefully pressing her body against mine, releasing a comforted, soothed breath from Ember, “is great for a dragon that wants to be as close to his mate as possible.”

Ember turned to face forward again, going silent for a few moments before she admitted, “Maybe there are some things I need to learn.” Her hand found mine, and she released a pleased sigh. “Goodnight, Spike.”

I laid my head on the pillow, closing my eyes with a happy smile. “Goodnight, Ember.”

Author's Note

"Common": the generally accepted term for the modern Equestrian dialect. Being the most prosperous nation on the planet, nearly all of the different races trade, visit, and/or emigrate to Equestria. This, of course, neccesitates learning modern Equestrian, which makes the language the most widely spoken dialect of the civilized races.

Chapter 15

“So, this is what ponies call ‘courting’?” a certain confused dragoness asked.

Ember and I were sat at a gryphon restaurant in town that catered to carnivores and omnivores. Most ponies were fine with it, since the meat was sourced from non-sapient animals outside of Equestria, but I still got odd looks whenever I went to the place, as if I were expected to change my biology simply because I was raised in Equestria. Still, no one had given me trouble for it, so I figured it was a nice place to bring Ember to experience a bit more of modern Equestrian culture.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “though the modern term is ‘dating’.” I swirled my beverage a bit -- a strawberry fizzy drink -- before taking a sip from the straw. I glanced around at the mostly-empty restaurant, pleased that lunch was pretty quiet, since it made Ember more comfortable. “For ponies, dating includes outings and generally just spending time together with someone to see if you’re compatible. Dates can be as simple as a walk through the park, or as extravagant as a five-star restaurant visit in Canterlot. Really, so long as two consenting people are spending time together with the idea of romance, a date can be pretty much anything.”

Ember mulled the explanation around for a minute before asking, “So you’re trying to figure out if we’re compatible, then?”

Chuckling at her half-worried expression, I soothed Ember by holding her hand in mine and assuring, “Not at all. We already are, and I know that; dates are also ways to just spend time with someone you care about, setting aside time specifically for them. For you and I,” I gave her hand another squeeze, “that’s precisely what this is. You’re my mate, so I wanted to spend special time just with you.”

The color of Ember’s head spines deepened with a blush. “O-oh, okay. I get it. Why here, though?”

I shrugged, glancing around the restaurant. “Well, in here, you’re less likely to be gawked at. Here, we can be away from most prying eyes, we can get some good meat to eat, and it’s warm. We certainly could have just stayed at the castle, but we’re going to be doing plenty of that in the coming weeks, so I wanted to take my girl out somewhere.” I reached up and scratched my cheek as I tried my best to word what I felt. “It’s...kind of a primal thing for males, not just dragons. It sounds stupid when I say it out loud, but guys like to show off their girlfriends to others, almost claiming overt ownership.” I smiled sheepishly at her raised brow. “I know that’s not what we are and it’s not even what most ponies are, but like I said, it’s a primal thing that’s hard to articulate. Mostly, it feels more real if I can go out and do things with you, where other people can see.”

Ember waved the assurance away. “Hey, I’m not knocking it, I just didn’t understand. Doing things together is...nice.” She smiled at the end, nodding to me. “I used to see my parents being like that, which is weird for most dragons, but I couldn’t help but always think, ‘I want that.’ Now,” she nudged me with her shoulder, “I have it. And I gotta say, it’s kinda nice.” Leaning back against the backrest of the booth we were sat in, Ember released a long breath. “It’s freeing to not have to watch what I say or do. It’s liberating to know all I have to do is be myself, and that’s good enough.”

Nudging her back, I asked, “You have to put on a mask as a dragon lord?”

Snorting as if it were a dumb question, Ember glanced at me. “Are you kidding? I’m the daughter of Torch, and one of the youngest dragon lords. I have to become an entirely different dragon just to be accepted in the dragon lands, nevermind the role I’m supposed to play. If I step one claw out of line, I’ve got every dragon questioning my competence and making snide, passive-aggressive remarks under their breath. The phrase ‘I don’t know’ is basically forbidden for me to even say, so that’ll give you a good idea of just what I have to deal with.”

Luckily, while I wasn’t in a ruling position, by living with Twilight, I was quite familiar with the stress it brought. “I might not be a dragon lord or anything, but I know exactly how hard it must be, given what Twilight has to put up with. There’s thousands of ponies looking up to her for guidance, even disregarding the school, and it seems some of them aren’t happy with anything she does.” The thought of a certain group caused me to snort angrily, shooting sparks out of my nose. “And don’t even get me started on the nobles. Those puffed-up, good for nothing backstabbers practically make it their life’s mission to be a thorn in our sides. As elected officials that supposedly represent the people, we can’t just tell them to buck off, so we have to just deal with it. Basically, they do everything they can to block or slow any legislation that doesn’t benefit them -- or, stars forbid, regulates them -- and the majority of them do it just on principle, or out of spite from some perceived slight against them.” I shook my head with a tired sigh. “In Twilight, they saw a new, naive princess that they could manipulate to get what they want. But, when they found she wasn’t some stupid little filly that could be pressured to do what they wanted, they started doing whatever they could to aggravate her. She’s gotten used to it over the years, but in the beginning, I’d usually have to listen to her cry herself to sleep at night.”

“Now see, a dragon would just set their house on fire for being zräg ghour, but ponies are all about their laws.” Ember commented, half sarcastically. At my bewildered expression, she explained, “Oh, um, ‘zräg ghour’ is a really vulgar insult that translates to ‘stain of excrement’. Considering the taboo of talking about bodily waste among dragons in any way but academic, it's one of the better insults you use if someone is really pissing you off.”

I knew what “piss” and all its forms meant, but learning a curse in the draconic language was actually pretty exciting. A bit foalish maybe, but definitely entertaining.

“So anyway,” Ember began, drawing my attention once again, “I was thinking we can use the later hours of the day to start your education, since you already have responsibilities to take care of, and there’s no reason we can’t do it from inside the safety of the castle.” I noticed that, though she tried to make it sound as if she didn’t really care, the faint shudder in her body was more noticeable than she probably wanted.

Wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her close, I sent a smoldering gaze Ember’s way. “If you needed protection from the cold, all you have to do is ask. I’m quite happy to find ways to keep you warm.” Frankly, the words had practically tumbled out before I could even think about them, which left me internally throttling myself for essentially propositioning Ember in public.

I felt a shudder run through Ember at my words, and if her stuttered breathing and half-lidded gaze was any indication, she wasn’t exactly averse to my suggestion. I had never exactly been the kind of drake to be focused on the physical aspects of a relationship, but something about Ember specifically was demanding I yank her to her feet by the back of her neck, force her face into the table top, bending her over the table and-

“Spike, are you okay, there?”

The “fire” within me was practically an inferno at this point, and I released my own stuttered breath as I fought to control myself. Ember had told us that one of the effects of a mate’s brand was increasing the sex drive, but I was clearly unprepared for just how much.

Taking another, deeper, more controlled breath to steady myself, I nodded shallowly with my eyes closed. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” My control was nearly thrown completely away when I felt a firm, clawed hand posessively grab my behind and squeeze, and had I not been restrained by a table and the dragoness next to me, I would have probably shot into the air with a very feminine screech.

Looking at Ember with a wide-eyed gaze awarded me with a positively predatory expression from her, as she assured me, “You’re not exactly subtle, you know, and you’re not the only one. If your twitching wings and stronger scent* are any indication, you’re thinking exactly the same things I’m thinking.” Leaning her muzzle into my neck and flicking her forked tongue out to tease the side of my throat earned her a barely-restrained groan from me, and I shot her the same look she had just given me. She just chuckled at me. “Oh, believe me, the only thing that’s keeping me from practically jumping you is the fact that there are a lot of breakable things around here, and I imagine you want to be able to come back to this place at some point.”

And to think, I thought Lyla was assertive with her flirting.

With a muted whine, I closed my eyes again, working on breathing to calm myself. “Ember, you’re killing me, here.”

Fortunately, before Ember could tease me further, I picked up the sounds of claws on wood from the stairs that led from the bottom floor to the second floor, which was where our booth was. The scent of seared steak and sautéed seafood was unmistakable, and I had to swallow the excess saliva that was building to keep from outright drooling.

“Okay, we have the filet mignon,” the gryphoness announced, setting down a finely seared, rare cut of beef tenderloin with all the trimmings in front of Ember, “and the seafood platter.” The latter dish was set in front of me, with an assortment of steamed prawns, sautéed scallops, and a dish of fragrant, creamy lobster bisque with a fresh-baked roll. The server smiled as she motioned to our meals. “This was prepared with care by our finest chefs. Please, enjoy. Ring the bell if you need anything.” She punctuated the statement by pointing to the braided string that led to a cord that ran through the wall, presumably to the kitchen. Without anything further to say, she left us to our own devices.

After a few moments of me just enjoying the aromas of the food, Ember commented, “It seems males are the same no matter where they are. Easiest way to the heart is through the stomach.”

Unable to even offer a retort, I nodded sheepishly, shooting a goofy grin her way. “Heh, yeah. Even as a puberty-driven younger drake, if the food is good enough, it wouldn’t matter if a supermodel was delivering it topless: food would be the only thing on my mind.”

Tilting her head a bit at the statement, Ember shrugged. “I guess ‘topless’ means a lot more if you have something to cover.” She glanced down at her slim, scaly chest and poked the delicate scales with her fingers. “Kinda lacking in that department, but it saves on expenses, since I don’t have to wear clothes.”

She was right, of course. Female dragons lack mammary structures, and a reptilian cloaca kept “naughty bits” well-covered, so that they could be completely decent, even when naked. Still, even though she resolutely refused to wear clothes for modesty, she had already teased me when she caught me staring at her fit form in the morning. It was a lot more difficult for a pony to sexualize a dragoness, since they lacked “traditional” feminine features, but from a drake’s standpoint, she had plenty to show off, and I had a feeling she wanted me to look.

“Trust me when I say I don’t feel cheated when I look at you.” I blurted, blushing immediately when she smirked victoriously at me.

Leaning in closer to my ear, Ember whispered, “I like it when you look at me, Spike. Knowing that your eyes are on me, running over my well-kept scales, probably imagining running your fingers over every part of me, is thrilling.” Her admission made me shiver, and I had to remind myself again to remain decent in public.

“You’re making this very hard, Ember.” I muttered, picking up my spoon and ladling a bit of the steaming lobster bisque to my lips. The soup was perfectly cooked and seasoned, as I expected, and the creamy, cheesy, lobster flavor practically made love to my taste buds as the soup splashed over my tongue. I couldn’t stop the pleased moan from escaping my throat, but I didn’t even care at that point.

“Maybe I want to make it hard, my mate.”

And suddenly I was choking on the wonderful soup, Ember’s purring declaration making me gasp...and a gasp plus soup equals a bad time indeed.

Ember, of course, was laughing hard enough for the both of us. “I-hehehehe! I couldn’t h-have timed that better! Bahahaha!”

I probably committed a few social screw ups due to spraying the tablecloth with bisque, as well as pounding my chest to aid with expelling the offending substance from my throat, but health and safety comes first. Ember was still laughing when I stopped coughing, so I just rolled my eyes and tore into my food, trying my best to ignore the chuckling dragoness next to me.

After a few moments of this, Ember chimed in, “Aww, c’mon Spike, I was just playing around. Don’t get all butthurt on me.”

I actually snarled at her, annoyed at her antics. “You can’t say that kind of thing to me just for a prank, and expect me to be cool with it. That was too far, Ember.”

An awkward silence settled between us as I turned back to my meal, but it was only a few seconds before I felt the tips of a forked tongue tease my ear fin, as a warm breath whispered, “It wasn’t for a prank; your reaction was just a bonus. I meant everything I said.”

I felt my whole body stiffen at the words, and my pants were suddenly becoming a bit tight around the front for...another reason. This would mark one of only a dozen times any female had gotten such a reaction out of me, not counting physical contact -- there was just something exciting and alluring about the sheer confidence Ember had, and her voice alone was like auditory foreplay. There was no denying I loved and was attracted to Lyla, Twilight, and Rarity, but there was a different sort of attraction between Ember and I. It was something raw, primal, and, dare I say, a little intimidating.

With a delighted shiver, I turned my attention back to my food as I whispered, “Hold that thought for when we’re not in public, then. I’d rather not be pitching a tent in public, thank you very much.” At Ember’s confused tilt of her head, I explained, “When a stallion -- or dragon, in my case -- is wearing pants, arousal looks like-”

“A tent,” Ember surmised, chuckling at the imagery. She nudged me with her elbow. “Well, it’s nice to know I can get that kind of reaction from you.”

“You’re among a special few able to do it with just words.” I answered honestly. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. “I trust you’ll wield that power gracefully, and with restraint?”

Ember glanced back, delicately grabbing her own fork and knife to cut a bite-sized piece off. As she brought the bite of steak to her mouth, she casually replied, “I won’t get you into trouble, if that’s what you’re worried about, but a sword that goes without maintenance becomes rusty, and weak. I’ll need to keep practicing to make sure I stay on top of it. Besides,” she popped the bite of steak in her mouth, chewing slowly with a happy hum before swallowing and adding, “you’ve become too confident and smooth in the past few years, so I need to be sure you don’t get too full of yourself.”

Clearing my mouth of some of the lovely scallops before speaking, I queried, “Don’t females like that, though? Hasn’t gone bad for me yet, at least.”

Ember shrugged. “Can’t really say. I’ve never had a mate before, and besides that, I’m not a pony; I know we share a lot of similarities, but the few differences in culture we do have are pretty big, so it’s not safe to assume. But,” she paused for a moment, taking a sip of her drink, “for me at least, I enjoy the confidence, and respect that it takes a lot of it to be able to say and do things with the possibility of it blowing up in your face, though I imagine it comes a lot easier if you know your target well. It’s only a risk if you’re dealing with someone you’re unfamiliar with, so I guess you got it pretty easy.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Oh, don’t presume that this comes naturally. I’ve had a lot of cringe-worthy moments in my early dating life, and they still pop up from time to time. Let’s just say there are a few ex-marefriends that will never speak to me again, and even a few that I still kinda miss due to unresolved issues between us.” I gave my own shrug as I mused aloud, “I guess romance is the same as any skill: no one starts out great, regardless of talent; you just have to practice and get experience to learn and grow.”

Ember just stared at me for a few moments before teasing, “You know, with you being a O&O player, I see you not saying ‘level up’ as a missed opportunity.”

While I was glad Ember didn’t make fun of my dungeon-crawling RPG that I still played with Macintosh and Discord from time to time, the fact she brought it up was embarrassing enough to make me blush. As much as I would like to say it didn’t matter, I had worked very hard to not be seen as the only dragon that was a major geek. I got enough teasing being a pony-raised dragon when I was younger, so I didn’t need to give the few bullies I came across more reason to mess with me.

“And give you more reasons to tease me?” I snarked at Ember, half-seriously. “You already are using our relationship to fluster me, so I think it would be pretty stupid to basically give you a roadmap on how to publicly embarrass me.”

Ember’s grin turned very predatory. “You really think O&O is the only embarrassing thing I know about you? That’s cute.”

I sighed to myself, turning back to my meal. I cared about Ember a lot, and I was happy she felt the same, but I knew that she was constantly going to keep me on my toes. I’d need to practice finding ways to fluster her, so that I wouldn’t feel like some young stupid drake in the claws of an intimidating dragoness...even if the latter was true. One thing was for sure, though: no matter what happened in the future for us, a romantic relationship with Ember was sure to have no end of entertainment.

On our way back from lunch, we met up with Lyla, and Ember got to know my changeling soldier. I had thought that the protective nature of Lyla would clash a bit with the proud bearing of a dragon lord, but to my utter surprise, they found a sort of kinship with one another. If I really thought about it, the strange bond made sense, since both were bluntly honest for the most part, and both felt the need to assert themselves as my protectors. I’ll admit, the latter point had me feeling a little emasculated, but a playful wink or affectionate brush from the two calmed those feelings of inadequacy rather quickly. Without anything particularly pressing to do, Ember and Lyla followed me around as I ran my daily errands, though we quickly found our path to the Carousel Boutique when Ember began shivering due to the cold.

The small brass bell on the hook above the door frame chimed from our arrival, and Rarity announced, “Comiiing~!” as her hooves clopped on the upstairs floor. After only a moment, the unicorn herself appeared around the corner leading to the stairs, and she immediately brightened upon seeing me. “Spike, darling! I thought that was you. And you brought guests! Welcome, welcome!”

I met Rarity halfway and embraced her, sharing a chaste kiss with the beautiful seamstress. “Mmm, afternoon. Anyhow, I dropped by because I have a commission, if you’d be so kind.”

Rarity’s horn lit up with a familiar blue cloud of magic, and her red working glasses settled onto her nose as a small notepad and pencil floated to her hands. “Of course, darling. What can I help you with?”

I jerked my head to Ember, who looked like she felt out of place in the clothing shop. “Well, Ember here feels the cold, unlike me. We would like to get some winter gear made for her. I was thinking the full shebang: a coat, a hat, gloves, leggings, and some boots.”

Rarity was taking down some notes as I spoke, nodding once I’d finished. “Right, I believe that’s doable.” She then raised her eyes and took in the sight of the dragoness herself, who was nearly half a foot taller than Rarity. The unicorn approached Ember and began circling her slowly, her eyes roving over the form of the dragon lord. Before any of us could say a word, four tape measures were levitated into the room, and they began measuring every inch of Ember in a dizzying array of speed and precision, and I chuckled when Ember yelped a few times when she likely felt what could be mistaken for a snake slithering across certain areas of her body.

Finishing with her measurements, Rarity dismissed the tape measures, taking a knee to look closer at Ember’s feet. After a few moments, she nodded and stood, finishing her notes with a few lines on her notepad. “I think that should do it. You know, Spike, I think Ember will actually be a far simpler client to clothe. Her scales are much smoother than yours, and her feet are more akin to paws than dragon claws.”

Ember, feeling suddenly self-conscious, shifted a bit at the words. “Is that a bad thing?”

Looking to the dragoness, Rarity shook her head with a small smile. “Not at all, it is simply different. While it is true you aren’t ‘soft’ by pony standards, the differences between you and a male like Spike are very obvious. Spike has made it quite clear that you would not wear clothing for fashion or modesty purposes.”

“Yeah, no,” Ember bluntly agreed.

Rarity waved the thought away. “It is no real loss, dear. Over the years, friends like Applejack have shown that I was missing out on quite the market: practicality is all that matters to some, and I was unintentionally turning down business by only catering to fashion. While I would like nothing more than to make you look beautiful for our dear Spike,” she threw a smile my way, “I know when not to push my views of beauty on another, even one who is so naturally gifted.”

Ember’s head tilted at the latter statement. “What do you mean by ‘naturally gifted’?”

Rarity mock-gasped as if the dragoness had just said something completely ridiculous. “Darling, have you looked into a mirror lately?” She gently took the dragoness’ hand in her own and ran her fingers along the back of it, marveling in the thick, yet well-tended hide. “You may not be a pony, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi about you that cannot be denied. You are an exotic specimen, and your very bearing -- the way you hold yourself amongst others -- exudes strength and confidence in oneself. As any honest pony will confirm, confidence is very attractive.” Releasing a blushing Ember’s hand, she gestured to the dragoness’ midsection, leading down to her legs. “You have a beautiful complexion, with striking coloration that accentuates your natural attributes. I see long, toned legs, and wide hips leading to a narrow waist and sculpted abdomen; you have a body most mares would kill for. Darling,” she looked directly into Ember’s eyes with an intensity that I knew would provoke a certain effect, “you are beautiful, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

I was well aware that Ember wasn’t used to being complimented on her looks in an honest way that wasn’t an attempt to bed her, so the awkward scuffing of her foot against the floor was certainly expected. Still, I had to admit she was adorable when embarrassed, and I was definitely going to try and make that happen more in the future.

Ember silently stared down at the floor as a flush held strong in her head spines, before she finally mumbled. “...d-do you really mean that?”

Rarity smiled wide and nodded. “I do, darling. However,” she held up a hand as her demeanor shifted to a more professional mode, “I know fashion is not exactly your cup of tea, so I will let you decide if and when fashionable clothing is what you desire. If you truly do feel the cold, unlike Spike, then I will promptly create an outfit tailored for you. And I promise, I will refrain from adding unnecessary frills. It will be a well-made, practical bundle that will keep you warm even during the coldest day.”

Ember had composed herself, returning to her usual casually confident demeanor, and was quite obviously appraising Rarity in much the same way the pony had her a few moments ago. After a few seconds of silence, apparently having come to a decision, she smiled to Rarity with a tilt of her head. “You know, you’re not what I was expecting, going off of what Spike wrote about you. I expected someone more prissy, to be honest.”

Rarity briefly shot a glare my way, silently promising retribution, before smirking at the dragoness. “I am pleased to have surprised you, then. I think you will find that we ponies are not the soft, quaking little creatures that some may assume we are. I will admit, we live within a culture built upon the tenets of Harmony, but it would be unwise to mistake our adherence to Harmony as weakness. I think that if you take the time to get to know some of us, you may find yourself surprised quite a bit, and often.”

Ember shrugged nonchalantly, looking out a window toward the distant mountain that housed Canterlot. “Most dragons choose to dig in their heels and stick by their biased beliefs, rather than have their beliefs challenged. For me, though, I can see a lot of the assumptions among my kind are wrong, just based on Canterlot itself.” She shot a look at Rarity with a toothy smile. “Dragons stand on their own for the most part. Even though they swear fealty to the dragon lords, we are more of guides than actual rulers, because dragons do not like being told what to do. For you ponies, though, ‘togetherness’ is part of your culture; ponies are comparatively weak, and squishy when you compare them to dragons, but put a bunch of ponies together and you get a place like Canterlot.” Again she glanced out the window toward the marble mountain capitol. “Canterlot is not weak, and even the most arrogant dragons speak about the ponies that protect it in hushed tones, with reverence.”

Rarity tilted her head as well, allowing a moment of silence as she mused over the words spoken. After a pregnant pause, she returned Ember’s smile. “I am surprised as well. Contrary to our earlier impressions of you and your kind, you appear to be quick-witted, intelligent, and humble. I believe that we could all stand to learn quite a bit from each other during your time here, Ember.” Rarity seemed to drift off to a very warm place for a moment before catching herself, shaking her head slightly, and plastering on a practiced smile. That was odd. “Anyhow, darling, I should have some winter wear ready for you by tomorrow. Come back here to pick it up, and we can perform a final fitting with any minor alterations to be sure the clothing fits comfortably.”

“I’ll pay, Ember.” I interrupted, Ember not even able to open her mouth before I answered the obvious question...or, depending on the confused looks Rarity and Lyla were sending my way, it wasn’t so obvious.

“Cool, I was just about to ask. I figured you would, but I didn’t want to assume.” Ember returned, confirming my guess (Was it a guess?).

Seemingly shaking off her momentary surprise, Rarity again smiled brightly. “Well then, I will see all of you tomorrow, unless we run into each other sooner. Now, I must get started. Ciao, dears!”

I met Ember and Lyla’s eyes with mine as I suggested, “We should get going, then. Rarity’s going to be working hard, so there’s no point in bothering her. Was there anything you two wanted to do before we check in with Twilight?”

Ember shivered a bit as we stepped back out into the winter cold. I extended my wing to cover her, earning a grateful smile as she answered, “Eh, I’m not really sure. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here, so a lot of things have changed.”

That was true, of course. “I guess you’re right. Well, I visit Applejack and Fluttershy each at least once a day, so we can swing by them if you’re cool with it.” I glanced at Lyla with a raised brow, as well.

Ember just nodded in response, while Lyla gave an affirmative hum. “Yes, I think it would be a good idea to visit Applejack, at the very least. Fluttershy was with us last night, but it has been nearly a day since you’ve visited Sweet Apple Acres.”

I gave my own nod as we turned down one of the plowed paths that led toward the farm. I shot a grin to Ember as I teased, “So, how was your first pony sleepover? Not so bad, was it?”

At the mention of the previous night, where she had shared a bed with not just me, but four others, Ember began to blush once again. “...it was all right, I’ll admit. I still can’t say it’s something I would seek out, but it wasn’t as bad as I was thinking.” She then threw a look to Lyla. “How did you settle into Equestria?”

The mention of Lyla’s “settling” brought back some bad memories for the both of us, considering how much racial discrimination changelings faced as a whole. It took years for the “old-style” changelings to be accepted in Equestria, and even now, there were certain parts of the nation that were wary of the shapeshifters. I couldn’t even feel vindictive about the response either, since certain hives gave changelings as a whole a bad reputation, and ponies had no idea there were separate hives.

“It was...really hard,” Lyla reminisced, frowning slightly. “Early on, there was still outright hostility against my kind, due to the multiple major instances of hostile actions by certain hives, against Equestria. A part of me knew it wasn’t the fault of Equestrians -- changelings are secretive by nature, so there wasn’t exactly much known about us -- but even so, it is still upsetting that I can be judged for the actions of others with which I share no connection.” I extended my other wing to curl around Lyla protectively, but she still sighed in defeat. “Things have vastly improved, but to certain ponies, all changelings are ‘cut from the same cloth’, so to speak, and we are all judged the same.”

I gave a reassuring nuzzle to my changeling, adding, “And honestly, Thorax didn’t have much to do with that. Don’t get me wrong, he helped move things along when it came to integrating changelings into Equestrian society, but it was easier for him because he and the other ‘new changelings’ look completely different than what most Equestrians remember, so it was easier for them to separate the new changelings from the ones of the past.” I gestured with my head toward Lyla. “But Lyla, here, has not gone through the change, so she’s a walking reminder of a lot of bad memories, to some ponies. If it weren’t for Twilight and Starlight, things wouldn’t be as good as they are now.”

Ember looked between the two of us for a few moments before cautiously asking, “Was Lyla ever attacked?”

I sighed through my nose, doing my best to keep from losing my cool over past memories. “Yes, once. We still don’t know what happened, or how. I was walking around town one day, doing a quick patrol of the Everfree border, and I found Lyla face down in a creek near the edge of the forest, with hoof prints all around her. She was battered and bruised, her chitin cracked and warped, and there were even magical burns over parts of her face.” Ember winced at my description, but I continued nonetheless. I couldn’t help the hitch in my breathing as I remembered what I felt that day. “...she was a mess, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to save her. I was still kid-sized back then, so carrying her to the hospital was nearly impossible, but I somehow managed.” I tightened my wing around the changeling soldier, remembering how frail and vulnerable she looked at that point. “I’ve never been more afraid in my entire life; the storm king taking over Equestria doesn’t even remotely compare.”

I found myself unable to speak more at that point, but thankfully, Lyla was able to pick it up from there. “The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital, and Spike was sleeping, half-laying down on the hospital bed, gripping my hand as if he were trying to physically keep me from leaving this world.”

The memory of that moment, when I woke up and looked into Lyla’s tired, yet grateful eyes, was enough to bring a smile to my face as I composed myself a bit to be able to speak. “I was so relieved, I almost kissed her. The terror I felt knowing that Lyla might die, and there was nothing I could do, shook me to my core, and I realized just how much I cared about her at that moment. I wouldn’t call it romantic love, at that point -- not yet -- but the seed had been planted, and I vowed to stand by her side for however long I needed to.” The memory that followed caused me to chuckle a bit. “Anyway, after Lyla woke up, the entire hospital started shaking, and instruments went crazy for a few minutes; it turned out Twilight was basically screaming at the entire town from on top of the castle, openly denouncing what had happened, and daring anypony to defend those actions. She openly called Lyla her friend for the first time, defending her and the innocents of her kind, and made sure the entire town knew she was ashamed that such an atrocious act had happened in her own town.” I gestured generally to the air with one hand. “Ponies respect Celestia due to her fair ruling practices and endless patience, and they respect Luna due to her power, majesty, and adherence to the old ways of chivalry and honor. But,” I smiled a bit at the thought of my alicorn mate, “people respect Twilight because she is willing to see past the barriers of race, ethnicity, or creed in order to forge friendships among anyone and everyone. To disappoint Twilight is to know the shame of being the anathema of friendship, to be the one that the Princess of Friendship can’t even stand to look at. Twilight doesn’t truly hate many things in this life, but baseless bigotry and hatred of others, especially just because they look different, is something that strikes a nerve within her every. Single. Time.”

“None of us could ask for a better friend,” Lyla praised with a bright smile. “Twilight isn’t perfect, but there is no doubt in my mind that she would be the first pony to stand beside someone in need, even if she didn’t know them. She helped to reform Discord, reformed Starlight Glimmer, and reformed Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”

“Wait,” Ember held up a claw, “who’s the last one? I don’t recognize that name.”

“Tempest Shadow.” Lyla and I answered at the same time.

A surprised look crossed Ember’s face. “The storm king’s lieutenant? That Tempest Shadow? The hornless unicorn that took down three alicorns, and an entire city of royal guards, without magic?!”

I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. “Y-yeah, that’s the one.”

Ember nearly tripped over her own feet as I confirmed what she had asked about, and she was silent for a long few moments before speaking again. “If you tell anyone this, I’ll deny it, but there were a lot of dragons terrified about going up against Tempest Shadow. The storm king might have been the leader, but he was just some pompous yeti with a lust for power. Tempest Shadow, though...” Ember shivered a bit, and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with the cold, “this little, unassuming pony was more ferocious than we’d ever have expected from such a small, squishy species. She single-handedly brought the minotaurs under her boot, and the deerfolk of Clefthoof Isle were forced to surrender when she set their entire forest ablaze...and then, she let it burn to the ground, eliminating all but a few lucky survivors.”

I’d never heard about the darker portions of Fizzle’s crusade across the world, but even before Ember said so, I knew that she had probably done some terrible things. Honestly, the only thing that kept Celestia and Luna from charging her with war crimes was the fact that she was manipulated by the storm king, and Fizzle had willingly gone out into the world to atone for the atrocities she’d committed. Even now, we received letters every now and then about her progress, but I knew it might be years before we saw her again, because there was a lot of damage caused by the storm king’s armada. Even though I was sad a new friend was going to be gone for quite some time, I was kinda glad I wouldn’t have to be teased by the girls anymore. Let’s just say it was hard for me not to stare and enjoy Fizzle’s bodysuit-clad form.

“Y’know, I had a feeling more had happened than she told us, but this is my first time hearing about it.” I mused aloud, trying not to sound horrified at what I had heard. I’m not sure I succeeded, if Ember’s knowing look was any indication.

Ember nudged me as we kept moving. “It’s not really her fault, you know. From what I heard, she was loner for pretty much her whole life, even compared to Starlight. She probably doesn’t feel comfortable trusting other people.”

I frowned a bit at the thought. As someone who had been surrounded by family and friends since day one, I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to only be able to count on myself for everything. I guess I would have become a very different person if I had to depend on myself for food, shelter, protection, and stars knows what else. It would probably make me more serious, less willing to let others help, and maybe even cold-hearted.

“...I guess I can see that,” I admitted, with a sigh of defeat.

Conversation trailed off as the farm came into view, and I quickly led the three of us to the front door of the farmhouse. Knocking three times, I waited patiently with Lyla and Ember on the porch. The heavy, spaced steps that approached told me that Big Mac was back, and only a moment later the door was pulled open by the giant of a stallion. He glanced briefly at my two companions before silently nodding to me and standing aside to let us enter.

After a moment of staring with a dumbfounded look of surprise at the giant pony, Ember allowed herself to be tugged inside. After Big Mac walked away, presumably to fetch Applejack, Ember turned to me and whisper-shouted, “What in the seven hells was that?!”

I shrugged calmly. “That’s just Big Macintosh. He’s the oldest child of the Ponyville Apple clan, a mean Paladin in O&O, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. I’m surprised you’ve never met him before.”

Ember kept staring at the doorway he’d disappeared through, shaking her head slowly. “Never had a reason to. That guy is, like, freakishly big. Ponies aren’t supposed to be that big.”

I shrugged again, mentally chuckling at the response my next comment would get. “His herd seems to be able to handle his size just fine, from what I can see.”

Ember’s face went through a multitude of expressions, chiefly confusion, before realization struck her and she practically fell on the floor in laughter. Though Lyla looked downright ashamed at my terrible joke, I could only think, “Totally worth it.”

A few moments later, after Ember had composed herself, Applejack strode into the room with a bright smile on her face. She looked momentarily surprised by Ember, but approached regardless and pulled me into a hug. While pulling away, she ran her cheek over mine, and her eyes were shining with happiness.

“Heya Spike, good t’see ya,” she greeted jovially, then turned her eyes to Ember. “And it’s good t’see ya again too. First things first: is Spike all right?”

“Yes, and he’s going to stay that way.” Ember answered directly. She jerked her head to me. “Just some dragon stuff he’s going through, and I’m going to help him adjust. He’s not going to grow anymore, and he’s going to learn things that he should have a long time ago. He’ll be just fine, I promise.”

Applejack visibly sagged in relief as she made her way to her favorite chair, plopping down into it with a groan. “That’s real good news, ma’am. Ah’m glad t’hear it. Ah ain’t gonna lie ‘n say Ah wasn’t worried somethin’ fierce.”

I smiled at Applejack’s concern, then pointed to her healing arm. “So, how does it feel?”

Applejack shifted her shoulder around, and though the arm was still in a cast, I could tell just by looking that she was quite happy to be able to move it a little more. “Gettin’ better every day. ‘Least now Ah can use tha arm again, even though Ah still can’t lift nothin’. Still, some mobility is better’n none. It’s annoyin’, but Ah’ve made peace with tha fact Ah’m just gonna have t’deal with it for some time, yet.”

“Dash and I will help get you back to 100%, AJ. Promise.” I assured with a smile. “Just because you’re weak now doesn’t mean you’re going to stay that way. An Apple never stays down for long.”

Applejack grinned at my words, puffing up a bit in pride. “Darn tootin’. Ah’ll be up ‘n about by early next year.”

“So,” I began, glancing around the house, “was there anything you needed help with? I figure that since we're here, I might as well lend a hand.”

The farm mare bobbed her head from side to side for a moment before shaking her head. “Nah, Ah think Ah got ev’rything well ‘nough in hand, right now. Ah think Mac could use a hand in tha barn though, Spike.” I stood to leave, as did Lyla and Ember, but Applejack stopped them with a quiet, “A-actually, do y’all think you could stay? Ah wanna talk to tha to’ve ya about somethin’.” At my raised brow, Applejack just shot a nervous smile my way. ”Girl stuff. Sorry, Spike.”

I stared at the notoriously-bad-at-lying mare for a few moments before shrugging and turning again to leave. “Eh, that’s fine. You know where to find me if you need me.” With my piece said, I quickly jogged out the rear kitchen door, and out into the snow again. The large, red barn was only a hundred or so feet away, so it was easy to see Big Mac moving stuff around inside, with the doors wide open.

The stallion’s ears perked up as I approached, and he turned to me as I entered the barn. He shifted the sprig of wheat around in his mouth before guessing, “AJ sent ya out ‘ere?” I gave a nod of affirmation, so he jerked his head toward the haybales. “Gotta feed tha cows. Help me spread it out to tha girls.”

I joined Big Mac in his work, trying not to be disturbed by the fact that he was no longer the giant to me that he once was -- where he had once been head and shoulders taller than me, now he only topped me by an inch or two. If physical labor was good for something, though, it was allowing the mind to wander and relax, so I threw myself fully into the monotonous work. My recent gains in both strength and size came in handy, allowing Big Mac and I to quickly and efficiently tend to the cows.

Unfortunately, with the job so easy and quick, my mouth saw fit to bring up what my mind was thinking. “It kinda worries me that AJ wanted me out of the room like that. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other.”

Having spread out the hay among the twelve cows, Big Mac stuck the pitchfork in the ground and raised an eyebrow at me. “Ya wanna be the pot, ‘r the kettle?”

I raised my own brow in response. “What the hay are you talking about?”

“Did ya tell ‘er about O&O?” he challenged.

“What's to tell? She already knows about it.” I countered with a frown.

With a snort, Big Mac argued, “She found out about it, yeah, but y'all never told her. It woulda been a secret you kept, Ah’d wager.” The normally-stoic stallion let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. “Ah ain't perfect Spike, ‘n neither are you. We both got battles we fight with ourselves, ‘n we both got secrets we keep from tha world. Don't make tha mistake ‘f holdin’ somepony to a standard that ya ain't reachin’ yerself. Y'all only got tha right ta demand honesty if ya ain't got no secrets ‘f yer own.”

I couldn’t refute that, unfortunately. “Everyone has secrets, Mac.”

“Then don’t expect ‘t know ev’rythin’ about yer friends.” he answered, turning back to his work and beginning to pick up the hay ties and stray strands. “Some people got skel’tons in their closets, ‘n they’ll take ‘em to tha grave with ‘em. Ya gotta accept that, if yer gonna be close ta anyone.”

While I agreed on a silent, private level, I didn’t say so. I wished that I could know everything about those I cared about, but Big Mac was right: I had my own things I kept from others, so I had no right to demand to know everything about everyone. And to think, I didn’t used to keep things from those I care about. Adult life was complicated.

“Is there anything else you actually need help with out here?” I questioned, glancing toward the hulking stallion.

Big Mac shook out his orange mane and snorted. “Naw. Truth is, Ah didn’t need help t’begin with. You ‘n Ah both know AJ just wanted t’ talk with tha girls in private. You ‘n AJ are thick as thieves, but there’s some stuff that’s just b’tween other girls.”

I gave a thoughtful nod, knowing that there were certain things about being a guy that I didn’t bring to my female friends -- not so much because it was embarrassing, but because they wouldn’t be able to relate or properly understand. With a lazy salute to Big Mac, I made my way back to the farmhouse and knocked on the door before entering.

Walking back into the main room, I was treated to the sight of Ember looking confused, Lyla grinning like a cat that caught the canary, and Applejack looking as pale as a ghost. With a look over the gathered girls, I decided to be blunt and ask, “Did something happen that I should know about?”

Before Lyla could even form words, Applejack blurted, “Nope, nothin’ here. Ain’t nothin’ happened, and ain’t nothin’ gonna happen. All’s good here, Spike.” Her eyes betrayed her with that shifty-eyed thing she did when she was telling a horrible lie.

Raising a brow high, I placed my hands on my hips. “You sure about that? We’ve known each other for years AJ, and you know that we all know you’re a terrible liar.”

A faint blush lit up her cheeks, but she glanced away and mumbled, “A-Ah can’t, Spike. Sorry. It’s personal.”

I kept Big Mac’s words in mind for her answer, and just sighed with a nod. “All right then, I’m not going to bug you about it. When you’re ready, you know I’ll listen.”

Applejack opened her mouth before closing it a moment later. After a few seconds of silence, she offered a quiet, “Thanks, Spike. Ah’ll keep that in mind.”

Glancing out the window, I noticed the weather was starting to pick up again, so I motioned to the door. “Anyhow, unless you all needed anything, I think we should mosey. We still want to go see Fluttershy before the blizzard hits tonight.”

Applejack, to my surprise, looked a little disappointed for some reason, but she nodded regardless. “Ah understand. Naw, we don’ really need nothin’ -- thanks to yer help, all tha logs f’r winter are caught up, so we’re good for the season.” She stood from the cushioned chair and made her way to me, bringing me in for a strong, one-armed hug. “You be safe out there, ya hear?”

I returned the embrace readily. “Of course. Take care of yourself, AJ. I’ll see you tomorrow, if I can.” Lyla and Ember offered their own farewells before following me out into the winter cold again.

With the day waning and the temperature dropping, I took a shortcut through the south field of Sweet Apple Acres, hopping the fence and continuing toward Fluttershy’s cottage. The cottage was visible through the leafless trees, and I wasted no time in hopping the small creek and skirting the edge of the forest toward our destination. I found Ember floating next to me with a raised brow, her wings flapping lazily, and I mentally kicked myself for not just using my own wings to make the trip easier and quicker. Nonetheless, we arrived at Fluttershy’s place within only a few minutes, and since Lyla and I were close friends of Ponyville’s resident animal caretaker, we just walked inside without knocking.

Fluttershy was in the living room, carefully wrapping a bandage around the rear hoof of a young male deer. The woodland animal nearly bolted at the sight of us, but a shushing sound and comforting hand on its back from Fluttershy settled it quickly, and while we were watched cautiously, it was now not on the verge of a panicked sprint. The three of us waited patiently for Fluttershy to finish her work, and within only a few minutes, she gave a firm nod and words of encouragement to the deer, walking over to her back door and opening it for the animal to leave.

“Now, I want you to take it easy on that hoof. I don’t doubt you’re a strong young buck, but it needs to heal.” she warned, mildly chastising the animal, likely for something it had done to injure itself in the first place (conjecture on my part, only due to the fact I knew Fluttershy’s body language pretty well by this point). The deer gave a thankful lick to her cheek before carefully walking outside, soon disappearing into the nearby forest.

Fluttershy spent the next few moments cleaning up the gauze and bandages before finally turning to me with a half-smile. “Good afternoon. I’m sorry I couldn’t greet all of you at the door, but…” she shrugged helplessly.

I gave a shake of my head and reassured, “Nah, it’s okay. We’re not injured, and he was, so your animal friend was the priority. Is he going to be okay?”

With a look that suited an exasperated mother, Fluttershy sighed and answered, “Yes, but I don’t doubt I’ll see him again sometime pretty soon. Like many growing males, he thinks he’s invincible, and does foolish things for recognition. He tried to buck a tree like Applejack and her family, and ended up splitting his hoof instead.”

The surprise I felt was mirrored by my two companions. “Animals talk about the Apples like that?”

She nodded with a sigh. “Yes. Sometimes, like this time, it ends up causing trouble for them when they do something to hurt themselves. Just because they can’t speak like us doesn’t mean animals don’t talk about us.”

I suddenly found myself becoming very paranoid.

“Anyhow,” Fluttershy continued, smiling that slightly sad smile I had become used to recently, “it’s good to see you, Spike. Thank you for visiting. Oh,” she jumped a bit at finally noticing the blue dragoness beside me. While she held eye contact, she retreated a bit into herself, with hunched shoulders and a cautious stance. “H-hello, Ember. It’s good to see you, too.”

I had long accepted the fact that Fluttershy would always be shy around people until she got to know them, so I just smiled to the mare and opened my arms for a hug. The pegasus wasted no time in rushing to my embrace, practically teleporting, if I didn’t know any better. We held the embrace for a few moments before stepping away from each other.

Running a curled digit along her cheek, I offered a customary, “How are you, ‘Shy?”

Fluttershy shrugged slightly, glancing around the dimly-lit room. “I’m...coping. It’s hard, and I still miss A-Angel, but I’m doing all that I can to keep going. Having my animal friends drop in for help lets me focus on something else, so I’ve been dedicating my time and energy to that.”

“I know it gets kind of lonely around here during winter,” I commented idly, giving a shrug, “so you’re always welcome at the castle. I know Twilight wouldn’t mind, and we’re always happy to see you, regardless of the reason.”

Fluttershy grew a cute blush as she scuffed the floor with a hoof. “W-well, I don’t want to be a bother. You two are so busy all the time, so I feel like I would be in the way.”

I rolled my eyes at the behavior, which was reminiscent of how she always acted in the past. “Fluttershy, you could never be a bother. While Twilight and I are mostly focused on administrative tasks nowadays, simply having a friend to talk to during work makes the day pass so much faster, and easier. Please, if you ever feel like you want to see us, visit; we would love to have you any time you want to come over.”

Fluttershy continued looking at the floor for a few moments before shyly looking up and asking, “...w-well, what about now?”

I glanced at Ember and Lyla, who offered their own shrugs. I turned back to the pegasus and answered, “I did say you’re welcome anytime. Are you sure you don’t have prior engagements?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, no. As you know, winter gets rather quiet around here, so I often spend my time reading or listening to music. It would be nice to spend time with friends, though.”

I nodded with a smile to my friend, jerking my head toward the door. “Well, even though I set aside time to spend here, with you, it would be better if we left sooner. Grab whatever you need to and let’s head back to the castle, before it gets too cold.”

Fluttershy gave me a nod before scampering up the stairs, likely to her bedroom, and the three of us were left standing in the living area. After only a few seconds Ember asked, “Is having friends over this often commonplace for you all?”

I shrugged with a nervous grin. “Eh, not really. Ever since Twilight and I took on a heavier workload regarding local government, we usually don’t see the girls but once or twice a week, and spending the night over was pretty rare until recently. Not that we wouldn’t love to see everyone every day, and it’s not like we’re lacking the space to have friends over, but we just don’t usually have the time, and the others are often just as busy with their own lives.” I tilted my head as I really thought about the situation. “Thinking about it, it’s kind of sad to know that we’re all living such separate lives, when we all were once in each other’s lives every day. We do the best we can, but adult life and responsibilities have a way of wedging our lives apart.”

“Dragons like their space, as I’m sure you know.” Ember commented, glancing to me from the corner of her eye. “Having get-togethers and inviting friends into one’s home is a foreign concept to most dragons; friendship in itself is a foreign concept.” I was slowly learning the more subtle bits of Ember’s body language, and so I caught the twitching of the tip of her tail and shifting of her wings that practically screamed “nervousness.”

“You’re uncomfortable around my friends.” I prodded. It wasn’t a question.

Ember turned her head fully so that she could focus completely on me. “...kinda, yeah. It’s not their fault, though. To a dragon, home is quiet and often solitary, and it’s a place we can go to feel safe and protected. My instincts are telling me that we shouldn’t be inviting people over to the place where I’m going to be staying. It makes me...antsy.”

I brought my hand up and began rubbing between her shoulders, just above Ember’s wing joints, a place I had found soothed her. Slowly, as I caressed the soft hide there, the tension in her shoulders, wings, and neck began to dissipate, and I offered a nuzzle behind her horn as I assured, “You’re already accepted by all of them, so this is okay. You’re safe, and even if you weren’t, I’d keep you well-protected.”

Ember gave a lazy snort. “I don’t need protection.”

“No,” I soothed, “I don’t suppose you do. Still, the eyes only face one direction, so it’s nice to have someone at your back, that can watch out for the things you don’t see. This is what it means to trust someone: to have someone know how and where you are most vulnerable, but rather than exploit those weaknesses, they protect them from those that might do you harm.” I chuckled a bit as I lowered my hand and wound it around her waist, pulling her close. “Or, in our case, I’m just guiding you in the weirdness that is pony society, so that you don’t feel so out of place.”

With a sigh that seemed to be half defeat, half grateful, Ember nodded. “All right, fine. Anyway, I can feel the temperature dropping, so we should get going soon.”

“Just as soon as Fluttershy is ready.” I answered, only for that to apparently be the cue for the pegasus to float down the stairs with a packed back ready. “Okay, cool. Let’s get going, then. C’mere and I’ll help you out, ‘Shy.” I gestured to her winter gear next to the front door.

The mare blushed, but made her way over to me without protest and I helped her get dressed in her coat, gloves, and boots, finishing the whole ensemble by wrapping her scarf around her neck. She was bundled up in browns and dark greens for the most part, the only splash of color besides her fur and mane being her scarf. Honestly, it was almost criminal how cute Fluttershy was.

It was only when Ember loudly cleared her throat that I realized Fluttershy and I had been staring into each other’s eyes for nearly a minute, and I violently shook my head as I coughed nervously. “R-right. Well, I think we’re all set. Let’s head back to the castle.”

What was wrong with me lately?

“Again,” Ember ordered.

We had all arrived back at the castle as the sun just began to touch the horizon, and though she would never admit it aloud, Ember was grimacing at just how cold it had gotten, and how quickly. After getting everyone inside, fixing some warm drinks to heat everyone up, and rejoining Twilight, Ember and I made our way to a secret room on the bottom floor that technically didn’t exist. The room had been developed by Twilight, using certain spells to create a pocket dimension behind a door that normally led to an empty storage room. When a crystal geode lock from outside was properly manipulated with fire, however, the spell activated, allowing the normal door to open to the secret room.

The room itself was solid stone, with no windows and only a few slits in the ceiling and walls to vent air, and the walls themselves were scorched, burned, and scratched all over. This had become Twilight’s practice room for dangerous spells she learned or created, so that it wouldn’t cause damage to the rest of the castle. Since it was technically in a different dimension than Equestria, nothing that happened in this place would affect anything outside of it, even though it was accessible from a certain doorway within the castle. Because of this, it was the perfect place for Ember to begin teaching me about what I had missed regarding dragons, their magic, and their heritage.

At the moment, however, I was learning that dragon magic was much different than pony magic.

“This is a pain.” I grumbled, watching as a burning draconic character, made in my emerald fire, faded away from the air in front of me.

Ember crossed her arms as she stood a dozen paces in front of me. “Unfortunately, growing up around Twilight will work against you when it comes to casting spells. By fetching her books, helping her study, dictating letters and notes, and even reading her the spells out of her tomes, you’ve subconsciously latched onto how ponies cast magic. However, as you’re finding out, dragon magic isn’t cast the same way as pony magic. Instead of intense focus, clearing your mind of emotions, and studying spells and matrices, dragon magic is far more primal. As I said before, your emotions are your power, so you have to learn to let go. Dragon magic isn’t studied, perfected, and tested like a science experiment, it’s just done. In that way, it’s much simpler than pony magic, since you don’t have to learn spell diagrams, arcane matrices, and the primal words of the aether, but being by Twilight’s side all these years has filled your head with the wrong approach. Here,” she walked around me, and I felt as her claws slowly began to massage my shoulders, “you need to relax. Getting yourself all worked up isn’t going to do you any favors when it comes to casting spells. Emotions are our power, but that doesn’t mean we give up control to them. You have to learn to embrace them, and harness them properly, or else you’ll be a danger to yourself and others.”

I won’t even try and deny that Ember’s slow, firm ministrations relieved the tension in my shoulders, and I eventually found myself succumbing to her gentle massage. Breathing a deep sigh of relaxation, I gave a nod. “You’re right, I’m sorry. So,” I glanced to her from the side, “what exactly is this spell again?”

Stepping out to my side, and moving her one remaining hand to massage my neck, she gestured to her own draconic character, which was still burning happily on the other side of the room. “This spell only uses one character, so it’s just a weak spell. The character is called ‘laah’, which translates to ‘light’ in common. Care to guess what it does?”

I shrugged, guessing, “It’s a light spell?”

Ember nodded before releasing me completely, stepping away to the side. “Yes, one that follows you around like a personal torch. Depending on how much power you put into it, it can last anywhere from a minute, to a few days before dissipating. Put too much power in it, though,” she raised her flaming hand into the air, and the fire on her claws grew brighter in intensity at the same time the glowing character did, until with a loud boom, it blew up and disappeared, “and you overload the spell, eliminating it. Control is just as important as skill, no matter the spell, so you have to learn to control those emotions. A spell like this isn’t going to hurt too much, but even with you being immune to fire, the concussive force is still enough to knock you off your feet.”

I gave another nod before raising my own hand in the air. I breathed another gout of flame onto my hand, and the flames burned merrily on my scales, though they didn’t harm me in any way. Slowly, keeping in mind to feel the emotion of happiness within, I began to draw the character as neatly as I could.

Seemingly sensing what I was doing, Ember commented, “Dragons aren’t perfect when it comes to penmanship. The emotion is far more important than getting the exact shape of the character; so long as your character closely resembles what you wanted it to be, the emotion you hold within you will be enough to make the spell do what it’s supposed to. You have to feel it deep inside, let it fill you up, and draw with that feeling in the air. Let your hand dance with that emotion in each movement, and try and translate the intangible into the motions you make.”

I thought of what she meant, and in my mind’s eye, I saw Twilight taking notes. I could easily remember how her quill strokes would change depending on her mood -- when she was happy, her words were flowy and pretty; when she was annoyed or stressed, the words became straight, block letters. Finally realizing what Ember meant by “writing with emotion”, I brought my claw back to my half-finished character and continued, this time with a smile on my face.

I thought of the most recent time all of my friends got together, at Applejack’s house. For once, everyone had been free at the same time, so we all gathered at the farmhouse to spend time with the Apple family. It was a rare occurrence, but this had been one of the times when there were no obligations we needed to discuss, no royal business to take care of, and no matters of state or national security. For the first time in what felt like forever, all nine of us (not including Big Mac and his herd) spent time together, with nothing more pressing in mind than just enjoying a good time with our best friends. Just like the old times, Applejack and Rainbow Dash joked and teased each other, Rarity gleefully talked about her recent dress designs, as well as the shop in Manehattan, and Twilight excitedly recounted her most recent discoveries. Pinkie of course was bouncing around, adding her own two-bits to each conversation, while Starlight was sitting back with a drink, just enjoying the very concept of having friends that loved and accepted her. Lyla, of course, was glued to my side, simply happy to be with me, and Fluttershy was the same, smiling gently at the warm, comforting atmosphere. It was a wonderful memory, and I knew I was going to have to make similar things happen more often in the near future, and hopefully Ember would join us.

“Woah.”

I opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them, and saw the burning character in front of me. It was pulsing with light, instead of burning like my normal fire, and I could feel something bubbling up inside of me. Without knowing what I was doing or why, I began to sing a seemingly random melody, with no words, and with a beaming smile on my face. I felt the happiness swell up inside of me, and I let my hand dance around the character, adding pretty filigree around the edges, which broadened out into a vaguely circular border around the character. I reached out to Ember, pulling her close as I lowered my hand, continuing to sing, and began to dance a simple waltz with her. I could easily tell that Ember didn’t know how to dance, since her steps were clumsy and unsure, but she followed me regardless, and a smile slowly bloomed upon her own face. We danced for a few minutes as I just enjoyed myself, nearly forgetting what we were there for, until I noticed the room was now awash in green light, pulsing to the beat of my song. I decided to stop finally, and ceased my song, noticing my still-glowing character stopped pulsing with light, fading to a normal fiery flickering.

We stood still for a few moments, as I was unsure exactly what just happened, before Ember finally breathed, “I have to be honest, I didn’t think you’d be able to do something like that.”

“What did I do?” I asked, honestly confused as to just what the hay I did.

“A few things, actually.” Ember began, smiling at me. “That elegant design you added to your spell is what’s commonly known as ‘padding the words’, and it adds power to the spell in a way that doesn’t increase the strength, but rather the stability. With that skill, spells can be built stronger than normal, so long you’re good at your calligraphy.”

I shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry. A lot of the arcane words in Equestrian magic are really complex and flowy like that, so after helping Twilight take her notes for so many years, it’s basically second-nature.”

Ember shook her head fervently. “No, that’s a good thing. You might not know much about dragon magic, but that skill will help you, a lot.”

I gave a slow nod before biting my lip. “What about the singing? I just suddenly felt the urge to start singing, and I’m not sure why.”

“I told you that dragons are deeply tied to emotion.” Ember lightly teased, smirking at me. “Music is a creation of emotion, and so dragons are also tied to that. I hadn’t thought about it before, but that’s another advantage you have over most other dragons: with Equestria’s ‘Music of Harmony,’ you’ve been exposed to music as a part of normal life, so much so that it’s a part of this culture. Think about it,” she nudged me in the side with a finger, “there’s music for every emotion that exists. Dragons are innately musical. We don’t build instruments or symphonies, but we can sing. It’s an instinct that’s existed for thousands of years, and you’re proof that it still runs strong in us.”

I scratched the back of my head nervously. “I’ve never really been a singer.”

“Maybe you never did it as a hobby,” Ember soothed with a bright smile, “but all dragons are singers. Our songs don’t need to have words, written music, or rigid rules: our songs come from the heart, and they show exactly what we’re feeling. Every dragon has a certain way that they cast spells -- some harness emotion directly, some practice until it’s practically muscle-memory, and some sing. I think you’re a singer, Spike.”

I nodded, trying to take everything in. “Okay, but how was my spell reacting even after I drew it?”

Ember reached to my wrist and held up my hand, which was still on fire. “As long as your fire is still active on your claws, you can control your creations in certain ways. Since you never rid yourself of the fire, it reacted when you started singing. It was an amazing display, if I do say so myself.” She went over my fireproof bag in the corner, reaching inside and pulling out a watch. “Anyway, it’s getting late, so I think that’s enough work for today. You stepped into your first bit of dragon magic, and from there, we’ll be able to pretty quickly reach the point where you can control your size. I guess I was right when I figured you’d pick this all up pretty fast; you’ve got a natural aptitude for magic, though I guess that’s not surprising.”

I shook off my hand, causing the fire to go out, and waved my hand through the burning character. The character wisped away like a smothered flame, casting the room into dim light, since it was now only lit by Ember’s light. As we made our way over to the door, she did the same with her own light, and the room faded into darkness as we reentered the castle, reactivating the magical lock before making our way to the upper floors.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lyla were waiting for us when we returned, and Twilight immediately asked Ember, “So, how did he do?”

“He’s basically a dragon version of you.” Ember quipped, chuckling lightly. “He’s got the instincts of a true dragon, so it’s making this a lot easier than I could have hoped for, because most of what he has to know, his mind already wants to do. I just have to teach him to realize what he’s doing and why, and he’ll be casting spells like a master in no time.”

I couldn’t help the blush that crawled into my spines and ear fins. “I wouldn’t say that, but it’s going better than I thought it would.”

Twilight, of course, nearly glomped me in excitement, and only my larger frame and mass kept her from knocking me over. “That’s so great, Spike! I knew you could do it!”

“Congratulations, Spike!” Fluttershy quietly threw in, smiling supportively.

Lyla added her own praise in the way of a silent smile and raising of her mug of what smelled like hot chocolate.

I blushed harder at the praise, but smiled anyway. It was nice to be reminded of all the support I had, and it brought up a now-familiar warmth inside. Deciding to let loose one more time, I closed my eyes and sang a wordless tune that was “bouncy” and happy. I only sang for a minute before going silent, opening my eyes to see all but Ember staring at me, jaws agape and eyes wide.

Twilight recovered first, stammering, “W-what...what was that? I didn’t know you could sing like that, Spike.”

“All dragons can,” Ember answered in my stead, smiling proudly. “It’s a part of who we are, and that right there was a song of happiness. Dragons can assist the casting of their spells by singing with the emotion tied to the spell, and Spike just happens to do so instinctually.”

While I would never get a cutie mark like a pony, it was nice to know that, as a dragon, I had certain innate talents that some ponies just didn’t have. It made me feel special, and unique.

“Anyhow,” Ember interjected, “we’ve finished with Spike’s education for today, so we thought we’d join the rest of you for the night.”

Snapping back to attention, I nodded to Twilight. “Yeah, was there anything you all wanted to do?”

Twilight glanced at Lyla and Fluttershy before shrugging. “I was thinking just some warm drinks and spending time together in front of the fire, unless you wanted to put on some music.”

“Music sounds good.” Twilight answered herself with a nod, moving around the furniture toward her new record deck, which replaced the aged gramophone we once used. The gyro-balanced deck and diamond-tipped needle were pricey, but the soothing tones of some contemporary piano music showed how much the quality was improved by those implements. Twilight then left the room toward our private kitchen, likely to fetch those warm drinks she promised.

With night falling, as well as my mind and body switching to “relaxation mode,” I decided to forego my normal modesty and remove my shirt, which was singed and burned in a few places due to my “tutoring” with Ember -- luckily, the shirt was an older piece that I often only wore around the castle for cleaning and such, so its loss wasn’t a big deal.

I was now the target of both Lyla and Ember’s gazes, as well as the third party, who was blushing madly. Realizing my faux pas, I grunted and slapped my hand on my face. “Ugh, I’m sorry Fluttershy. Give me a second and I’ll go put on a shirt.”

The blushing pegasus reached a hand out to me briefly before jerking away and shifting her head in a perfect, practiced way that concealed her face behind a waterfall of pink hair. “O-okay, Spike. Umm...I’m sorry.”

I balled up the damaged shirt in my hands and raised my brow at Fluttershy. “Sorry for what?” Fluttershy opened and closed her mouth a few times in a few “false-starts” before shaking her head and remaining silent. I just shrugged and bounded off toward my room to quickly fetch another “house shirt” to wear, returning only a few minutes later to see Ember standing outside of the main room, in the hallway leading to our personal quarters.

Again my brow slid up my forehead as I asked, “Why are you hanging out over here? Did you get nervous without me there or something?”

Ember shot a glare my way, promising punishment for my slight, before jerking her head back toward the main room. “No. Fluttershy wanted to speak to Lyla privately about something after you left, so I graciously gave them privacy. Due to how well dragons can hear, I had to come all the way over here to keep from eavesdropping.” I continued staring at her, silently asking why she felt the need to do that, but she seemingly read my thoughts as she elaborated with, “I might not get a lot of things about ponies or their culture, but dragons definitely understand the value of privacy. Besides,” she did that quickly-becoming-adorable foot-scuffing motion on the floor as she averted her eyes, “if I’m being completely honest, I do feel more comfortable when you’re there with me. I know you all have said it’s cool, and that this is normal for ponies, but it’s still weird to me. It’s going to take time for me to get used to being welcomed with open arms into the home of someone else, and told that it’s completely normal to do so with friends.”

I tried to stop myself, but I couldn’t help it as my mouth worked faster than I could control. “I never thought you would be scared of a bunch of ponies.” I winced as she elbowed me in the ribs, and I offered a sheepish smile as I rubbed the sore spot. “Right, sorry. That was uncalled for.”

Ember continued glaring at me for a few moments before sighing and closing her eyes. “...it’s fine, and you’re not wrong. I’ve lived my whole life one way, and all of the sudden, to fit into your life, I have to adapt. I’ll get there, but it’s going to take some time, and I need you with me.”

“Hey,” I took her hand in mine and rubbed my thumb over the back of it, soothing, “it’s okay; I’m not going anywhere. I need to ask for your forgiveness ahead of time, because I’m probably going to stick my foot in my mouth quite a few times, but if you can put up with that, I’ll stand beside you every step of the way.”

Ember’s features relaxed into a loving smile and she leaned over to run her nose along my cheek. “Right, let’s get back, then. I can smell that coffee Twilight makes from all the way over here, and that stuff is good.”

I guided Ember along with me by her hand, shrugging noncommittally. “Eh, I’ve never really been a coffee kind of guy, except in the mornings. I know plenty of ponies that love the taste of coffee, so much so that they’ll eat things that taste like it, but I’ve never been one of those.”

Ember poked me in my stomach with a claw, teasing, “I know. You used to be a chubby little thing back in the day, and I’m well-aware of your sweet tooth. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re not a bit more round, even now.”

I shot a glare her way. “Hey, I’ll have you know that I work hard with Rainbow Dash to keep myself in tip-top shape. I might enjoy sweet things, but I have no intention of being chubby.” I paused for a moment, adding,”...again.”

Ember chuckled, her voice ringing delightfully in my ear. “Hey, you might not have been hot or sexy as a younger drake, but you were cute for a whelp. Besides,” she ran her free hand over my stomach (and yes, I admit, I tightened my abs), “whatever exercise you do is clearly working. I’m not complaining at all.” And again, just like at the restaurant, I was grinning like a fool, and blushing like a lovestruck teenager.

We arrived back in the commons room to find Twilight sitting next to Lyla and Fluttershy, the latter of whom was still blushing like crazy. Upon catching sight of me, Fluttershy looked like she was going to have a panic attack, but Lyla leaned in and whispered something that I couldn’t hear, which caused the pegasus to release a breath and relax. Twilight, by her token, looked very conflicted, but after a few tense moments, she sighed and performed a zipping motion across her lips. A part of me was irked that there was clearly something being kept from me for the second time in one day, but I kept Big Mac’s words in mind and remembered that we all had things we kept secret. I had to accept that I wasn’t going to know everything about everyone close to me, and that’s just how life was.

True to Ember’s nose, there was a steaming mug of coffee waiting for her, and some lemon tea for me, so we took a seat on the free loveseat and took our drinks from Twilight’s magic. Lyla nearly scrambled over to sit next to my unoccupied side, while Twilight graciously took her place next to Fluttershy on the sofa. I allowed a few moments of silence as I joined Ember in enjoying the drink provided to me.

“So,” Twilight broke the silence, focusing on Ember directly, “as I’m sure Spike has told you, I like to have schedules to plan everything out. Do you, at this point, have any idea how long Spike is going to take to learn everything you have to teach him?”

Ember immediately shook her head. “At this point, no. It’s too early to tell, and while Spike shows a natural aptitude for magic, that’s not to say he’s going to have an easy time with everything. I’m sure you can relate to the fact that not everyone learns everything equally easily, and some concepts will be harder to understand than others. For example: I still have to teach Spike the whole of our language, he needs to learn to have better control of his emotions, and I have to basically reprogram his way of learning so that he thinks about magic like a dragon, instead of like a pony.” Twilight looked moderately offended, but before she could respond, Ember held up a hand. “I don’t mean that as an insult, Twilight. I explained the same thing to Spike, so I’ll give you the basic footnote: dragons don’t use magic the same way ponies do. Much of what Spike knows about how magic works is based on a pony’s perspective, and while we both technically use the same naturally-occuring energy to cast spells, the execution is very different. He’s going to have to learn to see magic and its applications from a dragon’s perspective in order to use it for more than sending letters with his breath.”

With a look of startled realization, Twilight’s horn lit up and she snapped her fingers, causing a sealed scroll to fall into her open hand. “Speaking of letters, this came for you, Spike. It has anti-tamper spells keyed to your magical signature, so I thought it was best to leave it for you to read in private, if you wanted.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, there are spells to ensure privacy when reading, so I’m sure if it was that important, there would be some of those.” I pulled the ribbon off and unrolled the parchment, reading over the first few lines. “Oh hey, it’s from Thorax! He says hey to everyone, and…” I continued reading a little further, finding a smile coming to my face, “he says he’d be happy to join the Hearth’s Warming celebration, and he’ll bring Ocellus with him.” Squinting at the words on the scroll, I glanced to Lyla. “He actually says he wants to speak with you privately when he gets here, but it doesn’t say what about.”

Lyla leaned past my shoulder to glance over where I was pointing on the scroll, and she shrugged her shoulders with a look of confusion. “I’m not sure what about. I haven’t spoken with him that often, to be honest, so I can’t think of what he might need to say to me personally.”

“May I?” Twilight asked, holding her hand open toward me. I handed the scroll to her, and her horn lit up as a bright spell diagram formed over the palm of her hand, between her skin and the parchment. After a few moments, the diagram faded, and she handed the scroll back to me. “I can’t find any hidden distress signals or illusion spells, so whatever it is, it must not be urgent. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see what he wants. Hearth’s Warming isn’t too far away, so you won’t be waiting long.”

I set the scroll aside and continued nursing my tea, while Twilight picked up a conversation with Ember about some of the intricacies of dragon magic. I tuned the two out, having done my part with magic for the day, and pleased with my results so far. Lyla snuggled up to my side, leaning her head to rest on my shoulder as we just sat and enjoyed the warmth of the fire and the friendly atmosphere. Through my half-closed eyelids, however, I caught sight of Fluttershy staring intently at me and my changeling. I couldn’t decipher exactly what she was feeling by her expressions alone, but to my surprise and confusion, Fluttershy almost looked...sad.

As much as I wanted to address it, I wasn’t sure how, so I decided to fall back on an (admittedly unhealthy) response by just ignoring it, and hoping things would work themselves out. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to think about it for long, because before I knew it, the voices became muddled, and I found myself slipping away into a light doze.

I awoke what must have been hours later, as everyone around me was asleep, and the fire was burning on glowing embers instead of fresh logs. I carefully maneuvered myself out of the grasp of the changeling and dragoness before standing, walking over to the hearth and adding two more logs to the fire, including one of a set that Twilight had enchanted specifically to burn cooler than the others, but much longer, so that the fire wouldn’t go out overnight.

With that done, and the natural flow within the castle ensuring the private chambers wouldn’t get too cold during the night, I carefully picked Lyla up in my arms and trekked to Twilight’s room, laying the changeling down on her side after pulling the topsheet and blanket back. Following that, I repeated the action with both Twilight and Fluttershy, but before I could return for Ember, a strong hand grabbed me from one of the side rooms and yanked me inside, tossing me onto the bed with a poof of escaping air from the comforter and mattress.

After taking a quick moment to deduce what just happened, I glanced to Ember with a raised brow as she closed the door behind her. She stood by the entrance, looking over the switches on the wall beside the doorframe, asking, “What are these for?”

I was confused by the question, but answered regardless. “Um, the top knob is a light with a dimmer function, the middle activates or deactivates opacity on the walls for windows, and the bottom one is a silencing charm that keeps sound from getting into or out of the room.”

Ember turned to me with a smirk and locked the door, tapping a claw on the silencing crystal, which began to glow a soft blue. Without any warning, she shot forward with a single, powerful flap of her wings, and pounced on me like a deadly predator capturing prey...and I’ll admit, I was both worried and excited.

Ember held a grin on her face as she bent her knees to sit on my thighs, and began running her claws over my clothed chest for a few moments before stopping abruptly, licking her lips with her forked tongue. She stared down at me with an unsure expression before leaning closer. “...you know, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never found someone to share it with until now. And no, it’s not what you’re thinking.”

Of course, my mind had gone to dirty places, so I tried not to sound disappointed as I answered, “And what would that be?”

Carefully, tentatively, as if she were afraid to scare me away, Ember slowly leaned closer and closer until we were only a hair’s breadth apart. The anticipation built as her warm, earthy breath splashed over my face, and when I finally felt I couldn’t take anymore, she leaned the last few centimeters, and connected us together. Unlike me, she was extremely inexperienced when it came to kisses, having apparently never done it before, but the fact she was trying was enough for me. So, like any good teacher, I guided her; bringing my hand up to the side of her face, and softly stroking her cheek with my thumb, I gently moved my lips against hers, keeping the kiss “clean” to avoid surprising her with too much, too soon. Nonetheless, if the happy vocalization in the back of her throat was any indication, she was enjoying the new experience, and I definitely was as well. I allowed my free hand to move up to her lower back to add a new dimension to her experience, and she moaned at my touch, pressing her lips more firmly against mine as her eyes fully closed and she lost herself to the kiss.

Her lips, soft and supple, moved against mine slowly, cautiously, and the pleasured “mmhs” that she gave every now and then were invigorating. I have to admit, it was downright adorable how innocent the proud dragoness was with this new experience, but I was very happy to be the one to bring her into the more pleasurable parts of being with someone in a romantic sense.

After a few minutes of this, we finally broke apart, both of us with heavy breaths. She held herself only a few inches away, breathing heavily, before uttering a surprised, “Wow.”

I continued rubbing the side of her face with my fingers, and she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the touch. I silently willed her down again, and as if hearing my request, Ember reconnected our lips, this time with a bit more confidence. This time, as opposed to a timid student, Ember pressed both her lips and body against me insistently, seemingly trying to be as close to me as physically possible. Of course, my stupid-smart brain immediately brought up the Pauli Exclusion Principle, and I had to fight to keep from outright laughing, though a few chuckles escaped anyway.

Ember pulled away with an audible pop, and licked her lips before saying, “What? What’s so funny?” The slightly defensive tone in her voice wasn’t lost on me, and I immediately placated her with a loving smile and a continued caress of the soft hide of her lower back.

“Nothing, just me being a dork.” I assured, continuing to smile at her happily. “Not about you, I promise. You were -- are -- great.”

After a moment of thought and a grin, Ember returned, “Yeah, but you’re my dork, and I like you this way.”

I smiled at her, happy she enjoyed a quality I sometimes saw as less-than-desirable about myself. After a few moments of just looking at her, taking in the primal beauty that was Ember, I subtly suggested, “...so, is there anything else you wanted to do?”

At this, Ember bit her lip as she shifted on top of me. After a few silent moments of deliberation, she shyly answered, “I know that I got you all worked up earlier, and the things I said at the restaurant kinda led you to think I’d be ready for that, but…” she glanced away from me, seeming ashamed as she mumbled, “...d-do you think we could wait on that?”

While a part of me was a little disappointed by being turned down, a much more prominent part of me was surprised that this proud, strong dragoness was nervous about this subject. Honestly, I had expected her to take complete charge, and be wild and crazy just like…

And there I realized I had made my mistake.

I had been thinking of Ember as a dragon, instead of a female -- my mate -- that just happens to be one. I had forgotten the most important thing that I had to teach others about me, once I started growing larger, and more intimidating: what I was did not decide who I was, and it was unkind to expect someone to act a certain way just because they were different. Unknowingly at the time, I had pushed those same prejudiced thoughts onto this aspect of Ember, and I had made the same mistake about her that many ponies had made about me over the years.

My smile softened, and I again caressed her face with my hand as I brought her down for a quick, but no less affectionate, kiss. Looking deep into her eyes as we separated, I nodded to her. “I’ll wait for as long as you want, Ember. I’m sorry if I made you feel pressured.”

Ember’s own features softened as she returned my smile, shaking her head. “I’m kinda at fault, too. I mean, I shouldn’t have been teasing you that much, so I have myself to blame, as well. Still,” she held my gaze firmly, bringing her own hand to replicate my own actions, and I have to admit, it felt nice, “I’m not going anywhere, so if you’ll just give me time, I promise I’ll get there.”

“Again,” I soothed, “don’t feel pressured. We’ll move at your pace, and I’ll wait for you. I care too much about you to screw this up.”

Chuckling heartily, Ember dismounted me and laid at my side instead. “You’re just a big old softy, aren’t you? Any other dragoness would walk all over you, you know.”

Reaching across to rub the soft scales of her stomach, I praised, “I guess I’m privileged to have one that’s caring, and understands me, then.”

Ember said nothing more, but blew a burst of flame over her claws. Before I could ask what happened, she drew a familiar symbol in the air before reaching through a fiery portal, and I noticed the light dimming until darkness overtook the room.

As Ember pulled her hand back through the portal and extinguished the fire, I chuckled and commented, “That’s really useful. I’m not sure if you should teach me that, because I’ll be really lazy if I don’t even have to move to get things.”

The dragoness stretched in a languid manner before settling herself down and yawning, sleepily answering, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you stay active, and I’m sure your friend Rainbow Dash will help, too.”

The warmth of the body next to me was quickly relaxing me to the point of no return, so I was only able to offer a snort of a laugh before my heart finally calmed, and sleep began to overtake me. Before the waking world completely left, however, Ember gave me one last kiss to the side of my mouth before she joined me in slumber.

Author's Note

*stronger scent: pheromone communication is far stronger for dragons than for ponies, and so, their sense of smell. Because of this, for dragons, much of their culture revolves around smells, and they are very vulnerable to strong smells (certain smells can make dragons sick, or even faint, if they are potent enough).

Pauli Exclusion Principle: "the quantum mechanical principle which states that two or more identical fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state within a quantum system simultaneously". For matter within the physical world, this essentially states that no two particles can occupy the same space at any time.

Chapter 16 Author's Note

A few of you brought up that the whole debacle with the dragoness seemed glossed-over, and I'll be beginning to address that in this chapter. It won't be resolved until later -- and there's a reason I'm doing things this way -- but I haven't forgotten, and it's going to be one of the things that will be pushing this story forward. Anyhow, here is the most recent chapter, and I think it's my longest yet. Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions.

Spell ping*: a gentle wave of magical energy, like ripples on the surface of still water. A skilled caster can tune the spell to only be detectable by certain parties.

Chapter 16

While the winter season tends to bring feelings of peace, love, and goodwill to most, life as a whole is not without its trials, and that includes herd life.

“I understand you want to be near Spike every moment you can,” Twilight tiredly explained to a glaring changeling soldier, “but we planned this event months ago, together. Suddenly inviting a stranger to this gathering would be bad for relations with the upper classes, and you should know by now how they feel about outsiders.” Twilight motioned to me. “It took years before they would even allow Spike, and I’m still positive they only do it for my sake.”

Lyla was positively fuming, and even if one didn’t know her, it was plain to see she was just barely keeping herself under control. “You both know how traitorous those snakes up in Canterlot can be. If I remember correctly, it was a group of them that tried to get Spike banished from Equestria at the press conference held regarding the destruction of the mountain. He needs protection!”

“Hey now,” I interjected, honestly a little offended, “I may not have been raised as a soldier, but I’m able to look after myself around a bunch of prissy noble ponies.”

Lyla snorted, crossing her arms and glaring at me. “It’s not the noble ponies you have to watch out for, it’s who they employ. I know you’re smart enough to recognize that those who get on the wrong side of the upper class tend to ‘disappear’. You need someone to watch out for you while you meet with the snakes.” Twilight just stared blankly at Lyla before slowly raising her hand above her head, and pointing directly down at herself. Lyla merely rolled her eyes and said, “Preferably someone who isn’t going to be distracted by the ponies there.”

“We have personal guards that will tend to that.” Twilight immediately countered blandly.

Lyla growled in frustration. “And how well do you know them, hmm? How do you know they can be trusted?”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at the challenge, and I could practically see a fire burning behind her eyes. “Because I grew up with them when we lived in Canterlot, and they were hand-picked by Luna herself. If she trusts them, that’s good enough for me; Luna wouldn’t pick ponies she didn’t completely trust as our personal guard detail.” Seemingly realizing how much this discussion was escalating, Twilight closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “Lyla, this isn’t personal, and it’s in no way a slight against you. Honestly, I wish you could come, because I think I speak for both of us when I say we want you there with us.” At Twilight’s glance toward me, I nodded slowly. Bringing her eyes back to the changeling, Twilight flared her horn and nudged Lyla closer, so that she could wrap her up in a hug. It took a few moments, but eventually, the changeling soldier returned the embrace, even though she was practically shaking with anxiety and worry on my behalf. I stood and wrapped both girls in my arms and wings, hoping to calm the two of them down a bit.

“...’m scared. I don’t like this.” Lyla mumbled weakly, in an innocent tone of true worry. It was times like this that reminded me exactly how much the instance with the unnamed dragoness had affected her. With our gentle support and Luna’s assistance in the dream realm, it would still take quite some time for Lyla to fully recover from her fears.

“Ember will be there too, Lyla.” I gently reminded the distraught changeling. “She’s far more alert than I am, so I’ll be very well protected.”

Lyla pouted at that, huffing. “I find it mildly insulting that these Canterlot vermin feel safer around a dragon than a changeling.”

I shrugged helplessly. “You’re not alone. A lot of what they think and do makes no sense to us; living in Ponyville has given all of us a very different perspective on the world.”

“I can’t make the promise that nothing bad will happen, Lyla,” Twilight said, and I realized she was appealing to something the changeling would appreciate: honesty. Twilight reached her hand up and gently ran her fingers through Lyla’s silky hair, smiling gently at her fellow herd member. “What I can promise is that Spike will be watched by us the entire night, and if anything should happen, we will ensure he escapes immediately to safety. I’m well aware that he still has quite a large target on his back, so please believe me when I say he will be watched closer than a changeling watching her first nymph hatch. If anyone wants to get to him, they’ll have to go through an entire squad of Luna’s elite guard, Ember, and me. As cold as it sounds, if anyone could get through all that alive, they deserve to get to Spike.” As Twilight made her case, her body began to tangibly radiate with thick, almost syrupy, unfocused magical energy. Normally, Twilight kept her power under strict lock and key, due to the almost suffocating effect it had on everyone around her. However, I knew why Twilight was doing it: she was subtly reminding Lyla just who she was, and what she was able to do.

I decided not to mention that the terrible power we felt was only a tiny fraction of what the Alicorn of Magic was capable of.

Lyla sighed heavily, still clearly uneasy about the situation. “...fine. I didn’t mean it as a slight against any of you personally, I just worry.”

I leaned closer to the distraught changeling and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, prompting her to look at me directly. I offered a reassuring smile as I advised, “I’m happy you love me enough to worry this much, but I’m well-protected. I promise, I’ll come right home tomorrow night and tell you all about the boring, prissy party.”

Lyla giggled softly, nodding her assent. “Yeah, that sounds nice. I’ll be waiting for you.” She stepped away from Twilight and I’s embrace, fixing her shirt before jerking her head toward the staircase that led to the main hall. “Anyhow, I’ve said what I needed to, and I have a commission I have to complete before Hearth’s Warming in four days -- Roseluck is having me build them a new trio of mini-apiaries for their garden.”

I lifted my chin to signal my approval. “Nice. I’ll let you get to it, then.” I smoothed my palm against Lyla’s cheek before letting her go, and she swiftly left the private quarters of the castle, and I heard the front door open and close a few moments later.

Twilight let out a long sigh as she rubbed her temples. “I really wish we could help her get over this debilitating fear she seems to have of leaving your side for any length of time.”

I casually wrapped my arm around Twilight’s shoulders, giving her body a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, me too. She’ll get there, but it’s going to take more time.

Twilight nodded before nudging me with her shoulder. “You should head over to Rarity’s to be sure everything’s okay with your suit. We leave tomorrow, and I’m sure she’s going to want to do a fitting to be sure everything fits the way it should.”

I gave my own nod and headed toward the balcony. “Right, I’ll head out. Send a spell ping* to me if anything comes up.”

I quickly dove off of the balcony into the clear air, heading directly for the Carousel Boutique, trying my best to ignore my worries of Ember herself; apparently, the cold had gotten to my dragoness mate more than we thought, and a few days after her arrival, she came down with a devastatingly high fever and chills. From previous experience, I knew that not many pony remedies would work for her, so we kept her hydrated and rested as much as possible. Today, luckily, she had nearly fully recovered, and was simply resting to catch up on sleep and replenish her internal magic with some gems I provided. I knew she would be fine on the following day, but I was still concerned, so the fears continued to plague me.

Unfortunately, the world does not stop simply because someone I care about gets sick, so work continued, and obligations had to be met. I kept this all in mind as I landed at Rarity’s place, and walked inside after ensuring I wasn’t going to track snow inside.

Rarity met me nearly as soon as I entered, and I was roughly pushed up against the wall as she aggressively engaged me in a kiss that set my body on fire and made my mind hazy.

After a few minutes (or hours, since that’s what it felt like), Rarity pulled away with heaving breaths, resting her forehead on my chest as she greeted. “Good afternoon, darling. It’s wonderful to see you.”

I greedily sucked in air as I fought to compose myself, eventually able to imperiously announce, “I hereby decree that you will greet me every time just like that. So say I, Spike Sol.” I completed my little act with an upturned nose and gently dismissive expression. As I had come to find out in my time with Rarity, she liked to roleplay a bit when it came to more personal matters between us, and had often referred to me as her knight, or her prince. Because of that, I had once given in to the act and portrayed myself as a chivalrous knight, and she practically melted. So yeah, Rarity still liked to “play pretend,” even as an adult.

Rarity’s hands smoothed over my chest, and she released a ragged breath as she growled, “Anything you wish, my liege.”

I lowered my head and inhaled the sweet-smelling scent of her well-managed hair as I playfully nosed her scalp, and muttered, “You are truly an incredible mare, Rarity. Sometimes I think I don’t deserve you.”

Finally having composed herself to some semblance of normality, Rarity raised her eyes to look into mine, and smiled lovingly. “I choose you, so you deserve me. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.” She again rested her forehead on my chest as I simply held her in my arms, and for a few quiet moments, we just enjoyed the closeness and the warmth of each other’s bodies. Eventually, she again looked up to me and prodded, “So, while I quite enjoy entertaining you, I have a feeling this visit isn’t simply for pleasure.”

I gently placed a kiss on her nose before offering a wry smile. “Unfortunately, no. Twilight and I have that thing in Canterlot tomorrow, so I came by to see if you wanted to do a fitting, and how it’s all going.”

Rarity beamed at me, pulling away with my hand clasped in her own. “Well, it appears you have a secret sense about timing, because I was just preparing to fetch you from the castle; the suit is finished, and you need to try it on so I can be sure it fits correctly.”

I allowed myself to be led to Rarity’s main studio, which as usual was a mess of sketches, fabrics, and half-finished projects. In the corner of the room, however, was a dark gray lounge suit, complete with a jacket, white shirt, waistcoat, and trousers. Hung around the neck was a white ascot tie, an emblem displaying my name in Drakespeak stitched into it. To put it simply, the suit was a work of art, but I had expected nothing less from Rarity.

“Well, what do you think?” Rarity’s voice floated in from the side.

I stared dumbly at the outfit, unable to say anything more than, “Incredible.”

Rarity nudged me forward with her fingertips. “Go on then, try it on.”

I quickly gathered the clothes off of the mannequin and stepped behind the changing screen. It took practically no time at all to fully dress myself, and I was pleased with the quality of the fabric. As I stepped out from behind the screen, I worked hard to keep from chuckling at the awestruck look on Rarity’s face.

She immediately recovered and clapped with a bright smile. “Darling, you look marvelous. Now, step over here and tell me how it fits.”

I did so, and went through the motions of raising my arms, moving them back and forth, bending at the elbow, sitting, crouching, and bending over. As I rattled off my observations on how the fabric felt and any tension I felt in the garments, Rarity was taking notes in her notebook. Luckily, I was quite familiar with the questions she would ask by this point in life, so the process was quick and efficient, and within only a few minutes, I was getting dressed in my casual clothes once again. Upon stepping out, I was met with the sight of Rarity with her lip caught in her teeth as she looked over her notes.

Recognizing she was either confused or anxious about something, I asked, “Something wrong, Rares?”

She glanced up at me briefly before gesturing with a nod of her head to the notepad. “I’m simply trying to make sense of the measurements.” With another nod, this time of a decision made, she focused intently on me as she ordered, “Take off your shirt, please.”

Finding the request a bit sudden, I was momentarily hesitant before removing my collared shirt, followed by my undershirt, leaving my torso naked. Rarity then began to circle me, her sharp eyes taking in what she could see, before she brought her hands up and began feeling my arms, chest, and back, even smoothing a wandering hand over my stomach. I enjoyed the attention, but could tell by the look in Rarity’s eyes that she was doing this mostly for work, and not play.

“Have you been exercising more?”

Slightly surprised by the question, I nodded. “Um, yeah. Ember recommended I do so, since the strength of my muscles scales with my size. It seems that being physically strong has benefits no matter what, I guess.”

Rarity nodded approvingly. “And it shows. Your upper chest is larger, your back sculpted, and your arms and legs are thicker, yet you haven’t grown in height.” She then threw a sultry wink my way. “If you were aiming to become Ponyville’s local heartthrob, you are succeeding.”

As a blush worked its way to my head spines, I coughed with a goofy grin. “W-well, that wasn’t the reason for it, but it’s always nice to hear things like that from you, Rares.”

She smoothed her hands over my upper chest and collarbones, smiling lovingly. “Always, darling. While my feelings for you did not grow from something so shallow as physical attraction,” she wrapped her hands around me, pressing her body against my own as she purred, “I will admit that you have become quite the eye candy in the past few years, especially recently. I almost feel pity for the mares that never took the time to get to know you.” Rarity paused for just a moment, grinning like a shark. “Almost.”

I barked a laugh at the possessive streak she showed, however briefly. Rarity was known for her generosity, true, but she also had a jealous streak a mile long. It was an odd dichotomy for a pony like her, but in times like this, it was just adorable. Besides, I knew Rarity’s jealousy wouldn’t manifest dangerously, like mine could, so I wasn’t all that worried.

Deciding to turn on the charm, I held her firmly against me, grinning slyly. “When I’ve already got the best, why would I need to look elsewhere? I have a powerful, intelligent alicorn, a generous, beautiful unicorn, a steadfast and infinitely loving changeling, and a sultry, dangerous dragoness; what more could a guy ask for?” Rarity’s own smile diminished just a smidge, and had I not known her as well as I did, I would have missed it, but that subtle change was more telling than anything she could have said. With a raised brow, I asked, “What? What’s wrong?”

Rarity, as expected, tried to play it off. “N-nothing, dear! Everything is-”

“Rarity,” I chastised, finding it odd that, for once, I was the one catching her in the act of trying to keep something from me. The feeling of mild disappointment, coupled with frustration, must be what she felt when I did the same; I understood why she was so adamant about honesty between us, at that moment.

Her resolve cracked and eventually crumbled, with her releasing a long sigh of defeat. Her eyes focused on me once again as she admitted, “...quite a few have approached me regarding the herd, Spike. You have far more admirers than you think, it seems.”

While the mention of “admirers” was a bit surprising, what confused me more was, “Why did they approach you? Why not me directly? That’s not very forthright, if you ask me, and anyone that knows me is aware that I respect courage.”

Rarity merely stared at me for a few moments before a look of realization crossed her face. “Oh dear, that’s right, this is your first herd.” She released another sigh, this time of exasperation, before muttering, “This is exactly why I told Twilight not to leave this out of your education. Okay,” she pulled away from me, beginning to pace a bit as she explained, “what I’m referencing is a very old tradition, but as I’m sure you know, Equestrians love tradition, so it still persists even though it is, frankly, no longer needed.”

My confusion only grew, and I mentally reminded myself to ask Twilight why she had not taught me about something that was clearly a big deal. “Well, don’t leave me hanging; what are you talking about, exactly?”

“Immediately following the unification of the Three Tribes, ponies were in a state of desperate survival.” Rarity lectured, taking on a tone and sharp diction I was quite familiar with from my lessons with Twilight and Celestia. I, unfortunately, was momentarily distracted by the thought of Rarity in a schoolfilly uniform, but was able to wrench my attention back to the lesson as she continued retelling a dark moment in Equestrian history. “Much of the land was still a frozen wasteland, birth rates were low, and infant mortality was uncommonly high. Because of this, procreation was extremely important, simply to keep us from dying off, and so, that was when herds became the norm. More mares with each stallion meant more foals could be conceived to offset the low healthy birth rates. Through this, a sort of hierarchy was born within herds themselves, and while most herds nowadays are not as strict as they once were, certain traditions have never completely died off.” Clearing her throat, Rarity pointed to herself. “As the first mare that courted you, I am essentially the lead mare of your herd, and it is my job to assess each prospective member of the herd to see if I feel they would make a good fit for us.” She then pointed to me. “And, as the first -- and only -- male in the herd, you are the lead stallion, and all new members must go through me to get to you.” Rarity then blushed a bit as she added, “In days long passed, it was customary for new members to prove to the lead mare that they could properly ‘perform’ before they could even present themselves to the lead stallion, but luckily, that is one of the traditions that did not last. Regardless, any mares or stallions interested in joining the herd will speak to me before they will you, since I have the first say on the matter.”

My mouth had dropped open at some point, and a blush lit up my spines. “...h-how many have come to you?”

“Thirty in just the last few months, and all but three of them were just since your fight with the dragoness.” she explained, a sour look of distaste on her lips. “Vultures, the lot of them.”

“Why now?” I had to ask, curious as to why I was suddenly a hot topic. “This all seems very...abrupt, considering I was pretty much left alone most of the time I’ve lived here.”

Rarity shrugged her shoulders. “It’s a proven fact that a herded male is more desirable than a single one, since it shows he has something worth pursuing. Also…” she bit her lip again, this time nervously as she glanced away, “I regret to admit that having you surrounded by national heroines -- one of which is a part of the royal family -- is very intimidating for most mares, and that may have contributed to your isolation.”

I waved my hands at her half-apology. “Hey, I’m not mad or anything. You know me: I like my space to be able to do my own thing. It just...didn’t make sense.” I mulled over my next question carefully, honestly unsure if I even wanted an answer. “...do I know any of the ponies that spoke to you?”

Rarity nodded slowly. “Yes, and they are also the ones I approve of. In the spirit of privacy, however, I will not reveal names. I gave my blessing and told them to approach you if and when they are ready.”

I reached behind my head, scratching the back of my neck nervously as I admitted, “Rares, I gotta be honest, I’m not sure if I could handle having more than maybe one more mare in my herd. Already I feel like I’m not giving all of you the time and dedication you deserve.”

“Have you heard any complaints?” she asked flatly. At the shake of my head, she added, “Neither have I. Your herd is healthy, happy, and fulfilled. You are doing a good job, and we are all pleased with you and the herd you are helping to build. Do not doubt yourself, dear.”

I released a long breath, nodding. “I’ll try.” I glanced down at her again, quirking a brow high. “So, how many do I need to keep an eye out for?”

Rarity glanced away briefly before sighing. “I suppose the number isn’t exactly a breach of privacy. Of the ones I have personally met and spoken to, whom I have given the approval to approach you directly, there are six. And yes, you have personally met all of them, so you would not be meeting strangers.”

I gave a nod as thanks for the information before frowning. “Wait, so I kinda jumped over you with Ember, didn’t I?”

Rarity hesitated before giving a reluctant nod. “Technically, yes. As the lead mare and stallion of the herd, it is for both of us to decide, together, who is to be welcomed into it. You are lucky I approve of the Ember we have come to know, but yes, that could be considered a breach of trust on your part. Take care in the future, Spike.”

I felt ashamed that I had basically gone behind Rarity’s back with Ember, but it was also a heat of the moment type thing, and Rarity already assured she approved of the dragoness. Nonetheless, I would have to be sure I didn’t make a similar mistake in the future. “So how will I differentiate between those who haven’t spoken to you, and those that received the go-ahead from you?” Rarity’s horn flashed with her blue magical aura, and a small brooch dropped into my hand. It was in the shape of a Japonese mythical dragon, and its eyes were tiny sapphires. Realizing the significance of the shape and sapphires, I chuckled. “Well, that’s pretty smart. Okay, so if they’re wearing this, that means they got the green light from you.”

“Exactly.” she confirmed, running her fingers over the brooch in my hand. “We are the only ones that know what it means. The outer plating is gold, but the main body is wolfram; this means that you can tell a fake simply by breathing your flame on it, since wolfram is not a material used in decorative brooches and jewelry, due to how difficult it is to work with. However, if one were to, oh, I don’t know...have a father that knows how to purify wolfram alloys, it becomes far more malleable while retaining its hardness.”

I inclined my head with an “oh” on my lips. “That’s right, your father’s a master chemist.” I looked back down to the brooch before chuckling and turning my eyes back to Rarity. “Wait, so did you contact your father just for this?”

Rarity merely smiled sheepishly. “Magnum would do anything for his daughters. I paid him for the time and effort of course -- I’m no longer the type of pony to take advantage of someone’s love -- but I have no doubt he would have done it for free.” She then tapped the brooch again. “However, the reason why I chose wolfram is because it is essentially fireproof for our purposes, and so you can expose a fake easily. Simply because of who you are connected to, I don’t imagine many would try to deceive you, but it pays to be prepared.”

While I would like to believe the people in Ponyville were close enough friends by now not to do something like Rarity mentioned, I also knew that Ponyville had fairly recently become a popular place to visit for out-of-towners. I had already been the target of a fair number of fluttering eyelashes by ponies I didn’t recognize, as well as those that wore fashions that were clearly not styles that existed in Ponyville or Canterlot. I had to constantly remind myself that this was an inevitability for someone like me, being essentially an “exotic specimen”, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

“Let’s hope I don’t have to scare the hay out of anypony by testing that, then.” I muttered, knowing in that instant I practically invented the universe to do just that.

“Anyhow,” Rarity began, walking back to my suit and placing them back onto the mannequin, “I’ll have the final alterations finished tomorrow, and you can pick it up in the morning before you and Twilight leave for Canterlot.”

I stepped up behind her, gently wrapping my arm around her waist and pressing her back into me as I just held her lovingly for a moment. After enjoying her warmth and scent for a moment, I grumbled, “I really wish you could have come.”

Rarity reached a hand up to smooth along my cheek, lamenting, “I wish the same, darling. Unfortunately, I have prior engagements in Manehattan with Sassy and Coco, and it would be rude to suddenly call that off, since we made these plans months in advance. Know that you will be in my thoughts, though, and I will send you off with my best wishes.”

Smiling, I draped my head over her shoulder. “Then that’s good enough. I hope you have fun.”

She tittered, still stroking my face with her soft palm. “Three mares shopping in one of the most fabulous cities in Equestria?” She released a sigh of mock resignation. “I will cope...somehow.”

I couldn’t help but snort as laughter threatened to escape, but kept myself composed. “And you say you’re not overly dramatic.”

She nudged me in the ribs -- not enough to hurt, but enough to get her point across. For a few more moments we just enjoyed the time we had together before she suddenly said, “So, what’s bothering you, Spike?” At my raised eyebrow, she pointed to her stomach, where my fingers were idly tapping a beat on her midsection. “You only do that when you’re anxious or something worrisome is on your mind.”

Having learned early on in our relationship that I shouldn’t try and hide things from her -- especially when she knew something was on my mind -- I surrendered immediately. “It’s a few things actually. I feel out of the loop, for one thing, and I’m also feeling pretty bad about leaving Lyla behind.”

She slipped out of my grasp and turned to look at me directly, her sapphire eyes deep and understanding. “What do you mean by the former, Spike?”

I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. Applejack was talking with Lyla and Ember the other day, apparently about something she couldn’t talk to me about; the same thing happened that same night with Fluttershy, but between Lyla and Twilight. Big Mac talked to me about it earlier in the day, regarding Applejack, and how I shouldn’t expect complete honesty from anyone if I don’t do the same. I’ve made my peace with it, because he’s right, but I still don’t like the idea of being kept in the dark about something, especially when it involves me.”

Rarity raised a single manicured eyebrow as she asked, “How can you be sure it was about you?”

“Because no one will tell me anything, and both looked like they were about to have a panic attack when I walked back into the room.” I grumbled, surprised that this was still bothering me this much. “I’m not stupid, Rarity. I’m well aware of when secrets are being kept from me, even if I don’t know the details.”

As I looked back to Rarity, her face immediately caught my attention. It was a practiced, impassive mask of stoicism that she used with her upper-class clients, one that gave absolutely nothing away, and was as calm as an underground lake. Unfortunately, I was aware enough to know she only donned this “mask” around her close friends when she was hiding something, and trying desperately not to betray someone’s trust by blurting out a secret that wasn’t hers to tell.

With a frustrated sigh of defeat, I covered my face with my hands and groaned. “Right, so you know something about it, but you’ve made promises not to say anything.”

“I’m sorry, Spike.” Rarity apologized, and though I didn’t like it, I could tell she was honestly remorseful.

At that moment, however, puzzle pieces in my mind began to slowly fit together, and seemingly unrelated things began to make more sense. Slowly, I lowered my hands and stared blankly at Rarity as I went through each piece of information I had regarding Applejack and Fluttershy: both were keeping something from me, both seemed desperate to only speak with other females about it, and both had become more affectionate in the past few months. I remembered the way each of their faces would light up with happiness (albeit subdued, in Fluttershy’s case) at the sight of me, and both were keen to spend as much time with me as possible. I then compared that with the fact that Rarity clearly knew what they were holding secret, and even though she had not been around them like the others, they had come to her for some reason. Adding all that to the fact that Rarity mentioned she had “approved” a few prospective members to approach me -- only six, which was a low number out of thirty -- and I had a sudden, startling realization.

I was able to see the exact moment Rarity realized I had pieced everything together, since she dipped her head and let out a sigh of utter defeat.

“...Rares?”

“Y-yes dear?”

“...are Fluttershy and Applejack two of the prospective members?”

Rarity was biting her lip again, so hard that I was afraid she would draw blood, but eventually, she slowly nodded. With that single gesture, my legs nearly gave out, and I had to catch myself on the wall behind me to keep from actually dropping to the floor. As it was, I still slid down the wall on my own to sit while I came to terms with what I had just discovered. Even within my own mind, I couldn’t readily reconcile how I should feel with how I actually felt. I mean, two of my best friends in the world were apparently interested in me -- I certainly liked them, they were easy on the eyes, and we had built a robust friendship that could stand up to almost anything. However, at that moment, all I felt was terror, and it took time to actually realize why.

“Spike?” Rarity called, her shadow gradually falling over me as she moved to stand over me. “Dear, are you all right?”

I couldn’t break my stare with the floor as I mumbled, “...’m I okay? I mean, I should be, shouldn’t I?” I was finally able to tear my eyes away from the tiled floor, catching Rarity’s eyes with my own as I stammered, “I-I mean I should be. I just found out two more beautiful girls are interested in me. That should be great news.” I slowly let out a shuddering breath as I covered my face with my hands again. “But I can’t help but think this isn’t a good thing.”

I felt and heard as Rarity kneeled before me, placing a warm hand on my shoulder. “But why, Spike? Certainly you like-”

“OF COURSE I DO!” I shouted, causing Rarity to flinch away as I grimaced at the volume of my own voice. While I lowered the volume, all of the sudden, the words wouldn’t stop. “I mean, Applejack is amazing. She’s running pretty much the entire farm at this point in her life, and she did it all from a young age, making Sweet Apple Acres a household name across Equestria. She’s smart, and yet so modest about it, and that’s one of the things I adore about her. She’s beautiful, and loving, and kind, and so many other things that make her an amazing mare, and I suddenly find out she wants me. And then…” I gulped as I thought of the next pony, “Fluttershy is the kindest pony I’ve ever met, and her heart truly knows no bounds when it comes to love. She’s cute, and adorable, and I just want to hug her for it, but she hides this layer of steel underneath that she readily brings to bear whenever any of us are in danger. She’s no fighter, but I have no doubt she wouldn’t hesitate to stand up to an entire army of dragons for us, her fears be damned.”

I knew Rarity was a bit surprised at my language, but I didn’t care at the moment. After a few moments of quiet breathing, I ended with, “And yet, I can’t help but think that their feelings aren’t real.”

“...what?”

I couldn’t help but flinch at the accusatory tone in Rarity’s voice, but I looked up at her regardless; surprise, she was glaring at me. I shook my head and explained, “Both of them have gone through serious emotional events recently in their lives, and though Fluttershy’s wasn’t romantic, she had to lose a treasured friend to the sands of time. No matter how much I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, and enjoy it for what it is, I can’t help but worry that their desire is born from a need for comfort and support, not love.”

Rarity’s glare hardened as she let out a long, steady breath through her nose. “Spike, you should know to give them more credit than that. Both of them are adult mares that have lived long enough to think through this logically.”

“The heart isn’t logical, Rarity.” I mumbled, the words almost tasting like spoiled fruit on my tongue as I spoke them. “It doesn’t think, it just feels, and what we feel is not always what’s right. We’ve all made mistakes by letting only our feelings lead us, and I’m worried this is another one of those times, for them.” I couldn’t help the angry snort that escaped me, nor the jet of smoke that shot into the air above our heads, but neither did I care, at the moment. “If this was just some random mare that I didn’t know yet, I wouldn’t mind; I know going into it that relationships built after emotional trauma rarely last, but I wouldn’t really care, because the risk would be relatively low. But,” I narrowed my eyes at Rarity, and she had the good sense to actually take my words to heart instead of continue glaring at me, “AJ and ‘Shy are already family to me, and if our carefully-crafted friendships were destroyed because we jumped into a relationship that was born out of grief, I would never forgive myself.”

“This sounds very similar to what Twilight was going through, if I remember.” Rarity commented, half-accusingly.

Shooting a glare to the seamstress, I growled, “This isn’t the same, Rarity. Twilight was afraid that every relationship had failed because there was something wrong with her. I’m afraid of what’s happening because I worry something is wrong with their attraction, and that it was ill-conceived. There’s nothing wrong with them, but there might be something wrong with their sudden interest.”

Rarity bit her lip again as she darted her eyes around. “...s-she never actually asked for a Pinkie Promise, so I believe this is something you need to hear, Spike.” Rarity cleared her throat and leveled me with an intense, penetrating stare. “I cannot speak for Applejack, but Fluttershy has had romantic inclinations for you for quite some time. She’s never said it until recently, and I honestly don’t think she even recognized it, but the connection was there for a while. I know what a mare in love looks like, and…” she shrugged helplessly.

Well...this was certainly new information.

I swallowed hard at the stunning news. “H-how...how long?”

“Years,” Rarity answered blandly, and I could hear the annoyance in her voice. “The poor dear is quite withdrawn, as you well know, and while she has vastly improved in the time we’ve known her, she is still drawn to avoid or ignore situations that make her uncomfortable. Finding herself growing new, strange feelings for a longtime friend would be one of those things. I tried subtly bringing the subject up over the years, but she immediately dismissed any talk of it outright, and not with embarrassment. As much as I wish I could say otherwise, all evidence points to her actually being ignorant of what she felt. It is either that, or she has furiously convinced herself of the contrary for so long that she believed it.”

I released a half-relieved sigh. “Well, that’s one load off my mind; at least I know Fluttershy’s affections aren’t a result of her grief.”

“You don’t sound completely satisfied.” Rarity correctly observed.

I shook my head vigorously. “I’m not, because that still leaves AJ. As much as I wish this was something I could ignore until it blows over, she needs me. She needs my support and my help, so I can’t abandon her.” I mentally girded myself to do the best I could to ensure we all remained friends, no matter what happened, but I couldn’t claim to be at all optimistic about how things might turn out. I knew I didn’t have to worry about losing either mare’s friendship, but I was sure things would be awkward for awhile, regardless.

“At least Pinkie and Rainbow Dash haven’t shown any interest. Small mercies.” I gratefully thought.

“Would it really be so terrible to be courted by Applejack?” Rarity challenged.

I shot my eyes to her again, narrowing them at her tone. “Of course not. AJ is a wonderful mare, and any stallion would be blessed to catch her eye, but some things simply aren’t meant to be. If I reject Applejack due to the fear of her feelings being the result of grief and trying to fill a void, I know we will eventually move past it, and we’ll be friends again. But, if I give in, and give things a try, she might suddenly find she wasn’t actually interested in me at all, and I was just a crutch she could depend on in her time of need. For me, being with her would go one of two ways: either I would never fully commit, because I would always be fearing the worst outcome, or I would jump in with both feet, opening my heart, only to be told that what I felt was one-sided after all.” At Rarity’s disbelieving look, I clarified, “You see, it would be so easy to fall in love with her -- like, scarily easy. I already know pretty much everything about her, I’ve seen her at her best and her worst, and we have a foundation of friendship that’s been built strong and sturdy because of what we’ve all gone through together. She’s warm and loving, and I know I can depend on her no matter what, so believe me when I say I could easily see myself falling for AJ, and hard.” I lowered my eyes back to the floor during my explanation, quietly finishing, “I don’t know if I could take it if I gave all that, only to be told that what I felt wasn’t able to be returned, after I had invested myself in her life.”

Rarity’s soft hand again settled on my shoulder, and when I raised my eyes, I immediately met hers. She was frowning softly, no longer defensive, but still unhappy about what I was saying. “How will you know if you never try?”

I snorted at the tone she used, as if she were talking to a child; it was mildly condescending, and I didn’t like it. “I don’t have to be formally coronated as a part of the royal family to know it would turn out badly. Some waters are better left undisturbed.”

“And so instead, you would reject her, based on the chance that you may be right.” Rarity surmised, and even though she wasn’t frowning, I could tell by her tone alone that she was disappointed.

I again lowered my head in shame, muttering, “Not every love is meant to be, Rarity. I’ve learned that, and I’ve broken a lot of hearts in my journey. I’ve lost friends because I was too impulsive, too stupid, to recognize similar signs when they were there.” I gave a firm shake of my head, trying to dislodge the worry from my very mind. “Having the same thing happen between Applejack and I would destroy me, Rarity; I’m not strong enough to withstand that, and I know it.” Chuckling ruefully, I added, “You know, some of the elder dragons told me that ‘love’ was generally avoided among the smarter dragons, because it is such a great vulnerability, and the more you love, the more you have to lose. Me? I have over a dozen I can think of off the top of my head that I love, even if some are just as friends, and that’s just so many weak spots in my life that could easily be exploited.”

“Spike, darling, what are you talking about?” Rarity asked, beginning to sound a little more concerned.

I raised my eyes to look at her again and motioned for her to sit next to me. She hesitated briefly before taking a seat on my right, and I began to explain what I meant. “As part of my re-education with Ember, she’s also teaching me how the traditional dragon lives, how they act, and how they see the world. In dragon culture, much of the hierarchy and the way they interact with one another is based on strength, and the ability to protect themselves and what they value. That’s why size and power are so important, as well as why they hoard their valuables in one place.” I pointed to myself. “But me? What I value is my friends and family, and I can’t very well take all of you and lock you in a cave, even if I could keep you safe and healthy. No matter how big and strong I get, no matter how skilled of a spellcaster I become, I will never be able to protect everyone all the time. Sooner or later, one of you will get hurt -- or, Faust-forbid, killed -- and I’ll have to try and persevere through that. And then it’ll happen again, and again, and again, until I’m all that’s left. With us being such high-profile citizens and Ponyville being a veritable disaster-magnet, it’s the greatest fear I have in my entire life. Applejack getting hurt was bad enough, but I know she’ll eventually get better; next time could be far worse, and I’m well aware of just how fragile life is.”

I held Rarity’s gaze for a few moments before I spoke again, and I had to watch as tears gathered in her eyes, and her heart broke for me. “Every year, on my birthday, I’m reminded that this is all temporary for me. One day soon -- for a dragon, at least -- all of you will be gone, and I’ll be alone. I tell myself every year to live life to the fullest, to make memories that can be cherished for the rest of my life, but the fear never leaves. With that fear, I’m reminded of just how much I can screw up by making the wrong choice, or saying the wrong thing to a friend. While the rest of you will one day lay in a bed, looking back at your life fondly as you pass on, I’ll remain, knowing that with all my power, and all the longevity I possess, there is nothing I can do to slow or stop time for any of you.” Releasing a long, drawn-out sigh through my nose, I whispered, “Now do you understand? I don’t want to live the rest of my life with the regret of giving my heart to someone, only for it to be returned a short time later. I’ll have to live with the memory of knowing I wasted months or years on someone that ended up leaving; that’s time I could use for other people or other pursuits, making memories that will hopefully keep me from going insane later in life.”

Rarity’s eyes were flowing by now, and her mascara was running down her cheeks. I pulled out a handkerchief from my pocket, offering it to her. She took the cloth from me, dabbing at her cheeks and eyes before sniffling and handing the item back to me. Rarity was still on the verge of crying, but I just felt dead inside as the spiral I had fallen into held me fast.

“Darling,” Rarity began carefully, reaching her hand out to grasp mine, “Applejack is a dear friend, and a steadfast ally. She is as honest as they come, and we both know she is no fan of dishonesty, which would include leading someone on; do you truly believe she would do that to you?”

“Do you truly believe it’s impossible?” I rasped, my voice hoarse from the lump in my throat. “That’s another reason I’m reluctant: Applejack is a good pony, so she would hate herself for doing that to me. As close as we are, she might never get over her guilt -- just look at how long it’s taking for her to recover from Thunderlane.”

Rarity said nothing to refute my argument, though I couldn’t tell whether it was because she agreed or because she just couldn’t find a counterargument. Nonetheless, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight against her warm, soft body as she assured, “No matter what happens, know that I will be by your side, Spike. I will support you for as long as I am able.”

I was mentally exhausted at this point, so I just did my best to push my worries to the back of my mind as I held my mare close, silently wishing life could be less complicated.

I left the boutique a short while later, with the promise of a “ravishing” new suit. Rarity offered me a sympathetic smile and wave as I left, and though I still had a glaring trial to get through, I felt better knowing I had understanding people in my corner. If there was any good news, it was that Applejack and her family were getting ready for the upcoming holiday, so they would be busy preparing the food that would be delivered to the castle, so that left me time to organize my thoughts away from the mare herself; I’ll admit, I felt a bit guilty due to the fact I felt relieved I wouldn’t have to face her with the new knowledge I had, but I also knew it was important for me to have the time to settle myself and accept the situation.

The skies were clear and blue, and the pure white snow glistened in the sun like billions of tiny diamonds. It was a beautiful sight to be sure, and the cloudless sky had changed a dreary winter into a day of fun in the snow for the younger generations. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the colts and fillies playing in the snow, building snowponies, and making snow angels with their family and friends. Not for the first time, I felt a longing somewhere deep within for a child of my own, but I furiously pushed the thought away. Now was not the time for such thoughts, and I knew I wasn’t ready to bring new life into the world just yet; my options for a partner were limited to Ember, for biological reasons, and I knew neither of us would be able to devote the time and energy to a little one because of our obligations.

Still, it was a nice dream.

I mentally shook myself and veered toward Sugar Cube Corner, knowing I would now need an energy boost to make it through the rest of the day, since my visit with Rarity had been emotionally draining. Nonetheless, it would also give me the chance to catch up with Pinkie, since I hadn’t seen her at all in over a week, so I was looking forward to seeing the bouncy pink baker. With what I had just been through, I was quite excited to be able to talk to someone that wasn’t pining for me, and just wanted to see her friends smile.

I landed a bit heavier than I would have liked a dozen feet away from Sugar Cube Corner, and was silently thankful I was the only one to see the sloppy arrival. After brushing the snow off of my shirt and trousers, I pushed my way through the door, entering the warm interior of the bakery. Immediately, the familiar scents and sounds of Sugar Cube Corner greeted me, and I nearly immediately felt myself relaxing as a smile crawled onto my face. The restaurant was currently calm, with only three patrons in the short line, so I made my way to the rear of the queue and patiently waited for my turn. It was just my luck that Pinkie herself was currently handling the register, and the sight of her practically buzzing with excitement at the sight of me made my smile grow further.

Finally, after she finished with the mare and foal in front of me, Pinkie practically squealed with joy as she greeted, “Hi Spikey! It’s so good to see you!” She quickly rounded the counter and pulled me into a tight embrace, which I readily returned. Both of us released simultaneous sighs of happiness at the mutual warmth we experienced, and I couldn’t help it as I nosed my way into Pinkie’s fluffy, curly mane, inhaling the familiar sugary scent of the plush pink pony in my arms. I enjoyed the soft, subdued giggle that I felt in her chest, and relished the tight embrace of a mare that wanted nothing more from me than my happiness.

I took another deep breath, letting it out slowly, and felt my body completely release all the tension that had built up from the day. Pulling away slightly and using my hand to tilt her chin up so she could look at me, I quietly greeted, “Hey Pinkie. Thanks...I needed that.”

She gave a rare gentle smile, and nodded. “You looked like you needed a hug. You know I’m always here for you, Spikey.” She then pulled away and brought her ear to my stomach, nodding with hums and even an “uh huh” thrown in for good measure. She then stood and patted my stomach with her fingertips. “And your tummy needs some goodies too, it sounds like. What can I getcha?”

I gave a chuckle at her antics, allowing her to retreat behind the register again. “Well, I definitely want some hot chocolate. As far as what to eat, let me get two fresh pastries; I don’t care what they are.”

She nodded and punched the keys on the register, and pointed to the little viewport that showed the total. I fished out the proper amount of bits and handed them to her, which she took and quickly gave me my change and a receipt. With that done, she pointed to a nearby booth before handing me a steaming cup of hot chocolate, which had not been there a moment ago. Similar to many other times, I reminded myself to just accept that Pinkie would probably always be an enigma, and just took the hot drink as I took a seat in the booth. Pinkie disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments before returning with a brownie and what looked like a fritter of some sort on a plate, placing the dish in front of me as she yelled back to the kitchen that she was taking her break. Mrs. Cake pushed her way through the door and settled herself at the register a moment later, waving to Pinkie and I as the younger mare slid into the booth across from me. Then, in a move that boggled my mind, she slid under the table in either a show of flexibility or chaos magic (still not sure which), only to slide back up next to me.

I just stared at her bemusedly. “You could have just asked me to scoot over, you know.”

Pinkie just smiled innocently. “But my way was more fun!”

I could only chuckle at Pinkie’s goofy antics, and even though the day had been stressful, already, I was feeling better just by being around her. I readily accepted her warmth and the hug she gave me as I enjoyed the brownie and hot chocolate. For the next few minutes, Pinkie just kept silent and allowed her presence to do what words could not, by calming and relaxing me.

After I had practically inhaled the brownie, I just sat back for a moment and sighed, letting the last bit of tension leave my body. “Thanks, Pinkie. You’re a lifesaver.”

She placed a finger on her lower lip, turning her eyes to the ceiling as she thought aloud. “Weeell, I don’t know about that, but I know I make bellies happy!” She punctuated her statement by rubbing my stomach vigorously, giggling as I gave my own laughter from her actions.

She then just settled herself against me and laid her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her body, hugging her tightly. “No, you make me happy. So, thank you -- thank you for being you, Pinkie.”

Pinkie looked honestly confused as she stared at me with her bright blue eyes. “Well who else would I be?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I couldn’t imagine Ponyville without you. It just wouldn’t be home.”

A soft blush crawled up Pinkie’s already-pink cheeks, and she bashfully replied, “Aw shucks, Spike. You know I’ll always be here for you.”

I smiled with her, enjoying the warmth and affection of the happy mare. Slowly, however, I found my smile diminishing as I found a longing grow within, and I felt myself say, “I really wish you could be here for Hearth’s Warming.”

Pinkie’s smile was bittersweet now. “Me too, but it’s not fair to be here every Hearth’s Warming. Last year, I spent it here, so this year, I’m spending it with my family.” She then pouted a bit. “I asked them if they could come visit me, but daddy said they couldn’t get away.” Her smile then came back full force as she assured, “But I’ll be back the next day, I promise, so promise me you’ll have lots of fun and make lots of memories to tell me about when I get back.”

While a part of me was still a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t get to spend time with Pinkie for the holiday, I would take her words to heart and make sure I enjoyed Hearth’s Warming with my friends that could be there. So, with a smile, I answered, “You bet, Pinks. Same for you. Oh, speaking of you and your family, how has Maud been?”

Pinkie brightened at the mention of her stoic sister. “Oh, she’s been great! She’s told me all about her trips around Equestria, finding new and shiny rocks, and she even promised to send me some samples as souvenirs!”

“She still with Mudbriar?” I felt compelled to ask.

Pinkie’s smile seemed to freeze on her face, but slowly, she deflated almost comically, and leaned heavily on me with a long, defeated sigh. “Yeah. And he still doesn’t like me, but I guess we’re probably never going to be friends.”

“It still bothers you, huh?” I observed with a sympathetic smile.

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, but I promised Maud I’d be nice and ‘accept him for who he is’, whatever that means.”

I shrugged. “The best I can guess is that she just wants you to be able to be with the same room as the guy without being at each other’s throats. You don’t have to like the guy, but you need to be able to fully accept that Maud does, and you have to respect that.” I tightened my hold on Pinkie as I assured, “Believe me, you’re not the only one that’s got to play nice with people you don’t like. I can’t count the number of times I had to sit in a meeting with Twilight with some jerk, and I still had to be polite. It’s just part of adult life, I suppose.”

Pinkie sighed again. “I guess. But, I mean, why can’t he be more like...I don’t know...you?”

The mere thought of Maud with someone like me made me laugh out loud. It took me a second to get myself under control to explain, “Pinkie, I don’t really like the guy either, but he’s a good match for Maud. Your sister needs someone that understands her interests and personality, and he does.” I poked Pinkie in the cheek, making her pout cutely. “You don’t have to like him -- he’s not your coltfriend, after all -- but you need to just come to terms with the fact that you and Maud are very different ponies, and you like different things. She still loves you, so you don’t have to worry about losing your sister.”

Pinkie let a breath go and snuggled against me. “Yeah, but I just wish it could just be me and her, like it used to be. Now, whenever I want to see Maud, Mudbriar is usually there too.”

I went back to eating my food with one hand while I wrapped the other arm around Pinkie. “Yeah, but he’s just a part of her life you have to accept. From what you’ve told me, and what I’ve seen, Maud has spent years catering to your life; I don’t intend to sound mean, but Maud needs to live her life the way she wants, not the way Pinkie likes.”

While I couldn’t see her eyes, I saw Pinkie’s lips curl into a pout once more, though she stayed silent. She didn’t move away, so I just continued holding her and refueled with the snacks and cocoa.

It was after a few minutes of complete silence that Pinkie eventually admitted, “...you’re right.” I stopped munching and glanced to her as she met my eyes, and she sighed as she explained, “Out on the farm, there weren’t other foals we could play with: it was just the four of us Pies. We worked together, ate together, slept together -- hay, to save water, we even bathed together. I know grown-up Pinkie is supposed to just be okay with that being the past,” she sniffled a bit, and my heart ached at the slight glassiness of her eyes, “but I miss it sometimes. Rock farm work was really hard, but me, Maud, Limestone, and Marble were really close because of it. Even when I moved away, I made sure to write every week, but we just...started to drift apart.” She snorted almost angrily, and shook her head. “And then, the next time I see Maud, it’s almost like we were fillies again. It just makes it so hard to forget about all that and move on when I still see Maud like I did when we were itty-bitty Pies a long time ago.”

I hadn’t expected such a long rant on such a seemingly simple subject, and I could only assume Pinkie had been holding it all in for a long time. I finished my second snack and wiped my mouth before fully devoting myself to Pinkie, using my now-free hand to grasp one of her own. My action again drew her eyes to mine, and I just gave her a gentle smile as I held her close. Sometimes, as I had learned, words simply didn’t give what we needed; sometimes, we just needed a hug from a good friend, and their presence. I will admit that I was not exactly averse to snuggling with Pinkie, even if it was in public, so I couldn’t honestly say the action was completely for her benefit.

Still, she enjoyed it, leaning against me heavily as she just enjoyed the contact I shared with her. Her soft, warm body and sweet scent made the situation perfectly enjoyable for me as well, so I just surrendered to her affection and let the moment play out on its own. The hand that was wrapped around her waist was slowly brushing along her hip, and though I knew similar touches would be considered halfway intimate by any other, Pinkie had never been one to shy away from affection of any kind. I couldn’t count the number of times she had practically suffocated me in her bountiful chest, gave rapid-fire kisses to my face, or casually complimented my physical attributes in ways that would, from anyone else, seem very crude. I knew she cared about me, and so did all our other friends, so we just passed all that off as Pinkie being her weird, lovable self.

Pinkie had actually been my first real kiss, from a Hearth’s Warming underneath a mistletoe many years ago, and though I knew she meant it simply as “part of the game,” I had never forgotten how it felt, and how much I liked it. In some ways, being that the incident happened in my early teens, her actions for all those years had practically catapulted me into the world of boyfriends and girlfriends, dating, and everything that entailed. There were quite a few times where Twilight had chastised Pinkie for her lack of boundaries, and not just with me. While Pinkie had learned over the years to leash herself, for lack of a better term, her life with her family as a young filly had left her with an odd take on what was acceptable among other ponies, be they friends, family, or (sometimes) complete strangers: when Pinkie wanted to show affection, her natural instinct was to give a hug or kiss. It was only after a few months of us living in Ponyville that Twilight had a formal sit-down with her and the other girls to strictly explain to Pinkie just why she got weird looks when she would do those things, and why they might not be okay with everyone.

Along with Pinkie’s lack of knowledge regarding the boundaries of others was a near-complete lack of her own. I knew that Pinkie wanted to be held, and cuddled, and all that good stuff; it was normal for her, because she had been that same way with her own family. I knew, that if I wanted to, I could kiss Pinkie on the lips with fervor, and she would be perfectly fine with it. I will admit that my selfish, “evil” impulses inside had told me that I should wholly capitalize on that, but I absolutely refused to do that to her. Of course, my impulses fought with me, whispering that you can’t molest a completely-willing subject, but I would know it was wrong, which was why I kept myself firmly in control whenever I was around her. The fact was, even though I was sure Pinkie had no romantic inclinations toward me, I knew that save for a few obvious actions (overtly sexual acts, for example), there was a lot I would be able to get away with, with her. Faust help her if I ever get corrupted by some evil wizard, or something.

“So, how's the herd doing, Spikey?”

This was an almost daily question I got from Pinkie, so I wasn’t surprised. As it was, Pinkie’s self-imposed job was to ensure all her friends were happy; so, even though my herd wasn’t in her direct control, she was still interested in knowing how everyone was doing, and if there were any problems. She was actually rather knowledgeable about herd dynamics, so I had welcomed her input.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Everything seems to be okay. I mean, Lyla is still clingy and we got in a little bit of an argument this morning, but other than that, everything seems good.”

Pinkie removed her head from my shoulder and frowned at me. “An argument doesn’t sound good, Spikey.”

“We resolved it,” I assured the worried mare, patting her head gently. “She doesn’t like that she can’t come, and is worried something terrible is going to happen without her there. Her and Twilight got into it about my safety, we assured her I would be well-protected, and she seemed to be mostly calm by the time she left. I would have followed to make sure she was okay, but she said she had work to do, so I left to run my errands.”

Pinkie pursed her lips as she thought, eventually suggesting, “Do you want me to go make sure she’s okay tomorrow?”

Even though I hadn’t expected it, I was still grateful Pinkie was offering her time and effort to ensure our friend was going to be okay. “If and only if you have free time, yes. I have a feeling she’s not going to be happy worrying about me alone tomorrow, so I think having our favorite pink pony there to cheer her up would help a lot.”

Pinkie gave a bright smile as she gave a wild nod. “You can count on me, Spikey! I’ll turn that frowny upside-downy, and maybe we’ll have a girl’s day or something!”

The thought of Lyla, who was a huge tomcolt, doing girly things with Pinkie was too good to pass up. “I’ll tell you what: if you can convince her to spend some girly time with you, take pictures.”

At that, Pinkie’s smile turned downright mischievous as she rubbed her hands together in a perfect impression of a mad scientist. “Oh yes, we need evidence of the deed. Don’t you worry, Pinkie is on the case!” And suddenly, she pulled a deerstalker cap out of nowhere, placed a monocle in her eye, and blew bubbles out of a wooden pipe.

I laughed like an idiot at her antics, and my heart felt lighter at that moment than it had all day. If nothing else, I could always count on Pinkie to lift my spirits when I was worried, using the power of laughter to overcome whatever stress I was feeling. While I knew I would still need to address the lingering issue with Fluttershy and Applejack, I now didn’t feel nearly as much dread about it, all thanks to a certain lovable pink party pony. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing until she squeaked like a dog toy, and laughed long and hard. After a minute, I composed myself enough to utter a quiet “thank you” to her, even though I knew, by Pinkie’s own accounts, that my laughter would be enough of a gift for her efforts.

“Pinkie!” Mr. Cake called from the kitchen, popping his head through the door as he jerked his head back toward the back room, “We just got a call for a big order tomorrow. We need your help!”

Pinkie looked to the older earth pony and nodded vigorously. “You got it, Mister Cake!” She then glanced back to me with a helpless shrug. “Well, duty calls. Don’t worry about Lyla, Spikey -- I’ll take good care of her. You just concentrate on whatever you need to do up in Canterlot, and leave Ponyville to your good friend Pinkie Pie!”

I gave her mane a playful tousle, standing to let her out of the booth. “Thanks, Pinkie. I owe you one.” I gave her one more tight embrace before she skipped toward the back room, leaving only the faint warmth of her hug behind with me. I shook my head with a much more relaxed smile, downing the rest of my hot chocolate with a gulp before tossing the paper cup and leaving the bakery.

Outside, the sky was still clear, and it was still early in the afternoon. Without anything particularly pressing to do at the moment, I shot into the air and found one of the few puffy clouds that remained in the sky today, settling down onto it to just sit and look over the town for a bit to let myself decompress. Granted, winter clouds felt a bit like cold toast as opposed to the pillow-like ones of spring or summer, but it gave me a place where I could be alone, since it was high enough to be too cold for most pegasi to feel comfortable, and it was near the edge of town. I let my legs dangle over the side as I just let my thoughts wander aimlessly. From so high above town, everything and everyone in Ponyville seemed so far away -- so insignificant. From the pegasus-eye view I had, it was easy to see why flying was considered so freeing; up here, you felt disconnected from the world below, and unfettered by the worries and trials of the ponies on the ground. In just that instant, I had a better understanding of just why Rainbow Dash spent so much time in the clouds, and I couldn’t fault her for it. My life had become progressively more complicated lately (most of it in just the past year), so I understood how addicting something like flying could be to someone who had so much to deal with in their everyday life.

Speaking of my rainbow-maned friend, I hadn’t seen much of her lately. Granted, Rainbow Dash was a busy mare, so it wasn’t exactly uncommon to not see her for a day or two, but nearly an entire week was odd, even for her. I knew that it was around this time of year that Scootaloo’s parents usually took a trip to volunteer in Vanhoover after the most recent bout of wildfires had devastated the area, so Rainbow Dash would be the one who would be watching over the younger pony while her parents were away. Still, usually Rainbow Dash would be out and about with her young charge, so we usually at least saw her in passing -- lately, however, it seemed like she had virtually disappeared from town, and no one knew where she was. We weren’t that worried, since Fluttershy had assured us that she had seen her fellow pegasus from time to time, but usually only late at night on her way home, or early in the morning as Rainbow Dash left to wherever she was going. With the holiday coming up soon, I had hoped to see her more often, but I guess she had some things to take care of, so I did my best not to worry. After all, if Rainbow Dash had been in trouble, she- well no, she wouldn’t tell us.

And suddenly, I began to worry.

“I need to find her.” I muttered to myself, pushing myself to stand on the cloud as I turned my eyes to Ponyville’s castle. “But I’m going to need help.” As I blasted off toward the castle, however, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was so worried. Rainbow Dash was a big pony, after all, and had proven she could handle her own life just fine. Of course I cared, but why was I worried? I shook my head hard, grumbling, “This doesn’t make sense, but I feel like...I just need to find her.”

At the speed I was traveling, it only took a few seconds to cross town and nearly smack into the side of the castle. I opted to bypass the main lobby, and pressed my hand to a bare wall. As the castle “recognized” me, a door appeared, and I wasted no time in bolting through it. Unfortunately, since I hadn't taken the time to work out where I was appearing in the upper levels of the castle, my bad luck was strong, and I ended up plowing into a damp Starlight.

“OW! CELESTIA DAMN IT! AGAIN?!”

The both of us tumbled to the ground heavily, and I let out an “OOF” as a soft body fell on top of me. My head was now sore, my dignity wounded, and my breath thoroughly knocked out of me, so I could only groan and wheeze for a moment before opening my eyes.

Starlight was grimacing with one eye closed, rubbing her horn tenderly. Her hair was wrapped up in a white towel, just like her body, and she looked like she was doing her best to glare a hole through my head.

“I'd always assumed you were hard-headed, but slamming your forehead into my horn isn't the way I wanted to confirm that.” she grumbled, shifting her weight on top of me.

Knowing I was in the wrong, I just smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, that was my fault.” Noticing her body towel was coming loose, and so as to avoid further embarrassment on my part, I gingerly pulled the cloth more snugly and tucked the free end in, so as to secure it better.

Realizing what I did, Starlight blushed a little and muttered a quiet “thanks” as she pushed herself to stand, offering me a hand to do the same. Once we were both better composed, she queried, “So was there a reason you were tearing through the castle like that, or did you just want to assault a helpless, naked mare?”

Doing my best to fight down my own blush, I answered, “Recent events aside, I was actually looking for you. I need your help.”

Starlight’s ears pricked up, and she focused on me for a few moments of silence. Seemingly finding what she was looking for, Starlight nodded. “Okay. Let me get dressed, and I'll meet you in the common room.”

I totally didn’t stare at the way her hips swayed with every step as she walked away.

I shook my head violently and slapped my face. “By Faust, what is wrong with me lately?”

“Hoarding instincts.”

“AAAHH!”

Contrary to what I had hoped I would do when surprised, I squealed like a filly and jumped about four feet into the air. The smirking dragoness below wasn’t helping my ego.

I opened my wings to prevent myself from falling painfully, hovering for a moment before softly touching down and shooting a glare at Ember. “We need to put a bucking bell on you or something. It’s not fair that we’re the same species, but you’re quiet as a mouse, and I’m not.”

Ember merely smiled at my comment before reiterating, “As I was saying: this is a hoarding instinct.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “I’ve overcome my hoarding instincts. If you remember, I had to trick myself just to grow.”

Ember just stared at me, unnervingly so, before she finally returned, “True, you don’t hoard material possessions like most other dragons, but no dragon is above their hoarding instincts. You can only channel it into something positive; it cannot be overcome.” She glanced down the hallway that Starlight had disappeared down. “Your hoard is special: it isn’t shiny metals, precious gems, or trinkets. Instead, you treasure your friends and family…” she then turned her head slightly, just enough for me to see her smirk, “and your mates. The desire to want more is always going to be there; all you can do is keep it under control, and be sure you channel that desire positively instead of negatively.”

I just frowned at her, not liking what she was insinuating. “Yes, Starlight is a great friend, but that doesn’t mean I have the right to ogle her like that.” Ember tilted her head slightly, her expression saying she knew something I didn’t. “What’s with the look?”

Shaking her head slowly, in the same way a mother would her ignorant child, Ember explained, “Your instincts don’t listen to what society says is right or wrong, and they aren’t going to listen to logic. You’re always going to want more, and that’s normal. As crazy as it might sound, you could hook up with every mare in this town, and you would still desire more. I told you from the beginning: you have to stop judging yourself like a pony, because you’re not one. Your instincts are going to drive you in ways that are downright strange to a pony, and you can’t help that. Your brain and heart always have the final say, but you need to keep in mind that your instincts are always going to do this. You’re not going to master your instincts by ignoring them or pushing them aside; you have to embrace them, and channel them in constructive ways.”

“You know, considering your personality, the whole ‘wise dragon lord’ thing is kinda weird.” I grumbled, huffing in annoyance. “You’re only a few years older than me.”

“But I’ve lived my entire life as a dragon, whereas you’re just now stepping foot into your heritage.” she countered, smirking once again. “I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m the same when it comes to ponies and their society. I’ve accepted that I have a lot to learn, and I’m going to make mistakes; you need to do the same.” She placed a claw on her chin for a moment of thought before she admitted, “I will say that you have a unique situation, in that you basically have one foot in each life -- one in the life of a dragon, and one in the life of a pony. You were raised as a pony, and so you’ve grown up with their culture and heritage, but your dragon instincts are still there. I’m going to help you the best I can, and teach you what you never learned, but it’s going to be...different.”

Raising a brow, I carefully asked, “How so?”

Ember just smirked again. “Normally, I’d go with you and show you how to carefully select hoard items in a controlled manner, so you can keep from losing control of your greed instinct. I can’t exactly walk around picking out mares with you, now can I?”

Against my will, I found myself contemplating that very thought for a moment...before shaking it away and groaning pathetically. “Really not helping, Ember.”

Ember stepped behind me and began pressing her digits firmly into the muscles around my neck, as an impromptu massage. She gently whispered, “Relax, Spike. Like I said: this is normal, and you have nothing to be ashamed about. If Starlight really had a problem with you looking at her, she would have lost it when you tackled her; besides, if I know you -- and I’d like to think I do -- this isn’t the first time you’ve admired her body.”

“Kinda hard not to; she’s really pretty.” I blurted before I could stop myself, slapping a hand to my mouth.

Ember’s fingers dug in deeper, and I couldn’t help but let out a groan as she practically forced me to relax. “Calm, Spike. Calm. I can’t speak for ponies, but a girl likes knowing she’s attractive. Starlight doesn’t strike me as the kind of mare that would get mad at you for a compliment, or a stray glance.” She released me finally, and walked around me, pulling me along by my hand. “C’mon, you said you needed help with something, and I might be able to offer my own help, depending on what it is.”

“I need to find Rainbow Dash.” I announced, choosing to be direct.

Ember glanced back at me with a raised brow. “Any particular reason why?”

I opened my mouth to give a good reason...only to find I didn’t really have one. “I...I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her in almost a week, and I just need to make sure she’s all right.”

“Hoarding instinct, again.” Ember confirmed, answering the question I hadn’t directly asked. “She’s important to you, and so you have to be sure she’s okay. Dragons get antsy if they don’t know if their hoard is safe, and as I said, your ‘treasures’ are the special people you care about.” As we continued to walk, Ember again faced forward, shrugging slightly. “I’m sure you’ve argued with yourself a bit on the way over here. ‘She’s probably fine; she’s a big pony, and she can handle herself,’ but your instincts aren’t going to let that be enough to calm you. Until you see her, safe and unharmed, the desire to track her down is just going to keep getting stronger. Considering you normally see her at least once every other day, I kinda find it weird it took you this long.”

I shrugged with a sheepish smile. “I was focused on making sure you felt better, actually. How are you feeling, by the way?”

Ember seemed to silently consider my question before she answered, “A lot better, thanks. It was stupid of me to fly through the winter air like that, but…” I was able to see as the spines on her head deepened with a blush, even though I couldn’t see her face, “I missed you, and needed to see you.”

Though I’d never say it to her face, because I knew she’d hate it, I couldn’t help but think of how cute Ember was when she got embarrassed -- even more so because she was admitting to missing me. I definitely didn’t grin like an idiot, and I certainly didn’t enjoy the warm, fluttery feeling in my chest.

Not buying it?

Yeah, me neither.

After taking a moment to school myself into something resembling respectable, I commented, “Well, with the gear Rarity made you, I don’t think the cold will be a problem anymore.”

Ember bobbed her head side to side as we entered the commons area. “I hate to admit it, but that mare is a wizard with a needle and thread. I don’t even like clothes, but even I can understand why she’s so successful.”

Smirking as I thought of the response I was going to get for my next comment, I added, “I wouldn’t mind seeing you in one of her evening gowns.”

Ember tripped over her own feet, and I just barely kept from laughing aloud. After taking a moment to comically pretend nothing had happened, she cleared her throat as she kept walking, but quietly answered, “...I’ll think about it.”

By the time we arrived in the commons room, Starlight was already waiting for us. I did my best not to be distracted by the way her coat and mane seemed to shine after a shower and a soak, and instead chose to silently enter the room and sit with Ember on the sofa next to the crackling hearth.

Starlight simply nodded to the two of us before getting straight to business. “So, what can I help with?”

Glancing momentarily to Ember, I answered, “I want to find Rainbow Dash, and I was hoping you might have a spell for that.”

Starlight raised her eyebrow high as she stared at me. “And you didn’t ask Twilight first?”

I shook my head. “Twilight’s never had the finesse for certain spells, and that includes tracking spells. Contrary to what you might believe, you are better than her at some things.”

Starlight blushed slightly in embarrassment. “You don’t have to butter me up, Spike. It’s true, I do know tracking spells, but if I’m going to track a living target, I need something personal -- I either need DNA of some sort, or something saturated in their magic. The spell is also very general, and only generalizes an area of a twenty meter radius.”

Well, that put a damper on my mood. Still, “A twenty meter radius is better than miles. Thats…” I did some quick calculations in my head, and estimated the best I could, “...about thirteen-hundred square meters. That’s a lot better than nothing.”

“Still forgetting the other part, Spike,” Starlight reminded gently. “I need something saturated in her magic, or her DNA. Unless you have a creepy Rainbow Dash shrine in your closet, I think we’re out of luck.”

I thought for a few moments before an idea came to mind...and it brought a blush to my head. “Um...be right back.”

Without any further explanation, I bounded up the stairs to the private quarters, and headed to my own room. Yanking open my top drawer, I searched for a few moments before finding what I was looking for, nearly slamming the drawer shut as I sped out of the room. I completely bypassed the stairs, and instead jumped over the railing to flare my wings at the very end, landing with a WHOOSH of air in front of Ember and Starlight. I cleared my throat nervously before handing over what I had found.

Starlight took the object from my hand, inspecting it for only a moment before raising both eyebrows to me accusingly. “Spike, why do you have Rainbow Dash’s sports bra?”

I swear, if any more blood rushed to my face, I would pass out. “She came here with me to hang out after a workout one day, and ended up spilling lemonade all over herself. She showered and changed, but said this had to be air-dried instead of magically, like Twilight had done with the rest. She left it here, and by the time it was dry, it was too late to bring it to her. Since I’m the one that does more errands around town, I kept it in my drawer, promising myself to bring it back to her...but I kept forgetting.” Ignoring the skeptical look Starlight was giving me, I added, “That’s one of her older tops -- years old, at least -- so I know that plenty of her magic has seeped into it by now. Sweat might wash out, but magic doesn’t.”

Starlight just continued staring at me, finally saying, “You know, if you were just holding onto this for ‘inspiration,’ I wouldn’t judge you.”

I went from embarrassed to annoyed in an instant, and if Starlight’s surprised look was any indication, my face showed it. “If that was my reason for it, I would have grabbed her thong or something. In case you don’t remember, during summertime,” I pointed to the article of clothing, “this passes as a shirt, in Rainbow Dash’s mind. She doesn’t even wear a shirt during the warmer months unless she’s going somewhere other than work or home.”

Starlight released a sigh and nodded reluctantly. “I suppose I can understand that.”

“What’s a thong?”

Both Starlight and I looked to Ember, me with a blush. Ember just shrugged. “What? It’s not like I wear clothes normally like ponies do.”

I cleared my throat and quickly explained. “Okay, you remember when Rarity offered to make you underpants and such?” Ember nodded. “Okay, well a thong has the normal concealment in front, covering a mare’s ‘bits,’ but only a string for the back part.” I gestured with my hands to press the point home.

Ember was silent for a moment, and I assumed she was trying to visualize what I was explaining, before raising her brow and asking, “Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“It takes getting used to,” Starlight admitted, “but it frames a mare’s assets quite nicely for anyone lucky enough to see it.” She then shot me a playful glance as she pressed, “Doesn’t it, Spike?”

“Can we please focus?” I pleaded, my efforts to reduce my embarrassment seeming futile.

Starlight had the good grace to look suitably chastised, nodding with a sheepish smile. “Right, sorry. Now’s not the time for that. All right, stay quiet for a moment. This takes...ngh...a bit of focus.” Starlight strained as her horn lit up with her brilliant aquamarine aura, as she levitated the article of Rainbow Dash’s clothing in the air. Her horn gained a second layer of magic, then a third, and then a fourth, before with a chiming snap, the sports bra fell to the floor, and Starlight was left panting as she leaned over and rested her hands on her knees. “Whoo, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to cast a spell of that complexity.”

I glanced around, feeling a bit confused. “I don’t understand; was something supposed to happen?”

Starlight simply placed her hand on my forearm, and immediately, I found a strange pulling sensation in a certain direction. At my gasp of surprise, Starlight just grinned. “Think of me as a living compass, for the time being.”

As she pulled her hand away, I just stared at my own forearm, aware that the feeling had left. Trying to put words to what I had felt was useless, so I could only say, “That was freaky.”

“But it’ll help,” Starlight assured, standing and moving toward the coat rack in the corner of the room. “For obvious reasons, I’ll need to come with you. It’s a timed spell, so we only have about thirty minutes before I’ll need to cast it again. While it’s active, I can’t just self-levitate like I normally would, so…”

“You need to ride me.” I surmised, immediately regretting my word choice as Starlight blushed and Ember started laughing. I just groaned as my blush flared up once again and admitted, “Yeah, I realized it as soon as I said it. Get your minds out of the gutter, you two.”

“You first.” Starlight challenged, smirking with a faint dusting of lighter pink on her cheeks. She finished getting dressed before grabbing her satchel, putting a few items in it before nodding to me. “Okay, I’m set whenever you are.”

I glanced to Ember, and she just shook her head. “I’m not up for flying in the cold just yet, even with winter gear on. I’ll wait here and tell Twilight what you’re up to if she comes back before you return.”

I nodded and gave Ember a one-armed hug before crouching to allow Starlight to climb onto my back. Once she was secure with her seated just behind my wings, I grasped her behind her knees and stood, wasting no more time in exiting through the balcony and taking to the sky.

Thankfully, today was a good day for searching for Rainbow Dash: it had stopped snowing a day ago, so while the world was still quite white with snowfall, I didn’t have to worry about snowflakes blowing into my eyes as I flew. The only problem was, because everything looked the same from up above, I was going to have to rely on Starlight’s sense of direction to get us to our target and back to Ponyville, depending on how far we would be flying.

With an indeterminate amount of flying to do and the added weight of another on my back, I simply allowed silence to reign as I focused on flying.

“Signal’s getting stronger,” Starlight advised, speaking for the first time since we had taken to the air. While I could feel the same “pull” she could, I apparently couldn’t tell the difference between “strong” and “weak,” so I was glad she had spoken up.

“Guess that means we’re getting close, then?” I questioned with a hopeful tone.

I felt as Starlight gave a firm pat to the area just below my neck. “Yeah. We’ll know we’ve arrived when I can no longer tell which direction to go. We still have about 10 minutes left on the spell, so judging by the fact that the spell is getting stronger at the rate it is, we’ll arrive before the spell depletes.” She went silent for another few moments before casually asking, “So, is there a reason you need to find Rainbow? Do you have something important to tell her?” Her tone definitely said “smirk,” and it wasn’t difficult to guess what she was implying.

“No, I’m not going to confess my undying love for her, if that’s what you’re hoping for.” I grumbled, mentally cursing that miles of white snow weren’t good for distracting my mind from thoughts of Rainbow Dash in some of her...more friendly moments over the years.

Another stretch of silence before, “I have to ask: does it get difficult being around so many mares all the time?”

“Difficult how?” I asked absently, again trying to completely focus on flying to keep the blood in my wings and not my face.

“Well,” she began, pausing as she seemed to organize her thoughts, “I mean, you don’t have many guy friends.”

I frowned at the thought, but couldn’t deny the truth. “Not many guys to be friends with. It is Equestria, after all.”

“Right,” she answered, “and I get that, but even you have to admit that a guy being friends with so many mares seems kinda weird.”

I shrugged helplessly. “It kinda lost its weird factor for me a long time ago. I haven’t really known any different, so I don’t have a reason to feel weird about it. It is what it is, and I do the best I can with what I’ve got to work with.”

The moments of silence were becoming moments of dread, because I had a feeling where these questions were going.

“How often do you...look?”

I faltered in my flight only slightly, but it was enough to jostle Starlight and cause her to press herself tighter against me as her arms wrapped around my neck. I was very aware of the fact that, had this been any other situation, the sensation of her chest and pelvis pressed against me would be very intimate. I told myself over and over, to keep from getting worked up over this like some 10-second colt, that she had no reason to do it but to keep from falling. As far as the conversation itself, the way she had said “look” didn’t leave any room for denial about what she meant, but against my instinct to laugh it off or make something up, I had been working hard to be honest with everyone about things once again.

After a moment of silence on my side, I cleared my throat and shakily admitted, “A-a lot. I can’t really help it when you all are so comfortable around me by this point that walking around in underwear is not even considered embarrassing anymore. I do my best to keep from staring, but…” I swallowed hard as I continued with, “I think I’d break my own neck if I forced myself to look away every time one of my friends ‘got comfortable’ as far as clothing is concerned. I’m around all of you too much for that to even be practical -- hay, I live with two of you.”

I didn’t have to be a mind reader to know Starlight’s next question before she asked it. “And...me?”

“I did say ‘friends,’ didn’t I?” I returned playfully, smiling even though I know she couldn’t see it. “Let’s just say that earlier, when I ran into you after bathing, I was not as calm as I seemed. Basically, for the few seconds you were on top of me, my instincts were telling me to ‘breed this female.’ I can’t imagine it would be all that different for any other male that was in the same situation; you’re not exactly unattractive, Glimglam.” I smirked at the drop of the nickname, knowing the response I would be getting.

As I suspected, Starlight groaned and whined, “Spiiike! Don’t call me that! I swear, I’m going to find a way to punish Trixie for letting that slip while you were around.”

I just chuckled and commented, “I think it’s kinda cute. Sounds bubbly and fun.”

Even without being able to look at her, I knew Starlight was pouting. “I don’t do bubbly.”

“Still cute.” I teased, receiving a hard flick to the back of my head for my efforts. ‘Worth it.’

“Whatever,” she grumbled with a sigh. After a pause, she added, “But thanks. I don’t have many guy friends that will give me an honest answer, so it’s nice to know the compliments I get aren’t always just an effort to get me into bed or something.”

Thinking carefully about how to word my next sentence, I took a moment to think before replying, “I can’t speak for any other guys, obviously, but I think you’re a beautiful, smart, talented mare. When I look at you, I don’t see ‘Princess Twilight’s pretty protege’ or ‘the hot counselor,’ I see my friend, Starlight Glimmer, who happens to be an attractive mare. And yes, I’ve heard you called ‘the hot counselor’ by a student, but I’m not going to say by who. Let the colts have their fun, Star.”

Starlight went silent once again, this time apparently done talking. I hoped I hadn’t offended her in any way, but if the slight nuzzle behind my ear fin was any indication, she liked what I had said. It was nice to know that I could make her happy, even if it was with a simple compliment. I had found, over the years, that sometimes all it took to make someone’s day was a few honest, kind words.

Only a few minutes later, I felt Starlight suddenly sit up as she announced, “We’re here.”

I slowed to a stop, holding her legs tightly in my arms as I dropped to a vertical hover position. I glanced around the area, noticing we were a few thousand feet above a small town, with a smattering of pegasus buildings floating overhead. Quickly deciding on a course of action, I descended slowly to the ground.

As I landed, I gently released Starlight as I asked, “Look around down here, and I’ll check the cloud houses.”

Starlight rounded me and tilted her head back to catch my gaze. “How are you going to find her? It’s a little rude to just knock on the doors of strangers.”

I pointed to my nose with a smirk. “The nose knows. If I get close enough to places she’s been, I’ll be able to detect her scent.” Before Starlight could start to question that, I shook my head. “I’ll explain it later. For now, let’s split up. If you find her, send up a flare so I can find you.”

She offered me a determined nod and began walking away. “Good luck, Spike.” I watched her trot away for a moment before turning my head skyward and blasting into the open air.

I hadn’t been completely honest with Starlight when I said I'd be using my nose to find Rainbow Dash -- or, at least, I was omitting some information. Unfortunately, a dragon’s nose wasn’t much better than a pony’s normally, and scent doesn’t tend to stick around too long in the sky. Fortunately, I had recently been learning some rudimentary spells from Ember, one of which had the ability to temporarily enhance certain physical senses.

I began by landing on a cloud, knowing I would need a moment of focus to cast the spell. From there, I had to bring up a very specific emotion that I was not very familiar with: the thrill of a hunt. As a dragon that had never actually hunted for live food before, the emotion was foreign to me, but my current need actually filled the role quite well. In a way, I was already hunting for Rainbow Dash, and if the emotion was strong enough, that would work just fine.

‘Rainbow Dash,’ I thought to myself, picturing the colorful, athletic mare in my mind. Having spent so much time around her, I was easily able to call up an image of her, her smile, her voice, the way she moved and fidgeted, and even her smell. Following that, I focused on my reason for being here: ‘Need to find Rainbow Dash.’

The desire was strong, but it wouldn’t coalesce into the familiar warmth that accompanied the “feel” of a spell that was ready to be cast, which I often felt in my chest. I frowned at the momentary setback before settling myself again and closing my eyes. The simple desire to find Rainbow Dash, my dear friend, was not going to be enough to match the intensity that would be needed for this spell, so I had to change the way I thought about it...and the only way I came up with was a bit embarrassing.

‘Need to find Rainbow Dash,’ I mentally recited, taking a moment to truly feel what I was about to think. ‘Need to find...my mare. Must find my mare; have to make her safe.’

I was nearly thrown off-balance by the sharp thrum of power that vibrated through me, along with the growl of agreement I found myself uttering without consciously choosing to. I took a moment to mentally grasp that feeling, and channel it, before opening my eyes and beginning to write the spell in the air.

Incidentally, the character for this spell, when written on its own, simply meant “hunt” in the most basic form; it referred generally to the desire to find what one is searching for, to locate a target with frightening efficiency and take it for myself. With a careful hold on the required emotion, however, I began to hum a nameless tune, one of deep intensity and an almost anxious energy. As I had become familiar with recently, my song added power to my spell, and the now-familiar fiery filigree grew like vines around the floating, glowing character.

Once finished, the spell pulsed in time with my own heartbeat, and I ceased my humming to complete the spellform. And then, to properly activate the spell, I inhaled the burning character through my nose. It...went about as well as I expected, frankly; it felt like I had inhaled a handful of pepper, and for a moment, the itchy burning was all I could focus on. Slowly though, it was like an entirely new world opened up to me, and I was very aware of new scents all around me.

I could nearly point them out as they caressed my heightened sense of smell: there, a pie was baked with love from a mother or father, perhaps for a child. Over to my right, I could smell the moist air that heralded a rain that would be coming later. Somewhere to my left, I detected what smelled like-

There she is.

Rainbow Dash’s natural scent -- a sharp bite of chili peppers, covered in decadent chocolate, and almost playfully caressed by fresh spring air -- was impossible for me to mistake. It was a scent I was intimately familiar with, because of the many memories it brought, and the smile it always gave me. Her scent, to me, perfectly emulated who she was, and I would know it anywhere I smelled it.

I slowly flapped my wings, taking my time to orient myself before following the familiar scent up into the clouds. I ignored the few ponies that stuck their heads out of the cloud houses -- likely wondering who I was and just what the hay I was doing -- and decided to just focus on the task at hand. Unfortunately, my focus was not perfect, and I found myself momentarily laughing at the mental image of me with the head of a bloodhound before getting a firm hold on what I needed to do.

As I expected, the scent went all over the sky -- as I imagined Rainbow Dash would -- but was concentrated in certain areas. One was a cloud that she had apparently napped on, while another was a...volunteer rescue squad recruitment center? I just raised my brow at the building before pushing open the door and walking inside.

As I had figured, I caused a commotion almost immediately upon entering; dragons weren’t exactly a common sight unless one lived in Ponyville or Canterlot, after all. To my surprise, however, the commotion wasn’t from fear, but curiosity and excitement. And, to my further shock, a few of the pegasi even greeted me by name.

Any other day I wouldn't be bothered by the attention, but at the moment, I had a goal in mind that I needed to compete. With a loud clearing of my throat I asked, “Has anyone seen a pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail?”

One of the ponies, a mare with wide eyes and a dumbfounded look on her face, merely jerked her thumb to the back room. I gave a nod of thanks before making my way through the front room and through the indicated door. The door led to a short hallway with three doors -- two on the right and one on the left. Stopping briefly to close my eyes, I focused on my sense of smell and again began following the invigorating scent of Rainbow Dash through the hall. Without even opening my eyes, I was led to the last door on the right, and I opened my eyes only a moment before knocking and pushing the door open.

The inside of the room was spartan, even by comparison to Luna’s room in Canterlot. There was a bunk bed against one wall, a small television on another, and across from the television was a small desk set against a wall. The desk was home to countless scattered sheets of paper, scrolls, and small sticky-notes, but most importantly was that it also had my friend sitting in the chair, hunched over a notebook.

“I promise I’ll rest soon, Shimmer,” Rainbow Dash voiced, her tone tired and even more raspy than normal, “but I need to finish plotting the next search grid. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll hit the hay.” She continued scribbling in the notebook before brushing her bangs aside and turning my direction. Her normally bright eyes were swimming with exhaustion and a deep sorrow, and it took a few moments before she seemed to realize who she was looking at. “...S-Spike? What...what are you doing here?”

Before answering, I stepped over to the single window and leaned my head out, taking a deep breath and ensuring the area was clear before exhaling a massive gout of fire into the sky -- that would get Starlight’s attention. After doing that, I turned back to Rainbow Dash and crossed my arms, frowning slightly. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Dash, it’s been over a week since any of us have seen you, and I was worried. No one knew what was going on, so I had to find you.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her jaw around before pointing behind me. “Jacket.”

I pivoted and turned to where she was pointing, seeing a simple military-style camo blouse that matched the pants Rainbow Dash was wearing. On the sleeve was a patch that clearly read “Volunteer Rescue Squad, Div. 16”.

“I joined after I left the Wonderbolts,” she explained, letting out a long breath of exhaustion. When I turned to observe her, she was fully slumped in the chair, resting her head in her hands. “There was a landslide in a small town near the mountains outside Griffinstone, and I was called to assist in the S&R operations.”

Raising a brow, my frown only deepened. “I’ve never been a part of disaster relief, but I know how they work. There are enough volunteers staffed for something like this to rotate you home after a few days, so that you can rest and recuperate. So why are you still here?”

Rainbow Dash hesitated for a moment before swiveling on her chair to face me. She slowly reached into the back pocket of her pants and fished out her wallet, which was colored to match her hair. She opened it and silently fished out a small photo, handing it to me.

In it was a familiar young mare: Scootaloo. She was standing beside her parents, two older ponies with proud smiles, as she held aloft a gold medal from beside her scooter.

“Her parents were at ground zero when the landslide happened,” Rainbow Dash explained, her voice defeated and saddened all at once. “It’s been a week since it happened, and we’re starting to pull out bodies of ponies that froze to death. We still haven’t found them, though.”

I looked back to Rainbow Dash, and her eyes were staring at the back of the photo I held. Wordlessly, I handed it back to her, and she took it before gently sliding it back into her wallet. After a moment of silence, she glanced back up to me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “They were stopping for supplies there for their trip to volunteer for disaster relief in Vanhoover, and now they’re the ones that became victims.”

The tone she used wasn’t at all reassuring. “Dash, there’s still a chance you’ll find them. Maybe-”

“Spike,” she interrupted, shaking her head as she pushed my outstretched hand away, “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m fresh out of patience for false hope. It’s been thirty below freezing nearly every day out there. If we haven’t found them by now, if and when we do, they’re not going to be alive.”

My heart dropped into my stomach as I took in what she suggested. “So…”

“Scootaloo’s parents are likely already dead, frozen to death in darkness,” she answered, sniffling once before furiously rubbing her eyes and choking down a sob as she half-heartedly pulled at her bangs with her fingertips. After a moment, she released another long sigh, resting her arms on her knees and staring at the floor. “I’m all she has left. Scootaloo has no other family, no next of kin, and no place to go. The life insurance policies from her parents aren’t going to fill the place of her family.” She grunted and punched her knee hard, letting a snort out of her nose as she raised her head and set a glare of determination on me. “I have to find them. If she has to say goodbye, she deserves the closure of knowing we found them, instead of just a plot of earth and two headstones.”

I was still coming to grips with what had happened. I liked to consider myself a realist, so I knew that if Rainbow Dash said it was highly unlikely we would find Scootaloo’s parents alive, she was right. I had just wanted to find my friend, and instead, I find she’s been basically killing herself over a self-imposed mission that no one pony should have to face alone. She hadn’t rested, hadn't decompressed, and hadn’t stopped. While a part of me was glad Rainbow Dash was healthy and whole, a much larger part of me was brokenhearted for Scootaloo, and worried about Rainbow Dash’s emotional state.

So, I did the only thing that came to mind: I pulled Rainbow Dash to stand before wrapping her in my wings and arms, fully encasing her in an embrace that almost seemed to shut out the world. I felt her attempt to jerk away, and even try and use her hands to push me away as she fought to escape, but after only a few seconds, her struggles began to taper off and then completely cease...and then she began to sob loudly against my chest. Her arms, once trying to shove herself away, now wrapped around my back as she held on for dear life. As her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, I followed her and pulled the bawling pegasus into my lap, using my wings to shut out the world as I just held her close and ran my fingers comfortingly through her mane.

Somewhere outside of my focus, I knew Starlight had found us and entered the small room, but Rainbow Dash was still the sole subject of my attention, and I was going to devote everything I had to being there for her.

So, for the second time in a month, I held a pegasus as she cried.

“It should only take a few seconds.” I assured, absently petting the sleeping pegasus in my lap.

Starlight was sitting beside me, seemingly torn between continuing to sit and beginning to pace. We had sent a letter to Twilight only a few moments ago detailing the situation, and were now awaiting a response.

Starlight sighed as she fidgeted anxiously. “What makes you think-”

With a loud belch, I exhaled a green flame, and a scroll materialized in front of my face. Knowing what it was for, I set it a good distance away from us and waited silently. After only a few minutes, a bright flash and crack of displaced air heralded the arrival of Twilight herself, who immediately rushed to us and kneeled beside me.

Twilight reached out and affectionately rubbed a thumb through the tear tracks of the sleeping pegasus in my lap, frowning slightly as she did. “Oh Rainbow…” After taking a moment to look over the sleeping mare, Twilight turned her eyes to me. “I want you to go with her to search tomorrow.”

I raised my brow at that. “What about the function in Canterlot? Won’t the nobles be upset if I don’t show?”

Twilight downright scowled at the mention of what we were supposed to be doing tomorrow. “You let me handle them. Rainbow needs you more than they do, and we can reschedule this for another time. I guess they’ll just have to make due with me in the meantime.”

While a part of me wanted to argue, I knew it would be fruitless; when Twilight truly set her mind on something, she would not be swayed, and I could see that look in her eyes. With a resigned sigh, I nodded. “All right, I’ll go. Tell Fancy Pants I said sorry for standing him up like that; he was looking forward to meeting up.”

Twilight grinned at the mention of the aged stallion. “Don’t worry, I know he’ll understand. Right now, you have something more important to take care of, and he would agree.” She then looked to Starlight and gave her a grateful smile and a hug. “Thank you for helping Spike, Starlight.”

Starlight returned the embrace, but replied, “Spike is my friend too, Twi. I wanted to help him, so I did.”

“Still,” Twilight pressed, “thank you. I’m always anxious about leaving Spike alone to deal with things,” she shot a look my way, and the words I had been about to say died on my tongue, “even though he has proven that he’s quite capable of handling things on his own.” She then turned back to Starlight and offered a gentle smile. “I’m so grateful for you, Starlight. Don’t ever forget that.”

Starlight began blushing hard as she glanced away from the taller alicorn. “...t-thanks, Twilight. I’m grateful for you, too.”

Twilight then stood and waved her hand through the air. The portion she had waved her hand through seemed to shimmer like oil before a circular window showing my room back in Ponyville appeared. Twilight turned to me and jerked her head toward the sudden portal. “Take Rainbow back home. We'll help get her cleaned up, and then make sure she gets a good rest. I can’t offer any assistance other than that, but if you’re going to be handling this on your own with her tomorrow, you both need proper rest,” she then turned to the minimalist bunk and scrunched her nose at it, “and while I understand that sometimes a simple cot is all we can afford to have, I’ll not let a best friend sleep in a place like this when we have far more supportive and restful bedding back at the castle.” Turning her head to glance at me again, Twilight gestured with her hand to the portal. “Go on. I have to get back to Canterlot to rearrange things for tomorrow. Expect another event next week to make up for this, and prepare for a lot of sour looks in your direction.”

Looking down at Rainbow Dash, and remembering why she was so broken up, I nodded firmly. “It’s worth it.” Looking back to Twilight as I gently stood, carrying Rainbow Dash bridal-style, I carefully asked, “What are we gonna do about Scootaloo? I don’t want to see her left alone in this.”

Twilight frowned and glanced away, clearly as unhappy about the situation as I was. “I have a plan in mind, and we’ll discuss it, but after you and Rainbow complete your task. Scootaloo doesn’t know what happened yet, and she doesn’t need to until you have some sort of closure ready for her.” Closing her eyes, Twilight let a single, crystalline tear fall to the carpeted floor under her hooves. “The poor mare deserves to be able to see proof of what happened, so she doesn’t spend the next decade holding out hope that a miracle will appear on her doorstep. We all know what that did to Applejack and Big Mac, so we need to make sure Scootaloo is able to properly grieve.”

I took a steadying breath before stepping toward the portal and through it, slightly disoriented by how seamless the transition was -- we had traveled the equivalent of nearly a hundred miles instantaneously, and not for the first time, I found myself completely in awe of Twilight’s power. Starlight arrived behind me, followed by Twilight herself, and the portal snapped shut behind us as if it had never been there in the first place.

Twilight lit her horn and gently levitated Rainbow Dash from my arms, nodding her head toward the doorway. “Starlight and I will get Rainbow cleaned up and ready for bed. As close as the two of you are, it still wouldn’t be appropriate if-”

I waved my hand. “She’s still a mare, and not my mate. I got it, and it’s fine.” I shooed them away with both hands. “Go ahead and get her ready. I’ll make sure everything in here is ready when you girls are done, so take good care of her.”

Twilight nodded to me, wasting no further time as she marched with Starlight through my door, presumably to the bathroom. I quickly cleaned up my room, picking up stray clothes and tossing them into the laundry basket, making the bed properly, and opening the windows to swap out with some fresh air before closing them once again. It was still only mid-afternoon, which was far earlier than I normally went to bed, but if Rainbow Dash and I were going to get all the way to the mountains of Griffinstone by the morning, we would need to go to bed so we could also get up early.

With a quick tidying up of the room done, I removed my clothes and tossed them expertly into the laundry hamper, pulling on a pajama top and bottom to keep myself decent, since I would have Rainbow Dash sleeping next to me (I normally slept only in underwear around my herd, but Rainbow Dash was just a friend, so I wasn’t going to make things weird for her). With all that done, I pulled back the bedding and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently for Twilight and Starlight to return with Rainbow Dash.

I wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed, but the next thing I knew, my door opened once again to allow entry to the three mares. Rainbow Dash clearly must have been exhausted, since she appeared to still be in a deep sleep. Her coat was clean and fluffy, her mane silky and well-brushed, and she looked downright adorable in the loaned set of pajamas Twilight had dressed her in, the black and violet silk contrasting her vibrant coloration. The two mares gently laid the third on the right side of my bed, and I stood to greet them as they tucked her in.

“How was it?” I asked, wondering if anything had happened since they had taken her.

Despite the situation, Twilight smiled down at her sleeping friend, gently smoothing her fingertips over the pegasus’ cheek. “Not so much as a twitch. If I had to bet, I would put my bits on her having gone days without sleep.” As she continued to brush her fingers over Rainbow Dash’s face, her smile slowly dropped into a sad frown. “Oh Rainbow...I wish you would tell us these things.” Retracting her hand and directing her eyes toward me, Twilight nodded with a determined look. “You know Rainbow as well as the rest of us, so you know she won’t feel comfortable around too many others in this vulnerable state -- she’ll think we’re pitying her. It would be best if you were the only one here tonight, so she doesn’t feel confined.”

While normally the logic would seem backwards -- a single mare, alone, in a male’s bed? -- I knew Twilight was right about how Rainbow Dash would react to her and Starlight also being in the room. Nodding slowly, I gave a hug and whispered “thanks” to Starlight, followed by a hug and a kiss to Twilight, watching as the two mares left my room and closed the door behind them. With the heavy curtains on my windows, the room was nearly completely dark without the light on, with only small, orange slivers of light penetrating the curtains. Knowing I would need my rest, I ignored the early hour and laid down on my own pillow to go to sleep.

Before I could fall asleep, however, I turned my head to look one more time at Rainbow Dash. As Twilight did, I reached over and smoothed my fingers along her cheek, wishing I could fix all of this. For now, though, giving the mare a friendly presence and a comfortable bed to sleep in would be enough, and the following day I would be helping her accomplish what she had set out to do.

As I closed my eyes, I sent a silent prayer to the Creator. “Faust, if you’re listening, please watch over us.” And even though I wasn’t sure if Luna could hear me, I still sent one to her as well. “Lu, please let Rainbow get a nightmare-free sleep tonight. Watch over her dreams, and let her recuperate from what she’s put herself through.”

With those last thoughts, I turned on my side, facing the edge of my side of the bed, and tried to let myself slip off into slumber. Thankfully, be it my resolve or the help of a certain night princess, I felt the land of dreams welcoming with open arms, and I quickly slipped away into a restful night’s sleep.

Chapter 17

Rainbow Dash and I had awoken together hours before the sun rose, and with only a brief explanation of what happened the previous night, we gathered supplies before leaving for the unnamed town that was the site of a landslide. While Rainbow Dash had tried to dissuade me from going with her (she tried to reason that I wasn’t part of the Volunteer Rescue Squad), I could tell from the expression on her face and the sparkle in her eyes that she was grateful I was helping her. Other than that, the flight was long and quiet, and the unremarkable landscape of peaks and valleys didn’t distract from the quiet that surrounded us. It worried me; I was used to Rainbow Dash being so vibrant, boisterous, and playful, that seeing her so reserved and quiet seemed off-putting in a way I can’t really explain.

The good news is that, with such a distance, I had the room and enough empty air to build up to a speedy cruising velocity, so it only took us an hour of flying to reach our destination. What I discovered upon our arrival was every bit as bad as Rainbow Dash had made it sound: the land was seismically active, and it appeared many small earthquakes over the years had shaken loose an entire side of a mountain, which had collapsed on the innocent town in its shadow. Only a smattering of several buildings had escaped the devastation, while the other 80% of the town had been buried under tens of thousands of tons of dirt, rock, and snow. Looking at it from the perspective of a first-responder, I now understood why they referred to the ones who immediately perished as the lucky ones, since the rest were doomed to slowly suffocate or freeze to death, most without any hope of salvation.

Pushing the detrimental thoughts from my mind, I turned my attention to the cyan pegasus hovering next to me. “So, where to, boss?”

Rainbow Dash tossed a look my way before reaching into the small pack on her hip and pulling out a folded sheet of paper. Unfolding it revealed a grid of the local area, and she pointed to an unshaded area. “Here. We’ve been working through the area piece by piece with two teams:” she pointed to the shaded areas -- one building from the bottom, while the other built from the top, “one starting from the north and moving south, the other starting south and moving north. We’ll eventually meet in the middle, but there’s a lot of ground to dig up before then.” She folded the paper again before shooting me a glance. “Is there anything special you can do to help?”

I nodded before closing my eyes and consciously focusing on the protective instinct within me, and focusing it toward Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. With the days of practice I had spent on this very thing, the change came easy to me, and I felt my clothes stretching a bit as I grew in size. After a few seconds, I released the “active” desire, and instead let the feeling simmer beneath the surface to keep my growth stable as I opened my eyes. I was now around three feet taller than I had been, and the rest of my body had grown proportionally to match.

Cracking my neck from side to side, I answered, “One guy able to lift what would normally take four or five should be some help, I think. I’ll stick to you, so you just lead me where I’m needed most.”

Rainbow Dash was staring up at me in awe, her mouth opened slightly as she seemed to try and do her best to comprehend what just happened. Eventually, she shook her head hard and commented, “Right, I’ll ask you about that later. Right now, we got work to do. C’mon, I’ll show you where we’re gonna be working.”

We wheeled in the air before slowly descending toward a portion of the area that, frankly, looked like the rest of it; I could only assume that Rainbow Dash knew where to look simply because she had spent so much time here. The ponies already working in the area gave her greetings and waves, but nearly fainted in shock when they saw me. I just barely kept the irritated growl in check by reminding myself that I was essentially twice as tall as most of them, and I hadn’t exactly gone through the official channels to get here. With that being the case, I just followed Rainbow Dash’s lead as she began pointing out areas to start digging, or toward large pieces of rubble that needed to be moved. I pointedly ignored the sight of a sizable stack of large, black body bags that we would likely be using.

To my endless discomfort, we ended up using them quite soon.

With my strength, we were progressing much faster than the ponies had been, and we quickly began to uncover bodies in varying states. I’ll admit, I chose to ignore them, letting the other responders tend to the dead, as I knew I would not be able to handle it myself -- just seeing them for fleeting moments was enough to send tremors up my spine, and start my gut roiling with an ill feeling.

Rainbow Dash was professional and efficient, and the ease with which she recovered the deceased, took notes on their appearance, and bagged them, was practiced in such a way that I could only imagine she had been doing this all week. My heart broke for her, and I wanted to hug her until that haunted, defeated look in her eyes calmed, but we still had a job to do, and...Scootaloo was counting on us, even though she didn’t know it.

To keep my composure, I ignored everything but the job, focusing completely at the task at hand, and Rainbow Dash’s commands as I continued digging and hefting boulders and chunks of rock and rubble sometimes weighing over a ton. My arms felt warm from the exertion, my chest and heart working hard to ensure I could continue to lend my assistance, but my mind was completely focused only on the job itself. I couldn’t think too hard about why I was doing this, and what we were digging for, or else I would start crying. I couldn’t do that, though; both Rainbow Dash and these volunteers were counting on me to help, so I was going to ensure I didn’t let them down.

It was midday, and even though the sky was clear and the sun directly overhead, the cold winds of the mountains still chilled the ponies to the bone. I was fine, of course (and I imagined some of the ponies were jealous that I was perfectly comfortable in this weather), but was still dirty and dusty from digging through the remains of what was once a town. The team that had been on scene when we started, which included Rainbow Dash and I, were now taking a break to rest and refuel with some lunch before we got back to work. I had unpacked the food I had brought with me, so Rainbow Dash and I enjoyed a simple meal of cucumber, tomato, and havarti cheese sandwiches, with apple juice. No words were spoken between us, and the mood was somber, but I could practically feel the determination radiating off of Rainbow Dash. I admired that drive to do what was right, but at the same time I found myself worrying for her emotional state; there was no denying that the days, weeks, and months following would be hard for everyone, and I worried that Rainbow Dash was going to shut herself off like she usually did. It was no secret that she didn’t like appearing weak or vulnerable in front of others, even her closest friends, so I was going to make sure I kept a sharp eye on her.

I was startled out of my internal musings by the feeling of a weight settling against me, and I looked to see Rainbow Dash leaning against my side as she continued eating her food. With my current size, she only made it up to my middle abdomen, and it would be impossible to wrap an arm around her like I normally would. Instead, I coiled my tail around her rump almost possessively, and shielded her from the air with one of my large wings. The other ponies watching us gave questioning glances, but Rainbow Dash either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and I was of the same mind. The others around us were colleagues, not friends, so I wasn’t going to waste time explaining the complexities of our relationship to ponies I likely wasn’t going to see again.

Rainbow Dash finished her second sandwich shortly after (and me, my sixth), so we both stood and stretched briefly before taking flight to make our way back to our assigned grid. Upon landing, Rainbow Dash took her notepad out of her hip pouch and began reading over the notes she had taken. Glancing from the area to her notes and back a few times, she eventually pointed to a half-buried church-like building, and gave the order to start digging.

I wasted no time in carefully excavating the area, hauling huge chunks of earth and rubble out of the way as I tried my best to keep the area stable so as to avoid a collapse. It didn’t take long to get through the top layer, which opened up the area to where I could see the street that underlaid the destruction. I wasn’t at all surprised when I found no bodies, since nearly all of the victims we had found had been earth ponies or unicorns inside of buildings, so I prepared myself for a grisly find I would likely discover upon opening the building.

“Spike,” Rainbow Dash began, though I didn’t turn around to look at her, “...I just want to say thanks for this. You didn’t have to be here.”

Though she couldn’t see it, I found a ghost of a smile upon my face. “No, I didn’t have to, but you needed me. You’ve always said you would never leave your friends hanging, and I’ve always thought it would only be fair if someone was there for you that way. You’ve done more for us all than anyone can rightly ask for, so I’m just doing what any good friend would do in return.”

“Yeah, I know,” she muttered, seemingly trying to make my actions out to be more than they were, “but I still appreciate it. We haven’t always said thanks for the stuff you do for us, and I just thought it’d be nice if I did.”

My smile widened just a bit, and I nodded with a grunt as I lifted a particularly large stone out of the way, exposing the side of the buried structure. “Well I appreciate your appreciation, and thank you for your thanks.” I tossed a smirk over my shoulder at her as I motioned to the building. “Anyway, I think I’ll need your help here. I’m sure you know what we’ll probably find.”

Rainbow Dash returned my smirk with one of her own before her lips settled into a flat line and she let out a sigh as she trotted over to me. “Right, let’s do this then.” She slid down the small slope made by my digging, and made her way into the rubble of the building itself, beginning her search as I watched from above. Since the area I’d dug out was too small for me, I was on watch duty, and kept a sharp eye alert for any shifting of the debris and rubble.

It only took a few seconds before Rainbow Dash called out, “Spike...we found them.”

I looked around the entrance I’d made and started gently moving more of the rubble away, trying to make a space for me without causing the entire thing to fall down on top of Rainbow Dash. Every shift and crumbling of stone caused my heart to leap into my throat and I held my breath as I kept moving rubble, until eventually, there was a space big enough for me. I carefully squeezed through the new opening I’d made, and entered the interior of the destroyed building.

True to my assumptions, it was a church of some kind, complete with an altar and pews. Rainbow Dash was stood at the other end of the room, looking down at a destroyed portion of the wall where the initial landslide had crashed through. Moving closer, I took my first good look at two pony bodies, the only focused observation of victims I had taken all day. On the left was a brown-furred, purple-maned stallion, his eyes shut and his face twisted in a grimace -- part of the collapsed roof lay on top of him, and if he hadn’t died from internal injuries, he had likely suffocated from being unable to take a breath. Next to him was a pink mare, with a dual-hued golden mane, whose eyes were shut peacefully as she lay on her side, completely unharmed save for some glass cuts on her arms and cheek.

They were holding hands, unwilling to let go even in death.

A strangled cry came from Rainbow Dash, and I felt my own throat quiver as I suppressed a sob of my own, but we still had work to do. Slowly, so as to not disturb the fragile equilibrium of the rubble around and above us, I strained and lifted the giant chunk of stonework off of the stallion, carefully moving it off to the side. Rainbow Dash composed herself and moved the smaller bits of debris away from the stallion, uncovering the couple completely for the first time. She knelt close, and began taking notes on what she had found, including the state of the body, how we had found them, and where, before standing and letting out a shuddering sigh.

“There…” she paused, swallowing hard, “there was nothing wrong with her.” She sniffled as she furiously rubbed tears away. “T-there was nothing wrong with her! I-if only we’d looked here sooner, we could have gotten her out alive! Instead, Allgood froze to death next to her dead or dying husband, knowing t-there was nothing she could do to survive! I-it’s not fair! IT’S NOT FAIR!”

With that anguished shout, Rainbow Dash repeatedly slammed her fists into the wrecked wall, screaming with each punch, tears streaming from her eyes. Before I could shake myself out of my shock and stop her, an ominous rumbling from above gave only a moment’s warning before the rest of the wall and the ceiling began to collapse, and I acted without thinking, tackling Rainbow Dash as I tucked her in my wings and threw us to the floor. If I hadn’t been a good deal larger than I normally was, the chunks of rock and rubble would have killed me, but the pain was still enough to cause me to grunt and groan.

Once the dust settled, I opened my eyes and looked around, finding us in a tiny space created by my own body and the unsteady settling of debris above us. I was pleased that I hadn’t been crushed by the weight, but the way the collapse had trapped us meant I wouldn’t be able to get us out. I quickly took stock of the situation, and was glad to find that save for a few new bruises and maybe a strained wing joint, I was uninjured, but our current position would not give me the leverage to escape. Rainbow Dash was virtually unharmed, and other than the uncomfortable situation of being in a small, enclosed space, she was otherwise fine. Since she was laying on her back, however, this put us face to face, and I could clearly see the tracks of tears even in the dim light.

“Dash! Dash, are you okay?!”

The other volunteers moved fast, and I felt calmed by their presence. Offering a short, “We’re okay,” I looked back to Rainbow Dash and did my best to shift into a more comfortable position, but was largely unable to do so due to the confined space; as it was, I was practically laying on top of Rainbow Dash, with my legs off to the side, and my wings were caught underneath her. Save for some minor shifting, we were essentially immobilized until the others dug us out.

“I feel like I should make a joke about you looming over me,” Rainbow Dash muttered, her tone flat and lifeless, “but I’m just not feeling up to it right now.”

I snorted softly at the ridiculousness of her comment, given the mood and situation. “Maybe something about a wild dragon boy taking advantage of a mare when she’s in a vulnerable state, and how I should be ashamed of myself for it.”

Rainbow Dash smiled slightly, but it was clear neither of us were in a particularly joking mood. Still, our banter felt comfortable and familiar, and it did wonders to keep us both calm while buried under a ton of dirt and rock. I knew for a fact that Rainbow Dash was claustrophobic, and while I didn’t share her phobia, I didn’t particularly like being buried alive. We both knew our words were mostly an effort to distract and calm the one between the two of us that could potentially freak out, but we didn’t mention it to each other.

“You’re really warm.”

I opened my eyes again, having closed them to keep the lingering dust out, and noticed Rainbow Dash laying there calmly, her own eyes closed as she was apparently focusing on remaining in a calm state of mind.

I shrugged as much as I was able. “Dragons run hot. I don’t feel temperature extremes all that much, but we give off a lot of heat due to the fact that we don’t have fur to insulate. If I were susceptible to the cold, I would be freezing right now; as it is, you won’t be freezing with me around.”

Snorting softly to hold in a laugh, Rainbow Dash just shook her head. “I guess I need to get myself a dragon assistant like Twilight, then. Maybe once you and Ember have a few little whelps of your own, I can have one to keep me warm.”

Even though she couldn’t see it, and though I knew she was joking, I still squinted hard at her. “Dragons aren’t puppies, Dash. Besides that, I couldn’t stand on clouds until my wings came in.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t get all stuttery and blushing like you normally do,” she quipped, smirking with her eyes still closed.

I thought about it, and she was right. Mostly though, it was, “Because...I can see Ember and I getting to that point one day. The way we got together wasn’t ideal -- hay, it’s downright strange, considering what’s considered ‘normal’ -- but it’s working, and we compliment each other’s personalities very well. I might not have felt the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing with her like I did Rarity, but I’m,” I swallowed as I struggled to properly translate my feelings into words, “...I-I’m really starting to fall for her, hard. I already cared about her, and everything that’s happened since the whole dragoness incident has built off of that. She’s funny, and confident, and cute, and-”

“All right, I get it. Enough with the mush,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, mocking up a look of revulsion at my words. She went silent for a few moments before she mumbled, “...never thought I’d hear you talking about starting a family, though.”

Again I shrugged, shifting myself a bit to take some of the weight off of my right arm, which was starting to go numb. “I never really had the choice to have that wish, until recently. Without some kind of magic I’ve never heard of, I can’t have a family with a pony. I could marry Twilight, Rarity, Lyla, or all three, but I could never father children with them. I won’t lie and say it isn’t something I’ve wondered about from time to time, but there was no point wishing for an impossibility. But then, Ember came into my life.” I found myself smiling at the thought that, someday in the future, I would become a father to children of my own flesh and blood. It brought a unique warmth to my chest that I’d never felt before, and I couldn’t stop the smile that crossed my lips.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes finally, staring directly at me for a few silent heartbeats, before she gave a smirk and a single laugh. “I think you’ll be a fun dad, Spike. Goofy, but fun.”

Smiling right back, I replied, “As long as I’m a good dad, I’ll be fine with that.”

Rainbow Dash’s smile slowly fell away as she looked off to the side, where a certain pink feather could be seen sticking out of a pile of rubble. I tried not to squirm at the thought of what had happened to the remains of the two ponies we had found, but Rainbow Dash was going to bring them to mind anyway. “Speaking of parents...what are we gonna do about Scootaloo?”

“We’re not gonna think about that right now,” I ordered, closing my eyes and shaking my head. “We’re going to take this whole thing one step at a time, which means excavating these two poor ponies, and getting them back to Ponyville for a young mare that’s going to be devastated. I have no idea what we’re going to do and I can’t think about it right now, because if I do, I’m just going to start panicking. We’re going to handle each part of this situation as it comes at us, and that’s all we can do. We’ll tackle this thing head on, but until we get to it, we’re not going to drive ourselves crazy thinking about it.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes lowered to her chest as she seemed to think. She eventually looked back to me and seemed unsure as she asked, “How do you destroy somepony’s world without hurting them?”

Yet again, Rainbow Dash was going to ignore my advice and keep worrying about this, and I had no choice but to support my friend, even though it was going to hurt me too. Just thinking about her question caused my heart to hurt, and an odd, sick feeling to rise in my stomach as I forced out, “You can’t. No matter what we do, no matter how you say it, she’s going to be hurt. Two pillars of a young mare’s life are gone, and there’s nothing that’s going to fix that. All we can do is support her in her time of grief, and be there to help heal the wound it will leave on her heart.” Hardening my face, bringing to mind some talks I had with the Two Sisters about loss, I advised, “There’s no getting around the fact that this is going to leave a scar in Scootaloo’s life. Our job is to make sure the scar eventually fades, and that it doesn’t result in self-destructive behavior. That’s all any of us can do, and it’s not going to be quick; grief of this scale can take years to recover from, so going into this, we all have to keep in mind that this will be a marathon, not a sprint.”

Rainbow Dash’s face twisted in a grimace. “I’m not good at marathons.”

“You never had a reason to be before,” I soothed, rubbing a hand along her shoulder as I gave her an encouraging smile, “but you have a good reason to become good. Her name is Scootaloo, and I know you would do anything for that little pegasus.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something else, but was cut off as the rubble above us began shifting around, and we could hear the other ponies talking to each other. We held our collective breath for a few seconds, and were relieved when a final chunk of the building was lifted away from my back, exposing us to the fresh air once more. One of the stallions reached down and pulled me to stand, and I pulled Rainbow Dash with me as we were carefully lifted out of the hole. I was mildly amused it took four ponies just to lift the two of us, but held my laughter as I instead gave a grateful smile to our saviors.

Rainbow Dash wasted no time in pointing next to where we had been trapped, ordering, “C’mon, we gotta start digging. We found two victims, and…” she went silent her words began cracking from emotion.

“We found who she was looking for.” I finished, gesturing with a hand toward the nearby pile of rubble and debris. “Get over here and help me dig them out.”

With me and nine other ponies focusing on one area, it took practically no time at all to uncover the deceased bodies of Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter, and though the sight still made my stomach churn a bit, I was simultaneously relieved that, at long last, Rainbow Dash would be coming home. Compelled by her duty, though, Rainbow Dash took out her notebook once more to add more details, specifically, the fact that further damage to the bodies had been suffered due to the collapse of their temporary resting place. She left out the fact that she had inadvertently caused the collapse, but I wasn’t going to give her grief for it.

Rainbow Dash took her time, carefully pulling the bodies onto stable ground before slipping each one into its own black bag, and zipping it up. After doing so, she stood and stared down at the two bags -- even though they looked exactly the same as all the rest we had used all day, we both knew these two were special, and the grief they would bring wasn’t over yet.

“Well, I guess you’ll be heading off then?” one of the volunteers asked, the mare sounding disappointed, but understanding.

Rainbow Dash turned to the mare and shook her head. “No. Today will be my last day before rotating home, but I’m not going to skip out early on a day of work. C’mon ponies, we still have work to do.” As the ponies began to disperse to their designated areas, Rainbow Dash glanced to me with a hopeful expression.

I gave a somber smile and shook my head. “I’m not going anywhere, Dash. Where you go, I go.”

Though the mood was still depressing, the fragile smile she gave brought just a little more light to the day.

Evening had fallen hours ago, and we were just approaching the outskirts of Ponyville. The day had been long, and I was aching all over due to slightly overexerting myself, but we had accomplished what we set out to do, and that would be enough. As it was, though, Rainbow Dash was forced to follow me closely, since the new moon didn’t give any light for her eyes to see by, and so she had to rely on my superior night vision.

Flying over the castle, I dove toward the balcony closest to us, which was the one that led to the commons room. I opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake Twilight or any of the others, allowing Rainbow Dash to enter before I did. After closing the door behind us and creeping inside, I motioned to the stairs and nudged the pegasus in that direction.

“You shower first, and then head to Twi’s room. After I’m done, I’ll meet you there,” I whispered, setting my bag down by the door to be dealt with in the morning. Rainbow Dash offered no resistance, following my request without question, clearly too tired to argue or say more than a subdued “okay”.

I watched Rainbow Dash climb the spiral stairs toward the private apartments until she disappeared to the upper floors, then released a long, tired sigh as I slumped to the ground. I was tired -- exhausted, actually -- so I was happy to know that it would take a few days to transport the bodies back to Ponyville. The day itself had been draining enough, so I was going to need the next few days to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for what was to come.

“Spike.”

Normally, the voice would have startled me enough to quite literally jump into the air, but as it was, I was too tired to do anything resembling that. Instead, I simply turned to Twilight and nodded to her. “We did it.”

She stepped forward with her arms open, causing the silky robe to open and show she was wearing nothing other than underwear. I smiled and prepared to embrace her, only for Twilight to scrunch up her nose and step away with a sheepish smile. “Er...after you get a shower.”

I chuckled tiredly and nodded. “Yeah. I’ll meet you in your room, then. Dash is staying the night, too.”

Twilight nodded with a soft smile. “I’ll make sure she settles in and gets some rest. Ember is waiting for you in your room, by the way. She said she wanted to talk to you privately whenever you got back.”

I watched Twilight walk away for a moment before heaving a tired sigh and following behind her up the spiral stairs. Normally, the sight of the playfully bouncing, pink-striped tail would cause a rush of warmth to flow through me, but all I wanted at the moment was to hug her and fall asleep, so lust wasn’t something I was capable of at the moment. I reminded myself (and mentally assured my aching body) that after a shower and a change of clothes, I could finally call it a night and get some well-deserved rest. Rainbow Dash was still washing, however, so I would kill some time by going to see what Ember wanted.

When we reached the top of the stairs, Twilight broke off toward her room, and I headed toward mine, where a certain blue dragoness awaited. I’ll admit, my gait was definitely more of a “trudge” than a “walk” at this point of the day, but I still made it to my room with little trouble, and entered without hesitation. Without even greeting the dragoness currently reclined on my bed, I removed all of my clothes, including my underwear, and then toppled face down onto the bedspread. The neat-freak in me was screaming at the fact I was probably soiling the bedspread, but I was beyond caring by that point.

“Long day?”

I grunted and let out a long sigh. Turning my head to the side, I answered, “Spent all day digging through a few dozen tons of earth and the remains of a town, looking for bodies. I’ve seen more dead bodies today than I ever needed to. At least I know that being a mortician or undertaker is not for me.”

I felt as a clawed hand settled on the side of my head, and I was too exhausted to even open my eyes at the moment. “Are you gonna be okay? I know that can’t have been easy; even dragons feel uncomfortable around dead bodies.”

Frowning, I mumbled, “I had the easy job, frankly. I was mostly just a glorified digger, while Dash was the one handling all the bodies. Still, I had to see them, and that’s…” I shivered a bit, and it certainly wasn’t because I felt cold. Taking a moment to calm myself, I opened my eyes to find Ember’s crimson eyes glowing in the dark room, gazing at me with stark concern. “I’ll be okay, I promise. I’m mostly just tired, so I need a shower, and then some sleep.”

Ember briefly glanced away before suggesting, “If you’re that out of it, we can put off your training until-”

I shook my head and raised a sore arm to place my own hand over the one of hers that was still on my head. “No, I don’t want idle time. We’ll keep going as normal. On the bright side, I was able to alter my size pretty easily, and as you can see, I’m back to normal.”

“How much did you grow?” she asked, looking genuinely surprised.

I thought back to how tall I had been compared to Rainbow Dash when I grew, then did a quick estimate based on how tall she normally was when I looked at her. “Three or four feet, I think. I still ache all over from the change, and I was ravenous with hunger, but the change is a lot easier since we’ve been practicing. Still, I felt like a glutton when I cleaned out a market stall on the way home.”

Ember chuckled softly. “The energy has to come from somewhere, Spike. A bigger body uses more energy, and the change itself is taxing all on its own. You’ll adjust, with time. I’m actually impressed you were able to pull off the change so easily, though.”

“I had good reason to do it, other than simply ‘practice’ like the other times I’ve done it,” I returned, secretly a bit giddy that Ember was proud of me. “You taught me that willpower was extremely important, since it would allow me to channel my emotions more effectively, without them overwhelming me. Well, for the first time, I had a real, important reason to do it, so it came a lot easier for me.”

Ember smiled softly, flipping her hand around in mine to lace her fingers with my own. “A dragon will do anything to ensure what they treasure is secure and protected. Your situation is unique, and you keep surprising me with what you’re capable of when one of your friends is involved.” She snorted with amusement. “I wonder if you’ll be able to best me one day.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I shyly mumbled, blushing a little bit at the praise. “Compared to you, I’m still just some dumb kid that doesn’t know anything.”

“Ignorance isn’t the same as the lack of intelligence,” Ember retorted, sounding suitably disappointed with my words. “You’re anything but dumb, Spike, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t refer to my mate that way.”

Her tone was actually defensive, and even a little upset at my words, so I felt myself shrink a bit at the admonishment. “...sorry. It’s just...that’s how I feel around you sometimes. I know I’m learning, but here I am, a dragon, having to be taught how to be a dragon.”

Ember smiled down at me again, shaking her head. “If there’s anything you’ve definitely proven, it’s that there’s no one way to ‘be a dragon’. All I’m teaching you is the things that are nature instead of nurture -- things you need to know about and understand, because even though you were raised with ponies, these things will still affect you.” She then shifted a bit, glancing away as her own bout of shyness caught up. “Besides...I like that you aren’t like other dragons; I like you the way you are, and I don’t want you to try and be like the other young, male dragons I know.” She then spun around on her rump with her back facing me before reclining again, laying herself over my back. “Anyhow, what I wanted to ask you is if, after I’ve finished your re-education, you would visit the dragon lands with me. I’d…” she went silent for a moment, and I felt her wings twitch against my own, “I want to introduce you to my parents -- this time, as my mate. Dad especially wants to see what you’ve become over the years.”

At the mention of Ember’s parents, I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious. “I don’t expect he’ll be too impressed. Among certain ponies, I’m seen as a hero, but I don’t imagine dragons have as positive of an opinion of me.”

“Not all of them are like those adolescents you met years ago,” Ember assured, running a curled digit over my cheek affectionately. “The elder dragons, like my parents, will respect your courage and intelligence, even if they don’t understand pony customs. I’m confident you’ll be just fine.”

Well, when it came down to it, Ember did know the dragons of the homeland better than I did, so I would have to defer to her judgement of them. Speaking of the other dragons, however…

“Did you ever find out who that dragoness was?” I asked, mentioning the issue for the first time in over a month.

Perking up, Ember turned on her side to look at me. “Oh, yes I did. Sorry I didn’t tell you, but I’ve been...distracted.”

Knowing it was a compliment, I just smiled and nodded. “It’s cool. So, who is it?”

Ember’s expression fell into something a bit sour as she practically hissed, “Sapphira.”

Raising my brow, I deduced, “I get the feeling you didn’t like her even before she tried to abduct me.”

Ember gave a stern nod, still frowning from the mention of the dragoness. “You guess right. She’s from an old clan, older than my clan by a few centuries, but Sapphira herself is only a few decades older than us -- which, considering the lifespan of dragons, is practically nothing. She was the last one to win the Gauntlet of Fire before you, though there’s been rumors she cheated by bypassing most of the event. It’s never been proven, and there were no eyewitnesses, but her position as dragon lord has been contested a few times. She’s not well-liked outside of her clan, but don’t mistake that for weakness; she’s very powerful, and honestly, the only reason you overpowered her was because you caught her off-guard, and had the help of Lyla.”

Nodding slowly once, I let a breath out of my nose. “I told you what the royal family wants to do because of her, but I really don’t want to cause problems for you. Any ideas how to go about this?”

“Her clan isn’t going to surrender her,” Ember bluntly stated, shaking her head gently. “She’s not exactly popular among the clans, but each clan generally keeps to itself unless something like the Tirek event happens. You won’t be getting any help from them, and marching into the dragon lands armed is going to make dragons anxious, and possibly hostile.”

I groaned and slowly moved my hand up, rubbing the bridge of my nose with two fingers as I tried to fight off the headache that was starting to build. “Great, so this is going to be difficult no matter what.”

“However,” Ember began, reaching down and again taking my hand with her own, “since we’re mated, you are unofficially a part of my clan, and are under my protection. I can’t directly help you, but I can ensure the Narrowscale clan doesn’t get involved. This is counted under the Retribution Clause of the old laws, and a representative of the wronged group -- or nation -- is allowed to reclaim their honor by demanding a duel with the dragon that committed the wrongdoing.”

My eyes widened at the information, and I found myself becoming a bit more hopeful. “Oh, really now?”

Ember nodded before turning her eyes back to the ceiling. “I’m betting she was counting on you not knowing about it, since the Retribution Clause has to be specifically mentioned by you for it to be valid. You have to announce, and I’m quoting, that she ‘has disgraced me and herself through dishonorable actions, and I come for the return of my honor.’ Those are the exact words of the old texts -- translated, of course, but they will be enough to ensure you are given your chance. If she is beaten, her life is essentially in the hands of the combatant that defeated her. You have the choice to fight her yourself, of course, but a proxy would be accepted, so long as the one fighting for you is related to you, and aware that their life is quite literally on the line.”

“What about Luna?” I asked directly.

Ember raised her own brow. “The princess of the night? That Luna? Why would she fight on your behalf?”

Grinning, I confirmed, “As the adopted son of Celestia-”

“She’s your kin,” Ember finished, her eyes widening in surprise. She held the look for a few moments of silence before she spoke again. “Well...there’s no rules against alicorns, mostly because no dragon ever expected a single pony to fight one of them.”

Smirking as a plan began to form, I nodded. “That’s good news. Luna was furious about what happened, and I imagine if I hadn’t been the one to drive Sapphira away, she would have gladly been the one to do so. I think it’ll be pretty easy to talk her into a duel.”

Ember pursed her lips for a moment before asking, “Exactly how strong is she?”

“Ancient sects used to worship her as the Shadow of War,” I explained, smiling wider at the shocked look my words produced. “While I don’t doubt the legends have been embellished over the many years she’s been alive, she knocked me out with a single punch when I was in my greed-grown form, and all she had to show for it was some raw knuckles. That’s not even taking into account the vast stores of magic she has access to, and the likely thousands of battle spells she’s had millennia to learn and perfect.”

Ember went silent again for a few moments before quietly replying, “Spike? If I ever start getting a big head for whatever reason, always remind me to never piss off your family.”

Before I could respond with a witty comment, the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing could be heard, so I groaned and nudged Ember off of me before pushing myself to stand. “All right, I’m gonna go clean myself. I’ll see you in a bit.” As I made my way to the dresser to get myself some clean nightwear, Ember was right beside me, which caused me to raise a curious brow.

She just grinned. “I’m gonna help you get clean. Splitting a job between two people makes it go faster, right?”

While Ember was practically always naked anyway, the thought of her washing me brought a flush to my face. Still, the suggestion sounded nice, so I just gave a goofy grin and a nod, and the two of us quickly made our way to the bathroom.

While intimate, there hadn’t been anything distinctly sexual about bathing with Ember, but I was definitely going to be asking her to join me from now on. Currently though, we were walking together toward Twilight’s room, with the dragoness leaning her head against me as she nuzzled my arm like a happy kitten. I promised myself I was going to do my very best to make sure Ember was happy from now on, because a happy Ember was an adorable Ember.

We arrived at the royal bedroom only a few minutes later, and Twilight was already waiting just outside in the hallway. She was still dressed only in underwear and a robe (which, by the way, was quite distracting), but now stared at a book in her hand while she, presumably, waited for us to arrive. Upon hearing the sound of our approach, her ears twitched from atop her head, and she glanced up at us with a smile.

Giving a rather salacious smirk, she teased, “Took you two long enough. If you really wanted some alone time, you could have just said so.”

While the comment brought a blush to me, Ember just continued walking, smirking as she returned, “If Spike and I had mated, the entire town would be banging on your door about the noise. You’d also need to repair or replace the whole bathroom.”

Twilight’s face began to flush as a faint pink became visible on her cheeks, and she turned away as she silently opened the door to the room. Ember followed the mare, retaining her victorious smirk, while I followed just behind, thoroughly embarrassed. To my surprise, Lyla was apparently joining us for the night, as she was settled behind the already-slumbering Rainbow Dash, holding the slightly smaller pegasus in her arms as she, herself, was drifting off to sleep. With that in mind, I took more careful steps to reduce the noise I made, and followed Ember and Twilight to the obnoxiously-large bed of the princess.

Twilight slid in next to the unoccupied side of Rainbow Dash, ensuring she didn’t wake the pegasus, while I took my place next to Twilight, and Ember occupied the remaining space closer to the edge of the bed. As had become normal recently, Ember carefully tucked her head underneath my chin, and wrapped her tail around my waist as she snuggled closer for warmth. Also like usual, I silently smiled at the cute display, and wrapped the dragoness in my arms as I closed my eyes for a good sleep. With the exhaustion of the day creeping up on me, and the presence of my friends and family around me, sleep came quickly, and I found myself drifting away before I knew it.

I found myself opening my eyes only a few moments later, to a vastly different visual. The landscape was blank white, as far as my eyes could see, but I wasn’t afraid or even particularly surprised. I had seen this very sight many times over the years, so I knew what it meant.

“Aunt Luna,” I greeted happily, turning around to meet the presence behind me.

The mare herself seemed to materialize out of thin air, quite suddenly appearing with no flash of light, no theatrical construction, or anything particularly flashy -- she was just suddenly...there. She dipped her head respectfully (respectful of me, the dreamer, not of a superior), and moved to embrace me in a hug.

“I heard what happened, Spike. I am so sorry,” she said, her tone showing true concern and sorrow.

Taking a deep breath of the familiar, comforting scent of the alicorn in my arms, I released the breath and nodded against her shoulder. “Thank you, Luna. It was hard, and there’s more hardship to come, but I’ll be okay. Thanks for coming to see me.” I pulled away from the embrace, holding the mare at arm’s length, as I asked, “How is Rainbow Dash?”

I was well aware that Luna could not tell me the contents of another’s dreams, but cluing me in on the emotional state of another wasn’t breaking any rules. With that in mind, Luna sighed heavily and shook her head. “She is not well, dear Spike. She tortures herself with blame, and fears what her young charge will say or do when she learns of the truth. I will do what I can to ease her suffering within the dreamscape, but she will need the support of her friends in the waking world. You and I both know the young mare has a tendency to isolate herself from others when in times of strife; you must not let this happen. Be assertive, and forceful if you must, but do not leave her to suffer alone. Promise me, Spike.”

“No offense meant, Auntie,” I began, “but I would do so anyway. She’s one of my closest friends, and I’m going to make sure she’s not alone.”

Searching my face for a few moments, Luna eventually relented with a smile. “Good. I have faith in you, and you must have faith in the bond the two of you share. The coming months will be difficult, but I am confident you can overcome them, together.”

I nodded to her before a thought struck me. “Oh, by the way, Ember told me how we can handle this whole thing with that dragoness -- her name’s Sapphira, by the way.”

Releasing me completely and tilting her head in interest, Luna nodded to me. “This is good news. What must we do?”

I couldn’t stop the grin from appearing on my face as I answered, “A duel. It can either be me, or a ‘champion’ I choose, and as far as Ember knows, there’s no rule about who I choose, so long as they’re kin. Legally…”

Slowly, an evil grin of her own appeared on Luna’s face. “I am your kin. Oh, this will be fun!”

“Now,” I interrupted, hand raised to stop her, “I have a feeling that the elder dragons might try to stop it, on the grounds that we’re not ‘true’ kin, seeing as how we’re not even the same species.”

“However,” Luna continued, poking me in the forehead with a finger, “because of how you were hatched, pony magic is forever a part of who you are, and that cannot be debated. Dragons impart some of their own magic through their flame to hatch their eggs, which does the same.”

I nodded firmly. “Exactly, and that can work in our favor. If I can get permission for a few journalists from Equestria to see the duel happen, I think that’ll be enough to appease the ponies making a fuss about all this, and we can wrap all of this up, once and for all.”

Tilting her head the other way, Luna looked me over before commenting, “For never being a part of diplomacy, you are rather shrewd. I look forward to how you will further grow and mature in the coming years.”

The praise caused me to flush with embarrassment. “Th-thanks, Aunt Luna.”

She gave a single nod to me. “Now, I have said what I came to say, so I must depart. I will impart to you sweet dreams for your service to those in need. Know that the families of those affected thank you, dear Spike.”

While it’s true I had been primarily focusing on Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo’s needs, it was also true that I had helped quite a bit up north, and other families were going to be grateful that the remains of their loved ones were recovered. Bowing my head respectfully, I humbly replied, “I’m glad that I was able to help. Goodnight, Princess.”

“Goodnight, Spike.”

With that, the world shifted as Luna disappeared, and a forest clearing appeared. The voices of my friends began to filter in, along with the sounds of a vibrant wooded area, and I looked around to find all my friends arrayed in a lazy group as we sat on a blanket for a picnic. The knowledge that this was a dream began to fade, so that I could fully enjoy it, but before it did, I sent a mental thanks to the night’s guardian.

Chapter 18

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Chapter 19 Author's Note

Third-tier noble house*: noble houses are separated into three tiers, depending on their wealth, lineage, and the power they have within the nation.

Third-tier houses have a family lineage in knighthood, having provided services to the crown. Their influence is minor, but they usually provide a high-demand service to the nation.

Second-tier houses are descended from ancient nobility and royal court officials. They have a hand in most major industries, and serve as a lucrative source of information, for the right price.

Only two First-tier houses exist, and are direct descendants of royalty or extremely wealthy landowners. All commerce passes under the watchful gaze of these houses, and they fancy themselves the true rulers of the nation. They serve on every important committee and parliament.

Slow, lilting southern accent*: sometimes called the "classic southern gentleman" accent. The "slant" of vowels is light, but consonants are particularly strong, sometimes even exaggerated (particularly t's, hard c's, and p's). If you've seen Django Unchained, it's the accent Leo DiCaprio uses, but far more relaxed.

Unique ability*: every pony has a skill they are uniquely talented in, which usually corresponds to their special talent. For unicorns, it is usually a spell. A pony's unique ability can be emulated by others, but requires far more skill, power, and/or luck to pull off.

Lust-frenzy*: as creatures of deep emotion, dragons are far more dangerous than most other creatures if they lose control. In the instance of lust, a dragon is drawn to mate with any creature of the opposite sex, regardless of if they are receptive or not. If not contained or sated, the lust of a Dragon can become...forceful.

[Edit] Minor changes, namely to the names of Scootaloo's parents.

Chapter 19

The following day was starting out mundane, which I was perfectly fine with; due to all the recent surprises we had dealt with, no news was good news, in my opinion. I was currently strolling to Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie for some breakfast, since I didn’t feel like making breakfast this morning. It actually hadn’t snowed the previous night, which had allowed the Ponyville maintenance crew to shovel the walkways clean, which in turn encouraged more people to be out and about. The town was positively alive with activity, many scurrying here and there to finish their Hearth’s Warming shopping, while others were simply out enjoying the day. If it weren’t for the fact that the memories were so fresh in my mind, it would be easy forget that anything bad had happened in the past week. Even with the vision of Scootaloo, broken and sobbing, burned into the backs of my eyelids, the image of Ponyvillians smiling and bustling with activity brought a faint grin to my own face. As Pinkie would say, a smile is a smile is a smile, even if it’s small; even in the darkest of days, there is always something to be happy about, if you look for it.

Pinkie and I approached Sugarcube Corner, hand-in-hand, just as Mr. Cake flipped the lights on, turning the sign around to “OPEN”. There was already a line at the door, since a good amount of the Ponyville folk were regulars to the bakery’s fresh breakfast, and even for those that weren’t, the alluring scent of fresh-baked goodies was enough to draw many curious people to the business due to the smell alone. Pinkie hurried toward the back of the building, obviously to help the owners begin the day, and I took my place at the back of the line. The mares and stallions -- and even a new changeling drone, which was a welcome sight -- waved at me and offered smiles and greetings as I waited with them for the door to open. My eyes kept gravitating to a few mares who were shyly smiling and/or waving at me, and I found myself playfully waving back with a boyish grin. Sure, I wasn’t going to actually do anything, but a little flirting never hurt anyone. After a few moments of this, Mr. Cake unlocked the door, allowing the growing crowd to file into the warm interior of the bakery.

“Always great to get the fresh pastries right as this place opens, eh Spike?”

The voice of a certain pegasus from behind me startled me, and I whipped my head around to see Rainbow Dash smiling at me. I gave her a quick one-armed hug and greeted, “Hey Dash, it’s good to see you. I gotta be honest, I didn’t expect to see you out and about so soon.”

Rainbow Dash shook out her long mane, reaching up to tuck the locks behind one ear so it wouldn’t hang in front of her eyes. “Yeah, but here I am.” She glanced around briefly before leaning in closer and whispering, “I figured Scoots could use some comfort sweets for breakfast, and I’m not exactly a baker, so…”

I nodded in realization. “Ah. Okay, that makes sense. How, um…” I did as she had, leaning close to whisper to her, “how was last night after we left?”

Seeing as how we were probably looking like fools leaning back and forth to each other to whisper, Rainbow Dash pressed herself under my wing and arm, close enough that she would no longer have to whisper so conspicuously to me. “Well...I guess it went pretty much how we all thought it would. It was rough, and it’s gonna be that way for awhile; she didn’t sleep, and I can’t say I blame her. I know that until she sees the bodies for herself at the funeral, there’s gonna be a small part of her that’s always gonna hold out hope that we made a mistake, and that her parents are gonna walk in that door, and everything’s gonna be okay.”

I nodded again, this time more somberly. “Two days. Hold out for two days, and we can get her the closure she needs. Until then, it’s just a matter of slogging through this tough bit.”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, shuffling forward in step with me as the line moved. “Yeah, I know. It just...sucks. It sucks that any of this had to happen, especially so close to Hearth’s Warming.”

Again, I nodded. “The time of year when most people are either having people over, or travelling to be with family for the holidays. The only worse time this could have happened would be on her birthday.”

The pegasus stiffened, narrowing her eyes at me. “If you just jinxed her by saying that, I’m punching you in the mouth. I mean it.”

Smiling sadly, I shook my head. “If I did, I’ll cut my own wings off.”

It was then that both of us had another surprise, and it was not one I would have even believed enough to expect even if I had been told about it ahead of time.

“Well, you two seem to be getting along fine after all these years.”

The raspy, sharp voice of a mare had chimed in behind us, and for some reason it tickled something in my memory. I couldn’t quite place the voice, but if the violent jolt of surprise from Rainbow Dash was any indication, she could. As one, we both turned around to see a heavily clothed pony mare, obviously trying to conceal her identity, and if the bulky coat was any indication, it was a pegasus. A gloved hand reached up to tilt the aviator shades down, revealing yellow fur and fiery orange eyes.

The same hand shot out to intercept the hand of Rainbow Dash, which I realized had risen to snap a respectful salute to a superior officer. The mare just shook her head and said, “Wearing this bulky getup to hide is kinda pointless if ponies salute me in public. At ease, Dash.”

Going off of the eyes, fur color, and the fact that Rainbow Dash had reacted as she did, I quickly identified the mare as Captain Spitfire, the de facto leader of the Wonderbolts. I just barely kept my lips from blurting the mare’s name and blowing her cover, but was unable to stop the question, “W-what are you doing here?”

The mare’s head shifted side to side almost imperceptibly before nodding to Rainbow Dash. “I was actually looking for her. I’ll explain when we have some privacy; suffice to say, what we’re going to talk about isn’t for all ears present. Grab your eats, and let’s find somewhere a little more private to talk.”

Nodding dumbly, Rainbow Dash turned back to the front just as our turn came up. I quickly gave my (large) order to Pumpkin, allowing Rainbow Dash to do the same, before stepping off to the side and waiting with the rest of the patrons for our order to be called out. It took a decent amount of time, with it being the breakfast rush, but eventually I was now loaded with a large cardboard carrier full of pastries, and another carrier full of individual coffee cups. The three of us left the bakery, and since Scootaloo’s home was close, we just headed in that direction. After walking for a few minutes and ensuring no one was around, Spitfire spoke.

“I heard about what happened in Tselinoyarsk,” she mentioned off-handedly, bobbing her head in Rainbow Dash’s direction. “As Dash knows, part of the Wonderbolts’ job is search and rescue, and we were handling a few of the other zones of the disaster area. I wasn’t personally there -- I was stuck in Cloudsdale at the time, kissing the behinds of our sponsors -- but Soarin, Fleetfoot, Misty Fly, and Rapidfire had all volunteered.” While I couldn’t see her eyes, I had the feeling she was looking directly at me when she said, “I heard Dash had received backup from a certain purple dragon after she had been basically killing herself for days, for some reason.”

Rainbow Dash glanced down to the ground as we walked, biting her lip. “...I had an important reason to be there, and I wasn’t gonna stop until I finished what I set out to do.”

Her scarf covered her mouth, but I could practically hear the smirk in her voice as Spitfire replied, “Even without access to classified information about VIP’s in Equestria, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why you were there, and for who. A certain ex-Wonderbolt is close with a certain young mare that lives in this town, and that young mare’s parents just happen to be frequent volunteers for disaster relief efforts around Equestria…” She bobbed her head side to side, as if considering something, before continuing. “I knew the girl’s parents, Dash. They were good, respectable ponies who put in years of volunteer work for ponies in need across Equestria, and even some other people in the neighboring nations. I’d be surprised if anyone in the Wonderbolts doesn’t know who they are.”

Repeating my question from earlier, Rainbow Dash glanced to the older mare and asked, “Why are you here?”

We had just arrived at Scootaloo’s house, and we stopped in front of the door as Spitfire let out a sigh and just kept looking at the quaint home. After a moment, she answered, “This isn’t about the Wonderbolts. I’m not asking as Captain Spitfire, as your superior, or any of that. As just Spitfire, a mare that respects and admires all those two ponies did, I want to ask if me and some of the other ‘bolts can come and pay our respects at the funeral.”

Rainbow Dash stood still with her mouth open for a few moments before she seemed to mentally shake herself and she looked down again in thought. After a few more moments of silence, she finally answered. “...a part of me wants to immediately say yes, that of course you deserve to pay your respects. But…” she glanced to the house in front of us, “it’s not my choice, because they weren’t my parents. I’ll ask Scootaloo about it tonight after dinner, and I’ll see if she’s up for it. No matter what, it’s her word on this, not mine.”

Spitfire nodded slowly. “I can respect that. Anyway, I’ll be staying at Derpy’s bed & breakfast, so drop by and let me know what she says. Thanks for the consideration.”

“You can thank Scootaloo when you see her,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding back to the mare. With that said, we both watched as Spitfire turned on her hooves and strode away, offering only a wave as she left.

While I wasn’t exactly as obsessed with the Wonderbolts like Rainbow Dash used to be, I was still awed enough by the sudden appearance of their captain that I was only able to mutter, “...well...that just happened.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash murmured, seeming just as off-balance as I was. “Haven’t seen that mare in years, and all of the sudden she shows up to ask to come to a funeral. I knew Scoots’ parents got around, but I didn’t know they were so respected by the Wonderbolts.”

I shrugged, turning to the mare with a smile. “If nothing else, when Scootaloo finally gets to the point that she can see past the negative, she can be proud of the fact that her parents were great ponies who people respected.”

Rainbow Dash nodded a few times before turning to me with a smile. “Anyway, I should get back to Scoots. I don’t wanna leave her alone for too long.” She wrapped one arm around me and gave a squeeze before pulling away, and I’ll admit, I enjoyed it far more than I probably should have. “See you around, Spike.”

I watched Rainbow Dash enter the home and shut the door behind her, finding myself also smiling at the good that might come of the Wonderbolts being at the funeral. For a pony like Scootaloo, who had battled with self-esteem issues for years, I thought it would do her good to know she came from a family that was well-liked and respected, even among big-shots like the Wonderbolts. That would be something she would look back on though, because I knew that for the moment, Scootaloo was grieving, and that would occupy all of her thoughts.

Rolling my shoulders, I turned on my heel and headed back toward the castle.

“Again, Spike. Feel the emotion; let it fill you up, but stay in control.”

With the primary concerns of the week dealt with, it was back to training, for me. Twilight was kind enough to pick up the slack as far as our regular workload was concerned, but Ember was a harsh taskmaster that didn’t allow laziness or anything less than my best. I had worried -- actually worried -- that she might take things easy on me since we were romantically involved, but wow was I wrong. In Ember’s own words, because I was her mate, she would not -- could not -- tolerate weakness on my part. The reason why dragons were culturally so reluctant to form alliances was because of a core value of draconic culture: strength was pivotal in all things regarding survival, and allowing yourself to be vulnerable when a friend is too weak to watch your back was, to put it lightly, foolish. I had the positively wonderful title of “The Dragon Lord’s Consort,” and apparently that title came with expectations by both Ember herself, and the dragon lands as a whole. I was already a disappointment in the eyes of many of the elders, since I was raised as a pony, and thus, had not learned the things I was now catching up on. I could understand this part of the culture, and even appreciate it, but at the moment, I was wishing I could just pass out.

I was panting and tired, but I gave a nod to Ember as I stood on my feet again and took a solid stance. Today’s training was focused on an emotion that was notoriously difficult to control, but also important to gain control of: rage. Rage was an emotion that was wild and untamed simply because of what it was, and due to the fact it was tied to so many other emotions, it was of paramount importance that I master control of it as soon as possible. Deep emotional attachment could be a powder keg for rage, as was my strong sense of justice, and my tendency toward seeing the good in everyone. To put it simply, because of who I was as a person, I had quite a few weaknesses that could be exploited by an enemy, which was why Ember was working so hard to help me overcome them. I knew Ember was doing it out of love, but that didn’t change the fact that she was pushing me to my limits. I wasn’t dealing with “Ember, my mate” at the moment, but rather “Dragonlord Ember, daughter of Torch”.

Ember was standing a dozen feet in front of me, arms crossed behind her back and her chest held high like her head. With her narrowed gaze and firm stance, she was every bit the picture of the intimidating dragoness most of the other dragons knew her as. She flexed her wings as she mildly chastised, “I told you: you can’t overpower a wild emotion like ‘rage’. Emotions like ‘love’, ‘happiness’, and even ‘sadness’ are gentle enough that you can directly assert control of them like a shepherd controls a flock of sheep. ‘Rage’ isn’t like that at all; ‘rage’ is like having your wings tied down, and being thrown into the middle of the ocean. If you want to survive, you have to work with the current, not against it, and learn to immerse yourself in the emotion without letting it exhaust you. As you’re learning, fighting it is just going to leave you tired and defeated, and that isn’t going to help anyone.”

Still panting, I shook my head as I looked at Ember. “I’m trying, but it feels like a pot of boiling water that keeps boiling over, and then I have to fight with fang and claw just to keep from losing control.”

Ember sighed through her nose and shook her head slightly. “I figured this might be one of the more difficult lessons for you. Because of how you were raised, you don’t have a lot of experience with negative emotions. That’s why greed can still steal your rationale, and why ‘rage’ seems like trying to catch lightning with a butterfly net.”

I chuckled despite the situation. “Yeah, that’s a pretty apt description. I never had to feel this amount of emotion before, so I’m still learning to handle it.”

Ember nodded slightly, apparently deciding to throw me some measure of reassurance. “You’ll get there, but right now, it’s not going to be easy. I’m going to keep pushing you, and we’re not going to stop just because you’re tired. You need to learn this; there’s no other option. If you let rage take control, it will not give up that control until its desires have been sated; I don’t think I have to tell you that rage can be a very destructive emotion, so usually, it means the destruction of anything and anyone in the area. You might hurt or kill those you care about, and not even realize it until rage’s hold on you has been broken.”

Even before she told me, that had been the exact thought that had been my driving force behind this training. I had imagined Twilight, Lyla, Rarity, or any of my other close friends lying at my feet, broken and bruised, looking to me in fear and sadness. I had imagined hurting them, and not even caring because I was unable to feel anything but rage at the time. I couldn’t let that happen, which was why I was perfectly okay with continuing the training, no matter how difficult it was.

I took a few more deep breaths before nodding once more. “All right, let’s go again.”

I turned my focus inwards, thinking about the things that would bring unbridled rage to my heart. It didn’t surprise me much anymore, but I still found it worrying just how easy it was to think of things that made me furious. I could think about some of the Canterlot Royal Court, and how some of them still brought up Luna’s past crimes right in front of her, sometimes blatantly claiming it was just a matter of time before she “fell” once again. Those same ponies would then try to charm her at banquets or special functions, attempting to curry favor with her with some pretty words and false respect. Hadn’t she paid enough for her crimes? She lost a thousand years of her life -- a thousand years spent in complete solitude -- and they still acted as if she hadn’t served her penance! Didn’t they realize that sort of irreverence had been what had caused her heart to fill with darkness in the first place? And now they were doing it again!

...see? It’s like I said: easy.

“There it is,” I heard Ember voice from across the room. “Now, try and forge that ‘hot’ rage into ‘cold’ rage. ‘Hot’ rage is intensely impulsive, indiscriminate in what it destroys, and it burns out fast; ‘cold’ rage, on the other hand, has been tempered. It is focused, calculating, and has a clear direction and purpose. Give that rage an objective, and guide it with logic so that you can accomplish that objective.”

In the thick of that emotion, it was easy to understand why learning to control the emotion “rage” was so important. Without direction or a cool head to guide it, “rage” would make me destroy anything and anyone around me, regardless of whether they were the source of the emotion or not. As Ember had said many times before, avoiding these negative emotions was an exercise in futility. Only by learning to harness them constructively could I claim to have overcome them, since as a dragon, I was particularly vulnerable to strong emotions.

So...what did I want to accomplish?

Rage without purpose was what made the emotion so dangerous, so I had to give it purpose. Rage was powerful, and downright intoxicating, so I had to focus to give it a proper direction to flow. With that in mind, I tried once again to come up with something I could use the power for, but before I could come up with anything, I once again felt the emotion bubbling up too strong within me, and threatening to take control. Once again I had to fight myself to keep control of my own body, and found myself growling in frustration.

“Spike, focus!”

Ember’s voice was like a splash of ice water on my burning body, and I felt clarity come back to me for a few moments. During that time, I was able to randomly pick a spell to channel the emotion into, and began drawing quickly in the air. First came the symbol for “body," followed quickly by "earth" and "force". The hastily cobbled-together spell resulted in a shockwave rolling through the ground from my feet, and I was vaguely aware of Ember hitting the ground with a dull thud.

With a purpose given to the emotion, rationale returned to me, and I was able to once again take in what was happening with a clear mind. I combined the first three words I could think of in an effort to give constructive form to “rage” before it could take control of me, and I found myself feeling sick at the possibility that I could have easily killed myself. Ember was right: I needed to learn better control.

“SPIKE! SPIKE, ARE YOU OKAY?!”

My ears were ringing from the blast, and if Ember’s loud, concerned yelling was any indication, her hearing had taken a hit, too. I opened my eyes and walked over to the downed Ember, who was repeatedly falling over as she tried to reassert her balance so she could stand. I was able to easily walk over to her, since (I assumed) as the caster of the spell, its effects on me were minimised. I extended my hand down to her and pulled her up, catching her in an embrace as she nearly fell over again. She kept nearly souting, which reinforced my theory that her hearing had been affected. I held a finger to my lips in a “shh” motion, and pointed to my ears. She seemed to get the message, and we spent a few minutes just standing silently until the ringing in her ears was apparently at a manageable enough level that she could hear herself to keep from yelling at me.

“Well,” I began, shrugging as I looked at her, “I might have a long way to go before mastery, but I’ve just proven to myself that I can do it.”

Ember smiled at me, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. “Remind me again: who said you could do it if you just kept your focus? I can’t seem to remember, but she’s clearly a smart girl.”

I rolled my eyes at her jab. “Yeah, yeah. You’re awesome, you’re a better dragon than me, and you know what you’re talking about; I already knew all that.”

She settled her hand on my shoulder as she affectionately nosed my throat, playfully darting her tongue out to tickle the brand she had left there what felt like so long ago. “Just because you were raised by ponies, it doesn’t somehow mean you’re less of a dragon. I’m already finding that there’s a lot of differences between you and other dragons that I really enjoy, like the fact you actually give a damn about me.”

By now, I was used to the fact that Ember used a few different swear words that were generally not accepted around polite pony company, and that’s if they were even understood. The language didn’t really bother me; after all, I’d grown up around Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both of whom were known to curse like dockworkers if they were particularly angry or frustrated. I instead found I actually liked her colorful, often passionate, way of speaking. Ember always said what she meant, having no fear of what others thought about her unless they directly affected her life; since she was not among the other dragon lords, and I had basically given her the all-clear as far as the language was concerned, she was quite happy to speak with no filters. I’d already known Ember was brutally blunt sometimes, and I was fine with her being herself. I wouldn’t want her any other way, to be honest.

“Of course I do,” I shot back, raising a brow at her. “I don’t understand how others can only look at you and see a pretty dragoness, or the daughter of Torch, or any of that other shallow stuff. Being raised like I was, I’ve learned there’s always so much more to someone than just what we see at a first meeting, and it's always interesting to get to know who someone is on the inside.” I then slowly trailed one of my claws down the center of her spine, between her wings, and ending just at the top of where her tail began, causing a full-body shiver to run through her. I just smirked and added, “That’s not to say there’s not plenty to enjoy externally, but you know by now that I like you because of who you are, not what you look like.”

Ember fluttered her eyes at me and pulled me into a quick, but heated kiss. After pulling away, she licked her lips and said, “Dad might not really understand you, or the customs of Equestria, but I think he’ll be happy for me. He always used to say I deserved better than the dragons my age in the dragon lands, and I guess he was right; I just had to find someone from another country.”

“Technically,” I teased with a stupid grin, “I found you, if you remember.”

She shrugged and turned her nose up. “Eh, same difference.” She glanced over to the wall, where a shielded face clock was ticking away. “All right, I think that’s enough for today. You were able to properly channel your rage, and all that you’ll need now is more practice. Besides, I’m thinking I should meet your family, so if we can’t do that today, you should set something up.”

I raised my brow, confused. “Why exactly do you need to meet my family?” At her challenging look, I backpedaled. “I-I mean not that I have anything against it, I just want to know why.”

She continued staring at me before poking me in the nose with a claw. “What decides how much political influence a dragon has in the dragon lands? I already taught you this.”

I furrowed my brow in thought for a moment before realization struck me and I slapped a hand to my forehead. “Family...right.”

She nodded and began to lead me out of the room. “And, as your mate, I need to meet your remaining family members. I know it doesn’t seem all that important, but it is to a dragon. If I didn’t know you like I do, I would see it like any other dragon does: if you are reluctant to introduce me to your family, it shows a lack of conviction on your part, which looks very bad. If dad found out you haven’t introduced me to your family yet, he’d be furious.”

Removing my palm from my face, I glanced at her worriedly. “You uh...you’re not gonna tell him though, right?” At Ember’s smirk in my direction, I pressed, “Right?”

She just chuckled and shook her head. “Part of me thinks I should, just to teach you a lesson, but no, I won’t. These aren’t things you’ve had drilled into your head since you were little, like the rest of us, so I’m not gonna expect you to be able to immediately remember all of them. Dad would, but I’m not my father, and I’m inclined to offer you a little leeway since you’re still learning. But,” she raised a finger and again pressed it onto my nose with a grin, “I want you to arrange a meeting as soon as possible. This is serious, and I’m not letting you get out of it.”

I nodded with a sigh of relief, allowing myself to be led out of the training room and into the corridor. “Well, Hearth’s Warming is coming up, and everyone’s going to be there, including Twilight’s parents. That’ll be the perfect time for you to meet them, and there’s no better time than a holiday that’s meant to be spent with family.” Thinking about it for a minute, I then chuckled. “You know, Shining used to joke that the only reason I became infatuated with Rarity when I was younger was because I didn’t have a dragoness around. Guess I proved him wrong; I have both, now.”

Ember chuckled as well. “Almost as if you’re any other dragon, picking out the prettiest treasures for your hoard.”

Smirking her way and turning on the charm, I quipped. “Well, if I’m gonna collect mates, it would make sense to pick the best ones, now wouldn’t it?”

“Cor-ny. Boo,” Ember teased, poking my side. “I’m immune to your charm now, Spike. You’re just a dork again, to me.” Even though she said that, I noted the blush that was showing through in her vivid blue spines.

“Your blush says otherwise,” I countered, poking her back and getting a girly squeak in as an answer. She glared at me and I just poked her again, which soon escalated into a poke war between the two of us.

Complete silence enveloped the room. No one moved, and I was sure at least one of us wasn’t breathing. Oh, wait, that was me. With a deep breath to restart my lungs -- and thus, my brain -- I darted my eyes from Twilight, to Lyla, Ember, and then to the fourth person in the room: a noblemare from Canterlot, and a member of a very influential family within Equestria. The mare was a pale pink with a mane and tail of graying violet, and her equally pale orange eyes seemed a bit mismatched as far as the rest of her coloration went. Nonetheless, as a member of House Silver Vein, Rose Quartz was a mare that had the power to make nearly anyone’s life very unpleasant if she so chose. This was the only reason a practically smoking Twilight was not physically throwing the haughty mare out the window right now, though I questioned whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I gulped hard as I fought to find my words, eventually forcing out, “...I-I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

The mare adjusted her heavy cloak, pointedly ignoring the glares coming from the three other females in the room. “I said that I am here to enter into negotiations for marriage between our families.”

While normally I would make a silly quip about the mare being just a bit out of my acceptable age range (like, 40 years out of it), I reminded myself that I really didn’t want to piss off this mare. “Ma’am, with all due respect, I find myself very confused as to why you’re here. I understand the words you’re saying, but this is quite literally coming out of nowhere; it doesn’t make sense.”

The mare huffed in annoyance, rolling her eyes at me as she condescendingly answered, “You would do well to keep aware of the goings-on in Canterlot. Families are regularly crossed to form beneficial unions, or to produce heirs to keep noble bloodlines strong.”

Holding up my hand and counting two fingers, I answered, “I can’t produce offspring with ponies, and I’m no one. Until I started to do things on my own, most of the nobility said I was Twilight’s pet. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m caught off guard here because, yet again, you’re not making any sense. Please, explain your reasoning for this.” Yes, I was proud of myself for how calm I was being, because now that the shock had worn off, I was quickly approaching the same amount of anger that Twilight was just barely keeping contained.

The mare huffed and rolled her eyes once again, acting as if she were explaining to morons. “You have proven yourself as a valuable asset to Equestria over the years. As an Equestrian-raised dragon, you are an untapped resource that has remained unknown until recently. The incident in the mountains,” I winced at that, but narrowed my eyes at the smirk she gave, “your connection with a dragon lord, your close relationship with national heroines, and the fact that you are the only dragon citizen in Equestria makes you quite the desirable addition to any of the high houses. Luckily, I move quicker on more dependable information, which is why I am making this request now.”

This was a power play, and I knew it, but the sheer balls this mare had astounded me. What the hay made her think I’d even entertain such a thing? Wait...that’s a good question. “Why would I even entertain the idea? I don’t know you, I don’t know your family, and frankly, I’m not in the business of political marriages.”

I didn’t like the fact that the mare was still smirking. It spelled bad news for me, and I mentally braced myself for it.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she wondered aloud, checking her fingernails casually, “but I think it might be...let’s say problematic, if all of Equestria learned that you leveled three mountains in the mountain range because you went into a draconic rage, again. I wonder how Equestria would respond if they realize that you are quite the liability to have in this country.”

My eyes widened briefly, but I quickly schooled my expression to neutrality. “You have no proof that was me. I went there to evict a potentially dangerous dragoness, not to make it my own roost. I have an entire town behind me that would back me up, as well as a few important international individuals.”

The mare sighed, though she didn’t drop her smirk. “Oh yes, roughly forty thousand against sixty-seven million. I wonder how that would go, when so few actually know anything about you. You forget: you are not the two sisters. Most of Equestria only knows what they read in the papers, and if those papers just happen to claim you destroyed several million tons of rock in a rage, well...I think you may find your support quickly dwindling.” She then sneered at Lyla, and I nearly snarled at the mare as she added, “The integration of changelings in society is also very recent, and fragile. If they were to find that your precious changeling here had transformed into a monster strong enough to hold off a dragon...well, I don’t think I need to say what may happen to public opinion of them. Tell me little changeling, can your kind feed on fear?”

With that said, my mask of civility completely broke away, and with it went my fear of this mare. I pressed a palm to my forehead and chuckled darkly, muttering. “Wow, you must be shooting to make enemies of everyone today, aren’t you?” Sighing heavily, I removed my hand from my face and settled for a flat look of disgust. “It’s time for you to go. You are not going to intimidate me into some Canterlot political scheme, and you lost what little respect I had for you when you insulted my mate.” The mare’s face had fallen from a smirk to a slight frown, and then an outright grimace as I pointed my thumb to Lyla. Seeing the expression, I nodded with a grin of my own. “That’s right, that ‘little changeling’ is a part of my herd,” I then glanced to Ember and corrected, “or, I guess, since I’m a dragon, it’s hoard. That hoard includes Lady Rarity, who I’m sure you know, as well as Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The mare’s face had graduated from a grimace now, and she was now practically snarling at me as I finally grabbed Ember by the arm and pulled her against me. I then turned her so that her Mate’s Mark was showing, and showed my own as I explained, “And with these marks we share, we are basically the Equestrian equivalent of married as well, so I’m already claimed. I just want to remind you that you are standing in a room with three females that probably want to hurt you pretty badly right now, so if you don’t have anything smart to say, you should probably leave. In closing, thanks for coming, buck you, buck your family, buck your friends and colleagues, and buck that hairstyle, while I’m at it -- Rarity would be appalled at the lack of style. Oh,” I interrupted as she opened her mouth, stepping away from Ember and closer to the mare, who just now seemed to realize she was pissing off a dragon that was nearly twice her size (size is relative for a dragon, but she didn’t know that), “and if you think you’re going to head back to Canterlot and start planning ways to destroy my life and/or reputation, let me remind you: I’ve got the backing of Equestria’s most powerful living weapons, at least one clan of dragons would mark you for death, and then of course are the changelings.”

Seemingly reading my mind, Lyla stepped forward and quickly shifted her shape to a dozen different forms of differing sizes, genders, colors, races, and even to inanimate objects. Shifting back to her native form, Lyla glared at the mare and growled, “Remember, fool: changelings can be anything, go anywhere, and are the worldwide masters at perfectly replicating the way someone talks, acts, even breathes. If you want to make an enemy of Spike, fine. However, keep this in mind:” she leaned closer to the shorter mare, purposefully showing off her fangs for good measure as she whispered, “you will make enemies with a good number of the changeling race. There is nowhere you can go, nowhere you can hide to escape us. We could replace your son, your daughters, your house staff, your banker, your friend you meet at the corner cafe at noon on Tuesdays,” the mare’s eyes widened at that, and I raised a brow, “the maintenance stallion that regularly inspects things in your home, your carriage drivers, your attorney, even the stallion that works the counter at that donut shop you visit when you think your husband isn’t watching.” The mare was practically shivering now, realizing she just picked a fight with the wrong person. Lyla leaned just a little closer, close enough that the mare would be able to pick out the individual freckles under her eyes, as she maliciously hissed, “Your information network is nothing to a changeling. I know when you eat, I know when and where you lay your head at night, I know that you like the drink more than you should, and I even know where you hide the things you want no one to see. DO. NOT. TEST. ME.”

Once again, like so many times before, I was glad Lyla was my friend.

Lyla pulled away, stepping back and jerking her head toward the door. “You should see yourself out, and remember this little talk we had. Keep it in mind should you want to start flapping your gums about any of this, because if anything suddenly happens to us or any of our friends or family, I’ll know exactly who to hunt down, and how to find her. Now,” she pulled the door open with a flash of magic, letting the cold winter air invade, “safe journeys. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, you despicable mare.”

I had the great satisfaction in watching the older mare practically tripping over herself to leave, and the door slammed shut behind her by Lyla’s magic.We all stood silently for a few moments before letting out a collective breath.

Twilight, unfortunately, had to inject some truth into our relief. “I hate to say it, but that’s going to come back to bite us. House Silver Vein isn’t known for backing off when they have an ‘asset’ in their sights, so expect to hear from them again at some point. Once she calms down, she’ll realize that if Lyla did what she threatened, it would destroy Equestria’s relationship with the changelings that live here, so in the meantime, we need to think of a plan to neutralize their threats.”

Groaning, I stomped the ground and shouted, “I HATE POLITICS!”

After a moment of us all basking if my shout, Twilight cleared her throat and announced, “Actually...I just thought of something, and you’re going to like it even less. You might want to sit down for it.”

Shooting a tired look her way, I then tromped over to the public dais and sat on the stairs, slumping my head and shoulders. “All right, hit me.”

Twilight chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before she said, “...as rude and pompous as she was, the more and more I go over the exchange in my head, I don’t think this visit was for her house. I think she was a probe.”

To my annoyance, neither Lyla nor Ember seemed at all confused by the term. I raised my hand like a student and replied, “Pretend for a moment that not all of us are masters of politics and/or subterfuge. What do you mean by ‘she was a probe’?”

Twilight shifted uneasily, darting her eyes about. “W-well, what I mean is that it’s likely she was sent here by another house that has more power than hers, either for a monetary fee, or a favor of some kind. Her demeanor, her words, and even her insults seemed specifically catered to get a rise out of you...like a scout-”

“Probing defenses,” I finished, groaning as I collapsed back against the stairs, splaying my wings on the dais haphazardly. “Can we just move away to a different dimension or something? I’m so sick of this underhanded, two-faced game we always have to play.”

“Trust me Spike,” Twilight muttered with equal exhaustion, “you’re not the only one. What I do know is that her being a probe makes the most sense. The Silver Vein is a third-tier noble house*, but they didn’t become as powerful as they are by being stupid. The way she treated us and the way she approached you were all ‘rookie mistakes’, as Rainbow Dash would say; as one of the heads of the house, it doesn’t make sense that she would act the way she did without purpose...and the only one that does make sense is that she was a probe for another house.”

I released a blast of hot air out of my mouth, not caring that I was acting this way in a public area of the castle; I just didn’t care right now, and I was so tired of all of this.

“And, of course, we won’t know what house is responsible or what they want until it’s too late to prevent it,” I surmised, feeling just as defeated as I likely looked. Raising my arms briefly before letting them flop down again, I asked, “Do you think we should let Mom and Auntie Luna know?”

“We all know there’s nothing they’re allowed to do directly,” Twilight reminded, “but, I suppose it can’t hurt to let them know you’re currently in the crosshairs of one of the big families. If nothing else, Luna’s spy teams can keep an eye on the movements of the members we know about. It will basically be putting a plaster on a broken leg, but it’s all we can do for the moment.”

“Well,” Ember began, and I could clearly hear the smirk in her tone, “it’s not all we can do.”

This was followed by the sound of a feathered wing slapping against something -- likely Ember herself, if the “Ow” was anything to go by -- and Twilight chiding, “Nuh uh, no burninating the nobles.”

“But-”

“No, Ember.”

“Fiiiine…”

I couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled up in my throat, and with how stressed I was at the moment, the laugh felt soothing. There was sure to be issues we had to deal with in the future, but knowing my girls would be by my side made things not feel so bleak. And, if I were being honest with myself, turning the estates of certain noble houses into ashes had some appeal. Maybe another time…

“All right then,” I said aloud, sitting up again and looking to the three in front of me, “I defer to your knowledge. I have no idea what to do about this, and the three of you are clearly far more knowledgeable, so tell me what we need to do.”

Twilight reached down with Ember, each taking one of my hands, and pulled me to stand as she advised, “We’re going to take one day at a time. First things first: we need to prepare for the upcoming funeral, the trip to Canterlot, and then Hearth's Warming. It will take time to establish an information base on the noble houses, so just living our lives will give Princess Luna the time to do that. Until we have more information, we just have to keep moving forward as usual, and keep from doing anything particularly absurd.”

“Well,” Ember began, rolling her eyes with a theatrical sigh, “there goes most of my plans. You’ve put me in a box here, Twilight.”

Twilight only smiled at the dragoness and nudged her as we all began walking back toward the private apartments. “In all seriousness, maybe you should go out and spend time with Spike among the populace. You’ll be around a lot more once I get the gates up and running, so it would be a good idea to get to know the neighbors.”

With that idea, I got the chance to see the rare unsure, timid side to Ember that was adorable. The slightly withdrawn posture, hunched wings, and nervous expression was quite endearing, and I couldn’t help it as I took to her side and wrapped my wing around her tightly. Ember fell into step beside me, leaning her weight on me and lovingly nosing my throat as we continued walking back toward the common room.

“I-I mean...I guess if you think I should, I can,” Ember finally murmured, her anxiety clear as day.

Twilight turned around at the tone of Ember’s voice, and pushed herself into my wing right beside Ember herself. I felt as one of Twilight’s feathered wings wrapped around the dragoness as well, and the taller female herself jolted at the sudden embrace of the mare. After a moment of hesitation, Ember slowly snaked an arm around Twilight’s body, and accepted the embrace fully with a gentle sigh of appreciation.

“I think you should, yes,” Twilight breathed, barely loud enough to hear as she slowly stroked her hand in a comforting motion up and down Ember’s forearm, “but you don’t have to. In the end, it’s always your decision, and I’ll respect your feelings no matter what they are. Just know that I didn’t particularly like other ponies back when I lived in Canterlot, but getting out among this town, and getting to know the ponies that lived here, did wonders for me.” After a moment of holding the dragoness, Twilight slightly pulled away so that she could look her in the eye. “We want you to be comfortable here, Ember. I don’t think it would be fair for you to be essentially confined to the castle every time you come here, which is why I think it would be good if you desensitize yourself to Ponyville as a whole, so that you don’t have to confine yourself to such a small space when you’re here. I want this to be more for you than just ‘where Spike is’. With time, I want it to become a second home to you, and you will always be welcome here.”

While Ember wasn’t exactly comfortable sharing her emotions freely, it was easy to hear the sea of gratitude in her tone as she shakily breathed, “...thank you, Twilight.”

Since she didn’t want to push her luck and make the dragoness distinctly uncomfortable with physical contact between them, Twilight pulled away and ducked out of my wing, stepping around and nodding to Ember with a smile. “You’re welcome. Now, I do have some things to go through in preparation for the next few weeks, so unless you want to help…”

Ember’s face took on a sour look, sticking out her tongue for good measure. “Forms and appeals have never been my strong point. I think I’ll follow Spike around town for a little while, to see what trouble we can get up to.”

“Don’t do anything illegal,” Twilight warned. Then, thinking for a moment, she amended, “...rather, don’t hurt anypony. Or destroy property.”

I just chuckled aloud, leading Lyla and Ember out with me as we left the room. “Oh ye of little faith. I promise, the town will still be standing tomorrow. See you later, Twi.” Twilight threw a wave my way as we left, but said nothing more when we vacated the room.

Arriving at the coat racks, I began helping Ember get dressed up in her winter clothing, which included a long hose-like portion that connected to the rump of her trousers to cover her tail. I’ll admit, it was a bit odd seeing Ember’s brilliant blue coloration only on her face, but warmth was more important than beauty in this instance, so I shook the thought away. Even with her body mostly covered, Ember’s form was still distinctly female in shape, and her brilliant red eyes glittered like rubies in the dim light of the room. After also helping the equally attractive Lyla get dressed in warm clothes, I escorted the two out of the castle and into Ponyville proper, immediately picking up on the sounds of ponies out and about all around us.

There were some errands I had to run around town, namely grocery shopping, so I decided to start our little outing by heading to the market. With one mate on each side of me, I led the three of us toward the main square of the town, greeting the neighbors with a wave and smile. A few of the braver ponies approached and greeted Ember and Lyla directly, but while the changeling was quite used to interaction with ponies, Ember’s responses were still short, reserved, and nervous. Since part of the reason for us going out was exposing Ember to the populace more, I made it a point to stop and let the ponies talk to her directly when they wanted, so that the dragoness could get used to interacting with them. I’ll admit, I was impressed at how composed and formal Ember sounded to my own ears, but I knew that Ember only spoke formally when she was nervous, or intimidated. I could only hope that with time, and some effort on our parts, her awkwardness would fade away, and she would feel like just another part of the community. I knew it was going to take time, and Ember was unlikely to do it on her own, which was why I was quite willing to escort her. More personally though, I was always happy to spend time with my friends, whether we were romantically involved or not.

As we approached the market itself, we were treated to a fairly quiet affair, since most of the Ponyvillians were enjoying the day instead of shopping for groceries. This allowed us to quickly and efficiently pick up what we needed while allowing Ember to talk to one or two ponies at a time instead of six or more. She did much better with smaller interactions, and as time passed, she became more confident and animated in the way she spoke, which was closer to the way I knew her. It was heartening to see her adjusting so fast, and it brought a warmth to my chest to know she was willingly putting forth real effort in this endeavor. Having me and Lyla with her helped the ponies feel more comfortable around Ember, and the dragoness herself also felt more confident with us supporting her. It also helped that the ponies we met knew she was my mate, which made their salutations and greetings much more personal than if we had just met strangers on the street. All in all, I would like to think it was a good start for Ember, and she seemed to be getting used to casually speaking with other ponies.

Even though we didn’t have anything particularly pressing going on, there were other things I wanted to do, so we waved goodbye to the ponies in the market and made our way back to the castle to drop off the groceries. Twilight was hard at work on something or other, waving me off with a smile when I asked if she needed help, so the three of us left once again and headed toward Barnyard Bargains to just shop around and see what we could find; Filthy Rich was a shrewd business owner, but he was known for having good stock at fair prices. My idea was to find some things that Ember might be able to take back with her as momentos for her home in the dragon lands, but also, I wanted to give her the opportunity to meet more ponies in a more relaxed environment.

The glass doors opened and activated the air curtain that kept the cold air out, and warm air in. We passed through the rushing air and entered the building, and I heard the sigh of content from Ember as she enjoyed the warmth. The first pony we came across was the owner himself, since Filthy Rich devoutly believed that a good business owner should always be an integral part of his or her own business. The stallion was currently standing at the front door, meticulously going over a merchandise delivery from a few stallions with several large boxes full of goods.

Filthy Rich looked up at the sound of our entrance, and smiled brightly at the sight of me. He happily greeted me in his slow, lilting southern accent*, which was far different than Applejack’s. “Well hello there young Spike; it’s always good t’see you here. How are y’all doin’ today?”

I smiled back and nodded to him. “We’re doing just fine. We had some time to kill, so I thought we could come see what your store has to offer. I know it’s close to the holidays, and I don’t expect to find much, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you somehow always have a way of surprising me regarding your stock.”

Filthy Rich had the good grace to look respectfully flattered, and chuckled lightly as he signed off on the paperwork on his clipboard, handing it to the delivery ponies before facing me completely. “Well, I thank you for your kind words.” He glanced to the changeling and bowed his head slightly. “Miss Lyla, it’s good to see you as well. My thanks once again for your help with the roof.”

Lyla gave her own nod and smile. “Of course, Mr. Rich. You paid for the best, so you got the best. You let me know if you see any problems, and I’ll fix it right up.”

Filthy Rich nodded back before turning to the third member of our group, raising an eyebrow slightly at the sight of her. “Well now, I wasn’t expectin’ t’see another of Spike’s kind. If I remember it was...Princess Ember, yes?”

Ember looked a bit surprised, but nodded with a polite smile. “I’m surprised you remember me, sir. I didn’t exactly mingle all that much. Oh, and just ‘Ember’ is fine.”

“My dear, in my line of work, it pays to keep track of visitors to Ponyville, even if I don’t speak to’m di-rectly,” he answered, his smile never wavering. “That, and it would be difficult to ignore another dragon in our town, since Spike here was the only one we had regular contact with for many years.”

“That’s actually part of the reason we’re here, Mr. Rich,” I advised, gently placing my hand on Ember’s shoulder. “As you can imagine, Ember here hasn’t exactly had much experience interacting with ponies. I thought it would be a good idea for us to get out and about so we could change that.” If Ember’s angry snort was any indication, I was going to pay for that comment later, but it would be worth it to have another friendly neighbor ready to help if needed.

Filthy Rich nodded a few times before jerking his head to the store. “Well, I’m always willin’ to help a neighbor. Go on and browse ‘round the store to your heart’s content; I believe your friends Dinky and Snips are working today, if you want to greet them.”

I nodded to him with a smile. “That sounds great, Mr. Rich. Thanks for understanding.” I turned away from the stallion and made my way through the store, which sold everything from general knick-knacks to some more rare items, imported from all across Equestria, and even outside of it.

As we passed around one of the aisles, and out of sight of the front of the store, Ember suddenly jabbed me hard in the ribs and glared at me. “What in the holy flames was that? You made me look like some kinda meek little whelp that’s afraid of ponies.”

I expected the reaction, but was surprised she didn’t wait until we were at home. Nonetheless, I had a response planned ahead of time. Taking her hand in mine and placing the other on her shoulder, I assured, “I didn’t do it to be a jerk, I did it because that guy has a knack for talking his way in circles around even the most socially-adept pony. He got to be where he is because he knew who to talk to, how, and when. When it comes to communicating with other ponies, that stallion is a master, and it could only help to have him know we’re putting a real effort into helping you acclimate to life here. He doesn’t need to know why, but having a guy like him willing to help is always a good thing; if the worst happens and you step full-tilt into a social faux pas, he will be able to help smooth it over.”

Ember stared at me for a few moments before sighing heavily and slightly pouting. “I don’t like strangers knowing that I feel uncomfortable about certain things. It makes me look weak.”

“It makes you look like you’re willing to learn to be a part of Equestrian society,” Lyla pointed out, speaking up after being silent for so long. “As the ‘land of love and tolerance’, any effort to fit in and be accepted is seen as a good thing. The ponies of Ponyville -- who are quite literally under the watch of the Princess of Friendship -- will welcome you with open arms and stand beside you, if only you’ll let them. If they can accept and welcome me, they can do it for you, too.”

Nodding in agreement, I motioned to Lyla. “Changelings did the hard part. If you remember, Chrysalis nearly irreparably damaged Equestria’s view of changelings, but through some hard work by Thorax, Luna, Twilight, and yours truly, they’re now widely accepted everywhere, and are valued for their unique contributions to the nation. I don’t care if I have to go to each and every pony in town: I will never let you be excluded simply because of who or what you are. You’re my friend and mate, and I will ensure everyone knows that. I’ll write it with fire in the sky if I need to.”

By now, it was clear Ember was blushing, but she still smiled at me as she joked, “You don’t need to go that far...but thanks. I’ll put forth real effort, I promise.” With that we began walking through the store again as she continued with, “So who is Dinky and Snips?”

I smiled briefly as we looked over the different items on the shelves, some of which I found real interest in. “Dinky is the daughter of one of the local mailmares, and Snips is one of the few guy friends I have around here. I’ve known both of them since shortly after we first moved here, and we’ve stayed pretty close through the years. They both work here as part of their intern program with one of the schools in Canterlot -- Snips manages the stockroom while Dinky comes up with the interior design.” I pointed to the walls, which had a soft shade of blue-green paint along with the strategic placement of the merchandise and displays. “All of this is Dinky’s work, and simply going by the numbers, her work has increased sales for the store by 5% in just the last year alone. People don’t think about it, but colors and decor affects what we buy, and how much.”

Ember shook her head with an exasperated expression. “I’ll have to take your word for it. Colors are colors, to me.” She then stopped what she was doing and approached one of the shelves, which had a column of jars with a viscous liquid inside that shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. I knew what it was immediately, but Ember clearly didn’t.

“Liquid rainbow,” I advised, pointing to the jars. “Useful in alchemy, and when mixed with water, energized clouds, and a bit of pegasus magic, it can produce the same kind of rainbow fountains that Rainbow Dash has at her house. This stuff is pretty hard to come by,” I pointed to the price tag on the shelf, “so the 300-bit price is fair.”

Now realizing just how valuable the jars were, Ember was far more careful as she gently lifted one of them up to her face to examine it. “You know, ten years ago, if you’d told me ponies could distill a rainbow and make it into a liquid that could be bottled and sold, I would have called you crazy.”

I shrugged with a grin. “That’s the power of pegasus magic. They might not all be able to cast actual spells, but all ponies have magic that can do amazing things. Even before Twilight became an alicorn, it was nuts the kinds of things she could do.” I then smiled wider as a thought came to mind. “Oh, and a certain dressmaker I love knows a spell that can find gems in the ground, no matter where they are.”

Ember glanced at me with a surprised expression. “Really now? That’d save a lot of time for gem-harvesting. Would be nice to know exactly where we would need to dig, so we wouldn’t have to waste time in areas that have nothing there.”

“Unfortunately,” I continued, “the spell is her unique ability*. That isn’t to say other unicorns can’t learn the spell, but it’s extremely complex, and even Twilight has trouble casting it properly. Put simply, most unicorns would be unable to learn the spell. Rarity is the only pony that can use the spell with any sort of efficiency, and it wouldn’t be fair to ask her to find gem snacks for all of the dragons.” I then nudged Ember with a grin. “So, beyond becoming closer to another member of my hoard, being friends with Rarity would give you access to gems without needing to search for hours or days for a decent amount on your own.”

Ember shot a slight glare my way. “I wouldn’t try to be close to Rarity just to get gems, Spike. Give me more credit than that.”

“Does that mean you’d turn her down if she offered you some?” I countered with a knowing smile.

Ember ducked her head slightly and muttered, “...well, I didn’t say that…” Ember suddenly perked up and looked behind us.

I followed her gaze to see a familiar mauve unicorn mare, whose yellow eyes shone brightly with happiness as she gave some hand motions with a bright smile. Following that, she stepped forward and embraced me in a hug, and I almost laughed aloud at the growl Ember gave.

Turning toward the dragoness, I dipped my head toward the mare in my arms. “This is Dinky. She’s one of my childhood friends, and one of the first mares I dated when I was growing up.” The mare herself tapped me to get my attention before making some more hand movements, and I just chuckled at the display. “Hey, that was not my fault. I remain convinced your dad never liked me.”

Ember just looked confused. “Am I missing something?”

It took a moment for me to understand just why she was confused, and I slapped a hand to my forehead. “Oh, sorry about that. Dinky’s mute, meaning she can’t speak; she uses sign language to communicate. And put that green-eyed monster of yours away; you don’t need to feel possessive of me around Dinky. We had our time together, and it was nice, but we discovered we worked out better as friends. I care about her, and she’ll always be special to me, but Dinky and I are strictly friends.”

Ember released an audible “oh” of realization and had the good grace to look apologetic. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I promise. It’s just...y’know, dragon instincts.”

Dinky now looked confused, so I explained to her, “Dragons don’t usually have more than one special someone, Dinky. Ember is a part of my herd, so she’s having to learn to share me with others. Be patient with her.” The mare looked up to the dragoness and gave a nod with the “okay” hand signal, waving off the apology. She made some hand gestures, which I translated as, “Dinky says don’t worry about it. She’s willing to forgive and forget, and she hopes you can be a friend.” She made a flurry of gestures. “She also says you have beautiful coloration, and she loves the striking shade of your eyes. Your scales shine like polished gems, and your eyes carry the fiery intensity of a volcano.”

Ember was blushing up a storm as she absently stroked her cheek with a claw. “...I think I know where you got some of your smooth-talking, Spike.” She then shot a smirk my way and added, “You better be careful, or your friend here might lure me away with talk like that.”

I was well-aware that Dinky had no preference on the gender of those she was interested in, so the next response was sure to be entertaining. If there was one other thing Dinky was an expert at besides interior design and color-matching, it was knowing how to manipulate others to get a certain response. It was a small mercy that sign language was not a skill most ponies had. I had no doubt that in the infinite timelines among the aether, Dinky was a widely feared pony due to her silver tongue (hands?) in a significant number of them, and at least one had her as the leader of a comically-sized harem.

This was proven when Dinky left my embrace, and stepped up to Ember with a disarming smile. She extended one open hand toward the dragoness, and after a moment of hesitation, Ember placed her own hand in the mare’s. Dinky locked her eyes on Ember’s, and slowly ran the fingers of both hands over the digits of the larger female in front of her. Her gaze remained on the eyes of Ember as she touched just the right places, at just the right times, soon bringing another blush to Ember’s head spines, and causing her eyes to dilate as primal feelings began to swirl in her mind and body. Dinky then slowly released the hand she held, and gently ran her palms over the forearms of Ember, up her elbows, upper arms, and then across her collar as she almost lovingly cradled the jaw of the dragoness that was completely fixated on her. Unbidden, Ember leaned down toward the mare, completely captivated, but just before she could give in to the desire that held her, Dinky playfully booped the dragoness on the snout and pulled away, silently giggling as she turned to me and waved before walking away.

Ember was in a daze as she seemed to come back from some other place in her mind, and she roughly shook her head as she composed herself. She darted her eyes to the back door that Dinky had left through, and more gently shook her head with a snort. “I’ve never questioned who and what I was attracted to before now. That mare is dangerous.”

“See? You’re learning new things every day, just like me,” I quipped, smoothing my hand over the clothed back of Ember. “Ponies might not be physically big and strong, but I’d imagine you’re learning that they’re powerful in other ways.”

“I already knew there was more to ponies than meets the eye; this isn’t the first time I’ve been here, and my first meeting with you and the others at the Gauntlet of Fire proved that a lot of my assumptions were wrong,” Ember answered, shaking her head slowly again, seemingly in awe at what she had just experienced. “Still, to actually have it happen in front of me, first-hand, is...crazy. I understand how you can be so annoyed by a bunch of nobles up in the capital now.”

I nodded a little more soberly. “Since I make it a point of principle to adhere to the laws of Equestria, they can and will use it against me if I make them upset. They’ve done it before, and I have no doubt they’ll do it again. I’m already expecting them to do something when you, me and Twilight go up to Canterlot soon.” I glanced at Ember from the side of my eye. “Probably you specifically because you’re largely an unknown variable, and they’re going to ‘probe’ you like that mare did to me, earlier.”

Ember grimaced at that, and looked to Lyla. “I kinda wish you could be the one to go instead. I don’t do too well when people purposely try to get on my nerves.”

Lyla, who had been silently observing us until that moment, smiled reassuringly. “Twilight and Spike trust you to behave, so trust yourself. Follow their lead, and just try not to shout at anyone, and you’ll be fine. Yes, they’re probably going to poke at you, but the nobles know better than to do anything overt in front of Twilight.”

“Why does it sound like you two are preparing me like I’m walking onto a battlefield?” Ember asked, half-seriously.

I gave a short laugh before I began leading her through the store once again.

One thing I found interesting about dragons was that our culture was not so against piercings and body modification, like ponies were. Dragons regularly pierced parts of their bodies, faces, and even modified the size and shape of their horns, though as I really thought about it, the practice made sense. Dragons usually hoarded jewels and precious metals, so piercings would allow a dragon to take a little bit of their hoard with them. When I asked Ember why she hadn’t gotten any yet, she replied that she hadn’t had a reason to until recently.

“Like birds and many other animals that flash bright colors and adorn themselves with pretty trinkets, dragons also do the same to stand out and draw attention to themselves,” she explained as we browsed the wares of one of Ponyville’s master jewellers. She glanced back at me in an almost teasing manner. “Lately, however, I have a reason to look good. I might not like dresses or things like that, but shiny chains, rings, or piercings are more my style.”

The only experience I had with those that liked to pierce themselves was the “goth” clique among young ponies and teenagers. The group was still fairly new to Equestria, and thus were sometimes called “freaks” because of their abnormal appearance, but there was still something very interesting about the people that took that road. I’ll admit, the thought of Ember with piercings, maybe a tattoo or two, and a spiked leather collar was...shockingly exciting.

“You’re thinking naughty things again, Spike,” Ember commented off-handedly, smirking though she didn’t look at me directly. She pointed to her own mate’s mark, which was glowing slightly in green. “As our bond becomes stronger, we can pick up on what the other is feeling, if we’re in close proximity. I can’t read your mind, but I’ll know what you feel.”

“Same,” Lyla threw in, smiling at Ember as she drew her attention. “Nice to know that I’m not alone in being able to feel what Spike is feeling.”

I glanced at the two and rhetorically asked, “You two are going to use this against me, aren’t you?”

Ember just smiled enigmatically. “What were you thinking about that stirred you up?”

I rolled my eyes and continued looking over the display full of necklaces, chains, and bracelets of various materials. “Remember when we saw that pony in the market with all the piercings, and the black eyeliner, and the dark colors, and the collar?” At Ember’s raised eyebrow, I pointed to her. “I was imagining you like that, and for some reason it...stimulated my mind.”

Ember seemed to consider what I said before she chuckled and went back to the jewellry. “Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to use that against you. And Lyla here is going to help me.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are. And it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Ember promised the changeling, shooting me a mischievous smirk.

Trying not to sound too excited at what might be in store for me, I muttered, “I’m not sure if I should be afraid or not. I’m well aware of what Lyla is capable of when she puts her mind to flustering me, and I’m beginning to understand just how dangerous you can be in that respect, Ember. Just promise me that I won’t get in trouble for whatever you have in mind.”

Ember seemed to think quietly for a moment before requesting, “Define ‘trouble’.”

I opened my mouth to respond, only to shut it a moment later. I stopped and thought about how I should define the word, eventually answering, “Just...make sure whatever you do isn’t going to get me ostracized or banished.”

“You worry too much, Spike,” Ember teased, pointing to a set of simple gold bracelets, and one golden ruby ring. The jeweller pulled out the items from the display case, and Ember casually put the bracelets up to her horns. “What do you think?”

I rounded her and stood in front so I could get a good look at the dragoness. Gold clearly suited Ember much better than silver, and dragons adorned their horns just as much as the rest of themselves. However, I couldn’t help but think, “...I don’t know. Your father has the same kind of thing, so I think you should get something a little more unique -- you know, something that says ‘Dragon Lord Ember,’ not ‘Ember, daughter of Torch’.”

She lowered the bracelets and looked at them carefully before placing them back on the display. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” She then pointed a claw at two small golden studs connected by a thin, curved piece of metal. After they were presented to her, she placed them up by her brow, looking to me with a silent question.

I did my best to visualize what Ember would look like with a brow piercing, and found it worked a lot better than I thought. “You know what, I think that one works.”

The jeweller then moved to the side, pulling up another set of items that looked like golden rings with one ball on each end. She explained, “You’re clearly interested in the recent interest in piercing among the younger folk, so I thought I’d mention a new trend we’ve begun seeing lately.” The mare pulled two of the rings up to her face, placing one on each side of her mouth, just under her lower lip. “The colts and fillies call these ‘snake bites’, and it’s become rather popular among the youth of Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Canterlot. It hasn’t hit Ponyville just yet, since this is traditionally a farming town and tends to be...well, traditional, but I imagine it won’t be long before we see these, too.”

Ember looked at these “lip rings,” and grabbed them as well. “Sounds good, let’s do it.”

I raised a brow at Ember. “What’s with the sudden binge and decision to pierce yourself all up?”

Ember returned my expression before poking me in the chest. “Like I said, I’ve got a reason to look good, now. I’ve actually been wanting to do this for awhile, but it just wasn’t practical.”

I snorted and waved my hand in her face. “Hello? I already think you’re good-looking. You don’t have to do this if-”

“Like I said,” she interrupted, “I’ve wanted to do this for awhile. Now, I have a reason to. Do you think I’ll look ugly with them?” I had nothing to say, and at my silence, Ember just nodded with a grin. “Exactly. Just enjoy it, and I will too.”

The mare at the counter smiled to Ember and nodded. “I’m glad you’ve found something you like. We also do piercing services here, for a cleaner, safer experience.”

Ember didn’t even hesitate. “Sounds good, but you’re going to need a stronger needle than normal. Dragonhide is like armor in some places, and while the brow and mouth are softer, the flesh is still thicker than the skin of a pony.”

The mare smiled before heading to a back room. “I have just the thing! I’ll return in a moment!”

While we waited, I nudged Ember in the side with a finger, prompting a jolt and glare my way. I just returned the look with a flat expression. “And you say I’m impulsive.”

Ember just smiled at me and nudged me back. “You should get one.”

“Yeah, no. Twilight would freak,” I advised, though I’ll admit I had thought about it before that day. “I’ll have to ease her into the idea, and that could take some time. I think you having some would actually be a great ice-breaker, though, so this could actually work in my favor.” I glanced to Lyla, who had been silent the entire time. “What about you, Lye? Up for a piercing?”

Lyla just deadpanned at me. Her head lit up in emerald fire, and when it dissipated, two silver earrings could be seen hanging from her ears. Another flash of emerald flame, and they were gone. “Kind of pointless to get body piercings when I can just give the illusion that I have them. Why, do you like them?”

I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck with a sheepish smile. “...kinda. Cadence had some when we were younger, and I’ve always thought they made her look really cute.”

Now Lyla was doing her own eyebrow-raise at me. “Auntie Cadence? You thought your aunt looked cute?”

“We’re not actually related,” I retorted, blushing all the same. “Besides...she’s the princess of love. You’ve seen her, and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s almost like she was born to be a sex object. If little Flurry Heart got those genes from Cadence, she’s going to end up the same way, and Uncle Spike is going to have to scare off a bunch of horny teenage colts.”

Lyla just giggled and shrugged. “All right fine, you’ve got me there. Well, like I said, they’re just an illusion, so if you like the look…” Lyla’s head was again engulfed in green flames, and the silver earrings were back on the lobes of her ears. She fidgeted with her ears a bit to show the rings moved like they should, and then asked, “Do they look nice?”

I could only give a single, silent laugh at her, nodding with a smile. “Yes, they look good. And you’re a treasure, Lyla.” I affectionately pressed my nose against hers as I stroked my claws through her hair, and then pulled away as I heard hoofsteps returning from the back room.

The jeweller had returned, holding a small case in one hand and a sturdy stool in the other. “All right, let’s get you adorned with your new purchases.” She beckoned Ember back behind the counter, and we all followed. Pointing to the stool, she gestured for the dragoness to sit, and after that, she opened the case and pulled out a sealed package containing a shiny needle. “This here is made of tempered titanium, with an impurity rating of less than 1%. It’s stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, as well as being magically sharpened to a microscopic degree. This could puncture through royal guard plate, if needed, so this will be nice and quick.” She pulled on a pair of medical latex gloves before grasping a bottle of rubbing alcohol, pausing. “Are dragons able to tolerate acetone and ethanol?”

I nodded. “Yeah, there’s no difference between us and ponies, there. She’ll be fine.”

The mare nodded before wetting a cotton ball in the strong-smelling liquid. “So, how do you want the eyebrow ring? One brow or both?”

Ember shrugged. “Both on the right side.”

The mare nodded once again before dabbing the area with the cotton ball. “Now, I’m going to use surgical steel piercings to actually hold the place until it heals. Since this metal is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction, it’s the safest kind to use until the site has healed. Once it’s healed, you can change them out for the ones you are buying.” The mare quickly tore open the package, which contained a curved, hollow tube-like needle. She fixed the piercing on one end of the needle and prodded the skin of Ember’s brow a few times, seemingly looking for a good area before pinching a place and saying, “Okay, hold still and take a breath. I’ll be doing both in quick succession. 1, 2, 3 and…”

The first piercing slid into place as easily as if she were a certain fashionista using a sewing needle. She quickly screwed on the ball to secure it, then immediately moved a half-inch over and placed the second piercing. Ember didn’t so much as flinch as this was done, and I have to admit, I was impressed that she didn’t even growl.

The mare pulled back briefly before grabbing another sealed package, this time with a much longer set of needles, which also looked quite a bit more intimidating. “Okay, so, do you want to wait for a moment, or-”

Ember shook her head. “Nope, keep it going. It’d be stupid to wait for the swelling to set in.”

The mare looked suitably impressed, glancing at me with a smile. “I like her. Well chosen, Spike.”

I felt embarrassed at the teasing, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, me too. She’s pretty cool. I might just keep her.” Ember attempted to shoot a deadpan look my way, but her amusement won out, and she just ended up smiling at me.

The mare then grabbed a pair of forceps with holes at the end, and brought them up to Ember’s face. “Okay, now relax your jaw so it hangs open, then close it normally.” Ember went through the motions, and the mare pressed a few times on her bottom lip. "Okay, relax your bottom lip and don’t move whatsoever; I’ll do everything, I do not need your assistance.” The mare used the forceps to grab Ember’s bottom lip on either side, pressing them and locking them on the skin just below the lip itself. I knew it would be a challenge since the skin of a dragon didn’t dimple or color the same way that pony skin did, but the mare was a professional and soon found what she was looking for. She nodded to Ember and let the forcep dangle as she pulled open the second package and brought the needle in close. “Okay, I’m going to pierce from the inside out. You’ll feel a sharp pinch, and I’ll follow with the piercing immediately. Don’t move, jerk, or bite me, and everything will go fine.”

Ember chuckled in her throat at the latter part of the statement, but did as she was told. Again, the mare counted to three, and the needle passed through her lip just as easily as the eyebrow was done. With practiced precision, the mare grabbed the curved lip ring and fed it through the hole as the needle was pulled through it, and immediately screwed on the small ball on the end. The second piercing was done the same in short order, and in only a few minutes, Ember was suddenly wearing four new pieces of jewelry that weren’t rings or earrings.

I’ll readily admit it was a bit exciting to see, and it made her look more alluring for some reason.

The mare pulled away after the last piercing, letting out a breath and smiling at the dragoness. “You know, I’ve been doing this for nearly ten years, and you are one of the best customers I’ve had. I’ve seen stallions cry at the sight of the needle or even pass out, as well as mares suddenly decide they didn’t want to do this while I was in the middle of pushing the needle through. You though, you held strong all the way through, and didn’t flinch once. Very well done, miss.”

Ember took the praise graciously, and nodded her thanks to the mare. “Thank you for doing this. Considering how dragons do this, your way was far less painful.”

I could only imagine how dragons would pierce things...and then remembered they had no formal industry for this kind of thing. I shuddered as I imagined the messy use of just claws and teeth to do the same job, and even felt a little sick at how agonizing that must be.

The mare stood up and put all the implements away, then handed a small pamphlet to Ember. “Here are your healing instructions. Follow them to the letter; I can’t stress enough how important it is that you do not deviate. Unless you want to end up in the hospital with a swollen, infected lip or brow, you better listen to the instructions.” She moved behind the counter again and pressed a few buttons on the register, looking back to me with a smile. “Okay, well, the piercing service and body jewelry comes to a total of 150 bits.” I pulled out the appropriate amount and handed the coins to the mare, which she took with a smile.

“Y’know,” I began, looking around the much more “traditional” jewelry all over the place, “I didn’t think you would have services like this, here. Maybe ear piercing, but not brow and lip.”

The mare giggled and shrugged. “I make it a point to expand my business as much as possible, so including things for both the ‘traditional’ crowd as well as the ‘modern’ crowd ensures I get plenty of business. Anyhow, was there anything else I can help you three with?”

I looked to Ember and Lyla before shaking my head. “Nah, not right now. I might be back later to get something for myself, but I have to run it by my other herdmates first.”

The mare reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to me. “Well, should you decide to shop for yourself, remember that Glittery Dreams has what you need. You three take care, and don’t forget to come back should you require an engagement ring or brooch for any of your mares.”

I blushed a bit at the implication, but smiled nonetheless. “We’re not quite there yet, but I’ll definitely keep you in mind. Thank you, ma’am.”

As the three of us headed back out into the cold weather, Ember momentarily shivered before pulling her coat tighter and walking beside me with a smile. Almost simultaneously, as if were rehearsed, both she and Lyla took one of my hands each, and smiled at the gestures.

“I like that mare. Professional, didn’t freak out at the sight of me, and even joked with me. Plus, it takes some pretty sturdy stones to pierce a dragon, I’d imagine,” Ember commented, looking rather impressed.

I gave a nod as we continued toward the center of town, catching sight of dozens of young ponies playing in the snow. “Ponyville’s become a far more welcoming place than most, over the years. It doesn’t have the traffic of places like Manehattan, and it’s not a capital like Canterlot, but with the School of Friendship and Twilight herself residing here, diversity has become normal. Besides,” I glanced over at Lyla briefly, “if there’s anything Ponyvillians are good at, it’s adapting to change. I guess they’d have to be to live so close to the Everfree, though.”

As we neared the main square, where most of the younger colts and fillies were playing in the snow, Ember slowed to a stop, forcing me to do the same. I glanced at her questioningly, only to find her staring almost dreamily at the young ones having fun. I looked to the ponies themselves, trying to discern exactly what was so interesting about them, but was unable to see what Ember was apparently seeing.

“You know, I want some of my own, at some point,” Ember commented softly.

She didn’t have to clarify, because I was able to easily pick up on what she meant. The thought brought a blush to me, along with a pleasant warmth in my chest. Nonetheless, I still joked, “I don’t think we’re allowed to buy ponies. I’d have to check with mom, but-”

Ember elbowed me in the ribs with a bark of a laugh, shaking her head with a smile. This of course drew the attention of a few of the ponies, and we received a few waves and smiles, as well as excited grins from the younger foals at the sight of dragons in Ponyville. A few of the braver colts and fillies approached, standing a dozen or so paces away, as they just stared at us in awe. The parents knew me well enough, but to most of the younger foals, dragons were still a novelty, so I understood why we were drawing a crowd.

Contrary to what I expected, as Ember finally realized we were drawing a small crowd of foals, she didn’t react the same way she had to the adult ponies earlier in the day. Instead of anxiety, she smiled warmly and kneeled in front of them, placing her hands on her thighs as she waited patiently for one to approach. It didn’t take long for one of the little fillies to gather her courage, and the little indigo-coated pony slowly inched forward until she was standing only a foot away from Ember.

Ember kept her welcoming smile and nodded to the filly. “And what’s your name, little one?”

The filly seemed surprised at just how gentle Ember’s voice was (I’ll admit, I felt the same for a moment), but quickly gathered herself and gave her own shy smile. “Um...m-my name’s Moon Lily.”

Ember slowly extended her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Moon Lily. My name is Ember.”

The filly hesitantly placed her own hand in Ember’s, but her smile grew as Ember gently shook her hand, maintaining her warm smile. “I-It’s good to meet you too, Miss Ember.” She then looked up at me, then back to Ember, before asking, “Umm, Miss Ember, are you Mister Spike’s special somepony?”

Ember looked up to me with an unsaid question, so I clarified, “She’s asking if we’re together.”

“Oh,” Ember exclaimed with a chuckle, “then yes, yes I am.” She turned her eyes back to the filly and nodded to her. “Dragons refer to their ‘special somepony’ as their ‘mate’, but it’s the same thing.”

The little filly, further displaying her adorability, blew a raspberry at one of the other foals. “See? I told you! Mister Spike has his own herd now, so,” she ended her statement by sticking out her tongue at the colt.

I was well-aware that recently, my herd and I had become a rather common point of conversation for most ponies, so I wasn’t really that surprised. What did surprise me was what happened next.

“My daddy says dragons should stick to their own kind,” the same colt said, looking confused instead of malicious. It was clear he was just repeating what his father had said, and didn’t really know what to think.

Ember, to her credit, didn’t snarl or growl. Instead, she merely nodded to the little colt, gesturing with a hand to me and Lyla. “Do you think we should treat people different just because they’re not a pony? Do you think that’s fair?”

The colt glanced down at the ground for a few seconds, apparently thinking, before looking up at me and smiling. “Nope! Mister Spike is cool; dragons are cool! And Miss Lyla can do really cool things, too!”

I found myself impressed at the answer, and felt a small measure of gratitude for the colt. I didn’t even know who he was, but already the young pony had become cool, in my book.

“Exactly,” Ember answered, gesturing to the ponies that were now all looking our way -- about half were parents, keeping an eye on their foals. “We might look different, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. We all have something special to offer, so never be afraid of someone just because they don’t look like you.”

The filly raised her hand and hopped around happily. “Yeah, that’s what Princess Twilight and the teachers at the School of Friendship said!” She then suddenly stopped, and huffed. “I miss Smoulder; she was really fun.”

Ember’s smile widened, and she gently laid a hand on the filly’s shoulder. “I’ll see if I can have her visit. You might find Ponyville becoming a very popular place, soon.” At the filly’s questioning look, Ember just tapped a finger on the side of her nose. “It’s a secret. You’ll just have to wait and see. Anyway,” she stood and smiled down at the gathered foals, “we should get going.” At the collective whines, Ember laughed and raised her hands. “Calm down, I won’t be going anywhere for awhile. We’ll be sure to meet again, I promise.”

The filly tilted her head as she seemingly noticed something for the first time. "Miss Ember, why do you have that metal on your face?"

Laughing nervously for the first time, she answered, "Ask your parents about them. Now, it was great to meet all of you, but we should get going. Have fun!"

Sufficiently placated, the foals ran back to the field to play, leaving the three of us to walk back to the castle once again.

As we left, however, I found myself commenting, “I have to be honest, I didn’t expect that. You’ve got a soft spot for young ones, it seems.”

Ember gave an embarrassed smile, but nodded anyway. “Even back in the dragon lands, I’ve always been enamoured with the young whelps. That youthful innocence they have, before life, politics, and culture beats that wonder and imagination out of them, has always been something I loved.”

Pulling her close and affectionately nosing her cheek, I assured, “We’ll have our own, someday. I promise.”

Ember took her place under my right wing as Lyla did the same with the other, and the three of us made our way back toward the castle.

“Don’t stare, don’t stare, DON’T STARE. STAHP!”

Even though I repeatedly recited those lines in my head, I still couldn’t take my eyes off of the pony rump a few feet in front of me, a rump which belonged to a certain roommate that wasn’t part of my herd. Starlight was bent over as she rummaged through one of the many bookcases, and I was doing my best not to drool as her tail languidly swished from side to side as she took her time selecting a tome. Though she was fully-clothed, the tight leggings she wore only barely passed for “pants”, and left very little to the imagination. I had, for example, now confirmed that Starlight also had been to a piercing specialist of some sort, though said body jewelry was not something that could be shown to polite company.

I swear she was doing it on purpose.

“Spike...Spike, are you listening?”

I jolted at the voice, and whipped my head toward Twilight, who was staring at me with narrowed eyes. I tried my best to play off the fact that I was ogling the backside of our mutual housemate, and coughed hard a few times before answering, “Uh y-yeah, of course.”

“Then what did I just say?” she challenged, her eyes narrowing further.

I shrugged helplessly, smiling sheepishly. “Stuff about...things.”

Twilight was silent for a few moments before her horn lit up. With a flash, a dome of translucent, magenta magic surrounded us, and she sighed heavily as her expression softened to something half exasperated, half understanding. “Spike, I know that dragons have a higher sex drive than ponies do most of the time, but you have to control yourself. I thought you had grown out of this years ago.”

I let out a long breath ending in a small flame, and slumped in my chair with a frustrated grunt. “Yeah, me too. All of the sudden lately I’ve been...looking. I can’t seem to stop myself. And it’s not just my friends either: mares in the market, on the street, and even Mrs. Cake. MRS. CAKE, Twi. She’s married with two kids, and isn’t even my type. It’s been getting worse and worse lately, but I’ve been just pushing it away since I had other stuff to worry about.”

Twilight blushed a bit as she asked, “Are you and Lyla on a break or something?”

It took me a moment to pick up on exactly what she was suggesting, and I blushed a bit as well with a hard shake of my head. “No, and that’s why it’s frustrating. If it were a biological imperative, that would take care of it...but it’s not. I feel like I’m turning into some kind of pervert, and I don’t know why.”

Twilight reached across the table we were sitting at, and grasped my hand in hers. “Hey, no matter what’s happening, we’ll get through it together...just like everything else.”

It was then that we both heard a jingling sound approaching from the corridors, accompanied by the padding of non-hoofed feet on the crystal floor. Moments later, a certain blue dragoness entered the room, complete with a new accessory she commissioned from Rarity in secret.

She approached Twilight and I, jingling the whole way over, and I commented, “You know, when I said we should put a bell on you, I wasn’t serious.” I pointed to the black collar around her neck, which held a small bronze bell on it, which chimed with every step she made.

Ember looked a little embarrassed by the mention of her new accessory, but countered, “...well yeah, but I thought it’d be a funny prank, and...I kinda like it.” She then forcefully shook her head and grabbed my hand, hauling me to my feet. Her eyes flashed green -- the same shade of green as my own eyes -- before returning to their normal crimson while she practically dragged me out of the room. “C’mon, we gotta talk. Twilight, stay here please.”

Immediately, my anxiety spiked, and Twilight’s worry mirrored what I felt as I was ushered out of the room. Nonetheless, I followed Ember as she led me through the corridors until we once again approached the door that led to our training room. Blowing a gout of flame over the crystal lock, the door shifted colors a few times before swinging open, showing the way to the room I had been training in for the past few weeks. Ember practically threw me inside and shut the door behind us, quickly walking purposefully over to me with a neutral expression.

She cupped my face in her palms, looking into my eyes for a moment before walking a small circle around and inspecting my body, clearly searching for something.

“Is there a reason we’re here, Ember? I thought you said we were done for today,” I asked, mostly confused with an undercurrent of fear from her actions.

Ember stepped in front of me again and sighed, lowering her eyes as she shook her head. “I should have known about this before, but your situation is unique, since you’re the first dragon in recorded history to be around so many ponies so regularly.” Raising her head again and focusing on me, she explained, “To put it simply, we need to vent your magic. It’s been building far too quickly because of the amount of magic you’re around every day, and as it gets worse, your dragon instincts amplify. Right now, for example, you smell like a dragon that’s about to go into a lust-frenzy*.”

I gulped and shifted uneasily, but as if to prove it to myself, my gaze began to rove over Ember’s form appraisingly. As the moments passed, I found the fire within growing stronger and hotter, and eventually, Ember was forced to smack me across the face to get my attention. To my surprise and shame, I actually growled at her, immediately backing away and shaking my head. “S-sorry, I don’t know why I did that.”

Ember closed the distance between us and placed a hand on my throat, over the mate’s mark. “Calm down Spike, it’s okay. This is what I’m talking about.” She motioned to the air as she explained, “Twilight is an alicorn that radiates raw, unfocused magic constantly, and even your other friends give off free magic of varying degrees. Whenever you’re around any of them, you’re absorbing that magic, and it’s building faster than you can get rid of it -- blasted flames, the entire castle is a magical construct. I should have seen it sooner, but it all makes sense now.”

Raising my brow at her, I asked, “What are you talking about? Why is it hitting just now? I’ve lived pretty much my entire life here, and I’ve never been ogling mares like some horny teenager before.”

Ember averted her eyes, removing her hand from my throat. “That...might actually be partially my fault. A mate’s brand forces your mana pathways open so that we can exchange our Flame with each other. Your body adapted a long time ago to live in a magic-rich environment by limiting how much ambient magic affected you -- think of it like a flood of people trying to rush down a hallway, but the hallway is only big enough for one at a time; no matter how many try to force their way in, only one can pass. With the brand, I basically took a sledgehammer to those walls, allowing all of the magic to flow into you without restraint, like a dam that’s all of the sudden had all the flow valves opened at once.”

I wasn’t as versed in the workings of how magic flowed as, say, Twilight, but I knew enough to recognize the danger of what Ember was suggesting.

Chuckling nervously I asked, “S-so what can happen if we don’t handle this?”

Ember grimaced slightly. “You know how you’ve been looking at random females more and more lately? Eventually, looking wouldn’t be enough, and you’d graduate to aggressive flirting, or even...indecent actions.”

Gulping and feeling my heart start to race, I shook my head fervently. “Then we gotta do something. What do we need to do? How do I fix this?”

“Like I said,” Ember said, glancing away again, “we have to vent your excess magic. There’s a few ways we could normally do this, but since I didn’t realize what was happening before just a few minutes ago, we have to resort to the most drastic way.”

Tilting my head slightly in confusion, I took note of how Ember seemed very uncomfortable with what she was saying. Hesitantly, I asked, “...and what way would that be?”

She still kept her eyes averted, for some reason unwilling to look at me. “Take off your clothes so they don’t get destroyed.”

While I was confused, I did as she said -- I didn’t exactly feel the need to be modest in front of Ember anymore, considering how often I’d been naked in front of her lately. After carefully removing my clothing and tossing it to the side, I turned back toward Ember and waited for her to tell me what we needed to do next. Before I could so much as blink, Ember gave a single mighty flap of her wings, and impacted me with enough force to knock me onto my back. Without any sort of warning, she mounted my waist and pinned my arms to the ground as she loomed above me.

Ember was still grimacing as she leaned close and whispered, “Mate with me, Spike. Make me yours, body and soul.”

A flaming inferno seemed to ignite within my chest, and it took every ounce of self-control I had left to throw Ember off of me roughly. My instincts and desires were roaring angrily at what I had just done, but my rationale wouldn’t allow this to happen. I stood up and backed away from her, keeping my sharp eyes trained on Ember so that she couldn’t surprise me again.

I shook my head hard, growling. “No. You don’t want this, and we’re not doing this just because-”

“WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE, SPIKE!” she shouted, her face showing both regret and a deep hurt that made my heart cry out in sympathetic pain. “Because of what I overlooked, we don’t have the luxury of waiting any longer. What I want is no longer feasible, because if we don’t, you might end up banished from Equestria. You might think, ‘I’m fine, I can beat this,’ only to lose control on the streets and breed the first mare you see, whether she wants it or not. How do you think that’s gonna pan out? Ponies might be able to overlook many things about your dragon heritage, but I don’t imagine rape during a lust-frenzy would be one of them.” She sighed and shook her head with a soft cry. “What I want now is no longer relevant. By joining with one another, I can channel your magic through me and use it to fuel the passion of our union. That’s the only safe way to vent your magic, at this point -- anything else runs the risk of you losing control.” She gave me a sad smile and pointed at herself. “If you want someone to blame, blame me. I should have noticed this sooner, and the mate’s brand was the catalyst.”

Again I shook my head, but more softly this time, pleading, “Ember...there has to be another way. I-I don’t...you shouldn’t have to do something like this just because there’s something wrong with me! It’s supposed to be something magical that we remember fondly, not because you’re just ‘opening the valve to release the pressure’! It…” I dropped to my behind on the floor, and leaned back against the wall. “This is wrong. This is not what love is!”

Ember smiled sadly at me, slowly approaching and kneeling in front of me. “This is the life of a dragon, Spike, and not all of it is nice. This can still be special and memorable, but this is also something that needs to be done. It’s either this, or you leave Ponyville for a few months and wait for your magic to normalize on its own; which is it going to be?”

The thought of the latter option brought to mind all of the ponies that cared about me, and all the ones that counted on me. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and so many others...they all depended on me. As much as I hated it, when the options were presented that way, there was really only one choice.

“...I can’t leave,” I muttered, hating myself for this entire situation. I hated myself for being weak, for letting Ember take on the consequences of my own problem, and even more for knowing she was completely right.

“Part of being a proper mate is doing what’s in the best interest for one’s mate, even if it requires a sacrifice on our part,” Ember reminded, smiling reassuringly at me. “I’ll admit, this is not ideal, but it’s okay. I don’t blame you for this, and once all is said and done, I’ll make sure this doesn’t have to happen again.” At my questioning look, she backpedaled with a laugh, “No, not this, I mean what led to what’s going to happen between us. You’re right: physical intimacy should be something borne completely of affection and attraction, not a requirement. When it happens again, it’ll be because of that, not because you have too much magic in you.” Ember then blew a gout of flame onto her hand and traced a few characters in the air in front of her.

Reading the characters, I recognized “body”, “young” (the noun, not the adjective), and a character that simply meant “no” in the broadest sense. She then flicked her hand and caught the spiraling characters in her hand, and pressed her flaming palm to her lower abdomen. Upon removing her hand, the three words were arranged in a circle, glowing softly on the area she had pressed against.

At my silent question, she smiled gently. “Dragon contraceptive spell.”

The fact she had prepared a spell for this suddenly made it inescapable: this was going to happen -- it needed to happen -- and she was fully committed to it. Nonetheless, I still released a sad sigh and was unable to hold back a tear as I whispered, “Ember...I’m sorry.”

Ember grasped my chin softly, and raised my face to look at her. She had a look of trepidation, but also love and acceptance. She just shook her head at me, and grasped my hand as she brought it to her chest and pressed it against her warm hide. “Look into my eyes, Spike.” She gently squeezed the hand that was against her chest. “Feel my heartbeat.” She leaned in and placed her lips right by my ear and whispered, “Hear my voice. I am yours, and I give myself willingly. All I ask is that you give yourself to me as well, and I’ll be happy. I do want this, and I know you do too. Don’t hold back; you won’t hurt me.”

As Ember pulled away, I stared into her bright, ruby-red eyes, and pursed my lips as I took in what she said. Slowly, I raised my other hand, cupping her cheek and leaning in to gently kiss her firmly on the lips. I held it for several seconds before pulling away and smiling back at her, giving a firm nod as an answer. “I love you, Ember...I think I always have.”

Despite the severity of the situation, Ember’s eyes glistened with a glassiness that suggested she was just barely holding back tears, and she returned my smile. “I love you too, you big nerdy dork. Now, enough talk. Show me how much you want me, Spike.”

I lowered my knees extended my legs out in front of me, pulling Ember to sit on my lap in a position that was about as intimate as we could be while still being decent. She let out a soft squeak at the action, but settled herself comfortably as she wiggled her rump against me, coaxing the primal desire in me into a mighty flame once again. I ran my hands over her supple figure, letting my fingers tease over the joints to her wings, her lower back, and her tail, before finally settling hesitantly on her rump, taking one side in each hand. She moaned my name into my ear, further spurring me on as she leaned heavily against me, her breathing beginning to pick up. Hot puffs of breath tickled my ear as she reciprocated my actions the best she could, using her own fingers to touch me everywhere she could, as well as her dexterous tail to tickle my sensitive throat. This sent white-hot bolts of pleasure running down my spine, and I found myself groaning in response.

Carefully, I reached up and undid the clasp on the collar she wore, removing the accessory and tossing it vaguely over to some corner of the room. With that out of the way, I refocused my efforts on touching, squeezing, and kneading every pliable bit of flesh I could, coaxing more moans and half-coherent words. My body felt like it was on fire from the inside, and Ember was so hot I could feel her through my scales. As she ran her tongue over the fin of one ear, I jerked with a surprised moan of my own, and before I could realize what I was doing, I latched my teeth on her exposed throat. The startled gasp from Ember shocked me out of the lusty haze that had settled in my mind, but the feel of Ember’s palm pressing the back of my head into her even harder, I relaxed and gave myself over to the moment.

Scrambling to my knees, I pushed the beautiful, panting dragoness down onto her back, marvelling at how vulnerable she looked beneath me, and the burning desire in her eyes that mirrored what I felt. She growled low and pulled me by my wrist down onto her, spreading her legs wide and then locking her ankles behind my back. Her tail wrapped around mine as she gazed at me with unbridled passion and love in her blazing gaze.

“I am yours, Spike. You have left your mark upon me, now leave your mark within me. Join us together, as we are meant to be,” she pleaded softly, her husky voice stoking the fires within me even more. “Unleash yourself. You don’t need to hold back anymore, and I don’t want you to.”

With those words, the last of my resistance crumbled, and I felt my body reacting exactly as nature intended, preparing to claim my mate the same way that had been done since time immemorial. With a growl, I pressed myself against her roughly, hearing her gasp in surprise and pleasure as I completely gave into my desires and proceeded to show the beautiful dragoness exactly what I felt for her.

Chapter 20

There’s no getting around the fact that the period of life commonly referred to as “puberty” by most species is, to put it mildly, awkward. My own coming-of-age is filled with plenty of cringe-inducing stories, including quite a few involving hormones, bad choices, and a few instances that still cause me to blush. This was made all the worse because of the fact that most of my friends are attractive females, and I had varying degrees of personal attraction to all of them, not to mention living with two of them. Because of that, both Twilight and Starlight had caught me in rather...compromising situations more than a few times, and though we could laugh about it later in life, it was mortifying during the moments they happened. Twilight, being the organized mare she was, had actually developed a “scale of awkwardness” because of this, ranging from “mild discomfort” all the way up to “by the sun, moon, and stars, let me just die and end this embarrassment”. Even though that confusing time of bodily development was far behind us, the classification system still came in handy from time to time.

Right now was right at the top, in my opinion.

Following Ember’s hurried escort of me out of the room, followed by a certain vigorous and lewd private activity, it made sense that Twilight would cease being patient after three hours, and thus decide to investigate. This led to the poor pony princess being given a front-row practical education of dragon mating practices, as well as “popping her cherry” regarding binge-drinking by trying to drown herself in Sweet Apple Acres aged whiskey in an attempt to forget the sights, smells, and sounds she was subjected to. One of the worst parts about the entire situation was that neither Ember nor I even noticed Twilight’s arrival or her hurried exit. The only consolation was that, in regards to my sexual experiences thus far, my first time with Ember would be one I never forgot.

Twilight likely would never forget either, and alicorns have long memories.

Ember and I slept off the exhaustion and awoke the following day pleasantly achy, yet happy, and made our way out of the pocket dimension and back to the castle. After vigorously washing ourselves, we both nearly bowled over the mildly hungover resident alicorn, who only offered a squeak and blush at the sight of us.

Currently though, the dragoness and I were standing awkwardly in the private library, with Twilight looking over us with jaw dropped, cheeks flushed, and wings presented widely. We explained just what had happened, and why, but it didn't counteract the awkwardness.

“...academically, I’m impressed at the sheer utility of dragon magic,” Twilight commented softly, shaking her head as she slowly sipped a steaming mug of black coffee. “Turning emotions into pure power, and using that power to augment the physical capabilities of the body? That’s incredibly useful, and frankly terrifying.”

I pulled at the shirt I wore, wrinkling the hem as I shifted on my feet uneasily. “No one’s more surprised than me. I lived my whole life like a pony for the most part. Now, in just the last year, dragon genetic heritage has hit me like a freight carriage to the face.”

“If it helps at all,” Ember murmured, speaking for the first time since we entered the library, “this was just the best practical solution for an incredibly urgent problem. I won’t say I regret it,” she glanced at me with a strong blush, “because I don’t, but I didn’t drag Spike off to bump uglies because I all of the sudden had dirty thoughts I couldn’t control.”

Twilight settled herself a little bit and blew out a long breath as her wings finally settled properly. “I...I understand, and I’m not mad or anything.” She then glanced between me and Ember. “So, is this going to need to be a regular thing?”

Ember’s blush increased, but she shook her head. “Um...no. I won’t say we’re going to suddenly hold off on physical intimacy or anything, but there won’t be the same urgency. If Spike had lost control like he was very close to doing, he would have probably hurt some innocent pony...maybe one of his friends. I have a way that he can vent this extra magic so something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Twilight’s own blush matched Ember’s, but she nodded regardless. “Um...g-good. That’s good to hear. I’ll, um...I’ll let you handle that, then. Is there anything we need to do?”

“Not telling anyone about this, for one,” Ember said, frowning briefly. “Spike is already under enough scrutiny, so we don’t need anypony to catch wind of the fact that he was basically a ticking time bomb.”

Twilight snorted with narrowed eyes. “That goes without saying, Ember; what kind of idiot do you take me for?”

“I-I didn’t-”

“No,” Twilight interrupted, sighing heavily as she shook her head again with her eyes tightly closed, “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just...stressed. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Though she wasn’t looking at me, I squinted at Twilight in clear disbelief. Something was up with her, and I hoped she was being honest when she said she would be fine. Time would tell.

“Anyway,” Twilight continued, standing and smoothing out her clothes, “we have other important things to think about. Tomorrow’s Saturday, which means the funeral for Scootaloo’s parents, and then we head to Canterlot on Monday. Hearth’s Warming is the week following that, so things are going to get busy around here. Thorax and Ocellus will be arriving sometime in the middle of next week, and the rest of our out-of-town guests will arrive shortly after that. What’s the word on the catering?”

The shift toward business shook me out of my awkward state, and I straightened my posture at the question. “Pinkie and the Cakes are running on schedule, and the catering company already sent an invoice with the delivery day and time. I put it in your inbox for you to go over.”

Twilight nodded firmly to me and turned to Ember. “I’d appreciate it if you could assist me today. I need an outside perspective on the speech I’m composing for our meeting in Canterlot, and you would work best since you don’t hold the reverence for me that most ponies do.”

Ember tilted her head at Twilight. “I mean, I guess I can. You know I’m not really one for speeches though, right?”

“That’s exactly what I need,” Twilight assured, smiling supportively. “I don’t imagine the nobles we’ve already snubbed twice will want to listen to the ‘youngest and naive princess’ prattle on for an hour, so what I need is someone that can tell me what’s unnecessary or needlessly boring.”

Ember playfully cracked her knuckles. “Finally, you’re playing to my strengths. Yeah, I’ll help.”

“Good,” Twilight gratefully answered, then turned to me again. “Spike, I need you to ensure all the guest rooms are properly prepared and stocked, then I need you to head out for a necessities run in Ponyville -- you know, things like toiletries, extra towels and sheets...stuff like that. I also need you to check the local mining company for sapphire and ruby jewel dust, and use my personal account to buy any they have. Lastly, I want you to ensure the local guard force is aware of the visitors we’ll be having. We don’t need another ‘incident’ like the last time that Yona visited.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of the young yak and the “incident” Twilight was referring to. Yona had a good heart, but yaks could be rather abrasive to those that didn’t understand how their society worked. To make a long story short, three tables were broken, four guards put in the hospital, and a very irate Yona was jailed due to a “misunderstanding” that happened in a local pub. It was funny to think about after the fact, but let it not be said we all weren’t freaking out due to the potential public relations nightmare the incident could have caused.

I gave a nod and salute to Twilight. “I’ll take care of it. Send me a message if anything comes up.”

And, with our own jobs to attend to, I went off on my own to take care of my tasks for the day.

It was no surprise that my tasks took most of the day, since I was quite used to my day-to-day life being full of things to do. While Twilight and I didn’t actively take on too many governmental tasks (Parliament handled most issues of state nowadays, and Mayor Mare took care of most local government tasks), there was still plenty to do regarding relations with other nations, the school, and the mundane tasks that the average person had to take care of, simply as part of life. As a younger drake, it bothered me that I never really had time to just...be a kid, but I later realized that Twilight hadn’t exactly had a “free” childhood either; whether it be self-imposed or due to being Celestia’s personal student, Twilight was busy doing things every day, and those habits were passed onto me. It certainly helped as an adult, but didn’t exactly lead to a flourishing social life when I was younger.

Still, because of the skills I picked up earlier in life, my tasks were finished in short order. All the linens had been washed and laid out on the guest beds, the rooms themselves had been cleaned and dusted from top to bottom, and the washrooms had been stocked with everything one might need to take care of personal hygiene. The walk in refrigerators and freezers had been stocked well enough to feed a small army, and with all of that done, we were prepared for our guests at the castle. I spent the two or so remaining hours of daylight with an axe and a cart out near the forest, splitting some of the logs we had seasoned over the summer, to be brought back to the castle; it was a mindless, mundane task that allowed me to focus on the rhythm of placing a log and chopping it into smaller pieces, over and over again, for quite a while. It was so relaxing, in fact, that I almost didn’t notice a certain changeling trying to sneak up from behind me.

Without pausing in my work, I called, “You may be an expert at blending in, but you’re a novice at actually sneaking around. I heard you coming.”

A startled squeak answered, followed by a muted huff before the changeling entered my field of vision. She was dressed in heavy winter clothing, since she had no fur to insulate her like ponies did, and was looking quite adorable with the brooch Rarity had designed for my herd displayed proudly on the left breast of her coat. She tromped over and took a seat on a tree stump, crossing her arms underneath her chest as she pouted playfully.

“How do you always hear me coming?” she grumped, though I could tell she wasn’t actually that bothered by it.

Regardless, I answered anyway as I pointed to her with my tail. “You’re a soldier, not an infiltrator, so while you retain the ability to blend in with your species’ natural shapeshifting abilities, you were never meant to be stealthy. You were never taught to be, and as a soldier, stealth can actually work against you, and I have a feeling that was engineered into your caste*.” With a grunt, I finished splitting the current log and tossed the firewood into the cart, then turned to Lyla with a grin. “Besides, Ember is sneaky enough for the both of you. Remember when I joked that we should put a bell on her? Well…”

Lyla nearly burst out laughing, jamming a palm over her lips to stem the giggles before bubbling, “No way, she actually did it? That’s going to amuse me for weeks.”

I nodded with my own smile before meeting Lyla halfway as she stood, and enveloped her in a tight embrace. We held it for a few moments before pulling away. “It’s great to see you, Lye. Sorry I haven’t had a whole lot of time lately, but that’s gonna change soon.”

Lyla released me and shrugged as she let me get back to work. “Eh, I can’t really complain. I’ve had a lot of work lately as well -- mostly ponies wanting to be sure their homes are winter-proofed before we get a bad blizzard or anything, as well as some asking for commissions for Hearth’s Warming gifts.”

I grimaced slightly as I continued chopping the wood. “Yeah, woodworking’s never been a strength of mine. I can chop it just fine,” I tossed a few more split logs into the cart, “as you can see, but it’s never pretty. I tried whittling and woodworking when I was younger, but all my ‘projects’ looked like they were done by a three year-old having a seizure.”

“Singing seems to be something you do very well, though,” Lyla pointed out.

I shrugged, but continued my task. “I don’t really think that counts. From what I understand, singing for dragons is like shapeshifting for changelings: it’s an inborn ability, so much so that the ones that don’t have the skill are seen as defective. I would certainly say you’re a fantastic shapeshifter, but it’s not your talent. Your talent is something that is rare within your own species; it’s something not many of your kind can do, or do well.” I glanced up to her, noticing the changeling had a thoughtful look on her face. “LIke, for example, your skill with woodworking and carpentry. Changelings are experts at construction with natural materials, but not all of them are great at turning a hunk of wood into art. You have a few talents that set you apart, and that’s one of them.”

Lyla seemed to consider my words for a moment before deciding, “...yeah, I guess you’re right.” She then nodded toward me with a smirk. “So what’s your talent, oh great Dragon Sage?” My face soured at her question, and if her immediate frown was any indication, I didn’t do a good job at hiding it. “What’s with that look?”

I shook my head hard, barely choking back a growl that tried to rumble from my throat. “Don’t call me that, please.”

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of piquing the interest of Lyla, who was never one to back down from learning new things. She shook her head at me and rested her elbows on her knees with a hard stare. “Oh, I’ve gotta hear this. Clearly there’s a story behind that, and I want to know about it. C’mon, spill.”

I buried the blade of the axe into the stump in front of me before resting my rump on the lip of the cart. “All right fine, but don’t go spreading it around.” I rolled my neck around to work some of the tension out of it before beginning. “When I went to the dragon lands during mine and Twilight’s expedition there, some of the more ‘intellectually-inclined’ dragons were...let’s say more than a little impressed with me. They are a minority -- and honestly, I think they always will be -- but among them I was always welcome, and I felt more at home with those few than I have anywhere else but Equestria. It was nice to know I wasn’t just some freak dragon that wasn’t a noisy brute, and that even outside of Equestria, there were others like me.” I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. “Anyway, we were there for months, and during that time, I became pretty close with that specific group of dragons. I later learned that Ember was a part of that unofficial group, but that wasn’t why I became interested in them. For the first time, I felt valued by dragons for who and what I was. I wasn’t just ‘the squishy whelp’ or ‘the runt,’ I was a smart guy with lots of crazy stories, and my intelligence and wit was valued with them. As a bit of a joke, they started playfully calling me ‘The Dragon Sage’ because of all the knowledge I had and all the places I’d traveled.” The smile that had grown on my face faded away as I remembered the unhappy ending to this story, which not many new about. “Unfortunately, intelligence isn’t exactly valued among the younger dragons, and as I’m sure you know, they aren’t exactly known for being accepting of people like me. It’s almost like, until they reach a certain age, they completely lack the ability to see value in anything not related to strength or battle prowess.”

“Most other creatures call that maturity, Spike,” Lyla pointed out with a wry grin.

I could argue semantics with her, but I chose not to. “Well, anyway, I never found out what happened to the buddies I’d made among that little circle. There were five of us, and they all just...disappeared. I want to believe they just moved on to other lands or something, but I find it hard to believe that all of them are suddenly gone for seemingly no reason. I never found out what happened to them, but it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The little nickname they gave me just brings up heartache that I don’t like feeling, because there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Lyla’s expression had changed to one of sympathy, and she reached across the small gap to place a hand on my knee. “Did you ever try to track them down?”

I nodded with a sigh. “Yep, and before Ember went silent for that long while, I even asked her for help. Nothing came of it, though. For now, they’re just a part of my past, and so is that nickname.”

Lyla looked remorseful with her ears splayed and eyes lowered. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged up a painful memory like that.”

I shook my head and raised her chin with the tip of my tail, offering a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it. Memories are given new life when we share them with others, and it’s nice to talk to someone about things like that...even if it hurts a little. The happiness I feel from the memories outweighs the heartache, so I’m glad you ‘dragged it out of me’.”

Lyla smiled back before suddenly perking up. “Oh, I almost forgot what I came to find you for in the first place! Rarity agreed to a dinner with the herd if you’re not busy tonight. She suggested we could go somewhere to eat at around seven, seeing as how we haven’t had a proper date in awhile.”

I scratched my chin for a moment as I thought aloud. “Well, I’m not really doing much after I get this wood back to the castle, and as far as I know, Twilight and Ember shouldn’t be busy all night.” I shrugged and gave a smile to the changeling. “Yeah, sounds good. Run and tell Rares I’ll get the other two on board when I get back to the castle.”

Lyla practically bounded away, too excited to even fly properly, and I chuckled at the sometimes-childlike changeling. After she left, it only took me a few more minutes before the cart was full, so I then lugged it back toward town to drop it off, now looking forward to tonight. Unfortunately, the recent days never seemed to go the way I envisioned, and there were always surprises to be had. This was the case as I nearly flattened a familiar pink-maned pegasus with soft yellow fur, and I had to swerve hard to avoid crashing into the mare, nearly flattening myself in the process. Nonetheless, a crisis was averted, but now I was facing down a mare I had been shamefully avoiding for a little while now.

After she calmed her racing heart and checked herself to be sure all limbs were firmly attached, Fluttershy’s teal eyes wandered to me, and her face immediately lit up with a rosy pink blush that matched her hair quite nicely. “O-oh, hello Spike. I-It’s, um, good to see you.”

I lowered the front of the cart to rest on the ground, and cleared my throat awkwardly. “Umm, yeah. It’s good to see you too, ‘Shy.” I found my eyes darting away against my will as an uncomfortable feeling settled into my gut. I found myself offering a weak excuse of, “Sorry we haven’t seen each other much lately. Winter time always gets busy before Hearth’s Warming, and then there’s all the stuff with Scootaloo and the visitors coming to Ponyville…” I trailed off, unsure of what more to say, mostly because I had a feeling Fluttershy believed my excuse about as much as I did...which was not at all.

If she suspected though, she didn’t show it. Her eyes focused timidly on me as she answered, “I-it’s okay, Spike. Winter is busy for me too, so it’s not your fault.” She wrung her gloved hands a few times before adding, “...b-but I’ve missed you.”

And unfortunately, that quiet admission cut straight to my heart like an impossibly sharp blade, and I found every rationalization I had made over the past week falling away like dust in the wind, leaving only icy guilt. Regardless of what I felt regarding Fluttershy being interested in my herd -- in me -- she was my friend first, and I had been avoiding her. She was still mourning the loss of Angel to a lesser degree, and I had avoided her because of what I had learned from Rarity. Within the span of only a minute, I felt like the lowest of the low.

Releasing a sigh full of self-loathing, I shook my head slowly. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I should have made more time for you.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize. I know how busy-”

I held up a hand to silence her before bringing my eyes up to meet hers. “I made time for Twilight, I made time for Rarity, I made time for Lyla, Ember, and Starlight, and I even made time for Applejack when I could. The only one I didn’t fit into my schedule was you, and that wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy bit her lip gently before shuffling over to me. She hesitated for a moment before pressing her body against mine, and wrapping her arms around me. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she buried her face against my larger form, and her hair and hat hid her face completely as she gave me a hug I didn’t feel I deserved. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from reflexively encompassing her body in my arms and under my wing, and even though I felt undeserving of such affection, I relished it nonetheless.

After a few silent moments, she finally said, “It’s okay Spike. You’re here now.”

I settled my chin atop Fluttershy’s head, smiling at her ears flicking around almost playfully at the action. “I am. How have you been?”

Fluttershy pulled away a bit so that she could look at me, her soulful eyes still carrying a hint of melancholy in them even as she offered me a smile. “Better. I’ve been keeping busy and exercising to stay in shape.”

I’ll readily admit that the thought of such a dainty, soft (for lack of a better term) mare keeping to a strict exercise schedule was...odd, to say the least. Much like her personality, Fluttershy’s deceptively delicate-looking body held a hidden layer of steel just below the surface. It was easy to mistake the gentle pegasus for some weak little mare, but any who made that mistake would be shocked to learn she was the exact opposite.

“Speaking of exercising, you’ve improved recently, haven’t you?” she observed critically, looking over my neck and shoulders.

I ran my fingertips over the noticeable cords of muscle around my arms and neck. “Yeah. Training with Ember is hard work, so it makes sense I’d put on some more muscle. It’s a pain though, because my old clothes don’t fit quite right anymore, and some of them were my favorites.”

I was surprised by the feel of Fluttershy’s soft fingers tracing my shoulders and upper back, as if measuring me by hand (which Rarity had done before, and not entirely for practicality). Her expression was distant, as if she was in a trance, and it took me clearing my throat to bring her back to the present. The mare practically jumped away from me with a squeak of fright, and I did my best not to blush or display just how much I enjoyed the attention.

After a moment of awkward silence, I broke it with a loud, “So, anyway, I’m glad you’re doing okay, so I’m gonna go ahead and-”

As I turned to leave, however, Fluttershy’s fingers grasped my wrist, and while I could have easily pulled away, I didn’t -- something in the way she touched me, and the fact that she stopped me, bid me to stay; even though my mind was furiously denying it, my heart knew exactly why she had stopped my retreat. The sound of shuffling from behind me drew my curiosity, and I turned around to see something that burned away all rationalizations my mind could come up with.

There, displayed proudly on the left breast of Fluttershy’s overcoat, was a familiar brooch designed by Rarity to identify those she had vetted and accepted as prospective herd mates. I didn’t have to test the brooch to know it was real, since Rarity had confirmed to me that she had already spoken with Fluttershy, and gave her approval. What seemed like so long ago, when a little wyrm pup had bit my hand, I remembered thinking it was odd that Lyla had commented “Go get him, tiger” as we left...but now it made sense.

Fluttershy’s entire face was practically glowing from the blush that lit up her cheeks, and her eyes were darting to me and back to the ground repeatedly before she growled to herself, stamped her hoof, and forced herself to look at me. Her posture straightened, her eyes sharpened, and she no longer looked like the timid mare I knew. Instead, when she spoke, that inner steel that I admired could be heard in her voice, clear as crystal.

“I’m afraid of a lot of things, Spike,” she began, her blush beginning to fade as her posture straightened completely, and she looked far more confident than I ever remembered seeing her. “Monsters scare me, loud sounds scare me, and even some of my animal friends can scare me. I’m afraid of seeing my friends hurt, I’m afraid of getting hurt, and I’m afraid of being afraid.” She kept her gaze focused on me as she slowly shook her head. “But I’m not going to be afraid of this anymore. Spike…” she stepped forward, only a few scant inches separating us, and tilted her head back to look me in the eyes, those shining jewels of aqua more radiant than I could ever remember seeing before. “...will you accept me into your herd? Please?”

To put it simply, I was flabbergasted. The mare before me was not the scaredy-pony I knew from my childhood. Instead, before me stood a resolute, confident mare, confessing her desire to join my herd, and holding my gaze the entire time.

Slowly, as my mind caught up with what she said, I found the idea far less scary than I once did. What had I ever been afraid of in the first place? Sure, Fluttershy had been through a traumatic experience recently, and yes, maybe all the time we spent together following it had pushed her toward this...but I could tell this wasn’t a spur of the moment decision. If what Rarity told me was accurate, Fluttershy had been pining for me for quite some time...and I had somehow never noticed. I felt bad about that, but I couldn’t change the past. I could, however, do something about the present, and about a possible future.

But I still had to be sure.

“Fluttershy,” I began, ensuring my face matched how serious my words were, “are you sure this is what you want? Being with me -- with us -- is not going to be easy. Being a part of my life is going to thrust you into the spotlight; there’s going to be no avoiding becoming a high-profile pony, at that point. Everyone will know about you, and everyone is going to want to talk to you and talk about you. Privacy in the way you’ve enjoyed it for years is going to be at an end.”

Without even hesitating, Fluttershy nodded firmly, the determination in her voice matching the resolution in her eyes. “Yes. I know it won’t be easy, and I know things might get scary, but I won’t let that push me away. I’ve wanted this for a long time, and I’m not running anymore. If I succeed or fail, I have to know I tried my hardest, or I’ll live the rest of my life wondering what could have been.” She briefly glanced away as a forlorn expression settled over her features. “I’ve missed out on so much because of my fears, and I’m done letting those fears rule over my life.” Turning her eyes back to me, she nodded once again. “I want this.”

Once again, Fluttershy surprised me, and I was eager to learn just what she would be capable of in the future.

A smile slowly grew on my face. “Then I accept you. Welcome to the herd, ‘Shy.”

“Congratulations, Fluttershy!” Twilight gushed, having immediately noticed the brooch when we returned to the castle. She rushed over to us, and was now proceeding to hug the stuffing out of the shorter pegasus. Fluttershy could only smile and return the hug while I watched the two friends embrace.

After a few moments of this however, Ember stepped over to join us, and her imposing figure dwarfed Fluttershy’s. The two ponies noticed the metaphorical shadow that had been cast over them, and Twilight subtly stepped away from Fluttershy at the same time I did. We as a group had discussed how new members to my growing herd would be greeted, so we knew this was coming.

Even though herds nowadays had a far more relaxed hierarchy than those of the distant past, a sort of “pecking order” still existed within all modern herds, and we knew this was part of it. Luckily for us all, Ember did not feel particularly threatened by any of the others in the herd -- through our shared brands, she had firmly established herself in my life, and we both know she wouldn’t be going anywhere (metaphorically, at least). That being said, as a dragoness raised as a dragon, Ember brought a unique perspective to our lives...thus what she was going to subject Fluttershy to. As someone that was well aware I was a valuable asset to any nation that had me, Ember was adamant that I had to learn to protect myself, as well as be protected, so she was not going to allow weakness within the herd. Hierarchy-wise, she was below Rarity and Twilight, but was still high enough that she had been elected to test the courage and strength of will of any new members we may welcome.

Nothing visibly changed about Ember, but suddenly, a chill seemed to spread throughout the room, and the lines of Ember’s body somehow looked sharper, and more dangerous. My senses were sounding off with warning bells telling me that there was a large, dangerous predator now in the room with us, and even though I knew it was Ember that was putting out those signals, I still felt my body tense. I knew that if I felt it, ponies -- a race evolved from prey animals -- definitely felt it. To the shock of both me and Twilight, Fluttershy was calm and collected as she watched the larger dragoness approach.

Normally when faced with an uncomfortable situation, Fluttershy’s body language would become more passive, more defensive, and far less confident. I was nowhere near as adept at recognizing body language as Fluttershy herself, but I knew enough to be downright flabbergasted at the change in the normally-timid mare. Usually, at this point, Fluttershy’s hands would be clasped together, her arms raised and held nervously over her chest, her shoulders and posture hunched, and her wings slightly raised over her head. The mare we saw at that moment was completely different: Fluttershy’s back was straight, her shoulders relaxed and hands at her sides. Her eyes were completely focused on the dragoness with a steely, yet neutral stare, and her wings were actually flared slightly. This version of Fluttershy was practically taunting Ember, her body language clearly telling us that she was ready to fight -- not run -- if she needed to. For a moment, I thought I was looking at Fluttershy’s mother, and the resemblance was uncanny.

Ember was staring down at the smaller pony, and I could practically feel the surprise rolling off of her. Like us, she had likely expected this meek, little pony to back down or cower away from the larger, stronger female, but instead, Fluttershy was standing her ground and, even if she didn't realize it at the time, asserting her place within the herd. We all knew Fluttershy was nervous around others that she didn’t know well, but she was a master at dealing with dangerous predators, and it appeared that skill was working to her advantage against her predatory herdmate.

The stare-down lasted for a few more moments before Ember smirked and reached up to the top of Fluttershy’s head, running her claws through the pink locks. She glanced back to me and said, “This is a strong pony here; no backing down, and no warning displays.” She looked back to the mare she was currently petting (for lack of a better word) and nodded approvingly. “I have to say, I’m impressed.”

Fluttershy relaxed completely and giggled slightly at the feel of the claws in her hair. She looked up to Ember and nodded in return. “I’m strong when I have to be. If that means I need to prove to you that I can be strong, then this is one of those times. It’s true, I’m a scaredy-pony most times, but I’ll always be strong for my friends.”

Ember just smiled down at the mare before turning to me and Twilight. “You two got one brave friend. We gotta take good care of this one so she doesn’t run away.”

I raised my brow at Ember questioningly. “Y’know, you’re surprisingly on-board with this ‘herding’ thing lately. Sure you’re not the one that wants her?”

Ember accepted the jab with a good-natured chuckle and shook her head. “I’m just a dragon that knows the value of things and people. Any dragon knows that the things he or she collects -- mates, it seems, in your case -- must have a value beyond what others might see. This mare,” she patted the head of the pegasus that still stood next to her, “is a valuable addition. Anyone can see that.” She then nodded toward me. “As you fully master control of your greed instinct, you’ll find that even when you feel the need to hoard, it won’t be for things that are shiny anymore. For mature dragons, the things they hoard sometimes look mundane to others, but hold a special significance to them. One of my most treasured items, for example, is a smooth, round river rock given to me by my father when I was very young.”

I shrugged slightly. “I guess that makes sense. I have a lot of little knick knacks and souvenirs that don’t have a lot of value objectively, but they mean a lot to me for certain reasons.” It was at that moment that I remembered why I headed back home in the first place, and I slapped a palm to my face, groaning loudly. “Ugh, and I completely forgot why I was heading back here. Lyla and Rarity suggested we all go out and have a dinner date as a herd,” I then glanced to Fluttershy, who was staring at me quietly, “and it looks like we can introduce our new member, as well.”

Fluttershy was adorably delighted at the suggestion, and was smiling brightly with a happy flutter of her wings. “Oh my, that sounds wonderful! When are we meeting them?”

I shrugged. “The date is around 7, so I figured we could meet up at Rarity’s boutique at 6:30. I have a feeling she’ll still be getting ready by then.”

Twilight glanced at the wall clock as she observed aloud, “That gives us about two hours, then. Fluttershy and I will get ready, while the two of you,” she pointed and Ember and I, “get to clean up the mess you left in the pocket dimension.”

I felt the blood rush to my head at the mention of the room Ember and I had thoroughly “used”, and could only offer a meek nod and, “...yeah, we’ll take care of it.”

The four of us -- me, Twilight, Ember, and Fluttershy -- all approached the Carousel Boutique together as the last light of day disappeared over the horizon, and the moon rose to take its place in the sky. With the night being as clear as it was, the moon was bright enough to bounce light off of the snow all around, which gave ample light for anyone to see, even in the middle of the night; this gave night an interesting feeling to anyone out and about, since we knew we should be preparing for bed and such, but there was still plenty of light to see by. Winter was truly a magical time of year, and I loved it.

The door opened as we approached, revealing a younger mare at the door, beckoning us inside with a smile. “Well c’mon, get inside before all the warmth escapes.”

I greeted Sweetie Belle with a smile, ushering all four of us inside before turning to give her a hug. Sweetie Belle and I might not be as close as I was with the other two Crusaders, but she was still important to me.

After pulling away, she motioned to the sitting room. “Take a seat. Rarity is still fussing over herself and Lyla, so she’s gonna be a few more minutes. Does anyone want anything? Tea? Cocoa? Coffee?”

“Some tea would be nice, Sweetie,” I answered for the group. I also gave her another warm smile as she trotted away to the kitchen.

“Whenever you call her name, I always feel like you’re giving her a pet name,” Ember quipped, smirking at me.

I shrugged and returned her look. “Which is why I tend not to really use ‘sweetie’ as a pet name. It makes it weird since I know someone named Sweetie. Still, it would be funny if her and I were together, because that would be ‘Sweetie squared’.”

Ember just stared at me with a deadpan expression. “That was bad and you should feel bad.”

I shrugged again. “Eh, they can’t all be winners.” I glanced to the pegasus on the other side of me, who was presently watching the banter between Ember and I. “So, I was just wondering: how long have you liked me?”

With the attention brought to her, Fluttershy stiffened and blushed, but didn’t shy away from me. It took her a few moments, but eventually she admitted, “...u-um, a long time. Y-years.” I continued staring at her, waiting for elaboration, and eventually she continued. “W-well, I’ve always liked you as a friend, Spike. Before you and Twilight came to Ponyville, the only dragons I had ever seen were the ones that flew by during the dragon migrations, and they were big and s-scary. But then, Twilight brought you with her, and I got to meet and get to know a baby dragon. You changed the way I thought about dragons -- I was still afraid of them, but you proved they could be nice, and smart, and live with ponies.” She grew a gentle smile as she continued talking. “As you and Twilight lived in Ponyville and we did so many things together, I got to know you even better, and it was easier to see you as your own dragon, instead of ‘Twilight’s assistant’. Sure, there were the things we did as ‘the Elements of Harmony’, but the most important parts of our friendship are the regular things we do every day.”

I nodded understandingly. “I agree. That does answer a lot of questions, but when did you start to like me? Not as a friend, but as...more?”

Fluttershy finally averted her eyes, but for only a second, before reaching over and taking my hand in hers. “W-well, if I’m honest, I think it started from the moment you began to mature into a real grown-up. You remember the whole thing with the stonescales, and when your wings grew in?”

I remembered the uncomfortable time, and scratched at a phantom itch on my face. “Yeah...that sucked.”

“But,” she continued, giving my hand a squeeze, “it showed me that you were growing, and aging. For so long, you were the same size, same shape, same everything. I know it wasn’t actually true, but it felt like we were all maturing, and you were just...frozen in time. But then, you grew wings and got a little bigger, and that showed that you grew just like the rest of us.” The blush that had started to fade came back full force as she kept going. “And then, you had your first major growth spurt. All of a sudden, you weren’t this pudgy little baby dragon with wings. Instead, you were taller, and sharper, with a deeper voice and bigger wings. You had muscles, and you were strong, even for your size. You were still goofy and awkward, but you were growing into something more than just a cute baby dragon. Instead, when you wore the right clothes and acted just the right way, I found myself sometimes thinking you were handsome, like a stallion. I-I’d never really looked at stallions that much when I was younger; they were scary and loud, and they always wanted to talk to my other friends instead of me, which was...fine.”

“But then I came along,” I surmised, slowly smoothing my thumb over the back of her hand.

Fluttershy nodded and smiled again. “Yes, you came along. You were a good friend already, so there wasn’t any reason for me to be afraid as you grew up and turned into...um…” she trailed off and her blush increased tenfold as she looked to the other girls for help.

“A hunk?” Lyla playfully teased.

Fluttershy just wrapped her wing furthest from me around herself, attempting to hide her embarrassment. “U-um, yes. I never had any problems finding stallions or even some mares attractive, but Spike was always ‘cute’, not...hot. It took some time for me to work through those feelings.” She then inclined her head towards the stairs that led to the second level of the building. “I talked to Rarity about it a long time ago, and she suggested that I might...love you.” Fluttershy absentmindedly twirled her finger in her pink locks, shrugging helplessly. “And that took more time to process. I-it’s been years since I finally admitted to myself that I liked you like that, and it was only after l-losing Angel that I decided I needed to do something about it. Rarity was the first of your herd though, so I had to talk to her. The conversation was short, and she made sure I knew that I needed to commit to this, or it wouldn’t work. And...well, that took some more time.” She glanced out the window, apparently remembering the time a few hours earlier. “Today, I just threw all my nervousness away and did it, because if I didn’t do it now, I don’t think I ever would get around to it. It was scary, and I was afraid of what you would think,” she then glanced back at me with a faint smile, “but I’m happy I did it. It feels good to be brave.”

I affectionately nudged her with an elbow. “You’ve always been brave when it counted, 'Shy. Don’t ever feel like you have to compare yourself to others in terms of confidence, because we all like you just the way you are.” The mare blushed a bit, but leaned into my side with a happy sigh.

Sweetie entered the room with a tea set and the cups levitating behind her, and set it down on the coffee table as she sat on the arm of the love seat, next to Twilight. “So, how is everyone? It’s been awhile since I’ve been in Ponyville.”

Twilight took the cup offered to her, taking a deep whiff of fragrant tea. “Mmm...that’s good tea.” Upon noticing our stares, she giggled a bit in embarrassment before shrugging. “Nothing too crazy, other than Spike finally starting his herd. I…” she released a happy sigh and glanced to me briefly. “I’m very happy with the way things turned out. Life is in a good place right now, and I see a lot of good things in store for the future.”

“W-well, I’m sure you heard about Angel passing away,” Fluttershy added, taking a long draw from her teacup, clearly trying to calm herself, “but death is simply a part of life, for me.” The pegasus glanced to me and gave a smile “From the end of a short, yet bright life, Spike and I bonded like never before. I wish Angel could have stayed with me forever, but I know he would want me to be happy even though he’s gone.”

Sweetie gave a gentle, yet sad smile, and nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss. I’m happy to see you can live on after the loss of someone so important to you.”

Fluttershy gave a little nod and smiled. “Things are getting better. Everyone is still working, everyone is still healthy, and we’re happy. That’s everything I could ask for.” The pegasus then settled her head against my arm again, which I readjusted a moment later to wrap around her. I just barely kept myself from cooing aloud at how ridiculously cute “Cuddle-shy” was.

Sweetie then turned to Ember, and the dragoness chuckled a bit nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Heh, it’s uh...it’s actually a funny story…”

Ember went through the events in the past few months, with me throwing in input here and there. Sweetie’s eyes widened at quite a few parts, and her expression showed utter horror at the mention of the brands (much like my other friends), but at the end, her eyes were shining as she smiled at us. Sweetie had always been a romantic at heart since she grew up with a sister like Rarity, so she found the trials that Ember and I had gone through together to be very interesting.

It was just as Ember was finishing up her story that Rarity finally descended the stairs, with Lyla just behind her. The unicorn was dressed in a silky, red dress that hugged her form like a second skin, and the slit on the side was high enough that one could just barely catch the bottom of her cutie mark. Lyla, by comparison, was dressed in a similar dress, but colored green and violet to match her natural accents, and backless to allow room for her wings if needed. Both ladies, to put it mildly, looked like they had just stepped off of a fashion runway and into the living room, though I could always expect that when Rarity was involved with the clothing.

Rarity smiled at all of us as she approached, but stopped short when she saw Fluttershy and the brooch she wore. She was silent for a few moments before squealing excitedly and wrapping her arms around the startled pegasus. “Oh dear, I’m so happy for you! Welcome to the herd, darling!”

Fluttershy blushed brightly, but smiled as she accepted the embrace from her longtime friend. Rarity and Fluttershy had always shared a special bond between them, and I knew Rarity wasn’t exaggerating her happiness at seeing Fluttershy wearing the brooch. They hadn’t been distant, but I knew that it felt somehow different to have her within the herd: Fluttershy wasn’t only a good friend now, she was a part of our family, and that meant a lot to all of us.

Rarity pulled away from the pegasus and stood, nodding to the group. “I’m pleased to see you’re all here. So, shall we go?”

I stood with the others and led us out of the Boutique. Though I was leading us to the restaurant, I couldn’t help but pick up a short conversation from behind me between Twilight and Rarity.

“That dress is very beautiful Rarity, but it makes me feel...underdressed.”

“Oh, pish posh, dear; you look wonderful in anything you wear. Besides, this is a casual outing, so, to be frank, Lyla and I are the ones that are overdressed. You look wonderful as always, darling.”

“...that dress is also rather...risque for winter, don’t you think? I mean, someone might see your underwear.”

“I suppose I would be worried about that...if I were wearing any.”

And immediately, I felt the flame within me burn so much hotter...and I knew Rarity had intended for me to hear that.

The restaurant we decided on was a four-star place that could be enjoyed by both the common pony and elites alike. It was actually the place where Ember and I had shared a meal shortly after she began her stay in Ponyville, and even though it was commonly considered a “carnivore” restaurant, that was mostly only because they specialized in omnivorous options; they still had plenty of choices for vegetarians though, so it was still a good place to eat as long as a pony wasn’t one of the (thankfully few) that couldn’t stand the presence of meat, or those who ate it. Because of this, it was a popular restaurant, since it also encouraged other races to emigrate to Equestria.

Though it was a Friday, winter had thinned the dinner crowd a bit, so we were easily able to get a table on the 2nd floor of the restaurant, overlooking the small center stage that held a grand piano. A white unicorn mare with a two-toned blue mane was playing beautiful music on the instrument, and because of her immense skill, it was difficult to imagine the elegant mare was also one of Equestria’s most famous DJ’s. Her delightful music gave a refined, relaxed atmosphere to the restaurant, which tied the entire experience together into a package that was nothing short of wonderful.

The server brought us to a large booth set against one wall, which was just large enough to seat the six of us comfortably. He then left to get our drinks, allowing us to look over the menus. I was seated near the middle of the table, with Rarity on one side and Fluttershy on the other, and I’ll admit it was difficult to concentrate on reading the menu with two beautiful mares cuddled up close. Luckily, I had frequented this restaurant enough that I knew what to order, so that was one “crisis” averted. Unfortunately, whether it was a planned, coordinated attack or just coincidence, I felt two other hooves playfully teasing my calves from two different directions, as well as an unmistakable, leather-like feathered tail. Twilight, Lyla, and Ember looked far too innocent, and I knew at once that this was going to be a memorable dinner, if nothing else.

The waiter approached a few minutes later with pad and pen in hand and our drinks floating in his magic, the latter of which he distributed to us. He then gave us a bright smile and asked, “So, have we decided what we’ll be having tonight, or would you like to hear the specials?”

I admit, I was impressed by the ladies answering him without giving away their little under-the-table game they were playing with me. As for me, I was trying my best to keep from shivering from some of the more adventurous caresses.

“Sir? Sir, are you all right?”

The voice of the stallion brought me out of my stupor, and I answered with a supremely intelligent, “Huh?” I mentally shook myself before looking to the waiting stallion and answering, “Oh, uh, I’ll put myself in the claws of the head chef. Just tell her I’m fine with meat, and I’m feeling like something spiiii-cy!” My words ended in a squeak as Ember’s tail stroked deviously over my clothed crotch. I refrained from looking at the dragoness, but cleared my throat loudly as I subtly reached under the table and firmly gripped the end of her tail in my claws, holding it tightly as I smiled at the waiter. “Besides that, I would like to see what the chef can come up with.” I barely kept a straight face at the sound of Ember’s squeak of surprise, but internally, I was laughing my rump off.

The waiter finished taking down my request before gathering the menus and nodding to us. “Very well. I’ll return in a few minutes with the starters. Ring the bell if you need anything.” He scurried off to the kitchen, leaving the six of us alone for the moment.

Once we were alone again, I smirked at Ember as I reached out with my own tail under the table, returning her teasing with an otherwise straight face. “Are we really going to do this here? I’m game if you are, Little Fire.”

At the mention of the nickname, Ember practically exploded in a blush. Rarity only made it worse for the dragoness by commenting, “‘Little Fire’? Oh, that is adorable.”

Ember tried not to look like she was enjoying how I was toying with her as she hissed, “You are so paying for that, Spike.”

Resting my elbow on the table and resting my chin on that hand, I grinned devilishly at the dragoness. “Do I need to call you ‘Mistress’? My safe word is ‘kumquat’.”

Ember sputtered incoherently for a moment, halfway between outrage and embarrassment, before yanking her tail from my grasp and crossing her arms with a pout. She didn’t stop me as I slowly ran my own tail along her legs though, and her twitching wings told me she wasn’t as calm as she was trying to appear.

I rolled my eyes and poked her with the end of my tail. “Oh c’mon, stop pouting. Nicknames are how I show affection, and it was just a matter of time before you got one. Besides,” I rested my elbows on the table and leaned forward a bit, “you don’t need to keep up any sort of act to save face around those gathered at this table. This,” I gestured to the mares around her, “is your family now. They aren’t competitors, they aren’t rivals for resources or mates, and they aren’t looking to undercut you in any way. Around them, you don’t have to always keep your defenses up; you can relax, because they’ll always watch your back, just like me.”

Ember hesitatingly raised her eyes as she looked around at the gathered ponies, each giving a reassuring smile (or an affectionate wing-hug in Twilight’s case) to the embarrassed dragoness. I knew Ember was still adjusting to the fact that ponies were so affectionate, and that they openly welcomed her, but the very fact that she was able to smile at their actions told me she was adjusting far faster than I could have hoped. I had no doubt that there would be times in the future where cultural differences would clash between all of us, but Ember was trying, and time had already proven our differences were a strength, not a weakness.

“Dragons don’t...usually talk about sex or physical affection so openly,” Ember muttered, still blushing a bit shyly. “That kinda stuff is considered private, so we don’t really talk about it. Hell, we barely talk about it with mates.”

While the ponies at the table likely had no idea what “hell” was, there was enough context to relate it to how they used “hay”. Judging by Rarity’s thoughtful expression though, she was far more interested by the context itself.

“So,” the white unicorn began, pausing as she appeared to try and formulate the right words, “...how do young whelps learn about these things? Do the elders teach them? I don’t imagine the dragon lands have schools the way ponies think of them.”

Ember chuckled a bit dryly as she shook her head. “Oh hell no, the older drakes don’t tell us anything; and you’re right, we don’t really have schools. Mostly, it’s by exploration and experimentation.” She shrugged helplessly. “Instincts have allowed us to survive for hundreds of thousands of years, and it allowed our ancestors to last long enough to evolve complex brains. As...animalistic as it probably sounds to ponies, we just let those same instincts tell us what to do. I think Applejack would refer to it as, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.”

While Twilight and I were aware that dragons were almost hilariously shy about some aspects of life, the rest of the ponies were clearly shocked by what they heard, as was Lyla. Frankly, I understood their surprise -- Twilight and I had been similarly shocked when we took our tour through the dragon lands, and found it amusing that such large, powerful creatures were easily embarrassed by just talking about simple biological laws of nature. The book for foals titled Everyone Poops* would probably have them in an uproar.

I also knew, however, that dragons hated pity, and the looks Ember was receiving primarily from Fluttershy and Rarity were going to make things worse, not better, if I didn’t jump in.

“Hey,” I interrupted, bringing the attention to me as I slowly shook my head, “it’s not her fault, and it’s just the way dragons are. They live a very long time, and so they’re pretty...let’s say resistant to change.” I shot a look to Rarity as I continued. “I agree that Ember is a bit behind when it comes to Equestrian culture, but she needs support, not pity -- don’t feel sorry for her. Instead, if she wants to learn,” I caught Ember’s gaze briefly, “teach her. Ember is quite willing to learn if we’re willing to be patient with her.”

Ember sent a silent, grateful glance my way before clearing her throat and sitting up straight in her chair again. “...Spike’s right. Just by getting to know all of you, I can see that there’s nothing noticeably bad about the way you all learn this stuff -- you’re not all just mating in public, defecating on the streets, or holding giant orgies with strangers, so ‘pony ways’ can’t be as bad as our lorekeepers make it out to be.” She closed her eyes briefly and took a breath before opening her eyes again and scanning everyone at the table. “I do want to learn. Please, help me feel less like an outsider all the time.”

Externally, I calmly gave a reassuring smile to Ember, but internally, I was rejoicing and praising her to the heavens. Pride was a large part of dragon culture, and I knew it couldn’t have been easy for Ember to ask for help like that. Also, the fact that she was putting forth this kind of effort just made it even more clear that she was serious about fully integrating into my life, even if she won't always be able to be around after my training was finished. More than all that though, she was ensuring her place within my herd/hoard was a positive influence on us all, and that her strength would give us all strength.

Faust, what did I ever do to catch the eye of such an amazing dragoness?

Rarity seemed to be quietly analyzing what Ember was saying before finally nodding to herself. She beamed to the dragoness as she said, “Of course, darling. We will help you in any way we can; you need only ask.”

Ember returned the grin before turning to Twilight and nodding, at which point the alicorn finally removed her wing and scooted back to her place. At that point, chatter around the table began to be traded freely, and I tuned it out unless one of them directly spoke to me. Rarity was getting to know Ember better, Fluttershy was becoming more comfortable as a member of the herd, and Twilight was chatting animatedly with Lyla about something (magic, if I had to guess). It was a warm, peaceful few minutes, and I enjoyed the atmosphere as I just relaxed and spent time with my mates (and yes, it still feels good to be able to say that).

“So Spike,” Twilight called after a few minutes of me zoning out, garnering my complete attention. The alicorn smiled the type of smile that promised a nice surprise of some sort, casually advising, “So, I-uh...heard from a friend of ours after you left to get wood, and I think you’ll be rather excited to hear that she’s coming to Ponyville this Hearth's Warming.”

I raised my brow, sitting up a little straighter as I devoted my full attention to her; I couldn’t think about anyone off the top of my head that would be coming to visit us other than those we were already expecting. “Oh? Who is it?”

Twilight playfully grinned. “Well, I’ll give you a hint: it’s someone Ember hasn’t met yet, and we haven’t seen her in a few years. She’s another of our ‘reformed friends’-”

“As if that narrows it down,” I commented dryly.

Twilight just continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “And she’s an incredibly powerful unicorn-”

“Again, as if that narrows-”

“With a broken horn,” she finished, the final hint causing my eyes to go wide with shock.

I stared at her dumbly with my mouth slack before cautiously asking, “...Fizzle is coming back? Is she just visiting or-” Twilight flashed her horn, materializing a rolled scroll in front of me. I snatched it out of the air and quickly pulled it open, my eyes roving over the text in an effort to decipher just what Twilight had meant. After a thorough inspection of the short note from Fizzlepop, I brought my eyes up and looked at Twilight. “She says she’s coming ‘home’. What does that even mean? I thought you said she’s coming to Ponyville.”

Twilight just gave me a bittersweet smile. “You know her story, so you also know that after she left her hometown and joined with the Storm King, she didn’t really have a home anymore; fifteen years of her life were completely devoted to the Storm King and the lies he used to manipulate her.” Twilight lowered her eyes as she stared sullenly at the tablecloth. “She had nothing and no one left, and that’s why she felt she had to go out and do everything she could to atone for her crimes and the sins of the Storm King’s armada.”

“I imagine she felt she had to discover who she really was,” Rarity suggested, frowning briefly as she said so. “I unfortunately did not get to know her very well before she left.”

“I don’t think she knew herself very well, so this journey has been a way for her to rediscover who she really is as a pony,” Twilight said. She then smiled as she raised her eyes and added, “But that’s also why I told her that she would always have a home in Ponyville, and that I would be her friend, even if no one else would.”

I nodded slowly. “I see. So when she wrote that she was coming home, she meant-”

“To the castle, yes,” Twilight finished. “I don’t doubt Fizzlepop Berrytwist is a very talented individual, but I imagine many ponies would be wary of giving her a chance, even after what she did in the fight against Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. Not only did she lead the Storm King’s armada and brought most of the developed world to its knees, she was the only one in longer than most ponies can remember that actually conquered Canterlot, and neutralized three alicorns. That’s very scary, and even though I’ve been able to teach ponies to be more accepting of different types of creatures, someone like Fizzle still makes ponies wary.”

I didn’t like it, but it made sense. Because of what she’d done, Fizzle would likely always be an outcast in the world, and our castle was probably the only place she would be able to call home. With Starlight and even Trixie, it had been relatively easy to ease them back into normal society -- yes, ponies remembered the things they did, but they didn’t carry physical reminders of what they had done with them. Fizzle though, she was “the scarred unicorn with a broken horn”, and she would be recognized no matter where she went in the world. It was unlikely she would ever be able to just have a normal job and a normal life, all because of the mistakes she made in the past.

With a grim expression, I nodded. “I understand. I don’t like it, but we can’t just make ponies accept her.” Ember caught my attention out of the corner of my sight, and I noticed her wings quivering behind her as she was sitting very stiffly in her chair. “You okay, Ember?”

Ember chewed on her lip as she glanced over the gathered ponies before sighing and lowering her eyes to the table. “I’m kinda...nervous about meeting Tempest-”

“She doesn’t like to be called that,” I snapped, shooting Ember a stern glare before realizing what I did and looking away in shame. After a moment of silence, I said, “...sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that, but that name is a part of her dark past she wants to move on from.”

Ember smiled briefly to let me know she forgave me before she continued. “It’s okay. Anyway, I’m just kinda nervous about meeting Fizzlepop in person. She’s like a storybook villain come to life, and no matter what they might tell you, most of the dragons back home were terrified she was going to come for us next. I trust all of you if you welcome her into your home like that, but I’m still...anxious.”

Again, with pride being such an important part of dragon culture, I was very proud of Ember for having the courage to admit she was actually nervous about something. It meant she was already making great strides in better settling into Equestrian life. I’ll admit, it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

I again reached under the table with my tail, and ran it along Ember’s leg in a more soothing manner as I gave her a reassuring smile. “I know you won’t stop feeling uneasy until you actually meet her, but I promise, you don’t have anything to worry about. We wouldn’t be inviting someone into our home that we thought would blow it up.” I then glanced to Twilight and amended, “...well, on purpose, anyway.”

Twilight levitated her cloth napkin off the table and tossed it at my face as I laughed, rolling her eyes with a good-natured grin. Just like that, the atmosphere was light and happy again, and Ember loosened up little by little until she was smiling and chatting animatedly again.

After a few minutes of idle talk, the server approached our table again with the starters, which consisted of some sort of creamy dip with crackers, another plate of what smelled like cheese puffs over a bed of lettuce, celery, and carrots, and what I could tell by smell alone was the restaurant’s popular seafood sampler, which had garlic-basted butterfly shrimp, baked scallop dip, and a few crab cakes. After setting down the dishes and handing out smaller plates for each person, he smiled to us and bowed. “Enjoy. Your meals are being handled by the head chef herself, and they will be prepared with great care.” The server then departed, leaving us to try the food.

Ember, of course, looked a bit lost, likely wondering if she was supposed to wait for her turn or if there was some sort of rule she was meant to follow. I just nodded to her and said, “You don’t have to wait; go ahead and get in there. Try a little of each one, and if you like it, grab a little portion for yourself on your plate.”

Ember nodded before licking her lips and reaching for the seafood (which I expected, since it was more familiar to her). In the middle of portioning out a little of each seafood dish on her plate, she stopped and glanced at me as she asked, “Wait, I thought that ponies don't eat meat. Is this just for us?”

I smiled and gestured to Fluttershy and Lyla, who were both eyeing the seafood dishes with interest. “Red meat, pork, and poultry is generally off-limits for most ponies, but seafood is usually something most can tolerate and even enjoy; pegasi especially love seafood.”

“Oh...cool,” Ember answered, sounding pleasantly surprised as she settled back into her chair and began tasting what she had. The pleased hums she produced told me the seafood was definitely a winner, and I had a feeling she’d probably like the other dishes as well, if I could convince her to try them.

Chatter at the table was reduced to a minimum as we enjoyed the appetizers, though I kept my eyes on Ember to keep track of the adorably pleased expressions and noises she made whenever she took a bite -- it was likely she had discovered, in this very moment, that there was a lot she was suddenly willing to try regarding Equestria, if she could find food like this. Ember was even adventurous enough to try the other appetizers, and though the creamy dip (which turned out to be cold seasoned cream and dill) wasn’t a favorite of hers, her participation in the meal helped the rest bond with her just a bit more, which would always be a plus in my book.

The appetizers were finished in short order, and the timing of the arrival of our main courses was perfect. The same server came to the table to take our dirty dishes away, returning shortly afterward with a female gryphon who was clearly the head chef of the restaurant. I hadn’t met the hen before, but the pure white jacket, slacks, and chef’s toque made it clear to anyone that saw her that she was the boss of the kitchen. She was a pale gray with white accents and bright yellow eyes, and she followed the server with a relaxed, professional gait.

After our meals had been placed at the table, the chef gave a short bow and gestured to the dishes provided to us. “I am Head Chef Griselda, and I have personally overlooked the preparation of these dishes tonight.” She then motioned to my dish specifically with a proud smile. “Since you asked for my choice on the dish, I have taken the liberty of preparing for you a favorite of mine from my homeland, the balmy islands of I’a Tele*. It is a surprisingly simple dish of ocean white fish poached in spiced tomato sauce, but the secret is in the preparation by a skilled, experienced hand. Please,” she nodded to me, “try it, and tell me what you think.”

I looked down at my plate, which was a red-sauced slab of fish over a bed of white rice. I could see green onions and crushed tomatoes in it, and my nose told me there must be garlic and some sort of citrus as well, so I wasted no time in bringing my fork and knife to cut off a small bite. To my surprise, the fish was extremely tender, able to easily be cut with only my fork, so I simply scooped up some rice with it before taking the bite into my mouth. Immediately, my taste buds were assaulted by a myriad of flavors and spiciness, including the light, subtle taste of the fish itself. Unable to stop myself, I let out a borderline obscene-sounding groan of approval, nodding to the chef as she smiled, clearly pleased I enjoyed her hard work.

The chef gave another bow. “It is always a pleasure to share the tastes of my home with others. Enjoy your meals.” She then turned and left the table with that same professional-yet-relaxed gait that said, “I’ve worked very hard to get where I am, and I love what I do.”

"So what is it?" Lyla asked, eyeing my dish with interest even as she ate her own.

I shrugged before taking another bite of the wonderful meal, humming happily at the taste. I adhered to manners and swallowed before speaking, but couldn’t stop the happy hum that escaped. “Some sort of spicy, seasoned tomato sauce with whitefish, over a bed of rice*. I’d have to ask her for the recipe, but just from the taste, I can guess she used some kind of peppers or pepper sauce to give it some heat.” I scooped up a bit on my fork and held it up. “Want to try some?”

“Mmm, don’t mind if I do,” Lyla happily replied, leaning over the table and taking the bite before sitting back down. The others at the table watched her chew, apparently waiting for a verdict, before the changeling smiled happily. “Yeah, that’s pretty good. Not something I’d normally go for, but it’s got a light, unique flavor. I might have to order that next time we come out.”

…

About an hour later, the six of us were chatting happily as we relaxed in the booth, just enjoying the music and each other’s company. We had collectively abstained from dessert, but alcoholic drinks flowed rather freely (except Fluttershy, who tended to avoid alcohol), which led to the normally more-composed Rarity getting a bit loopy and silly, and Twilight couldn’t stop the perpetual smile that crossed her rosy cheeks. Ember was simply getting to know her herd-mates better and learning odd things here and there (like the fact that Twilight became rather affectionate when under the influence), and I was very happy to see her becoming a bit more relaxed around the mares. Lyla would normally be snuggling against me, but since that spot was taken by Fluttershy at that current time, she instead spent time reconciling what little she knew about traditionally-raised dragons with the dragoness next to her -- Lyla loved to learn new things, after all, and she was especially drawn to history and archaeology, so a member of a long-lived race like dragons was a metaphorical gold mine for the changeling soldier.

Eventually though, I noticed Twilight’s horn glowing every now and then without anything happening, which I had learned meant she was checking the time. I decided to save her the trouble of having to be the one to break up the nice time by letting out a loud groan and sitting up straight. “All right, I think we should get out of here before it gets too late. We all have to be up early to get ready for...you know.” I hated to bring the mood down, but there was no avoiding the funeral tomorrow. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash needed us all there, so I was going to make sure we weren’t half-asleep during the ceremony.

Rarity seemed to sober up a bit, and she nodded firmly. “Yes, you’re right. Come on then, let’s get going; it wouldn’t do to deprive ourselves of sleep when we need to be at our best for tomorrow.”

We all began standing as one and shimmied out of the booth. I reached into my pocket and fished out the required money before tucking it into the bill booklet, ensuring there was a hefty tip in it for the great food and nice service. We filed out of the restaurant, thanking the staff as we did so, only for another white unicorn in a sparkly blue dress to stop us. Even if I hadn't known her personally, one would have to be literally living under a rock not to know who she was.

“How’s it goin’, Scaley?” Vinyl greeted jovially, smiling brightly as she approached. She then looked over the gathering and nodded to the rest. “Evenin’ ladies. Did you all enjoy the tunes?” Her smile slipped from her face as she noticed the changeling of the group was frozen stiff, looking like she was about to faint. “Yo, you okay? Spike, I think I broke your girl, dude.”

A sound began to come out of Lyla’s mouth, starting soft as a whisper and gradually growing in volume. It was a sound I heard so rarely from the changeling: an honest-to-goodness squeal of joy. At its apex, Lyla was bouncing excitedly on her hooves as she clasped her hands tightly over her chest.

“AAAAHH!! OHMYGOSH, YOU’RE DJ PON-3!” the changeling exclaimed, doing a rather spot-on (and adorable) imitation of Pinkie Pie as she bounced on her hooves in front of the DJ-turned-concert-pianist.

Saying Vinyl was used to excited and exuberant fans would be an understatement -- she was close personal friends with Pinkie Pie herself, after all. Vinyl just smiled brightly again and nodded to the happy changeling girl. “That’s me. I take it you’re a fan?”

“A-am I a- OF COURSE I’M A FAN! Who isn’t a fan? I mean, what-” Lyla blurted, making several false-starts before composing herself enough to ask, “w-what are you doing here? I-I mean I thought you looked familiar, but I didn’t know you could play the piano, so I didn’t think twice.”

Vinyl just smiled good-naturedly at Lyla as she shrugged. “Eh, it’s a hobby of mine. Tavi is out of town for the symphony's winter performances, so I was just chilling out at home. Griselda is a friend, and her normal pianist came down with the flu, so I figured I’d help her out.” She glanced at me and raised an eyebrow as she removed her shades, revealing deep, ruby-red eyes that rivaled the beauty of Ember’s. “Did you not tell her you and me are tight? You could have introduced us years ago.”

“If you haven’t noticed,” I countered, jerking my head at the changeling next to me, “Lyla’s a bit of an EDM-head, and you’re her favorite artist. I’ve offered many times, but every time I did, she made some excuse about not wanting to bother you.” I heard an offended snort from beside me, and I caught eyes with Lyla as I challenged, “What? It’s true. You acted like I was going to introduce you to a deity or something.”

Vinyl just chuckled and shook her head before poking Lyla in the shoulder. “Look, for the future, if I’m not on tour and Tavi’s out of town, I’m just sitting at home, bored out of my mind; please, bother me. I’m glad you love my songs, but I don’t like it when ponies treat me like I’m some kinda celebrity. If I wanted to look down my snout at everyone, I’d be living in Canterlot, in a mansion. But screw that mess,” she tossed her head to get the wandering strands of blue mane out of her face, “if I had to live around those uptight douchebags, I’d probably wanna gouge my eyes out with a spoon after about a month. So not worth it.” She then backed up a bit and took a look at all of us collectively. “Anyway, it’s good to see you all doing good. I’ve been busy most of the year, but it was good to come back and see Spike finally got a herd of his own.” The unicorn slugged me playfully in the shoulder. “Proud of you, man. It’s about damn time. Anyway, Tavi’s gonna be home late tonight, so I’m gonna head out too and be ready for her when she gets back. Peace, and thanks for comin’ out.”

We all watched as the mare walked out of the restaurant and into the cold winter air, completely unbothered by the temperature. I knew why, but if what Ember asked next was any indication, she wasn’t exactly up-to-date on just what kinds of ponies lived in the nation. We would rectify that.

“She confuses me,” the dragoness commented as she pulled on her coat and hat again, preparing for our own foray into the cold air.

I raised my brow at Ember. “How so?”

Ember finished securing her hat on her head before looking to me with a matching confused expression. “She talks like she’s just one of the younger ponies, which I guess is why she’s so popular with them, but her voice says she’s a lot older than the rest of us.” At my questioning look, Ember explained, “You can tell a lot about someone just from their voice alone. The tone, the subtle harmonics, the way they speak, and even the words they use can tell you what kind of person you’re talking to. For us, though,” she gestured to the two of us, “practiced dragons can hear a lot more in a voice than most other races. It’s…” she trailed off, apparently considering how to word her explanation, “it’s like, there’s another layer of information underneath what most other races can hear. When you learn how to hear it, you can’t turn it off, and it’s like a whole new world is suddenly open to you.”

I just stared at her for a moment. “You’re totally teaching me that next week.”

Ember smirked at me briefly before her expression turned serious. “Anyway, once you learn to use the ability, just by listening to the undertones, you can learn a lot about someone. You can tell how strong they are, whether or not they’re lying, and all kinds of other things. For this situation, you can even tell how old they are, and that,” she pointed toward the door where Vinyl had walked out of only a handful of seconds prior, “is an old creature.”

I gave my own smirk at her deduction. “Want to guess how old?”

Ember went silent for a few moments before guessing, “Older than the Two Sisters. Can’t get much more than that without talking to her more.” She then raised an eyebrow at me curiously. “What is she? I know for a fact that no pony except an alicorn lives longer than maybe three or four hundred years, and even that’s pushing it.”

I frowned a bit as I mentally organized my response. Twilight led me out into the winter air as we all began making our way back to the castle, which was fine because it took me a few seconds to come up with a decent answer. “...frankly, we don’t know. Vinyl’s mind isn’t perfect, and even though she remembers more than most would think possible, she’s told me there are gaps in her memory centuries long, where she just...doesn’t remember anything. I’ve never gotten a clear answer from mom when I’ve asked her how old she and Luna are, but I know they were already adults before they faced Discord for the first time, and that was nearly two thousand years before...well, before Nightmare Moon. Then, Nightmare Moon was imprisoned for a thousand years, and…” I shrugged. “We don’t really know how old they are, but the best we can guess is at least five thousand, judging on what little we know of their biology, and Vinyl said she was already grown by the time they were born.”

Ember was just staring at me with her jaw slack. “...okay, so what is she?”

“Equus Sanguis is the official scientific term,” I answered, frowning briefly as I did so. “She’s one of the scant few left of her kind, at least that we know of.”

Ember silently mouthed the words, clearly using what knowledge she had of ancient languages to puzzle out what it meant. “W-wait, that translates to ‘blood horse’. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I kept my voice low as I answered, even though no one else was on the roads at that time of night. “Yeah. The term used before that one was Equus Nosferatu Vampiris, based on legends of a nightmarish creature called Nosferatu -- which was, of course, a vampire. Findings in the last few decades showed a distinct lack of evidence that the creature ever actually existed, so the name for VInyl’s kind was changed to be more accurate to what vampires are.” I shrugged. “They have a very intimate relationship with blood, for obvious reasons, so having ‘blood’ in their scientific nomenclature made sense.”

Ember just stared for a few moments once again before shaking her head and turning back toward the path. “Just when I think I’ve got a grasp on Equestria, I learn that vampires are real, and what’s more, you’re friends with one.”

I nodded before nudging her to get her attention again. “She’s a legal citizen and the royal family knows what she is, but most ponies would react...poorly. I trust you to keep the information private.”

Ember nodded firmly, her face serious, before she again looked confused. “Wait, so how did you find out she was…?”

We arrived back at the castle by that point, so I opened the door and ushered the ladies inside before closing the heavy door behind us to keep out the cold. I continued my explanation as I helped them take off their heavier winter wear. “Well, the first time Tirek attacked, she was one of the victims. Unlike normal ponies, she didn’t recover when her magic was returned to her -- she needed blood, and it took awhile for any of us to find her. By that time, she was starving, and she lost control and bit me. I was still a little whelp back then, so she was easily able to overpower me, but something about the potency of my blood shocked her back to sanity, and she stopped herself. She took a minute to explain just what she was, and then…” I frowned briefly at the memory, “she apologized and told me to leave her to die.”

“And you said no,” Ember surmised, pulling off her boots at last, sighing happily as she was once again free of the constrictive winter clothing.

I nodded as I draped her coat over my arm, following the rest from behind as we made our way toward the upper levels of the castle. “I had known Vinyl for years by that point -- we were already good friends -- so there was no way I was gonna just leave her to die when I could do something to save her. I had found her by accident after Tirek had been sent to Tartarus, and I didn’t know how much longer she would be able to endure, so I offered my own blood to save her.” I chuckled at Twilight’s growl ahead of me, since she was likely remembering how much she freaked out when she found us in that alleyway hours later. “Turns out, you have to choose to become a vampire, which is why there are so few of them -- getting bit by a vampire doesn’t cause you to become one. I didn’t find that out until after the fact, but Twilight made sure to let me know just how stupid I was for putting myself in danger like that.”

The named mare snorted loudly from in front of us, her tail lashing stressfully. “How do you think I would have felt if you had made such a huge life change like that on a whim?” While Rarity didn’t say anything, the narrowed gaze she was shooting me from the corner of her eye told me she felt the same.

“Hate to gang up on you, but I agree with Twilight,” Ember replied, shoving me hard enough to make me stumble to the side. “I get that she’s a friend, but you’re lucky things didn’t turn out way worse.”

I lowered my gaze to my feet as we made our way up the spiral staircase. “I know, but I was having what you might call a personal crisis during that time. Up to that point, almost every time something was going bad, or some world-ending catastrophe was looming over the horizon, I just had to watch as my friends and family put themselves in harm’s way. There was never anything I could do, and I just had to stand back, chewing on my claws, praying that everyone would be okay, because there was nothing I could do.” I shrugged weakly. “It...was stupid, and I know that, but at that moment, there was finally something I could do to help one of my friends. I wanted to be the one to save someone for once, instead of relying on the rest of my friends to do it. Plus, I was being honest when I said I didn’t know how much longer she had left.”

Ember was clearly trying not to frown -- and failing miserably -- but eventually conceded, “...all right, I get it. Still, you haven’t exactly grown out of your impulsive behavior, so that’s another reason we gotta teach you how to protect yourself.”

I raised my brow at this new information. "What do you mean ‘another reason’? I don’t recall discussing this.”

Ember just looked to Twilight, who smiled sheepishly at the dragoness. “I um...might have forgotten to bring it up.”

Ember just sighed and shook her head before looking to me again. “Long story short, we can’t always count on someone else to look after you, so we’re going to teach you how to defend yourself.” Before I could respond, she held up a hand and said, “I don’t mean brawling, I mean fighting -- to the death, if you have to. Look,” she placed her hand on my shoulder as we finally walked into the commons area in the private wing of the castle, “I wouldn’t recommend this if it wasn’t necessary, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand why you’re such a valuable asset, and depending on others to look out for you is just going to make them targets first.”

“I’m sure you remember what happened to me, Spike,” Lyla commented from off to the side, causing me to deflate a bit in shame. She leaned in and planted a peck on my cheek as we sat on the main sofa, taking my hand in her own. “You know I will always jump in to protect you without a moment’s hesitation, but if nothing else, it would put my mind at ease to know that if the worst happens, and I’m no longer able to protect you, you won’t be defenseless.”

It was true, I already knew some rudimentary fighting techniques, but it was also true that “rudimentary” wasn’t going to cut it if I had a trained team come after me. I was relatively safe in Equestria, but I was also technically high-profile, meaning the probability was high that someone, at some point, was going to try and do something to me or the ones I cared about. I felt a bit guilty that I’d brushed it off for so many years, but guilt wasn’t going to do me any good, so I buried it.

With a sigh and a nod, I acquiesced. “Okay. You’re right, I should be more to all of you than dead weight in a fight.”

“Hey,” Twilight broke in, poking me hard in my shoulder, “stop that. If anyone should feel guilty about that, it’s me, because I never made it a priority. We can’t do anything about that now, but we can do something for the future by making sure you’re not helpless. Yes, you can grow, and you’re learning to use your magic, but brute strength and power is nothing without skill.”

I let out a short breath from my nose, giving a nod of assent. “I get it.”

“Now now, this all can wait until later in the week,” Rarity interjected, motioning all of us sitting around the room. “Tonight is a time for our herd, in preparation for tomorrow. We will deal with business at the start of next week, including whatever training Spike might need.” With a dainty yawn, Rarity physically shook herself. “Now, however, I believe we should all get our rest. Ember dear, please wait with Spike while the rest of us change into something more fitting for sleeping.” Whether it was the alcohol or simply her being a tease, I couldn’t help but notice a distinctive sway to Rarity’s gait that was the equivalent of putting a giant “LOOK AT ME” sign on her rear; I was happy to oblige.

“Do you think hers is nicer than mine?” Ember commented playfully from off to my side.

I was quite used to the way Ember teased me by now, so while it could still be embarrassing at times, it no longer turned me into a stuttering mess. Still, I will admit I had a mild blush as I gave my reply. “‘Nice’ is relative. Hers is a little bigger and squishier, but yours is more sculpted and I can really sink my claws in without hurting you.” I turned my eyes to Ember and smiled slightly. “You do know I find you immensely attractive, right? You don’t have to compare yourself to others.”

Ember smirked at me before brushing her hands over her chest. “The only thing I feel mildly jealous of is pony breasts, only because I see the way they make you stare.”

My blush increased tenfold at the mention of that, and I could only nod quietly.

“Is there anything you want me to do while you all are gone tomorrow?” she asked in a more serious manner.

The thought of the implied event brought me out of my embarrassment. I gave another nod and said, “Yeah, study up on court etiquette -- Twilight should have a few books about it. I could tell you and try to prepare you for when we go to Canterlot, but there’s probably a bunch of rules and stuff I’m forgetting; Twilight usually takes care of all the ‘royal stuff’, so while most of it is a sort of ‘muscle memory’, I can’t really articulate it to teach you. We’ll brush you up over the weekend, but it couldn’t hurt for you to get started on your own.” I glanced to the clock to judge how long it had been since the others left the room, then jerked my head toward the bedrooms. “C’mon, they’re probably finished by now. Let’s get to bed.”

As Ember and I walked toward the bedrooms to rest for the night, I couldn’t help but silently dread what the next day would bring. I was going to be there to support my friends, but I wasn’t exactly an expert in the grieving process, and nor was I particularly good at hiding my emotions if I was really sad. I could only hope that the support of all my friends and family around me would allow me to compose myself a little better, to be there for Scootaloo. I didn’t know what would come next after that, but while I was certainly going to attend, I was not particularly looking forward to the event itself.

With a long sigh, I entered the bedroom to sleep, doing my best to pass the thoughts out of my mind so that I could get a good rest to prepare for the mourning that was soon to come.

Chapter 21

The following day started out bad, and not because it was the day of the funeral.

Somehow, as we slept, Ember ended up sleeping on my wing. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but something about the specific place she was pressing on cut off the blood supply, so I woke up with about half of my wing feeling numb. Of course, not being able to feel it made it impossible to properly coordinate, so as I rose, I slapped Twilight upside the head. This made the alicorn shoot out of bed in surprise, but seeing as how she had cuddled Fluttershy in her sleep, the pegasus was an unwilling passenger aboard an alicorn rocket. The only one of us who wasn’t awakened particularly rudely was Rarity, but since she had a mild hangover, she wasn’t exactly happy either.

Rarity, the wonderful mare that she is, had prepared a suitable funeral garb for all of us to wear, but had forgotten to pick it up from her boutique on the way back home after the previous night’s date. Twilight luckily remedied this with a portal connected to Rarity’s main studio, but neglected to remind the fashionista that those with any sort of nausea probably shouldn’t use a portal. Because of that lack of information, the fashion mare ended up voiding her stomach on the other side of the portal, leaving her a groaning mess.

Needless to say, it took longer than we were comfortable with to get cleaned up, get dressed, and get to the town graveyard.

We did, however, make it to the cemetery with 30 minutes to spare, which gave us plenty of time to greet the others that had showed up, find our seats, and settle in. Without coffee, those of us who drank it were a bit more cranky than usual, so Twilight and I made it a point to keep our mouths shut and attitudes in check. I’ll admit I was jealous of the fact that Rarity, still being hungover and vomiting on herself only an hour earlier, still looked as immaculate as always.

As time passed, the seats began to fill in with more and more ponies; most were Ponyvillians, but I noticed some that must have been from the volunteer work the deceased ponies had taken part in. All I know is that the cemetery was quickly becoming filled with ponies from all walks of life, from all over the country, that respected Scootaloo’s parents, and they had all come to pay their respects.

Contrary to her normal arrivals, Rainbow Dash didn’t drop out of the sky and land with a heavy thud on the ground. Instead, the rainbow-maned pegasus walked calmly through the front gate hand in hand with Scootaloo herself, with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Gabby following behind them. The mare of the hour looked to be a shadow of the spunky, energetic young pony we all knew, but that was to be expected. Rarity had apparently been busy, as both Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were wearing black suits similar to mine (regardless of the situation, I knew there was no way Scootaloo would wear a dress), and I have to admit, the look somehow worked for them both. If nothing else, it gave me something else to momentarily focus on rather than the dead, haunted eyes of Scootaloo, which were usually so vibrant and lively.

Because of the decent state of the bodies -- as well as how the cold had preserved them -- an open wake had been chosen so that those that needed to say goodbye could get a little more closure by seeing the faces of Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood one last time. As the rest slowly took their seats, Rainbow alone led Scootaloo toward the two black caskets, and if the halting steps were any indication, Scootaloo was clearly having trouble keeping it together. The truth is, there was nothing about this that was going to be easy for Scootaloo. No matter how long or short we waited, it would never be a good time, and it would never be something Scootaloo was ready for. Going off of what I had learned from Applejack and even Luna, I did know that the sooner this was done with, the sooner Scootaloo could begin to heal; there was no denying that nothing was going to blunt the pain, so all we could hope for was a streamlined track to recovery.

Finally, after a painful few minutes, Scootaloo finally stood in front of the two caskets, and was able to see the faces of her parents. For what seemed like an eternity, she just stared at the two bodies, her face a blank canvas, her body unmoving. Even now, I can’t imagine what must have been going through her mind; she had so many memories of the two ponies, from the point of where she could even have memories, all the way to only a few weeks ago. Years of happy memories, laughter, love, and lessons were all put to an end with just two cold bodies in caskets, and the frozen half-grimaces that the faces seemed to have. The young mare stepped away from Rainbow Dash, creeping to the coffin that held her mother. She stared down at the placid face of the mare that birthed and loved her, and broke down into deep sobs of agony.

Rainbow Dash just stood back, letting Scootaloo grieve on her own.

After about 10 minutes (during which I had to choke down my own tears), Scootaloo finally sniffled and wiped her eyes before leaning down and pressing a light kiss to the cheek of her mother. She gently caressed the area before turning to the second casket, and practically falling on top of it as her sobs began anew. We all knew that while she loved both of her parents, Scootaloo had been much closer with her father than her mother, so his loss was going to leave a deep wound in her heart that might take years to heal. It pained me to see the normally tough pony so broken, but there wasn’t much I was going to be able to do to help. Besides, this was exactly what should be happening at a funeral, and she needed it to be able to start moving on.

It took a good deal longer for Scootaloo to compose herself the second time, at which point she backed up into the reassuring embrace of Rainbow Dash, allowing the larger pegasus to hug her tightly as tears still flowed freely from her eyes. The two took their seats at the front of the seating area, closest to the wake, and we waited for the celebrant to take his place and begin the eulogy.

The speaker was an older mare that I didn’t recognize, and other than her platinum-blonde mane, she didn’t have any particularly distinguishing features. Her voice, however, was what I could only define as “stern schoolmarm” -- it was the type of voice that demanded obedience whenever she spoke, and the entire gathering quieted down as she began to do so.

“Hello friends, family, and loved ones,” she began, opening a small book in front of her as she looked out over all of us. “We are gathered here today to lay to rest Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood, who were tragically taken before their time. Their field research did wonders to advance our understanding of the outside world,” she then leveled a sympathetic look to Scootaloo, who was still crying rivers of tears in the audience, “but for those of us who knew them personally, they were brave, good ponies who will be sorely missed, and whose place none can ever fill. As we bid them farewell, we must keep the memory of them in our hearts, so that in a way, they will never truly be gone. They have touched the hearts of many through their heroic efforts in disaster relief and volunteer work, and I have no doubt their loss will be felt by far more than those gathered here today.” She once again glanced to Scootaloo, and gave a nod when the young mare met her eyes. “With their passing, they leave behind their only child, Scootaloo, who would like to say a few words.”

And suddenly, every eye was on Scootaloo as she rose from her seat, wiped her eyes, and made her way to the podium alone.

Her steps were slow and could definitely be called trudging, though I doubted anyone in attendance blamed her. While she appeared calm and collected, there were little details that gave her away to anyone that knew her: the puffy, discolored fur underneath her eyes that spoke of days of weeping, the just slightly unkempt mane that showed she didn’t particularly care about her appearance, her mane was also slightly thinned along her left ear, the latter of which showed she had quite possibly pulled her own hair out in grief. All of these subtle signs spoke of a truly broken pony, one who clearly didn’t want to be here, yet was trusting Rainbow Dash when she was told this would help her.

Finally stepping up to the podium, Scootaloo took a folded piece of paper out of the pocket in her slacks, placing it down on the podium in front of her. She allowed herself a deep breath before looking out over the gathered crowd, solemn and broken. “To everyone here today that knew my parents personally, I want to thank you for coming -- for the rest of you, I know they’d appreciate knowing their lives touched so many, even if they never met you.” I was impressed that her voice was surprisingly clear and steady, and subtly glanced at Rainbow Dash, silently thanking her for being there for the young mare.

Scootaloo glanced down at the speech she had prepared, and began reading. “My...my mom and dad weren’t what most of us might consider ‘normal ponies’. While the average pony is born, gets their cutie mark, grows up, finds love, and then settles down and builds a life and a family, that wasn’t the path my m-mom and dad took.” She cleared her throat hard and sniffled once before continuing. “They always wanted to see the world, discover new animals and new places, and help ponies and other creatures in need. Obviously, a lot of creatures also received equestitarian aid, and I can see some of you here.” I glanced around and saw several different ponies nodding, as well a few gryphons and even a changeling or two in the back.

Scootaloo’s eyes focused on the sheet of paper on the podium for a few moments. After a few silent seconds, she crumpled up the speech and stuffed it in her jacket pocket, leveling the gathered creatures with a far less composed expression. “But...th-that’s not what I’ll remember the most about them. All of you probably already know all that stuff, so I’m just wasting time repeating it. Instead…” she sniffled hard as her bottom lip started to tremble, “I-I’ll remember the way m-my dad would run his fingers through my mane and call me ‘his plucky little ankle-biter’. I’ll remember w-when my mom would sing to me when I was sad or upset, and would brush my mane until I felt better. I’ll remember the way my dad smiled at me when he was proud of me, and I-I…” Scootaloo trailed off as she struggled to keep from sobbing, and it broke my heart to not be able to go up and comfort her. After a few moments, Scootaloo finished with, “I-I’ll remember h-how they were the best mom and d-dad I could ever ask for, and I’m the m-mare I am today b-because of how much they loved me.”

With that, Scootaloo fully broke down in tears as she turned to the two caskets and practically collapsed over them -- first her mother’s then her father’s. Rainbow Dash practically launched herself over the entire crowd as she rushed to the side of the younger mare, and enveloped the weeping pony in her arms as she openly cried with her. There was not a dry eye in attendance, and I readily admit I was crying right along with them.

This went on for a few minutes before Rainbow Dash walked up to the podium and gently ushered Scootaloo off stage, at which point the celebrant again took her place at the podium. With a nod to two unicorns in attendance, the mare signaled for the caskets to be closed, and then levatated over to the prepared graves. We all stood and gathered around the site as the coffins hovered placidly in place, waiting for everyone to find a place.

Finally, after we all gathered, the celebrant began speaking again. “We now commit the deceased to their final resting place. May they rest in peace, and never be forgotten by those that cherished them. With these final words,” she nodded again to the unicorns, who began slowly lowering the caskets into the ground, “we bid farewell to Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood. May they find peace in the verdant greens of Elysium, as they no doubt will await the time when their loved ones join them in paradise.”

Those of us with them stepped forward to give a final gift of a single flower each to the caskets. Most were white, a few pink, and many yellow roses. Only two red roses found their places upon the caskets -- one each -- and came from Scootaloo herself. Everyone in attendance could feel the heartbreak evoked by those final two red roses, and all were respectful as Scootaloo once again broke down in tears.

After the conclusion of the ceremony, a few close friends of the family said some things of their own, including me, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. The main service was wrapped up after that, which led to the point afterward where ponies and every other creature in attendance was giving their condolences and such to the young mare; while many were simply saying those things because they felt they had to, I was happy to see a few here and there that actually meant the words, and even offered to help however they could.

After the main gathering began to break up and everyone started to clear out, six heavily-clothed individuals stepped forward to greet Scootaloo. I couldn’t hear what was said from my place near the gates of the cemetery, but I knew the Wonderbolts were now giving their own private words for the grieving pegasus, and she was likely thanking them for coming. All in all, even though it was an intensely emotional event, I was proud of Scootaloo for her maturity and willingness to accept the support that was offered to her.

The ceremony was short and simple, only lasting a little over two hours, and soon, all of us were walking together out of the cemetery. Twilight and all my close friends clustered around Scootaloo as we led her to Sweet Apple Acres, where we had prepared a more private venue for all of us to spend time with her and support her in whatever ways she might need. I knew that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were already going to be waiting for us at the farm, and assuming Gabby hadn’t gotten lost on the way from the cemetery, she could be expected to be there as well. If nothing else, I knew Scootaloo would feel more comfortable with her best friends in the world, and for now, that would have to do. Though I felt like a broken record for mentally repeating it to myself for probably the hundredth time in just the past few days, all we could do was support Scootaloo as she worked her way through this, and hope that she could still smile afterward.

The snow crunched under my feet as we walked through the front gate leading to the farmhouse, and from my place at the back of the group, I could see the familiar red mane of Applebloom on the front porch. The mare herself was bundled up in a well-loved brown coat formerly owned by her older sister, and she was waiting anxiously for us to arrive. She, Sweetie Belle, Big Mac, and Granny Smith had left early to prepare the house, but we had apparently lost track of time as Scootaloo said her farewells to all the guests, meaning the four had been waiting for longer than we originally estimated. Thankfully, I knew the Apples were anything but strict when it came to plans, so I wasn’t particularly worried. That being said, I knew that the cold was a bother for everyone but me, so I broke away from the group and flew toward the porch, giving Applebloom a half-smile and a firm handshake as I landed at the top of the steps.

“Heya ‘Bloom. Everything all set?” I asked, jerking my head toward the front door.

The mare nodded. “Eeyup! Gabby’s here too, so we were just waitin’ on y’all t’get back.”

I nodded to her and stepped toward the door, holding it open. “Run over and help escort Scootaloo inside. I’m sure seeing one of her best friends as soon as possible will do her some good.” I watched as Applebloom gave a short nod before bounding out into the snow, approaching the group. All the other mares made room as the farm mare made her way to Scootaloo directly, and wrapped the shorter pegasus up in a tight hug. The two shared a quick moment in the embrace before breaking apart and walking with the rest of the group to the farmhouse. After I helped usher everyone inside, I also helped everyone get their coats and such off and put away, then walked over to the kitchen to see what use I could be to those that had been waiting for us.

Big Mac and Granny Smith were in the kitchen, just finishing up a nice lunch for all of us. There wasn’t any cooking left to be done, so I helped them clean everything up while the oven did its work, doing what I could to make the day as a whole go a little easier. Yes, part of it was because it was just the kind of guy I was, but I was also trying to distract myself so that I wouldn’t have to continually relive the time seeing Scootaloo sobbing her heart out at the funeral.

After a few minutes of helping where I could, I was shooed out of the kitchen by Big Mac. I reentered the family room to see Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Gabby huddling around Scootaloo, hugging her and speaking in hushed tones as the older ponies allowed them to have their privacy by sitting on the other side of the room. I joined the latter group, sitting myself between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, wrapping my arm around the yellow pegasus, and giving Rainbow Dash an affectionate pat on the knee and a smile.

She returned the smile with a small one of her own, letting out a loud sigh as she relaxed against the back of the couch cushion. I could only imagine that she had been both anxious about and dreading the day of the funeral for days now, so even though there was more grieving to come for Scootaloo, the hardest part of it was over. I knew that Rainbow Dash’s coming weeks and months were going to be centered around her younger charge, but for the first time in awhile, she was able to take a breath and know that she got the two of them through the hardest part of it all, and the rest would be easy by comparison. Regardless, I still had to make sure she knew she could call on me for help if she needed it; if nothing else, it would make me feel better.

I nudged the blue pony with my elbow as I leaned in and whispered, “I know you said you got this, but if you ever need any help with anything, you just let me know, and I’ll be there.”

Rainbow Dash raised her eyes and smiled at me again, playfully bumping her head against mine. “Scoots is gonna be well taken care of, but I’ll keep that in mind. I know that once things calm down, she’d like to have you over to spend time together, and I know she’s gonna wanna spend time with her friends during Hearth’s Warming, so we’ll be at the castle.” She gave me my personal space again as she stretched her arms high above her head, mimicked by her wings. “Buuut, as she starts to work through it all, I’m sure she’ll want to get out and do stuff with the ones she’s close to, so you can be sure you’ll hear from me. Just because Scoots is my focus right now doesn’t mean we aren’t gonna see each other anymore; you’re still my go-to dragon, and life gets boring without you being a dork.”

I was well aware of the fact that I was pretty much the definition of a dork, so I just shrugged my shoulders helplessly. “Well, I don’t want to get rid of my dorkiness then. You wouldn’t have a reason to come around, and I wouldn’t get to ogle you as you did your stretches. It’s win-win, if you ask me.”

Rainbow Dash’s face lit up in a blush as she shoved me playfully, and the other girls gave giggles at our antics. Having a herd of my own and learning to deal with Rarity and Ember had given me a bit more confidence in myself, which made my flirting a bit more refined. I knew I was never going to hook Rainbow Dash with any of it, but like with Applejack, it was a part of our usual banter. Rainbow Dash had five or so years of constant wins on me, so I had to make up for lost time. Besides, even though she’d never admit it, I think Rainbow Dash enjoyed the compliments of a friend more than a random horny stallion trying to get into her shorts, even if said compliments embarrassed her.

I was brought out of my teasing session when I saw the Crusaders approaching, so we all gave them our attention as they made their way over. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Gabby all quietly encouraged Scootaloo as they walked over, during which time I made sure to be sitting up straight and at attention for whatever she needed to say.

Scootaloo shuffled over and took a breath before looking up at us. Her eyes were red from crying, she was still sniffling here and there, but she was composed enough to say, “I’m grateful to all of you for coming with me to that thing. I...I-I don’t know if I would have been able to do it without all of you there. So, before I forget I just wanted to thank all of you for being there for me.”

“No one will ever replace your mom and dad Scoots,” Rainbow Dash answered, sitting up a little straighter as she took the younger pony’s hands in her own, cupping them gently, “but we’re family. I don’t care that we don’t share blood or that it isn’t on paper: you’re my little sister, and I’m always gonna look out for you. The rest of these ponies,” she motioned to all of us, poking me in the chest, “and this dork of a dragon, will always be here for ya. Anytime you’re feelin’ sad and wanna talk, or even if you just wanna go do somethin’ and forget about it for a little while, you can come to any one of us. I’m sure I speak for your fellow Crusaders, too.” Rainbow Dash finished by nodding to the other two young mares and gryphoness behind her.

Gabby enveloped Scootaloo in a feathery hug from behind, affectionately nuzzling the smaller pegasus’ mane with her beak. “That’s right, Scootaloo! Crusaders now, Crusaders forever!” Despite the choking fog of grief, Scootaloo was able to give a small smile at her friend’s words and affectionate gestures.

The pegasus enjoyed the hug for a moment before opening her eyes and nodding to us with watery eyes. “Thank you...all of you. I...I still don’t know how I’m gonna get through something like this, but I feel a little better knowing I have all my friends here to catch me when I fall.”

Rainbow Dash stood up and stepped forward, resting her hand on the top of Scootaloo’s head as she assured, “We’ll get through this. It ain’t gonna be easy, but I promise, I’ll make sure you come out the other end of this storm. I swear on my wings.” The last part of what she said caught everyone’s attention, since we all knew exactly how important flying was to Rainbow Dash; if she was willing to place her flight in the hands of fate, she was determined not to fail, and I knew Scootaloo understood as well.

“All right ev’ryone,” Big Mac announced from the dining room, “lunch ‘s almost ready. Wash yer hands ‘n have a seat at the table.”

We all vacated the living room and did as requested, finding our way to the kitchen and then the table in short order. As usual whenever we ate at the Apple home, a veritable feast awaited us, as well as a few dishes that I knew were Scootaloo’s favorites. Scootaloo sat surrounded on both sides by her best friends, with the rest of us finding random places around the table. Granny Smith was last, of course, but with her seated and a short word of gratitude for the meal, we all tucked into the lovingly-prepared hot lunch. Her friends and even Granny Smith herself did their part in loading up a plate full of some of the Apple’s specialty dishes including but not limited to: apple fritters, apple brown betties, apple cobbler, apple dumplings, and of course a generous slice of fresh apple pie a la mode.

When the plate was finally set in front of the young pegasus, Scootaloo could only stare at the comically-large meal for a moment before rolling her eyes, and snorting out a single laugh. Glancing to her friends, she offered a quiet, “Thanks, girls.”

We all knew why we were here, and the Apple family wasn’t much for small talk, so we just ate and chatted about things not related to the funeral or the passing of Scootaloo’s parents. Scootaloo herself didn’t have much to say, but the small smile and relaxed posture told me she was happy to not have to listen to more empty condolences and well-wishes from people, most of whom she hadn’t met previously. Again, it wasn’t much, but even a small improvement on her part was something to treasure, and so I allowed myself a small smile of my own. As chatter flowed more liberally, I took a “back seat,” as it were, and just enjoyed the meal and chatter as I let Scootaloo become the focus of the people there.

Hours later, the sun had fallen below the horizon, and the bright moon had taken its place. Scootaloo had accepted her friends’ offers to stay with them tonight at Sweet Apple Acres, and told Rainbow Dash she would be okay for tonight. And so, because of that, the older pegasus suddenly found herself with no obligations, and a lot of free time she wasn’t expecting. All of our friends, sans Applejack, were free as well, so we decided to have a sleepover for the first time in a long time.

The mood was still somber, and none of us felt like this was a particularly happy time to spend together, but as the saying goes, “a burden shared…”

We quickly rushed toward the castle as the temperature continued to drop, and we arrived home to a roaring fire and nice-smelling hot drinks (the former thanks to Ember, and the latter due to the thoughtfulness of Lyla). I laughed aloud as Rainbow Dash practically bolted up the stairs at the smell of hot chocolate, but took the time to help the other mares out of their coats and boots so we could join her. We were eventually all within the commons room, the hearth crackling merrily with a fiery welcome, and Rainbow Dash herself was lazily sitting on the large sofa with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her right hand. For the first time in weeks, Rainbow Dash actually looked relaxed, and more at peace than she had in some time. The rest of us took seats around the hearth, some of us even on the floor to be closer to the warm glow, and Lyla happily passed out the warm drinks to the rest of us. Ember was sitting slightly to one side on the stonework of the hearth itself, and I knew if it weren’t for the fact others were also trying to warm themselves, she would be practically sitting inside of the fireplace itself.

I was sitting across from Rainbow Dash, so I was easily able to watch her and see how tired she looked. Though she had taken in upon herself to watch over Scootaloo nonstop for the previous days, I knew it wasn’t easy on her, and it showed in her slumped posture, unkempt mane and tail, and shaggy fur (which she normally kept clipped short, for aerodynamics). She looked loads better than she had when we initially returned from the disaster site, to be sure, but there was no denying that the past few days had been particularly hard on her. We all knew that, while Rainbow Dash had matured and mellowed as time had gone on, she still wasn’t particularly good at dealing with situations involving strong emotion, and nor was she all that great at supporting others through those times. There was no doubt in my mind that supporting Scootaloo in her time of need was a learning experience, to say the least, but we also knew she was the only one that Scootaloo would feel comfortable with.

I was worried about Rainbow Dash, but more than anything, I was proud of her. Even with being as close to Scootaloo as she was, I was well aware it wasn’t easy for her to do what she was, and she was pushing herself to be sure that, as the only pony close to family Scootaloo has left, she was going to be there. I knew Rainbow Dash didn’t think so, but she’d make a good mother, in my opinion.

“Careful Spike, any other girl might think you’re making goo-goo eyes at your friend, there,” Ember chimed in from just beside me.

I nearly jumped out of my scales at her voice, both embarrassed and jealous that I hadn’t noticed as she snuggled up right beside me as I zoned out, thinking about Rainbow Dash. I offered her a nervous smile and answered, “W-well, I’m glad it’s you then, because you’re the best dragoness a guy could have, and you’re so forgiving that-”

She gave an airy little laugh and rolled her eyes, shooting me a playful smirk. “Spike, relax. I know you’re just worried about her, and if I’m being honest, the care you have for everyone close to you is one of the things I treasure the most about you.” After giving me a moment to calm down, she subtly tilted her head toward the mare. “So, what’s got you all worked up about her?”

I let a slow breath out of my nose, taking care not to keep staring at the pegasus across from me. “I’m just..worried about how she’s handling all this. You don’t know her that well yet, but she has a habit of blaming herself for things out of her control, especially when it causes those she cares about to get hurt. So, while she’s not in that deep depression she was in when we first got back from the disaster area, she’s still not doing good. Honestly, I think the only thing keeping her going is caring for Scootaloo. I hope I’m wrong, but maybe if it weren’t for Scoots, Rainbow Dash might have locked herself in her home and never come out.”

“And you’re worried that, now that she’s here and not watching over her pseudo-sister, she’s going to break down or something,” Ember surmised, frowning. “Can’t say I’d thought of that, but then again, I’m still not all that close with all these ponies yet.”

I nodded briefly before turning my eyes back to the dragoness. “Would you mind if she shared the room with all of us tonight? If not,” I held up a hand, forestalling her nervous expression, “I’ll bunk with just you tonight, and she can stay with all the girls. It’s just…” I briefly glanced at the pegasus again, “ponies feel more comfortable sleeping in groups, and she needs comfort right now. She’s going to be up all night if she has to sleep alone, and I don’t want that.”

Ember looked down at her lap in thought, biting her lip nervously.

Seeing her response, I just nodded with a reassuring smile. “That’s a ‘no,’ then. I just wanted to ask you first.”

Ember glanced up at me with a frown now. “I don’t want you changing everything about your life for me. I don’t want a ‘yes drake,’ I want ‘Spike’.”

I waved off her concern with another smile. “It’s not a big deal. I know that sleeping quarters are supposed to be a dragon’s safe place, where only those you’re closest to are allowed. I know it still makes you uncomfortable, and I’ve accepted that there are some things about dragon culture that you will never get past, no matter how much you adapt to life with me. That’s okay.” I then inclined my head toward the resting pegasus across from us. “Besides, you don’t really know her all that well yet, unlike me. It makes sense you’d be uncomfortable with her ‘invading’ a private space. It’s fine, I promise.”

She squinted at me skeptically, her shiny scales almost playfully reflecting the firelight. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” I answered, snaking my arm around her back and under her wings, and pulling her closer against me. “They’ll be fine without me for a night, and we still have a few hours before we go to bed to spend time together.”

It was clear she was still conflicted, but Ember gave me a small nod as she relaxed her posture and rested her head on my shoulder. She let out a soft sigh as she mumbled, “I swear, sometimes you’re too caring for your own good...but I love that about you.” I affectionately rubbed her knee with my palm, but was silent as I just enjoyed the closeness.

“So Spike,” Rarity began as she took a seat on my unoccupied side, “how are you feeling?”

I turned my gaze to the unicorn, raising a brow. “About?”

She gestured generally to the air. “All of this. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo have been the focus,” she pointed briefly to the suddenly-alert pegasus mare across from me, “but I don’t think we’ve ever really asked how you are doing, other than very briefly. We just want to be sure you’re okay, darling.”

I glanced around the room, noticing that suddenly, all eyes were on me. Even Rainbow Dash, who had been on the verge of dozing off, was focused intently on me as she waited for my response.

Giving a tired shrug, I answered, “I mean, I guess I’m okay. I didn’t know Scootaloo’s parents personally, so there’s no sense of personal loss, there. Other than the scattered nightmares of finding their bodies when Rainbow Dash and I were up there, I’ve felt more pain on Scootaloo’s behalf than anything else.”

Rarity gave me a skeptical look. “And you are sure you aren’t simply pretending to be okay for our benefit? I don’t imagine what you went through was easy.”

Shrugging once more, I answered, “I mean, I’m not gonna say I wasn’t affected, because I was, but it’s not an ongoing issue. Had a few nightmares the following few days, which Auntie Luna took care of, but other than that, I think I’m coping okay. Besides,” I gave Ember a good squeeze, and reached out my tail to affectionately rub Rarity’s calf, “I have good friends and mates that support and take care of me. I think I’ll be just fine.”

All of my hoard-mates (herd-mates) besides Ember blushed hard at the word “mates”. For dragons, it was simply what one called their significant other, but for ponies, the word “mate,” besides being a bit antiquated, was extremely serious in regards to how one referred to a romantic relationship. In the scale of “seriousness,” it generally went “special somepony” (which generally referred to non-exclusive dating), then marefriend/coltfriend, and then “mate” -- the latter was usually only used when a couple (or herd) had decided to be joined in matrimony. It took me a moment to understand exactly why they were reacting as they did, and I had the good sense to blush as well when my brain caught up with me.

“I-I mean...unless we somehow all of the sudden have irreconcilable differences, I think we’ll get there someday,” I nervously clarified. I tried to play it off, but inside I was mentally kicking myself for not taking into consideration what that word meant to ponies. Not for the first time, I cursed the fact that my mouth tended to be faster than my head.

My words only caused them all to blush deeper, but Rarity and Lyla were both smiling widely as well. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to melt into an embarrassed puddle, and Twilight’s face was frozen in a frenzied smile, looking shocked beyond all recognition; Pinkie Pie even had the bright idea to poke the alicorn, which yielded no response. Rainbow Dash had an odd look of surprise on her face that I couldn’t quite place, but when she noticed me looking, she just silently smirked at me.

Still, the silence was starting to get to me, and the reactions of Fluttershy and Twilight had me worried. Did they regret being a part of my life in this way? Was this not serious to them? I knew Twilight had reservations before, so was she expecting things to fail? Had I driven Fluttershy away in an unfortunate example of “too much, too soon”? Maybe if I’d just learned to keep my big, fat mouth shut-

“Spike,” Ember intoned from my side, prodding me hard in the upper arm to get my attention. When I looked at her, the dragoness’ face was hard, and her lips a firm line. “You need to chill out. You have a bad habit of working yourself up for silly reasons. Wait until you get more information before leaping, remember?”

I recalled that very lesson during one of the training sessions I had with Ember, in which I had learned a new character and the spells that I could use with it, and assumed I knew how it would work. So, I stupidly combined it with another character without warning Ember first, and nearly trapped both of us in the pocket dimension for...well, possibly forever. Dragons couldn’t starve to death in the same way other creatures did, and instead just went to sleep for long periods in times of scarcity. This meant that if I had made a stupid mistake like that, I could have disappeared from the outside world without Twilight, or anyone else, ever knowing what happened to me. Ember then took it upon herself to metaphorically (and yes, a bit physically) hammer that lesson into my brain.

I took a few deep breaths before nodding to myself and letting the last breath out in a long exhalation. “Okay...all right, I’m good. Sorry about that.”

See? Twilight isn’t the only one that panics.

Ember just regarded me with a knowing grin, her expression half between playful exasperation, and adoration. I knew she loved me, and I knew she knew that I had my own weaknesses and failings that were a part of who I was. Even so, she accepted these things about me, and worked with me to overcome them. Ember was by no means perfect: she had a tendency to be abrasive without meaning to, or say offensive things without malice, and she also had very little patience for things not related to her mate (me). Just like she did with me, I was working to help her overcome her own failings, so that we could both be stronger together.

As I realized this, I felt a rush of love and affection welling up inside, and I couldn’t help it as I quietly said, “I really don’t deserve you. You know that, right?”

Her smile warmed as she blushed a bit. “Well, I’m not a prize to be won, so ‘deserving’ has nothing to do with it. I chose you, just as you chose me, and that’s all there is to it.” She then nudged me and inclined her head toward the rest of the room. “Looks like they’re coming around.”

I turned my eyes to the rest of the group, and noticed Twilight was now slack-jawed as she just stared at me silently. Her mouth moved a few times with silent words before she finally stuttered out, “Y-you w-would want to-”

“Marry you? I-I mean yeah, eventually,” I finished, shrugging self-consciously. “That’s where romance is supposed to lead, right?”

I didn’t think it was possible, but Twilight’s blush increased as she squeaked something out in an adorable imitation of Fluttershy, complete with hiding behind her wings. As for the shy pegasus herself, she was peeking out of the curtain her mane formed around her face, and was sporting a tremulous smile.

Fluttershy visibly girded herself before quietly responding, “I-I think I’d like that, someday.”

And just like that, I felt like I was soaring.

I couldn’t stop the smile on my face if I tried. I pulled myself away from my place on the couch and stepped over to Fluttershy. She had only a second to stare up at me in bewilderment before I practically snatched her up out of her seat and wrapped my arms around her, smooshing her warm body against my chest. She gave a startled gasp at first, only to devolve into giggles as I started nuzzling her mane and face. She wrapped her arms around my neck as she laid butterfly kisses over my face and cheeks, until we eventually ended with gentle, loving nuzzling. For those few seconds, we were alone in the world.

“Rainbow? Rainbow, where are you…?”

Rarity’s voice brought me back to reality, and I gently let Fluttershy down onto her hooves as I looked around. “What’s going on?”

Rarity looked a bit bewildered before answering, “I-I’m not sure, darling. Rainbow seemed a bit upset about something, and she left.”

I looked to the hallway that led away from the commons area. It only took me a second to make a decision. “Wait here, I’ll check up on her and be right back.” No one said anything as I left, though I caught an odd look on Ember’s face as I did so. Nevertheless, I quickly lit up a familiar spell that enhanced my sense of smell, inhaled the completed spell (which still burned like a handful of pepper), and then followed my nose through the corridors of the castle. Despite the situation, I couldn’t help the few laughs that escaped as Rainbow Dash’s scent doubled back on itself a few times, indicating she had gotten lost at least twice, before it led out of an open window in one of the bathrooms. Without hesitation, I shot through the window with a mighty leap and spread my wings, taking a moment to hover and gather my bearings. After only a few seconds, I picked up on Rainbow Dash’s unique scent, and followed it up to a lonely cloud sitting only a hundred or so feet above the top of the castle. I could see Rainbow Dash’s bare legs dangling over one edge of the cloud, along with her familiar tail, so I quickly flew toward the wispy winter cloud.

Rainbow Dash was sprawled across the cloud with open arms, staring up at the cloudless sky. For the first time in awhile, the winter sky was nearly completely clear, and the pegasus was just staring up at the stars, looking very much like she was losing herself in the vast expanse of space. I landed next to her, gently setting down on the cloud with little more than a soft poof, and quickly set to work crafting a spell in my hands. I noticed Rainbow Dash turning her head to me out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored her stare as I weaved together “fire,” “body,” and “soft/gentle” (the latter depending on the context). After the spell was settled into my palm, I gently pushed up the hem of her light shirt and pressed the burning palm of my hand onto the space just under her sternum. The spell transferred to her skin in a flash of light, and the spell circle glowed briefly on her exposed flesh before fading away.

She looked down at her torso for a moment before gasping as the spell took effect. Though I think it was clear at that moment what I had done, I decided to confirm her silent thoughts anyway. “Warming spell. Doesn’t last long, but it’ll keep you toasty for the next few minutes.” She looked to me briefly before glancing away, again staring up at the stars. “So, are you gonna tell me what this is all about?”

Rainbow Dash was quiet for a long few moments before chuckling and shaking her head. “Just too much mushy stuff for me, y’know? Had to get outta there and get some air before I lost my mind.” She shot a look at me as she added, “I blame you.”

I wasn’t stupid. A bit oblivious sometimes, yes, but not stupid.

“I know you’re not the Element of Honesty,” I countered, frowning a bit as she looked my way again, “but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lie to me again. If you don’t want to talk about it, just say so, and I’ll drop it, but don’t lie to my face.”

“I’ll stop when you stop,” she answered blandly, turning her eyes back to the stars.

I raised a brow at her questioningly. “What are you talking about?”

“Every time some out-of-towner or noble asks about your relationship with the rest of us,” she began, looking over to me with hard eyes, “you always say something about us being the best of friends, and that we’ve been through so much together, and blah bla-blah, blah blah.” The words were said in a bland tone, but with enough bite to let me know this was something that had been festering awhile within her. “But you’re not telling the whole story, are you?”

I stared with a slack jaw for a moment, gobsmacked. “W-where...Dash, where the heck is this coming from? What are you trying to-”

“All dragons hoard, Spike,” she interrupted, causing me to shut my mouth with a click, “all dragons. The only difference is what, and how much. Ember said it herself.” She gestured around and said, “I don’t see some giant pile of jewels or coins, and you’re not exactly a materialistic guy. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and that’s when I realized: you have us.”

I stared at her again, but this time, my gaze hardened as I came to a few possible conclusions in my head. “What are you saying, Dash?”

She sat up finally, and flared her wings aggressively as she stood. “Are you hoarding fillyfriends? Is this some kind of macho dragon thing where you’re trying to gather up as many-”

For the first time in awhile, I growled in anger at one of my friends, and had to fight to keep myself under control. Still, the growl was in my tone as I answered, “Don’t finish that sentence. You know damn well that’s not true! I love them! I love all of my friends! You think this is some kinda sociopath crap where I’m just finding the prettiest things to add to a collection?” Again, my confusion reared its head, and against logic, it actually cooled my temper and allowed me to think a bit more logically. “Really now, where is this coming from? What on Faust’s green fields would make you think that I’m doing that, or that I’m even capable of that kind of thing?” I then remembered how she hadn’t left until Fluttershy and I shared a moment, and something clicked in my brain. “Wait...is this about ‘Shy? Why would-”

“Because you’re the very first!” she shouted, breathing heavily as she bared her teeth in anger. She started pacing as she said, “I’ve known Fluts pretty much my whole life, and never once has she shown interest in anyone before you. How do I know you didn’t put the idea in her head or something? Heck, how do I know Rarity didn’t?”

“Are…” I began, unable to finish the thought before taking a moment to collect my thoughts a little more, “...are you being serious right now? Pay attention to the things you’re saying, and who you’re accusing! Dash, we’re your best friends!”

“And so is Fluttershy!” she answered, and I could swear I actually saw steam coming out of her nose as she snorted. “All my life, I’ve been having to watch out for her because she’s too meek or kind to do it for herself. Especially after-” And at that, she clammed up very suddenly, and looked away as her ears pinned back against her head.

Now my curiosity was definitely piqued. “After what, Dash?” She clammed up tight, so I took a chance and placed my hand on her shoulder as she stared angrily down at the puffy cloud. When she didn’t shrug me off, I gently pressed, “Dash, if whatever it is has something to do with this idea that we’re somehow taking advantage of Fluttershy, I deserve to know. I’ll tell Fluttershy it was my fault or whatever, but I need to know.”

Rainbow Dash's face went through an array of emotions as she mentally warred with herself, before she finally let out a long, tired breath as she slumped back to the cloud, landing on her rump. After a few seconds, she finally muttered, “...I’m sorry, Spike. I’m just...worried about her.” She looked over to me with shimmering eyes as she explained, “Back in flight school, Fluttershy wasn’t exactly what you’d call normal. She hit a growth spurt early, so she was tall, and lanky, but the only things that didn’t grow were her wings. This made her a pretty bad flier, which didn’t exactly help her self-esteem issues during a time when all the other little fillies and colts were starting to fly on their own.”

“I already knew that. She told me,” I stated, nodding along.

“What she probably didn’t tell you was that flight school was the easy part, for her,” Rainbow Dash continued, frowning softly as she tried to glare a hole in the icy cloud. “She grew up tall early, and probably because of that, she also...developed early, too.” She glanced at me briefly to confirm, “Yeah, Fluts has been a knockout ever since secondary school. Not that it helped her self-confidence.” She shrugged her shoulders and went back to staring at the cloud. “All of the sudden, a lot of the colts and fillies that made fun of her, calling her ‘Klutzershy’ and mean names like that, were trying to talk to her and even hit on her. She didn’t know what to do...and that was the problem.”

It took a moment for what she might be insinuating to settle in, and when it did, I carefully ventured, “...please tell me that no one pressured her into…’giving herself’.”

Rainbow Dash mercifully shook her head. “No, it didn’t get that bad...but she did end up in a few relationships she never wanted. She just wasn’t brave enough to say no, afraid it would cause them to make fun of her or even hurt her.”

“Did they ever-”

“Oh, hay no,” Rainbow Dash answered with fire in her tone. “I made darn sure of that.”

I nodded in relief, sitting silently for a moment before saying, “Okay, so basically, Fluttershy has a history of being pressured into things she doesn’t want. I kinda figured that, and I understand why you’d be worried about someone doing the same nowadays. Still, I’m her friend; I’m your friend. Why are you coming at me sideways like I’m some kinda stranger? Dash, we’ve known each other for years, and frankly, it hurts that you’d accuse me of something like that. I thought you knew me better, but I guess I was wrong.” My bitterness must have come through in my tone, because Rainbow Dash had the good sense to flinch and look ashamed.

She averted her eyes, suitably chastised. “I-I’m sorry Spike, but you have to understand how it looks to someone that’s seen Fluttershy be walked all over by almost everyone she’s come into contact with. All of the sudden, you get one fillyfriend, out of nowhere. Then you get another one, and another one, and another one, and then you get Ember, and...well, can you see where I’m going with this? Fluttershy never showed interest in anyone before, so it looks like-”

“Like I’m a dragon collecting pretty things for his hoard,” I finished venomously. I snorted loudly, a puff of smoke shooting out of my nose as I glared at her from the edge of my vision.

She looked mildly offended, but I ignored that response. “Hey, I was not going to say-”

“It certainly sounds like you were,” I countered.

Rainbow Dash turned her face away and hurriedly rubbed her eyes. Before I could comment, she said, “Look Spike, I don’t want to argue and I don’t want to fight.”

“You just accused me of taking advantage of someone I care about a whole lot, someone I’ve been friends with for most of my life,” I argued, frowning once again. “How exactly did you think that was going to go?”

Rainbow Dash grabbed fistfuls of her mane as she growled to herself. “No, that’s not...I didn’t mean for-” She let out a long sigh as she let herself fall bonelessly to lay on the cloud again. “You know me, Spike: I don’t think before I speak.”

“That’s apparent, yes,” I quipped with a deadpan tone. “How would you feel if I said something like, ‘Oh, you’re a jock, so you probably aren’t too smart,' or, 'Oh, you’re a pegasus, so you’re probably flighty'." The sneer that appeared on her face was my answer. I pointed to her and said, “That, right there, is what I’m feeling. Doesn’t feel good, does it?”

She held her grimace for a moment before closing her eyes and sniffling. Rainbow Dash hurriedly wiped her nose on her wrist before mumbling, “...you’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just...I worry about her. I’ve always worried about her. I was her only friend for years, and I was the only one that cared about what she wanted. Not even her brother stood up for her.”

“But she’s not that meek little filly anymore, Dash,” I corrected, my voice softening as I began to understand the core issue she had. “Fluttershy isn’t going to be ‘ruler material’ anytime soon, but she’s learned to speak up when she doesn’t like something, and she doesn’t just follow along with what others do to keep from causing a fuss. The day Fluttershy was brought into the herd, she asked me, not the other way around. Granted, she spoke with Rarity about it first, but that was because she realized she wanted to be a part of what we had, and she took the initiative.”

Though it was dark, I was still able to see when Rainbow Dash blushed, suddenly looking rather embarrassed. “...she didn’t tell me about that.”

I raised a brow at that. “What did she tell you?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged weakly as she turned her face away. “Just that everything was ‘fine’. ‘Fine’, for ‘Shy, is usually code for, ‘I don’t really like this, but I’m going to stay quiet because I don’t want to cause problems’.”

While I wanted to blame Rainbow Dash completely for her inaccurate logic, she wasn’t exactly wrong, either. I wasn’t happy about how she had accused me of using Fluttershy’s famously passive nature for my own desires. Still, like a good friend, I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, letting that anger go so as not to poison our friendship.

“Dash, I get why you’re worried -- truly, I do -- but I’m not some random person that saw a target to take advantage of,” I clearly stated, ensuring there was no way to misunderstand me. “I love all of you; you girls mean the world to me. In the extremely unlikely event that you would want in on this family,” I ignored the strangled noise Rainbow Dash made, “I would welcome you not because I wanted to bang a hot friend of mine, but because you’re an amazing mare, inside and out, and we’ve been friends for most of my life. I would be privileged to have someone like you in my life in that way -- heck, anyone would.” Taking a moment to settle the blush that had built up, I continued with, “That’s what happened with Fluttershy. Don’t get me wrong: Fluttershy’s a gorgeous mare, and anyone with two eyes can see that, but that isn’t why we decided she would make a good addition.”

Rainbow Dash stared up at the stars again for a few moments before she snorted. “Hey, wait a minute, what do you mean ‘extremely unlikely’?”

I raised my brow at her. I guess I needed to clarify. “What I mean is that I’m me, and you’re...you. Whatever destiny is in your future, it resides way beyond my own ambitions. Anyone can see you’re destined for great things, Element of Loyalty notwithstanding. Even though you’re not a Wonderbolt anymore, I know that Ponyville -- heck, maybe even all of Equestria -- is too small-time for someone with as big a personality and skills as you have.” I shook my head wih a sad smile. “With your drive and your unprecedented natural talents, I believe you could go further than any pegasus has before you. You could be the pony that ponies still read about thousands of years from now, still completely in awe of your amazing accomplishments. A life…” I swallowed hard to prevent my voice from cracking, “...a life with me, staying here, would hold you back from your absolute potential, and you know that. I’m not a traveller, I’m not an explorer, I’m not a hero, and I’m not a leader. I’m just some drake that happened to get really lucky, a whole bunch of times, and I’m happy where I am. But...but that’s okay. Years from now, when ponies are talking about you the way you used to talk about the Wonderbolts, I’ll be privileged to be able to say, ‘I knew Rainbow Dash before she became great, and she was an amazing friend.”

Rainbow Dash was now sitting up, staring at me with wide, watery eyes. “S-Spike, I…”

I shook my head and waved her unspoken words away. “It’s fine, Dash. I know how to tell the difference between serious flirting and playful flirting. You and I poke and prod each other, but I knew from way back when that nothing was ever going to come from it, so you’re not breaking my heart or anything. Just promise that, if and when the time comes, you’ll keep in touch.” I noticed as a shiver ran through her, and seeing as how it had been a decent amount of time since I found her, I could only assume the warming spell was starting to wear off.

Pushing myself up to stand, I offered my hand and pulled Rainbow Dash up with me when she took it. I nodded down below to the castle, and she got the hint as she wordlessly took flight, heading toward the same window she had left from. I followed close behind her, swallowing down the sadness I still felt from the talk, but the fact we seemed to have come to an understanding was good enough for me.

By the time we got back to the commons room, everyone was preparing for bed, so I let Rainbow Dash follow the rest of the girls. I gave a kiss and words of love to each of my herd, and received a warm glomp from Pinkie, before following Ember to the adjacent room next to Twilight’s bedroom. Ember said nothing, not even asking about my conversation with Rainbow Dash, as she just slid under the blankets and held her arms out for me, beckoning me in. I tiredly removed my clothing, (even my underwear, since it was just Ember), and fell into her embrace. Ember hugged me tightly against her chest, cradling my head in her hands, as she lovingly stroked the fins on the side of my head with her fingertips.

“I know something’s bothering you, Spike,” she whispered, nosing the side of my face affectionately as she continued pampering me with her touch. “I’m not going to ask you to talk about it. What I will say is that I am here for my mate, however he needs.”

The simplicity of her words were welcome. For a few moments, I contemplated exactly what I felt I wanted at that moment, before finally settling on, “...can we just stay like this?”

I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she was smiling. “Of course, Spike. Goodnight, beloved.”

Ember was usually only particularly “mushy” when we were alone, but even then, “beloved” was a new word for her. I immediately decided I liked it.

“...say it again,” I whispered in return.

Ember nosed the side of my face, her lips hovering just near my ear. “My beloved Spike.”

The sick feeling in my stomach receded just a bit, enough to let me relax. For the first time in awhile, I allowed myself to be held the way I often held others, and relished Ember’s gentle touch and the love she had for me. I closed my eyes and mentally shut out the world as I submitted myself to slumber, content in the embrace of the strong, loving dragoness.

But somewhere, on the edge of my sharp hearing, I could swear I heard muffled crying.

Chapter 22

Not much happened on Sunday. Other than a few odd or sympathetic looks from the rest of the girls (I didn't get an answer as to why), as well as a distinct absence of a certain rainbow-maned pegasus, most of the day was spent preparing for our foray into the elites of Canterlot the following day. I shared a meal with my herd (all of them), and shared sleeping quarters with Twilight, Ember, and Fluttershy.

Monday morning, as always, was a chore, even before the fact that Twilight was racing around the castle to be sure everything was ready when our carriage arrived...even though we had spent the entire day on Sunday preparing. Though the carriage wouldn’t be arriving until 08:00, we woke up at 05:00 because of Twilight’s mania. Let it be said that waking up a slumbering dragoness that early was not a good idea, and though Ember later apologized, she had roared at Twilight and chewed her out for it.

After a generous cup of black coffee, Ember was quite a bit more alert, and by 06:00, she was watching with amusement as Twilight dashed around the castle rooms like Pinkie on a sugar high. Twilight had already packed bags for all of us to be sure we were prepared for the trip, but like always, she was fretting about the “maybe’s”. I suppose that was one of the prices that came with being a super-genius.

“Spike, did I pack my dress that-”

“It’s in the dress bag.”

“And what about-”

“The reports are in the scroll cases, in the main bag.”

“Okay, and what about-”

“Two sets of toiletries for each of us, just in case we lose one, ample winter clothing for you and Ember, Ember’s decorative armor for the party, scented, warming massage oil-”

“I-I didn't ask-”

“Your blush says you don’t mind. Lastly, I packed enough survival rations for a week, sixteen charged mana crystals, a charged spell scroll for a portal to the castle throne room that’s keyed only to us, and 5,000 bits, 400 of it in smaller denominations.”

Twilight’s bright blush told me the massage oil had been a good choice, but for the rest, I had just followed the itemized list she had prepared nearly a week beforehand. While Twilight’s mania could get a bit tiresome, she was nothing if not prepared, and that trait actually helped, in this situation. Some things never changed about her, regardless of how many years went by.

Of course, my mention of said massage oil caught the attention of the dragoness. I shrugged as she looked at me, and clarified, “I’m not sure if you’ll be able to feel the warmth, but I’ll still make sure you get in on the action. Promise.”

Clearing her throat and patting her cheeks to try and calm the blush that had bloomed within her face, Twilight replied, “Spike, we’re going to Canterlot for business, not pleasure. I-I don’t know if that’s the time to be-”

“Unless you’ve set it up where a few random ponies are going to be sharing our room, what I do with my herd-mates in private is no one’s business but ours,” I countered, my tone brooking no argument. “Besides, if the last few times you’ve had to meet with the upper class is any indication, you’re going to need the stress relief, and Ember will need it to keep her from literally biting one of them.” Ember played along by snapping her jaw loudly, ensuring a loud “click” was heard from the jaw bones colliding with enough force to break a bone.

Another blush erupted on Twilight’s face at the dragoness’ action, and I tilted my head at her. ‘Is she...nah, I’m looking too much into it’ It was probably embarrassment. At least, that’s what I told myself. Then again, I had to remind myself that attraction between herd-mates was common within a herd, and I knew Twilight didn’t have a gender preference for who she found attractive, so I guess it was possible.

And suddenly, I had to forcefully shake my head to rid myself of the arousing mental image of Twilight and Ember becoming...intimate.

“Okay, I think we need to go and release some of the pressure there, Spike,” Ember loudly announced, taking my hand and escorting me from the room. Twilight seemed to understand what was going on, so she just nodded and went back to her fretting.

As our bond had grown and the power of the brands had become more deeply entrenched, I had begun feeling Ember’s emotions when they were particularly strong, and I could only imagine she felt the same from me. This was why I didn’t question as she pulled me away to the pocket dimension to “release the pressure,” as she put it. We had already done so once before, but due to my long history of strict control of my draconic heritage (and thus, my magic), it was still a learning experience. Following what we had done before (and what was going to be a habit from now on), I removed all my clothing before stepping with Ember into the pocket dimension.

As was the norm now, though the walls had been scrubbed clean of soot and ash, they were permanently scorched a stark white and warped due to my last “outlet” session. Ember took her place at the far side of the chamber, and I stood right in the center, ignoring the protection spell Ember was casting on herself as I began humming. As the song filled me, I began drawing the four characters -- the only time so far I’ve needed four for a spell -- ensuring the characters for “in,” “fire,” “release,” and “burn” were as good as I could get them. To be sure the spell would stop when I wanted it to, I only added light padding to the characters before rolling them in my palm and pressing that palm to my chest. As usual, the spell flashed before fading to dark, but immediately afterward, the flame within me roared to life. My hide seemed to catch fire with emerald flames as I became a standing inferno, and the flames only burned hotter and brighter every second. I couldn’t feel the heat other than a slight warmth, but as I watched, the stonework of the room began to glow a dim red color, and the stone beneath my feet became soft enough that it began to feel like thick mud*. Ember was crouched in the corner of the room, her wings shielding her as they glowed magenta with a shielding spell. I waited a few more seconds, noticing the flames beginning to lessen, before taking a deep breath and focusing on making the flames recede. I was still new at this, so it took nearly a minute of deep focus, but eventually, my hide was its normal purple again, and the flames had dissipated completely. The air was still rippling from the intense heat of the now-glowing room, but I knew it would take hours before it completely cooled, so I didn’t let it bother me overmuch. True to the reasons for doing it, my mind was now clear enough to enjoy the thought of two of my mates being “close” without putting me on the edge of trying to coax such a situation into being.

I calmly walked over and tapped Ember on one of her wings. After a moment, the magenta glow floated away in motes of flame, and she uncovered herself and took my hand to stand. She glanced around the area before whistling aloud. “Yeah, this is why the dragon lands are all rock and volcanoes.”

I glanced around the room as well and idly mused, “What would have happened if we had tried this the first time you had to ‘calm’ me?”

Ember blushed a bit at the memory of that day, but answered, “Imagine a bomb going off strong enough to level a mountain. Assuming you were able to direct the shockwave outside your body instead of coming from your core and…” she trailed off, but I understood where she was leading, and winced at the mental image “...you would have still destroyed anything around you for a mile or so.” She gestured around the room. “I don’t know exactly how this pocket dimension works, but if there’s a way to destroy it, that could have happened.”

Due to living with Twilight for so many years, I was well aware of just how dangerous uncontrolled magic could be. The thought that I could have easily killed myself was less shocking than the realization of just how powerful I was (or maybe it was dragons as a whole). I wasn’t a beefcake, I wasn’t a wandering hero, I wasn’t a soldier, and I wasn’t a “knight of the realm”: I was just “Spike,” and I wasn’t exactly a guy that liked to fight. Truthfully, I had no need for power...or, at least, I didn’t until recently. As Ember repeatedly beat into my head, dragons are drawn to protect that which they value the most, and that requires strength. My home, my friends, and my family were what I wanted to keep safe, and unknowingly, my body was built to do just that, even if I wasn’t particularly one to look for a fight. Dragon magic was powerful, primal, and wild in a way that most unicorns couldn’t understand. Unicorn magic (and pony magic as a whole) could certainly be used for battle, but was tooled more toward utility than combat, to the point that utility and support spells outnumbered combat spells at a factor of 30:1. Dragons, by comparison, only fairly recently (within the last three hundred years or so) began creating and modifying spells for peaceful applications, and nearly all of the rest of their history was focused on survival, and protecting the hoard.

I could understand why ponies thought dragons were brutish. Most of dragon culture was centered around self-defense and fighting for what you wanted. Those without the strength to protect what was theirs were often insulted and cast out; most of the culture revolved around the basic idea of “strength,” and those that were not strong were hazed mercilessly, even as whelps. It was why teenaged dragons like Garble and his posse treated me the way they had when I was younger. I still couldn’t say that Garble and I were by any means friends, but there was now a foundation of respect for me, and at the very least, he knew it wouldn’t be smart to mess with me or those I care about. Dragons like me were not the norm in the dragon lands, which was why I was treated with ridicule and laughter when they first met me.

Now though, I was learning more and more about my people and heritage, thanks to Ember. And, in learning these things, I was learning more about how my instincts would direct (not control) my behavior, so I could more easily account for my own nature. Even now, I shudder to think what might have happened if Ember hadn’t helped me vent my excess magic. I had never particularly been a tail-chaser, but now I found myself with a sex drive directly linked to my magic, the latter of which needed to regularly be "burned" if I didn't want to become some lust-crazed fiend.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, long enough for the room to cool down so that the air within wasn’t so hot it would ignite the expensive items inside the physical world of the castle it was connected to, Ember and I left, I dressed again, and made my way back to the commons room, where Twilight was finally settled down and reading a book as she waited.

Twilight looked up at us as we approached, and raised an eyebrow to us. “Everything okay?”

I glanced at Ember briefly before nodding. “Yeah, I’m good. Just gotta bleed off the excess magic to keep from losing control and whatnot. The last thing we need is me leering at random mares up in Canterlot.”

Twilight pursed her lips for a moment before adding, “You know...I’d like to see what those sessions are like, if you don’t mind.”

I glanced to Ember again, who gave a nod before stepping forward to take control of the conversation. “I mean, I don’t see a problem with it. You’ll need a sustainable shield that’ll protect you from sustained dragonfire, but other than that, I don’t see why you can’t. I don’t think it’s particularly interesting, though. Spike just catches on fire for a minute or so-”

“He what?”

“-and then, it goes out. Nothing all that spectacular or awe-inspiring, at least not by my standards,” Ember finished, smirking at Twilight’s gobsmacked expression.

Twilight just stared for a few more moments before forcefully shaking her head and closing her book. “Okay, whatever. Since neither of you are particularly worried about it, I’m just going to file this under the ‘somehow normal for dragons’ section of my brain, and worry about it later. Right now, we should get our supplies downstairs, because the carriage should be arriving within the next hour or so.”

With that said, we began to get all our equipment to the front door of the castle. Thankfully, Twilight was not Rarity, so we only had to deal with what we had mutually agreed upon as “necessary” instead of half a wardrobe and enough makeup to make clowns out of all of Ponyville. That said, there was still a good deal of stuff to take, so it took the three of us two trips to get it all downstairs. Following that, however, we all made our way to the private kitchen, where Fluttershy had stayed long enough to make us a nice breakfast. She smiled at me as we entered, and pointed a spatula to the table.

“Breakfast is ready, I’m just serving it. Take a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” she requested, smiling happily to us.

Ember whistled, suitably impressed. “She can stare down a dragon, and she cooks?” She glanced at me with a coy grin. “Can we keep her?”

Fluttershy fluttered her wings and blushed self-consciously, but still gave a bright smile as she brought two plates to the table, setting them down in front of Ember and I before returning to fetch two more for her and Twilight. After sitting down to join us, the pegasus answered, “W-well, as long as you treat us well, y-you can keep me as long as you want.”

Fluttershy’s demure response, complete with the cute smile, had the desired effect on Ember, and I could see her fidgeting with her hands before picking up her silverware and digging into the meal provided to her. Even though she hid it pretty well, I knew Ember was torn between upholding her tough persona and squeezing the adorable pegasus until she squeaked like a toy. Ember had confessed to me that finding things cute was a fairly new phenomenon for her, and she was having trouble with it, considering dragons generally didn’t find things “cute”. Heck, the traditional language didn’t even have a word that translated to “cute” or something similar; the closest the language had was “small” and “breakable”. Besides all that though, I knew that Ember wasn’t in a state where she would allow herself to willingly hug one of the ponies, even if she were close with them...and even if she kind of wanted to.

I let my tail reach out and wrap around hers from under the table, and she sent me a loving, grateful look. With that little “crisis” over with, we all settled into eating. The meal was simple yet filling, so we enjoyed idle chatter and a nice breakfast lovingly prepared by Fluttershy.

The meal was finished in short order, and after ensuring the dishes were done so that Starlight wouldn’t have to clean up after us, the four of us left the castle and waited out in front of the main doors. Twilight was talking magic with Ember, her inner scholar in full swing as she inquired about the capabilities of dragon magic, while I held Fluttershy’s warm body against mine as we waited for the carriage team to appear in the sky. In Fluttershy’s case, she hummed a wordless tune and traced her fingers over my hands as I embraced her from behind. I enjoyed the embrace as much as I could, since I knew it would be at least two days before we saw each other again, and I didn’t like leaving her alone during the winter. Besides the fact it was always a privilege to cuddle with Fluttershy, she had very little to keep her busy during the winter months, and I didn’t like the thought of her sitting alone at home.

I pushed the thoughts away, burying my nose into the fur of her neck and inhaling deeply. I committed her scent to memory, and smiled at the giggles my action got from the cute pegasus.

“Don’t worry Spike, it’s only for a few days,” she quietly assured. I pulled my head away and looked at her questioningly, but she only smiled shyly and explained, “What you’re doing...it’s similar to what some of my animal friends do when they don’t want to leave me.”

I snorted once, holding in a laugh at the image. “Oh, so I’m one of your animal friends, am I?”

Fluttershy giggled a bit before turning around and leaning in close. I thought she was suddenly going to kiss me, but she instead gave my lips a quick lick before pulling away, giggling once again. “W-well, I’d never do that with my animal friends. That’s only for my special somepo-erm, somedrake.”

Her action had caused me to blush a bit, but after gathering myself, I couldn’t help but smile as I tightly embraced her once again. After a moment of silence, I mumbled, “...you’re right, I am going to miss you. I know it’s only been a few days, but now that you’re part of the herd, I really don’t want to be away from you.”

I felt as she ran her soft fingertips along the sensitive webbing of the fins on my head. She then affectionately nuzzled the side of my face and said, “I’ll miss you too, Spike. In two or three days, you’ll be back home, and we can see each other again. I won’t be going anywhere, so I’ll be here waiting for you. Maybe I’ll spend some time with Lyla or Rarity to pass the time; I think Lyla and I should get to know each other better, so maybe I’ll do that.”

“Spike, they’re here!”

I turned my head toward Twilight and gave a nod before focusing on Fluttershy once again. I leaned in and gave her an affectionate nuzzle before pulling away. “Well, it’s time we get going. Take good care of yourself, Shy. We’ll go on a date together when I get back.”

The pegasus smiled with a happy flutter of her wings. “Oh my, that sounds lovely. O-okay then, Spike. I’ll see you in a few days.” She gave me one last hug before allowing me to walk over to Twilight and Ember, who were waiting patiently for the carriage and its crew to come in for a landing.

I rejoined my two other mates just as the crew was on their final approach, and waited patiently as they swung low over the town before touching down surprisingly gently at the wide end of the main street in town. The four stallions were all wearing the ornamental royal guard armor, with matching blue crests on the helmets. The stallions were specifically chosen for their ability to carry large objects in flight, and it showed in their massive wings and powerful muscles. Frankly, the only reason mine were more impressive is because I was physically larger than them; if not for that fact, my wings would look downright dinky next to theirs. I set a mental reminder to exercise more. While I didn’t think my stunning good looks was the reason I received the love and affection I did, I was supposed to be a strong pillar of the community that was able to protect it if I had to...and maybe it was time I started looking the part. I had already put on a fair bit of muscle thanks to Ember’s training, so an actual exercise routine could only help things.

One of the guards at the front unhooked himself from the harness he wore, and stepped around the side to open the door. With a hand gestured to the interior, he greeted, “Thank you for your patience, everyone. Go ahead and pile in, and we’ll get into the air. We should arrive in Canterlot within the next 20 minutes.”

Ember began walking toward the open door before stopping and glancing at me questioningly. “Wait, what are we gonna do with all these bags?”

I smirked as I recognized another opportunity to teach Ember something about “ponyland”. “Just bring it inside. You’ll see.”

Ember just smirked back and rolled her eyes, doing as I told her. “Fine...keep your secrets. I’ll have you know-”

Those words died on her lips as she stepped into the carriage, and realized that impossibly, she was stepping into a room the size of one of the bedrooms of the castle...which were quite large. She stepped back out of the carriage, took a look at it, then back in. Before she could waste more time, I playfully shoved her inside and pulled our bags with us, Twilight bringing up the rear.

After we were all inside, and Ember glared at me for making her stumble and flail like an idiot, we closed the door and set our bags down. Twilight and I were used to this kind of thing, with Equestria being on the forefront of magical technology and Twilight herself being at the forefront of that, so we just took a seat on a plush purple couch. I pat my hand on the empty space next to me, but Ember instead decided to explore a little more. The room wasn’t giant by any means, but like Twilight’s castle, the room inside didn’t match the physical structure outside, which was a novelty for dragons. Ember had once told me she thought the enchantments were ingenious, and eventually wanted to incorporate them into the dragon lands. I mean c’mon, a cave twice the size than it actually physically took up? Dragons would fall all over themselves for magic like this.

“You Equestrians are nuts, you know that?” Ember mused aloud, not really at anyone in particular. She finally walked over and flopped down next to me, wasting no time in cuddling up close. “Still, this is wild...in a good way. We could really use this kinda stuff back home.”

Twilight hummed aloud to herself as she tapped her chin and turned her eyes to the ceiling in thought. “Theoretically, it’s possible, but I’d need some help from the two of you to create a lasting enchantment that dragons could use without pony intervention. While I don’t doubt relations between the two species are better than they have been in centuries, I know dragons are prideful by nature, and would much prefer to be able to do things on their own.”

Ember smirked at the alicorn. “Hit the nail on the head there, Twilight. Yeah, a lot of the older dragons have turned down a lot of good ideas, just because they’d have to get help from the other races to get them going. If we were to look up ‘pride’ in the dictionary, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see a ‘note: see dragons’ as part of the definition.”

Twilight snickered quietly at the book humor, and nodded. “Well, I’m happy to help when we have the time. If not for the dragons themselves,” she looked directly at Ember, and smiled, “then for a good friend, and an important part of our lives.”

Ember blushed a bit, but returned the smile. “Thanks, Twilight. I know stuff like this would do a lot of good in the dragon lands. I really do appreciate the help.”

While Ember wasn’t necessarily the kind to fake-gag and harp on about how sappy moments like this could be, she wasn’t exactly what most would call an openly affectionate, caring dragoness. Because of this, it was nice to see her having a small moment with Twilight, and it warmed my heart to see her getting closer with another one of the most important people in my life.

There was a light jostle to the room as the crew took to the air, likely after finishing their safety checks. Ember looked out one of the windows to see the open sky and the town below us growing smaller and smaller. I’ll admit, the face of wonder that she made was adorable, and I wish I'd had a camera on hand.

Ember returned to us a moment later, and we decided to let idle chatter fill the air as we comfortably relaxed and allowed the trained team to ferry us to our destination.

True to the words of the flight crew, the trip was relatively short, and we were soon landing at the private staging area that was used for governmental VIP’s and royalty. This allowed us to avoid much of the traffic that normally came with landing in the city, and we instead disembarked into the company of only a handful of ponies, including Princess Celestia herself. For the first time that I could remember (my greed growth years ago didn’t count), Princess Celestia actually had to tilt her head to look up at me...and I’ll admit, it was weird to be the tall one between the two of us. For everyone else, including me, the Two Sisters were larger-than-life ponies with stature to match. Now, with my recent growth, the elder alicorn was looking up at me with a wry smile, even as she practically rushed forward to embrace me.

“Well,” she mused aloud, “I suppose I can’t call you my little drake anymore, can I?”

Keeping my voice low, I blushed a little as I whispered, “I’ll always be your little drake, mom.” Still, I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips as her face lit up in joy, and she embraced me even tighter for a few moments. After she finally released me from her stranglehold, I let her greet Twilight with a friendly, affectionate hug between teacher and student. Finally, she looked to Ember, and I introduced her. “You’ve already met once or twice, but for the first time, I’d like to introduce you to Ember, dragonlord of the Narrowscale clan, and my mate.”

While there were only five ponies outside to greet us, all of them (including the solar alicorn) gasped at my use of the word “mate”. Unlike the previous day, where I had said it to my herd on impulse, I specifically chose the word because I knew how ponies viewed it. I was letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that Ember and I were serious, and committed to each other; this was not simply a political relationship, and I was going to be sure everyone knew it.

Princess Celestia’s smile became as bright and radiant as the sun itself, and she actually pranced happily on her hooves as she exclaimed, “Oh, that is the most joyful news I’ve heard in years! Dragonlord Ember,” she approached the dragoness, and dipped her head in respect, “I welcome you to Canterlot, and to my extended family. I do hope we can get to know each other better, since we both hold Spike in high regard.”

Ember was a little intimidated by the slightly larger, yet magnitudes older pony, that suddenly invaded her personal space and hugged her tightly. The only ones in the private airdock were four of Celestia’s honor guards, as well as her personal assistant Raven, so she could afford to let go of her courtly decorum a bit. Frankly, I found it pretty funny to see the dragoness practically glomped by a pony widely considered to be one of the most powerful and wise creatures on the planet, because the entire time, Ember had a look on her face that said she couldn’t decide whether to hug the pony back, or scream in fear.

Thankfully, before Ember could faint from the shock, the princess released her and stepped back, gesturing to the open marble passage behind her. “Come, let’s get the three of you settled in. Raven, if you would?”

The petite, gray bespeckled mare pushed her reading glasses up a bit more on her nose before clearing her throat and handing a folder to Twilight. “Princess Twilight, this is the guest list that details who will be attending the gathering. As you requested, we’ve ensured security will be tight, and everypony has been advised of all three of you, and your statuses. Guards will be on standby in case anypony attempts to harm any of you, but we do not expect any trouble. I must warn you, however, that a VIP from one of the first-tier houses will be present.”

At the last sentence, Twilight and I froze, the words causing both of us to feel very nervous. Twilight found her words first, and asked, “...w-who is it?”

Raven grimaced before answering, “Rosy Glow.”

“Buck!”

I stared wide-eyed at Twilight after the loud curse escaped her lips. She had hurriedly clasped her hands over her mouth after the fact, but the damage was done, and now everyone was staring at her. She blushed deeply and covered herself with her wings in an attempt to disappear from this plane of reality by will alone. After a few moments of silence she popped her head out and cleared her throat, explaining, “...Rosy Glow is the aunt of Cozy Glow, and has made it quite clear that she was...displeased with the stone imprisonment of her niece.”

It was at that point that even Ember began cursing, though in ancient draconic, so none of the ponies understood what the heck she was saying. Still, the context was enough for them to understand what she might be saying, and that meant everyone was now staring at her. Unlike Twilight, however, Ember didn’t particularly care about the stares, and just threw her hands into the air. “Seriously, the first time I have to mingle with a bunch of Canterlot nobles, and we have to hang around the relative of one of the biggest threats the world has seen in a long time?” She glanced to Twilight, half-seriously asking, “Can I bite her? Please?”

Twilight went conspicuously silent for a few moments before quietly mumbling, “...I’m seriously debating that with myself.” She then sighed heavily and amended, “Legally speaking, we can’t do anything to her unless she threatens us or, however unlikely, gets physical with one of us. Our hands are tied unless there’s an actual threat.”

“I think a dragon’s definition of a threat is a whole lot different than a pony’s,” Ember grumbled, understandably displeased with the legality of her desire to protect me.

I nodded with a loud sigh, following behind everyone as Princess Celestia began to lead us out of the landing dock. “And telling her that it would be part of dragon culture to be that protective would only be inviting her to provoke you. If she can make you look like the brute some ponies think dragons are, she can discredit anything you might say, and could even rally the noble houses behind her to demand your expulsion from Canterlot.” I fell into step next to Ember and took her hand in mine, running the thumb of my left hand over her soft skin. “I know it’ll be hard, but don’t let them get to you. Instead, prove to them that their petty political games are so far beneath you, that they don’t even matter. You want to get back at them? Show them how little they mean to you by being as dismissive as possible. Be polite, but act like she’s beneath dragons in every way.”

Ember gave a wry smile. “So act like the dragon elders. It sucks, but I think I can pull it off if it means driving her to do something stupid.”

Having listened from her place in front of us, Twilight chimed in with, “That’s actually a really good plan. Any pony worth their salt knows that friendship and trade with the dragon lands would be extremely lucrative, and since you have no assets in Equestria, she can’t leverage any power over you. Sure, she can try and make life Tartarus for Spike and the rest of us, but she can’t do that without moving a lot of assets around the chessboard, and it would be very noticeable. Granted, she’d be playing the long game, but as three creatures that will live longer than she could ever dream of,” Twilight glanced back and winked at me, “we can be more patient than her.”

Ember frowned with a long breath through her nose. “I haven’t exactly learned that kind of patience in the face of some prissy mare threatening my mate and his hoard.”

“Which is exactly why we need it. She’s no doubt going to press your buttons to try and get you to slip up,” I explained, giving her hand a squeeze, “but if there’s one flaw nearly all of the upper nobility has, it’s arrogance. If you can show them the slings and arrows they send your way go unheeded, they’re going to get angry, and anger leads to mistakes. We just have to outlast them.” I nudged her with a grin. “If dragons can outlast global calamities and physical aging, surely a dragon lord can outlast a group of self-important nobles.”

Ember knew that I was prodding her pride, but even knowing that, it still had the desired effect on her. Her posture straightened, her eyes narrowed, and her grin became decidedly sharper. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. There’s no way I’m gonna let a bunch of holier-than-thou’s provoke me into acting stupid. Besides,” she pointed at the young alicorn in front of us, “if worse comes to worst, I know Twilight will step in and tell ‘em off.”

We heard a snort up ahead, and Twilight practically growled, “No pony messes with my dragons.”

Ember laughed aloud as she challenged, “‘Dragons’? Plural?”

Realizing what she had said, Twilight blushed and turned her head back to the front, but still answered. “W-well, technically speaking, herds are one big relationship between all members. So, you’re not just in a relationship with Spike, you’re in a relationship with all of us. Th-that means that Rarity, Fluttershy, and Lyla are all your special someponies, just like you’re our special dragoness.”

Ember raised a brow at me, and I confirmed with a nod of my head, rubbing the back of my neck and smiling sheepishly. “Right...I might have forgotten to mention that. I just want to stress that you’re certainly under no obligation to be intimate with anyone else, but in the eyes of Equestrian society and the other members of our herd, you’re everyone’s prospective mate, not just mine.” I thought for a second before clarifying, “Well, you’re already my mate, but you know what I mean.”

Ember’s jaw had dropped open during the explanation, and while her feet were still moving thanks to my lead, she was otherwise unresponsive.

After a few minutes of threading through the sprawling corridors of the private wing of the castle, during which time Ember showed a bit more life as she came to her senses, we entered the restricted area of the castle, where only royalty or the castle staff was allowed without a permit. Her third shock of the day came when we walked through the royal kitchen to see the night princess, Luna, sitting at a small circular table in a fluffy white robe with shiny, damp hair, nonchalantly eating a plate of haybacon and eggs while she read the morning paper.

The dark alicorn glanced up at us as we entered, and attempted a greeting, only to almost choke on the food she was chewing. After pounding on her chest a few times and standing (causing me to jerk my head away as her robe opened, revealing she was wearing nothing underneath), she happily greeted, “Good morning to all of you, friends! It is wonderful to see you have arrived hale and hearty.”

“Umm...L-Luna, your robe, um…” Twilight stuttered.

After a moment and a swish of fabric, Luna replied, “Forgive me, modesty does not come naturally. Spike, it is safe to look, I promise.”

Turning my head back to my aunt by adoption, I was pleased to see her robe was now closed and tied around her otherwise naked body. If it weren’t for the fact that I thought of Luna as my aunt and she readily assumed the role, things might be different, but as it was, I didn’t want to see any of my adoptive family in the buff. It brought up confusing feelings that I didn’t need, and didn’t want.

Luna gave me a loving smile before turning to Ember and dipping her head respectfully. “Ember, it is good to see you again under more civil circumstances. How have you been?”

Ember gathered herself at the mention of her name, and did her best to keep her voice level as she answered, “I’ve been good. Equestria is surprisingly nice, and Spike has made it even nicer to be here.”

Smirking mischievously, Luna returned, “I am sure he has.”

I’ve never seen Ember blush so much.

Clearing my throat loudly, I butted in to keep things moving. “A-Anyway, we’re meeting the noble houses later today, so we’re just settling in for now. Are you doing anything for the next few hours?”

The night princess shook her head with a small smile. “No, not at all. This is my light week, so I have plenty of free time. What did you have in mind?”

Nudging the nearly-catatonic Ember, I suggested, “I was thinking we could just spend some time together, and you could get to know Ember a little better.”

Though she later denied it ever happened, I was privy to Ember’s eyes lighting up with excitement at the thought of getting to know a creature that was older than many of the living dragons, and was revered for her battle prowess and strength. She quickly schooled her expression though, and idly commented, “Yeah, that would be nice.”

If the smirk on her face was any indication, Twilight caught on to Ember’s act, but didn't comment on it as she agreed. “Yes, I think it’s been too long since we’ve spent time together, and I would love to talk about astronomy with you.”

Even after over ten years, Princess Luna was still positively giddy at the thought that an entire science had been developed that revolved around her domain of power. She let out a reserved giggle, but nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, that sounds wonderful! Very well: let me dress, and I will meet the three of you in the solarium. Sister,” she nodded to her sister, “I will bring them to the dining room for lunch.” She then hugged her sister tightly before rolling up her newspaper, gulping down her coffee, and trotting out of the room, a lively bounce in her step.

Princess Celestia giggled at her younger sister, and smiled at all of us. “Luna is always overjoyed when you visit, Twilight.” She then nodded to Ember. “And though she seems reserved about it all, she is excited to get to know Spike’s dragon beau.”

Twilight absentmindedly cleared up the plate and crumbs from the small table the dark alicorn had been using, and deposited them in the large washing basin before turning back to us. “Well, let’s get our things to our room so we can meet her in the sunroom.”

Ember was noticeably more interested now, knowing she would get to talk to someone that was so powerful, and so battle-hardened, that even dragons gave her a wide berth. Ember wasn’t a scholar like Twilight, but she had a strong interest in history, and living history even more so. Getting to talk with Princess Luna candidly was likely a dream come true.

Princess Celestia and Raven led us through the corridors until taking a right at a considerably narrower one that led to the guest rooms. Seemingly picking a random door, a guard that had followed us stepped forward and opened said door, beckoning the princesses and the rest of us inside. As with most of the guest rooms in Canterlot Castle, the room was well-lit and had ample space to combat winged creatures’ natural claustrophobia that cropped up when indoors, but was well-furnished through three rooms, which included a large “princess-sized” bathroom. Other than that though, the most important details (for Ember especially) was a large stone hearth, and thick, insulated windows that shut out the winter cold. With an idle spark of magic from her horn, Princess Celestia ignited the logs of the fireplace, which would soon fill the room with a cozy warmth.

“These shall be your quarters for the duration of your stay,” the elder princess explained, gesturing to the room. “As you can see, it should have everything you need for comfort, but should you find you need anything additional -- whether that be extra blankets, towels, or even scale wax,” she winked at me with a smile, “simply touch the red crystal by the door, and a serving pony will be by to fetch you whatever you might need. Other than that, I will leave you to get settled in so you can meet Luna in the solarium. Until lunch, take care.” With that, the tall alicorn strode out of the room, Raven following behind her princess.

With a mental shrug, the three of us went over to our bags and began unpacking.

I had been to the solarium a few times before, but it was still a privilege to see the opulent, comfortably-furnished sunroom where, though named after the sun itself, both the sun and moon took turns bathing the interior in their light. It was a room where the two Canterlot princesses could unwind in private, and so only a select few others were permitted access to it when not accompanied by the two princesses themselves.

Twilight, Ember, and I approached the room from a quiet corridor of the castle, and the guard at the door simply nodded before pulling the door handle, allowing us entrance to the private area. Princess Luna, the Guardian of the Night, was thankfully fully-dressed this time in one of her well-loved cotton shirt and trousers ensembles she wore day-to-day, even in court. While obviously the more serious of the two Canterlot alicorns, Luna wasn’t a dress-wearing mare, and preferred comfortable, functional clothing to dresses or even skirts. Honestly, while I enjoyed the feel of a well-tailored suit as much as the next guy, I could understand her feelings on function vs. fashion.

Princess Luna brought her eyes up from the book she was reading as we entered, and smiled brightly at the sight of us. “Friends! Welcome, welcome. Come, take a seat. Help yourself to coffee, hot chocolate, and biscuits.”

Needing no other invitation, the three of us made our way to the princess, taking seats in the small nook she had claimed. Immediately, I knew this was going to be an entertaining visit when Ember reached over to the tray, picked up a biscuit, and took a bite. After a moment, she squinted at the princess and argued, “This is a cookie.”

Princess Luna furrowed her brow a bit. “No, 'tis a biscuit.” She picked up a small tin to the side and held it up for the dragoness to see. “See? It says so on the container.”

Ember grabbed the small tin from the alicorn’s hands, squinting at the words before shaking her head. “Biscuits aren’t sweet. Biscuits are little bready things that you put cheese or meat on, not...this.”

“Ah,” Luna answered with a nod, “you are speaking of savory biscuits. I apologize for the confusion. These come from Trottingham, and the language, while technically the same, developed to use different words for different things than most are used to. Does that mean you would like a savory biscuit? If so, I can-”

“Oh, no, this is fine,” Ember assured, her face relaxing into a smile. “They’re good, I was just confused about the taste when you said biscuit. I was expecting something different.”

Luna looked visibly relieved, and again relaxed against her plush seat. “Good. Now then, I must say I am surprised, yet pleased, at the fact that the brand was not merely a choice of the moment. To know you directly refer to each other as mates gladdens my heart.” Smirking at the simultaneous blush from Ember and I, she then looked to Twilight. “I assume you have told Ember what a herd relationship means, yes?”

Now was Twilight’s turn to blush, and she nearly choked on her tea. After taking a moment to hack and cough, she composed herself a bit more and quietly answered, “...briefly, and just as we were walking to the castle. It may have...um, slipped my mind until Celestia brought it up.”

Luna frowned a bit, but nodded in understanding. “I see. Well, let’s start there, first.” Luna sipped her own drink (it smelled like a tantalizing mix of coffee and hot chocolate) before beginning. “The idea for herds first came into common use following the age just after the unification of the tribes, and was put into place to maximize breeding so that the decimated races of Equestria would not go extinct. While the magic of friendship prevented the founders themselves from becoming blocks of ice, Equestria was still a playground for the windigoes, and was indistinguishable from the frozen mountain peaks that border this nation. Many died before the founders decided to cast aside their differences and work together, so many, in fact, that were it not for herding among the remaining populace, ponies as a species would have gone extinct.” Taking another sip of her hot beverage, Luna nodded to us. “Equestria as a whole tends to be a female-dominant society, more so by the numbers instead of the culture itself...at least, that is how things are in the current age. Let it simply be said that for a time shortly before Celestia and I appeared in the world, things were....bad. Stallions were basically property to be traded and used like any other good. Sister has worked hard in the past 500 years to ensure equality between the races, but it was not always so, since ponies naturally give birth to more fillies than colts.”

As expected, Ember found that odd. “Why is that? I mean, can’t you just change the...oh, yeah. Right, ponies don’t lay eggs.” At the questioning glance of the elder princess, Ember explained, “Well, the growing whelp inside of an egg is sexually ambiguous, and its gender is wholly dependent on the temperature at which the egg is incubated. Up until the last two months before hatching, a cooler temperature creates a female, while a warmer temperature creates a male. Because of that, the ratio in the dragon lands is pretty close to 50/50, so hearing that Equestria naturally has a gender disparity is...weird.”

“And what do you think of the concept of herds?” Princess Luna queried, raising a brow at the dragoness.

Ember bobbed her head from side to side for a minute. “Well, I’m not gonna lie, it’s still kinda strange to me, but I get why it’s done. The closest I’d compare it to is a big family, but dragons don’t even have that -- even family tends to be really spread out, and because of the natural independence of dragons, we don’t really talk to each other all that much.” She then glanced at Twilight. “But...I can see the appeal. As a dragon, we’re taught from a young age that strength is everything, and that you can’t count on anyone to watch out for you. Here though...well, most of you ponies aren’t as strong individually as a dragon, but when a bunch of you group together, you’re capable of incredible things. And…” she paused again, a light flush coming to her, “if I’m being honest, it’s kinda nice to just be accepted without question, just for being me. Spike already gave me that, and somehow, the rest of his hoard does the same.”

Luna just smiled knowingly, and nodded to Ember. “That is what it means to be a part of an Equestrian herd. It is true, after so long in isolation from the other races, this land is still learning, but if you are accepted, it is wholeheartedly, with no reservations; that also goes for the herd you’re a part of. Luckily,” she nodded to Twilight, “you are a part of a herd with some very good ponies.” She reached over and placed a hand on the dragoness’ shoulder, and her smile settled for something more caring, and supportive. “I know that for a dragon, this is all very new, and even scary, but whatever fears you may have are unfounded, I believe.” She gestured to Twilight. “You have the privilege of being a part of a good herd, and none of them would do ill unto you unless you gave them a reason.” She then motioned to Twilight directly. “And, with the Princess of Friendship, I would imagine anything but a malicious betrayal could be forgiven.”

“She’s right, Ember,” Twilight added, placing her hand on the dragoness’. Ember jerked at the contact, still not quite used to being touched by others, but didn’t pull away. Twilight sought out the larger female’s eyes, and when Ember finally looked at her, Twilight gave her the best, warmest, reassuring smile she could. “I don’t know you that well as a herd mate yet, but I know you’re good. True, sometimes you can be a bit abrasive, but just like I can be a little scatterbrained, I'm not going to hold that against you. You’re a good person, and that’s more than enough for me to want to know you, both as a friend, and as a member of this new family.”

By her expression alone, it was clear Ember was overwhelmed. She came from a society that was largely individualistic, almost to a fault, and she herself had a rather...strict upbringing as a result of being the daughter of the last dragon lord of her clan. Ember was a strong, confident dragoness, so it wasn’t often that she just plain didn’t know what to do in a given situation. It was, however, nice to know she could still be surprised. Besides that, it made me not feel so insignificant next to her. Ember was only a little older than me, but because of her confidence and vast knowledge, I often felt like a little whelp next to her, physical size notwithstanding.

While Ember didn’t tear up or anything, the shaky tone with which she thanked Twilight told us she was moved by the words of the young alicorn.

It was after a few moments that we collectively remembered Princess Luna was there, and looked to see her with a warm smile on her lips. At the questioning look of the dragoness, she clarified, “It gladdens my heart to see such bonds forming right in front of me, in real time. Creatures have been forming relationships of all kinds since the dawn of rational thought, and yet it is still a privilege to see it happen.”

Ember was noticeably embarrassed by the attention, but smiled when both Twilight and I wrapped arms around her.

“Well,” she mumbled after a moment of enjoying the warmth, “like I said, this is still kinda weird to me...but weird in a good way? Can ‘weird’ be good?”

Princess Luna was a warrior, but she was also in many ways the personification of the night itself. This meant she embodied revelry, subtlety, dark wonders, and debauchery. By the sharklike smirk on her face it was clear what she wanted to say, but just as she opened her mouth, I pointed a claw at her and shouted, “NO! She is not ready for that! Keep that to yourself.” At Ember’s startled, questioning look, I clarified, “Luna has a dirty mind and was going to make a sex joke.”

Ember just raised a brow. “I’m not exactly a pure, virgin mind here, Spike.”

I shook my head and mumbled, “Trust me, you’re not ready.”

Princess Luna took the initiative and leaned over to the dragoness, cupping her hands and whispering into the dragoness’ ear. As a few moments turned to a few seconds, and then a minute, Ember’s confident demeanor deteriorated, and a blush began to bloom more vividly than I’d ever seen before. When the elder alicorn eventually pulled away, Ember was at a complete loss for words. When she finally composed herself enough to form words, she appeared horrified. “N-no way! Ponies actually do that?!”

Princess Luna just took her seat once more, looking completely unruffled. “It is not for everypony, of course, but Equestrians are...shall we say, ‘open to experiment’. My memory is a bit spotty, but I may have been the first.”

Ember stared in open-mouthed shock at the night alicorn, eventually moving her disbelieving gaze to me. I shrugged with a helpless expression. “I don’t want to know what she told you, but Luna isn’t a liar. Whatever she told you is probably true, to the best of her knowledge.”

Ember continued to stare for a few moments before responding with, “Your family is both incredible and terrifying. I’m not sure which would earn you more respect back home. If that doesn’t work, seeing Luna here lay the smackdown on a dragon on your behalf will remind all the other dragons why they shouldn’t do what Sapphira tried to do to you.”

Though her smile was reserved, I could tell Luna was positively ecstatic at the thought of the coming honor battle. “I think we will all enjoy it. It has been quite some time since I have been able to...cut loose, so to speak. There is no need for a battle-hardened warrior in times of peace, so I have found myself growing quite bored, most of the time.”

“And,” Ember picked up from there, “while it might not be the actual reason for it happening, I’ll admit I’m looking forward to a few of the more elitist dragons to get brought down a peg or two. Dragons are powerful creatures, and there’s no doubt about that, but some of them fancy us the end-all, be-all of power. A little humility would do us all some good, I think.”

The princess nodded sagely. “I have lived for quite a long time, and I have seen the downfall of many powerful leaders and nations due to arrogance. Power is all well and good, but when untempered by humility, it leads to weakness due to overconfidence.”

Ember nodded along. “Agreed. It’s one of the things I’m trying to change about our culture. Isolationism will do that, though, and we’ve been isolated from the rest of the world for a very long time. Dragons kept to their own for centuries, but thankfully, Spike and Smolder did a great job helping to open the roads of friendship with the other nations. And, I’m doing what I can at home.”

I felt a bit self-conscious, and gave a cough of embarrassment. “I mean, I didn’t really do much. I was raised around ponies -- all I’ve known until fairly recently is Equestrian life -- so I didn’t do anything.”

“But you’re a dragon,” Ember pointed out, giving my knee a squeeze. “Even if you were raised around ponies, by ponies, you being who you are proves that the behavior of most dragons is due to nurture, not nature. That behavior, that attitude, was taught, not inborn. If something can be taught, it can be changed.”

Despite my embarrassment, I couldn’t really deny her assertion with any logic. So, with a resigned nod and sigh, I answered, “I guess that makes sense. Hope you don’t plan on me teaching dragons about friendship and all that, though. They might recognize my place as your consort, but that doesn’t mean they’ll respect me as my own dragon. I’m just some stupid kid, to them.” Ember immediately frowned, but before she could correct me, I added, “I didn’t call myself a stupid kid, I said that’s how they see me. Tell me I’m wrong.”

This time, I was aware of both Twilight and Princess Luna staring at us, and Ember felt suddenly put on the spot. I could tell that part of her wanted to comfort me, to tell me a kind lie to spare me from any perceived pain, but eventually, she conceded and shook her head. “...no, you’re not wrong. Dragons are a stubborn people, and the only way you’ll change their minds is to show them through force. That goes against your very nature, because I know you don’t like to fight, so proving your worth to any of the others is going to be...difficult.”

I had expected that type of answer, but it still disappointed me. Following that, though, a more worrisome thought came to mind. “Wait...are they going to try and break us apart? I mean, if they get some crazy notion about me not being ‘worthy,’ then they might try and get rid of me, right?”

Ember glanced at me and, thankfully, shook her head. “No. With our brands, your place at my side is solid. The only way they could remove you would be to kill you,” at my audible gulp, Ember waved my concern away, “but even if they think ponies are weak, they would not risk pissing off five alicorns. Not even the most dumb-as-rocks dragon is that stupid. The most you’ll get is a drake or dragoness trying to insert themselves between us somehow, but all you gotta do is tell ‘em to buzz off. You might not be a dragon lord, but your word has weight because you’re my mate, and even if they won’t like it, if you tell one of ‘em to get lost, they’ll do it to keep from incurring my wrath.” She then tapped her chin as her eyes rolled to the ceiling in thought. “Not that I’ve given them much reason to fear me yet, but the union of our two families is too volatile of a volcano to prod.”

While the metaphor was a little different than Equestrians were used to, the comparison was close enough to our common saying of “kicking a nest of hornets” for all of us to understand what she meant, and it held true. Even though I didn’t often think about it, I had the protection of a lot of powerful, influential individuals in Equestria, and hurting or (stars forbid) killing me would bring a retribution on the enemy the likes of which the world had never seen before. I was powerful in my own right, but the legends of the capabilities of alicorns was long and harrowing. Even if a people didn’t like Equestria, they still respected the pony nation, and knew it would be extremely stupid to attack it. Only Fizzle had gotten as far as she did because she neutralized all but one alicorn, and even though Twilight was powerful, she had not truly come into her power until years later.

My horrified expression calmed to something more akin to annoyance as I thought about my experience with most dragons thus far. “Here’s hoping it won’t come to that. I don’t like dropping names as a way to keep people in line. Hay, I don’t even do it here.”

Ember gave me a sympathetic look as she replied, “Well, I won’t lie to you and promise that won’t happen. Testing boundaries might as well be an instinct for dragons, so it’s pretty likely you’ll have a few testing those boundaries. And, if you let them walk all over you, they’re going to see you as weak. I know you like to keep the peace, and that ‘love and harmony’ is a part of Equestrian culture, but dragons are going to use that against you, if you let them. You don’t have to be a jerk, but you do need to be ready to stand up for yourself and be firm in your decisions. Any indecision or passiveness is going to be seen as a weakness that others back home will capitalize on.”

I gave a solemn nod, all at once realizing that meeting with dragons was going to be just as difficult as meeting with the nobles, like we were today, though in different ways. “Okay, I get it. Dragons are going to expect the consort of a dragon lord to be just as strong as they are, so they’re going to test me.”

Ember chuckled and shook her head ruefully. “Not all of them. Some of them are just jerks.”

I bobbed my head and gave a helpless shrug. “Well, I wasn’t going to say it, but I’m glad you agree. I thought it was just me.”

“Some ponies like to throw their metaphorical weight around as well,” Twilight reminded me, alluding to our up-and-coming meeting with some of the noble houses. She nodded to Ember, “Dragons just happen to have very literal weight. It makes sense that some of them might not be particularly respectful. ‘Jerkiness’ spans all races and nations, it seems.”

“And the times have not changed that much, in that regard,” Princess Luna added with a roll of her eyes. “Disrespect has spanned through the ages, and I imagine it will not cease until life itself ends.”

Princess Luna glanced to a clock on the wall, styled like a sundial, and blew a soft breath out of her nose. “Unfortunately, it appears our time together must end, at least for now.” She brought all of our attention to the time. “The function begins in two hours, and I would imagine it would be smart to be sure you all are perfectly hygienic, so as to give the more uptight ponies less to gripe about. And Ember,” she looked to the dragoness, “I will allow you the use of some of my own armor polish, if you would like to ensure your armor is in pristine shape. It is unfortunately true that some of the more snobbish nobles will find any reason to talk down to you, and since you do not wear clothing in the common sense, your armor that you will be wearing would be one of the things they will criticize.”

Ember considered the offer for a moment before nodding gratefully. “You know what? That sounds like a smart plan. Thanks for the assistance, Luna.”

“Of course, my friend,” the night princess answered, standing and giving a good stretch of her body. “Now then, if you all would like to join me later tonight, if you are not too wearied, you will find me in my study; Twilight knows where it is. Until then, I bid you all farewell, and good fortune in this endeavor. I hope you will not need it, but it never hurts to be cautious.”

I stood as well, and met the princess in a tight embrace. “Thanks, aunt Luna. I think we might take you up on that ‘after-party’.”

Twilight followed me and gave a hug to the elder princess as we left, and Ember curiously did not follow immediately. Instead, as she stood and met the eyes of Princess Luna, she extended her right hand to her. Princess Luna, being a traditional pony that knew the ways of chivalry and honor, appreciated the gesture, and met Ember’s hand with her own*, giving a good shake before allowing the dragoness to leave. Twilight quirked a brow at the dragoness, but smiled once she noticed Ember smiling happily, and we left the room in high spirits.

Whatever happened later that night, I knew we could make it through, provided we leaned on each other.

“I can’t get the blasted...oh, thanks Spike. Doing this on my own is always a pain.”

Ember’s armor was polished to a near-mirror sheen, and was nearly identical to the armor she had worn at the Gauntlet of Fire, years prior. She had reforged it years ago to fit her larger form, but with that size increase, it had become a bit harder to put on alone. I was happy to help, and I shamelessly admit to getting a bit handsy in the process.

Just the same as her old armor, her new armor consisted of a treated leather garment that worked like a bodysuit (made of some sort of fireproof hide, though I never found out what), followed by a sort of plated armor made to look like -- you guessed it -- large dragon scales. She would forgo the helmet, since it would be seen as more respectful to show her face, and the tailpiece that was covered in spikes would be left behind, as well. Her winged boots were already fit snugly to her feet, and as I helped strap on the other shoulderplate, she was finally dressed fully in her armor. The only major difference between this armor and the old armor was a purple and green ceremonial tabard depicting a stylized bloodstone scepter, as well as the clan mark of the dragon lords; the tabard had been cooked up by Rarity in an afternoon, and she had recommended Ember wear it to give a bit more of a “refined” look to the armor. Cloth wasn’t normally a useful material to dragons, being as flammable as it was, but Ember accepted the advice and garment, and now wore it proudly. The reason for the color choice was kind of obvious, and it would work further to firmly establish the connection between Ember and I for all the ponies that would be in attendance.

Finally finished with dressing Ember, I came around her front, leaning in without hesitation and planting a loving kiss on her lips. Ember, while momentarily surprised by my action, only hesitated a heartbeat before returning my kiss with fervor, moaning happily into it. After we both pulled away, I playfully commented, “As Rarity would say, you look positively ravishing, darling.”

Ember blushed slightly, but smiled with a roll of her eyes. “You’re such a goof...but thanks. Been awhile since I’ve worn this getup, and I wasn’t sure how it was gonna look.” She gestured to my simple attire of a vivid cyan with sapphires embedded in the buttons and cufflinks. “Gotta admit, I’m kinda jealous you get to wear that. My armor will always be my go-to, but it’s not exactly something I’d wear to be comfortable.”

I rolled my own eyes at her comment. “You’re the one that didn’t want ‘fancy stuff’. Besides,” I lasciviously licked my lips as I purposefully eyed Ember up, “you look like quite the snack. Might have to take a bite or two if things get boring.”

Having become used to my teasing by now, Ember only snorted with a grin. “Well, I wouldn’t mind, but Twilight might. Can’t imagine two dragons getting physical in view of ‘polite company’ would be okay with her.”

“You’re right, so I’d appreciate it if you saved it for when we’re in private,” Twilight added, stepping into the room wearing her own evening wear. It was a stunning red silk dress with a scandalous dip down the front, the tops of her “pony pillows” covered only by lace to give the appearance of modesty. The dress hugged her body in a way that would normally invite the very real danger of tearing, if it weren’t made from enchanted spidersilk. Nonetheless, it distinctly set her apart from the other alicorn princesses of Equestria with her own style, one of youthful daring, wrapped up in class. The (likely real) ruby earrings she wore and her done-up hair made her look incredible, and I willingly admit I almost started drooling.

Twilight’s cleared throat brought me out of my stupor, and I found her biting her lip as she shyly asked, “Um...w-what do you think? Rarity said it would look good, so I thought I’d try something different.”

I tried to speak twice before I could actually form a sentence. “Twi, I...I mean...y-you look amazing. I always thought you were beautiful, no doubt about that, but stars above, this is a new level of ‘gorgeous’.” I shook my head and smiled lovingly at her. “If I have to be in a room full of stuffy ponies, I’m glad I have two beautiful mates to stand with me.”

While I often reminded those in my herd of their physical attractiveness, it was always nice to see them dress up in a way I’d never seen before. Ember represented a sharp, dangerous sort of beauty, like that of a master-crafted sword that might cut you from simply looking at its precisely-honed edge. Twilight, however, was a traditional sort of fairytale beauty that one only usually saw (or imagined) from storybooks; it just so happened she was royalty, so I felt no irony in saying she was a beautiful princess.

Twilight practically lit up from the compliment, smiling brightly and dipping her head in thanks. “Thank you, Spike. I was worried it would look silly, because I don’t normally dress this way. You know me; I usually go with whatever’s comfortable and practical, as long as it matches.”

I nodded with a smile of my own. “All the more reason for me to enjoy it then, because I know you won’t dress like this often. Still, I’m glad you did. Anyway,” I glanced to the clock above the door of our room, frowning slightly at the time, “it looks like it’s about that time. Let’s get going, shall we?”

We made our way out of the room, and even though I knew the way, allowed our assigned guards for the night to escort us to the ballroom. I walked silently, but could hear Twilight drilling Ember about a few things regarding Equestrian customs and what would be expected of us. I trusted Ember to keep her cool, but it was still nice to know Twilight was ensuring she wouldn’t essentially be jumping into the ocean without a raft.

The walk only took about 10 minutes, and before I knew it, we were approaching the large archway that led to the ballroom itself. Even from our distance, I could see many ponies already milling around inside, both nobles and serving ponies, and was glad it was set in such a way that Twilight and I wouldn’t have to be first, and greet everyone as they entered, like Mom and auntie Luna often did at the Grand Galloping Gala. Still, this also meant that every eye would be on us, all at once, when we entered, and our first impression was going to be important, especially for Ember. With that in mind, I dropped back to Ember and Twilight, taking my place on the unoccupied side of Twilight (since, politically speaking, she was of higher rank than me), and glanced at her and Ember with a determined look. Both nodded to me, and we all simultaneously faced forward as we walked the last twenty or so paces to the ballroom entrance.

The night guard standing at the left of the archway noticed our approach, and turned to face the crowd as he announced, “Presenting, her royal highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her guests Spike and Ember, dragonlord of the Narrowscale clan.”

The announcement had its intended effect, drawing all eyes to us as we entered, and I silently gulped as I focused on staying in step with Twilight as we walked into the ballroom. Ember’s choice of attire, of course, prompted hushed whispers and muttering to roll through the crowd, and even though outwardly she looked unflappably calm, I could feel she was becoming annoyed by the gawking and stares. Still, Ember walked into the large, opulent room with a straight back, measured steps, and her head held high, projecting the very image of a clan leader. Twilight, of course, was more relaxed, being far more familiar with how the “game” was played, and how she was expected to act. Her wings were closed, but relaxed, and her tail almost playfully swung back and forth behind her in a slow, lazy pendulum. As for me, I was faking calm hard, and if not for the fact I didn’t want to blow the roof of the building, I would be screaming at all the staring ponies to stop their gawking, eat their bucking food, and mind their own bucking business.

Obviously, I didn’t say those things, but oh, did I want to.

And of-bucking-course, the first pony to come up and greet us was none other than Rosy Glow herself, the older mare garbed in enough clothing to ground an airship. Maybe it was my own personal biases, but I swear she seemed to flow across the room in an almost snake-like way, and the smile on her face was as fake as the makeup she wore to give herself the appearance of a healthy glow in her face. Nonetheless, I had spent an hour mentally preparing myself for this very meeting, so I was able to offer a polite smile in return as the mare made her way over.

The crowd itself seemed to part around Rosy Glow, all of them well-aware of the beast they didn’t want to poke, and allowed her to sweep into an exaggerated standing bow to Twilight. “Your highness, thank you for gracing us with your presence.” As she rose, I swear I caught the moment she almost snarled at me as she continued with, “...and you’ve brought guests. Wonderful.”

“Disrespectful” isn’t a strong enough word for her tone. If the subtle clenching of Ember’s jaw was any evidence of her thoughts, she wholeheartedly agreed.

I’ve convinced myself I did not smirk as the mare was far more cautious in her greeting with Ember. “And Princess Ember, you honor us with-”

“That’s Dragonlord Ember, Miss Glow,” Ember interrupted sharply, her correction cracking in the air like a whip. “I ask that you please do not disrespect my mate again. Thank you.” She then immediately turned away from the mare, all but spitting in her face. Internally, I was fist-pumping and cheering, but on the outside, I carefully schooled my face into neutrality. All at once, Ember had asserted her rank to everyone around, plainly announced her and I were mates, and chastised a high-ranking noblemare for disrespecting me, and by extension, Ember herself. It was a hay of a first impression, and had everyone in the room on the edge of their metaphorical seats at the thought of what would happen next.

For lack of a better description, I can only describe Rosy Glow’s face as the look someone gets when they are slapped in the face with a fish: shocked, outraged, and confused, all at once. It took a moment for the mare to gather herself. “I...I am Rosy Glow, head of House Gem, and-”

“I don’t particularly care who you are, Miss Glow,” Ember interrupted once again, causing the mare’s lip to curl into the beginning of a snarl. “I have already said what I needed to say: do not disrespect Spike, my mate, again. To do so is to disrespect me, and I do not take kindly to that. Am I understood?”

Rosy Glow was caught between a rock and a hard place, and she knew it. On the one hand, her pride demanded she save face in front of all the other nobles, but on the other hand, she was smart enough to know that digging in her heels against Ember was only going to hurt her more in the long run, as well as make her look like a petulant foal. With a furrowed brow, she made her decision, and bowed her head slightly. “Forgive me. It was not my intention, I assure you.” At Ember’s challenging look and raised brow, Rosy Glow eventually looked at me and reluctantly said, “...welcome to Canterlot, Spike. We are honored to have you.”

While I kinda wanted to torture the mare a bit, since I never had the chance before, I knew there would be nothing to gain by doing so. Instead, I nodded respectfully, smiled, and answered, “And it is an honor to be here, Miss Rosy Glow. Thank you for having us.”

My sickly-sweet greeting was like salt in a wound, and I knew Rozy Glow was already making plans for how she was going to make us pay for showing her up in front of a whole room of nobles. The mare stepped aside as we entered the room proper, and though I knew we were going to pay for it later, the shocked-to-the-core look on most of the other nobles present made the future attempts at retribution all the more worth it. In truth, putting the mare in her place was simply a bonus; Ember had been briefed on how she would need to handle such a situation, and knew how important it was to establish her status immediately, with absolute authority. Ember wasn’t an Equestrian princess, but being a dragon lord, she was sovereign in her own right, and needed to assert that authority when it was challenged or disrespected.

With that tense greeting out of the way, the three of us made our way to the raised window that overlooked the city, which gave us an elevated position to be able to see all of the gathered ponies in the room. In an expert display of well-rehearsed discipline, our guards for the evening broke off into two groups, flanking us on either side, as Twilight, Ember, and I took seats on three plush chairs that had been set up specifically for what happened next.

With all of us seated and the nobles all at attention, Twilight cleared her throat and spoke loud enough for all of them to hear. “As you all are aware, we have joined you today to address the incident that happened in the mountains. I am sure there are questions that must be answered, so we will open the floor for those questions. You may ask me, Ember, or Spike directly, or all of us if you choose. Please speak one at a time when I call on you, and we will answer what questions we can. I hope we can soothe some of the fears some of you no doubt have.” At her word, several of the ponies moved forward, and silently agreed on an order as they lined up. Twilight pointed to the stallion in front, and said, “Please state your name, your house, your rank within said house, who you are addressing, and your question.”

The orange-coated stallion nodded and answered, “I am Golden Pike, house guard of House Smith, and this question is for all three of you.” He nodded to us, and I was glad the first question was from a lower-tier house, and the house guard himself. “I will ask the burning question most of us have, I believe: just what happened in the mountains that day?”

I let some of the tension leave me as the simple question was the first one to lead us into the event. I glanced to Ember and Twilight, silently asking them if they wanted to go first, before turning my attention back to the stallion. “Well, to put it simply, one of the canterlot guard approached us about a rogue dragon that had taken up residence in a cave close to pony settlements, and he asked me to see if I would be able to coax it into leaving. All the guards and scouts he had sent were turned away with threats, so he didn’t want to risk lives needlessly if I could handle the situation myself. Much as relations have improved between Equestria and the dragon lands, dragons still tend to be more comfortable dealing with other dragons. Since I was the only one in Equestria at the time, that job fell to me, so I accepted.”

Twilight picked it up from there, sending me a look that thanked me for staying calm. “I didn’t particularly like the idea of Spike handling this alone, but in dragon culture, they are expected to meet alone, so I couldn’t go, and neither could anypony else. Much as I don’t like being a mare of cold calculations, Spike did have the best chance of resolving everything peacefully, which is why he went. For Equestria, he put his wellbeing at risk, to protect the citizens of our nation.”

“Things started out fairly amicably until she grabbed me like a toy and announced she was taking me back to the dragon lands, against my will,” I continued, fighting down the annoyance from the memory. “She told me I was the reason she was there, and she was bringing me back with her. That never happened though, since, against my wishes, I was followed anyway by two of my friends: Rainbow Dash, and Lyla.”

Being fair, most of the nobles didn’t actively hate changelings, but they didn’t trust them. It was nice to see some looks of pleased surprise on the faces in the crowd.

The memory of what happened that day to Lyla brought a nausea to me that I had to fight down, but I powered through and continued my story. “Anyway, my friends showing up made things go sideways really quick. Long story short, Lyla told the dragon to release me, the dragon refused, and Lyla transformed into her soldier form to fight the dragon.” The looks of horror on the faces of some of them was oddly cathartic, even at that moment. It was nice to know they remembered exactly what Lyla and her caste were capable of, but that might have been why they didn’t trust changelings. I guess I couldn’t blame them, by that token.

I glanced at Ember, since my memory was blank shortly after that moment, so my dragoness mate picked things up from there. “Anyway, Spike wasn’t willing to leave Lyla to fight a dragon alone, so he knocked her out with an admittedly impressive flying maneuver, and then after he got his friends out of there, he began hoarding the treasure in the cave to force himself to start growing; his plan was to get strong enough to hold off the other dragon while Rainbow Dash got Lyla medical attention, and fetched Princess Luna. Unlike the dragons back home, who learn from a young age to keep a level head during a growth like that, Spike lost all rationale and became little more than a feral beast. The remains of the battle he had with the encroaching dragoness are plain for all to see. However,” Ember couldn’t exactly keep the disappointment out of her voice during the next part, “dragon culture demands retribution for what she tried to do. When Spike won the Gauntlet of Fire and passed the Bloodstone Scepter to me, in dragon culture, he was basically proposing far more than just friendship. Because of that, I was able to use what happened those many years ago to rightfully claim Spike as my own mate, and forced the dragoness to leave. The problem is, for both our sake and that of Equestria, that leaves us with an unresolved issue named Sapphira, the dragoness who tried to abduct an Equestrian citizen.”

Twilight picked it up from there. “As I’m sure most of you can assume, most dragons are not going to respect Equestrian law on this issue, so they will not submit themselves to a court. Instead, there are measures in place within dragon culture that will allow a resolution of sorts, and we will be sure some trusted Equestrian citizens will be there to witness it. In addition, as I’m sure some of you will be pleased with, we are opening up the site of the incident for excavation for that mountain only. Besides the treasure that was buried in the collapse, there are millions of tons of useful stone and ores that could be quite lucrative for Equestria to possess.”

While it seemed like pandering (and, to be honest, it was), offering businessponies a way to make more money was always a good way to calm tensions, as was evidenced by the interest many of them now showed. The house guard himself seemed satisfied with our answers, and gave a shallow bow before stepping away from the line.

While the next pony would have once caused me to groan in annoyance, Blueblood’s appearance didn’t evoke the response it once did. While I can’t say we were close friends, he had explained his behavior in the past, and we had a base of mutual respect between us. No matter what ponies might think of the stallion, Blueblood was a savvy investor, businesspony, and a fantastic source of information, and one would be stupid to blow him off. Blueblood, despite his public behavior, was loyal to the crown, and was what one could easily refer to as a “double-agent” in the nobility.

Blueblood gave a respectful nod to all of us, even me, and stood before us with a relaxed posture. “Good afternoon your highnesses, and Spike. I am Prince Blueblood of House Rose, second in line to my house, and I come before you today with a bit of a personal question that, while frankly not anyone’s business, I feel we should address now. I believe you can guess what I’m going to ask.”

Yes, I could guess what he was going to ask about, and while he was correct, it wasn’t anyone’s business, the nobles were under the impression that the lives of royalty were open to investigation, since it was (admittedly) true that our personal lives could affect the public. Such was the life of a high-profile individual whose actions could affect the nation as a whole. I still didn’t like it, years later, but I had accepted that our “privacy column” (which is what Twilight called it) was relatively short compared to a normal pony’s.

All three of us sat up a little taller, and Twilight nodded to Blueblood. “Yes, we have a feeling we know what you’re going to ask about, so go ahead.”

Blueblood gave a nod in return, keeping his relaxed nonchalance (though I knew him well enough to recognize he always had a reason for the things he did and said). “Well, I’ll just come right out with it: is it true that Spike here has started a herd, and that you are a part of it, Princess Twilight Sparkle?” Murmurs among the nobles immediately started after he finished his question, and it was clear that he was far from the only one that had heard the rumors. Of course, with Blueblood’s information network as extensive as it was, I was sure he already knew, and had another reason for asking the question. The only question for us was why he was asking, and how it was going to affect us. Since there was no one but us in front of him, he gave the three of us a wink, and that settled quite a few of my worries about his intentions; whatever he was doing, while it may benefit him in some way, it wasn’t going to hurt us, or it may actually help us.

Twilight blushed a bit at the question, clearly a bit worried about going public in Canterlot of all places, so early, but steeled herself and nodded resolutely. “Yes...yes, that is true. Spike has indeed started a herd, and I am a part of that.” The murmurs became quite a bit more energetic at that admittance, and I had to physically restrain myself from shouting that it was none of their bucking business. Ember’s supportive hand on my shoulder helped keep me grounded enough to project an air of calm neutrality, but it was a fight nonetheless.

Blueblood momentarily glanced back at the other nobles behind him, before looking back to us and said words that immediately shut everyone up. “Well...let me be the first here to congratulate you on your new relationship. That was all, your highnesses.” Though his words and question seemed short and even a bit flippant, Blueblood was a political tactician, so I knew he had another reason for saying what he did. Still, as he stepped down, the three of us gave our thanks to him for his kind words.

I always felt like I was on the losing side of a chess game, when I spoke with Blueblood.

The next to step up was a mare I didn’t recognize, garbed in a functional, yet fashionable, gown and hoofshoes. The way her mane was done and the minimalist makeup told me she was either a career businessmare, or one of the few nobles who didn’t focus on their looks to show their status. Instead, she used her voice and the way she held herself to do all that, and both worked well to establish that she was a no-nonsense pony that desired efficiency.

The mare cleared her throat before speaking. “Greetings to the three of you. I am Gilded Quill of House Gem, seneschal of the house, and this question is for Dragonlord Ember.”

Ember gave a nod to the mare, sitting up a little straighter. “I am listening, Miss Quill. Please continue.”

“Will your new relationship with Spike affect Equestria’s dealings with the dragon lands?” she asked, picking an honestly good question that those with hands in the economy would want to know.

Ember considered the question for a moment, bobbing her head from side to side, before answering, “...it may, though I can’t say by how much. You have to understand, I am just one dragonlord among many clans, and each clan tends to handle its business separately. That’s not to say we can’t work together as one people, but trying to get dragons to do anything all together can be...difficult. Suffice to say, we’re a very individualistic people, and dragons generally don’t like being told what to do. I have a fair bit of say in my own clan, but as I had to explain to Princess Twilight, dragonlords don’t rule the same way the Equestrian princesses do. Instead, we more or less guide our clans, and they will only do as we ask them if they respect us. I have respect in my clan, but they are still individuals, and unless I want to cause a political upheaval, I can’t make them do something they don’t want to do. Instead, what I would recommend is to deal with my clan members as separate entities, and I will do my best to facilitate relations. Relations are better than they have been in centuries, but we’ve been isolated for so long that it’s going to take time for trade and things like that to stabilize. Still, just from what I’ve experienced in my short life, I know there’s a lot we have to offer each other, and I’ll do everything I can to help us work together.” She smiled wryly. “Sorry, I know I got a bit off topic there, but the short answer out of all of that is that, while I have a personal stake in Spike’s happiness and safety, no, our relationship will largely not affect dealings between Equestria and the dragons as a whole, simply because we’re all individuals. A connection between us can help...but it also might not. It just depends on the dragons in question, and how they feel at that moment.” The mare in question, and the nobles as a whole, seemed a little dissatisfied by the answer, so Ember decided to elaborate a bit. “Okay, let me give you an example: let’s say one of you wanted to trade with my clan, and found a dragoness or drake that had something you wanted to barter for. As the dragonlord, it is my place to ensure your safety, but I would have no place in any trade dealings with the individuals in my clan. I have no right to decide whether a deal is fair or unfair for either of you, because, to put it bluntly, it’s not my stuff. If one of you gets hurt or hurts one of my clan, then it becomes my problem, but if you get screwed out of a deal because you were outsmarted, then there’s nothing I can do. Does that make sense?”

It was clear that some of the nobles weren’t happy that Ember didn’t have direct control over trade like the Equestrian princesses could, but Golden Quill seemed at least satisfied with the answer. “Very good, Dragonlord. I hope our people can find mutually beneficial arrangements. Thank you for your time.”

I felt the tingle of a spell being cast before Twilight leaned over and said, “Considering she’s a part of House Gem, I’m surprised she was as respectful as she was. I kinda expected Golden Quill to poke at Ember a little.”

Based on the situation, I could only assume Twilight had cast some sort of charm that either silenced or muffled our speech outside of a certain area, and just let the thought go as I answered, “Well, the seneschal is kind of the steward of the house, and she keeps track of the books and such, as well as facilitates many of the trade deals. For her, I imagine it would be, let’s say, ‘inefficient’ to cause problems right now. That’s not to say she can’t or won’t in the future, but I imagine there’s nothing to gain from angering Ember right now. There was already a bit of a tiff with Ember and the leader of the house when we got here, so starting something right now would only cause problems.”

Twilight looked at me in surprise. “That’s...surprisingly well thought-out. I thought you said you don’t like politics.”

“I don’t,” I answered immediately, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t understand why somepony might act a certain way. I’m not going to be outsmarting you or Auntie Luna anytime soon, but I can figure some basic things out here and there.”

Twilight nodded gently as she turned back to the crowd, but reached over and took my hand in hers as she pointed to the next pony who had been patiently waiting for her. Luckily, it was a pony we both knew, and liked. He was technically lowborn, but was granted noble status for services to the crown. This, of course, drew the ire of many of the well-established houses in Canterlot, but none of them could deny how much influence he had, or how good he was at what he did.

“Good afternoon, Highnesses! I am Fancy Pants, first of the Pants house, and I have a question for Spike,” he greeted, smiling brightly.

I couldn’t stop the smile on my own face, and gave a nod to the stallion. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Pants. What did you want to know?”

“Well first,” he began, straightening his handlebar mustache with his thumb and forefinger, “I would also like to congratulate you on your new herd. It’s been a long time coming, Spike m’boy, and I’m happy you’ve found love. Second, I would like to ask if you would be taking an active role in royal duties should you and Princess Twilight one day marry.”

Yes, both Twilight and I blushed, but neither denied the possibility of marriage. Since Fancy had said he was asking me directly, I decided to be the one to answer. “Well, firstly, thanks for the congrats; I really do appreciate it. But second, I...I don’t know. Maybe. Twilight and I both feel it’s a little early to commit to marriage right now, but…” I looked to Twilight beside me, and I could see the love in her eyes as she returned my gaze. “I think we’ll get there at some point soon. Personally, I’d rather leave the decisions up to ponies more qualified to deal with them,” I finally looked back to Fancy, with a smile on my face, “but I’m sure you’re well aware that sometimes, we just have to roll with what life throws at us. So, my short answer is that right now, I don’t know. Time will tell, but I’m open to the idea if Twilight and the other princesses one day think I’m ready.”

I didn’t have to look at the crowd to know the very thought of a “commoner” having any say in the way the country was run was not something they liked, but then, I didn’t particularly want to rule anyway. Maybe one day would come where I had to for some reason, but it wasn’t something I fantasized about, to be sure. I saw how much stress it was for Twilight, and even though it was a bit selfish of me, I didn’t particularly want to deal with that if I didn’t have to. Maybe that made me a bad mate or son to Princess Celestia, but I already screwed up things in my own life; screwing up a country was not something I wanted to be responsible for.

The major questions seemed to be out of the way, since the line started to break apart as the nobles started to go back to mingling, but there was still ponies who had questions, so Twilight waved the next one forward. The next was a young stallion noble with too much product in his mane that had a self-important look in his eye that I was well-acquainted with, unfortunately.

“I am Silken Thread, of house Grove, second son of my father, Oaken Cask, and my question is for Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the stallion spoke, his words calm and measured, yet somehow slightly condescending. Maybe his tone? I’m still not sure.

Twilight smiled kindly at him and gestured to him with a hand. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Thread. What is your question?”

Standing a little taller at Twilight’s approval, he jumped right into it. “Princess Twilight, I ask for consideration for your royal herd!”

While Twilight was not scowling (even though I could tell she was on the cusp of doing so), her nearly-silent sigh told me she was halfway expecting this question at some point during the night.

Apparently the important questions had finished at this point, and now the social climbers came out to play.

“Ooh...yeeeeesssss.”

Twilight groaned happily beneath me as I worked my fingers into her back, the warming oil doing its work to relax her and allow me to work the knots out of her muscles. I chose not to comment on how she had not thought the oil was necessary this morning, but now was completely on board with it as I massaged the tension out of her neck, spine, and shoulders.

Of the ten questions for the remainder of the meeting, six were asking for acceptance into the herd, two were passive-aggressive shots at me for destroying a mountain, one was for Ember, asking if the dragoness would be opposed to exchanging some smithing skills, and one was for all of us, asking what we thought about chocolate-covered strawberry hot chocolate. Yes, the last one was Pinkie Pie, and no one knew how she got there, how no one noticed her, or where she went after we answered. Needless to say, the sudden appearance of the pink pony had slightly unnerved Ember, and she spent most of the rest of the gathering on the lookout for our friend. But, all in all, the function went well, and the rest of the time after that was spent casually mingling, eating, and drinking. That said, Twilight was still stressed by all the nobles that kept schmoozing her, and having to keep up several conversations at once pretty much the rest of the day. While she was the princess of friendship and had come a long way from the sequestered bookworm she once was, Twilight still had bouts of social anxiety, and talking to a bunch of possibly two-faced nobles (because we usually couldn’t tell until it was too late) had made her...tense, to say the least.

Ember, on the other hand, had left with Luna when we were making our way back to our room, accepting the elder princess’ offer to talk a bit more, and maybe even spar in the training grounds.

This all left Twilight and I alone in the room for the time being, and I had made good on my promise to give her a good rubdown. Contrary to what she had said in the earlier hours of the day, she did need it, and her groans, while usually not words, let me know she was thankful for my loving care.

Since my aim was to relax her and not rile her up, I avoided her sensitive wings, and instead focused intently on all the other areas of her body that held tension and wouldn’t be considered progressing to “sexytimes”.

After about forty-five minutes, I was finishing up with her hooves, and slowly pressed my fingers firmly against the soft flesh surrounding it, as well as rolling her ankles around to make them nice and loose. Twilight, while not asleep, was a puddle of relaxed bliss, and had a happy, lazy smile on her face as she kept her eyes locked on me the whole time.

“You’re so good to me, Spike,” she whispered, her voice barely loud enough to carry to my ears even in the quiet room.

Finishing up and gently placing her leg down on the bed, I shimmied up to her and lay down beside the princess, taking care to gently fold her wing out of the way before propping myself up on my side, so I could look at her. “Of course I am. I love you.” I leaned down and gently, slowly gave her an unhurried, lazy kiss that we just mutually enjoyed for what it was. No pressure to start making out, nor an obligatory kiss “just because”. It was one of those kisses that you give to the one you love, simply because you love them and want to remind them with just your lips.

When we separated, she looked as happy as a pony princess could be, and snuggled up to my side with a soft sigh of love and affection. With nothing else pressing us and nowhere to be, we just relaxed the time away, and enjoyed a quiet moment next to each other.

Some time later, the door opened, and Ember stepped into the room, fully armored, though something was different. First, her armor was dented in a few places, and the left shoulderplate was hanging by the leather straps that normally secured it in place, and when Ember finally turned so we could see her…

“W-what the buck happened to your face?” I stammered out, nearly leaping out of the bed in concern.

Ember rubbed her swollen cheek and eye, wincing a bit, before smiling at me with a laugh. “I got too cocky with Luna, and she...well, let’s say she showed me a weakness of mine. No we’re not mad at each other, and we’re both cool. This is what happens sometimes when you fight someone, even when just sparring; you should know that, Spike.”

Remembering the many bruises I had gotten from my bouts with Rainbow Dash, I winced and nodded. “...okay, yeah. That makes sense. Still, do you need some ice or something?”

Ember brought her hand up from her side, showing a cloth bag that was filled with something. “Already got some. But, could you do me a favor and help me get this armor off? I’m kinda sore, heh.”

Relieved that she hadn’t been attacked by some assassin or something, I rolled my eyes and nodded, chuckling despite it all. “Yeah, sure. Come here and let's get you out of this stuff so you can chill. Sounds like we’re getting an early night, then.”

One of the things dragons and ponies had in common when it came to those they cared about (or mates, in our case), was that they didn’t particularly like it when those ones got hurt. Following that instinct, Twilight stood without prompting and helped me get the armor off of Ember, unable to completely stop herself as she gave a comforting brush here, or nuzzle there. Ember, contrary to what she had probably thought in months past, seemed to enjoy the attention more than she was likely to admit out loud, and let Twilight essentially undress her without a fight.

Between the two of us, it didn’t take long to expose Ember’s nude body to the air, and the dragoness took a deep breath of satisfaction once she was free of the armor. Twilight levitated all the armor to the far side of the room, setting it on a ponykin specifically made for the purpose, and advised, “I’ll get you something warm to drink, and we’ll get an early night. You could use the rest, and even though Spike and I didn’t fight a princess, I think we could all use a good sleep right about now.

I nodded in agreement as I took Ember’s hand in mine and led her over to the bed. “Yeah, I’m pooped. C’mon, lets get comfortable while we wait for Twi to get back.” The door closed behind Twilight, and I wasted no time in whipping off my shirt and trousers, pulling on my pajama pants, and following Ember to the bed she now lay on. I gathered the dragoness in my arms and pulled her close, and she happily nestled herself against me as we just lay silently in much the way Twilight had before Ember had returned. I planted kisses over her face, gently on the bruises and swollen bits, before grabbing the nearby ice pack and laying it on her swollen eye. Ember hissed, but mumbled a “thank you” before she let out a long sigh and lay there silently.

After a few minutes, Ember commented, “Y’know, I’m kinda surprised that meeting with the nobles went as well as it did. Other than that thing at the beginning with that one mare, things went pretty smooth otherwise.”

I nodded slowly, hugging my mate against my side as I slowly ran my fingers up and down the scales of her belly. “Yeah. You did good, and there wasn’t much they could do in terms of political games without immediately revealing their poker hand, so to speak.” Ember’s uncomprehending look prompted me to explain, “Simply put, any games they might have wanted to play would have been foolish to push at that time, because they would have revealed all their intentions, thus giving us the ability to shut them down easily. That wouldn’t work in their favor, so they’re playing nice for now.”

“And I’m guessing it won’t always be that way,” Ember stated, alluding to the fact she already knew what I was going to say.

I nodded again. “Correct. Just because they’re playing nice for now doesn’t mean things will stay that way. They’ll be poking for ways to work you over, make no mistake. But for now, we’re not gonna worry about that.” Twilight walked in the door at that moment, carrying a steaming cup of what smelled like a hot toddy, which she brought over as I sat the dragoness up with me. “Instead, you’re gonna drink this, and then we’re gonna get a good sleep tonight.”

Ember gave a sniff and smiled, her good eye sparkling as she looked at Twilight gratefully. “Thanks Twilight.”

“Of course, Ember,” Twilight answered, and in a single flash of magic, swapped out her dress for her pajamas, before taking her place at the other side of Ember, ensuring the dragoness had one of us on each side. I recognized it as another instinct ponies had, to protect those that were sick and injured while they recovered, and silently thanked Twilight with a smile of my own as Ember finished off her drink.

Once Ember had drained the last of the still-steaming beverage, Twilight levitated the empty mug to sit on the dining table a room away, switching off the bedside lamp and closing the curtains before coaxing Ember to lie down with us. It only took a moment for Ember to settle herself, as achy and tired as she was, but it was impossible for her to ignore the way Twilight snuggled right up against her. As opposed to the other times we shared a bed together, this time, Ember hesitantly pulled her arm up and wrapped it around Twilight, hugging the smaller mare against her as we lay there on the bed in darkness. Twilight’s quiet intake of breath told me she was surprised as well, but even in the dark, I could see the smile on the mare’s face as she closed her eyes and lay her head on Ember’s shoulder, angling her horn away from the dragoness’ head.

While it was silent for a few minutes, eventually, Ember saw fit to say, “...y’know, this is kinda nice.”

Even as the exhaustion of the day was catching up with us, Twilight and I laughed quietly before simultaneously giving the dragoness a squeeze, and opting to finally close our eyes to submit to the realm of dreams. Finally, it seemed, Ember was beginning to see the appeal of having a loving herdmate besides me with her, and was accepting Twilight as more than just a friend. While I couldn’t foresee at the time how close she would get with Twilight, it was heartwarming to see those emotional barriers lowering for the first time.

Chapter 23

Ember was a tough dragoness, and there was no denying that, but Luna was in a class all her own when it came to battle prowess and durability. Besides Ember’s personality, dragons had evolved to be bigger, stronger, and more resilient than most of the other races on the planet, so for Ember to be as bruised and swollen as she was, it was clear her little “play fight” with Luna would be considered downright barbaric by the standards of normal ponies. I only found out later that an entire side of the stone wall surrounding the guards' training grounds had to be rebuilt, and there was a suspiciously fresh crater that had appeared on that same side. This meant something very heavy had fallen from a decent height, or something comparatively light had impacted at an insane velocity. Frankly, I was in disbelief that Ember miraculously didn’t have any broken bones.

Still, in the wee hours of the morning, Ember was groaning as she woke, making it clear the ache and soreness had set in. It was an unpleasant fact that injuries tended to hurt worse the next day, and it was obvious Ember was feeling like getting out of bed was just too much to ask at the moment.

I was privy to Twilight sleepily rolling over and giving a kiss to the cheek of Ember before stumbling out of bed, murmuring that she would get the dragoness a fresh ice pack from the other room. Ember either was in too much pain to make a fuss about the kiss or was too shocked to call the pony out for it, but either way, we both waited for Twilight to fetch another cooling ice pack; I wasn’t going to bring it up, mostly because teasing Ember in her current state wouldn’t be conducive for my continued wellbeing.

Twilight mercifully returned a few moments later with a fresh ice bag, and gently placed it on the dragoness’ face as she guided her hand to hold it there. Ember hissed and cursed quietly, but gave a word of thanks to Twilight as she held the cooling bag there.

“Well,” Ember began, her speech slightly handicapped due to the swelling, “I’m glad I had the honor of having a scrap with your aunt, but if I ever try and do that again, stop me.”

Despite my worry for her injuries, I shared her laugh. “I knew if I told you no, you’d find a way to do it anyway, so the only way to get you to stop would be to get it out of your system. I imagine you won’t be doing that again anytime soon, right?”

Ember groaned as she shifted the ice bag a bit. “That's a big nope on that one. Like I said, I’m glad I got to have that experience, but it’s not one I’ll be repeating in the near future...or ever. Once was enough, I think.” Since the eye on Twilight’s side was the swollen one, she turned her head a bit to catch the eye of the alicorn princess as she teased, “Not the worst way I’ve woken up though, Twilight. Do I need to look out for more of that?”

Twilight lit up in a deep blush as her eyes fell to her lap, and she fidgeted with her fingers. After a moment of silence, she replied, “...instincts, mostly. Usually I’m waking up to Spike, and since you’re scaly, I just...acted. I made it weird, didn’t I? I didn’t want to make it weird. I’m sorry, I’ll make sure that-”

“Twilight,” Ember interrupted firmly, not yelling, but in a firm tone of voice that cut across the room like a sword. The mare immediately went silent, and Ember just looked at her for a long few seconds until, eventually, Twilight raised her eyes to the dragoness again. Ember favored her with a small smile as she assured, “You didn’t freak me out or anything. I can’t say I’m in love with you or anything like that, but it also didn’t weird me out either. I get it that you’re a pony, and besides ponies being more touchy than I’m used to from my own kind, even if just instinctually, you see me as one of your mates. It’s cool. I’m not mad at you, and this doesn’t have to be awkward unless you make it that way.”

I appreciated the latter statement, since we all knew Twilight had a habit of making things awkward that didn’t need to be awkward, and Ember was essentially telling the mare that any awkwardness she felt was subjective. Twilight did relax a bit as her blush died down, and she stopped fidgeting with her hands as she finally released the lingering tension in her shoulders and wings.

Twilight sighed deeply and nodded. “Thanks. I just...I want you to be comfortable around all of us, and I certainly don’t want to be the reason you aren’t.”

“I am,” Ember assured, reaching a bit blindly with the hand on the side she couldn’t see for a moment before finding Twilight’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “You know how dragons are with their dens and sleeping, so the fact I’m cool with sharing a bed says a lot. Besides, as a race that largely depends on itself for safety, dragons can get more dangerous if they’re hurt or blinded, like I am.” She pointed at her swollen eye, which had the ice pack on it. “But...I trust you. I know you wouldn’t hurt me when I’m vulnerable. Heck, I know you’d pick up the slack and protect me, if I needed it...which I totally don’t.”

Twilight laughed at the dragoness’ comment and quipped, “Of course not. Dragon lords are all-seeing, all-knowing creatures of fire and scales. I’m sure you could still fight one-armed, one-eyed, and hobbled.”

Ember gave a laugh of her own before wincing and grabbing her side. “Oh, ow-heh, i-it hurts to laugh. S-stop making me laugh!” She coughed and wheezed for a moment more before settling down and letting out a long breath. “So, what’s going on today?”

Twilight shrugged and looked to me, but I could only return that shrug. With nothing particularly pressing in mind, Twilight answered, “Well, I don’t have anything planned. I can’t do much to lessen the swelling other than ensuring we have an ice pack, but I can get some pain reducing tablets that should take the edge off so we can enjoy some time together, if you’re up for it. Spike has taken them before without incident, so I can only assume they’re safe for dragons.”

Ember frowned briefly at us. “I don’t want you two bending over backwards for me. I’m just sore, but I’ll heal pretty fast. If there’s stuff you wanted to do, go do it. I’ll get a nap or something.”

“Ember,” Twilight began, sighing and placing a hand on the dragoness’ shoulder as she looked her in her good eye, “I don’t want to exclude you. If you really don’t want to spend time with us, then I’ll respect that; I’ll get you some pills for the pain, and leave you alone, but we -- I -- want you with us. I’m well aware that even close friends and family need time apart from time to time, but if that’s not what this is, then don’t exclude yourself. Did you want to be alone for a while?” Twilight finished her statement with a determined glint in her eyes, and a serious face.

Though she would obviously deny it aloud, Ember seemed to shrink a bit at Twilight’s question, and after a few moments, shook her head. “...well, no, but I also don’t want you stuck with me when I’m sore and grumpy. We don’t all have to suffer.”

Throwing in my own two-bits worth, I explained, “It’s part of being in a herd, Ember. Twi can correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s not pity that drives this like you might be thinking. Instead, we just want to be with you, even if that means you don’t feel good. We know that if we aren’t feeling good, we feel better when our friends and loved ones spend time with us, and we want to do that for you. When you’re happy, it makes us happy, so we don’t want to deprive you of company when you probably want it, even if you wouldn’t normally admit it.”

Ember tried to cross her arms over her chest, but it didn’t work very well since the ice pack fell off her face and she had to scramble to catch it. Upon gently pressing the cooling bag against the swelling once more, Ember grumped, “...fine, maybe I don’t wanna be sitting here alone, but I feel like I’m cutting into time you could be doing other things. If I had my choice, and it was just me and Spike, I’d want him in here, loving me and taking care of me, but that’s not fair to- what? What’s that face for?”

Twilight had the type of bright expression that said she just had a major epiphany that would fix a misunderstanding. She leaned closer and wrapped an arm behind Ember’s lower back, hugging the dragoness close for a moment. Just before Ember opened her mouth to question just what was going on, Twilight said, “Ember, I’m not competing with you for Spike’s affection. I think that’s where the disconnect between us is happening here: I think you might be under the assumption that if we were to spend all day here and just make sure you were taken care of, I’d somehow feel cheated because I didn’t get to spend the day doing all kinds of stuff I wanted to do. Ember,” she gave the dragoness another squeeze, smiling happily at her, “we’re in this together, for good or ill, in times of health, and in times of suffering. We’re a herd, and I’m sure Rarity and Fluttershy would tell you this exact thing: the herd comes first above all else, and that means I care more about you than I do whatever activities I might have wanted to do.” She gave a vague wave to the air. “Yesterday, before you came back from your little bout with Luna, I was thinking maybe we could spend the day in the library, researching some crazy things about history that I’m sure you would love, but I wanted to do it because it would be something I could do with you. If all you want to do is relax and be pampered in your time of need, then I want to do that, because I get to do it with you. Don’t you see? It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, so long we get to do it together.” I can admit Twilight pretty much hit every part of what I was feeling, so while I didn’t get to add the same supportive speech, I nodded to Ember when she looked at me, and I got the feeling she understood I wholeheartedly agreed with Twilight’s assessment.

“We just want to be with you, Ember,” I clarified. “Nothing more, and nothing less. If that means taking care of you while you’re ‘sore and grumpy,’ then that’s what we’ll do. Besides, the great thing about Twilight’s interests is that most of them can be done indoors anyway, and my own interests are varied enough that I can entertain myself just about anywhere.” With a placating hand on her cheek, I assured, “If you feel better later, we can go out somewhere and do some stuff, but for now, just relax and let us help you not feel so cruddy.”

Ember just gave a wry grin at us. “You both can’t just let me wallow in my misery, huh?”

“If I have to be bad at something, I’m fine with ruining a good wallow,” I quipped, bumping my shoulder into Ember as she chuckled softly.

Just as Twilight opened her mouth, her stomach growled loudly, and mine seemed to respond in kind, as if rehearsed. The alicorn blushed a bit before saying, “Before we do anything, let’s get some breakfast.”

Since she was injured, Ember was treated to a meal of both regular food and gems, the latter of which were sourced from the gem caverns underneath Canterlot itself. Coffee helped Twilight and Ember feel a bit more awake, and after finishing with breakfast (provided promptly at 8:00am sharp by the castle staff, at Twilight’s request), Twilight recommended something that caught Ember (and me, if I’m being honest) completely off-guard.

“...are you sure?” Ember pressed, though she confided in me later that she had actually thought she was hearing things.

Twilight was blushing a bit, but nodded with determination. “Yes, I am. As you’ve made clear to us, nudity isn’t taboo among dragons, and even though we weren’t together until fairly recently, Spike and I have seen each other naked enough times that I’m comfortable with him. Besides, like I said, the herd always comes first, and I want to do this for you. If you’re uncomfortable, then I understand, but-”

“N-no, I’m…” Ember began, stopping for a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, “...it’s just, I know it’s serious for you. You’re right, dragons don’t think much about being naked, but Spike explained to me how important modesty is for ponies. I know this is a big step for you, and I just…”

Deciding to step in, I ventured, “I think what Ember’s trying to say is that this is a little overwhelming for her. Correct me if I’m wrong,” I sent a look to the dragoness, “but I think she’s surprised that you’re committing so strongly to her being in the herd. Up until fairly recently, we were all just friends, and since dragons live so long, I think it’s a safe bet they usually move pretty slow in most things...and that includes relationships.”

Ember ducked her head a bit, but nodded. “...yeah, that’s pretty much it. You said that with the way herds work, I’m not just Spike’s mate, I’m also yours. When I think about it that way, I get this weird tingle in my stomach, and something tells me this is moving really fast. ‘Course, I don’t know what fast is for ponies, and I’m not sure why I feel like ‘moving fast’ even makes sense. I mean, I’m naked pretty much all the time, but now I feel like seeing a pony naked is…” She trailed off, unable to accurately put what she was feeling into words. I understood how she felt at that moment, and her frustration with being unable to articulate her emotions.

Twilight smiled gently and laid a hand on Ember’s as she scooted a little closer to her on the bed. “We’re not locking you in or anything. If at any time you feel like it’s too much, all you have to say is ‘stop,’ and step out of the bath. Neither of us is going to be mad at you for setting your own pace, even if that pace means you have to stop doing something that makes you uncomfortable.” Twilight then glanced at me and blushed a bit more. “Spike and I have only bathed together twice, and both times were when he was much younger, so it’s not like this is something we do all the time. But, I want to take care of my injured herd mate, and that’s more important to me than anything else.” Looking back to Ember, Twilight gave another winning smile. “This is your choice, Ember. Say the word and it won’t happen.”

Ember’s eyes darted from Twilight and I for a few seconds before she glanced down at her hands and fidgeted with them for another moment. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before looking up at Twilight and giving a nod. “I want to try it. I’ve never been the type of girl to back down from a challenge, and you both have shown me that a lot of things I was unsure of turned out to be amazing. So, let’s try it. You said this type of thing happens in an Equestrian herd, and if I’m being honest,” she ducked her head as a blush ran up to her head spines, “it sounds kinda nice to be pampered like that. I’m not usually a ‘pampering’ kind of dragoness, but being taken care of sounds pretty good right now.”

Smiling brightly, Twilight got up and made her way over to the bathroom door. “I’ll get a nice hot bath set up, then. Join me when you’re ready.”

Ember and I watched the princess leave for a moment, and after the door shut, Ember furrowed her brow and looked at me. “I thought you and Twilight haven’t mated yet. How have you seen her naked?”

I shrugged with a nervous chuckle. “We live in the same house, and have for over 10 years. Even before we became an item, Twilight and I fairly regularly shared a bed, and we use the same bathroom. It’d be kinda weird if I never saw her naked up until now. Plus, Twilight likes to sleep in the buff during the summer, since she gets too hot; there’s been a few times when I’ve walked into her room to wake her up in the morning, only to find her sleeping on top of her covers in nothing but her birthday suit.”

Ember cocked a brow at me. “What the heck is a ‘birthday suit’?”

I smirked as I explained, “It’s exactly what we wear the day we’re born, which is…”

“Nothing,” Ember finished, nodding in understanding. She then gave her own smirk and teased, “So, you’ve gotten a good look at her before, eh? I know you well enough to know that at least once, you just let her sleep while you took your time to slowly ‘analyze’ her form.”

I now had my own blush, but could only mutter a mildly ashamed, “...maybe.”

“Does she know?” Ember asked with a grin.

I shrugged, resigning myself to explaining a shameful moment in my life. “About all of the times I did it? No, but she caught me once, and she’s not so oblivious to assume that was the first time.” I gave a mirthless laugh as I thought of how scared I’d been when she caught me. “She didn’t speak to me for a week after, and honestly, I thought she was going to kick me out of the house. She almost did, she admitted later; if I’m being honest with myself, I kinda deserved it, and I wouldn’t have blamed her. We can’t see the future, so there was no way to know we would have ever been in a herd together. I was just a creepy teenaged dragon that was peeping on my roommate while she was sleeping.” I laughed again, this time meaning it, and added, “Y’know what’s weird though? A month after it happened, she went back to not locking her door, so either she trusted me enough to have learned my lesson, or she wanted to catch me again. I never did it again after she caught me, too afraid of what would happen if I did, but I also never asked her about it, because if I did, she would know I checked to see if the door was locked.”

“Or, maybe she wanted you to see,” Ember suggested, groaning as she stood and pulled me up with her.

Ember leaned against me, and I wordlessly took her weight as we began shuffling slowly to the bathroom. Her statement kinda caught me off-guard, and while I immediately wanted to shoot down her suggestion, I had never asked how long Twilight’s had romantic feelings for me. I had assumed she never thought about it before I brought it up, but I didn’t know. Still, I shook the thought away and replied, “Well, that’s one can of worms I’m not going to open again. Right now, it’s clear she’s okay with me seeing her body, at least in this setting, so I’m just going to assume everything’s fine and enjoy the present for what it is. Twilight is already anxious enough without me bringing up past events where I violated her trust in me.”

Ember bobbed her head from side to side, admitting, “That’s fair.”

When we reached the door, I knocked with a knuckle, and heard Twilight laugh a bit and answer, “For stars’ sake, we’re bathing together. You’re going to see everything anyway. Just come in.”

With a steadying breath, I pushed the door open and entered the large tiled bathroom, where against one wall, an oversized tub was filled with steaming water and suds. Twilight was wearing her bathrobe, and was sitting on the edge of the tub, horn glowing as she ran her fingers through the water. Upon the sound of the door opening and closing, she looked up to us, and smiled bashfully.

The alicorn motioned to the tub, which, now that I took a second look, was not bubbling because of jets or something, but was actively boiling. “I’ve cast a spell on the water to keep it at a constant 380 degrees*, and a spell on myself to keep from becoming a morbid pony stew.”

Ember looked surprisingly startled at Twilight’s words, and with a concerned look at the alicorn, asked, “Are you sure it’s safe? That sounds really dangerous, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled again, clearly grateful for the concern. “Of course. I’ve created a field around my skin that alters normal thermodynamics, allowing excess body heat to escape, but external heat sources cannot transfer that energy back to me.” She dipped her hand in the water and raised it out, showing that the water was quickly evaporating, but wasn’t hurting her. “See? Perfectly safe. The spell lasts for a few hours without being recast. I know you and Spike can’t feel heat unless it’s very hot, so I set things up so that you both can enjoy it like a normal pony could. However,” she stood and motioned to the tub, which was easily large enough to hold ten ponies, “even with this volume of water, the intense heat will evaporate too much of the water to be useful within fifty-seven minutes, by my calculations.”

Once again, Ember was reminded of just how powerful and skilled Twilight was in just casual, everyday life. What seemed incredible by the standards of most ponies (and dragons) was foal’s play for Twilight. Ember saw fit to compliment, “I wonder when I’ll stop expecting things to be normal with you, Twilight. Seems every time I let my guard down, you’re doing some amazing new thing that’s just regular for you.”

Twilight blushed with a happy smile, and shrugged. “Well, I’m glad I amaze you. Now come here and step in so we can get you taken care of.”

Ember did as she was told and made her way over to the tub, and I followed after discarding my pajamas. As Ember stepped into the heated water, she gave a happy groan at the first touch on her foot, and let out a deep sigh of happiness when she fully submerged herself. I stepped in next, and hummed in amazement that I could feel some of the heat, before settling myself to one side of Ember. Twilight watched both of us sit down in the water before hesitantly grabbing the ends of her robe.

I turned my head away to give Twilight a bit of privacy, but was surprised when she said, “No, Spike...w-we’re mates, and I am serious about us. Y-you don’t have to look away. It’s okay.”

While it was true I had caught glimpses of Twilight before, this was the first time since we were together, and what’s more, she was openly giving me permission to do so. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t equal parts nervous and excited.

I slowly turned my head back to look at the mare, after she had dropped her robe behind her. She was covering her chest with an arm and her private area with a hand, but after a moment, removed both with a visible effort of willpower and courage. Her horn lit up and a faint sheen of magic washed over her fur, revealing quite a few imperfections that she normally hid with an illusionary glamour. Her fingers fidgeted at her sides as she stood before me, completely free from all clothing, purposely for the first time since I was only a few years old. My eyes fully drank in Twilight’s form, and I’ll readily admit to mentally committing the image to memory.

Twilight gave herself a bit of a shake as her wings fluttered, before sitting on the edge of the tub once more, pivoting, and sliding down into the boiling water. With another visible effort of will, she did not hide herself beneath the water, and after a few quiet moments, finally raised her eyes to meet mine. She was blushing, and due to her charm on herself, couldn’t claim it was from the heat. She eventually commented, “...well, here I am, warts and all.”

While she didn’t have any warts to speak of, there were quite a few scars over her body that usually couldn’t be seen by the naked eye; Twilight was a scientist at heart, and not all of her research and experiments were safe. Twilight was still a beautiful mare in my opinion, but she hid the true state of her body from the whole world due to how the public would view the visual imperfections. Even though none of them asked for it, alicorns were likened to deities by many, even if the thought was never articulated, and as stupid as it sounded, the Equestrian princesses needed to look the part to keep from causing more problems than needed.

Twilight was built modestly as a unicorn, even as an adult, with what she herself referred to as a “scholar’s body”: she was feminine, but her assets were modest in all parts of her body, giving her a rather “flat” shape overall. She had never been particularly vain, so it hadn’t bothered her, but because of that self-image, her ascension caused some unforeseen problems. Along with an immediate modest increase in height (as well as her body actually growing again), the infusion of earth pony and pegasus magic altered the shape of her body, turning her from a modest librarian to an almost supermodel-esque beauty. Now, Twilight had a body most mares would kill for, but had never really acclimated to that fact, and was still uncomfortable with ponies admiring her. To put it simply, her mind still told her that no one should think she was physically attractive as, say, Rarity, and yet she was, which caused problems due to the disconnect between reality and her self-image.

The mare that sat in front of us was only a head shorter than Luna (still making her taller than most of our friends), was wonderfully proportioned with a sizable bust, a figure only slightly more round than “hourglass,” and even had a bit of muscular definition in a few places, namely her legs and stomach. But, what Twilight often kept hidden were the large network of scars that ran along her arms, torso, and even parts of her face. Just from where I sat, I could see cuts, gashes, punctures, and burns, coupled with missing fur to match many of those places. From far away, they wouldn’t be noticeable, but up close, they were impossible to overlook.

I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but needed to show her that I didn’t care, and that I still thought she was beautiful. So, I shimmied through the water and gave her a quick kiss on the nose before embracing her from the front. Yes, it was nice how her soft bits pressed into my chest, but even better was when she let go of a sigh in my ear, and returned the hug wholeheartedly a moment later.

As we pulled away, Ember added, “Twilight, don’t feel bad about those scars. Heck, if you want, I’ll show you right now all of the ones I’ve got. Every scar tells a story, and I’m sure you’ve got a story to tell about every one of yours, just like me.” Ember reached out and put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder as she nodded with a supportive smile. “Your mate still finds you attractive, and your...herdsister?” She looked to me for clarification that she was using the right word. I nodded, and she was immediately, visibly pleased she was learning the lingo. Continuing, Ember said, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with ‘em. You don’t need to hide them in front of us. We’re not gonna judge you for them, and dragons from the dragon lands actually wear them with pride. For dragons,” she pointed to a decently-sized scar of her own, running along the shoulder of her right arm, “scars tell the story of a time when the world tried to end us, and failed.”

Twilight allowed me to move back to Ember’s side, and after giving the both of us a grateful smile, she nodded to Ember. “Thank you, Ember. Anyway, let’s get you taken care of. As much as I love getting complimented, we can do that later.” She lit her horn and levitated a brush, a sponge, and several soaps, including one specifically designed for dragons. She dropped the brush in front of me, pointing to the dragoness. “Since you’re more familiar with how sensitive scales and dragon wings are, you take care of her back and wings. I’ll get started on the rest.”

Giving a mental shrug, I grabbed the hand-brush from the water and some scale soap. With a quick lathering, I pivoted Ember and got started on gently scrubbing her upper back, causing the dragoness to immediately let out another happy sigh as she relaxed from our ministrations. And, as I did so, I was able to watch as Twilight began washing Ember’s front, gently and carefully, ensuring the dragoness was well taken care of.

Nonetheless, as I worked my way from her back, to her wings, and finally to her rump and tail, Ember practically melted. Contrary to pegasus wings, dragon wings were not nearly as sensitive, so while I was careful not to hurt her, I didn’t have to worry about unintentionally getting Ember hot and bothered. True, Ember was still going to be a bit sore, but a good bath with two loving herdmates was going to go a long way toward making her feel better, not to mention helping Ember and Twilight bond more. My work on Ember’s tail did a good job of keeping her calm and relaxed as Twilight used her sponge and hands to tend to Ember’s legs one at a time, then her arms, before beginning on the dragoness’ torso.

Even though I could tell Twilight didn’t have naughty thoughts in mind, the way she was slowly washing Ember was very...intimate. While the dragoness was in a very vulnerable position, half-asleep and eyes closed, the pony was showing Ember that she could trust Twilight completely...as well as the fact that Twilight was very thorough, though whether that was because of her innate neuroses or something else, I wasn’t able to tell at that time.

Twilight had started out sitting beside Ember, with the dragoness facing her at an angle, but eventually the mare had decided to kneel on the floor of the tub as she worked on Ember’s body. However, when I looked after finishing with her tail, Twilight had apparently worked her way in between Ember’s legs so that she could get closer, and Ember had surprisingly not stopped her. I wisely decided to not open my mouth and ruin the moment, but silently enjoyed watching Twilight move her slick, wet body closer and closer to Ember as she worked, seemingly oblivious to the fact she was nearly pressed up against the dragoness. As if the universe was answering my silent wish, Twilight’s pony pillows pressed up against Ember's chest as she finally finished with her shoulders, and both girls locked eyes. No, they didn’t kiss or anything, but even though I couldn’t see Ember’s face, I imagined she was giving Twilight another grateful smile. Twilight slowly, gently, brought the soapy sponge up to Ember’s face and began washing, taking extra care around the bruises and swelling. Ember tensed up and hissed a few times, but remained still, and through it all I just silently held her from behind.

After finishing her work, Twilight dropped the sponge into the steaming water, and just held Ember’s face in her hands for a moment before bridging the gap and pulling Ember into a firm embrace with one arm, and cradled the dragoness’ head with the other. For once, Ember didn’t hesitate as she brought up her own arms and wrapped them around the mare, and for a few seconds, there was silence other than the sound of the boiling water.

As they pulled away from each other, Twilight ended the embrace with a quick nuzzle, and hurriedly rubbed her nose as she sniffled. Her sad eyes told me how she felt and why she had felt the need to hug Ember, but for the dragoness’ benefit, she explained, “...I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. I don’t like seeing my friends hurt, least of all one of my herdmates. I know that in a few days you’ll be fine and this is all just a temporary thing, but I still don’t like that you hurt and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

Ember shook her head. “Don’t apologize. It’s good to know you care so much about me, and I’ll admit, while this has been a new experience for me, it was really nice. I’m still sore, but I do feel better. Thanks, Twilight.” She then nodded to the mare still in her arms. “Do you want help washing up too?”

Twilight giggled as her cheeks reddened a bit, but gave a shake of her head. “No, today was just about you. Maybe in the future, when you’re not injured, we might do something like that; for now, I just want to make you feel better. Besides,” she lit her horn, and in the span of a few seconds, a miniature waterspout formed around Twilight, with a few squirts of shampoo. In only a few seconds, Twilight had washed herself, and as the water neatly fell back to the tub, she was just smirking at the dragoness, “If I want to get clean, I can do it in seconds. For me, there is such a thing as bathing for pleasure if I want, because hygiene is quick and easy with the right spells.” She then stood and stepped out of the tub, and I swear she wiggled her rump a bit as she did so. Nonetheless, with another application of magic, she levitated four towels over, and after ensuring a towel was on each side of both of her wings, she gave the appendages a good shake and fluff. Twilight then levitated the towels quickly over her body, turning her into a fluffy pony.

I stood and helped Ember out of the tub, and though my instincts were pushing me to explore the mare’s body inch by inch, I knew Twilight was still hesitant about getting too physical. With that in mind, I grabbed one of the other towels from the bathroom counter, and methodically dried Ember from head to toe. The dragon soap had done what was intended, and now Ember’s skin was soft, and seemed more vibrant. The few scales she had shone like polished sapphires, and I’ll admit my hands wandered a bit as I dried her.

But, after only a few minutes, all three of us were clean and dry, with Ember looking a bit better with the bits of dried blood wiped away, and her hide looking far more vibrant than before. Like most ponies, Twilight had let her fur grow out due to the winter season, which gave her a much fluffier look following a bath. That all would be remedied in due time by a good brushing, but for now, she looked like a big, stuffed plush toy for foals. Twilight caught me looking at her and offered a shy smile, but didn’t cover herself as she levitated out four brushes and began smoothing her coat down. While Twilight was still reluctant to commit to sexytimes with me, it was clear she enjoyed the thought of me admiring her body, even in the nude. Twilight was a modest pony though, so I knew I had to enjoy the moment as much as I could, since I wasn’t likely to get the chance too often.

Ember and I followed Twilight back to the bedroom, the alicorn still running brushes all across her body, before I found myself offhandedly suggesting, “Y’know, that might go faster if I gave you a hand or two, Twi.”

It had just slipped out, but I couldn’t very well suck those words back in now. Twilight heard them, and hesitated her brushing for a moment before continuing, giggling softly. “Maybe another time, loverdrake. I do genuinely appreciate the offer, though. I have to admit, that was pretty smooth.”

I pretended to pout as I playfully grumbled, “Not smooth enough, it seems.”

“Is there a reason you’re so against mating with him?” Ember asked aside as she gently crawled back onto the bed to relax.

Twilight stopped again, this time nearly dropping the brushes, before letting out a soft sigh and continuing. It only took her a few more moments to finish slicking down her coat before teleporting the brushes back to the bathroom, and levitating some comfortable loungewear over to relax in. After dressing and giving a flap to her wings, she made her way over to the bed and sat down, beginning the meticulous process of preening her wings. Twilight didn’t fly as often as, say, Rainbow Dash, but messy feathers to a pegasus or alicorn was akin to walking around with unbrushed hair, so she preened a few times a day as a daily routine.

After settling into a mindless rhythm of preening, Twilight finally answered, “Well, it’s probably not what you’re thinking. I’ve had lovers before, and even a secret tryst or two, so I’m not the stereotypical virgin bookworm most ponies probably think I am.” Twilight frowned as a particularly stubborn feather refused to move the way she needed, so with a quick pluck and a wince, she held the feather up, and noticed it was bent halfway down. With a satisfied nod she went back to her work. “Anyway, to put it simply, I read too many books on romance when I first ventured into the world of dating, and I built up an unrealistic expectation about how they were supposed to go. Spike and the girls have always tried to tell me otherwise, but in my mind at least, I’m convinced I screwed all my previous relationships up.” She absently tapped her head with a fingertip. “Logically, I know that’s not the case; relationships require at least two individuals, after all, so simply by statistics alone, it’s almost impossible that every failure was my fault...but that’s how it feels.” Twilight briefly focused on a mussed feather, carefully spreading out the individual barbs to create a mostly-uniform surface. Seemingly satisfied with the vane, she moved on and continued her explanation. “Well, save for my attempt with Golden Harvest, which was my fault,” she shot a look at me, and I relented with a nod, “all of my other failed relationships had one thing in common: I progressed to physical expressions of love very quickly.” Clearing her throat with a mild blush, Twilight said, “I assume I don’t have to explain what I mean by that.”

Ember’s face was utterly surprised, complete with a dropped jaw. After a few quiet seconds, she answered, “N-no, I know what you mean. I’m just surprised; I wouldn’t have expected something like that from someone like you.”

Twilight’s face scrunched like she had a bad taste in her mouth as she glumly replied, “Yeah, I didn’t expect it of myself either, but it happened. Like many mistakes I’ve made, I took it as a learning experience, and moved on with my life.” She then glanced up to meet our eyes briefly before going back to her preening. “...what I have now, with Spike and all of you, is not something I want to mess up like I have every other relationship I’ve been a part of. I know it’s stupid, but there’s a primal fear telling me that if I submit and just...give in, again, to my baser urges, it’ll all fall apart. Again, I know it sounds stupid, but fear tends to be illogical.”

I just sat quietly next to Ember as she thought about what she’d heard for a few moments, letting Twilight preen in peace. Eventually, Ember had apparently worked through her thoughts, and asked, “...so, you are attracted to Spike? It’s not that you think he’s ugly or anything?”

Twilight couldn’t help the laughter that escaped from her, and it momentarily interrupted her work as she had to fight the giggles away. But, after a few seconds, she choked out, “N-no, hehe, no that’s not it at all.” Turning toward me with a decidedly lascivious almost shark-like smile, she commented, “Spike is very pleasing to my eye, and more than that, I know he also is attracted to me, despite whatever faults I might have.” Turning her attention back to Ember, Twilight shook her head. “Attraction is not the issue, I promise. You have very good taste, Ember.”

Ember smiled at the half-compliment, and gave a nod to Twilight. “Okay, so you do have urges then, you just choose not to act on them.”

Twilight gained a mild blush again, but nodded. “Yes. Under the crown, I’m still a mare, after all, and I still have a sex drive. Luckily, a fairly new industry has begun in ‘carnal pleasures’, including apparatus’ that are shaped like a male’s sex organ, among other things. Equestria has ways to ‘sate one’s desires’ without being promiscuous.”

Ember, for reasons that mattered mostly to dragons, was very interested in this. “Wait, so there’s things ponies can use that don’t result in laying an egg?”

Twilight looked confused for a second, before apparently equating “laying an egg” to “getting pregnant”. With a look of realization, she giggled and nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. Mares go into heat twice a year, and while there are over-the-counter medications that can reduce the symptoms to a manageable level, nothing sates the desire quite like giving into the carnal urges. Of course, during estrus, a mare can become pregnant, which causes a problem for mares who don’t feel ready for a foal.” She shrugged with a lopsided grin. “And thus, the sex toy industry was born.”

Ember glanced down at her fingers for a moment, fidgeting before mumbling, “...I might need to look into some of those.” When she glanced up, she noticed both Twilight and I staring at her, prompting her to clarify, “Dragons can have offspring at any time, provided both mates are fertile. No heat season, so we have to be a bit more selective when we mate.”

Twilight stopped her preening to stare at Ember in surprise. “I...I didn’t know that. Wow, that must be extremely difficult to deal with.”

Ember just shrugged. “Nah, not really. We don’t get all randy at certain times of the year like ponies do, we just need to cast a contraceptive spell before we do anything.” She then bobbed her head from side to side. “Problem is, in the heat of the moment, it can be kinda hard to remember to cast the spell. Would be better to just have an alternative when the ‘need’ strikes.”

Twilight blushed a bit, so I decided to toss in, “Not sure how long that’d last in the dragon lands, though. Most of them are made of silicone and rubber, which...melts pretty easily.”

Ember playfully threw up her hands and cried, “Gosh, it’s like we can’t get any of the good stuff back home! Oh well,” she let her raised arms fall to her sides as she reclined back on the plush bed, snuggling into the pillows and rumpled comforter, “guess I’ll need to just spend a bunch of time around here, then.”

“Oh dear, how will we cope?” Twilight snarked, giving a toothy grin.

Following that, we fell into a more comfortable silence as Twilight finished preening her wings, then went about writing out a list of books she was going to have brought to the room. True to her word, she was planning on spending the whole day with Ember, in our room, catering to the dragoness’ every need. I would be doing the same, of course, but even though Ember didn’t say it aloud, I got the feeling she was touched that Twilight was still willing to put aside her free time and a beautiful winter day all to take care of her. The bond between them was strengthening more with every day -- every hour, even -- and I’ll readily admit it brought a bubbly warmth to my heart.

Hours later, Twilight and Ember were seated next to each other at the head of the bed, reading the books Twilight had brought to the room. As for me, I was spending time on a little tlc for myself, filing my claws down to blunt ends, and ensuring there weren’t any cuts or tears in the webbing of my wings (there weren’t). Mostly, it was a quiet time for the three of us, and with the stress of the day before, it was nice to just have some time to ourselves. The quiet was broken when, unprompted, a knock came at the door. The three of us looked at one another before Twilight and I stood, and approached the door.

Opening the door revealed a servant mare that we didn’t recognize, with a serving cart in front of her. She bowed as we opened the door, and announced, “Lunch is served, your highness.”

While it normally wouldn’t have, this put us on edge due to the altercation with a certain noblemare the day before, as well as the fact that we hadn’t ordered lunch. Sure, maybe we were paranoid, but we had basically spat in the face of Rosy Glow, and even if she wasn’t involved, there were likely plenty of nobles in any number of houses that felt slighted because of that, and they weren’t known for letting said slights go without retaliation.

As if we had rehearsed, and without even speaking to each other about it, I distracted the mare with some small talk while Twilight lit her horn and analyzed the contents under the steel domes that covered the food. I caught sight out of the corner of my eye of Twilight’s eyes widening, before she subtly pushed the cart away from the doorway, off to the side, leaving only me and the mare standing there. Without warning, she grabbed the mare in her magic and yanked her inside the room, slamming the door shut as she forcefully pinned the mare against the wall.

Before the mare could scream, a film of Twilight’s magic covered her mouth, and the serving pony suddenly found herself unable to make a sound, even as her mouth opened wide with what I could only assume was a scream of fear. Twilight flared her wings wide as she snarled at the pony and said, “I’m going to ask you some questions, and if I don’t like what I hear, you might find yourself in a dark dungeon cell for a very long time, and that’s if I allow you to make it that far. Now, WHO SENT YOU?”

The latter part of Twilight’s demand was layered with her magic, so much that I could feel the thick, syrupy tingle of raw magical power flowing throughout the room almost like a liquid. I was used to it, but by the sudden gasp off to the side, Ember was not, and I had to fight to stay put to support Twilight instead of rushing over to the dragoness. I knew Ember would be fine, and Twilight needed me right now.

The mare in Twilight’s magical grasp looked to be on the verge of soiling herself, and before she was allowed to speak, Twilight cast what I could only assume was a silencing charm around the room, as a wave of magic washed over us and seemed to adhere to the walls of the entire room. Twilight then dispelled the charm on the mare’s mouth, released her from her hold, and ordered, “SPEAK.”

“I-I don’t know! Th-they caught me in the north corridor only a few minutes ago, and threatened to kill my foals if I didn’t do as they said!” she whimpered pitifully.

Twilight knew she wasn’t going to get any useful information out of the serving mare if she was too terrified to think straight, so she took a deep breath to settle herself before speaking again. “What’s your name?”

“Ch-Cherry Cobbler, your highness,” the mare stuttered out, clearly still terrified of Twilight, but a bit more calm than she had been before Twilight stopped drowning her in her magic.

Twilight nodded to the mare and motioned to the closed door, just outside of which was the serving cart. “Do you know what you almost did?” The mare hesitantly shook her head, so Twilight clarified, “You almost poisoned Spike and Ember, enough to kill both of them.” Due to the mare’s horrified, yet confused expression, Twilight explained, “Dragons can’t have raspberries or blackberries. A tiny amount can cause a reaction similar to an allergy, including swelling and anaphylaxis; a large amount, like that in the food you were told to serve us, can cause internal hemorrhaging and critical organ failure in less than 20 minutes.”

I watched Cherry Cobbler’s reaction to try and gauge whether she was acting, or really was just a patsy that had been blackmailed into nearly killing me and a dragon lord. The way her ears flattened against her head, the way her tail nervously anxiously twitched from side to side, and her wide, frightened eyes definitely spoke of a pony that was afraid, but I couldn’t tell of what. Was she afraid of what Twilight might do to her, or was she afraid that she had almost killed two creatures without knowing it? Among the many powers I now knew how to use, I couldn’t read minds without destroying the mind in the process, and obviously, I didn’t want to do that. Still, we had to find out what this mare knew quickly.

“Tell me everything you can remember about the one that spoke to you, including any distinguishing features, what they were wearing, what their voice sounded like, the way they walked; anything you can remember might be important,” Twilight urged, conjuring a pencil and notebook into existence, ready to take notes.

The servant mare swallowed thickly as she began to describe the one that had apparently wanted her to kill us. “I-I couldn’t see who it was, because they were wearing a large dark blue cloak that covered their body, with gold trimming. The v-voice was rough, and either a mare with a deep voice, a stallion, or either of the two disguising their voice. Black gloves were worn, and they provided the serving cart for me t-to bring. They were taller t-than you, princess, but their steps were nearly silent as they walked away, which I found odd.”

Twilight frowned down at her notebook for a moment before absently asking, “Anything else?”

Cherry Cobbler thought for a moment before gasping and adding, “T-they had a limp! When they walked away, they favored their right leg.”

Twilight wrote down the last note before lighting her horn again and summoning a scintillating crystal to her hand. She held up the crystal in front of the mare and asked, “Do you know what this is?” At the mare’s slow shake of her head, Twilight explained, “This is a truthteller crystal, and it will force you to tell the truth in its presence. I’m going to ask you two more questions, just to be sure we can trust what you’re saying.” The mare gulped as Twilight pushed a spark of magic into the crystal, causing it to glow brightly and cast light all over the mare. With the spell active, Twilight asked, “Has everything you’ve told me been true to the best of your knowledge?” The mare hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Is there anything you haven’t told me that you think might be relevant?”

The mare seemed to struggle for a moment before begrudgingly blurting, “M-My h-husband is a servant in House Gem!”

Twilight looked up at the mare and frowned in pity, muttering, “Well, now we know why they targeted you. You were easy to reach because you’re a palace servant and wife of one of their house servants. Though...I don’t recognize you. How long have you worked in the palace?”

Cherry Cobbler sniffled as tears came to her eyes and admitted, “Only a week, your highness. The recommendation for this post came from Miss Rosy Glow herself, which is how I got the job.”

Twilight pursed her lips and nodded in understanding. “It makes sense. She knew we were coming, and might have wanted someone in here that she had leverage over to do her bidding, knowingly or unknowingly.” Twilight cut the power to her horn, causing the crystal to stop glowing. Twilight then slid the crystal into her pocket before turning back to the mare and sighing. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this. I’ll order some guards to your home to protect your foals until we can figure out who was the contact that gave you the cart, and how they’re connected to Rosy Glow.” Twilight moved to the door and opened it, snapping her fingers to get the attention of a passing guard. She wasted no time and asked, “Can you get in touch with the lunar guard’s captain and have him meet me here immediately? Thank you.” Without waiting for a response, she closed the door again and trudged over to the bed, flopping down onto it with a huff.

“So much for a quiet day, huh?” Ember remarked wryly.

All was quiet for a few moments before Cherry Cobbler ventured, “Umm...d-do you want me to leave-”

“No,” Twilight answered, laying back on the bed with a sigh. “I’m going to have the guards escort you home, and I’m going to tell Celestia and Luna what’s going on, so they don’t wonder why you’re suddenly not there. I’ll also pass on a message to the head of interior, so they don’t mark you as leaving your post without authorization; a threat to your family definitely exempts you for at least a day.”

“Oh...th-thank you, princess,” the mare shyly mumbled.

Twilight groaned and shook her head, eyes closed. “Don’t thank me. As far as I can tell, you’re just an innocent mare that got caught up in political games, and that’s our fault, not yours. I’m doing what I would want somepony to do for me if I were in your position. If you want to make it up to me, when you get home and ensure your foals are safe, hug them, kiss them, and think about moving away from Canterlot...for their safety just as much as yours.”

Only a minute later, there was another knock on the door, and since I was the only one still standing, I answered and allowed the lunar guard captain entry. He saluted and said, “Captain Silent Night, reporting. How can I assist you, princess?”

Twilight sat up and pointed a finger to Cherry Cobbler. “A threat on the lives of her foals has been made. Escort her home, and have a few guards stationed around to protect her while we work things out.” At the stallion’s raised eyebrow, Twilight just shook her head ruefully. “Political games with House Gem.”

The captain clicked his tongue. “Ah, say no more. I’ll assign five of my best to ensure they’re well-protected. Anything else?”

Twilight nodded and used her magic to float her notepad over to the captain, who gingerly took it from the air as she explained, “An attempt on the lives of Spike and Dragonlord Ember has been made, and while we believe House Gem is involved, we have to track down the one responsible for blackmailing Miss Cobbler here. Those are my notes on the suspect, and the serving cart that was provided to Cherry Cobbler is in the hallway. Put the castle on alert, and find this individual before they can escape the city. Code gray*, lockdown the city. No one enters or leaves without our say-so until we find who did this.”

At the mention of attempted murders on two important individuals, the captain straightened a bit more and nodded firmly. “At once, princess. Consider it done. Come, Mrs. Cobbler; let’s get you home to your foals.” With that, the captain escorted the mare out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving the three of us alone once again.

For a few more moments, none of us really knew what to say, but eventually Twilight once again broke the silence with, “My plans for the day remain unchanged. It would be safer for all of us to stay in this room anyway, and I don’t particularly want to risk meeting one of the nobles out in the city right now. I don’t trust what I might say or do at the moment. This time, I’m going to actually order us some lunch, and now that the castle is on high alert, I know we don’t have to worry about any tampering with our food.” She pushed herself off of the bed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

I stared at the door for a moment before making my way back to the bed, flopping down beside Ember, and growling, “Buck this day. Wish we could just start it over.”

While the solar guard projected a unified front of power, intimidation, and visibility, the lunar guard (also known as the “night guard”) was their opposite in most ways. Subtle, secretive, and efficient, the lunar guard corps were called in to assist in more delicate matters in the world, and by their nature, most ponies never even knew when they were carrying out an operation. While they served as a sort of black ops for the military in today’s world, the original reason for why they were established was quite simple: to fight and kill an alicorn. The original lunar guard was created by Luna herself, just before she took on the mantle of Nightmare Moon, and was created to counter the might of Princess Celestia, the solar ascendant. Lunar guard training was far more rigorous than any other guard unit or branch of the military, and among those who knew about their operations, they were widely considered to be the pinnacle of military might.

Because of all this, it was unsurprising when the lunar captain himself returned to our room only hours later, having located five possible suspects, including one who had requested to see us personally…

“Capper?” I questioned in surprise.

The Abyssinian grinned at the mention of his name, bowing shallowly with a flourish, somehow making the act look dignified even while in shackles. “Always a pleasure to see old friends.”

Twilight frowned at the lunar captain. “Captain, what is the meaning of this? He’s a trusted friend.”

The guard captain merely shrugged helplessly. “I’m just following the orders you gave, ma’am.” He pointed to the padded feet of the cat-person. “The soft pads would allow him to slink around nearly silent, and as much as I want to deny the possibility, it would be foal’s play for Mr. Capper to do the deed.”

Twilight sighed heavily, but gave a resigned nod. “I understand. One moment.” She stood from the bed and made her way over to Capper, picking the truthteller crystal from her pocket igniting it with a spark of magic. “Now, Capper, what are you doing in Canterlot?”

The truthteller crystals only caused problems when a subject fought their power, but if one were to be truthful anyway, they felt nothing. Because of this, Capper only gave another sharp grin and calmly answered, “I was actually here to check up on Rarity’s store, and maybe even have a nice lunch with that pretty mare that manages the place. Unfortunately, it seems that some kind’a hubbub has put those plans to bed, so I’m all tied up, at the moment.” He raised his bound hands to us with a laugh.

“Do you know anything about a plan to poison Spike and Ember?” Twilight asked directly.

At that, Capper’s jovial demeanor cracked and fell away, leaving his jaw dropped in silence for a few moments before he could clumsily answer, “I-I’m sorry, someone tried to do what?”

Releasing a relieved sigh, Twilight dropped Capper’s shackles to the ground with a flurry of spells, then levitated the bindings over to the captain. “He’s safe, Captain. Continue your investigation, and leave him with us. Thank you for your diligence.” Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, the captain bowed before backing out of the room, all too happy to retreat and keep from possibly angering Twilight.

With our new guest freed and left with us, I stood and gave Capper a half-hug as a greeting. “Hey, it’s great to see you. How have things been?”

The cat returned the embrace with an arm, and just gave a lazy grin as he pulled away. “Oh you know, a bit ‘a this and a bit ‘a that. This cat ain’t bound to a town no more, so I go wherever the wind takes me. Just so happens, some fair winds brought me here.” Capper glanced at Twilight and Ember for a moment before asking, “So, who’d you tick off to get put on a hit list?” At my raised brow, Capper rolled his eyes. “Spike, I used to be all about that life; I know how it works.”

Hesitating briefly, Twilight replied, “Rosy Glow, aunt of-”

“Cozy Glow. Yeah, I know her. Mare makes the ol’ commander look like a cute ‘lil puppy,” he mentioned, not needing to clarify for us who “the commander” was.

As it usually was, Twilight was a little caught off-guard by just how knowledgeable and informed Capper was. For all his joviality and laissez-faire attitude, he seemed to know everything about everyone. Frankly, I didn’t have the courage to ask just how much he knew about me.

Twilight hesitated once again before confirming, “Y-yes, that’s her. Anyway, Spike, Ember and I met with her and the nobles yesterday to address the fight Spike had with a dragoness in the mountains bordering Equestria, and all three of us practically spit in her face, publicly calling her out for her little political games and challenging her authority. Needless to say, she didn’t like that, so while we can’t directly prove it was her right now, she has more than enough reason to try and do something like this. I just never thought it would happen so soon, or be so severe.”

“Or,” Capper held up a finger, interrupting Twilight’s train of thought, “maybe killing these two scaled lovers was never her intention.” At our collective questioning look, he explained, “Well, if it was me in her place, killing the both ‘f ya would cause more problems than it solves. If I were a bettin’ cat, which I am,'' he paused with a toothy smirk, “I’d bet my money on her knowin’ ‘lil miss Princess of Friendship here would catch on to this. Personally, I don’t think killin’ either of ya was the intent; I think she just wanted all ‘f ya to know that you got her attention, not in a good way, and she can getcha at anytime, anywhere. She prob’ly wants ya nervous, scared, and always lookin’ over your shoulders for the next time she might strike. Could be all she wants is ‘t scare ya, ‘t keep all ‘f ya from makin’ her look stupid like that again...or she could be playin’ the long game, and it might be she is plannin’ to get rid of both ‘f ya when she can do it without havin’ it connect to her.” He bobbed his head from side to side. “Can’t say for sure right now, but you three sure know how to pick your enemies.”

Conceding to the fact his assessment made a lot of sense, I made my way to the head of the bed and took a seat next to Ember, immediately wrapping an arm around her as I sighed heavily. “Oh boy, one more enemy to add to many others. Fantastic. As if they didn’t hate me enough already.”

Capper just shrugged helplessly before finally turning his attention to Ember, giving a simple nod. “Pleasure to see you again, miss dragon lord. Why d’you look like a blueberry someone stepped on?”

Ember shot me a glare as I worked hard to keep from bursting out in laughter, but gave the tom a wry grin as she answered, “Princess Luna.”

One of Capper’s eyebrows raised as he gave a whistle. “Gotta admit, I’m impressed you’re not in the morgue. If the stories I’ve heard had even a grain of truth to them, I’m surprised you’re still among the livin’.”

Ember rubbed her sore cheek with a wince. “She was going easy on me, and even a proud dragon can admit that. Honestly, with how much power she has, I’m even more impressed at the amount of restraint and control she has. For beings as powerful as her, living around ‘normal’ creatures must feel like living in a world made of tissue paper.”

“The princesses have been alive for a very long time,” Twilight added, frowning thoughtfully. “I can only imagine how much of that time was spent simply learning not to break everything. It was easier for me, because my power is increasing gradually, and I’ve had very good teachers and safe environments to learn and relearn control every time my power grows. But for two alicorns with no one to guide them or teach them the dangers of magic…” Twilight shivered at the thought, and I have to admit that I was a little disconcerted by the fact, as well. How much of the land was irreparably changed by the unwieldy power of young alicorns; how many lives were lost?

“I mean, how do you think the Deadlands might have been created?” Capper asked, tapping his chin in mock thought.

The Deadlands were a barren wasteland, devoid of both life and magic, that stretched for hundreds of miles in every direction. It was considered a scientific mystery and a morbid “wonder of the world”. Now that Capper mentioned a possible answer to how it was created, the location seemed all the more terrible. I had always known that the past of my mother and aunt wasn’t exactly all nice and kind, but I tried to not think about how much damage a mistake with that much power could cause.

“...maybe. I kinda don’t want to know, to be honest,” I answered with a mumble.

For a long few moments, the room was quiet. Eventually though, Twilight thankfully decided to break the silence as she announced, “Anyway, are you going to be staying for Hearth’s Warming?”

Though he hid it well, I could tell Capper was happy to have something else to talk about. His relaxed demeanor aside, his fall from grace and time in Klugetown had left him with a strong desire to keep life positive, and so he always tried to be upbeat. The cat gave a grateful smile as he gently shook his head. “Nah, can’t do that. Just was stoppin’ by to say hey, then headin’ out tomorrow mornin’ t’ see if I can catch a train out west. Maybe see that town with the buffalo, Apple-somethin’.”

“Appleloosa,” I corrected automatically, tapping my own chin in thought. “Y’know, if I remember correctly, they have their own celebration for the holidays that rivals Canterlot’s. I think you’ll have a lot of fun there. And if the buffalo decide to join in, it’s gonna be one hay of a party.”

Capper gave a winning grin and idly commented, “Now that sounds like my kind’a scene. Guess Appleloosa is where I’m headin’, then.”

The next half-hour was spent just catching up with the suave tom, including allowing Ember to get to know him a bit better. Since Capper could generously be called a vagabond, I didn’t expect the two of them to become best friends or anything (he moved around too much to really form many strong ties), but it was still nice to see them getting along. If nothing else, the impromptu bonding session helped time pass as we let the guard do its work, and once the captain appeared once again to give the “all-clear,” we asked the captain to have Capper escorted out of Canterlot to be sure he didn’t get caught up in whatever was going to happen next, for his safety as well as ours.

Capper traveled light, so other than a satchel and messenger’s bag that were both hidden under his overcoat (the only piece of clothing he regularly wore), there wasn’t really any “packing up” for him to do. After only a minute of the captain reappearing, Capper was ready to leave, and stood near the doorway as we said our goodbyes.

Leaning into him again and giving a firm half-hug, I bid him a safe journey. Twilight did the same, fully embracing him and nestling herself against the taller cat as she nuzzled him affectionately. Ember gave a firm handshake and a nod to him, suggesting he stop by the dragon lands next time he was in the area, so she could show him around.

With that done, Capper gave a lazy smile and a wave as he stepped out of the door, joining a few guards that would lead him to the train station. Giving one last look back at us, he smiled. “Well, looks like this is goodbye for now. You all take it easy, a’right?”

Answering for the three of us, I returned Capper’s smile and replied, “And you stay safe, Capper. We want to see you again one of these days, and not behind bars.”

Tisking, he returned, “Please. Can’t keep this cat down for long. I’ll be fine, don’t you worry none.” With that, he gave a nod to the gathered guards, who began escorting him to the train station so he could leave the city.

It was good to see Capper, but an instinct in me also felt relieved that we were alone again; logically, I knew Capper wasn’t a threat to Ember in her injured state (and even if he physically could be, he wouldn’t), but I recognized how stress I hadn’t noticed before seemed to release from my muscles and wings after Capper left the room. It seemed every day I was learning more and more about what it meant to be a dragon, and the more I understood, the more I could prepare for.

As if waiting for the perfect moment, another knock at the door heralded the arrival of our food, which Twilight had ordered some time ago. It was likely the food tampering from earlier had slowed everything down, which was why we were just now getting the food we ordered nearly an hour ago, but I wasn’t complaining. The palace chefs were some of the best in Equestria, and what’s more, there were certain dishes available in the palace that weren’t available anywhere else. The scent of a pony-friendly seafood dish had Ember practically salivating, and I’ll admit to barely keeping from drooling as the smell of hot food invaded my nostrils.

While it wasn’t normally her job, the head maid Misty May had apparently decided to deliver our meal personally, likely because she wasn’t sure who else in her department might have been compromised by an outside influence. She was an older mare in her sixties, but she still carried the youthful bounce and professionalism of a pony half her age, and her kindly face fit her position perfectly.

Misty May gave the three of us a smile as she bowed, pushing the cart into the room. “Good afternoon, everyone. Apologies for the wait, but as I’m sure you can imagine, things have been rather hectic today.” She pushed her multicolored bangs out of her eyes, blowing out a long breath. “To think something like this happened on my watch. Disgraceful, is what it is.”

Twilight was quick to jump to the defense of Cherry Cobbler. “The mare was threatened with the murder of her foals, Misty. You know better than most just how ‘persuasive’ some upper-class ponies can be when they want something done. Like many before her and many that will follow, she was just an unwitting pawn caught in a long, convoluted game of chess where the stakes are Equestria, and the pieces are regular ponies.”

“Well,” Misty answered with a sadistic grin, “I was never good at chess. I find a crowbar to the knees tends to get ponies to do what I want much easier than trying to be nice.”

Also, it should be mentioned, Misty May was an ex-mercenary, and terrified me more than I care to admit. She hid it well with a proper wardrobe and kind smile, but the mare knew at least six ways to kill someone with a spoon.

Twilight had grown up around the mare though, and was used to her off-handed, casual quips about violence. The alicorn only gave the head maid a smile and commented, “Well, if I ever need to squeeze an asset, I’ll know who to ask, won’t I?”

Misty May merely smiled before stopping at the foot of the bed, gesturing to the covered trays. “I’ll let the three of you distribute the meal as you will. I’ve personally overseen the preparation, and two sets of mage corps soldiers have scanned these, to be sure they are untainted and safe. And,” she reached below the top shelf of the cart, pulling out a steaming teapot and a trio of teacups, “this is a favorite brew of mine that I myself have used in the past. It has a natural anti-inflammatory effect that should help with some of the pain, and I can personally attest to its effectiveness. It is bitter, however, so I’ve also brought some honey to offset the bitterness.”

Ember looked skeptically at the teapot and commented, “Gotta be honest, I’m not really crazy about tea.”

“Neither am I,” Misty May replied, bringing up a folded arm from the cart, and setting the teapot on top of it, “but I promise, it helps, and lasts for longer than most over-the-counter remedies you can buy. I’ve been in a fight with Princess Luna before, so I’m well aware of what you’re going through.”

Ember’s eye widened in surprise at the off-handed comparison from also fighting the night princess. “...you fought Princess Luna?”

Misty May untucked her shirt and pulled up the hem, revealing a large, extensive scar that ran across her stomach. After giving us a moment to admire the battle scar, she tucked her shirt in again and explained, “Power isn’t everything when it comes to a fight, and sometimes, it isn’t even a factor. Skill and strategy are, in my opinion, far more important, and history is full of stories about smaller, weaker forces overcoming more powerful enemies by using superior strategies. And before you ask, no, I didn’t win when I sparred with the princess...but I was the first in over a thousand years to finish in a draw.” She nodded to the dragoness. “If there’s one thing you should teach your people, for their own safety, it’s to never underestimate an enemy, even if they appear weaker. The more healthy caution we all have for each other, the more peaceful our world will be.”

Though she didn’t say it aloud, I could tell Ember was once more surprised by a pony, and even impressed. She did, however, give a slow nod, and smiled as she answered, “...I think I can do that. Dragons want peace, as well. I think that’s something most of us can agree on, at least.”

Misty May returned the smile and gave a respectful bow. Upon rising, she said, “Anyhow, it was a pleasure seeing you again, Spike and Twilight,” turning her gaze to Ember, she added, “and also a pleasure meeting you for the first time, Ember. Enjoy your stay, and don’t be a stranger.”

Misty May excused herself and closed the door behind her, leaving the three of us to stuff our faces.

The remainder of the day had been quiet, which I was happy about. We ended up not doing anything in the city (Ember still didn’t feel all that great), but it didn’t matter, because we still enjoyed the day spent together. Time got away from us though, and before we knew it, a servant pony was knocking on the door to ask if we wanted to join the princesses for dinner in the private dining room. Ember felt well enough for that, at least, and gave the okay for us to spend a little time outside of the room. It was only after the maid left that she realized she would be meeting Princess Celestia, my mother in all but blood, and wielder of the sun, for the first time as my mate, in private. Something about that made her nervous, and even though I assured her everything would be fine, she wouldn't be calmed.

“Spike, you don’t understand,” she whined, “I’m meeting your mother for the first time in private, as your mate, and I look like...well, like I got in a fight with your aunt. It makes me look weak and unable to watch your back, and…” it was...odd seeing her somehow go pale as she whispered, “...oh ancestors, I didn’t even ask for her permission to become your mate before we...mated.”

Her anxiousness had apparently taken over, since she seemingly didn’t even notice how achy she was as she paced back and forth in the room, her tail lashing frantically as she did so. I approached from my spot on the bed and reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder as I assured, “Ember, I promise, it’s okay. Mom isn’t going to-”

“It’s not OKAY!” she all but shouted, whipping around to face me, her good eye wild and her breathing coming fast and shallow. “I told you, Spike: family is extremely important to dragons. Basically, until we are formally accepted by the sire and dam of the one we’re interested in, mating is completely off-limits. If she was a dragon, I might as well have spat in her face!”

I opened my mouth to try and calm her, only for me to come to a very worrying realization: what she just referenced, I hadn’t done with her parents. And they were dragons.

“Stop making that face, Spike. My dad’s been pushing me to brand you since the gauntlet of fire,” she assured, seemingly picking up on my worries as clearly as if I’d said them aloud. “Besides, I’m already freaking out. I need one of the two of us to be calm, and it isn’t going to be me right now.”

While her words did calm me a bit, they only brought up another question. “Wait, since the gauntlet of fire? Ember, I was a little kid!”

“Doesn’t matter,” she answered absently, still pacing. “You might not have been sexually mature yet, but if our feelings had been strong enough for the brand to activate, which they might have been, securing you as a mate for the future would have been like finding a stash of gems bigger than a mountain. Maybe you don’t think all that much of yourself, but you’re extremely desirable, which is why Sapphira came after you, even though she knew it was my right. You hadn’t been branded yet, so if she secured you first, anything I said wouldn’t have mattered.”

“...pretty sure there’s laws against pedophelia in Equestria. Not sure how well that would have gone over with my mom,” I mumbled, kinda glad what she mentioned hadn’t happened.

Ember stopped in her tracks and frowned at me. She fidgeted for a moment before sighing and pulling me over to sit on the bed next to her, as she, herself, took a seat. “Spike, dragons don’t mate with whelps either. That’s not what it is. Dragons once believed that every drake and dragoness has one mate, just one, that is destined to be theirs from the time they’re hatched. If we find that mate, we brand each other to be bonded for life. That was the original reason for the brand, and it’s why it can’t activate unless a strong enough bond of romantic love is present. Even then, it won’t activate unless it ‘decides’ we’re right for each other.” She shrugged slightly. “I don’t know exactly how it works -- I didn’t develop the spell for the brand, after all -- but I do know that not one branded pair has ever separated in the history of dragons. Only death can separate the two that carry a brand, and even then, the surviving member will never love another quite the same.”

I frowned as well at that. “Wait, but you said the brand can influence the way we feel about each other a bit. Doesn’t that mean that a branded pair was influenced to stay together? What if they would have chosen differently if the brand didn’t exist?”

Ember shook her head, finally smiling a bit. “If that were true, you would have never desired other mates. You would have left Rarity when I branded you, and the hoard you’re building would have never happened. The magic of the brand doesn’t enforce emotions or thoughts on us, it only deepens a bond that already exists, and lets us know and feel each other like no other. Had I branded you as a whelp, none of the ‘adult’ feelings would have taken effect until you matured. I’ve seen it happen a few times before, and not once did whelps get frisky until they reached adulthood. After all, like I said, the point of a mate...is to mate.” She blushed a bit at the explanation. “Can’t exactly procreate with sexually immature individuals, now can we?”

I reached up and absentmindedly rubbed my brand. “So if I’d gotten this during the gauntlet of fire...what would have happened between us?”

Ember shrugged. “Can’t say. We probably would have fallen in love a lot sooner, and the incident with Sapphira would never have happened, but it would have done wonders for dragon-pony relations. You would have been the best thing to happen to the dragon lands. I think you still will be...it’s just happening a little later, is all.”

I nodded, finding myself smiling a bit. “Yeah...I think I can do a lot of good for our two nations.” Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on Ember’s shoulder again. “I know you’re worried, Ember, but I promise: you don’t have to worry about my mom. She is going to love you. Besides, we met when we landed in Canterlot, remember? She didn’t say anything then.”

Ember looked down at her lap and began wringing her hands nervously, though she didn’t start pacing again. “Yeah...I know. But we were around other ponies, and maybe she just didn’t want to cause a scene. Maybe she’s been planning what to do with me this whole time, and maybe I’ll end up as a set of dragonscale armor in her armory or something.”

I shrugged, joking, “Nah, she doesn’t like dragonscale armor. She says it itches and interferes with spellcasting.”

Calling Ember’s expression “horrified” would be an understatement.

I couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped. “Ember, I’m joking. Dragons are wary of alicorns, so I’m sure either her or Aunt Luna butted heads with them in the past, but she’s not going to hurt you. The fact that she adopted a hatchling dragon proves she has no ill will toward our species. She’s going to ask you questions, and she’s going to grill you a bit, but that’s just normal family stuff. I imagine your parents are going to do the same when I see them again.”

My words seemed to reassure her a bit, though Ember still looked a little nervous. Regardless, she conceded the point. “...yeah, I guess that’s true. Fine, but if I end up as a scorch mark on the floor, I’m going to haunt you forever.”

“If anyone could burn a dragon to death, I guess my mom could,” I mused aloud, earning a punch to the shoulder from Ember. Shooting her a grin, I assured, “It’ll be fine, I promise. We’re going to eat dinner with them, you’re going to realize your fears were unfounded, that under the crown, the status, and the power...she’s just a pony. She’s not some deity that needs to be feared and worshiped, she’s just my mom.” Forestalling her counterargument, I raised a hand and added, “I get that I’m kinda biased, but I’m just asking that you trust me. You’re safe, and my mom isn’t going to be mad at you or anything. Besides, because of how long mom and Aunt Luna have been alive, they have a...unique perspective on a lot of things, relationships being one of them. They’re probably going to embarrass us, but no one’s going to hurt you.” She still looked unsure, so I decided to distract her. “Y’know, you’re adorable when you’re all flustered like this.”

Ember growled deep in her throat, snarling, “I am not adorable.”

Grinning and poking her in her side, granting me a squeak of surprise, I argued, “I disagree. You are quite adorable.”

Her glare softened a bit, and she instead pouted, knowing she was beaten and I wasn’t going to budge. After a moment of pouting, Ember relented. “...fine, just don’t call me that in front of my parents or something.”

“No promises,” I teased, nudging her shoulder with my own.

She rolled her eyes just as the door opened, and Twilight stepped in. The alicorn princess had changed into a relaxed evening gown, a bit more reserved than she had worn the day before, but still tasteful and it made her look beautiful. As I admired her though, I noticed something startling.

“...you’re not wearing your glamour,” I said in surprise.

It was true, Twilight’s normally-hidden blemishes and imperfections were on display. Twilight was nothing if not meticulous when it came to her daily routine, so I knew she hadn’t forgotten to apply the charm. Instead, it was apparently a conscious choice on her part not to apply the spell before leaving the room.

Twilight fidgeted with her fingers a bit before answering, “...well, we’re in the palace, and I figured that if my herd mates can accept me, I should be able to accept it as well, at least here. In public I’m obligated to look and behave a certain way, but here, where the guards and servants are sworn to secrecy, I can afford to be who I really am. That includes my physical appearance.”

I made my way across the room, and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder in what I hoped was a comforting manner. “Twilight, you know I’ll support you in almost whatever you might do, but you don’t need to do this if it makes you this uncomfortable.” I pointed to her wings, which were shivering with nervous energy. “I can tell you’re anxious.”

“Of course I’m anxious,” Twilight replied, shrugging a bit, “not even my parents have seen most of these. But, something Luna once said to me made me realize that, even though I said I was committed to any relationships I might have, I was still holding something back: how can I expect those closest to me to fully accept who and what I am if I can’t even accept myself?”

Ember narrowed her good eye at the alicorn. “I never had you pinned as someone that was anxious about herself. You seem pretty confident in who you are, to me.”

Twilight frowned and glanced down at the floor. “...yeah, I’ve always had a knack for illusions.” Twilight gave a long sigh and looked down at her hands, where plenty of imperfections could be seen. “I’m not as vain as, say, somepony like Rarity, but I do admit to taking a small amount of pride in my appearance. Basic hygiene ensures I don’t get smelly, and levitation helps with getting ready for the day, but even with all the advances in medicine ponykind has made, the pony body evolved to create scar tissue to heal from large wounds. The only way to mitigate that is with an illusionary glamour spell.” Looking up at Ember, Twilight explained, “I’m confident in what I can do and who I am, but as Spike can attest, I’ve always had problems with my self-image. Couple that with the expectations the populace has for its princesses, and I’ve had to use glamours to ensure what I naturally look like doesn’t cause problems. And before you start,” she held up a hand to stop Ember as the dragoness opened her mouth, “I’ve already made my peace with it and I understand why it must be done, but it’s necessarily psychologically conditioned me to see those physical flaws as something to be ashamed of, and hidden.”

Ember waited until Twilight finished before saying, “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to comment on how it’s stupid that you have to look a certain way just because you’re a princess. As long as you do your job and you’re not a jerk, it shouldn’t matter.”

Twilight dipped her head a bit. “Thank you for saying that. I agree with you, but ponies can be very judgemental. It’s better to just follow along than try and power through their expectations; it would cause more problems than it solved. The socio-political upheaval would hurt a lot of ponies, so it’s just not worth it.”

Ember thought silently for a moment before suggesting, “You should visit the dragon lands again. Besides the fact I think it would be a good idea to meet my parents again, since we’re essentially both mates of Spike,” Twilight still blushed at the term, which was cute, “once you prove yourself to be powerful and honorable, no dragon would care what you look like. In fact, like I said earlier, scars are something to be proud of in the dragon lands. You’d fit right in, I think.”

Try as she might, Twilight wasn’t able to hide the smile that slowly crept on her face. She lightly pat her cheeks to try and get the blush to die down before shaking herself and saying, “You made me forget why I came here. The dining hall is prepared, and I’m here to lead you there.” With the situation back in mind, Ember stiffened again. Though she didn’t say it aloud, Twilight was aware enough to notice that the dragoness was clearly anxious about going to the dining hall. A room wouldn’t put this type of anxiety on Ember, and Twilight knew that, so she was quickly able to surmise, “...are...are you afraid of the princesses?”

“NO!” Ember immediately shouted, wincing at the volume of her own voice. She wilted under the raised eyebrow of Twilight, eventually admitting, “...okay, so maybe I’m a little nervous, but only a little!”

Twilight didn’t hesitate in walking over to Ember, and extending her hand. Ember stared at Twilight’s hand for a moment before taking it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. When she stood upright, Twilight placed both hands on Ember’s shoulders, looking into the dragoness’ eyes, and said, “Ember, Spike and I would never let anything happen to you. If either of us thought you were in any danger, we wouldn’t ask you to come. You’re not in danger, and you’re safe with us. I swear on my wings and my horn, nothing bad will happen to you tonight.”

Ember lowered her eyes for a moment before shooting off a weak denial. “I’m not afraid Twilight, so stop treating me like I am.”

“What you say and how you’re acting don’t match up,” Twilight rebutted, glancing to me as I stood and wrapped my arms around Ember from behind. The dragoness flared her wings a bit, startled at the action, before relaxing and letting out a long, steady breath. When Ember finally looked back up to Twilight, the mare smiled comfortingly and assured, “It’s okay to admit you’re scared, Ember. Spike and I won’t think less of you, and we’re not going to tell anypony. Anything you say to us in private is said in confidence, and I’d never judge you for being afraid of someone that could, in all reality, squish you like a bug if she wanted to.” Ember’s unamused frown made Twilight laugh a bit. “But, I am going to tell you the fear you have is baseless, since I know who Celestia is as a pony, and I know she would never harm you unless you tried to hurt her, her ponies, or her son. You haven’t done any of those, so you have nothing to fear.” Upon noticing Ember wasn’t particularly reassured, Twilight gave a sigh and gently tugged the dragoness to the doorway. “C’mon. It’s clear what Spike and I are saying isn’t really working, so the only way to get over this is to do it.”

To say Ember was still nervous would be an understatement, but she was never the type to let fear stop her from doing what needed to be done. With that in mind, she gave a physical shake to herself as she let us lead her into the hallway, and toward the dining hall. “Fine...but if we’re doing this, is there any way you can make me not look so beat up?”

Without even turning to look at Ember, Twilight’s horn lit up. Sparkles flowed off of her horn and whirled in the air around Ember. As each spark fell, her physical appearance changed, point by point, until she looked like a normal, uninjured dragoness. Twilight glanced at her from the corner of her eye, and explained, “The tea you had will be what’s best for the pain, but at least you’ll look more presentable now. Just so you know, the princesses wouldn’t have faulted you for showing up looking otherwise, but I know it makes you feel better, so I’m glad to help. Don’t ever be afraid to ask me for help.”

Ember smiled slightly. “I mean, if you’re offering, I might need to do that. Never been the kind of girl to ask for help, but it’s nice to know it’s there, if I need it.”

“Always,” Twilight answered without hesitation. Looking to the doors to the private dining hall, which we had approached as we talked, she nodded to the two royal guards standing at attention. “Good evening. Are the princesses already present?”

The one on the left, which looked the same as all the rest due to an armor enchantment, nodded to Twilight. “Yes, your highness. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting for you. Enjoy your meal.” With that, he bowed and pulled the door open, granting us access to the dining hall.

Compared to the public dining hall, this one was smaller, less opulent, and felt more “lived in” than the other. Rather than intricate carvings on all the walls and a table made of black marble, actual photos hung on the walls, showing friends and family from ages long past, and the table was a bland, but well-used glossy maple. The chairs were built for comfort instead of status, and the table was made to seat only a total of ten, instead of up to fifty. Owing to the symbolism that the princesses were equals in the land of Equestria, neither sat at the head or foot of the table; instead, both were sitting right next to each other toward the end of one side, and were already sampling a few platters of appetizers that they had received while they waited.

Both were facing the entryway, so they immediately noticed our entrance. Celestia waved happily and beckoned us over. Ember momentarily hesitated, but allowed herself to be led by Twilight when the alicorn grabbed her hand. I brought up the rear with a silent smile, more happy about spending time with family than the embarrassment that was sure to come. It would be worth it, in the end.

“Spike, Ember, and Twilight, thank you for joining us,” Luna greeted, raising a glass of wine in greeting. “Come, come and sit. A servant will be along with the entrees a bit later. In the meantime, please help yourselves to the first courses while we wait.”

“Oh yes,” the eldest princess added with a cheeky grin, “we have so much to talk about!”

Taking my place beside Ember, I leaned in and whispered, “Remember when I said they were going to embarrass us? Well, here it comes.”

“So,” my mother began, sipping a bit of wine to draw the moment out, “when can I expect grandchildren?”

We hadn’t even taken our seats yet, and she had already caused Ember (and me) to nearly fall over. Had it not been for the fact the table was there for me to brace my hand on, we would have. And even though she wasn’t the target of the teasing (yet), even Twilight lit up in a brilliant blush almost immediately.

Ember, however, recovered much faster than I anticipated, and had clearly (and rightfully) seen this as a test. She hesitated for only a moment before answering, “Just as soon as we have a way to reliably travel between our lands quickly,” she didn’t look at Twilight, but I did notice she purposely gave Twilight’s hand a squeeze as she was now leading the alicorn instead of the other way around, “it shouldn’t be too long after that. A year, maybe two, I think.”

I almost choked on my own tongue at Ember’s response. She was already ready to make a family with me?

“Spike, breathe before you faint,” Ember ordered with a prod of her finger.

I sucked in the precious, life-giving oxygen as spots appeared in the corners of my vision; Ember was right, I had essentially stopped breathing, and was on the verge of passing out. The lightheadedness passed with a few more gulps of air, and I sat down across from my aunt. After taking a moment to compose myself, with Ember sitting beside me and Twilight on the other side of her, I chastised, “You couldn’t have started with a reasonable question first?”

My mother feigned offense, bringing a palm to her chest and scoffing. "And what could be more important than ensuring a strong, royal bloodline carries on? Besides, I'm not getting any younger, and I've never had the privilege of being a grandma before. I want to experience the joy of spoiling my beloved grandfoals rotten, and sending them home to their parents, hopped up on sugar and caffeine; you know, the kind of thing every grandparent longs to do."

"My mother would agree, unfortunately," Twilight threw in. Deciding to change the subject, she announced, “Anyhow, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a glass of wine or eight.” At Celestia’s raised brow, Twilight grimaced. “Someone tried to kill my two mates today. I don’t want to hear it, Celestia.”

“Mates?” Celestia echoed, “As in, plural?”

The color seemed to drain from Twilight’s face as she went stiff as a board, furiously muttering to herself, “I did not just say that out loud, I did not just say that out loud. I DID NOT just say that out loud!” Twilight began hyperventilating as her pupils became panicked pinpricks, and strands of her hair and tail began sticking up randomly, signaling an impending “Twilypanic” freakout.

Somehow, and she’s never explained how, Ember had the brilliant idea to shock the neurotic alicorn out of her panic. And, even more surprising, was the way she accomplished it. As I watched with fascination, Ember leaned over to Twilight, and snaked out her long, prehensile forked tongue. She deftly ran the forks over the tip of Twilight’s ear, causing the mare to shriek loudly, nearly falling out of her seat, and I had the privilege to watch as all of Twilight’s fur poofed up. Needless to say, her longer winter coat made her look quite fluffy, and saying it was amusing would be an understatement.

Regardless, as Twilight furiously rubbed her ear and glared at the dragoness, the action had its desired effect: Twilight was no longer on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, and was calm enough to slowly realize how silly she had been.

After a few moments, and her frown lessening significantly, she finally sighed and mumbled, “...I was being a silly pony again, wasn’t I?”

“A little, yeah,” Ember answered, nudging Twilight with her shoulder, “but...it’s growing on me. Life around you is never boring, that’s for sure.”

Twilight childishly stuck her tongue out at Ember, but only for a moment before turning back to Celestia. She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before answering, “...y-yes, they’re both my mates. Ember was a bit of a surprise for me, but now that I’ve gotten to know her, she’s a wonderful addition to the family that brings a unique perspective and so much knowledge. I mean, did you know she knows stories that are tens of thousands of years old by heart?” Realizing she was about to start “geeking out,” she reigned in her excitement a bit and gave a firm nod. “She is a valuable addition to the herd, and I welcome her wholeheartedly. Maybe her original reason for adjusting to a herd was so that she could adapt and fit into Equestrian life,” she then glanced over at the dragoness, and a small, warm smile crept onto her lips, “but I really care about her, and she’s made life better. So yes...she’s my mate.”

A momentary look of surprise crossed the elder alicorn’s face before Celestia smiled broadly. “I’m proud of you, Twilight. Your understanding of friendship and accepting all creatures, no matter where they come from, has served you well. I have no doubt all three of you will continue to impress me as the years go by.” She then looked to the dragoness, who stiffened when she noticed Princess Celestia looking at her directly, now. “And what do you think of all this, Ember? My memory is a bit hazy from so many centuries ago, but I don’t think dragons practice polyamorous relationships, do they?”

On one side, Twilight extended a feathery wing across Ember’s shoulders, and I took the dragoness’ hand in mine. Both actions calmed her considerably, enough to answer the question. “...nah, not really. I mean, we don’t exactly have written law like Equestria does, but if we did, polyamory might be illegal.” She tilted her head toward me for a moment. “The way Spike explained it is that, basically, males are vastly outnumbered in Equestria, so it’s part of your culture to share mates as one big group instead of just one male to one female.” She shrugged and continued, “Dragons don’t have that problem, since the gender of a growing hatchling can be changed while they’re still in the egg, so things are pretty much even back home, in terms of the numbers of drakes to dragonesses.” Ember gained a thoughtful look on her face as she continued her answer. “As for how I feel about it...I’m still figuring that out. I know I like feeling like I belong, and that I have support pretty much everywhere I turn. I like that Spike is well-protected, and that every one of his mates has something unique that they bring to the relationship. But…” she bit her lip, “...it doesn’t happen often, but my instincts do rear their heads every now and then. The one I have to beat down most often is the instinct that tells me I should hurt or kill anyone that tries to seduce my mate.” She again tilted her head to me briefly. “Unlike Spike, my parents trained me to overcome most of my instincts, rather than letting them control me. I’d never harm any of the others that Spike calls his, but the instinct will always be there, pushing me.” Taking a deep breath, she finished with, “But...leaving feelings all out of the equation and just looking at the hard facts of things, I understand how good having a herd is for everyone involved. It would cause problems in the dragon lands, simply because it’s not a part of our culture, but here, in Equestria, where it’s normal and encouraged, it’s something that makes you stronger, and better. Anytime anyone’s sick or injured, they have like four or five others that will protect and take care of them until they get better. More people living together also means a pooled income, so financial burdens get spread out across more people, reducing the individual responsibilities. And lastly, is all the knowledge everyone shares. Instead of having just one other that we can learn from and teach, you Equestrians have houses full of people that know things and have skills that they can pass on to each other. Objectively, herding is an amazing system that gives a lot of power to Equestria, and even I can see that.”

“So,” Luna began, popping a cracker with cheese into her mouth, “if I understand, you seem to readily accept that herding is a good thing for Equestrians, and Spike, but dragons are innately more possessive of their mates, and do not like to share.”

Nodding slowly, Ember glanced at me with love in her gaze. “I love Spike, more than I ever thought I could love someone else, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we can be together. If that means I have to adapt to certain parts of Equestria’s culture, then I’ll do it. Besides,” she smirked, “Spike has some good taste in mates. All of them are intelligent, powerful, and strong-willed. Even Fluttershy, which surprised me.”

“Oh?” Celestia said with even more surprise. “I was unaware that Fluttershy had joined your herd. Congratulations to all of you, and pass along that same congratulations to her when you return home.” She folded her hands together on the table and stared intently at us. “Now, I believe we have important matters to discuss involving the incident that happened earlier today.”

With the embarrassment momentarily abated, Ember, Twilight and I sampled the appetizers as I nodded to my mother. “Yeah, and we’re pretty sure we know who facilitated it. Rosy Glow wasn’t exactly pleased with the way we publicly disrespected her, and she’s known for holding grudges. We haven’t heard from the captain though; did he find anything?”

Luna snapped her fingers, and one of her night guards dropped from the shadows of the rafters, startling both me and Ember. It was a mare, that much I could tell, but the shadows themselves seemed to cling to her, so I couldn’t tell who it was beyond that. The guard held out a manila folder to her monarch, then retreated back to the rafters with a powerful flap of her webbed, bat-like wings.

Luna wordlessly passed the folder to me, which I took and began reading. In it was a short report of the investigation, including the one confirmed suspect, due to the fact they fit all of the descriptors provided by Mrs. Cobbler, they were seen on and around the palace grounds by several different workers, they had only a weak alibi, and they had been seen weeks prior entering and leaving Rosy Glow’s home. Some of the information made it clear that only the most skilled and experienced investigators could have captured this individual...since it was a changeling.

The surprise must have shown on my face, since Luna saw fit to advise, “We’ve already sent for dear Lyla, and she should be here within the hour. Her help would be invaluable.”

I found myself unable to form words, but luckily, Twilight was still thinking and was able to voice her concerns. “Do we know what hive it’s from?”

Luna shook her head. “No, and since we can no longer rely on chitin accents, only another changeling would be able to tell, since this one is not feeling particularly talkative.”

I nodded and sat back in my chair. “Well, I guess we should just eat dinner in the meantime. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Now that the difficult business is out of the way,” my mother clapped her hands loudly, and a veritable army of servants entered from the wings with my serving carts laden with covered trays, “let us enjoy the night together. Ember, do you drink?”

From Ember’s clearly confused expression, I saw fit to clarify, “She means alcohol. Like wine and such.”

Ember’s mouth formed an “oh” of realization. “Yeah, sure. Something sweet, if you got it.”

Celestia smiled broadly with a nod. “A dragoness after my own heart.” She levitated a bottle from the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room, and poured it in a square glass. After putting the stopper back in the bottle, she levitated the glass over to Ember, which was now filled with a clear, goldenrod liquid that seemed to shimmer a bit in the light of the dining hall. “Here, try this and let me know what you think.”

Ember took the glass from the air, and gave a sniff before shrugging and taking a sip. As the trays of hot food were set down and uncovered, she swished the drink around a bit before swallowing, smacking her lips thoughtfully. Finally, she hummed and bobbed her head. “Not bad. Tastes almost like that one candy, the one you gave me when I was feeling under the weather, Twilight.”

“Butterscotch,” Twilight answered, just after pouring her own glass of the same liqueur.

Ember gave a nod with a smile. “Yeah, that’s the one. Honestly, if I didn’t already know there was alcohol in this, I wouldn’t be able to tell. This stuff could be dangerous.”

“Well, it certainly could be. It’s 180 proof,” Celestia offhandedly explained.

Twilight nearly spit the mouthful she had out over the table, just barely holding it back. After swallowing and shooting a glare at the older princess she grumbled, “You could have warned me that this was going to get me trashed. At least then I could be prepared to make a fool of myself.”

I wisely decided not to mention that the actual reason Twilight didn’t like to imbibe too much was because she tended to become extremely amorous. Besides the fact it would embarrass Twilight for me to say it, the effects would be a lot more fun to just see rather than be told.

Luna only gave a mischievous smile. “Oh, we would not want that, now would we? Come Twilight, eat, drink, and be merry. Your mates will not judge you, I am sure, and neither will we.”

While Twilight was no longer the one to deify the older princesses, she still respected and trusted them. I imagined she knew she was in a safe, judgement-free atmosphere, since it only took her a moment to relent. “...okay fine, but no pictures. Promise me that.”

I silently did the motions of the Pinkie Promise, which was enough of a vow for Twilight to smile. With the reassurance that this wasn’t going to turn into some PR nightmare, she took a more relaxed drink of the liqueur in her glass, humming happily at the taste.

With the mood lightened and business taken care of, Luna turned to Ember and asked, “So, I regretfully was unable to check on you after our friendly bout. How are you feeling?”

Ember waved her hand over her face. “Well, as I’m sure someone as magically-skilled as you can tell, this is just a glamour Twilight did for me. Dragons are tough, but we don’t heal that fast. But, as for how I feel...well, I feel like I got the scales beat off of me. I mean c’mon, I knew I wasn’t going to beat you, but I had no idea what I was in for.” She then closed her eyes and bobbed her head from side to side for a moment. “However, I’m glad I got to have that experience. From one leader to another, I’m sure you’ll agree that humility is important.”

Luna gave a sage nod. “Verily. Power without control is dangerous, and while you are quite powerful, it is always safe to assume there is another, somewhere in this world, more powerful and skilled than you are. Even my sister and I have been shown that we can be laid low and defeated, whether by power or superior tactics. Dragons are not the only race to have the weakness of arrogance, I assure you. But,” she pointed a fork at Ember, “the fact you are willing to accept defeat with dignity and grace shows you are an honorable individual who is willing to learn. A praiseworthy attribute indeed.”

Ember squirmed a bit at the praise, mumbling a happy, “Thank you, Princess Luna.”

Rolling her eyes, the alicorn of the night chastised, “Come now, there is no need to stand on ceremony. As you are Spike’s mate by right of your customs and the brand you share with him, we are family. Please, simply use my name, and that will be enough.” Her expression then grew decidedly predatory as she added, “Or, you could call me auntie, if you prefer.”

“I-I mean, if you really want me to,” Ember muttered, trying to fight down a blush at least until the serving ponies left.

I nudged my dragoness and smiled. “Ember, she’s messing with you. What you’ll find about my mom and aunt is that they are not nearly as uptight as the upper class would have you believe. Relax,” I brought my thumb and index of my left hand and massaged the back of Ember’s neck, “this is how they are with family. She’s teasing you because she likes you.”

Only a moment later, all of the trays and platters had been arranged, and the serving staff quickly left the room, leaving only the four of us (and the hidden night guards) in the dining hall. Princess Celestia gestured to the assembled foods and urged, “Please, help yourselves. There’s more than enough, so try whatever you want.”

We all wasted no time in serving ourselves, Twilight and I taking a little bit of everything while Ember focused on the foods she could identify. Chatter flowed freely as did a fair bit of affectionate teasing from my mother and aunt, but all in all it was a nice night that made the last few days feel a bit less stressful. Ember became more comfortable with my family, Twilight further bonded with the dragoness, and the night helped all of us momentarily forget about the shadow of politics that unfortunately lingered in all of our lives in one way or another; for tonight, we were just family enjoying each other’s company.

After about an hour however, the heavy doors that we had entered from were thrown open, and a frantic changeling soldier entered, making a beeline for me. I stood from my chair and opened my arms to accept the embrace of Lyla, and she practically slammed into me, wrapping me in a hug tight enough to make my spine scream at me. Nonetheless, I readily returned the embrace, and I was half-aware of Twilight joining us while Ember simply watched silently.

It was only after a moment of holding the trembling changeling that I realized she was silently crying. She looked up at me and haltingly blubbered, “W-when I heard what happened, I was so scared I was going to lose you! D-don’t you see?! I was right! These evil, entitled ponies need to be culled!” The latter part of her outburst was said in a multi-layered voice that was reminiscent of a changeling queen, and the popping of magic from her horn and the glow of her eyes told me she was very close to completely losing all semblance of restraint.

Knowing I had to distract her, lest we end up needing to investigate a string of murders, I practically mashed my lips to hers and poured every ounce of love I could into it. The kiss had the desired effect of completely derailing Lyla’s train of thought, and the presence of Twilight and I further calmed her until she was just crying in relief. We eventually disengaged our lips, and I just held Lyla tightly as she let out the stress of the past two days.

Sniffling a few times and pulling away, she gasped in shock when she saw Ember. “W-what the hay happened to you?!”

Ember looked both uncomfortable and confused, and realizing what it was, I helpfully explained, “Um...some changeling soldiers are what you might consider ‘specialists,’ and they are birthed and nurtured to have certain unique characteristics so as to better serve their hive. Lyla has the rather frightening ability to see through nearly any illusion as if it isn’t even there. Along with a changeling’s natural affinity for empathy, it makes it nearly impossible to hide anything from her.”

Ember’s mouth dropped open and she could only give a dumb nod. After a moment to compose herself, she answered, “Well, I wasn’t injured by the one that wanted Spike and I to be hurt, if that’s what you’re asking. I had a friendly little spar with Princess Luna, and got my tail handed to me.”

When Lyla looked to Luna for confirmation, the night alicorn nodded with a crooked smile, and the changeling turned back to Ember with a bit of a scowl. “That was monumentally stupid. She could have picked you apart by your atoms and aerosolized you into the atmosphere.”

Ember had the decency to look sufficiently chastised, shrugging her shoulders. “I knew she wasn’t going to kill me, and I’m not going to pass up the chance to trade blows with a living legend.”

Lyla only stared at the dragoness in silence, seemingly unable to come up with a response to that. Sensing the lull in the conversation, Luna announced, “Lyla, you know why we’ve asked you here. We will have time for business in a short while, but for now, eat and drink with us, and rest assured in the knowledge that your herd members are safe and whole. Nothing will happen to them now that they are under the watchful eye of the moon.”

“...that actually does make me feel much better. Thank you, Luna,” Lyla replied, opting to not use the princess’ title in private.

With the greetings out of the way, Lyla took her seat next to me and cuddled up close, even though the armrests on the chairs made it a little difficult. As usual, Lyla only took relatively small amounts of food, mostly just to taste, since a changeling’s primary source of sustenance was emotion, not physical food. Still, it was nice having her there, and I knew she felt the same. It was times like this that I found myself looking forward to Hearth’s Warming more and more, since I felt we all needed some time to decompress and just be friends again.

The thought reminded me of something I needed to ask. “Oh, mom, have you already set up the security detail for Hearth’s Warming?”

Eyes widening briefly, Celestia nodded and hastily swallowed whatever food she was eating before snapping her fingers. “Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. The royal guard captain has already recruited and vetted the guards that will be on the security detail, and Captain Silent Night will be overseeing the function directly while we’re there. He will want to scout out the area and check all the rooms, so expect him to arrive sometime in the next few days.”

I raised a brow at that. “Silent Night is going to be leading the guard detail? Wow, you really aren’t playing around.”

She just smiled at me. “Attacking five alicorns at once would be considered monumentally stupid, and that’s not even considering the likely hundreds of charms, traps, and wards Twilight has placed on the castle.”

“Try thousands,” Twilight corrected with a nervous smile. “High-strung, neurotic alicorn princess, remember?”

Celestia gave a warm, yet exasperated smile to Twilight. “Indeed. Anyhow, even with the unfathomable power five alicorns command, having all five of us gathered in one place is also a vulnerability. That is why we have planned for the very best of Equestria’s special forces to provide security for the day. One can never be too careful, after all.” She then motioned to the table. “Anyhow, let us finish this meal so that Lyla can meet with the prisoner, and we can still have enough time for a nightcap and some goodies. I have a feeling Lyla will need the relaxation, and I would like to spend some more time with my son and his mates before you all have to leave tomorrow morning.”

We all collectively agreed on that plan, and went back to enjoying the professionally-prepared dinner provided to us.

The changeling in the cell was very different compared to the new changelings, or even Lyla. Like Chrysalis’ swarm, this changeling had the holes in its chitin that told me it had gone years without enough love to properly sustain it, and so its body had begun to literally consume itself. Such was the plight of starving changelings.

The left leg had a makeshift splint wrapped around it, and this changeling lacked both hair and pupils. Instead, it was reminiscent of the changelings that attacked Canterlot, with uniform, ghostly blue eyes, and a single curved horn that was chipped at the end. As Cherry Cobbler had described, it was tall, but willowy, with long, thin limbs and an almost emaciated torso. When we had first walked into the observation room behind a one-way mirror, Lyla was unable to stifle the gasp that escaped her mouth at the sight of the mangled stumps that were the remainders of its wings. Much as I tried to stay impartial, I found myself feeling sorry for this individual; whoever it was, it had clearly been through a fairly large amount of hardship in its life.

“...is it wrong that I actually feel kinda bad for it?” I asked, frowning thoughtfully.

“The circumstances of one’s life does not condone malicious actions,” Luna reminded, also frowning with a furrowed brow. “At the time of my banishment, I believed I was in the right. And though some may sympathize or even agree that I was allowed to be angry and jealous, that does not condone my actions.”

My mother nodded, pointing to the changeling in the other room. “If it is determined that the actions of this individual were brought on due to desperation, we will do what we can to rehabilitate it and prevent that desperation from having reason to grow again. But, the law is clear, and even with community service, this changeling will be looking at quite a few lost years due to this incident.”

I didn’t like it, but justice was not always something that ended with no one getting hurt. There are consequences for everything we do, and this was no exception.

Taking a long, slow breath and letting it out, Lyla straightened herself and nodded firmly. “Okay, let’s find out what this little infiltrator knows.” She glanced at all of us and said, “I’m going to let you know, I’m doing this in a way that a changeling will respond to, so whatever I do or say, just keep in mind that some of it may not make sense to a pony or dragon. Unless, for whatever reason, I’m in danger, don’t interfere.”

Lyla left the observation room before we could respond, and only a moment later, entered the interrogation room through the warded steel door. The prisoner glanced up at her and visibly recoiled in fear. From what I understood about changelings, infiltrator-morph changelings were masters at blending in and remaining undetected, even deep behind enemy lines. They were not known for their battle prowess or physical strength, instead relying on subterfuge and the manipulation of others to achieve their goals. Needless to say, being found out and exposed was a nightmare for an infiltrator, and facing down a soldier-morph like Lyla would usually be a death sentence for them. It was clear, however, that this changeling had gotten sloppy for some reason, though whether that was due to a lack of leadership or personal failings, we didn’t know at the time. One thing was clear: infiltrators were generally very good at what they did, so for this one to get caught, that likely spoke of a fair amount of luck on our part.

“Do you know who I am?” Lyla began, her voice calm and controlled, yet still firm.

The changeling was positively trembling now, but managed a shallow nod, responding in a sexually ambiguous voice. “Y-yes.”

Lyla’s gaze hardened ever so slightly as she sat in the chair across from the prisoner. “Then you know that in addition to Spike being my chosen sovereign, the two dragons you tried to kill are also under my protection. Because of that, let’s say I take personal offense to what you did.”

“Sovereign?” Luna questioned quietly, though my mother and I said nothing as we continued to watch. Truth be told, I was curious about how she referred to me as well, but now wasn’t exactly the time to get an answer.

“So,” Lyla said, her arm lighting up with emerald flames as it became a large, vicious-looking scythe-like weapon, “you’re going to tell me who your master is, and where I can find them. If you don’t, I’ll be taking your horn and an eye.”

All of us in the observation room stiffened at the threat, but stayed put and let Lyla continue her interrogation.

Thankfully, infiltrators were not known for their courage in the face of danger; they were designed and trained to never be caught, after all, so they were supposed to never have a need to stand firm in the face of someone who found them out.

Practically exploding in tears (which, I’ll admit, made me feel a little bad), it replied, “I-I don’t know! We’ve never met face to face, and they found me! I receive my orders at a drop location, a-and I’ll show you! I promise, but I don’t know who it is!”

A now-familiar truthteller crystal was pulled from the small bag on Lyla’s belt, and she held it aloft. Her magic reached out and grabbed it, and with a minor infusion of power, it began glowing as intended while she hovered it in front of the other changeling. “So, just to confirm, you’ve never met your handler face to face, they contacted you, and you’re going to show us where you get your orders from, is that all correct?”

The changeling shied away from the crystal, but nodded. “Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Did you know who you were going to essentially assassinate?” Lyla asked, raising a brow. Meekly, the changeling shook its head, prompting Lyla to continue with, “His name is Spike, and he’s the adopted son of Princess Celestia, mate to Princess Twilight Sparkle, and mate to me. He’s also mate to Ember, a dragonlord, who you were also going to kill. Think for a moment about exactly how bad things would have gotten had you succeeded. Princess Celestia would have burned your hive to the ground with everyone in it, and the dragons of Ember’s clan would have hunted every single one of us, down to the last ‘ling.”

“W-wait wait, assassinate!? No! I-I was just told to get a cart delivered to the room!” the changeling cried, looking honestly horrified at the implications. The fact it was allowed to say what it did meant that, at the very least, it believed what it was saying was true.

Lyla gave a slow nod. “Okay. So, how did you come to be contracted by this mysterious employer?”

At this, for the first time, the changeling showed an emotion other than fear. It looked distinctly embarrassed, and glanced away in shame. “I...I was found in the snow outside of Canterlot about a month and a half ago.” It looked up at Lyla with defeat. “I left the hive, but Equestrians aren’t exactly too accepting of changelings that aren’t backed by royalty. I was already starving when I left, and making the journey here was difficult, and cold. By the time I reached the outskirts of the city...I-I just couldn’t go any further.” The changeling shrugged helplessly. “Well, whoever they are found me and brought me to an abandoned building at the southern end of Old Town. They nursed me back to health, even gave me some love to sustain myself, and offered more if only I’d do a job for them.”

“What job?” Lyla pressed, frowning slightly.

Again, the prisoner looked ashamed. “I...I didn’t know what I was getting into. The first job was to just transport a covered wagon out to the mountains, and dump it in the river there. I was being offered love for the first time in months, so I didn’t ask any questions and just did as I was asked. Come to find out, that wagon happened to be carrying two bodies, and I had been the unwitting accomplice in a murder.” The changeling’s face then soured, and it looked distinctly upset with itself. “...from there, they essentially blackmailed me. They provided me enough love to keep me alive, and threatened to expose me if I walked away or talked.”

Tilting her head to the side, Lyla asked, “What is your name?”

“Windshear,” the changeling replied, turning its head away from Lyla.

“That sounds like a pony name; do you not have a name from the hive?” Lyla questioned, looking more and more confused.

The now-named Windshear shook their head. “I wasn’t born in the hive. I was...I was born to a pony mare on the outskirts of Manehattan. My mother raised me the best she could until her u-untimely p-passing…” Windshear trailed off, voice breaking as they struggled to remain composed. After a moment, they continued slowly. “T-the hive found me, I was only four at the time. I was assimilated into the hive as an infiltrator.”

Like I did (and probably the other ponies in the observation room with me), Lyla visibly began to relax the longer the interrogation went on, and seemed to be starting to believe that this changeling was merely a scared, lonely individual who had been dealt a bad hand in life. That didn’t justify their actions by any means, but with the truthteller gem and their own admissions, I began to feel we could trust that Windshear was not some evil changeling that was out to cause harm to others on purpose.

“Which hive were you a part of?” Lyla questioned, raising a brow at the other changeling across from her.

Windshear winced and mumbled, “Queen Zidorah’s hive, in the Frozen Wastes up north, near the Crystal Empire.”

“And how was the hive able to remain hidden for so long?” Lyla pressed, frowning, likely at the thought that there were more hives out there that we didn’t even know about. Truth be told, I was worried about the same.

“It’s in the wasteland itself,” WIndshear answered, shrugging helplessly. “I don’t imagine many would want to comb over miles and miles of snow, mountains, and ice. As ponies would say, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack...only the haystack is trying to freeze you to death.”

Lyla nodded solemnly, knowing full well most changelings didn’t tolerate the cold very well for long periods of time. While they had an internal structure much like a normal pony, their chitin was segmented, and could freeze at certain joints, rendering a changeling immobile. Furthermore, with only bare skin, changelings had very little insulation, and lost body heat very quickly in cold or windy environments. It was why most changeling hives were situated in temperate, desert, or tropical climates. It simply was too difficult to survive in climates that were consistently cold. Although, I’d imagine that a queen on the run might weigh that danger against being discovered, and apparently this Queen Zidorah happened to be one of those.

“Why did you desert the hive?” Lyla asked, with a warning tone. While she was an independent changeling, Lyla still had a certain amount of loyalty to the hive she came from, and for changelings at least, desertion was considered treason of the highest degree. There were only a few reasons why a deserter would not be shunned and ostracized by other changelings, which was why the reason was so important.

At this, Windshear lowered their eyes and shuffled uncomfortably. “...I was given an order I couldn’t follow.” When it was clear Lyla wasn’t satisfied with the answer, Windshear sighed in defeat and met the eyes of the other changeling. “I was ordered to assist in the abduction of Princess Flurry Heart, and the hive was planning to use her as bait to draw out her mother and father, and kill the entire royal family of the Crystal Empire in one fell swoop.”

For the first time, Lyla couldn’t hide her surprise as her mouth dropped open in shock, and she stared at the other changeling for a moment, as if waiting for the punchline to a joke. When none came, she violently shook her head and blew out a long breath. “Wow. I mean, I know the Crystal Empire is a fount of nearly infinite love, but taking on two alicorns and a unicorn that can shield an entire city is pretty ballsy, even for Queen Zidorah.”

“It’s a lot easier when you have three nullification rings made from the remains of Chrysalis’ throne, and an infiltrator that had personal access to all three of them,” Windshear mumbled, looking ashamed. “That infiltrator was me. I was in deep cover for years, and had worked myself from a common palace servant to a personal royal servant, and it was my job to ensure the royal family was awake at a proper hour, bathed, and dressed for the day. Because of that, I had access to all three of them in their most vulnerable moments.”

Lyla gave another nod, having composed herself again into a state of stoicism. “And why did you turn down that order?”

For the first time, Windshear showed an emotion other than fear or shame, shooting Lyla a half-glare as they defended, “Because they’re good ponies, who their people love. They weren’t some evil masterminds that were starving us out, and Princess Flurry Heart doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. I…” Windshear suddenly slumped, as if all the fire and energy left them all at once, “I couldn’t be a part of it. So I fled, and knew the best place for me to find a new life would be here, in Equestria. Unfortunately, you know how the story goes from there.”

Lyla once again nodded before cutting the magic to her horn and catching the crystal out of the air. Taking a moment to settle herself, Lyla finally said, “I’ll be honest: your crime can’t be overlooked. But…it’s clear to me you have a good heart, and I swear I’ll do all within my power to help in any way I can. You deserve a second chance at life, and though you made some bad choices, I truly believe you want to turn over a new leaf. For now though, this is goodbye.”

Lyla turned and walked to the door, but before she could leave, Windshear quietly said, “...for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I...I didn’t know what I was doing, but that’s no excuse when I could have killed two innocents. I don’t deserve your help or your forgiveness...but thank you.”

Lyla stopped briefly. Without turning around, she answered, “If you had succeeded, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I would have been where you are right now, because I would have murdered you in cold blood. Let’s not think about the ‘what-ifs’ and instead focus on what we can do from here on out. Good luck, Windshear.”

Lyla finally left the interrogation room, rejoining us only a moment later in the observation room. We watched as two guards entered the interrogation room and escorted the prisoner out, and though Windshear couldn’t see us directly, it had to know we were watching from behind the mirror. Before they left, the changeling offered one last, forlorn, “I’m sorry,” before the room was vacated.

We all watched Lyla stare blankly at the other room, and it was a minute or so before she finally spoke. “...Windshear didn’t deserve this.”

Walking up behind Lyla and taking her into my arms, I laid my chin on top of her head. “Seems they got caught up in a whole bunch of bad luck throughout their life. It’s easy to just say ‘life isn’t fair’ when the bad stuff isn’t happening to you, but when I have to see someone like that, that seems to keep stepping in piles of dung everywhere they walk...it just feels wrong, y’know?”

I felt as the warm hand of the solar princess settled on my shoulder, and she advised, “I am afraid that the old adage holds true...but I will do everything in my power to ensure this poor soul gets a second chance at life.” I looked back to my mother, finding her smiling gently as she clarified, “One of the greatest honors I have is the ability to help those in need. I fear I do not get to do so enough, but when I have the opportunity, I take it. I unfortunately cannot pardon one who was the unwitting accomplice in an attempted murder upon two important individuals, but perhaps if the prisoner helps us right this wrong, the sentence can be reduced, and they can be outside in the free air sooner than normal. That is what I hope for, because I too believe Windshear did not want to hurt anyone, and was simply a victim of bad circumstances.”

“Come,” Luna said, gently pressing my shoulder to get me moving, “I believe it is time to turn in for the night. The perpetrator has been apprehended, and you have done all you can, so for now, leave this in our hands to handle. Besides,” she grinned, “I imagine your dragon beau may need help fighting off an overly-affectionate Twilight.”

I tried to ignore it, but the thought of Ember, trying to look tough as a grinning, inebriated Twilight snuggled her into oblivion was...frankly, hilarious.

Giving a short laugh, I nodded. “Yeah, I guess I should go save Ember from being cuddled to death. Anyway, thanks for your help, mom and auntie.” I turned and gave each alicorn a short, firm embrace before breaking away and taking Lyla’s hand “Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning before we leave.”

“Goodnight, dear Spike. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight Spike, I love you.”

I couldn’t help but blush a bit as I embarrassingly mumbled, “...I love you too, mom.” As Lyla and I walked away from the two princesses, I could practically feel her smug grin. I could only quietly grumble, “...shut up.”

Lyla uttered a happy coo as she hugged herself against my side. “C’mon, it was cute! That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Deciding to turn the tables on her, I composed myself and asked, “So what was that about me being your ‘chosen sovereign’?” I felt my arm be yanked as Lyla tripped and nearly fell from the surprise, and once she found her step again, she was blushing up a storm. After a few moments of silence, I prodded, “C’mon, I want an answer. The implications of naming me ‘your sovereign’ are pretty deep, and I need to know what it means for a changeling.”

Lyla kept walking with me, but fidgeted a bit as we left the prisoner holding cell block. Eventually she answered, “Well, in changeling culture, among changelings, there isn’t really any such thing as romance. Romance involves sharing love between two or more individuals, and since all but the ‘new’ changelings can only consume love, forming a romantic connection with another changeling would be...bad. Since no new love is created, they would eventually starve to death.” She bobbed her head from side to side, her blush starting to die down. “So, instead of dedicating ourselves to someone because we loved them, it became commonplace to dedicate ourselves to a leader, or a master. And no, it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

My mouth had opened, and I closed it momentarily before commenting, “Okay, because I was going to say that sounds a lot like serfdom, or slavery. Like, you follow because you have no other choice but to follow.”

Lyla gave a wry smile. “Changelings are parasites, Spike. We literally cannot survive without the help of another. At the very least, we’re mutualistic symbiotic creatures, but the point stands that we can’t survive on our own. So, to survive, we pledge ourselves, mind and body, to someone else. In the hive, this is the queen, but outside...well, we have to get a bit more creative. Romantic inclinations are not necessary, so our ‘sovereign’ can be something as simple as a best friend, or even an employer. But, romantic love is by far the most potent form of love, and even more so should the love be directed at the changeling in question. So,” she gestured to herself, “for changelings like me, who are lucky enough to earn romantic love from someone special, there is no better source in all the world.” She began blushing once more as she continued. “As for the connotations of you being my sovereign...technically speaking, in changeling society...I am your property.”

Now, I was the one to nearly trip and fall, and only Lyla’s strong grip kept me from doing so. It took a second to steady myself, but when I did, I practically choked out, “P-p-property? L-like as a loved one, or-”

“My entire being -- body, mind, and soul -- is yours to do with however you wish,” Lyla clarified, looking completely unbothered by the whole thing. “But, before you start freaking out, remember: changelings choose their sovereign. Some queens will use force and fear to cow others into submission, but the choice of who to follow is always ours, in the end. I chose you because even before you accepted me as one of your herd, you loved me unconditionally, and without restraint. After only a week of the customary hesitance most creatures feel toward changelings, you cared about me with your whole heart. I am privileged to be a part of your life, and lucky that you found it in your heart to love me back.”

Like a light being switched on, I finally understand just how and why she willingly put herself in the line of fire without a second thought. “So that’s why you were so willing to fight a dragon lord for me.”

Again, Lyla nodded. “As my sovereign, even before my personal feelings, I am duty-bound to ensure you are safe. The fact that I love you, and you I, had nothing to do with it. Even if we were merely friends, I would have done the same without hesitation.”

“Sometimes I forget that you’re a soldier, under all the flirting and teasing,” I commented with a loving smile.

Lyla leaned into me and affectionately nuzzled my shoulder as we approached the room we were staying in. “While a soldier is not all of who I am, it is quite a large part, and it always will be. So, should a pride of manticores threaten our home, don’t be surprised if I transform into my battle form and rush into battle. It’s what I was created to do, and I am very good at it.”

“I certainly can’t argue with that,” I grumbled. “Only a fearless warrior or a fool would jump into a fight with a dragon lord, and you don’t strike me as the foolish type.” Reaching for the door, I pushed it open and ushered both of us inside before closing and locking it behind us. We walked around the small partition wall that separated the entry from the bedroom, and what I saw was pretty much what I expected...but that didn’t make it any less funny.

“H-help me!”

Ember was on the bed, wide-eyed and blushing, as a half-naked, drunk alicorn princess lovingly rubbed her cheeks and nose all over Ember’s face, neck, and chest. While Ember had become a little bit more comfortable with others besides me showing her affection, this was likely pretty overwhelming for her, and only Ember’s restraint kept her from growing to a giant size just to escape from the clutches of an unfairly-strong pretty purple pony princess.

But yes, I still laughed.

“W-would you stop laughing and help me?! She hasn’t stopped since we got back here!” Ember pled aloud, sounding more embarrassed than actually upset.

Getting a hold of myself, I left Lyla’s side and made my way to the bed, wrapping my arms around Twilight’s arms and midsection, and gently pulling her away from the dragoness.

“Noooooo! S-she needs hugs! Hugs make everything better!” Twilight whined, flailing feebly in my arms, unable to use magic due to her inebriation.

I just continued my quiet giggles, wrangling Twilight the best I could and pulling her toward the bathroom. “C-c’mon Twi, hehe, you gotta get showered and ready for bed.”

She pouted with a whine, sticking her bottom lip out foalishly. “You’re mean. I was get-*hic* getting cuddles, and you took me away, now I have no cuddles.”

“When you get done with your shower, I’ll cuddle you all you want, but it’s time for bed, so get clean and get in your jammies,” I ordered in a firm tone of voice, though I was smiling. I turned to the waiting changeling. “Lyla, make sure she does it without falling asleep in the shower.”

Giving a lazy salute, Lyla walked over and effortlessly grabbed the mare from my arms, hauling her to the bathroom. “I’ll take care of it, Spike. See you in a bit.”

I made my way to my bag and rummaged for a moment before finding a pair of pajama pants to change into, and upon changing, made my way back over to the bed. Ember was still blushing up a storm, trying to look as dignified as possible after being forcibly snuggled by Twilight for about an hour.

I took a seat next to my dragoness and wrapped my arm around her, pulling Ember to my side. It took a moment, but she eventually relaxed and let out a short breath. “When you said Twilight would get ‘overly affectionate’, I had no idea what I was in for.”

“I think it’ll help a little bit,” I commented, smiling down at the dragoness when she raised her eyes and stared at me. “I mean, think about it: everyone puts Twilight on a pedestal to some degree,” I gently booped her nose, “even you. While you don’t worship her or anything, you still hold Twilight in extremely high regard, and I think this’ll help you remember that she’s just a silly pony underneath it all.”

Ember twisted her lips a bit. “...there had to be a less-embarrassing way to accomplish that.”

“Not one that would leave such a lasting impression,” I countered, giving her shoulders a brief squeeze. “Besides, you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that on some level.”

Ember squirmed a bit, glancing away from me. “...I mean, I didn’t dislike it.”

I shrugged, playfully challenging, “I give it another month or so, and you will submit to the cuddliness of ponies. None can resist for long, not even dragons.”

“You’re making fun of me,” Ember grumped. It wasn’t a question.

“A little,” I admitted, leaning down and kissing the top of her head, “but only because I recognize you’re trying to keep up your tough persona, as if admitting liking something like pony hugs makes you a less capable dragon lord.”

Ember went quiet as she seemed to consider my words, before eventually relenting. “...fine, maybe it is nice. Sometimes. A little.”

I could tell she was still holding back, but I also knew Ember -- and dragons in general -- didn’t like to display any sort of vulnerability. That was okay, though. Baby steps.

The far door to the bathroom opened with a cloud of steam, revealing a shiny Lyla and fluffy Twilight, the latter of whom was being carried by the former, and Twilight had taken to affectionately nuzzling the stuffing out of Lyla in the process. Unlike my dragoness, Lyla had long ago adapted to just how physically affectionate ponies could be, and since she had the same proclivities, had been able to accept and return them in equal measure. She guided the loopy alicorn over to us, and I took Twilight into my arms when they got close enough, shimmying myself down a bit so that I could lay down properly. Lyla carelessly tossed her outerwear over to a corner of the room, leaving her wearing only underwear as she slid in on the other side of Twilight, cuddling the alicorn from behind. With a gentle application of magic, Lyla flipped the lightswitch, bathing the room in darkness as we all settled in to sleep.

I was sure, as always, there would be more trials to come in our future, but for now, life was good, and I was going to ensure I made the most of it.

Chapter 24

While most other males on the planet likely wouldn’t mind being smothered in the impressive chest of Princess Celestia, since she was my mom, the desire was completely lost on me. As we made our way to the private dock to depart, Celestia had saw fit to practically fling herself at me and latch on my face like a little foal, and if not for the fact she was a grown pony that dwarfed normal ponies by a considerable margin, it would have been cute. Judging by Twilight’s giggles and Ember’s soft laughter though, I could only surmise that the image was still thoroughly amusing to an outside observer.

Since I was only a head or so taller than the alicorn, it was a struggle to keep from toppling over due to the extra weight, but I managed.

“M-mom,” I mumbled with a blush from between the solar alicorn’s bust, “is this necessary? We’re going to be seeing each other in like a week. Besides,” I lowered my voice to a whisper, “everyone’s staring at us!”

With a quiet huff, the alicorn finally detached from my face and dropped to her own hooves, forcing her to crane her head to look at me. Still, even though she was clearly unhappy about me leaving (truth be told, I wished I could stay longer as well), she gave me a loving smile and nodded. “Very well, my son...but I will be thoroughly pampering you during Hearth’s Warming. You cannot escape me for long.” She ended her statement with a smirk, giggling a moment later and giving me a much more reserved hug around my waist, laying her head on my chest. “Never forget that I love you, Spike. Always and forever.”

Though the words brought a mild blush to me, I hugged her tighter and whispered, “And I love you forever too, mom.” Pulling away and walking with Ember, Twilight, and Lyla to the carriage, I gave the two Canterlot princesses a wave. “See you both in a little while. Bye mom, Aunt Luna.”

While my mother looked on the verge of crying, Aunt Luna merely favored us with a warm smile and a nod. “Do not let your mind linger on the investigation, either. We will advise you of any updates, but for now, let it not trouble your mind. I will be heading the investigation myself, so trust that I have everything in hand, and you need not burden your heart with worries. Until next we meet, my friends.”

With nothing left to be said, we all boarded the carriage, which had already been loaded with our luggage. Once we were all settled and the pegasus guards carrying it had conducted a quick safety check, a lurch preceded a brief feeling of weightlessness, before we were soaring through the sky. Ember took a brief moment to glance out the window before turning to all of us and letting out a long sigh.

Raising a brow and wrapping my tail loosely around Ember’s leg, I asked, “Tired?”

The dragoness closed her eyes and snuggled up against me, nodding slowly. “Yeah. This whole thing with ponies trying to kill us and some noble mare with something to prove had me all stressed out. I kept waking up during the night, thinking I heard someone sneaking into the room.” Blowing out a long breath, she finally relaxed. “Logically, I know that with the guards on high alert, and the Canterlot princesses actively investigating, the palace was just about the safest place we could have been...but I still feel safer back in Ponyville, at Twilight’s castle.”

I shrugged. “I mean, you’ve been there long enough that it’s kinda become like a second den to you. Plus there’s the fact that Twilight has enough wards over the thing that it’s probably the most well-defended structure in all of Equestria.”

Twilight sheepishly smiled. “Umm...yeah, probably. It’s just...after losing the Golden Oaks, I wanted to make sure our home was as protected as it could possibly be.” Though it had been years since then, I could tell losing the first home we had in Ponyville still bothered Twilight. I reached across the small gap, where Twilight was sitting across from me, and took her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Catching her eyes when she looked up, I smiled reassuringly at Twilight. “You’re not the only one that misses it, Twi. There were a lot of memories wrapped up in Golden Oaks, and it’s a loss that can never truly be replaced. Believe me, I understand the fear of losing another home, so I don’t fault you for doing everything you can to protect our new home.”

Seemingly coming to a worrisome conclusion regarding what we were talking about, Ember cautiously asked, “...none of the wards are lethal, right?”

Realizing why she was likely asking, Twilight sat up straight and gave her own reassuring smile to the dragoness. “No, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally tripping a ward that’s going to kill you. I’ve keyed the castle to accept you as a resident, so you can’t activate any of the wards unless you are trying to hurt any of us, or destroy the castle itself. Even then, should the nearly-impossible happen, even my most powerful wards are geared toward incapacitation and security. The wards on my private experimentation room, for example, would only render you unconscious, and then teleport you to a room I’ve designed to be a holding cell of sorts.”

Releasing a breath she had been holding, Ember relaxed once more. “That’s a load off my mind. I mean, I know you’re really meticulous, but I know accidents happen.”

Twilight shook her head, her smile never wavering. “I want my castle to be a place where all are welcome, and where my friends and family can have a second home. It wouldn’t make sense to make the place a death trap.”

Ember conceded the point. “Yeah...I guess that makes sense. So, changing the subject, what can you do to calm my nerves when I think about all the people that are going to be coming to stay in your castle during this holiday?”

Twilight took a moment to think before answering, “Well, the room we stay in -- my room -- will grant access only to those I allow. Anyone that tries to enter without me present, or without a mark I put on them,” Twilight took a moment to light her horn, three small motes of magic floating away to melt into each of our foreheads, leaving a faint tingling sensation, “will be unable to access the room. When we get back, I’ll set up the necessary spells to create a pocket dimension, and so anyone that opens the door without me or my spell will just see an empty guest room.” Focusing once again directly on the dragoness, Twilight concluded, “This means that as you heal, and should you ever feel like you need a moment to just be on your own to decompress during the holidays, you’ll have a safe, isolated place to do so. I’m coming to understand how much security means to dragons, so I think this will help set your mind at ease.”

Settling down after the momentary surprise from the magical mark Twilight gave her, Ember smiled gratefully at the alicorn princess. “Yeah...that helps a lot. Thanks, Twilight.”

Twilight and Ember settled into a conversation between the two of them, so I turned to Lyla next to me and asked, “So, how is your week going so far?”

Frowning, Lyla answered, “Well, it was going fine until I heard a changeling played a part in an attempted murder on you and Ember. As I’m sure you can imagine, that didn’t exactly make the beginning of this week all that nice.”

Giving a wry smile, I idly commented, “I’d like to pretend our lives aren’t full of drama in one way or another, but that’d be untrue. That’s why we make sure to revel in the rare moments of complete calm, whenever they may come.”

“I can agree with that,” Ember threw in, fully capitalizing on our proximity to get in some private snuggles. She always acted embarrassed when we brought it up, but there was no denying that with those she cared about, Ember was a big softie who just wanted love and cuddles. I’d never say it around those we weren’t close with, to protect Ember’s public persona as the wise, powerful dragon lord, but I was thoroughly enjoying this side of my dragon mate.

Chatter flowed freely between the four of us as we sat comfortably in the carriage, but within only ten minutes, a firm knock on the front of the carriage by one of the guards let us know we were approaching home. We gathered our things and prepared to disembark as a sharp bump from underneath advised we’d landed, and a moment later one of the guards opened the door for us. Twilight exited first, and the rest of us followed in short order.

Ember visibly took a deep breath and smiled as she stepped out in front of Twilight’s castle, clearly relieved to be back. It seemed that Twilight’s plan to make this a second home for Ember was bearing fruit, even though the dragoness didn’t say it aloud.

Rarity was waiting at the front door to the castle, wearing a tasteful winter coat and scarf, and smiling broadly. “Welcome home, darlings! Come along now, quickly. No sense standing out here in the cold.”

Ember was only all too happy to oblige, and hurried into the warmed interior of the castle, still limping a bit.

Once we were all inside, I noticed Rarity looking at Ember with a critical eye. Glancing at Twilight with a gesture toward Ember, she asked, “Twilight, if you would…? I would like to see just how injured our dragoness is, please.”

Twilight hesitated for a moment before nodding and lighting her horn. A film of magic dissolved from Ember’s face, revealing the discolored, bruised flesh of the dragoness. While Rarity didn’t gasp in surprise or anything, she did let out a long, calming sigh as she advanced on Ember, her deep blue eyes focused intently on the dragoness. Once she was standing in front of Ember, she raised her hands, hesitating briefly before gently placing her fingers on the taller female’s face.

Ember flinched a bit at the touch, and Rarity frowned. “How bad does it feel, darling?”

She grimaced as Rarity gently inspected her. “Sore and tender. I can feel my eye and cheek throb with every heartbeat.”

Rarity nodded before briefly glancing down at the leg Ember was taking care not to put too much weight on. “And I noticed you’re limping, as well. Nothing is broken?”

Ember shook her head. “Nah. I’m roughed up, but I’ll be okay in another two or three days.”

Removing her hands from the dragoness, Rarity stepped a pace away and jerked her head toward the end of the public throne room. “Please make your way upstairs, Ember. Fluttershy is making a warm lunch for all of us, and I imagine getting off of your feet will help alleviate some of the pain. For the future though, please don’t needlessly put yourself in harm's way.”

Ember looked mildly offended for a moment before taking a step and wincing. “...okay, yeah, taking a seat sounds nice.” Without another word, she made her way toward the rear of the room.

I watched her go, and once she disappeared behind the door leading to the second floor, hummed aloud. “Y’know, for a second I thought she was gonna argue with you.”

“Same,” Twilight added, her face one of confusion. “Maybe she’s in more pain than she’s letting on, or maybe she’s just too happy to be back in a familiar environment to want to argue.” Glancing to me, Twilight grasped my hand and led on as she lit her horn and levitated our luggage with her. “Anyway, we could all use some downtime, and I think Fluttershy would feel bad if we let her food get cold.”

I readily agreed, so offered no resistance as Twilight led me by the hand up to the private apartments, where a fire was crackling merrily in the commons room, and the scent of familiar warm, spiced drinks drew my attention. I took a deep whiff of the air, smiling as the scents of home calmed me, as if the castle itself was welcoming us. Maybe it was; there are still things about the castle I don’t understand, and I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand everything about the place.

Ember was sitting right on the brick that bordered the raised hearth, smiling happily as she soaked in the warmth. To my surprise, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were both there as well, with the latter napping against the former, wrapped in a blanket and a blue wing. I caught Rainbow Dash’s eyes as we entered, and offered her a simple nod as we all took seats around the room. She returned the nod with a blank expression before immediately looking away, instead focusing on the smaller pony under her wing. Now wasn’t the time to comment on that behavior, so I let it go and just took a seat on the other side of the hearth, closest to Ember.

“More comfortable back here, right?” I asked the smiling dragoness.

Ember stayed facing the fire, but nodded. “Definitely. At least I know I don’t have to worry about some crazy pony trying to kill us.”

“Wait, say what?” Rainbow Dash’s confused voice carried over the crackling fire.

Glancing across the gap, I raised my brow. “No one told you?” Her mouth hung open loosely, and she slowly shook her head. I cleared my throat and nodded with a resigned grimace. “Sorry, I probably should have sent a letter to all of you, but I didn’t want all of Ponyville to panic. Anyway, yeah, some noble’s got it out for us because we all made her look stupid in front of a room full of the other noble houses. She didn’t like that, so...she tried to poison me and Ember. Or, at least, that’s how it looks.”

“How,” she began, her voice nearly at a shout, causing the smaller pony in her wing to squirm and mumble in her sleep. Rainbow Dash looked down at Scootaloo and lovingly brushed her hair and nuzzled the top of her head before looking back to me with an unreadable expression. Her voice was much softer now, but no less intense as she hissed, “How in the hay are you acting so calm about this? Somepony tried to KILL YOU!”

Breathing a long breath out of my nose, I nodded once. “Yes, and we have an investigation underway with Luna at the helm. Am I anxious? Oh, absolutely, but losing my cool and being all jumpy is just going to stress us all out, and life is stressful enough as it is.”

“T-thats not...it’s…” Rainbow Dash was clearly struggling to articulate her thoughts, and the way she was grinding her teeth told me she was frustrated, not embarrassed. After a few seconds of her silence, she just growled and looked away. “...nevermind, forget it.”

I was about to ask her just what the hay was going on, but Fluttershy entered the room at that moment, carrying with her three mugs, one of which she handed to Ember as she explained, “I thought you would like something nice and hot after coming in from the cold. I hope you like hot spiced cider.”

Ember took the offered mug and looked down into the steaming liquid, shrugging her shoulders. “I haven’t had it before, but every hot drink you all have given me so far has been great, so...bottom’s up.” She brought the mug to her lips and took a conservative sip, smacking her lips and humming before taking a larger drink with a happy smile. “Yeah, this’ll work. Thanks a lot, Fluttershy.”

The pegasus handed the other mugs to Twilight and Lyla before unceremoniously mounting my lap and wrapping me in a tight embrace, which I readily returned. Eventually she loosened up a bit and just laid her head on my shoulder, but refused to leave my lap. Not that I had a problem with that, since she was very soft, and I always loved hugging Fluttershy.

“I’m so glad you’re both okay,” she murmured, nuzzling against my throat as she breathed in my scent. “I’m just happy Ember getting a little bruised is the worst that happened while you were away.”

Grimacing, even though she couldn’t see it, I cleared my throat and answered, “...it wasn’t.”

Fluttershy pulled away enough to look me in the eye, and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Does it have something to do with why Lyla had to leave in such a rush?” Rarity asked, entering the room after freshening up a bit.

Briefly catching the other pegasus’ eye when she glanced my way, I released a short breath and prepared for the inevitable. “...someone tried to kill Ember and I through a third party, and we think it’s Rosy Glow. Lyla was summoned because the third party is a changeling.”

One of the reasons Fluttershy was a bit more assertive nowadays had little to do with her Iron Will seminars in the past. Instead, an unforeseen consequence of the “Flutterbat” incident was a more assertive, more confrontational side to Fluttershy that would pop up if she was ever sufficiently upset or angry. It wasn’t a split personality by any means, and Fluttershy was fully in control the whole time, but inhibitions that kept her from doing or saying things she normally would not seem to just...disappear. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, except that the whole reason for the transformation was due to a genetic trait that had been recessive before Twilight’s magic had given it a trigger. Since ponies were magical creatures, even when the spell was removed...the trait was now active, and Fluttershy’s natural magic kept it alive, complete with the physical changes that came with the initial incident.

And so, whenever Fluttershy was sufficiently motivated (usually by anger), she would change.

I got to watch it happen in real time, up close, as Fluttershy’s eyes (disturbingly) changed to vertical slits, akin to a cat. Next, her fur grew thicker, and her ears also gained cute little tufts on the tips, as the ears themselves grew in size as well. Far more disturbing was when her wings spread wide, the feathers fell out, and what remained was a fleshy membrane that looked like a bat’s wing. Lastly, from under her top lip, two long canines grew, and could be seen peeking out over her bottom lip, even with her mouth closed.

“What, in the nine hells, JUST HAPPENED?!”

Ember’s exclamation reminded me that there were some things about my friends she didn’t know, namely the fact that sweet little Fluttershy could transform into a decidedly predatory-looking pony.

Coughing nervously, I sheepishly answered, “Uh, yeah. I’ll explain it all later, I promise, but this is something normal for her...or at least, it is now. No one’s in danger, I swear.”

“Not yet, they’re not,” Fluttershy growled, fangs now bared and wings widely flared.

Focusing on Fluttershy once again, I brought my hands up and cupped her face, touching my nose to hers as I looked into her eyes. In a soft voice, I pleaded, “Fluttershy, you need to calm down. Princess Luna is already handling everything, and right here in the castle is probably the safest place we could possibly be in Equestria.”

“For now,” she mused, rolling her eyes to the ceiling and pretending to think aloud, “but as long as they’re still out there, no place is completely safe.”

Leaning back and booping her firmly on the nose with a finger, I shook my head. “No, Flutters. You’re not going down this road, and I’m not going to allow it. If you get caught up in the idea of trying to make every place safe, you’ll never rest for the remainder of your life...and I can’t have that. The world will never be completely safe,” I reached up and moved a few stray strands of mane away from her face, smiling in what I hoped was a reassuring manner, “and I want you here, with us, always.”

Fluttershy stared at me for a moment before closing her eyes and sighing, resting her forehead against mine. “...you’re right, I’m sorry. I just...I-I’m so worried about what might happen, and I feel like I should...I don’t know, do something.”

A small laugh escaped my lips as I ran my fingers up and gently massaged her ears. “You’re a worrier, Fluttershy. That’s kinda your gig. But please, just trust that Luna has everything well in hand, and that now that we’re aware of the danger, we can all keep an eye out.” I was amazed at just how easy it was to say the next words to her. “I...I love you, and I don’t want you to take this burden upon your shoulders all alone.”

I had a feeling Fluttershy already knew I loved her, and truthfully, it was very easy to translate the love of a best friend to the love of a lover...but saying it aloud cemented the fact in one’s mind. Upon hearing me say it, her eyes shot open, and a fierce blush lit up her face, starkly contrasting her more “dangerous” persona. It reminded me that, even though she might have a unique condition, she was still and would always be Fluttershy.

Before I pumped a fist at the win, she then pulled away from where she had buried her face in my shoulder, and frowned. “Wait, are you trying to distract me?”

“Is it working?”

“...yes…but did you mean it?”

Smiling broadly at the pegasus-turned-batpony, I nodded. “Of course. I’m many things, but I’m not the kind of guy to say something like that and not mean it.” Glancing around at our fellow herdmates, I asked, “Right?”

Twilight mock-thought for a moment before commenting, “Well, you can be pretty mischievous when you want to...but no, this isn’t your style as far as jokes go.”

“I know you would never play with a lady’s heart, would you?” Rarity said in that sickeningly-sweet voice that told me there was a right and wrong answer to the question, and I darn well better pick wisely.

Luckily, I wasn’t stupid. Mostly. Donning a completely-convincing smile, I shakily answered, “N-no, of course not.”

Lyla, thankfully, took the direct approach. “As long as I’ve known you, no, you’ve never purposely toyed with anyone’s heart. It’s not in your nature.”

Lastly, I looked to Ember, who glanced at me with an unapologetically loving smile. “Never. You’re nervous and awkward sometimes, but I don’t think you’re capable of lying about your feelings.”

Looking back to Fluttershy, who had not even attempted to leave her seat on my lap, I leaned forward and gave her a little peck on the nose, causing her to giggle and blush again. “I would never not mean something like that, Fluttershy. I haven’t always loved you as a marefriend, but I do now. For better or worse, you’re stuck with me.”

I readily admit that Fluttershy’s fanged smile was absolutely adorable as she nearly vibrated with joy before again wrapping me in a hug and burying her muzzle against my throat. Flutterbat could be a little intense sometimes, to be sure, but she never lost her desire to cuddle and be loved. And that was just fine, because anyone with half a brain at least had a passing desire to hug the lovable pegasus.

“I love you too, you know. Have for a long time,” Fluttershy murmured, her words slightly muffled from her position against me.

Resuming rubbing her ears, I answered, “I know. Rarity told me, and you said so when you asked to be a part of the herd. Years, right?” Fluttershy said nothing, but nodded against me. “I’m sorry I never noticed. I know, with you being you, I’m already forgiven, but I’m sorry anyway. I am pretty oblivious sometimes, and I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Fluttershy went silent for a few seconds before quietly saying, “...well, I won’t pretend I didn’t feel bad sometimes, but I’m partially to blame as well. I didn’t tell you, and Rarity couldn’t tell you because she promised me she wouldn’t...so you had no way to know. Of course I forgive you. I’m not going to dwell on the past, because the present is wonderful, and I think the future can be wonderful as well. I can’t change the past, but I can make sure what I do now is the right thing. I’ve let fear rule my life for too long, and I’m still going to stumble sometimes, but I’m going to try my hardest to be more brave.”

“You’re always brave when it counts, Fluttershy,” Twilight assured from aside, giving a comforting smile to her herdmate. “As I’m sure Spike has told you before, we love you just the way you are. If you improve upon any weaknesses you think you have in the future, that’s wonderful, but you’re our friend because we think you’re already an amazing pony.”

“And I already said you’re a strong pony, Fluttershy,” Ember reminded, finally turning away from the fireplace to face us. “I don’t say things just to be nice; I meant what I said.”

Deciding to add her own thoughts, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up. “I’ve always said you were more brave than you thought, Flutters. I don’t think anyone here expects you to be anyone but yourself. I know you’ve always had trouble with self-confidence, but you can trust that at least everyone in this room likes you just the way you are.”

While Rainbow Dash still looked at me in a weird kind of bittersweet way before abruptly turning her attention back to Scootaloo, it was clear that whatever was going on with her, she still was going to be there for her friend. I was going to need to talk with her at some point to try help with whatever seemed to be plaguing her mind (I had a feeling it had something to do with what happened in Canterlot, which was fair), but the fact she wasn’t leaving or outright scowling at me was a win, in my book.

At that moment, a frantic ringing bell sounded from down the hall, causing Fluttershy to jump off my lap. “Oh, that’s lunch! Rainbow Dash, could you help me bring it into the room, please?”

“Yeah, I gotcha ‘Shy,” the other pegasus answered, gently laying Scootaloo onto a pillow before following Fluttershy out of the room.

I found it odd that Fluttershy asked Rainbow Dash to help, since she had been supporting the sleeping Scootaloo, but quickly ignored that. There was probably a reason why she asked, and I’m sure I’d find out later.

“She looks so peaceful when she’s sleeping,” Rarity commented, drawing my attention to Scootaloo. “Right now, it’s as if she never had to endure the trauma that befell her. I only wish we could see her so relaxed, so serene, when she is awake.”

I nodded a few times, trying to ignore the feeling that my lap somehow felt lonely now.

As if reading my mind, Ember stood and took the place that Fluttershy had vacated a few moments ago, curling up and wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she nestled her nose against my chest. She then completed the action by wrapping her wings around my shoulders, effectively shutting out the world while she snuggled closer. Since no one could see, I freely allowed myself to caress her body from under the winged cocoon. She said nothing, but the happy sighs and pendulum-like motion of her tail (which could objectively be called “wagging” at that point) told me she was enjoying the attention immensely.

But, we weren’t alone in the room, and Twilight was the queen of snark.

“He does have good hands, doesn’t he?”

Had I not been holding onto her, Ember might have jumped away. As it was, she jolted, and gained a deep blush as she looked over her shoulder at Twilight. The alicorn merely shook her head with a cheeky smile. “Oh come on, there’s no need to be all bashful. We’re not in public, so cuddle to your heart’s content. No one here is going to judge you, and the most we’ll feel about it is a little jealous.”

Ducking her head a little, Ember murmured, “...y-yeah, I know. It’s just taking some time to adjust to the fact that not only is this okay, but you’re all encouraging it. This kinda thing would normally not happen in the dragon lands. In fact, if Spike and I had gotten together before any of you...none of this would have been happening. Dragons are pretty possessive.”

“Which is exactly why none of us have chosen to court outside of Spike, here,” Rarity explained, motioning to me with a flick of her hand. “In Equestrian culture, until we are married, there is rarely such a thing as exclusivity. The point of courting, after all, is to assess whether individuals are compatible in a romantic sense, and focusing on only one can severely limit one’s options. But,” she again gestured to me, “we understand a bit about Spike’s natural instincts, and I have ensured any who wishes to become involved with him knows that a dragon will not tolerate courting outside of the herd. Everyone here has been made well aware that, to be with Spike is to be with only Spike and his herd.”

While I wanted to speak up and refute that claim, to say that I would be okay with normal herding practices...the very thought of one of my herd being with another male made me...antsy. I just barely kept a growl from escaping at the thought, but if Rarity’s expression was anything to go by, she knew exactly how I felt about it.

“That...oddly makes me feel a little better,” Ember mumbled, a smile making its way on her face. "I mean, I know he has the hearts of other females, but I've accepted that and it's honestly not as weird as I thought it would be. But another male?" Ember shook her head resolutely. "Spike is the only male I want or need. There's something inside me, really...primal, that tells me being with another male at this point isn't attractive in the least. Maybe that's the brand talking, but I haven't seen any male ponies or any other creature that 'does' anything for me."

While my Equestrian upbringing said that was abnormal, my dragon instincts were pleased by that fact.

"Besides," Ember continued, nosing against my throat with a concealed smile, "Spike's a good find for a mate. Anyone can tell that."

"And we aren't the only ones that have realized that," Rarity warned, taking a sip of her drink and clearing her throat. "It shouldn't happen, but should any mares approach Spike while you are out and about, direct them my way. As the lead mare, it is my job to handle applicants. Equestrians know that, so if any mares approach him directly without a brooch, you have my permission to get a bit defensive. It's bad manners, and if they attempt to use a dragoness' ignorance of the culture, that's a serious faux pas, to say the least."

“While I’m not close friends with every single pony in Ponyville,” Twilight added, sipping her own drink, “I generally trust the ponies around here. It shouldn’t happen in Ponyville. Maybe in Canterlot or Manehattan, but not here.”

Ember glanced at me for a moment before looking back to Rarity. “...just so I know what I’m getting into, should I be expecting any others to be joining this hoard/herd thing?”

Rarity thought for a moment. “Well...it would be between three and six. Three approved members, three possible members following a probationary period, and over a hundred applicants in all.”

“A-a hundred?!” I blurted, visibly paling even through my scales (or so I’ve been told).

“Applicants, Spike,” Rarity stressed, still calmly sipping from the mug. “Much like businesses only choose a relatively small number to hire from a pool of hundreds or thousands or applicants, a herd nearly always has more applicants than will ever be a part of said herd.”

In only a matter of seconds, my heart had leapt into my throat, and my blood pressure had skyrocketed, so it took a few more seconds to calm my racing heart down to something considered normal. Eventually, I was able to breathe out. “...r-right, I knew that. Sorry about that, everyone.”

Twilight reached over and poked me with a wingtip, smiling wryly at me. “Panicking is my thing, Spike. Get your own schtick.”

At that moment, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash reentered the room, carrying four trays topped with goodies including some cookies, tomato and cheese sandwiches, what looked like baked apples, sliced cheeses, and assorted fruits. Both mares set their trays down on the table, at which point Rainbow Dash immediately took her place next to Scootaloo once again, and Fluttershy motioned to the food.

“Please, help yourselves. Let me know if any of you need more drinks or any-”

“Fluttershy,” I interrupted, laughing softly as I coaxed Ember off of my lap to sit beside me, “c’mon, sit down and relax. We’re fine for now, and I know I don’t feel right about you darting all over the place to serve us.”

The still bat-ponified pegasus chewed on her lip briefly before sighing and taking a seat across from me, beside Twilight. She pouted and grumped, “Fine...I just thought that it would be nice to cook a meal for the herd.”

“And it is,” I assured, popping a grape into my mouth and humming as the sweet, tart juice exploded over my tongue, “but I don’t want a house slave. More than anything, I want the people I care about to just spend time with me. Thank you for this spread, but now I just want you to sit with us and relax.”

Fluttershy was still chewing on her lip. “...but what if cooking for those I care about is relaxing to me?”

“More than cuddling with me next to a crackling fire?” I challenged, knowing I had won when she sighed heavily through her nose and stuck her tongue out at me. I smiled good-naturedly and commented, “This is very nice, and I do appreciate it, but I feel bad when any one of you is running all over, doing things for me, and I’m just sitting here, enjoying what’s given to me. So I’ll tell you what: we’ll trade off. Sometimes I’ll make us some things, sometimes, you can make us things, that way neither of us will always be the designated cook. Does that sound good to you?”

It took a moment, but a smile finally bloomed on her lovely face as she nodded my way. “Yes, I think I can agree to that. That seems fair.”

With the lull in the conversation, Rarity suddenly asked, “So, Fluttershy, are your parents going to be visiting for the holiday?”

Perking up, her ears doing the same, Fluttershy nodded rapidly with a happy smile. “Oh, yes! They are! And I can’t wait to introduce them to all of you! A-although…” she paused, seeming to be unsure of what to say next.

I had met Mr. and Mrs. Shy once before, and never saw any problems with them. They were rather passive ponies, even compared to their daughter. However, Fluttershy’s birth mother was another matter entirely, as she had essentially left Fluttershy with the others of her herd to return to her posting in the Equestrian military: a border guard along the border with the badlands. Fluttershy had a...complicated relationship with her birth mother, a giant of a mare that went by the absolutely-not-terrifying moniker “the bulldozer”. I had met the mare once in passing, just long enough for Fluttershy to introduce us, and found myself looking at a mirror image of the pegasus I loved...if said pegasus was built out of solid muscle, and looked like she could snap me in half.

Since I knew she and her brother were on decent terms nowadays, the only reason she could likely be unsure of her family meeting us would be because, “...Posey is coming, isn’t she?”

Fluttershy again chewed on her lip, nodding silently. This caused a wave of surprise to ripple through those gathered in the room, and even Rainbow Dash glanced up at Fluttershy in surprise, with her jaw dropped. Even Twilight had only met with Captain Posey on a few occasions, and had told me the mare could be summed up in one word: intense. She was born to be in the military, through and through, and I’ll not lie and say I wasn’t a bit apprehensive about the mare learning I was in a herd with her daughter.

Noticing the confused look Ember was sending her way, Fluttershy sighed loudly and explained, “Posey is my birth mother. Her and I don’t really see eye to eye. I love her, and she loves me, but things have always been...tense, between us. She is a border patrol guard for the Equestrian military, so I don’t see her very often, but she always sends letters whenever she can. I never told her I was even interested in Spike, so I can only imagine h-how bad this is going to go.”

Fluttershy, still being nervous enough to stutter, even while in her batpony form, told me she was truly worried about the meeting, and I can’t say I blamed her. Few things were objectively terrifying in this world, but a mother worried about her foal and willing to do anything to protect her was one of those things.

“I think I’ll have met more ponies just over this visit than I have during any other time in my life,” Ember commented aloud, munching happily on some of the cheeses. “There’s gonna be some stories to tell, to be sure.”

“Yeah,” I answered, laughing hollowly, “if Posey doesn’t skin us and wear our hides as a cloak.”

Ember rolled her eyes and nudged me with her elbow. “Oh, quit being a scaredy-drake. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the big, bad pony mom.”

“This is a mare that regularly wrestles minotaur bulls for fun,” Fluttershy commented softly.

“Dragons are quite a bit bigger than minotaurs,” Ember countered, flexing her hand and showing as it suddenly grew to six times its size before returning to a smaller, softer state.

I sat up straighter at that thought. She was right; I was bigger and stronger than Fluttershy’s mother now. Why was I afraid of her? Probably because I was in a relationship with her daughter, and part of the border guard’s job was fighting and winning against creatures the size of an adult hydra.

Regardless, it was going to happen sooner or later, if Fluttershy was going to be a part of my life for the foreseeable future. “Might as well get it over with. If I’m going to be with her daughter, I’m not going to be able to avoid her.”

Ember patted my head patronizingly and praised, “Good boy, Spike.”

I growled and snapped playfully at her hand, causing the others to giggle at the two of us.

Ember and I were once again in the training room, though for once, I was teaching her something.

“Again, Ember.”

I was still vastly below Fizzle and even Rainbow Dash when it came to skill in hand-to-hand combat, but Ember wasn’t even a novice when compared to me. As a dragon, she never had a need to learn to fight like a pony did. If a dragon came across a threat, they would simply grow to a size that would allow them to overpower their opponent. Ember, though, had come to understand that such a way of thinking was one of the “old ways” she was trying to do away with, because it revealed vulnerabilities about dragon culture that could be exploited by smaller creatures that knew how and where to poke. Because of that, she had asked me to teach her how to fight.

I stood a few dozen paces away from Ember as she slowly and methodically went through the different forms I had shown her, telling her how her body should move and why. With heavier, denser bones than ponies, it had been difficult for anyone to find a fighting style that would allow me to make the most of my body. When it came down to it, there were no pony martial arts that could do that, so we had ended up asking for help from the minotaurs and zebra.

What we had developed over time (and were still developing, since it was novel and niche) was a martial art that focused on quickly closing the distance between a fighter and their opponent, and grappling close to do large amounts of damage very quickly. In addition, the martial art was developed to use the opponent’s own momentum against them, flipping or tripping them to keep them off-balance or on the ground, so they couldn’t fight effectively.

Ember was a remarkably fast study, and executed each form with only minor mistakes here and there. She told me she didn’t want to rely merely on her breath, magic, and size to fight, and instead wanted to know how to use the capabilities of her body to their fullest, if needed. Sure, growing was great to quickly end most fights, but besides the massive energy requirement, what if an enemy was as large or larger than an adult dragon? At that point, said dragon should know how to fight other than frantically clawing and biting wherever they could.

The current stance Ember was in was the first that Twilight and I came up with, designed to firmly plant the user in their center of gravity so that they could easily transition from offense to defense without losing their footing. She was still a bit jerky and unsure in her movements, but again, she was a fast and eager learner.

Getting to touch her toned body as I properly positioned her was just a happy bonus, I swear.

Running a critical eye over her, I walked my way to stand closer in front of her and asked, “Ready to try and take me down?”

Her eyes were facing straight ahead, focusing on nothing in particular, but darted to me briefly. She seemed to consider me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, let’s give it a try. That’s how you learn, right?”

Taking my own stance, I nodded with a smile. “Indeed we do. Your only aim is to take me down. You can only use grapples, no fire, and no magic. That includes growing.”

Ember nodded before stepping forward cautiously. We began circling each other closely, me watching her hips and shoulders to see when and how she would move. Her first attack was an attempt to lunge and grab my left arm, likely to put us in a position for her to use a shoulder throw. The point of the martial art, after all, was to pull the opponent close to the body, where more of the muscles could be used to execute an attack, enabling a smaller fighter to potentially take a larger, heavier opponent to the ground fairly easily.

While she was still learning, part of teaching was showing someone how an opponent could potentially counter their actions.

Her lunge brought her well within range, so I stepped forward as well, wrapping an arm around her back as I locked her ankle with mine and shoved her backward. Her wings flailed wildly in an attempt to stop her fall, but before she knew it, she impacted the floor with an “oof” of breath, looking up to see me smiling at her victoriously.

After allowing her a few seconds to try and glare a hole through my head, I asked, “What did you do wrong?”

Ember stopped glaring and closed her eyes as she thought. Again, she was smart, and it only took her a few seconds to respond. “I wasn’t quick enough, and I went for your limb in a telegraphed move.”

I nodded, booping my nose against hers affectionately. “Very good. A shoulder throw is great, but isn’t recommended as an initial action to close the distance. You should have gone for my hips, where you could control my center of gravity better. There, you could have easily lifted one of my knees, which would allow you to gain control of me, where you could have taken me to the ground. Remember: keeping an opponent off-balance makes them easier to deal with. If they can’t find their footing, they can’t act.”

The two of us spent a few moments just looking into each other’s eyes. As sappy as it sounded, I felt I could have stared into her eyes forever, and it would not have been a wasted life.

A clearing throat caused me to flinch, and both of us looked to the door to see a certain blue pegasus standing there with an unreadable expression on her face. “Am I interrupting something naughty? I can come back later.”

Smirking briefly, I pushed myself up and pulled Ember with me, turning to Rainbow Dash and shaking my head. “Nah, I was just running Ember through some basic steps of that martial art we developed.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? And how was she doing?”

I shrugged. “Better than when I started out. She’s quick on the uptake, but also just started today.”

Rainbow Dash just looked at the two of us for a bit before asking, “What do you say you and me go at it, Spike? It’s been awhile since we sparred, and I want to see if you’ve improved.”

I turned my eyes to Ember. “Do you mind?”

Ember smiled at me and leaned in to nuzzle my throat. “Not at all. Go on, have at it.” She turned her eyes to the pegasus as she pulled away. “Don’t break him, Rainbow.”

Rolling my eyes, I stepped away from the dragoness. “Thank you, dear. I can feel your love and support.”

And, of course, Rainbow Dash was grinning like a shark. “Ah, he’ll heal. Don’t worry, I won’t break nothin’ that can’t be fixed.”

‘Whatever,’ I thought to myself. After getting toward the middle of the room again, I asked, “What rules are we using?”

Rainbow Dash took her own place and said, “I think we’ll just go basic. No magic, no size changes or anything, and no fire.”

I nodded as I rolled my shoulders to ease some of the tension. “Sounds fair.”

With Ember watching from one side of the room, we all lapsed into silence as Rainbow Dash and I stared each other down. There was no getting around the fact that Rainbow Dash was faster than me, so I was just going to have to wait for her to make the first move. Hopefully this time, I wouldn’t have another set of bruised ribs.

Or maybe I’d end up as bruised as Ember.

While Rainbow Dash had mellowed out with the years and was an expert at hand-to-hand combat, she wasn’t exactly what one would call patient. It only took a few quiet moments for her patience to run out, and with a mighty flap of her wings, she launched herself toward me at a speed that made her hard to track. At the last second, however, she cut left to circle around me, lashing out at my side in an attempt to strike at my ribs (why is it always the ribs?) with a spinning kick of her hoof.

Knowing from experience how much this particular attack would hurt, I dodged, barely having enough time to bend out of the way as her attack cut through the empty air. But, realizing her attack had missed, Rainbow Dash immediately changed her tactics and went for another weak point: the joints of my wings. Wings were, after all, comparatively fragile compared to the rest of my body, and while I didn’t need to fly in such a small space, the pain would cause me to lose focus. I retaliated by using my closest wing to help me turn faster, allowing me to keep the speedy pegasus in front of me. She realized too late that her knife-hand wasn’t going to hit her target, but without enough time to pull out of the attack, she only struck my chest, producing a thump of flesh upon muscle. That would have sent numbing pain through my wings, had it hit its intended target, but against my thick hide and strong pectorals, it was a nuisance at best.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened in horror as I snatched her hand with mine and held her thumb in my grip and twisted it, causing her to lunge forward in pain as I manipulated the small joints of her hand. With my other hand quickly grabbing her elbow, she was now in an armbar, and had it not been for her quick thinking, that would have been the end of the bout. Instead, she flipped forward to release the tension on the joints, wrenched her now freed arm out of my grip, and retaliated with an elbow to hit the unprotected side of my torso. The strike caused me to lose some breath, but not enough to put me out of the fight for long enough for her to capitalize on it.

Realizing this, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings back to put some distance between us so she could reassess the situation and act accordingly...but I wasn’t going to give her that opportunity. This time, I rushed her, using my heavier body and larger frame to plow into her with enough force to knock her off-balance. Using my remaining momentum, I snapped my leg out under both her hooves, shoving her shoulders with both hands, putting her in a sudden fall that she didn’t have enough time to recover from. Her wings still snapped out and flapped wildly to stop her, but it wasn’t enough, and she found herself in much the same position Ember had been in when she entered the room. Except, I knew this wouldn’t mean she was out of the fight, so I mounted her waist to keep her legs from causing any damage, and immobilized both arms with mine as she lay on her back, trying her best to wiggle her way out from under me.

After a few seconds of this however, she stopped and groaned loudly, her head resting on the stone floor as she pursed her lips in an almost-pout. She stayed that way for a few quiet seconds, the only sound in the room being our breathing, before turning her head to look at me with a resigned smile. “Fine...you got me. Good job, Spike. But don’t get cocky.” After a few moments of us just sitting there, she asked, “...so are you gonna let me up?”

I just shrugged and playfully asked, “I don’t know, I kinda like having you beneath me, helpless and at my mercy. Where I could do anything, and you couldn’t stop me.”

Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and countered, “But you’re not that kind of guy, Spike.” She quite suddenly found herself nearly nose-to-nose with me, as I lowered my head to stare directly in her eyes.

“What kind of guy is that?” I asked innocently. “What might a guy not like me do to a mare completely at his mercy?” As I planned, a blush quickly began to show on her face, and she darted her eyes away from my face. I reached my tail around my body and used it to push her chin back to look at me. I continued pressing her. "What could I do, Rainbow Dash? What might I do?”

Her eyes were now wide, and her lips parted a bit as heated breaths escaped. Sure, I felt a little bad about teasing her this way, but after the many years we had been friends...well, let’s just say she had it coming. And, like I had also planned, her wings began to straighten out and her feathers fanned, in an instinctual pegasus plumage display that often happened when they were...well, excited.

But, Rainbow Dash wasn’t stupid, and it only took another moment for her to realize what I was doing, and why. With a pout and a snort through her nose, she growled and said, “You suck. That was dirty, and you know it.”

Grinning victoriously, I finally released her and stood, taking her offered hand and pulling her up with me. I shamelessly replied, “Hey, turnabout is fair play. How many times have you teased me like that, only to send me on my merry way?”

She opened her mouth to retort, only to close it a moment later. She eventually conceded. “...all right, that’s fair.”

I nodded and turned to look at the dragoness in the corner of the room. “Hey Ember, could you give us a few minutes? I’ll meet you back in the commons room.”

Looking momentarily confused, Ember mentally shrugged and answered, “Yeah, sure. Don’t take too long.” She promptly left through the door, closing it behind her.

Now that I had her alone, I turned my attention back to Rainbow Dash. “So, are you gonna tell me why you’ve been acting weird all day? You’re here, so you must be ready to do so. You avoided even looking at me for the rest of the day.”

True to her character, Rainbow Dash glanced away as she seemed to organize her thoughts. Eventually, she settled on, “I know we haven’t exactly lived a calm life by even Ponyville standards, but how many times am I gonna have to hear about one of my friends almost dying before…” she paused briefly, swallowing a lump in her throat, “...before it actually happens?”

A great friend would be able to reassure her that everything would be all right, and that no matter what, we’d make it through whatever crazy things the world threw at us. I suppose that makes me a bad friend then, because as much as I tried to come up with something reassuring and comforting, I just couldn’t.

“...I don’t have an answer to that, Dash,” I said forlornly. “The life of high-profile individuals isn’t exactly safe at the best of times. I can’t promise you nothing’s ever gonna happen to me, but I’ll always do my best to stay out of trouble if I can.” I raised my brow in confusion. “What’s with the worry? You used to always dream about living an adventurous life, fighting bad guys and saving Equestria from monsters and such.”

“That doesn’t mean I want my friends getting hurt, Spike,” she clarified, frowning my way. “I love saving ponies and doing what I can to protect our home, but that’s because I don’t want anypony getting hurt.”

I also frowned at that, knowing the hard truth of the matter. “...you can’t save everyone, Dash. No one can. No matter how strong or fast you are, you’re just one pony.”

She let out a frustrated snort and ground out, “Yeah, I know that, Spike. I get it, believe me, but you can’t tell me I’m just supposed to be fine with the thought of you having a crosshair on your back. Like it’s all just normal or something. ‘Oh, no big deal, some uptight whorse wants you dead. Yeah, that’s fine.’”

“It’s not fine Dash,” I responded, an edge in my tone, “but what exactly do you expect me to do, hm? If you have a solution, I’m all ears.”

“I DON’T KNOW!” she shouted, having broken the barrier beyond frustration. She started pacing and ran her hands up through her mane as she fought to stay calm. “I don’t know what you’re supposed to do, but I don’t like hearing about you being in danger all the darn time! What, am I supposed to just sit here and act like everything’s all hunky-dory even though you might just…” she stopped pacing and sniffled with her back turned to me, “...w-what if one day you just don’t come back? What if all of the sudden, something bad happens, and the only thing I get is some horseapples excuse of ‘we’re sorry for your loss’?”

And suddenly, once again, the pegasus was feeling helpless, and the frustrated tears streaming down her face prompted me to close the distance and wrap her up in a hug, which she immediately returned. Rainbow Dash sniffled and clung to me as if I was her only life raft in a raging ocean storm, while I held her close and weathered her fears with her.

After minutes (or hours, for all I know) of this, she finally calmed down enough for me to talk to her. “I think you should talk to Fluttershy.”

Sniffling once, she croaked out, “About what?”

“How she deals with it,” I said, reaching a hand up and combing through her hair. “I mean, did you see how she reacted? She transformed almost immediately, but you can see that after all that, she was still able to smile and laugh with us. Maybe I’m seeing it wrong,” I took a moment to mentally run through my observations, “...but I think she realizes she can’t control everything. She’s accepted that, and so does what she can to enjoy all the time we do have together. The worry is always going to be there, but she makes sure to enjoy each moment the most that she can.”

“...but how do I stop worrying all the darn time?” she asked in a small voice.

“That’s something you need to ask Fluttershy about, because I honestly don’t know,” I answered pathetically. “I do my best to just not think about all the ‘what-ifs,’ but I’m not sure if that’s healthy.”

“Probably not,” she admitted, laughing softly as she added, “I guess it’s better than giving yourself a stroke from all the worry, though.” She paused for a quiet moment before saying, “I’m sorry about being all uncool. It’s just, I felt all kinds of bad, and I really didn’t know how to word what I was feeling.”

“Articulating your feelings has never been one of your strengths,” I playfully criticized. Yes, it was true, but we knew that it was simply a part of who Rainbow Dash was as a pony. Getting too deep into feelings always made her feel awkward, and while she had made great strides to overcome it, this was still a flaw she carried with her.

Rainbow Dash just nodded against me. “Glad you understand.”

We finally pulled away after a few quiet minutes of just hugging, and I carefully asked, “So, are we cool? Are you gonna be okay? We’re in the castle all day today, so take as long as you need.”

Rainbow Dash seemed to consider my question for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ll be okay, I think. I might get kinda snuggly when we go to bed, but I don’t think that’ll bother you.”

“I promise not to tell anyone you’re secretly a cuddly pony,” I teased with a smirk.

She punched me in the shoulder as we both stood, then made our way out of the pocket dimension. Waiting just outside, leaning against the wall as Rarity checked her over, was Ember. The unicorn was in the middle of quietly chastising the dragoness for doing any physical activity with her still being freshly injured.

“...I understand that dragons are more hardy than soft, squishy ponies, but that does not mean you should be overexerting yourself as you’re healing, dear.”

Ember rolled her eyes good-naturedly as the unicorn continued to fret over her. “Rarity, I truly appreciate the worry, but I know my body and what I can safely handle. I’m sore, but staying still is just going to make it worse. Blood flow is good for healing, and Spike was-”

“Speaking of Spike,” the mare then turned to me, glaring daggers my way, “why did you allow her to talk you into this?”

Rainbow Dash quietly slipped away, being smart and beating a hasty retreat. I could only smile sheepishly under the fiery glare from Rarity, pathetically defending, “H-hey, this is Ember we’re talking about. What makes you think she’s gonna listen to anything I say if she doesn’t want to? I’m her mate, not her parent.” I wisely chose to not mention the fact that part of the session involved me slamming Ember to the ground.

Rarity squinted at me for a few moments before relenting and softening her gaze. “Fine...but please, for my own peace of mind if nothing else, take it easy.” She turned back to Ember and added, “Both of you.”

Knowing it was better to just agree at this point, I quickly answered, “Sure thing, Rares. Sorry for making you worry.”

Rarity looked expectantly at Ember for a few moments before the dragoness finally relented and grumbled out, “Okay, okay, I’ll take it easy.”

“Marvelous, darlings. Now, let us retire to the commons room once again. Twilight decided to set up the projector, so we can all enjoy a film together,” Rarity advised, practically skipping away with happiness.

Ember followed behind me as I made my way back to the commons room, softly asking, “...it’s not gonna be one of those trashy romance films that you make fun of Rarity for watching, is it? That doesn’t really sound like my kind of thing.”

“Last time Rarity tried that, Rainbow complained for all two hours of the movie,” I assured, chuckling at the memory. “I don’t think she’ll be making that mistake again.”

As we made our way back toward the commons room at a relaxed pace, Ember and I chatted about what other things I might be able to teach her before she inevitably had to leave for the dragon lands. This put a noticeable dip in both of our moods, but I knew from experience (some of it recent) that ignoring uncomfortable things didn’t get rid of them, and only made dealing with them more tedious in the end.

At the same time, Ember and I leaned into each other, our tails wrapping around each-other’s waists, and Ember’s head nestling underneath mine. Stopping in the middle of a hallway, we just quietly hugged and enjoyed one another’s mingling scent, trying to make the most of the limited time we had left. It was likely she was going to be leaving shortly after Hearth’s Warming, which left only a week and some change. Until Twilight got the portal system up and working, Ember and I would again be separated, with only letters to contact one another.

“I’m going to miss you, my mate,” Ember whispered mournfully.

Grabbing a firm, possessive handful of her rear, I squeezed, which got me a surprised squeak from the dragoness. While I didn’t do any more fondling, I kept my hands where they were as I just drank in the sensation of her body against mine. Eventually, I answered, “...and I’ll miss you, my mate. It’s only for a little while, though.”

“Yes,” she conceded, “but our bond has grown strong, and very quickly. I don’t particularly like the idea of being away from you for any length of time.”

I nodded against her. I felt the same, but she and I both knew we had duties to our respective peoples that demanded she return to the dragon lands, and I stay in Equestria. We were both well aware that our people had to come first...but that didn’t mean either of us liked it. There was always a voice in the back of my head trying to get me to be selfish, and just forget about everything but my friends, my herd, and my family; I could only imagine Ember was feeling much the same.

“C’mon,” I gently coaxed, pulling Ember with me, “let’s get back to the commons room. Relatively soon, you’ll have to return to the dragon lands, but for now, you’re here. I’m going to make sure we get as much enjoyment out of the time we have left as possible.”

Ember said nothing, but didn’t resist as I led her to our destination.

Hours later, we were in the dining room, enjoying a meal that I had made with Fluttershy’s help. It was nothing particularly fancy, but it was simple, nutritious, and filling, which was good enough for me. There were no complaints from the others, and it was a nice break after the first film we had watched, which had been an action flick at Rainbow Dash’s insistence. Scootaloo had awakened halfway through, and though she lacked the exuberance of her normal self, the mindless excitement of an action movie got a few smiles out of her, which I counted as a win.

A night of cheesy movies with friends was always a good night.

Rainbow Dash, the intensely loyal mare that she was, quickly picked up on Scootaloo’s little bits of excitement and laughter at the cheesy jokes, and sat right next to her, egging the younger pony on. For all that she claimed to not be good with “mushy feelings,” she was showing all of us just how much she cared for her adoptive little sister, carelessly casting aside all pretenses of “coolness” or “radicalness” all for the benefit of someone who needed her. None of us mentioned it, but I knew I wasn’t the only one smiling from the sight of the two.

This was one of the times of my life that I truly treasured: when we could temporarily forget about our responsibilities and just be friends again. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine I had gone back in time, to a year before the drama of dating, or statecraft, or politics, and I was just a little drake watching a movie with my friends, unfettered by adult responsibilities. But, as Ember nosed my throat and Fluttershy drew circles on the top of my hand with her thumb, I decided that the present was pretty nice too, and while different, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

With this particular film being one I had seen at least ten times, I found myself focusing less and less on the film itself, and more on the mare and dragoness that were at my sides.

In the darkening room, I decided to use that cover to subtly explore the bodies of the two with my hands. I knew there was little Ember would say no to, but I had a feeling Fluttershy was a different story, and so I decided to test the waters a bit by slowly inching my hand from her side to her hip, where her cutie mark was hidden beneath the lounge pants she wore. Fluttershy barely reacted, other than her ears slowly standing erect as she briefly glanced at me from the corner of her eye. When she didn’t stop me, I began slowly rubbing the palm of my hand over her clothed mark, knowing I had the go-ahead when she gently placed her hand over mine and smiled. I kept up the motion for a bit, until Fluttershy’s eyes turned back to the film. Now, I pressed a little further, slipping my hand underneath her top to lovingly caress her tummy with my fingertips. I had to strain to hear it, but I was able to pick up on a soft hum coming from deep in her throat as she laid her head against my shoulder. Of course, not wanting to leave the dragoness unattended, I replicated what I was doing with Fluttershy on Ember, much to the joy of said dragoness.

But, part of this little act was testing to see how far I could go with Fluttershy before she became uncomfortable.

So, I once more moved my hand, inching a single finger underneath the front hem of the bottoms she wore. This time, I could feel as Fluttershy stiffened against me, and I froze for a few breaths. When she didn’t stop me, slow as a glacier, I inched my hand under the hem and to the side, watching her face the entire time. Her cheeks were deeply colored now, and she had captured her bottom lip in her teeth, with one cute little fang visible. I felt my hand glide over the silky fabric of her undergarments, my thumb catching briefly on the side as I continued my journey. Eventually, my warm palm was resting against her bare cutie mark, and I moved no further as I just kept my hand where it was. Her body language told me she was already nervous about this, so I knew I had reached her current limit, and should press no further. With that known, I kept my hand still and just let her acclimate to the new sensation.

We three sat that way for a few minutes, until Fluttershy leaned in and whispered, “...n-no one’s touched me like that before.”

Turning my attention entirely to her, I whispered back. “Did you want me to stop?”

Fluttershy again captured her lip in her teeth, her eyes darting around for a moment, before she quietly answered, “M-maybe this is far enough, for now. I-it’s new, but I l-like it.”

I now busied my hand with some gentle caresses, rewarding me with another deep hum of satisfaction from the pegasus. “It’s your body, so you set your own boundaries. Anytime you feel uncomfortable with anything, you never need to feel like you can’t tell me to stop. Okay?”

Fluttershy nodded before again laying her head on my shoulder, and we spent the rest of the movie like that.

Three movies down and quite a few hours later, everyone was bathing for the night and preparing for bed. No one was keen on braving the cold, so everyone present unanimously decided on a sleepover. Everyone else was bathing individually, but as was becoming the norm between Ember and I, we helped each other clean up. I swear I only felt her up once or twice.

But, the problem was that we now had six people that needed a place to sleep, and Twilight’s bed was only so big.

For a minute or so, all of us just stared at the “princess-sized” bed, which while massive by normal pony standards, wasn’t big enough to fit more than five comfortably; this was doubly a problem for us, since I was a bit larger than a pony stallion. I was running possible solutions through my head as fast as I could come up with them, and I’m sure Twilight was doing the same.

“...I never thought I’d come to a day when this giant bed wouldn’t be big enough,” Twilight commented aloud, frowning at the problem in front of us.

I gave a halfhearted nod. “Guess we’ll need to get a bigger one custom-made at some point...but for now, we need to figure this out.” I thought for another few moments before venturing, “Maybe...get rid of the frame, and put the mattress directly on the ground, against the wall near the window.”

Twilight raised her brow at me, but complied and lit her horn. With a flash, the mattress poof-ed onto the ground, and a mulberry aura moved it against the far wall. Twilight then looked at the new space and commented, “Well, there’s plenty of space now, but I don’t think we want to be sleeping on the floor.”

“Mattresses...we need more mattresses,” I said, motioning to the hallway. “We have at least a dozen spare bedrooms, and only a few get used.”

Twilight bit her lip, but nodded as her horn lit up again. A moment later, two more double-size mattresses dropped onto the ground, and I immediately worked to push them both lengthwise against the larger bed. Now, while a bit haphazard, we had plenty of room for all of us. Without me needing to ask, Twilight then teleported three more blankets onto the beds, and our makeshift sleeping area was finished.

“Well,” Rarity began, pursing her lips as she looked over the decidedly messy sleeping area, “it isn’t pretty, but it will do quite nicely, I think.”

I shrugged as I spread out the blankets the best I could, looking with a critical eye over what was essentially a futon, if not for the fact the mattresses weren’t bendy. “Well...Twilight and I have a lot of money saved up from how practical we are with spending. It’ll take time to get someone to custom-make a bed for our new needs, but we can definitely afford it.”

Letting out a breath she had been holding, Twilight nodded. “Yes, that’s true. I just never thought I’d need a bigger bed, though I suppose this is a good thing.” Twilight giggled and shook her head. “Yet here we are, needing a bigger sleeping area, because there are too many of us. My life is crazy.”

Snorting a laugh, I nudged her with my elbow. “I’m a dragon living in Equestria, hatched through magic, and I happen to be the adopted son of the living sun. My life is crazier.”

Before either of us could continue, Rarity stepped forward and interrupted, “Yes yes, you’re both quite mad, life is a rollercoaster, and the world is insane. We can discuss all that after some beauty sleep.” Just as I opened my mouth, Rarity stopped me with a finger to my lips. She smiled lovingly and added, “And dear, while I appreciate what you were about to say, likely something such as ‘you don’t need it,’ I am rather tired, and would enjoy some rest, if nothing else.”

I couldn’t help it as a pout found its way on my lips. “Well this isn’t fun. I can’t be all romantic and sweet if you just predict what I’m going to say.”

Rarity batted her eyelashes as she passed me by. “Well, I suppose you’ll need to be more unpredictable, won’t you darling?”

“To be fair,” Lyla decided to throw in her own two bits, “you have been chasing her for a decade. Stands to reason she’s heard a lot of your sweet quips and flirting before.”

While I wanted to defend myself...she was unfortunately correct. My misplaced wooing (or, at least, it was misplaced at the time) had exposed a lot of my courting behavior to Rarity for years, so much so that our long history together would work against me. I guessed that meant I would need to think on how to surprise her every now and then...which could be fun.

“If I didn’t know you, that smile would be terrifying,” Twilight commented, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Turning to glance at her, I gave a far more reserved smile. “Oh, don’t be so worried. Now c’mon, let’s get to bed.” I stood back while the girls all found places on the mattresses, since I had an idea in mind. Once everyone was settled, I noticed the space left was big enough for at least four more...so I closed my eyes and focused on my protective instincts once again. I could feel my pants stretch a bit to accommodate my growth, and after a few seconds, I opened my eyes to notice all five individuals staring at me. At their collective silent questions, I explained, “We all want to be cuddled together for warmth and...other reasons, so I had to grow to increase my surface area. More surface area means more space to cuddle, which means no one gets left out.”

“Of course, you had to turn the issue of mutual sleep space into a math problem, you dork,” Ember quipped, smirking at me.

“You love that I’m a dork,” I challenged, grinning right back.

She rolled her eyes, but beckoned me to them with a claw. “Yeah yeah, don’t spread that around town. Now c’mon, let’s get to sleep. I’m still a fragile, injured maiden who needs her mate to protect her, after all.”

I didn’t say anything more as I walked over to the mattresses and crawled on them, situating myself in the middle of everyone and spreading my wings as I lay on my stomach. Immediately, I had a herdmate cuddling up wherever there was space, my impressive wingspan covering all three ponies and the changeling, while Ember shimmied around to lay right in front of my face. She leaned forward and booped my nose with hers before laying her head beside mine, shooting a thankful look Twilight’s way as the alicorn levitated a blanket over Ember’s back. I could hear Fluttershy and Twilight whispering to each other as I closed my eyes to prepare to sleep, but ignored it since they weren’t talking to me. Other than that, the room was quiet, and I mentally settled myself in for the first night with all of my herd.

Eventually Twilight and Fluttershy stopped talking, and all was quiet save for the breathing and fidgeting of everyone as we waited for sleep to claim us. Rarity was apparently more tired than she let on, since it was only a few minutes before soft, dainty snores were issuing forth from her, and Ember followed right behind with silent, deep breaths.

As usual, it was taking me a bit of time to fall asleep, so I was still awake when the door nearly-silently creaked open to my side. I turned my head, looking over the mane of Rarity to see a blue nose poking through the crack in the door, quickly followed by a certain pegasus’ blue face and rainbow-patterned mane. It took a few seconds for her eyes to acclimate to the dark, but she was able to fairly easily pick out my softly-glowing eyes in the dim lighting, and was asking a silent question that I already had an answer to. Before I could beckon her in with my tail, another, smaller orange muzzle also emerged from behind the door, and my eyes softened as I saw Scootaloo looking my way. I silently nodded and gently moved my legs to keep from waking those who had already fallen asleep.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo left my vision, prompting me to turn my head to follow them. I saw Rainbow Dash using the unused blankets to build her and Scootaloo what I had jokingly once referred to as a “pegasus nest,” which was exactly what it sounded like. After ensuring it would provide the proper support, Rainbow Dash climbed in on her back, wiggling herself deeper into the little nest, before opening her arms and inviting Scootaloo to lay on her chest. And, while their relationship was closer to that of a younger and older sister, as I watched Rainbow Dash lovingly run her fingers through the violet mane of the smaller pony, I couldn’t help but think of how maternal she looked, and how, somehow...it worked for her. I knew she wouldn’t believe me, but at that moment, I knew she would one day be a wonderful mother for a filly or colt.

The last vision I had before my eyes closed and sleep began to claim me was a smiling Rainbow Dash, holding a younger pony like one would their own child...and looking like this was what she was meant to do in the world.

Chapter 25

Our out-of-town visitors had been held up for one reason or another, and rather than arriving during the middle of the week, they arrived much closer to Hearth’s Warming than we planned. That’s not to say we weren’t already prepared to receive them, but anyone that knows Twilight knows how panicky she can get when schedules aren’t followed. As it was, Silverstream and her chaperone arrived early in the morning, before the sun even crested the horizon, and the two immediately fell into their provided beds and passed out. Yona and Sandbar arrived next, shortly after dawn, both chatting happily (and surprisingly quietly) about what each had been doing the past few months, and Gallus quite literally walked into the middle of their conversation, prompting the three to join in a group hug as they reunited. I’ll admit, it was entertaining to watch the two males’ eyes bug out as the yak cow practically squeezed the life out of them.

Jubilation continued when Silverstream awakened and joined the merriment, and as if summoned by the presence of her friends, Ocellus arrived with King Thorax himself in tow. Save for the yet-to-arrive Smolder, the Young Six were back together, and the rest of us simply let them catch up while we continued to prepare for the upcoming holiday. This meant we were still waiting on Twilight’s family, the Canterlot princesses, and the royalty from the Empire, but we had plenty to keep us busy until they arrived.

The catering for the town had arrived earlier in the day, and since it was essentially heat-and-eat food, we just put away the massive amount of food in the cold storage room that was essentially a giant freezer. As for our personal catering for our close friends and family that would be staying, Applejack and the Cakes were still putting the finishing touches on everything, and much of Applejack’s food would be cooked the day of, so as to be as fresh as possible. Pinkie had already left to travel to her family’s rock farm, leaving just the Cakes themselves finishing up the last of our order.

Work had largely tapered off with the holiday fast approaching, since even bureaucrats wanted to be home with their families. This left all of us with plenty of time to just enjoy life, which included catching up with Thorax.

Thorax, in my opinion, was the ideal leader for the reformed changelings of Chrysalis’ hive. He was always friendly and open to forging new relationships, he was devoted to his people, and though his title was “king,” he chose to speak to his people as equals, and considered all their wants and needs before making decisions. He was still soft-spoken and awkward at times, but Thorax truly cared for the wellbeing of his people, and that was enough to make him a good leader.

Thorax, of course, had plenty of questions about the recent formation of my herd. Being creatures that once fed on positive emotions, the new changelings were interested in all things regarding relationships. Freely given love was, after all, an endless fount of food for changelings like Lyla, so it was the most treasured form of love to find.

“So, is everything going well, then?” Thorax asked, sitting across from me in the library as we sipped warm drinks.

I nodded happily, unable to stop the smile that crossed my lips. “Better than I could have imagined. The love is flowing freely, and as far as I can tell, everyone’s happy.” A frown followed, however. “But…Ember is going to have to go back to the dragon lands following the holiday. I’m understandably upset about that, but she has duties to get back to that can’t be put off any longer. Twilight is finalizing her portal system, but it’s going to take time.”

Thorax set his lips in a thin line, nodding understandingly. “I know what it’s like to be separated from those you care about. It feels like spikes of pain under your skin that don’t stop hurting until you’re back with them.”

Raising my brow I queried, “I wasn’t aware you’d been in love before.”

Thorax gave a wearied smile. “Yet another thing that sets me apart from the rest of Chrysalis’ hive. Pharynx used to joke that I should have been born a pony, because I would have fit in better.”

Giving my own look of understanding, I nodded back. “I know what having a crisis of identity is like. Twilight and all the other girls were always willing to support me, but being ponies, they just couldn’t relate to what I was going through. Before I met you and Ember, I was surrounded by friends, and yet still felt alone sometimes.” Following that, I was quiet for a few moments before asking, “Did you ever find them after you guys changed? The one you loved, I mean.”

Raising his own brow back at me, Thorax answered, “Of course I did. Kinda hard not to be able to find a celebrity. Songbird Serenade isn’t exactly difficult to locate.”

Normally, I would be pretty surprised if the average pony personally knew a pony as famous as Songbird Serenade, but by their very nature…well, changelings were embedded in pony culture. Once the alliance was announced between changelings and Equestria, many Equestrian citizens revealed themselves to have been changelings all along, living peacefully with ponies for years -- decades, for some. Frankly, if Thorax had told me he had once been a butler in Canterlot Palace, I would have believed him.

“Did you ever try to contact her again?” I asked, suitably concerned for my friend.

Thorax shrugged, idly scratching his cheek. “A few times, yes. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly the first one to claim I’m a friend of hers, and try to meet her. Her agent and managers made sure I never got to see her. I know that’s normal for someone as high-profile as she is, but it still hurts that she probably doesn’t even know I’m looking for her.”

And suddenly, I knew what I was going to get Thorax for Hearth’s Warming. Sure, it was only two days away, but I could pull it off.

Standing up and patting him on the shoulder as I passed by, I encouraged, “Hey, don’t give up. You never know when fortune will drop in your lap. Now c’mon, I think it’s time we get something to eat before Twilight gets back from Canterlot. We’re gonna have work to do when she does, and you know that means lots of questions for you, and lots of writing for me. It’s been awhile since we’ve spoken with the leader of a hive, so I’m sure you can imagine how many lists she’s written since you told us you were coming to visit.”

Despite his normally sunny demeanor, Thorax still grimaced. He was well aware of just how thorough Twilight was when it came to her questions. Sometimes, that meant hours of them, and I often had to be the one to reign her in.

Rolling my eyes, I assured, “C’mon, it won’t be that bad. I’ll save you if it gets to be too much, I promise.”

“You better, “ he playfully challenged, standing to follow me, “because I have changelings depending on me. I can’t make sure they’re okay if I die of boredom.”

Chuckling at the quip, I just continued to lead us to the private kitchen. It took only a few minutes for us to get there, and upon arriving, we found we were not the only ones that were feeling a little peckish. Starlight had returned from the school for the holiday, since the students were sent home until the new year. Currently, she was munching on some haychips straight out of the bag, while reading the newspaper levitating in front of her. She promptly choked on a mouthful when she glanced up and saw Thorax standing in front of her, hurriedly wiping her face with a napkin and trying with all her power to appear as if she hadn’t just been stuffing her face.

Thorax just smiled brightly and waved at her. “Hi Starlight!”

While not quite as close as Trixie, Thorax was considered by Starlight to be one of her closest friends. Due to all the travelling Starlight would often do when she wasn’t needed at the school, she spent quite a bit of time with the reformed hive, which obviously included Thorax himself. After all, they had worked together to free everyone when Chrysalis had foalnapped the princesses, and besides me, Starlight was one of the first people to offer Thorax a fair shake. We are all good friends, but the fact that both Thorax and Starlight were people that came from darker paths in life meant they shared a special bond.

That didn’t mean Starlight wanted to be caught pigging out by him.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Starlight stood and crossed the meager distance between us and enveloped the tall changeling in a hug, sighing happily when his arms wrapped around her. “It’s good to see you, Thorax. I’m glad you made it.”

Releasing his own sigh of happiness, he closed his eyes and affectionately nosed Starlight’s mane. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Star.” Stepping away, he inspected her with a crooked smile. “I mean, if I’m going to make sure relations between Equestrians and changelings remain positive, it would behoove me to be up to date on pony traditions, wouldn’t it? Hearth’s Warming offers me just such an excuse. And if I should just so happen to need to spend time with good friends for a few days…” he shrugged, his grin becoming decidedly mischievous, “well, that’s just a happy bonus, isn’t it?”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Well regardless of whatever reason you needed to justify it, it’s good to see you again.” She then focused on me. “So who else are we still waiting on to get here?”

I placed a claw on my chin as I thought aloud. “Well, Smolder is supposed to be coming today, and if she’s anything like Ember, she’ll want to fly during the time of day when the sun is highest. This means she’ll arrive sometime in the late afternoon. Besides the remainder of my herd, Rainbow, Applejack, and the Crusaders, that just leaves Fizzle. I…don’t know exactly when Fizzle’s supposed to get here. She didn’t say when she’d arrive.”

Starlight looked over me with a critical eye before observing, “...you’re nervous. Why are you nervous?”

While my first impulse was to immediately refute her accusation, the narrowed eyes of Thorax silently warned me not to lie to them. With a resigned sigh, I began to explain. “Fizzle and I parted on…less than desirable terms. She was staying with us briefly before she left, and during that time, I guess you could say I was rather…interested in her. I mean c’mon, I was a teenage dragon, and her default outfit was skintight bodysuits.”

“So you were perving on her a little,” Starlight surmised, raising an eyebrow challengingly.

I couldn’t help it as I started to blush, but with a few bobs of my head, I could only agree. “...y-yeah, kinda. I never even really got the chance to apologize for my behavior, and then she just up and left. Twilight swears up and down it wasn’t because of me, and inside I know it wasn’t, but I can’t help but conclude a horny teenage dragon probably contributed to it.”

Starlight nodded understandingly, laying a hand on my shoulder. “Well you’re not a horny…” she paused, pursing her lips before continuing, “well, you’re not a teenage dragon anymore. You can just apologize like an adult, and move on from there.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I keep all my horniness in private, thank you very much,” I shot back playfully, poking her in the side.

Starlight squinted at me with a smile before schooling her features and looking me in the eyes. “Twilight told me about the letter she sent. In it, she didn’t even mention you, which at the very least means she’s not worried about meeting you again. I think it’s safe to say she isn’t holding a grudge about it.”

“Or I’m so unimportant, she doesn’t even remember me,” I pointed out, feeling an odd weight in my chest as I said that.

“Why does it seem like that would bother you even more?” Thorax asked, obviously noticing my emotional state.

When I really thought about it…I didn’t have an answer. “Maybe…maybe it’s because she’s going to be living with me? I don’t know, actually. We weren’t exactly close when she left, but the thought that Fizzle would just not remember me bothers me for some reason. Like I’m so unimportant I’m not even worth remembering.”

“Or it could be she was suffering from soul-crushing guilt and she had other things to worry about at the time, and so she couldn’t muster the emotional capacity to become particularly close to anypony at all,” Starlight suggested helpfully.

“That’s fair,” I conceded, motioning for the two to follow me as I started walking again. “Regardless, she’s not even here yet, so stressing myself out like this isn’t doing me any good. All I can do is make sure we’re prepared for when she does arrive, which I’ve already done, and put on my most welcoming smile when she gets here.”

We kept walking for a few silent minutes before Thorax eventually commented, “...maybe you should greet her in your own bodysuit or something.” I nearly tripped as I suddenly stopped, and though I blushed at the thought, could only raise a brow at the changeling. He looked completely unbothered and shrugged. “What? I can admit you have a good body, Spike, and it could be a fun icebreaker. It would immediately diffuse any tension in the air, that’s for sure. She’d probably just laugh, which would be a good thing.”

I raised my finger and opened my mouth to retort, only to lower my hand and shut my mouth a moment later as I really thought about it. Even though I was not going to be doing that, “I can admit your idea has some merit, and I hate that it does. It’s ridiculous, but sometimes ridiculous is what we need.” I glanced at the changeling and smiled at him. “I have a feeling you’ve been spending too much time with Discord.”

“Speaking of our resident chaos lord,” Starlight began, sitting back down at the table to continue her reading, “when’s the last time he visited?”

I took a seat at the other end of the table, with Thorax sitting to my right. “Eh, it’s been awhile for us, but Discord explained that he doesn’t experience time the same way we do. He experiences time nonlinearly, so a day, week, month, or year is all relative to him. He doesn’t miss major holidays, so I know he’ll be here for Hearth’s Warming, but we’ve learned that we need to let Discord do as he does. So, he’ll definitely be here in two days, but other than that, we might see him or we might not. There’s really no way to know.”

We were all quiet for a moment, just enjoying the momentary calm, before Thorax suddenly perked up. “Oh, I said in the letter that I needed to speak to Lyla. Is she available?”

I also started a bit, realising that for him to have mentioned that in the letter he sent, it must have been important. I stood and nodded to him before smiling at Starlight. “Welp, looks like I’m out for now. See ya, Starlight.”

With nothing more said, Thorax and I quickly left the castle, and made our way through the snowy town. Of course, with him being a bit of a rarity to be seen in ponyville, as well as being nearly as tall as I was, he drew the eye of nearly everyone that was out and about, regardless of their age or sex. He was a novelty, after all, and even I could admit he had an exotic appeal that most other creatures couldn’t replicate. New changelings had become quite popular, and Thorax himself was no exception. True, he already had a love in mind, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to draw eyes wherever he went.

We crossed the town relatively quickly in silence, deigning not to really say anything until we were approaching Lyla’s home.

“I…I would actually like to speak to her in private, if I could,” Thorax suddenly asked, looking apologetic.

I raised a brow at him. “May I ask why?”

Thorax looked distinctly uncomfortable. “...we’re best friends Spike, and changelings are generally very open, but some things must remain private. Please understand.”

I can’t say I particularly liked being left out of the loop again, but he was right. Not everything was open for discussion, even among the same species, so it stands to reason there are some things regarding changelings I would never know about. For their own safety, if nothing else. The changelings took a huge risk by allying with Equestria, and they knew it. Even though things were generally very positive between the races, exposing every vulnerability would be stupid. I could only assume what Thorax needed to discuss with Lyla was somehow about that, so I was notably less upset that he excluded me from the talk.

Letting out a long breath, I nodded understandingly and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I get it. Just head back to the castle when you’re finished. I’ll be there most of the day.”

Thorax released a breath he had been holding, smiling gratefully. “Thank you, Spike. I promise we won’t be long, and I’ll try and bring Lyla back with me if she’s not busy.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, giving him a thumbs-up. “If I’m not home, I’ll probably be out in town somewhere. You know how to find me if you need me*.”

Thorax smiled again and knocked on the door. I shot into the sky before Lyla could answer, since I still had things to do to make the stay for our guests as nice as possible.

“H-how in the n-n-nine hells did Ember m-make that flight?! I just about f-f-froze to death!”

Though she was never going to admit it, Smolder was practically cuddling me as I carried her through the air toward the castle, with her shivering violently to try and warm herself up. To be fair, the younger dragoness was a bit smaller than Ember, which meant less body heat, and complained even in the spring about how Equestria was often too cold. She’d never visited during winter, so even though she knew about the concept of ice and snow, she’d never been somewhere cold enough to have it. Smolder was the opposite of Ember in the sense that she had tons of “book smarts,” but little actual experience with the world and its many wonders.

“To be fair,” I began, ensuring she was held as close to me as possible, to hopefully soak up some of my excess heat, “Ember flew here before it got as cold as it is now. Even then, she didn’t break line of sight with our hearth for the first two hours she was here.”

The flight was a fair bit more awkward because of the fact Smolder had wormed her way up under my shirt to be skin-to-skin.

“W-whatever,” she grumbled, trying to sound tough even as she was shivering with chattering teeth, “j-j-just get us s-somewhere warm.” I glanced down at her just as she locked eyes with me. “A-and if you tell anyone I was d-doing this, I’ll…find some w-way to punish you for it.”

I arched a brow challengingly at her. “Doing what? Cuddling against me? Being like a cute little kitty-cat that wants to get a head scratch?”

Her frills took on a deeper hue as she jabbed me in the ribs with a finger. “S-shut up! Don’t say stuff like that!”

Let it be said that I wasn’t anywhere near as close with Smolder as I was any of the rest of my friends, and I’m pretty sure she had her eye on Sandbar. Still, we had a comfortable banter between us that usually involved petty teasing and poking fun. She did it to me, I did it to her, laughs were had, and life was good. Besides, she had years of it coming since she had been taller than me until fairly recently, and had to teach me darn near everything about dragon adolescence. She made fun of me quite a bit during those times, and it both toughened me up as well as taught me how young dragons related to one another.

So yes, I was going to take full advantage of her current predicament to embarrass the heck out of her.

Turning my eyes back to the quickly-approaching castle, I teased, “I mean, maybe if you ask Ember nicely, she’ll let you get in some cuddles here and there during your stay.”

I imagine if it weren’t for the uncontrollable shivering, Smolder would have frozen when I said those words. As it was, she sucked in a sharp breath and trembled more, hastily hissing, “D-dude, don’t even joke about that! Ember would skin me alive if…” she then stopped and tentatively asked, “...wait, why would I ask Ember about something like that?”

I inclined my head a little bit more to show off the brand. “Notice anything different about my throat?”

It took her a second before she sucked in another gasp. “W-woah, she branded you?”

“And I branded her,” I added, smiling a bit at the thought. “We’re mated in the old ways, and after the holiday, I’ll be heading back with you two to present myself to her parents.”

She was silent for a moment before saying, “Y’know, I knew she kinda always had a thing for you. Even back when you two first met, she said you were a cute little drake. Too young, but cute.” She snorted and shifted against me a little, her teeth no longer chattering uncontrollably. “When she said she was heading back to train you, I didn’t know this would happen.”

I shrugged a bit as I flared my wings, bleeding our speed away as I prepared to land on a balcony. “Neither did I, but it did, and I’m happier for it. Anyway, here we are.” We stood there for a moment as I pressed my palm to the wall, causing a crystal door to appear to let us inside. “I honestly don’t mind, but you might want to slip out of my shirt. It’ll make it hard to walk, and people will ask questions I’m sure you don’t want to answer right now.” She slipped out from under my shirt and quickly brushed herself off before marching inside. I closed the door behind us, and nudged her with a wing. “C’mon, we’ll swing by the kitchen on the way and get you something hot to drink. Then we’ll head to the commons room where the hearth stays lit pretty much the whole winter. If I know Ember, that’s where she’s gonna be anyway, so you can see her, too.”

I didn’t wait for Smolder to respond, but heard her mumble, “Warmth is good,” under her breath. I held back a laugh and just led us through the winding passageways until I finally found the kitchen, and went about steaming some milk for a hot chocolate. While I did so, Smolder just sat on the counter and idly kicked her legs as she examined the room around us. She hadn’t spent much time in the castle, so this was likely the first time she’d seen the private rooms most of the public didn’t get to see.

“I should also warn you, just so you don’t think things that aren’t true,” I began, breaking up a few chocolate bars into the pan of steaming milk, and adding a few spices with a dash of cocoa powder, “that Equestrians practice a form of polygamy, so I have more than one mate. Ember is well aware, and has actually integrated that part of Equestrian culture pretty readily. She’s said it still feels odd for her sometimes, but she understands and has accepted that she has to share me with others.”

While I wasn’t looking at her, I imagine if I turned my head, I would see Smolder staring at me with her mouth hanging open. After a few quiet moments, she could only ask, “...woah, for real?”

I nodded, stirring the mixture vigorously before tasting a spoonful. After analyzing the taste, I added a bit of nutmeg and a bit more cocoa powder before carefully pouring the mixture into a large mug, and handing it to the dragoness. “For realsies, yeah. I’m well aware that’s not how things work in the dragon lands, but it’s how it works here, and Ember is surprisingly okay with that. As long as she has my love and support, she seems to have accepted being part of an Equestrian herd.”

I leaned against the counter next to her and watched as Smolder seemed to take a moment to digest what I had just told her. She absently took a sip of her hot drink, then stopped and stared at the mug in wonder. “...what is this? It’s incredible.”

“Homemade hot chocolate, which is just what it sounds like. Use dark chocolate so that it’s not overbearingly sweet, and use fresh milk to keep it creamy and frothy,” I explained, pointing at the mug with a smile. “Ember likes it too, though she usually adds some cinnamon. I kept it basic, so it wouldn’t overwhelm you or something. Still, this’ll help warm you up from the inside. Now c’mon, let’s get to the fireplace so you can warm up your outside, too.”

Smolder gently eased herself off the counter to avoid spilling her drink, then followed me as I led her again into the winding halls of the castle to our next destination. It only took a few minutes before I could hear the scattered chatter coming from the commons room, and I was able to pick out the voices of both Ocellus and Yona from within. We rounded the last corner to see that, yes, both the changeling and yak were in the commons room, but true to my guess, so was Ember, as usual, sitting on the stone of the hearth to soak up as much warmth as possible.

The older dragoness perked up at our approach, greeting, “Wonderful, you made it. How was the flight?”

Before she could answer, Smolder was glomped by the yak cow, and her drink went flying into the air with the liquid tumbling everywhere. Before a mess could be made, a teal magical aura caught every drop of liquid and deposited it back into the floating mug, holding it aside as Starlight entered the room with a warm smile on her face. Since she had taken over headmistress duties at the school, these were now her students, and she had a special place in her heart for each one. She took genuine joy in seeing them so happy and thriving the way they were.

I glanced at the mare and casually advised, “Thorax is at Lyla’s. He said he’ll head back after he’s done talking to her about whatever he needed to. But that works out, because I met a certain half-frozen dragoness while I was out, and escorted her back here.”

Starlight just kept smiling, but said smile turned a bit more mischievous when she heard that. “Well, that works out just fine, because a message just appeared in Twilight’s study with the royal seal on it. An airship just checked in with security forces in Canterlot, and the passengers include visitors from all over the planet, come to observe an Equestrian holiday in Canterlot. But, a few are heading to the town where the Elements of Harmony had their start, including-”

“It’s Fizzle, isn’t it?” I finished for her.

Starlight almost physically deflated. “Well it’s no fun when you take the wind out of my sails. I was gonna tease you for a few minutes.” She blew out a breath and nodded. “But yes, Fizzle arrived on the airship, and caught a ride on the express line. She’ll be here in the next thirty minutes.”

A spike of anxiety stabbed my heart, and I felt myself start fidgeting. I had expected her to not arrive until later in the day or even tomorrow for some reason, and yet she was going to arrive in half an hour. Less than that, probably.

“Spike…Spike, pull yourself together,” Ember’s robust voice soothed from my side. The dragoness had stood and was encircling her arms around my waist without me noticing. I did as she said, taking a steadying breath and allowing myself to be hugged from behind. “C’mon, it’s gonna be fine. Besides, I told you that we in the dragon lands were terrified of this mare, so you don’t get to freak out, because I’m gonna need you to be the calm one between us.”

Physically swallowing down my anxiety, I settled myself and placed my hand over Ember’s. “You’re…you’re right. Sorry about that. I’m okay, I promise.”

“Big dragon scared of little pony?” the voice of Yona taunted as well, drawing my attention to her. She was smirking at me challengingly. “Perhaps Yona must protect scaredy-dragon this day!”

“Oh, buck you, Yona,” I returned, and yet the challenge actually did make me feel less worried.

The yak only smacked her rump hard with a hand, winking at me. “Only in dreams, lover-drake.” She then dropped her smile and stood tall, pounding her fist into her palm. “Being serious now, does Yona need to break skulls?”

I couldn’t help it as a smile worked its way on my face, and I looked at the cow thankfully. “No Yona, not seriously. Thank you though, because I know you would.”

“Of course Yona would,” the yak immediately assured, flexing as she demonstrated her strength, “yak always stand with shield brother and sister! Yak fear no enemy, for great feasting halls await!”

Once again, I was reminded of the warrior traditions of the yak people, and knew that Equestria had a ready-made war-ally in them, if nothing else. The yaks were an honorable people, and if you fed and housed them, they practically considered you family. The warrior culture of the yaks took time to understand for Equestrians, the latter nation having been at peace for over a thousand years, but once one understood an offer to fight was not a declaration of war, yaks were much easier to get along with. They liked to eat and drink, they liked to tell stories, and they liked to fight in honorable combat.

Changelings, by comparison, were far more peaceful, as was evidenced by Ocellus’ request of, “Or, or, we could, um, not fight? Please?”

But, I knew Yona had to burn off some steam somehow, and frankly, I was the only one that probably wouldn’t get hurt. With that in mind, and the desire to avoid another incident involving the guards, I offered, “I’ll tell you what, Yona: you and I will have a good brawl the day after Hearth’s Warming if you want. That’ll be my present to you, and you can tell the yaks that you got to wrestle a dragon.”

Yona gasped and danced on her hooves excitedly. “You speak truth?”

I nodded with a smile. “Promise. You and I both know almost no one here could take you, and yaks love to tell stories. What better story than one few other yaks can claim?”

“Yona likes this, yes! Thank you, Spike the dragon,” she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and attempting to remove it from the shoulder socket in a good imitation of Applejack.

The three younger creatures made their way out of the commons room, with Smolder snagging her hot chocolate on the way out. Starlight, Ember and I watched them go for a moment before Ember said, “...you’ll make a good dad, Spike. You’re good with kids.”

I laughed in surprise, both at the mention of fatherhood, and her referring to Yona that way. “E-Ember, you do realize her and I are basically the same age, right? Yeah, I tend to relate better to people older than me, but I’m in the same general age group as Smolder and her friends.”

Ember grimaced and glanced away. “Oof. When you say it like that, I just feel old. Makes me feel like I’m robbing the nest or something just by being with you.”

I raised my brow at her and said, “I should remind you that my first love and infatuation was a mare years older than me. I was only up to her knee the first time we met, and I still fell head over heels for her. That and all my friends are older than me, and I didn’t meet anyone my age until we moved to Ponyville. Even then, I almost always hung around ponies older than me, and because of my advanced schooling and vocal skills, I relate better with the older generations.”

“Nice to know I’m one of the ‘older generation’,” she added, though I could tell she wasn’t serious.

I just shrugged. “Eh, I’ve always had a thing for older mares. Guess that includes other creatures, too. Better keep me away from your mom.” Ember scoffed at me, and I noticed Starlight just watching us with an odd smile on her lips. “What’s with the look, Star?”

She seemed to shake herself out of an internal thought she was having, and Starlight smiled sheepishly. “O-oh, it’s just…it’s crazy watching you two sometimes. You only got together not too long ago, but the way you banter and talk to each other reminds me of couples that have spent years or decades in a relationship. It’s nice, but it’s odd.”

Ember blushed a bit, but smiled nonetheless. “W-well, part of it is because of the brand: it deepens the bond we already shared. The other part…well, we were really lucky to find each other so soon. Some dragons don’t meet their destined mate for hundreds of years, but it only took us a few decades.” At Starlight’s confused look, Ember elaborated. “Oh, um, dragons have a…let’s call it ‘cultural belief’ that every dragon born has a mate they are destined to be with. The brand was designed specifically for that mate, and it will activate only with them. There are deep, old magics woven into the spell that no dragon living today completely understands, but it works.”

Starlight perked up. “Really? Wow, that’s incredible. I thought such spells existed only in fairytales.”

Ember merely smiled enigmatically. “Even the most fantastical stories have a kernel of truth within them.”

“Oh don’t get all ‘masterful and wise’ on me, Ember,” Starlight chided, “or do you forget I watched you get sucked into a cheesy action film where you could see the wires?”

Ember blushed again and stuck her tongue out at the unicorn. “Even the wisest being needs some mindless fun now and then to keep their sanity.”

After a moment of staring at one another, trying to keep straight faces, both females erupted into laughter. Again, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Ember not just getting along with ponies, but actively enjoying their company. Most of them, anyway.

Their laughter slowly tapered off, and after their giggles completely subsided, Starlight turned to me with a serious expression. “Well, I think you should probably head to the train station. Twilight is already going to be there, and you know she would be upset if you aren’t there to support her. Everypony else is busy with preparations, so if you aren’t there, it’ll just be Twilight all alone.”

Twisting my lips into a frown, I nodded resolutely. “Yeah, and she’s already stressed enough. No sense adding more to her anxiety. All right,” I groaned, standing and straightening my shirt, “let’s go get this over with. Do me a favor, Star, and do one more check on Fizzle’s room. I know we spent yesterday preparing it, but I just want to be sure everything’s good before she gets here. I want her to feel like this is her home, and she’s welcome.”

Starlight smiled a little. “You got it Spike. Leave it to me.”

Starlight stood and quickly made her way to the halls, leaving me with Ember. I leaned down to the dragoness and gave her a gentle, unhurried kiss that was infused with as much love as I could convey. If the smile I felt on her lips and happy murmur was any indication, she was quite pleased, so I counted that as a win. Pulling away, I winked at her and said, “Be back soon, babe. Love you.”

Ember raised her brow at me. “‘Babe’? Going right for the pet names, hmm?”

“Term of endearment. Anyway, I’m off. See you soon,” I said, waving as I paced out of the room and toward the front door.

I did my best to ignore the butterflies in my stomach, as well as the little voice in my head telling me that somehow, I was going to screw this up.

“You’re late,” Twilight stated plainly, neither accusatory nor particularly annoyed. It was just a statement of fact.

I stepped up beside the mare and wrapped my wing around her to stave off some of the cold. “...yeah, sorry about that. I uh…I got held up.” I tried my best to ignore the side-eye Twilight was giving me, but eventually, I caved and admitted, “All right fine…I may have walked slow because I’m a little worried about this. Only a little, though.”

Twilight’s expression softened and she leaned into me even as she inclined her head and waved at one of the townsponies. “It’s going to be okay, Spike. You know I’ll be right here, no matter what.”

I stood next to her, trying and failing to stop fidgeting.

The sound of the train horn blowing in the distance caused me to nearly jump out of my skin, and the puffs of smoke that rose from the trees in the distance caused my heart to start racing. Minute by minute, the train approached closer, until I could hear the telltale sound of the engine chugging along. Eventually, the train itself rounded the bend and broke through the treeline, its familiar pastel colors heralding the approach of tourists, out-of-town family members, and a certain special unicorn mare.

The squeal of the brakes announced the train’s arrival to everyone on the platform, and we all waited patiently for the beast of steam and metal to slow to a gentle stop. Minutes seemed like hours as I grew progressively more anxious, until eventually, the engine passed us, and the train cars began to crawl by. Finally, with a hiss of steam and a final toot of the horn, the train stopped completely, and the doors opened to allow the passengers to disembark.

A veritable tsunami of creatures of all kinds (though mostly ponies, obviously) practically erupted from the doors of the passenger cars, all in a hurry to both meet those that were receiving them on the platform, and get out of the cold into the loving embrace of family and hearths. My eyes began scanning the crowd, on the lookout for our quarry.

One by one, the crowd dispersed, the passengers either heading home, or finding the ones waiting for them and following their hosts to the warm indoors. The waves of people became a gathering, which became a trickle, until only a few were left walking to and fro.

I strained my neck to see over the crowd a bit more, wondering aloud, “Did we get the right train? I don’t see her.”

“This is the only train coming for the rest of the day. After this stop, the crew are heading to their own homes to be with their families,” Twilight assured, frowning at the lack of our expected visitor.

And then, as if summoned by our questions, she appeared.

Due to the tense atmosphere her mere presence created, she was dressed in a heavy winter cloak and scarf, with the hood pulled up to cover her head and hide the broken horn that would immediately give her away. She was tall, just a bit taller than Twilight, and had the comfortable, measured gait of an experienced soldier. The scarf was wrapped around her muzzle, leaving all but her eyes covered, but that was enough to identify her from a distance for anyone that was looking. Her deceptively soft opal eyes scanned the platform for a moment before settling on us, and from where I stood, it looked like her eyes widened slightly as she hesitated briefly. Seemingly getting over her momentary pause, she made her way over to us with confident strides, until she finally stood in front of us.

“Hello, Princess Twilight,” she greeted neutrally. Her voice was smooth and concise, as if she planned every word she spoke days before the words ever left her lips. I’ll admit, it was still intimidating, even after all this time. After a moment, those intense eyes moved to me, and I got the distinct impression she was confused, and maybe even a little cautious. But, with a widening of her eyes, she almost curiously ventured, “...Spike?”

She remembered me. I mean, of course she did. Or, at least, the change from “lanky, awkward adolescent drake” to “tall, mature dragon” was profound enough that it was impossible to ignore. Smiling slightly and nodding with far more confidence than I felt, I answered, “The one and only. Hi, Fizzle.”

Those eyes stayed locked on me for a few moments of silence before they rolled back to Twilight. Twilight merely stepped forward and wrapped the taller mare in a hug, which after a moment of surprise, she returned. They held the embrace for a few more moments before separating. Twilight glanced at me and assured the unicorn, “I promise we’ll explain everything, but let’s get back to the castle, where it’s warm. Spike, could you get her luggage?”

“Oh, actually I’ve-”

Shaking my head and walking over to take the suitcase in my hand, I smiled once again at Fizzlepop. “It’s cool, I got it. I know what long trips are like, and I’m sure there’s nothing you’d love more than to get somewhere warm, get a shower, and relax. Now c’mon, let’s do as the princess says and head back to the castle.”

Just as the unicorn was preparing to retort, Twilight added, “And Fizzle, I told you that you can just call me Twilight. We’re friends, and I don’t want my friends calling me by my title, like we’re strangers or something. I have a name, so please use it.”

Fizzlepop seemed to silently debate with herself on how to respond before eventually settling on, “...okay, Twilight. Lead the way.”

Twilight turned and promptly began walking, Fizzlepop following her, and me bringing up the rear. The walk to the castle was quiet, and save for a few questioning glances from locals, nothing particularly interesting happened. I swear once or twice that I saw Fizzlepop glancing at me out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned back to look, she was facing forward. I resolved to remain looking forward in hopes of catching her in the act, but when it never happened, I concluded I must have been seeing things.

Eventually, we approached the castle, and Twilight quickly ushered us inside. When the door shut behind us, Twilight turned with a smile, and reached out to touch Fizzlepop’s shoulder. She looked into the mare’s eyes as she said, “Welcome home, Fizzle.”

Had I not become an expert in body language during the past few years, I would have missed the subtle relaxation of Fizzlepop’s posture at the words, and even though I couldn’t yet see her mouth, I got the distinct impression she was smiling. She turned to Twilight and bowed her head ever so slightly, offering a soft, humble, “Thank you, Twilight. That means more to me than words can say.”

The alicorn practically glowed with happiness, and she nodded to Fizzlepop. “Of course, Fizzle. Now, unfortunately, a princess’ work is never done, so I’m afraid I need to run. Spike, would you mind showing her to her quarters and giving her a tour?”

While it’s true Twilight was busy, the look she sent said there was a reason she was asking me to do this. I swallowed heavily and nodded, hoping with everything I had that I wouldn’t stick my foot in my mouth. I caught eyes with Fizzlepop and tossed my head. “C’mon, I’ll lead you through this maze, and yes, we have maps.”

The quiet thumps of her booted hooves told me Fizzlepop was following, and her question that followed confirmed it. “Maps?”

I nodded, keeping my gaze forward. “Yeah. Sounds like a joke, but you wouldn’t believe the number of times we’ve gotten lost in this place. After a month or two of it, Twilight created maps and placed them all over the walls so you can find your way no matter where you are.” I pointed toward a frame on one of the corridor corners. “There’s one right there.”

It’s true I didn’t know every hall of the castle by heart, but I could find my way to the important areas without a map, most of the time. So, I was able to lead us to the private apartments of the castle, and after taking a moment to count four doors down from Twilight’s, I opened the door and held it open for Fizzlepop, who shuffled past me into the room. Like the other full-sized guest rooms, the front door led to a living area, complete with furniture, a television, and a set of Prench doors leading to the balcony. Off of that was the bedroom, and this was what separated Fizzlepop’s room from the normal guest rooms. The bedroom was fully furnished, the bookcase fully stocked, and the closet full of an array of different outfits, all conspicuously in Fizzlepop’s size, courtesy of a certain seamstress.

I set the large suitcase on the ground and turned to the unicorn, gesturing to the room. “Well, this is your place. Decorate it however you like, and make it yours. And I’ll second Twilight by saying: welcome home, Fizzle.”

Fizzlepop glanced at me before walking around the room, her boots making no sound on the carpeted floor, even as a few bits of snow fell on the carpet. She looked all around, seeming to not know quite what to make of the place, so I just kept quiet and let her take her time to acclimate herself to the new space.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Fizzlepop favored me with an unreadable look, and a slightly more confident, “Thank you, Spike.”

Cracking a smile, I nodded to her. “You’re welcome. Now, I’ll leave you to get settled in. Did you want me to wait, or do you think you can find your way to the commons room?”

Fizzlepop seemed to consider me for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “No, I think I can find my own way. Thank you again, Spike.”

I nodded once again, backing out of the room. “Sure thing. Anyhow, I’ll be making some hot chocolate, so don’t take too long. I’ll get you a hot drink, and you and I can tour the castle while you ask any questions you might have.”

Again, she seemed to consider me, for longer this time, before giving a shallow nod. “Yes…questions. I’ll see you soon then. Thank you for the hospitality.”

As I opened the door and left, I commented, “This is your home too, now. Remember that. You’ll always be welcome here.” With that said, I shut the door and left Fizzlepop to her own devices, moving quickly and efficiently through the corridors to the kitchen. As was normal this time of day, Twilight was grabbing a snack and mug of herbal tea, and I sent her a raised brow as I entered the room.

“Are you going to tell me the reason why you asked me to escort her?” I half-accused.

Twilight smiled enigmatically at me. “Are you nervous anymore?”

I hesitated for a moment, and admitted, “...no, but that didn’t exactly make things less awkward. Fizzle seemed very reserved, even for her, as if she didn’t know what to say or even if she should say anything. I’m hoping she’ll open up more during the tour, but this would have gone a lot smoother if you had just done it.”

“I disagree,” Twilight said, sipping her tea slowly. “Your presence helps more than you think, and I believe what she needs is to know both of the ‘masters of the household’ welcome her. It’s not exactly a secret that she feels as if she’s unwelcome no matter where she goes, so knowing there is one place in the world that she is cared about and accepted helps more than any of us probably realizes.”

Smiling slightly, I joked, “So I’m just a pawn in your master plan? Gotta admit, I feel used.”

“Oh, you love being used,” she shot back, immediately clapping her hand over her lips as she blushed with a mortified look on her face. “...I did not just say that out loud!”

A predatory grin graced my lips as I moved closer and poked Twilight in the arm. “Oh, you totally did. That’s going in the mental library in the ‘book of times Twilight spoke without thinking.’ It’s a great read.”

Twilight shoved me with a pout, aggressively jamming a biscuit in her mouth and chasing it with her tea. She held her pouty look for a few moments before blowing out a sigh and leaning against the counter again. “Anyway, I really do think this would be good for the two of you. It’s true that the last time Fizzle met you, you were just entering adolescence, so you’ve experienced some big changes since then. She needs to get to know the Spike of now, and you need to get over your anxiety around her.”

Frowning softly, I pursed my lips. “I just don’t want to be the reason she feels uncomfortable around here. A big drake she doesn’t know hanging around would make her uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”

Shaking her head, Twilight explained, “No…I don’t think so. You have to remember, much of Fizzle’s life has been spent around very negative influences. The last male she trusted was the Storm King, and he took that trust and threw it back in her face, throwing her away like an old toy once he had what he wanted. True, her guilt over her actions was what drove her to spend so much time abroad, doing what she could to try and atone for what she did in the past, but from her sporadic messages, I noticed the distinct lack of any friends she might have mentioned, and every time she mentioned a male with any sort of power, she was cold and distant. Whether you believe it or not, you are powerful in body and spirit, and you even hold some political sway.” She drained the last of her tea, setting the cup in the sink. “You represent an uncomfortable reminder of the last time she trusted a male creature that had power over her, which is why she feels more comfortable talking candidly with me or the other girls. It will take time, but I think you have the ability to soften her heart once again, and she needs that if she’s ever going to be truly happy.”

And then the discomfort set in. “...Twilight, I have to be honest, I’m not nearly as confident as you are. So this is a friendship mission then?”

She bobbed her head from side to side. “Of a sort, yes. You know by now that my calling as the ‘Princess of Friendship’ is to foster positive relations wherever I can, and I believe this is another such instance where that can happen. I have faith in you, Spike. I know you can do this.”

I sighed loudly and moved to the stove, grabbing a saucepan off of the hanging rack above us. “Why do you have to get all princess-ly on me? Now I basically can’t say no.”

“Of course you can,” she commented behind me, and I felt her soft body press against my back as she gave me a hug, “I just know you won’t. You have a good heart, and the Princess of Friendship is nothing without her faithful assistant.”

Smiling warmly, I nodded as she released me. “Okay fine, I’ll do it. Let’s make this holiday a great memory for her to start off this new journey in her life.”

I heard the retreating clops of Twilight’s hooves as she left the room, going off to do whatever she was going to be doing. I focused on the mindless task of preparing another fresh mug of hot chocolate, idly imagining what I was going to do and how I was supposed to basically rehabilitate a strong, imposing mare that had major trust issues. Twilight trusted me, and I trusted her judgement more than I did my own when it came to the concept of me, so I believed her when she said I was the right drake for the job. Still, I had no idea how I was going to accomplish this task.

“Something smells good.”

Had I not become desensitized by Ember being a sneaky dragoness, the statement would have sent me jumping into the sky in fright. As it was, I still flinched and whipped my head around, but did so with a far more reserved start than most would.

The ghost of a smirk on the face of Fizzlepop told me I was fooling no one, though, so I just continued to pretend as if she hadn’t just scared the life out of me. I nonchalantly pointed to the pan and said, “I was planning on having this done before you got here, but you cleaned up really fast.” I noticed her mane was also damp, having not yet stood up into the iconic look she had always worn it as. “And I guess you take showers faster than anyone alive.”

Being able to see her face made it a lot easier to discern what she was feeling, and I could figure out she felt a bit embarrassed at my quip. “Um, yeah. Sometimes clean water can be pretty hard to come by, and not always in a safe place. Let’s just say I learned to be extremely efficient in all things.”

While her clothing was distinctly form-fitting, it was fluffier and closer to winter-wear than what I remembered her wearing all those years ago. I recognized Rarity’s handiwork even at a glance, and she had created a miracle yet again. It made the mare look well put-together, yet still relaxed at the same time.

“W-what are you staring at?” she asked, and I realized I had indeed been staring.

I mentally shook myself and cleared my throat. “Oh, sorry. It’s just that Rarity really outdid herself. You look good.” Realizing how that could be construed, I coughed and corrected, “I mean the clothes, they look good. On you. You look good with clothes on.” Mentally kicking myself again, I tried to start again. “I mean you look good, and not just because of the clothes -- that came out wrong, it sounds like I’m checking you out or something. That’s not what I mean…y’know what? I’m just gonna shut up.”

But, much to my surprise, I didn’t get the awkward silence I was expecting. Instead, I heard the quiet laughter of the mare, and I had to do a double take. No, she wasn’t glaring a hole in my head and preparing to do something to me that would be talked about in war texts in the future, she was laughing. Granted, it was at me, but she was laughing.

Positively embarrassed, I just let her laugh and turned my attention back to the pan, breaking up and adding some more chocolate and the cocoa powder, and allowing the mixture to get steamy before adding a bit of espresso powder, a drop of vanilla extract, and pouring the whole mixture into an oversized mug. I topped it with some chocolate shavings and nutmeg, then held out the steaming cup of hot chocolate to the chuckling unicorn.

“Please accept this humble offering so that you might forgive my transgressions,” I stated in a silly, over-the-top manner, complete with a bow of my head.

She was still laughing, louder now, so I counted it as a win when I felt the mug removed from my hand. Standing once again, I was privileged to see a far more relaxed Fizzlepop than we had escorted home only a few minutes ago. That was more progress than I could have hoped for, so I internally pumped a fist in victory, but outwardly just smiled as I let her enjoy the moment.

Her laughter eventually tapered off enough for her to safely take a sip of the warm beverage. She gave a surprised, yet pleased vocalization in her throat, and took a longer pull from the mug before smacking her lips and nodding my way. “Thanks for the laugh, and the drink. Both were good.” She took a moment to just silently enjoy a few more drinks from the mug before pausing and lowering the mug from her lips. “Can I be candid with you?”

I stood a little straighter. “Yeah. I prefer a straight-shooter, so to speak.”

She nodded again before plainly stating, “I think it’s a safe assumption that you were nervous about me coming to stay here.”

I was a little surprised that she deduced that so quickly. “...y-yeah, but probably not for the reason you’re thinking. I was worried you wouldn’t be particularly pleased being around me, and that me being here was just going to make you distinctly uncomfortable.”

“Because you used to check me out when you were younger,” she surmised, pinpointing exactly what I had feared, and a shame of mine.

I winced at the accusation. “Not even gonna ease into it, are you?”

“Am I wrong?”

I winced again, unable to look at her. “...no.”

“Spike, look at me,” she ordered, though not unkindly. I obeyed, and instead of the harsh, accusatory gaze I would have expected, I saw the understanding, sympathetic face of someone who had seen and done more in a few decades than most did in an entire lifetime. She let out a long, slow breath and said, “...look, I don’t think it takes a genius to be able to figure out that I don’t exactly have the best track record with personal relationships, or experience, for that matter. Twilight was the first real friend I’d had in almost twenty-five years, and frankly, I didn’t know what to do with that fact.” She laughed darkly, running her fingers through her wild mane. “I mean, I captured all of you, stuck Twilight in a cage, and was ready to give her to a psycho on a power trip, all for the promise of getting my horn back. I knew he was going to steal her magic, and probably kill everyone you all knew and loved…and I didn’t care. And yet, after all that, after the Storm King was defeated and his armada laid to waste, the same pony that I tried to take everything from offered to be my friend.” She lowered her voice and her eyes actually got a little misty as she recounted, “She said that even if the world scorned me, even if no one else cared, she would be my friend.”

I smiled despite my lingering shame. “There’s no one in the world quite like Twilight.”

She smiled and nodded in agreement before composing herself. “Anyway, I told you that to get my point across: I don’t blame you for what happened in the past. You were a kid coming into your own as puberty hit you like a cruise ship, so it’d be foolish to hold that against you. I’ve made my own mistakes, and I’m not going to be a hypocrite and refuse to forgive you for yours. I will say that I’ll have to ask your forgiveness in advance, because I have basically no practice relating to others in a way not related to war or relief efforts. Capper told me I can be callous without meaning to, and I’ll probably say the wrong thing from time to time. If you can forgive me for that, I can forgive you for ogling me when you were younger.”

I stuck my hand out to her, which she took with her free hand and shook it. “Deal.” I released her hand, and turned on my heel with a jerk of my head. “Well, c’mon. This castle is pretty big, so we’re not gonna go to every room. Instead, I’ll show you the important bits, and you can ask questions while we walk.”

Before we even left the kitchen, she started with, “Well first off, you’re a lot bigger than the last time I saw you. What’s the story behind that?”

I shrugged slightly. “A little of it is natural growth, a bigger part because of a spell, and also some of my dragon heritage and magic. For the spell, Twilight cast a spell that apparently aged us by ten years in an instant.”

“And the dragon heritage thing?” she asked, sounding more confused than ever.

“Oh,” I breathed, chuckling a bit, “dragons can cast spells, too. I started growing due to emotion again -- not just greed -- and we called Ember here to help me learn to control it. For all intents and purposes, I can essentially be anywhere from the size of my baby self, all the way to the size of a castle. This is my ‘day-to-day’ size that I am most of the time.”

“Oh…that’s interesting. I didn’t know dragons could cast spells, let alone control their size,” she answered, sounding just as confused as I felt when I found out.

I nodded with a smile she couldn’t see. “It was a shock to me, too. Anyway, Ember came here and trained me, so now I’m not in constant fear of growing forever.”

“Eesh,” she said, and though I wasn’t looking at her, I knew she was giving me a sympathetic look. “Yeah, that could be a problem. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you were able to figure it out. I…have my own problems fitting in.”

I glanced back over my shoulder, throwing a grin her way. “Maybe out there, but you’re always welcome here. Never forget that.” Turning my eyes forward, I recognized where we were, and allowed her to catch up as we rounded the doorway that led to the commons room. “First up is the room that gets some of the most use: the private commons room. As you can see it’s got a nice fireplace, a tv and projector, plenty of comfortable furniture, and is well insulated from the outside. It’s warm during the winter, and nice and cool during the summer. More often than not, this is where everyone will be hanging out.”

Fizzlepop slowly tread the soft carpet, investigating the room. “...this is nice. Feels homey.”

When she looked my way again, I beckoned her with a jerk of my head and we continued our tour. The short walk was silent, but soon we arrived at our next destination. “This is the private dining room. Basically, when we actually have a proper sit-down meal, we eat here. Downstairs is the public dining hall, which we basically never use. Except for on major holidays, of course, so a bunch of ponies will be milling around that room when about half of the town will be here to celebrate the lighting of the grand hearth.”

“The ‘grand hearth’?”

I nodded. “We can check it out, but to give you a basic description, it’s a crystal hearth that’s the size of an entire wall. You can fit whole trees in it.”

“We’ll see it on the day of Hearth’s Warming, so I think we can put off seeing that particular room for now,” Fizzlepop suggested.

We remained pretty silent the rest of the walk toward the private apartments, with Fizzlepop only asking a few questions here and there, until we finally arrived in front of Twilight’s room.

I gestured with a hand to the door with a familiar star-themed cutie mark. “This is Twilight’s room, and mine is just across the hall there,” I then gestured to the unadorned door behind us, “so you’ll always know where to find us if you need to. Twilight’s study is where she does all her work, which is next to the library, and other than that, you know where the kitchen and washrooms are. Any other questions?”

Fizzlepop thought for a moment before asking, “Anywhere I could exercise? With readily available food and water, I want to make sure I don’t fall out of shape.”

My mouth formed a silent “oh” as I understood why she was asking. “Right, I imagine life on the road is far less sedentary than life in Ponyville. Yeah, there’s a gym all the girls regularly use on the east side of town. I can show you, if you want.”

She looked a bit uncomfortable at my offer. “Are you sure I’m not monopolizing your time? I just got here, and I don’t want you to feel like you need to wait on me hand and hoof.”

I waved her concern away with a reassuring smile. “Nah, I’m yours for as long as you need. All the major preparations are done, and I was spending today mainly receiving all the guests that were coming to visit from out of town. They’re all here now, so that just left you…and now you’ve arrived. My time is yours to do with as you wish. Twilight and Starlight can handle the rest for now.”

“If you’re sure,” she droned, looking unconvinced.

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I wasn’t,” I countered, keeping my smile.

She stared at me silently for a moment before shrugging. “Well, if it’s really not an imposition…sure, I’d appreciate that. Gotta make sure I don’t pack on any pudge from eating royal food and such.” She then proceeded to theatrically poke her stomach, which I could only imagine was hiding impressive abs under the sweater she wore.

Rolling my eyes at the obvious bait, I scoffed. “Oh please. If anyone’s flabby here, it’s me. I only started regularly exercising a few months ago, and only because Ember told me I should. I wasn’t chubby like I was when I was little, but…well, let’s just say I had better things to do than exercise.” Fizzlepop smiled a bit at my self-depreciation, and started to walk away. “Wait, where are you going?”

She glanced back and answered, “To the- my room. I need to get a scarf and hat to…cover up.”

Her demeanor noticeably soured at those words, and I had to keep myself from hugging her to try and make her feel better. Sure, things seemed to be a lot better than when she first arrived, but besides the fact I wouldn’t exactly call us “friends” yet, I had a feeling Fizzlepop probably didn’t like people touching her. She struck me as the kind of mare that wasn’t particularly “huggy” at the best of times.

Instead, I just replied, “Right. I’ll meet you at the front door then, okay?”

She nodded before plodding off, leaving me feeling like I’d done something wrong by not trying to somehow comfort her.

The town itself was what one would expect of Ponyville two days before Hearth’s Warming: busy. Creatures everywhere, big and small, pony and not were rushing to and fro to do their last-minute shopping, the foals were playing in the snow, and the local government, including Mayor Mare, was putting the finishing touches on the decorations for the holiday. It felt more like a big city than a piedmont town at the foot of Mt. Canter. To be sure, things would revert back to the typical, relaxed Ponyville atmosphere after the holiday was over, but for now, the town was downright crowded.

As we made our way through the town, Fizzlepop was the subject of quite a few inquisitive stares. Ponyvillians were naturally curious about visitors, but this was a new addition to the town that didn’t need to be revealed just yet. We knew this was only a temporary solution after all, and that eventually, Fizzlepop would need to be introduced to the town at large, but for now at least, she didn’t feel comfortable exposing herself to a potentially hostile populace. I didn’t like the fact she felt she had to hide herself from the world…and disliked even more the high probability her caution was likely a wise decision.

Nonetheless, we made our way through town undeterred, until we finally arrived at the local gym that had been built only five years ago. Since it was the only establishment in the town that allowed ponies to get adequate exercise with specialized equipment, it was usually pretty busy. But, with Hearth’s Warming being only a couple of days away, only a few regulars could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows installed along the sides of the building.

As we stood out front, Fizzlepop spoke the words we were both thinking. “Not exactly a place where I could be incognito, is it?”

Letting out a sigh, I shook my head. “Not really, no. Twilight knows a few spells to change the shape or color of a pony’s body, but hiding your horn would be significantly more difficult. Because the appendage is innately magical, it resists spells as a general rule.” I noticed she looked progressively more morose at my words, so I chanced and nudged her shoulder. When she didn’t respond other than a questioning look, I did my best to reassure her. “I’m sure we can come up with something, though. Twilight promised you that this could be your home, and if the changelings can be accepted in public, so can you. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

I could tell she was trying not to seem bothered by it all when she answered, “It’s fine. I kinda deserve it, after all.”

“Fizzle, you spent years dedicating your every waking moment to atonement for the things you did,” I reminded her, deciding against touching her again at the moment. Instead, I just stayed close by, a little less than arm's length, as I continued trying to make her feel a little less guilty. “Trixie has been forgiven, Starlight has been forgiven, and even Discord has been forgiven. All of them are my friends now, and so are you. I’m not in the business of being friends with bad people, Fizzle.”

Unfortunately, even with her stoic demeanor, I could read her enough to tell she wasn’t particularly convinced. “Yeah…” After a few moments, she straightened up and caught eyes with me. “Anyway, where to next?”

I certainly wanted to comment on that, but let it go for the moment. Fizzlepop was a pony that kept her true thoughts and emotions close to her chest, at least when it came to her personal life, so I knew pressing her was just going to push her away. That was not what she needed at that moment, so I swallowed my curiosity and pointed the way back to town. “If you want, we can get a snack from Sugarcube Corner, and then, if you don’t want to head home yet, we can check out some of the local shops to see if they have any cool stuff left to snag.”

Perking up a little, FIzzlepop nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Let’s do that.”

We finally arrived back at the castle hours later, just as night was falling. Instead of picking up random things from the market and a few stores that were still open, I had suggested we get a few things for Fizzlepop specifically that she might like to decorate her room with. True to my assumption, she was a bit resistant on the idea; not so much because she didn’t like accepting charity (though that bothered her too), but more so because of the fact she had lived life with very little to her name, and had traveled so often that she didn’t have a reason to really collect anything to keep around. She had made do for many years with very little, and her wardrobe (if it could even be called that) contained only three outfits she had regularly worn on the road, and all three had numerous repairs done to them over the years. For better or worse, Fizzlepop lived life frugally, and it would take time for her to truly settle in and feel at home for the first time.

I was still able to convince her to pick out a few things that I happily bought for her. These included a bedside reading lamp, a new journal (her old one was basically falling apart), a set of ballpoint pens in multiple colors, a new boot knife (she had lost her old one a few months ago, and felt uncomfortable without a blade on her), and lastly a new scarf and hat set that were made of thicker material to keep her warmer when outdoors.

The walk back was largely in silence, and it felt awkward for some reason that I couldn’t discern. Eventually though, upon nearing her suite, Fizzlepop broke the silence with, “...why are you doing this?”

“Why am I doing what?”

“This,” she motioned to the bags we carried, stopping to set some of them down on her sofa as we entered her suite. “You just spent several hundred bits out of nowhere, all of it for me.”

Cocking my brow at her as I lowered the bags I was carrying, I couldn’t help the confused expression on my face. “Yeah, and? You came here with basically nothing. I have a feeling you don’t place a whole lot of value on most of the stuff ponies are interested in, but I know everyone has a natural instinct to have a place of their own. I know right now you feel you would get along just fine with a bed and a few drawers for your clothes, but I also know that having a private corner of the world is good for the soul. This,” I gestured with my hand around the room, “is a place where you can come anytime you want, and it’s yours. This is your place, where only those you want here will be here. This isn’t just a bed in a tavern or a bunk on an airship: this is Fizzle’s home, where she’s always welcome, and where she can just be herself, by herself, if that’s what you need.” I waved my hand at the crux of her question. “As for the bits, don’t worry about it. Besides that being a drop in the bucket for me, I enjoy spending my bits on the people important to me, and causes I think are worth it. You’re both, so why would I mind doing this?”

For the first time I could remember, Fizzlepop looked distinctly embarrassed, turning her head away and hugging her arms tight to her body as she kept shifting her weight on her hooves. She was silent for a moment or two before quietly saying, “...I’m not used to people doing things for me, Spike. This feels…strange. Usually when someone does something for me, they want something in return, and sometimes that thing is not exactly innocent in nature.”

My eyes widened at that. I knew Fizzlepop had likely seen and experienced things I could only imagine, but to hear she had dealt with such unscrupulous individuals was more than a little upsetting to hear. I was under no delusions about the whole world being full of sunshine and rainbows, and things like abuse and assault happened even in Equestria, but I didn’t like hearing that Fizzlepop had dealt with that kind of stuff. I wasn’t going to assume what might have or had not happened, but I knew she had traveled to lands that ponies rarely tread, and for good reasons. The Princess of Friendship had done more in a few decades than anyone had done in centuries to unite the races of the world in friendship, but establishing positive relationships around the world was an ongoing battle that would never truly be won. After all: the brightest, radiant light created longer and darker shadows.

“Do you think Twilight is expecting something in return for offering you a home?” I asked rhetorically. After giving her a moment to absorb my words, I continued in a gentler tone, hoping I was being reassuring. “I don’t know how I can convince you that the ponies in this town aren’t like that, but I’ll keep showing you kindness and trust until you believe it. For now,” I motioned to the bags strewn on the floor, “did you want help putting this stuff away?”

She seemed to consider my offer for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “No, I’ll handle it. I want some time to think to myself, if you don’t mind.”

She seemed so open and even playful earlier in the day, but with this, it felt like I had taken one step forward, and two steps back. I understood, however, that Fizzlepop’s view of the world -- of people -- was very different from those like Twilight and I, who grew up in a world of loving family and friends. It was going to take time for Fizzlepop to come out of her shell, and it might take months or years before she completely opens up to us. Luckily, this wasn’t my first time dealing with a troubled pony, so I knew that if she openly admitted she needed to think, I should give her the time and space to do so.

Giving a single nod, I made my way to the door and pulled it open, stopping briefly in the open doorway to glance back at the mare that was standing in the middle of the room, looking very lost. “Hey, Fizzle.” She raised her eyes from the floor to look at me, and I gave her my best close-lipped smile. “Just know we’re always here for you, no matter what. Take all the time you need, and remember that we’re just a short walk away anytime you need us for anything. I’ll be making a nice dinner for everyone tomorrow, and I really think you’d enjoy it.”

Despite her hesitance, Fizzlepop’s lips upturned just slightly. “I think I can do that. See you later, Spike. And…thank you.”

Giving another shallow nod, I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me, leaving her to her thoughts. With my only real task for the day completed, I let my feet lead me to the commons room, hoping to rejoin my herd or chat with some of our guests while I waited for dinnertime. Fluttershy was going to be staying the night, and she had offered to prepare dinner with Starlight, which left me with nothing particularly important to do until then.

To my surprise, when I arrived, the commons room was empty, the only sound in the room being the cracking of the coals in the hearth that warmed most of the upper portion of the castle. I listened closely to see if anyone was nearby before plopping down on the chaise and putting my feet up, opting to just enjoy a few moments of quiet solitude.

It was, in fact, only a few minutes later that I heard the telltale sound of hooves on the floor that told me someone was approaching. I didn’t know who it was, but, being a social creature, I welcomed the company. By the lighter steps, I could tell it wasn’t Yona, and the mere presence of hoofsteps told me it wasn’t Rainbow Dash. The sound of the gait didn’t match the familiar measured poise of Rarity, nor the often-distracted uneven steps of Twilight (usually when she was reading while walking). The steps were also too noisy for Fluttershy, which basically left me wondering who else it might be.

My curiosity was sated when Thorax himself rounded the corner, his face brightening when he saw me. “Ah, Spike. Just the dragon I was looking for.”

I waved at Thorax and gestured to the open chair across from me. “Sure, take a seat. What can I do for you?” As he entered the room, a familiar changeling female entered behind him, causing me to pause for a moment. “Oh, and Lyla. Good to see you, Lye. Is everything all right?”

“That’s actually what we need to talk about,” Thorax began, sitting down with a loud sigh and motioning to the changeling soldier as she took the seat next to me. “Go ahead, Lyla.”

With the floor given to her, I turned my attention to Lyla herself and raised a brow inquisitively. “What’s up, Lye?”

Lyla scooted a bit closer, leaning against the armrest of the sofa in an effort to close the distance between us. She opened her mouth a few times in false-starts, before growling to herself, taking a breath, and beginning. “I need to be up front about a few things that Thorax has brought to my attention, and I just want to stress that I never said anything before because I didn’t know.”

I nodded slowly. “Whatever it is, we can handle it Lyla.”

She fidgeted, absentmindedly reaching out to grasp my hand in hers as she took a deep breath and prepared to speak. “I’m…not what I claimed to be. I’m not who I claimed to be. The signs were there all along, but I didn’t even know for sure until Thorax told me.” Her horn lit up, and off of the pouch on her hip, a thick stack of folded papers levitated out, dropping into my free hand. I looked at Lyla curiously before freeing my other hand from hers and carefully unfolding the papers.

“Those are my notes from research I’ve been doing over the years, trying to track who everyling is and where they came from,” Thorax explained softly. “Chrysalis didn’t exactly keep the best records, because to her, who we were was far less important than our absolute loyalty. It’s true, all changelings trace their lineage back to a single queen, the first queen, in time immemorial, but since then, we’ve branched out as a species, and formed our own family lines and even family trees.”

Fully opening the last fold of the first page, I looked upon lines upon lines of single-spaced, carefully written block lettering, the letters so small I had to bring the sheet closer at times to be able to read it all. There was more information about changelings in this one piece of stationary than I had ever seen in one place, and it traced multiple family lines back centuries into the past. Each page was the same as the last, with names upon names leading to parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. After the first five or so pages, the information was actually arranged in the more familiar visual representation of family trees.

“Look at the last page,” Lyla requested, sounding distinctly nervous.

Skipping over ten or so pages, I reached the last page, which was not from the hive that was once led by the tyrannical Queen Chrysalis.

“Queen Tarantula was not exactly forthcoming with information, but let’s just say I called in some favors and made her an offer she would be stupid to refuse,” Thorax explained.

I was looking at a single page from Lyla’s home hive, information that was guarded zealously by the changelings of that hive. So, to have even this one piece of information, Thorax must have basically done the equivalent of rolling a nat 20 on a persuasion check. This page showed a sparse family tree -- and by sparse, I mean it only had a total of three members on it. One of them was Lyla, and the other two…

My jaw dropped open. I looked up at Lyla for clarification, and she could only nod as she bit her lip, anxiety clear in her stature and expression.

The box for ‘sire’ was a question mark, which meant no one knew who Lyla’s father was. But as for the ‘dam’...I saw a name I had only heard of once before. “Queen Draco.”

Having named herself after the constellation that was revered by dragons (for obvious reasons), Queen Draco was a legend among changelings across the world. To her enemies, she was ruthless and uncannily cunning, but to her allies and hive, she was loving and benevolent. Queen Draco was one of the few queens that never cut contact with the other races, even after the Masquerade Protocol* was implemented. Queen Draco was so beloved that the creatures that her hive lived with and near kept their existence a secret from everyone, even Princess Celestia. Her reign lasted over five hundred years, and her changelings never wanted for love, comfort, or even modern amenities.

And that legendary queen was Lyla’s mother.

“But,” I began, taking a moment to swallow and wet my suddenly dry lips, “Queen Draco died two hundred years ago. How…?”

Lyla was silent, still apparently anxious about what I’d think of her, so Thorax decided to handle explanations. “For lack of a better term, Lyla’s egg was in stasis. We still don’t know how or why, but it was sealed in stone to look just like any other rock, and powerful spells were placed upon it to essentially stop time for the helpless grub within.”

“B-but then how did-”

“It was Twilight, actually,” Thorax continued, smiling softly. “She didn’t do it on purpose, but when she ascended to become an alicorn, her power multiplied and began to radiate out across the world in gentle waves, like the waves of a tranquil beach. We’ve grown used to it with time, but even though noling knew just what had happened, we all felt it. Then, every time she performed a particularly incredible feat of magic, a pulse was sent out. Unbeknownst to the changelings, those pulses began to awaken Queen Draco’s sealed egg. Queen Tarantula was caring for what she thought to be some sort of artifact, only for the ‘artifact’ to hatch into a grub on a very special day. It was the day Harmony basked the entire world in its warm embrace as every creature, big and small, pony and not, rose to counter a threat greater than anything anyone can even find in history books.”

I nearly jolted with understanding. “The day they sealed away Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis.”

Thorax was positively beaming at the memory, likely reminiscing on how much that day meant to his people. “Yes. For changelings, that day marked a new path in our journey, where we were once again able to stand side by side with other creatures, as equals and friends. That day, the light of Harmony was bright and warm enough to break through the barriers Queen Draco had placed on her only surviving progeny, and birthed her last daughter into the world.”

My mouth continued to remain open, and I was unable to stop it. It even took me a few seconds to regain enough control to stutter out, “...b-but I thought you were just a soldier.”

Lyla glanced up at me and smiled apologetically. “I was raised that way, yes. I was even told that by Queen Tarantula herself. I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure why she never told me -- changeling queens are notoriously secretive -- but I would like to think she wanted me to be able to live my own life, free from the burdens of a queen. To be a changeling queen is to live in absolute service to the hive, giving everything you are and everything you might become to the hive. Your time, your energy, your blood, sweat, and tears, and eventually, your life will be given for the good of the hive.”

“That was, of course, until you all helped me change things,” Thorax happily added, his wings fluttering behind him. “Now, all changelings, even me, are free to live for ourselves. No longer must we share everything just to survive. No more insatiable hunger, no more dependence on emotions for sustenance: we can live just like most of the other civilized races of the world, free to pursue our own goals and desires in life.”

I glanced back to Lyla, my confusion becoming clear on my face. “If that’s all true, then why hasn’t Lyla transformed like everyling else? It seems like a much better life overall.”

At this, Lyla deflated a bit and twiddled her fingers. “...I’ve tried, actually. A few times. I can’t…and we didn’t know why until just this afternoon.”

Thorax took a deep breath as he obviously prepared to say something important. “From what we can gather, royal changelings can’t transform like the rest of the hive.” At my obvious displeasure, Thorax amended, “Perhaps that was the wrong choice of words. What I mean to say is that royal changelings can’t transform the same way as the rest of the hive does.”

At the term used, I cocked my head in confusion. “Royal? Wait, so you really are-”

“I was raised as a soldier, Spike,” Lyla interrupted, nodding once, “but I’m not a soldier-morph. I’m a queen-morph. It’s why my eyes are the same as a pony’s, and why I have a mane and tail. As you can see, not even Thorax has those characteristics.” She squirmed a bit. “I too thought it was just a rare trait very few changelings were naturally born with…but it isn’t. Only royal changelings look like me. I never questioned it, quite frankly because I didn’t think it was my place to do so. Like I said, I was raised as a soldier, and a soldier doesn’t ask their queen such things.”

“Anyway,” Thorax chimed in, bringing our attention back to him, “from everything we’ve learned and what I’ve studied about Lyla’s biology, it’s still very possible for her to transform like the rest of us. But, since a royal changeling is already sort of ‘ascended,’ it takes a bit more of a ‘kick’ for her to become one of the ‘new’ changelings.”

Leaning a bit closer, I devoted my attention to Thorax. “Tell me what I can do.”

“There’s some things I’ll need to set up, and we’ll need Twilight’s help,” Thorax stated, standing and heading out of the room. “We’ll do it tomorrow, so that Lyla can enjoy her first Hearth’s Warming without hunger, and I can spend it with friends, knowing I helped make this happen. See the two of you tomorrow.”

I watched Thorax leave for a moment before turning back to Lyla. “You’re still hungry? Even now?”

Lyla hesitated briefly before carefully answering, “I don’t want for sustenance, Spike. I have more than enough love to be healthy and strong, and enough physical food to supplement me that I am in no danger of malnourishment.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” I countered, narrowing my eyes at her.

Lyla held my gaze for a moment before glancing away and sighing. “...yes, I am still hungry. Changelings are always hungry. It is part of what made the transformation such an easy sell for the rest of us: the promise of no longer feeling constant hunger pangs was a great motivator. Some of my fellow changelings told me that they felt an odd sense of loss after the transformation, because the hunger had been there since the beginning of their lives, and was suddenly gone. Uncomfortable feeling or not, hunger is normal for us. Losing that was jarring for most of them.”

Shaking my head with a grimace, I reached out to Lyla. She stood and without prompting sat herself on my lap, curling up and allowing me to cradle her lovingly and in what I hoped was a comforting manner. “I wish you’d told me.”

Snorting softly, Lyla challenged, “And what could you have done? You’re a strong, smart guy, but there are some problems you can’t solve, Spike.”

“But tomorrow I can do something about it,” I countered, smiling as she nuzzled closer to me.

“Yes…yes you can. And thank you for being so willing,” she murmured, snuggling and generally being a cute changeling.

We sat that way for a few minutes, completely silent, just enjoying the closeness. It wasn’t often I had the time to just…y’know, sit, but it was nice. I enjoyed those moments as much as I could, because I know similar moments didn’t come by too often.

Eventually though, I heard the familiar scuffing of non-hooved feet on the crystal floor, and a few moments later, Ember rounded the corner and smiled when she saw me.

“Y’know, even though I’m still adjusting to this ‘herd’ thing, even I can admit you two look cute,” she commented, making her way over to sit next to us. She wiggled herself into the plush loveseat, reaching behind and pulling the throw blanket to cover herself with, bundling up with the blanket around her neck, and only her tailtip poking out under the fuzzy cocoon. Ember still had no idea how adorable she was when she did stuff like that. Made it hard not to cuddle with her every second of every day. Besides, adult life tends to get in the way.

But, now was the perfect time to spend with two of my girls, and I was going to relish it. So, instead of leaving Ember to sit all alone, I gently prodded Lyla to get up, and when she did, led her over to the loveseat, where I took a seat near the middle. Ember looked a bit confused, but made some room for us. It was a bit of a tight fit, but there was enough room for all three of us, and a wrapped wing around Lyla and Ember ensured the two wouldn’t be cold. Plus, it allowed me to get some much-desired snuggles from the two of them, and neither Ember nor Lyla were the type to turn down physical affection.

So, with the stressful stuff out of the way, and a few hours to kill, I just enjoyed a moment of peace with two girls I care about.

It should be said I wasn't a naturally vain drake. I liked to be sure I looked nice and was clean and all that, but I didn't spend half an hour or more looking at myself in the mirror and crowing about how good I look. True, I had moments here and there where I would catch sight of my reflection and admire how put together I looked, but other than general hygeine and ensuring my clothes matched, I didn't spend an inordinate amount of time fixing myself up.

Rarity, for all her amazing qualities, was not like me.

We planned to have a night out with the herd as a whole, to discuss how everyone was settling into the new herd, life in general, and our plans for the future. With Starlight’s assurance she would keep things held together back at the castle, we all prepared for a relaxing night together at what was quickly becoming our go-to restaurant for dates. I had generously planned to allow us three hours to prepare so everyone could finish whatever they were doing, get cleaned up, and then head as a group to the restaurant. Even Twilight, with her taller stature, wings, and long hair, didn’t take that long to get herself together for an outing.

I found myself sitting in the boutique, drumming my fingers on my knees, as I regretted thinking Rarity would be able to meet a deadline not related to work or our business as national heroes.

“Dear, does this dress look okay, or is the *ehem* openness a bit too scandalous?”

Rarity was currently wearing a dark blue dress that actually looked more like a military tabard. The sides were closed along her torso, but it was sleeveless, and her legs were completely exposed up to her cutie marks. I knew any underwear she wore would need to be of the -string variety, and normally, this would arouse me in more ways than one. However, this dressing and modeling had lasted for nearly two hours alone, and she still had to do her makeup and curl her hair. Stars know I love Rarity, but no one is perfect, and that includes my beloved girls.

“Rarity, dear,” I pleaded, doing my best to convey urgency, “anything you wear makes you look fabulous, and you know I always think you look beautiful. As long as you are at my side, you could wear a potato sack and still be one of the most beautiful ponies alive. So please, keep that in mind when I say that we are going to be late if you don’t make a decision on a dress so you can finish getting ready. If I allow you to go through every dress you own, we’ll be here for the next week. Please, you know fashion better than anyone I know, so pick something you like and put it on so we don’t stand up our herd.”

I saw it in her eyes when she looked at me: she wanted to argue. Part of our relationship involved teasing of an amorous nature, and Rarity loved getting a rise out of me. I won’t even lie and say I don’t enjoy it, or that I didn’t look forward to her “modeling” sessions she would often invite me to. But, what I said was true: we had somewhere to be, and she knew it. She knew we didn’t have time to waste, and that even though I had essentially killed her plan to tease me a bit more, it was for a legitimate reason that she knew was important.

Rarity lowered her ears and sighed. “Y-you’re right. I’m sorry, Spike.” She glanced down at herself, swishing her waist from side to side and cupping her breasts, adjusting them in a way that immediately caught my eye, despite my light chastising. After taking a moment to inspect herself, she nodded resolutely. “This will do just fine. Thank you for keeping us on schedule.”

Before she could walk away, I stood and caught her in my arms, lowering my hands to cup her cutie marks from behind as I pressed my chest to her back. She gasped at the contact, and looked over her shoulder at me questioningly, which I answered with a smile. “Rares, don’t misunderstand: I would normally love to watch you model everything you own, but we have others expecting us, and it would be cruel to not show up. I’ll make it up to you with some cuddles and kisses when we get back, if that’s what you want.”

Rarity snorted with a smile. “You’ll ‘make it up’ to me, will you? You weren’t planning on doing that anyway?”

Moving my hands to rest on her stomach, just above her “private zone,” I settled my chin atop her head. “Okay fine, you caught me. But yes, I’ll do those things because I love you. Now go finish getting ready so we’re not late.”

I felt her shudder briefly before she pulled away, throwing a look over her shoulder at me. “You make it very difficult to remain celibate before marriage, Spike. I hope you know that.”

Smiling back at her, I answered, “And I’m just fine with that. I love your body, and I love reminding you of that frequently. Now seriously, go. I’ll be waiting when you’re finished.” She only gave a single nod before disappearing into the bathroom to put her face on and curl those luscious violet locks I so loved to run my fingers through.

Thankfully, this time, Rarity kept our timetable in mind and reappeared only thirty minutes later. With her pale fur, she only had a very light dusting of blush, but her eyeshadow and liner perfectly framed her beautiful eyes, and as had become the norm since we got together, she wore the fire ruby necklace proudly across her chest.

I gave myself a moment to fully take in the beauty that was my head mare. “Well...as always, you never cease to amaze me. Are you ready to go, gorgeous?”

Rarity walked over to her hallway closet and opened it, briefly looking over her collection of handbags. After a moment, she chose a silver bag and placed her wallet within, clutching the bag in her hand as she made her way over to me. Stretching a bit, she placed a kiss on my jaw before donning her winter coat and scarf, then looping her arm in mine. “Now I am ready, dear. Let us depart.”

I led her to the front door, hesitating a moment to ask, “Are you sure you’re going to be warm enough in that? I mean, not to question your style, but this dress seems more like something you’d wear in late spring or summer than winter.”

Rarity nodded again. “It’s only a short walk, so I will be fine. Once we arrive at the restaurant, I’m quite sure you’ll do everything in your power to ensure I’m warm enough, won’t you?”

Knowing exactly what she was alluding to, I grinned as I closed the door behind us. “Of course, Rares. Any reason to pay respect to those tantalizing curves is a choice I’ll never pass up.”

Blushing just a bit, Rarity smiled victoriously. “Naturally. Only a fool would pass up such a chance, and you are no fool.”

Leaning close and offering her a single, chaste kiss on the lips, I countered, “Well, I had to do something right to win your heart. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Glad to hear it, darling.”

It only took us roughly five minutes of walking through the snow to reach the restaurant in question, and both Twilight and Fluttershy were waiting out front for us to arrive. Both were dressed in far more appropriate clothing than Rarity was, yet both still looked beautiful and classy enough to be seen at any royal function. Fluttershy especially was a surprise, as she had done up her hair in beautiful braids, highlighted by flowers woven into the pink locks of her mane. More surprising was the fact the flowers she wore were of a variety I thought only grew in Canterlot, in the royal gardens, but somehow, she had found a few and was using them to accentuate her beauty. I was understandably pleased.

Smiling broadly as we approached, I broke away from Rarity and surprised each mare with a kiss. Fluttershy was, understandably, far more surprised, seeing as how we hadn’t yet made kisses a normal part of our dynamic. That’s not to say she didn’t enjoy herself, but rather she was still acclimating to the fact that this was real, and this was okay.

As I pulled away, Fluttershy’s eyes were closed, and her lips were still pursed, as if she was still caught in the sensations the kiss gave her. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the image, and promised myself to create it as often as she would let me. After a moment though, she did come back to us, and blushed brightly as she buried her face in my shirt.

I laughed softly before extending my wing and motioning inside with it. “C’mon, let’s get out of this cold. Lyla and Ember are waiting for us, and it’s not polite to be absent for too long.”

“Quite right, dear. Let us be off,” Rarity answered, looking at the blushing hostess and smiling brightly. “We’re meeting the rest of our herd here. I believe the reservation should be under ‘Spike’, and I assume a certain changeling and dragoness are already seated.”

The hostess fanned herself with a hand before clearing her throat and grabbing three menus. “Um, y-yes. Right this way, please.”

As the mare walked away, I threw a look at Twilight. “Do you think that was too much?”

Twilight giggled as she followed behind the hostess, keeping her voice low enough to not be overheard. “Your clothes are still on, and it lasted less than fifteen seconds. That’s fairly reasonable for being in public, I would say.”

“So if we’re in private we can take our clothes off? Got it,” I snarked, grinning lecherously. I glanced down at the pegasus that was trying her best to hide under my wing. “Hear that, Shy? Once we get back home-” Fluttershy predictably squeaked out something adorably and forcibly pulled my wing to cover her face as we continued walking.

“Oh, do take it easy on the poor dear,” Rarity playfully chastised.

I didn’t respond, but wrapped my arm around Fluttershy’s waist as we continued our way through the interior of the building, blindly following the hostess to wherever our table was. After twists and turns, and a single flight of stairs, we arrived at the table to see that, yes, Ember and Lyla were already seated and enjoying their drinks as they waited patiently for us to arrive. Both perked up when they saw us, and Ember pat the space next to her expectantly. Unwilling to deny the dragoness, I carefully maneuvered into the booth, not letting go of Fluttershy, and sat us in the cozy corner next to Ember. Ember’s tail immediately wrapped possessively around my leg, and with everyone gathered together, all was right in the world.

With the momentary interruption of a server asking for our drink choices and orders (I again chose to leave myself in the capable hands of the head chef), we settled in together and chatted nonsensically about all kinds of things. Eventually, though, we had to have a serious conversation, and we all knew it.

Thankfully, as the head mare, Rarity took the lead. “Okay everyone, I believe now is a good time to speak seriously about how things are going between us. First of all, is everyone happy with how the herd is progressing? Any comments, questions, or concerns?”

Twilight immediately raised her hand, and Rarity nodded to her. “Um, yes, is there any plan in mind for general herd hierarchy? As in, who is in charge in case you are otherwise occupied, and so on..?”

Rarity nodded, a grateful look on her face. “That is a very good question, and I thank you for asking it.” She was briefly interrupted as the server returned with our drinks, quickly passing them out before leaving us once again. After taking a sip of her glass of wine, Rarity began her explanation. “Thankfully, all of us live in close proximity, so I don’t believe such a situation should come about, but just in case…well, the second would be you, Twilight. After that would be Ember, Lyla, and so on.” Looking at the dragoness, Rarity quickly explained, “And do not think it is a slight against you, dear. The reason Twilight is above you is only because she is better versed in Equestrian culture and politics than you. I would actually have you as the second if not for that fact, because your personality is what I would consider ‘dominant’.”

Ember thought for a moment before nodding without any indication she felt insulted. “Nah, I get it. I’m not all that keen on taking a leadership role here, because frankly, I feel like I’d screw something up. I’m quite happy to let you two take the reins, so to speak, while I just make sure everyone’s kept safe.”

“Which is just fine with me, dear,” Rarity assured. “I believe it’s safe to say that if you have to take the helm, so to speak, then something bad has happened, and we could use the survival skills of a dragon to ensure things are well in hand.” Perking up a bit, Rarity continued. “Ah, and that reminds me: Ember, do you have any plans to wed Spike in Equestria? I know the brand you two share means far more than any ceremony, but Equestrians will not accept that at face value without a traditional marriage.”

Ember frowned and looked down at the table for a moment before looking Rarity in the eye. “Is it really necessary? I’m not really the kind of girl that enjoys big events, least of all if it’s just some spectacle that’s to please others.”

“And I understand that darling, I do,” Rarity assured, reaching across her place beside Lyla to take the hand of the dragoness, “but Equestrians will not accept your union without an Equestrian ceremony. It’ll just be one day, a few cameras and questions, and then everything will be as it is now. It’ll be small, private, and most importantly, all the necessary paperwork will be filed. After that, there’s nothing more they can say about it.”

Ember snorted and crossed her arms. “Y’know, part of me wants to just say those self-righteous jerkoffs can take a long walk off a cliff, but…I know you’re right. If I’m gonna be here more often, which I plan to, then I need to do things to make sure I don’t make unnecessary waves, y’know?”

“Not wanting confrontation? That doesn’t sound like you,” I teased, poking Ember in the side.

The dragoness poked me back, smirking. “Yeah, well a dragon lord knows not every battle is meant to be fought head-on.”

“Anyhow,” Rarity continued, smiling at Ember and I, “I’ll keep an eye on the social climate of Equestria and let you know when a good time for it will be, unless you already have one in mind..?”

Ember shrugged. “Not really. Sometime in the summer would be nice, so that it’s warm. And someplace outside, so my mom and dad can be there. Other than that…no. Remember, to me, this all seems pretty pointless other than as a way to placate the ponies in positions of power that it would otherwise bother. In my eyes,” she looked at me, “we are already mated, and nothing could make us closer.”

Rarity let out a lovestruck sigh. “I must admit, I am somewhat jealous. While not every pony will understand the brand, the truth of it is far more romantic than I initially thought. For what it’s worth, I am happy you are with us, Ember.”

Ember seemed momentarily stunned. It took a silent moment for her to compose herself, but eventually, she answered with a shaky, “...and I’m happy to be here too. It’s a lot nicer than I thought it would be, and I’m coming to believe all of you truly have my back, should I need it. Like I said: it’s weird, but it’s nice. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes in the years that follow.”

Rarity just smiled again before looking at the others at the table. “Does anyone else have any concerns or questions to bring up?” Fluttershy’s hand started to raise before she lowered it again. “Do you have a question, Fluttershy?”

“O-oh, no. I-I mean yes, but…” she took a deep breath and steeled herself before sitting up a little straighter. “I’m sorry. Yes, I do want to ask something. Are we scheduling out time to spend with each member, or do we just let it all happen organically?”

“Organically is probably best,” Twilight said, resting her chin on her hand.

Rarity nodded. “I agree. I know herds of the past were a bit different, but as a modern herd, I believe a modern approach would be the most beneficial to everyone involved.” She looked out over everyone gathered, taking in each member individually. “We are one unit: one family. We are not competing with one another, and we are not playing favorites. That means that if you want to spend time with another member of the herd, do it. Just know that others have the same privilege. This means that any dates we schedule are herd dates, and while it may start with just two or three of us, if everyone else decides to join, that is welcome and encouraged.” This time, she focused directly on Ember. “I know that this isn’t exactly the type of thing for a public setting, but I think it’s prudent I address this while we’re on the subject, so I do not forget. We are all equal members in this herd, and we will share anything and everything. This might mean that you could be having an intimate moment with Spike, and another herd member may join you. Are you prepared for that?”

Ember blushed in embarrassment, unable to stop the flush that turned her head spines a much darker blue. She took a breath before she answered, visibly trying to settle her heart and mind. “Dragons…are kinda private with that stuff. Gosh, we barely even talk with our mates about it. I mean, if we’re being honest, compared to ponies, dragons are kinda prudes.”

“So you’re saying-”

Ember held up her hand, silencing Rarity. “No, I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is, like everything else, I can and will adapt. It’s not what I was raised with, but if this is what it means to be a part of your lives, then that’s what I’ll do. Just be patient with me.”

Rarity smiled and again reached across to take Ember’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Of course dear. I don’t believe any of the others besides Lyla have been intimate with Spike anyway, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about at the moment. I just wanted to make you aware that ponies are very open with such things, and it will become an issue in the future if you are unprepared.”

Ember smiled back. “Thanks for letting me know. I kinda figured, but I wasn’t sure until just now.”

Rarity released her hand and leaned back against the cushion, looking everyone over again. “Anyone else?” When she was only answered with silence, she continued. “Well, I believe we should now discuss where we feel this life should go for all involved. I have made everyone aware that this is not a herd for flings or short-term relationships: when you come into this herd, you are doing so with the intention of this possibly being your lifelong relationship. Is everyone in agreement so far?” A chorus of affirmatives and nods answered, so she kept going. “As most of you can surmise, the original point of a herd was to birth and raise foals. However, as far as we can tell, dragons and ponies are not compatible in that manner, and so having foals with Spike will be impossible. Does anyone have a problem with that?”

Again Fluttershy raised her hand, and Rarity nodded at her. “Um, w-we can still adopt though, right?”

Nodding with a smile, Rarity folded her hands in front of her. “Yes, of course. I think I speak for all of us here when I say an adopted foal will be loved just the same as if they had been birthed by one of us, and I would love to raise a little filly or colt, no matter where they come from.”

“Wait, who told you that dragons couldn’t mate with ponies?” Ember asked.

Twilight tilted her head a little in confusion. “Um…science did? Ponies have 24 chromosome pairs, and dragons have 26. Biology dictates we can’t breed.”

Ember snorted, chuckling. “Yeah, that’s wrong. Dragons have mated with pretty much every sapient species that walks the earth, and have sired whelps with all of them. Well,” she bobbed her head from side to side, “I say ‘whelps,’ but the species is dependent on the mother. If the dragon is the mother, it’s a whelp. If it’s another creature, it’s a hybrid. Where do you think kirin came from?”

“Wait, so then why…?”

“When did you test Spike?” Ember asked, wrapping her wing around my back.

Twilight frowned, looking down at the table. “Um…two or three years ago, I think.”

“His flame wasn’t mature yet,” Ember stated resolutely, still smiling. “Just because his body was sexually mature doesn’t mean his magic was. Dragons are a lot more dependent on magic for their biology than anything physical, and as you know, magic can change a lot of things. The *ehem* sexual material changes to be compatible with whatever it comes across, if the dragon’s magic is also mature.”

Hearing this, my eyes widened and I looked at Lyla, who also had wide eyes. Her eyes slowly moved to meet mine, and she blushed when she caught my gaze. Rarity noticed the two of us, and gasped as her hand rose to her lips. “O-oh dear. Lyla, are you-”

“NO!” the changeling practically screamed, wincing and shrinking in on herself. After a moment of silence, she added, “...changelings don’t really work like that. We can’t just ‘get pregnant’ from mating. And queens are very different even compared to the other castes.”

Rarity motioned with her hand. “Well go on darling, don’t leave us in suspense.”

Lyla nodded and took a breath. “Well-” she was interrupted as the servers arrived with our food, and we all collectively waited for all the food to be placed down in front of us. After the servers ensured everything was fine, we were again left in privacy, so Lyla began again. “Anyhow, changelings aren’t normally fertile. Like some insects, we have both a ‘nymph’ and ‘mature’ form -- and don’t worry, those are just technical names. We are considered legal Equestrian adults after we shed our larval form and grow wings. Unlike insects, we can transition back and forth between our nymph and mature forms, as the need arises. It does, however, require shedding our exoskeleton and entering metamorphosis, so it’s not exactly pretty, and leaves us vulnerable. Because of that, we don’t usually do so unless we’re absolutely sure we want to procreate. But,” she paused, taking a forkful of her small meal and chewing, seemingly thinking on how she was going to word the next part, “...well, queens are, for lack of a better word, ‘weird’. Their bodies store any seed they might take, and use it only when they lay eggs. I was under the impression that I would have to undergo metamorphosis to birth larva, but instead,” she rubbed her stomach absently, “Spike’s ‘contribution’ is still in here, waiting until I decide to use it.”

“So,” Rarity began, tapping her lip with her finger, “if I’m understanding correctly, your reproductive processes are completely under your control?”

Lyla thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I guess they are.”

Rarity hummed to herself. “Darling, I don’t mean to sound callous, but that sounds amazing. Nearly every other creature on this planet must bend to the whims of their bodies, but changelings can actively control their biology. I must admit, I find myself a bit envious.” Once again, she looked at the changeling. “So…are you planning on having your own foa- I mean, larva sometime soon?”

“Not…just yet,” Lyla answered, blushing even harder. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to, but we’re still feeling out herd life, and I want to be sure everyone is secure before doing that. Changelings have evolved to be raised by an entire community, so I need to be sure all of us know enough about one another that we can all raise a new life properly.”

“That’s very responsible,” Twilight commented, taking small bites of her meal of roasted carrots and squash. “Though, I suppose changelings didn’t survive this long due to irresponsibility.”

Lyla smiled gratefully at her alicorn herdmate. “True, but neither are we perfect. Chrysalis was proof enough of that, and she is far from the first queen to become, shall we say, a little too selfish. She became obsessed with a vendetta she seemed to have with Equestria, and threw as many lives and resources at it as she deemed necessary, even though her hive suffered for it.”

“Well,” I started, halting briefly to think about how to word what I felt, “...do you want to start a hive? I mean, that would count as something for the future we should discuss, right?”

Lyla seemed to be thinking hard about this, going so far as to put her fork down and sit back against the backrest of the booth. We all just kept enjoying our meals as she thought, until she finally said, “...I don’t think so. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.” When we all stared at her, she shifted a bit. “Well, there’s really no reason to have a traditional hive in Equestria. A hive was designed to maximize our survival in a world where we were shunned, or at best, unknown. We as changelings evolved and actively modified our own species to be able to remain hidden, scavenging love here and there, and sharing it with everyone else in the hive. But…with changelings largely being integrated into Equestria as a whole, the hive is inefficient. And, for the changelings Thorax leads, love as a source of sustenance is completely unneeded, so that we can live like normal creatures. I might have a few grubs of my own -- no more than maybe ten -- but an entire hive? No, I don’t think that’s in my future.”

“T-t-ten?!” I choked out, nearly literally choking on my meal.

Lyla, other than looking a bit concerned that I looked like I was about to faint (which was accurate), looked otherwise normal. “Yes. Is that not a normal number for ponies?”

Rarity, who also had wide eyes, took a moment to finally answer, “N-not for most of us, no. Perhaps for farm families, such as the Apples, but generally speaking, most pony families have between two and four foals. More than that is rare, and ten is oft unheard of, darling.”

I tried to throw in my own thoughts, but my tongue was frozen due to the fact my brain was imagining a house full of babies, with Lyla and I at the center of it. The dragon in me was driven to procreate and ensure my bloodline lived on, but the Equestrian in me was grounded in reality, and found the idea of that many babies at once to be ludicrous. I mean, the castle would barely be big enough, and if I thought I had little time to myself now, I could only imagine what having ten kids would be like.

A hard slap to my cheek shocked me out of my spiraling thoughts, followed by Ember grabbing my cheeks and forcing her eyes to look at me. “Spike, breathe. You’re going to pass out if you don’t get some air. C’mon, in, out. Do it.”

I focused on what she was saying, following along and taking deep breaths in, then slowly letting them out. With each breath, the spots began to clear from my vision, and my heart slowed as my thoughts cleared and I could think a little more logically. Needless to say, I felt pretty silly, but didn’t say so. Twilight had her own freakouts, most of which I had been privy to, so I knew she wasn’t going to judge me. As for the others, they knew me well enough to understand panicking for me was only temporary, and luckily, I had a grounded dragoness to bring me back when I started thinking crazy things.

After nodding to Ember to show that I was okay, I glanced at the others. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to freak out, but thinking about ten kids running around had me panicking a little.”

“A little?” Twilight teased, her teeth gleaming as she grinned. “You looked like you were about to faint. Or run screaming. One of the two.”

Taking another breath to settle my nerves, I shook my head. “Nah, I’ll be okay. Just…it was a bit much to take in all of the sudden.”

“Well, we don’t have to nail things down right now, so to speak,” Lyla assured, nodding my way. “We’re still young, and I don’t exactly have a ten-year plan for that kinda thing. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, and besides that, I don’t think I’ll be the first to bear you young.” She gestured to Ember, causing me to blush again.

Ember appeared to be completely unbothered as she answered, “Yeah, probably. I was planning sometime within the next year. Spike and I are both of age, and I know in my heart he’ll be a great sire to his whelps. I’m not worried about it at all.”

I was more than a little surprised at the absolute certainty in Ember’s words, and it appeared the rest of the table was, too. For a long few seconds, none of us could do anything but sit in silence and think, all while Ember just continued her meal as if nothing had happened. If nothing else, at least she had faith in my ability to be a father, which counted for a lot. But, it seemed that I was just a little baby dragon only a few years ago, barely able to do much on my own other than daily chores and stuff. Now, there was my dragon mate saying that not only did she plan to create life with me in the immediate future, but that she was absolutely positive I could raise a child, and do a good job.

“For being so reserved regarding sexual acts, you seem oddly matter of fact when it comes to procreation,” Rarity noted.

Ember shrugged, swallowing a mouthful of whatever she was drinking. “I mean, procreation is a part of life, and while sex can be fun, procreation is every living creature’s end-goal. The reason for forming relationships and mating is to create more of your kind, and dragons understand all that. It’s normal, and so it’s nothing to be embarrassed or worried about. You all got here for that reason, and dragons have survived for the same reason: having young is normal, and has been for as long as animals have existed. It’s pointless to be all embarrassed by it.” She then glanced my way. “Besides, I’m the one who has to lay the egg and keep it safe until it hatches. Whelps are ready to eat soft foods as soon as they hatch, and besides all that, you have an entire herd here to help you do it.”

I swallowed to try and moisten my suddenly dry throat, unable to come up with a logical rebuttal. All I could say was, “...are you really sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life,” she assured, winking at me. “I love you, and I want to have a family with you.”

For another long few seconds, there was silence, until Rarity could no longer contain herself. “Oh my stars, how romantic!” This, of course, suddenly made her the target of four pairs of eyes, which caused her to huff and ask, “What? It is. Forgive me for finding romance in such a simple statement. Well Spike,” she raised an eyebrow at me, “what say you? Don’t leave your dragoness waiting in suspense.”

I danced my eyes between the two females before sighing and smiling at Ember. “Well, you have a lot of faith in me, so it would make me stupid to just ignore it. Besides, you’re right, and we’re the right age where most Equestrians start families. There’s really no reason not to.”

Ember smiled back, the warmth in her eyes and heart strong enough that I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling it. Still, she smiled back before throwing a smirk to Twilight. “This time next year you’ll be an aunt twice, Twilight. And that’s only if I’m the only one to have a youngling.”

Twilight just smiled back. “Oh, I love being an aunt. Flurry is such a joy to have around, and while growing up with Spike was…let’s call it a challenge, I don’t imagine raising a baby dragon will be all that difficult, especially with two dragons to do most of the raising. With Spike, most of it was done by Celestia, with some by my parents, but it would help to have a dragon raised as a dragon to help. I’m not worried, and I’ll get to be the best aunt in Equestria. Again.” And yes, Twilight looked particularly pleased with that fact.

Rarity also looked happy, likely for the same reason as Twilight. True, she wasn’t an aunt yet (Sweetie had not yet found her forever someone), but she could appreciate how much fun it was being an aunt, seeing as how she came to love the adorable Flurry as well. “Well, I believe it is safe to say we can expect this family to start growing sometime this coming year then, yes?” At my tentative nod and Ember’s smile, Rarity only smiled wider. “Well, I believe that answers my questions as to the future. Now, before we close serious talks for the night, does anyone else have anything important to bring up?”

Fluttershy again raised her hand, and when Rarity gave her the nod to go ahead, she said, “Well, I just wanted to remind everyone that my parents will be coming too, so I-I wanted to introduce all of you as my herd, if that’s okay.”

I couldn’t help the wide smile and urge to hug Fluttershy at her request. And so, I did both as I replied, “I’d be insulted if you didn’t. We’re happy to have you, and you have a right to want to introduce us as your herd. Never be afraid to tell others.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid,” Fluttershy assured us, smiling before snorting softly. “It’s just that m-my mother is going to interrogate everyone, for lack of a better word. You know how she is.”

Remembering that her birth mother was going to be visiting, my joviality bled away a bit and I nodded more soberly. “Right. Well, we have nothing to hide, so if she needs to ask questions, we’ll answer them.”

Fluttershy smiled brightly and snuggled against me again, leaving me just enjoying the attention and trying to finish my meal before it got cold. With all that out of the way, the six of us talked here and there about notably less-important things, and generally just enjoyed a night out together. As usual, I generally just enjoyed the company and listened, adding my two bits here and there, but otherwise letting the others steer the conversation. Eventually though, we were sharing three desserts between us, and finishing up our night before returning home. I’ll admit that the meal was nice, but with the early evening transitioning into night, I knew we had to get home soon to be able to get up at a reasonable hour. So, it was with great reluctance that I reminded everyone of our obligations, and we paid and prepared to leave.

With it being around nine at night, the streets were largely deserted, which left us with a snowy walk home lit by Princess Luna’s brilliant moon. As per usual, we all made our way to the castle, silently agreeing it was the place to be whenever we could. Besides, with the holiday fast approaching, there really wasn’t any need to be at our separate homes for long periods of time, because we were going to be spending the holiday together regardless. Rarity had taken a break from work, Lyla wasn’t doing any more commissions or contracts until after the new year, and Fluttershy was, of course, largely bored at her home. So, since we were all in a herd together, it just made sense to sleep at the castle together.

After getting everyone inside and out of the cold, I helped Twilight dust everyone off from the snowfall, then escorted everyone upstairs. Starlight was waiting for us in the commons area, telling me that all was quiet while we were away, and to her knowledge, the Young Six were playing games in Gallus’ room, while our other guests had either retired for the night, or were entertaining themselves in their own quarters. In other words, the night was winding down, which meant we could all have hot showers and get dressed for bed without any obligations getting in the way.

“Did Fizzle need anything while we were out?” I asked, concerned about our new housemate.

Starlight shook her head. “Not really. I fixed everyone a simple meal for dinner, but other than that, she’s kept to herself. She did ask about where you all went though, and I kinda had to explain the fact that you were all in a herd together.”

I winced a bit. “Oof. Yeah, I forgot to bring that up during the tour earlier. How did she take it?”

Starlight shrugged. “Okay, as far as I can tell. She seems to purposely keep her emotions under lock and key, but she didn’t seem upset or anything. She did ask when it all happened though, as well as…” she blushed a bit and cleared her throat, “she asked how private you are with displays of affection.”

“And what did you tell her?”

At that, Starlight grinned like a cat that caught the canary. “Oh, just that she should knock before entering any rooms, and probably learn to navigate with her eyes closed. And she should try and ignore any noises she might hear echoing the hallways at night.”

Twilight blushed at that. “Going a little hard on the teasing there, Starlight. You make it sound like we’re a herd of exhibitionists.”

“Well, she took it in stride, and just made a joke about washing her hands after touching anything,” Starlight countered. “She didn’t seem particularly bothered, and she also doesn’t seem like the kind of mare that can’t take a joke. Hay, with what she’s seen in the world, she’s probably more accepting than any of us when it comes to weird things.”

Wait, that sounded kinda insulting. “Oh, so I’m a weird thing now?”

“Kinda, yeah, but we love you that way,” Lyla joked, poking me in the side.

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. But if Fizzle didn’t say it bothered her or something, I guess we’re good. I’ll ask her about it tomorrow, but for now, I think we’re heading to bed. What about you, Star?”

Starlight was already dressed in her pajamas, which meant she had already prepared for bed awhile ago. “Well, I think I’m gonna finish reading this book,” she waved a paperback in front of her face, “and then I’ll turn in for the night. I’ll throw another few logs on the fire to keep it burning, so you all just go get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

I gave a thumbs up. “Sounds good, Star. Thanks, and goodnight.”

With that said, we began making our way through the hallway toward Twilight’s room. I broke away from the group and entered my own room to change, since not all of my herd was going to be comfortable with me seeing them naked just yet. With that said, Ember, as usual, followed me, since she had taken a shower earlier in the day, and hadn’t done anything to dirty herself between then and now. Ember merely sat on my bed and watched as I quickly undressed and then slipped on a pair of pajama bottoms. Once I was finished, since I knew it would be some time yet before the others were prepared, I sat next to Ember on the bed and lay down, coaxing her to follow as we just held each other. Again I was treated to the adorable image of Ember closing her eyes, sighing happily, and curling up against me as she nosed my throat. Had it not been for the fact four others were going to be expecting us, I would have shimmied us under the blankets and fallen asleep with my dragoness in my arms.

“I meant what I said at the restaurant, Spike,” Ember murmured, squeezing me a little before beginning to run her clawtips over my bare chest. “I want to have a family with you, and I don’t want to wait much longer. Frankly, my mother is going to ask if we’ve started growing our family yet, and when you say no, she’s going to tease you about it.”

Ignoring the comment about her mother, I instead asked, “How do you think your parents are going to react to hearing you’re in a relationship with multiple individuals?”

At that, Ember’s hand stilled, and she was quiet for a few moments. “Honestly…I don’t know. I mean, I’m a dragon lord in my own right, so it’s not like they can really tell me what to do anymore, but at the same time, we are expected to respect our elder family members in dragon culture. Like I told you before, I don’t think my mother is going to be a problem, and that goes for this hoard too. My father, however…well, as you can imagine, he tends to have strong opinions, and he’s used to others falling in line when he says something.”

I snorted at that. “Well, I hope he doesn’t feel the need to throw his weight around too much. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go. I don’t care what he says.”

And, I was able to hear the rare giggle from Ember, as she hugged me a little tighter. “I love it when you get all possessive like that.”

We lay like that for a good span of time until eventually, a knock is heard. A moment later, Twilight pokes her head in and smiles at us. “We’re ready. Come join us, we’ll watch a movie while we wind down for the night.”

Lurching up from my prone position, I hefted Ember up with me before following Twilight out of the room. We were silent as we padded just one door down, and entered Twilight’s bedroom, where the sound of a movie intro could already be heard. After a quick greeting from everyone, and a few kisses to go around, we all found places on the bed that were sure to change as we all became more comfortable and sleepy.

I found myself looking forward to the coming holiday. After all, I was going to be presenting myself to all of my herd’s parents (minus Ember and Lyla, of course), and this Hearth’s Warming was already priming to be one of the greatest I’d yet seen. I was equal parts excited and anxious, but knew that things would be okay in the end. And besides that, this was for us to recover from the hard parts of this year, so I was going to make sure everything went well.

And so, as the opening credits rolled, I settled in for a nice night with my girls, idly wondering what joy Hearth’s Warming had in store for all of us.

Chapter 26

The day was finally upon us, and I practically flew out of bed to get cleaned up and get to the commons room. Twilight and I had snuck out in the middle of the night, somehow not waking anyone, and filled the commons room with presents and ensured the fire was well fed for the day ahead. Due to that, I had time to make a nice breakfast for everyone before they had awakened, leaving just Twilight and I alone, putting on the last finishing touches for our first Hearth’s Warming as a herd.

I was wearing my apron and flipping some pancakes while Twilight prepared fresh coffee and hot chocolate, as well as arranging an array of cookies, pastries, biscuits, and tarts for everyone to enjoy. With only the two of us awake, the private quarters were quiet, but I knew the smell of fresh cooked food and coffee was going to awaken everyone soon.

And, true to my assumption, our friends and herd began to stumble into the private dining room, most grabbing a coffee or hot chocolate on the way past us. I was still finishing up, so Twilight followed them with the treats levitating in her magic, and I did my best to finish up the food all at once so everything would be nice and hot. Finally, all thirty-six pancakes were done, the haybacon was nice and crispy, and after piling everything into covered serving dishes, I made my way to the dining room, setting everything down in front of the gathered creatures there. With no need to be told, everyone began helping themselves to the hot meal, and I slipped away briefly to grab some gems for the dragons present. I eventually sat down at my own place, between Twilight and Rarity, and began eating.

After everyone had settled in completely for breakfast, Twilight cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention, and announced, “So, here’s the plan: after breakfast we’re going to hand out presents. Following that, we’ll have time to wash and groom ourselves before the rest of the town starts arriving. Spike, Starlight, Trixie and I will be the ones to ask if you need anything, but other than that, you all are free to enjoy the holiday as you see fit. We will be lighting the grand hearth just as evening comes, so be ready for that. I just want to thank all of you for coming to celebrate this holiday with us, and I hope you all build fond memories of this time.”

A chorus of cheers and gratitude answered her, followed by everyone again focusing on their breakfast. I munched absently on some gems as I waited for everyone to finish, understandably excited about the gifts to come. I was, however, significantly more excited about the reactions they would have to my gifts; in my opinion, that was always the best part of Hearth’s Warming. Even after years, I had a distinct aversion to receiving gifts, but instead channeled that into giving gifts. So it was no surprise I basically jumped out of my chair when everyone finished, only all too happy to gather up the dirty dishes and put away the leftovers, and escort everyone to the commons room.

Twilight giggled, even though she submitted to my coaxing and continued walking. “Spike, calm down. We’ll get there, I promise.” Ember just chose to stay silent, but couldn’t help the wide smile that accompanied her laughter.

Eventually though, we all arrived in the commons room, and everyone stared with wide eyes at the presents gathered. There were probably over a hundred. Granted, there were quite a few of us there, but I knew Ember in particular knew very little about Hearth’s Warming, so getting presents “just because” was something new for her.

The Young Six sat on one side of the room, with the rest of us on the other. I took the initiative and began divvying up the presents by name, handing each one to whoever it belonged to, and watching as eyes got wider and wider as their piles grew. Eventually, after nearly twenty minutes, all the presents were distributed, and Twilight took the lead.

“Okay everyone,” she stood and held up a gift, which was from Rarity, “choose a gift, read aloud who it’s from, and open it. Have fun!”

And so the madness began, with us watching the younger ones opening their presents, and verbally thanking us, or in Ocellus’ case, bounding over to give Twilight and Starlight a big hug as she held a perfect replica of the Treehouse of Harmony, complete with little miniatures of her and her friends. It was clear to see everything was handcrafted from crystal, and must have taken weeks or months to complete.

Eventually though, all their presents were finished, and among their piles of new toys, knick-knacks, gadgets, and clothing, the six looked at us expectantly, with Yona smiling and pointing at us. “And now you! Yona knows you will like presents! Go, open open!”

I looked at the others sitting on my side, shrugged, and grabbed Yona’s gift first. My claws made short work of the paper, revealing a handmade scarf with ancient yak tribal designs, along with a carved wooden flute, and a beautiful ivory picture frame. Looking up at the yak, I could only smile back, and nod to her. “Thank you for the gifts, Yona. I love them.”

“Gifts from father and Yona!” she corrected, pointing to the picture frame in my right hand. “Father made himself, from old mammoth remains in mountains. Found tusks, and did not know what to do with them…until now. Greatest thing to do with good find is gifts!”

Yaks didn’t have the same aversion to using animal products in the things they made, so they made regular use of bones, ivory, leather, and teeth. It was one of the things Equestrians had to adapt to in order to form a stable friendship with Yakyakistan, and surprisingly, they did it fairly quickly. True, we had very different cultures, but in the harsh climes of the mountains where yaks lived, they had to make use of whatever they could find, and often that meant other animals. It was because of this that I could easily understand how valuable a picture frame like the one I was given happened to be. And, even though it was still a little weird, it did look nice.

Looking back at the yak, I said, “Be sure and tell your father I’m grateful for the thoughtful gift. I’ll treasure it.”

Following on the heels of the yak, Ocellus fluttered her wings and said, “Okay, mine next!”

I picked up a sparkly square present that looked like it took a dip in a pool of glitter. The writing was bubbly and loopy, which somehow fit Ocellus’ personality perfectly. I smiled at her before more gently opening the paper (to hopefully reduce the amount of glitter that was going to cover me). Inside was a small cardboard box, which upon opening, revealed what looked like glass sculpture of an adult dragon in large, quadrupedal form, that appeared to be…well, me. She even got the frills right.

I carefully held the sculpture up to see it, and when it caught the light, it cast rainbows on the wall behind it, causing everyone to “ooh” in surprise. My mouth dropped open in awe. Slowly, I rolled my eyes to the changeling, and shakily asked, “D-did you make this?”

Ocellus squirmed a bit in a great imitation of Fluttershy. “W-well, yeah. Changelings spent centuries isolated from the outside world, so we got really good at making everything we needed. We didn’t really get much time to openly expand in the arts and such in Chrysalis’ hive, but certain changelings did so in secret. M-my father is a glazier, and he taught me the trade when I was very young. And once we were freed from Chrysalis’ reign, I learned to use that skill to make pretty things, instead of just windows and things like that. I guess you could call me a glass artist.”

I held up the sculpture again, noticing there were no discernable imperfections or warping. “Ocellus…this thing is a work of art. I’ve seen things like this of lesser quality selling in Canterlot shops for well over a hundred bits each. Add some colors here and there, and you could easily sell it for a few thousand.”

Ocellus blushed and waved my praise away. “Oh c’mon, it’s not that great. It’s just something I do in my spare time for fun.”

My immediate impulse was to keep pressing, and tell her she could be making thousands of bits off of a piece like this…only to remember what it was, what it was for, and what day it was. I settled down and smiled more calmly at the changeling. “All I’m trying to say is that this is amazing, Ocellus. Thank you so much for the gift.”

Ocellus smiled brightly again, her wings buzzing happily behind her. “You’re welcome, Spike. I’m very happy my gift could bring you such joy.”

Next was Sandbar, whose rectangular gift was wrapped in plain brown paper with a simple string to tie it together. He chuckled self-consciously and said, “I uh, hope you like it. It’s not much, but it’s what I have to give.”

“The monetary value of a gift isn’t what matters, Sandbar,” Starlight assured, smiling at her former student. “If it’s given with the intention of causing joy, then it’s a good gift.”

I smiled, but said nothing as I carefully broke the string and unwrapped the present. Inside was a book, which at first puzzled me, but upon opening I saw it was a recipe book. It was hand-typed with drawn illustrations, and these recipes were foods I had never heard of before. As a cook, I understood just how valuable something like this was. Looking up at the colt, I gave him a bright smile. “Sandbar…this is incredible. These are all from home, I assume?”

His nervous look became more confident at my response, and he nodded. “Y-yeah, they are. We don’t have a whole lot back home, but what we do have is good food. I figured someone that likes to cook would enjoy some new recipes.”

Flipping through the book again, taking in the unique dishes, I returned the nod. “I do. Thanks, Sandbar. I’ll put this to use as soon as I can.”

“All right, mine next. I’m not exactly great at wrapping, so I’m sure you can figure out which one is mine,” spoke Gallus, grinning and crossing his arms.

Glancing around at the gifts, I noticed one that, yes, looked like someone had made only a cursory attempt at wrapping. As a gryphon, Gallus was a creature of practicality, and didn’t see the need for overly complicated things, which included wrapping gifts. After all, it was what was inside the paper that mattered. And so, without hesitation, I tore the paper open, revealing a small brown box, which I also opened. Inside was a pair of rings, one that looked like it was made of obsidian, and the other either silver or pewter. When I looked up questioningly at Gallus, he thankfully explained.

“What you’re looking at is what I’d call a family heirloom…if gryphons had that kinda thing,” he surmised, laughing a few times. “Anyway, Grampa Gruff found these a while ago, and didn’t know what to do with them. They’re normal rings to the rest of us, but to a creature that can cast magic…”

Taking his cue, I chose the obsidian ring and placed it on my right ring finger. When nothing happened, I blew fire on my hand and cast a basic light spell…and nothing was any different. “Nothing’s happening.”

Gallus groaned and snarked, “There’s two rings, smart guy. You gotta wear both of ‘em.”

Mentally shrugging, I put the other ring on my left hand, and immediately, both rings lit up with green light, the same green of my fire. A jolt ran through me, causing me to flinch, but I couldn’t really say it was painful. When nothing further happened, I again cast the same light spell, but this time the spell all but leapt into existence, and I felt practically zero drain from it, compared to normal. It only took me a second to understand just what the rings did. “They create a focus.”

Gallus nodded. “Yeah, that’s what Grampa Gruff said they were supposed to do. When gryphons had spellcasters, back when the empire was at its height, rings like these could turn even the greenest of gryphon mages into spellcasters overnight. It’s a lot easier to learn new spells when you’re not tired after using, like, only five.”

Ember’s training had built up my reserves quite a bit, but I was still a novice compared to most other dragons. As it was, I still got tired after more than an hour of continued spellcasting, and some spells were completely beyond me. But, with these rings, I could experiment with more complex spells without hurting myself. Or, more likely, massively increase my spellcasting efficiency so that I could cast for longer.

I just stared at the rings in wonder for a moment before finally commenting, “I gotta admit Gallus, I figured you would have sold something like this before giving it to me as a gift.”

The gryphon shrugged. “Eh, friends get first pick. Maybe that’s not the rule in Griffonstone, but it’s my rule.”

I smiled at his words. “I like that rule. I appreciate the gift, Gallus. Thanks.”

“Okay, me next, me next!” Silverstream squealed, bouncing in excitement in a very accurate Pinkie Pie impression. And so, I reached for a present that was wrapped in pale pink wrapping paper with a bow almost as large as the present itself. Without preamble, I tore the top off of the paper, which was hiding a bottle of what appeared to be some sort of drink.

“We call it ‘Mother of Pearl’ mead, and it’s made from seabee honey,” Silverstream explained, still bouncing in her seat. “Mom said everycreature should try it at least once, and since only a few bottles are made each year, I figured I should just gift you one instead.”

Truth be told, I had heard about the drink, and true to its namesake, it shimmered iridescently in the light. It was renowned for being extraordinarily rare, usually only accessible to the hippogriffs and a few notable traders. For everyone else, it was all but impossible to get. With that being the case, I had to ask: “...Silverstream, how much did this cost you?”

She tilted her head at that. “Nothing. My brother gave it to me for my coming-of-age ceremony, but I don’t drink. So, I thought I could give it to a friend instead, and Hearth’s Warming is the perfect time for that, isn’t it?”

“W-well yeah, but-”

“Don’t you like it?” she interrupted, tilting her head the other way in a decidedly cute manner.

I resisted for as long as I could, but eventually, Silverstream’s adorably innocent question wore away my defenses until I could only sigh, and smile. “Yes…yes I do. Thank you, Silverstream. I’ll make sure to put this to good use.” Sure, I wasn’t exactly a drinker, but I knew both Twilight and Rarity had refined palates when it came to alcohol, and would enjoy a nice drink like that. It would make for some nice drinks on dates, if nothing else.

Lastly was Smolder. However, instead of something physical, she smiled and said, “I have a spell for you that I’ll teach you later. I made it myself, and you’ll only be the second dragon in the world to know of it.”

My eyes widened, and I was aware of Twilight gasping to my right. “You made your own spell?”

“It shames me to say that even though she isn’t the dragon lord, she’s a far more talented spellcaster than I could ever hope to be,” Ember playfully lamented, laughing softly. “Her solution to the lack of utility spells for dragons is to just make them, and she’s very good at it.”

Before Twilight could open her mouth, Smolder preempted her with, “And yes, Twilight, I promise we can talk later.” Twilight’s muted ‘yes’ brought a smile to my face, and I couldn’t help but feel this was the best Hearth’s Warming so far.

From there, I kinda tuned out a bit as everyone else began opening their gifts, one by one, that the six youths got for them. Twilight, of course, usually got books or some magical artifact (except for Smolder, who had also promised her a spell that could be adapted to pony magic), Rarity got a few handmade articles of fashionable clothing and some bolts of rare cloth, and so on from there.

Finally, all the gifts between us were given out, and the younger ones decided to go off to enjoy their new items. That just left me and my herd in the room, at which point we began opening each other’s presents. Things were generally tame and normal, but every now and then someone would open a present that was distinctly herd-related.

For example: Twilight was opening a rather boring looking box from Rarity, only for her to lift off the lid, practically turn into a tomato, and slam the lid down on the box. After some coaxing from Fluttershy and Rarity, Twilight reluctantly opened the box and showed us what was inside. And…let me just say, I knew Rarity wasn’t exactly a prude, but making Twilight such an outfit was something new. Sure, it was technically clothing, but let’s just say it was designed to put everything on open display. Rarity was really taking her role as First Mare seriously…and yeah, I was enjoying it. Twilight and I hadn’t “done the deed,” but this just gave me something more to look forward to. Just imagining her done up in that, her eyes pleading and submissive…

Mmm…

The next “herd gift” came by way of Twilight, to Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s gift was not of the embarrassing variety, but rather the “warm intimacy” sort. Unlike Rarity’s gift to Twilight, Twilight’s gift to our pegasus was meant to tell her, without words, “You belong with us, and we’re privileged to have you.” Twilight’s gift was a magical key that gave her access to every room save for Twilight’s experimental lab (for safety reasons), all secured on a silver chain that was enchanted to always be in the first place she looked (a clever spell created from Seeksy’s Searching Charm and Soulbound Item). This simple gift would ensure Fluttershy had access to the castle, whenever she wanted, even including our private rooms. Needless to say, this turned Fluttershy’s cuteness up to eleven, since she smiled freely and happily, and was basically nuzzling Twilight uncontrollably with an odd, but adorable purring sound.

The next two gifts were both for Lyla, one from Rarity and one from Fluttershy. Rarity had also made a rather scandalous “bedroom outfit” for Lyla, which the changeling showed off without shame, but Fluttershy’s gift was a bit more unexpected. It was, of all things, the Kamare Sutra. Everyone was blushing (even Ember, after I explained the gift), Fluttershy was hiding behind her wings as she giggled uncontrollably, and Lyla looked downright impressed.

The last herd gift was from Rarity to Ember. Since Ember had not received that many gifts (not that it really bothered her, honestly), Rarity had decided to go all-out for the dragoness. She had colluded with the others to create for Ember a gift the likes of which the dragoness had likely never seen before, because inside a rather large box was Ember’s suit of armor, but completely upgraded in every way possible. The minor damage here and there had been repaired, the armor itself had been buffed and shined, and the leather had been completely replaced with new, fireproof leather from the minotaurs. But, in addition to all that, the armor now bore intricate etchings on many of the surfaces, which looked to add more complexity, but upon closer inspection, were actually enchantments. There were enchantments for cushioning (to better protect against concussive forces), cold warding, grounding (to protect against lightning), magic absorption, and even protection from curses. The metal itself was now an alloy of mithril and gold, and cradled in each metal piece was at least one gem each, humming with power.

While Ember was an expert in dragon magic, pony spells still largely eluded her, so Twilight happily explained all the enchantments in place. Lastly was the gems, which surprised me and, honestly, made me a little jealous.

“This armor will change shape and size, protecting you even when you grow large. Nothing short of a comet impact or a volcanic explosion could hurt you now,” Twilight explained, smiling with a healthy measure of pride in her part of the work.

Ember carefully picked up the armor, flinching as it clinked and clanked, holding it almost reverently in front of her. “You…y-you did this for me?”

“Well, we all had a part, but…yes,” Rarity answered, laying a gentle hand on the trembling dragoness’ shoulder.

“We all care about you, Ember,” Twilight added, placing her own hand on the opposite shoulder. “Keeping you cooped up just isn’t feasible, and you would be miserable. Part of being in a herd is looking out for one another, but since we might not always be able to do that…we decided we needed a way to make sure our treasure is always protected.”

“T-t-treasure?!”

I was well aware that we dragons “run hot,” so to speak, but Ember was blushing so hard I could feel the heat from two places away. After I had jokingly referred to Ember as “my treasure” in private, she had explained to me just how serious a claim that was. As creatures that were instinctively drawn to hoard treasures of some kind, referring to another dragon as “my treasure” was putting a great amount of worth on said dragon, and the importance was not lost on me. It made sense, then, that only the comparatively rare dragons that valued ideals of romance and love referred to their mate as a treasure. So, for Twilight to refer to Ember as “our treasure,” she was asserting that she was now an integral part of our lives, and we would never let her go without a fight. While the others had worked hard on the material side of things, I had donated the knowledge of the draconic meaning behind that term alone, knowing the effect it would have on Ember.

Ember was silent for a long time before finally croaking out, “...do you know the severity of what you just implied?”

Twilight nodded. “I do. Spike explained it to me, and I used that term, in that context, specifically because I know what it means. So, the question is: are you okay with it?”

Again, Ember was silent for a bit. She seemed to be considering how to answer, before finally settling on, “No one’s ever done something like this for me. I…I honestly have no words to really explain how this makes me feel. But…yes. Yes, I’m okay with it.” Tears began gathering at the corners of her eyes, which she hurriedly wiped away, laughing it off. “S-see what you did? Now I’m crying. Why am I crying?”

Twilight wasted no time in embracing the dragoness, holding her head close to her chest and gently stroking the tender skin behind her horns. “Because sometimes, the emotion is too great, and the body doesn’t know how to deal with it. No one here will judge you, Ember. Like I said: we’re a family. We may not be your mother or father, but friends are the family you choose. You will always be welcome in our lives, no matter what.”

Ember laughed again, raising her own arms up to cradle the pony hugging her. We all joined in where we could, enclosing the dragoness in warmth and love. After a few beats, she jokingly complained, “You guys are gonna make me soft, and no dragon back home is gonna respect me anymore.”

“Outside, you can be as imposing and regal as you wish,” Rarity assured, gently running her fingertips over the cyan marks under one of the dragoness’ eyes, “but here, in private, amongst the herd, you are just one of us, and we will treat you as a beloved member. Here, you can let the walls come down and just relax.”

Again, Ember softly laughed. “You all are gonna ruin me.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes again, gently pushing the others away with a smile. “Okay, that’s enough of that. So, presents are done. What else do we need to do today?”

I shrugged. “Just enjoy the day, for the most part. Twilight and I are doing the majority of the hosting duties, Starlight will be overseeing the food setup, which leaves the rest of you to just have fun. But,” I placed my hand on her thigh, giving a gentle squeeze, "if you feel more comfortable, you can hang around us. It'll be boring, but you're welcome to if that's what you want."

She paused for a moment, thinking to herself, before nodding resolutely. "I think I'll stick around you two. If I need to get away from everyone, I know my way back to the room."

I nudged her and nosed toward the new gift. "I know you feel safer in your armor. Now would be the perfect time to give it a test run to be sure it doesn't chafe or anything."

Ember glanced at her armor for a moment before nodding once again. As if it were practiced, each of us grabbed a piece of her armor and helped her get dressed, and within only a few minutes, Ember was fully decked out in her new armor, looking quite pleased with the balanced protection and comfort. Though she decided to forego the helmet, the rest of her was completely covered in golden armor, and she looked ready to go to war.

Looking down at herself, Ember allowed a small smile to grace her lips. “Again…thank you. All of you.”

Once again, we crowded the dragoness and gave her a hug.

While Fizzlepop had come to dinner the previous night, and was becoming more comfortable being around other ponies, she still wasn’t exactly what I would call “social”. I knew, of course, it was more because of the lingering guilt she had, and the self-depreciation she likely heaped upon herself, than any actual lack of desire for company, but the result was the same. She tended to speak with Twilight the most, then bounced to Starlight occasionally, but for the most part, Fizzlepop largely kept to herself. I saw her around from time to time, but it was rarely for more than a meal or a few minutes of chatter before she would disappear again, sequestering herself away in her room. Like Twilight and the other girls, I worried about her. It wasn’t healthy to spend so much time alone. What bothered me the most was that I sometimes could hear soft sobs coming from her room when I would walk by at night.

With a few hours to kill before people would start arriving and the cooking would need to be started, I walked the halls toward Fizzlepop’s room, intent on checking up on her to see if she needed anything, and to inquire if she wanted to join in the festivities. It was a daily thing I did since she arrived, to be sure she felt welcomed and included in our lives. I’ll admit, it was a balancing act to find the safe line between “attentive” and “annoying,” and I sometimes wasn’t sure if I met the mark.

Nonetheless, as I approached her apartment with a few cookies and a mug of special hot chocolate (with alcoholic liqueur added), I pondered whether I was bothering her, or if there was more I could be doing.

The unassuming door ahead was my destination, so I carefully freed up a hand as I stopped in front, knocking loudly. “Fizzle? Hey, it’s Spike.”

A worrying crash and loud curses followed my greeting, followed by momentary silence. The noises worried me, but against my impulse, I stayed outside and waited. After a few moments, and what sounded like hops toward the door, said door opened a crack to reveal Fizzlepop’s face and one eye. “Sorry about that. Did you need something, Spike?”

Raising a brow, I tentatively asked, “Are you okay? I heard a noise that sounded like you broke something. And I, uh, brought you some treats, just in case you were hungry. Oh, and some adult hot chocolate.”

Fizzlepop’s eye wandered over to the cookies and mug I held up, and she chewed on her lip briefly before closing the door. The sound of the door chain could be heard sliding out of the latch before the door opened, and she stood aside. “Sure, come on in.”

I stepped into the living room of the apartment, moving over to the small sofa that sat in front of a coffee table, and set the goods I brought down before taking a seat. Fizzlepop took a seat a cushion away from me giving me a grateful smile as she took one of the cookies and tossed it into her mouth. After a moment of savoring the fresh-baked treat, she washed it down with a sip of the hot drink, humming appreciatively and raising her mug to me with a nod.

I sat silently and allowed her to snack. After two more cookies and half of the mug gone, Fizzlepop set down the mug and smiled at me again. “Thanks. I haven’t eaten since supper yesterday, so I was starving. I swear you must have telepathy or something, because I was literally just thinking about how hungry I am.”

I refrained from commenting about the fact I had prepared breakfast, and instead returned her smile. “It wouldn’t do to have one of my housemates starving. Besides, fresh cookies are always good, and as Pinkie would say, ‘A wasted cookie is a wasted moment of joy’.”

Nodding again with one more small smile, she said, “On that we can agree. It was kinda hard to get sweets out on the road, so I’m gonna have to work out twice as hard so I don’t get fat from living here.”

I bobbed my head from side to side, smiling sheepishly. “Uh, yeah, I guess. I never really had that problem, but Twilight got kinda chubby from all the treats, plus long hours of sitting and reading. Frankly, I have no idea how Pinkie stays so fit.”

Rolling her eyes and taking another long pull from the mug, Fizzlepop commented, “That mare is a mystery wrapped up in an enigma. If there’s one thing I’m jealous of her for, it’s that she can eat whatever she wants and still have a body like that.”

With nothing left to really be said at the moment, I just let Fizzlepop enjoy the cookies and hot chocolate. I took a moment to inspect her general appearance, and judging by the damp mane and misty fur, I had apparently caught her just after taking a shower. I tried not to think about the tantalizing mental image of the unicorn wrapped in a towel, fur still slick and-

Nope, just gonna kill that thought before it completes.

However, just as I was about to look away, I noticed a darker line slowly making its way down her back, just under her right shoulder. Her dark blue shirt would have easily hidden it if I had not been looking, or had she not been leaning forward. I glanced to her face briefly, noting she seemed completely caught up in the nice treats I brought her, so I slowly inched my nose over to hover just over her back, and took a silent sniff. Immediately, a familiar coppery scent entered my nose, and my primal brain instantaneously identified it as blood.

I retreated to my original place, thankful she hadn’t noticed, but was now worried. Had she hurt herself when I knocked? Was that the noise I had heard? If so, I felt bad.

“Wow, that really hit the spot. Thanks again, Spike,” she said, giving a slightly more radiant smile than before. Her smile diminished as she noticed my face, however, and she then asked, “You okay? What’s with the face?”

Realizing I had been unable to mask my concern, I cleared my throat and hurriedly tried to think of a way to rationalize what I had just seen. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of an easy way to ask, so I decided to just be direct. “Um…forgive me if this is insensitive, but I think you’re bleeding, Fizzle.”

She stilled immediately. Not quite freezing, but close enough that I could only just barely make out her breathing. She slowly sat up straight, closing her eyes and releasing a long breath through her nose, before standing. “Are you squeamish around blood, Spike?”

Looking up at her curiously, I shook my head. “Not particularly. I mean, I wouldn’t want to bathe in it or anything, but blood doesn’t make me sick or dizzy.”

She nodded a few times, chewing on her lip. Her eyes darted my way, lingering for a breath, before she asked, “Do you think I might be able to get your help with something, then?”

I slowly stood, straightening out my shirt. “Sure, whatever you need.”

Fizzlepop rounded the sofa and beckoned me to follow. “Come with me. I could really use an extra pair of hands, and I don’t want to burden Twilight with this right now.” I dutifully followed the unicorn into the other room, her bedroom, before stepping into the bathroom. Unlike the rest of the private apartments, Fizzlepop had a fully-functional bathroom that had a bath/shower combo, a toilet, and a vanity mirror with its own sink and counter space. Immediately upon entering the bathroom, the sharp scent of isopropyl alcohol was present, along with more of the coppery scent of blood, as well as another odd scent I couldn’t quite place.

Without hesitation, Fizzle lifted up the hem of her shirt, exposing her stomach and lower back, and I had to ask, “Are you sure you want me for this, and not one of the girls?”

“Starlight usually faints at the sight of any blood not her own, and Twilight would panic,” she explained, whipping off her shirt and exposing her bare back to me. I idly noted she wasn’t wearing a bra, and momentarily found myself excited, only for said excitement to be drowned out by shocked concern when I saw an ugly skin wound as long as my hand and half as wide gouged into her back. The edges were colored black, and the odd scent I couldn’t place was strongest there.

I stared at the wound for a moment, unsure of what to say. Eventually, I could only force out, “F-Fizzle…w-what is-?”

“It’s not recent, before you ask. I got it years ago,” she answered plainly. There was no specific emotion: it was just a statement of fact.

“Years? But this looks fresh. Only a week old, at the most,” I countered, unable to make sense of what she was saying next to actually seeing the wound.

Fizzlepop let out a long sigh. “It was done by a blade with a wounding curse on it. It will never fully heal unless the curse is removed. Before you ask, I’ve spent a lot of the time I was away trying to find a way to remove the curse, but every answer I get is either ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘It’s impossible.’” She glanced at me over her shoulder with a weak smile. “So if I often seem cold, distant, or outright crabby, this is part of the reason why. I’m in pain every day of my life, and everyone I’ve sought out has essentially told me this is going to be my life from now on.” She looked back toward the mirror in front of us, muttering quietly, “Maybe this is penance for what I’ve done.”

“Fizzle, you’ve been forgiven for what you’ve done,” I assured, hesitating before placing my hand on her shoulder, well away from the wound. “Do you really believe you deserve to spend the rest of your life in pain for the mistakes you’ve made? Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Slowly, she raised her hand and placed it on mine briefly, before gently pushing my hand away. “All the forgiveness in the world won’t undo the pain I've caused, repair the lives I’ve personally destroyed, or right the wrongs I’ve committed against innocents.”

“And being in constant agony until the day you draw your last breath is supposed to make that better?” I countered, my tone a little sharper than I had planned. Nonetheless, after a calming breath, I continued. “You spent five years traveling the world, being cursed at, spit on, and shunned, and even so, you did everything you could to help and rebuild what had been destroyed. You took the slings and arrows willingly, and you still wanted to do more to make up for it.” She opened her mouth to speak, but I held up my hand to silence her. “Look, I know you’ve got issues with this, and frankly, I don’t expect that any of us, no matter how hard we try, are going to be able to help you get past all this with just a few conversations. But know this: we will not give up on you.” I looked into the mirror, catching her eyes with mine. “I will never give up on you. But, for now,” I nodded toward her back, “let’s get this taken care of.”

She held my gaze for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to respond, before nodding jerkily and gesturing to the counter. “I splashed some alcohol on it, but it needs more to be dabbed on. Also, that black, necrotic flesh needs to be scrubbed away before another bandage can be put on.”

I could now place the smell I had noticed that I couldn’t identify: cursed flesh. It was a scent I wish I didn’t have to know of, least of all from a friend. I reached forward and grabbed the gauze pads and alcohol, darting my eyes to hers and asking, “Isn’t this going to hurt?”

“More than I can say, but it has to be done. I’ve become pretty accustomed to the pain by now. Just be thorough, because I don’t want this to be for nothing,” she advised, leaning forward a bit and bracing her hands on the counter. She took a few quick breaths, apparently preparing herself, before nodding. “Okay, do it.’

I took a breath of my own to settle my nerves before pouring some alcohol on the pad and immediately placing it on the wound, rubbing at the blackened edges. I ignored the squeak that escaped Fizzlepop’s throat and tried not to think about the tears in her eyes as I continued, instead following her instructions and debriding the wound area the best that I could. I reminded myself that the thick, oozing blood and reddened flesh was better than the blackened, dead skin I was scrubbing off, but despite my strong stomach, I was still uncomfortable. Regardless, I focused on the task, removing all emotion from the equation, and powered through it until all specks of loose, discolored flesh were gone. I grabbed a fresh gauze pad and dabbed the area down with some more alcohol, before turning Fizzlepop around, grabbing a hand mirror from the countertop, and handing it to her so she could inspect the wound through the two mirrors.

Her breathing was shaky from the pain, but she inspected my work with a critical (teary) eye. She nodded with a grateful, weary smile. “Good job. All right, grab the big bandage pad and the roll of sticky bandage wrap, and help me patch this up.”

I did as she asked, handing the roll to her and opening the sterile pad. I placed it gently over the wound, then held the end of the gauze up at her shoulder, allowing Fizzlepop to roll it over her front, before passing it along her side back to me. I continued the wrap around her back before handing it back to her at her shoulder, and we continued this three more times before she started to go across her chest horizontally, to stabilize the wrap and be sure it wouldn’t move. After a few minutes of alternating diagonal and horizontal wrapping of the stretchy roll, the wound was thoroughly bandaged, so with a quick snip of medical scissors and sticking the self-adhesive wrap to itself, the job was finally done. Without prompting, I used the cleaner of the two alcohol-soaked gauze pads to wipe away the blood that had run down her back, stopping just above the belt of her pants.

Without turning around, Fizzlepop hooked her fingers on the shirt she had tossed on the towel rack, hurriedly pulling it on with a final sigh of relief. After taking a moment to compose herself, she turned around with a wan smile and nodded to me. “Thanks. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

My jaw dropped open at the audacity of her statement. “You…you’re sorry? Fizzle, all I did was help out a friend, and I’m willing to do so any time you need it. I’m sorry you have to deal with this pain every. Single. Day. I can’t even imagine what it’s like.” After only a beat of thought, I announced, “Twilight and I are going to figure this out. Do you mind if I tell her about the curse?”

For the first time I had seen her, Fizzlepop looked distinctly surprised and shocked. “W-what? Spike, no, you don’t need to bother her with this. I’ve been looking for a solution for years, and-”

“Are. You. Okay with me telling Twilight about the curse?” I repeated, standing my ground. “I didn’t ask if you thought we could solve this, I’m asking if you’re okay with us trying, and thus, telling Twilight about it. Maybe you’ve searched for years for an answer, but in all that time, did you ever ask Twilight? Or Starlight? Or any of the other genius ponies Equestria somehow has just floating around?”

Fizzlepop seemed momentarily lost for words, so much so that she just froze. Was I being a little too assertive? Too presumptuous?

When a few seconds turned into ten, I broke the silence by asking, “If you have to live the rest of your life in agony, wouldn’t it make sense to know you exhausted every possible option before resigning yourself to a life of pain?” Risking it again, I rested my hand on her shoulder, looking deep into her eyes, and pleading, “Please, let me try to help you. If we fail, then we fail, but no one deserves to live like this. Please let us try to help.”

Fizzlepop closed her eyes, her face impassive and unreadable. After a few seconds of her silence, she opened her eyes with a wavering hope within, and slowly nodded. “Okay.”

As if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, I relaxed and smiled. “Good. Let me know when you’re ready, and we’ll meet her together.”

Fizzlepop shook her head with a sigh. “It’s a good thing I’m supposed to be ‘reformed’ now. A more unscrupulous mare would use your kindness against you.”

“Ember said something similar,” I said with a laugh. “I guess it’s a good thing I have phenomenal taste in mares.” I froze once I realized what I said. “I-I mean as friends. I have phenomenal taste in friends, is what I meant. Friends that are mares. Mare-friends. For stars’ sake, why aren’t you stopping me?”

“I’m enjoying watching you fit multiple feet into your mouth, all at once,” Fizzlepop snarked, her smile growing.

Slumping with an embarrassed grumble, I mumbled, “Well I’m glad you’re smiling, at least. I guess some embarrassment is worth that.”

Before I could leave the bathroom, Fizzlepop stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder at her, to see a smile on her face as she said, “Truly though…thank you, Spike. I know it’s not exactly easy dealing with my…issues, but thanks for sticking it out.”

A grin slowly formed on my face, and I nodded back to her. “Of course. I meant what I said: we’re here for you anytime, even if you don’t think you deserve it. That’s what friends do. If that means I need to pull your head out of your flank because you’re being silly, that’s what I’ll do.”

“Oh, so now you’re thinking about my flank, huh?” she challenged, attempting to tease me into a blushing mess.

Unfortunately for her, with Ember, Rarity, and Starlight regularly around, I had become all but immune to teasing. So, instead of blushing and stuttering like a teenager, I countered by theatrically leaning to the side to look at her behind, idly commenting, “Well, it is a very nice flank. If I have to look at said flank to perform an emergency head-removal, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

Fizzlepop pouted -- actually pouted -- and grumped, “I’m not sure I like this new confidence you have. It’s not as easy to turn you into a blushing, stuttering mess.”

“I guess you’ll have to figure out another way to get my blood pumping,” I replied, blushing now, since that came out way more flirty than I intended. “I totally didn’t mean that to sound like a proposition.”

Now Fizzlepop was smiling again. “I take it back: you blurting things out without thinking might actually be more fun.”

I just groaned pitifully.

The morning chores had been taken care of, the preparations were underway, and I had just received a message via my fire from Cadence that she, Shining Armor, and Twilight’s parents were going to be arriving at the train station at any minute. With that in mind, and since everyone else was busy around the castle, I elected to be the one to go greet some of my adoptive family at the train station. Although, calling them “adoptive family” was a bit inaccurate, since technically, Twilight’s family wasn’t related to the Canterlot princesses. Besides that, it would basically make Twilight and I brother and sister, which would be…weird.

A distant whistle heralded the train’s arrival as I sat on a snow-covered bench. I lurched to my feet, dusting off my back and rump as I waited for the train to pull into the station. With most out of town guests having already arrived days ago, the train platform was all but abandoned, with only me and four other ponies waiting. Finally, I could see the train in the distance, its smokestack and lights becoming more visible the closer it got to the platform. A few minutes passed, along with a squeal of brakes, and the train had finally arrived.

The doors opened, allowing its payload of passengers to disembark. Compared to the way it was a few days ago, the number of passengers was rather sparse, and it only took a few minutes before everyone was off the train. The crew got to work helping everycreature gather their things as they left, which gave me time to spot my quarry.

Cadence was luckily fairly easy to spot. As an alicorn, she was taller than everyone else there, even her husband. She was covered head to hoof in baby blue winter clothing, with pale yellow accents and a stylized crystal heart on her chest. Among a crowd of ponies that wore winter clothes with darker tones, she stuck out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. Next to her were Twilight’s parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, along with the smallest member who had to be Flurry Heart. I could only surmise Shining Armor was gathering their bags from the luggage car, so I caught their attention with a shout and a wave.

I only had a moment to brace myself before a teenaged alicorn filly slammed into me, almost knocking me over despite her significant weight deficiency compared to me. I removed her hat and leaned down to lay a kiss on the top of her head before replacing the cap and hugging her tightly. The hug was quickly joined by the others, and for a moment, we just enjoyed the embrace before releasing each other.

I jerked my head toward the rear of the train, advising, “Wait here, I’m gonna help Shining with the bags. Be right back!”

I jogged over to the luggage car, where a dozen or so ponies were gathered, and quickly identified the tri-toned blue mane of Shining Armor. I came up beside him, and without prompting, began gathering some of the larger bags he had set aside from the pile. He started with a gasp, looking up at me in confusion, before rolling his eyes and smirking.

“Awful sneaky for being so big, Spike. Thanks for the help,” he greeted jovially.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, you know us tall guys need to help the height challenged ponies around here. Just doing my good deed for the day, shorty.”

HIs smirk grew, and he gave me a playful punch to the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. It’s good to see you, Spike.”

He and I quickly gathered up the (thankfully few) bags they had all brought, and after assuring them I was fine with carrying so many (I hoped they wouldn’t notice I grew a bit larger to get some extra strength), we began our journey to the castle. I simply tromped ahead to lead the way, letting the others talk amongst themselves.

The walk only took a few minutes, and Twilight was thankfully waiting at the entrance to help me with the luggage. After levitating and then teleporting all the bags to their respective rooms, she rushed forward to hug her parents, nearly knocking them over as they laughed at her exuberance. One by one, she joyfully greeted her extended family, even doing her “ladybug dance” with Cadence. And yes, I laughed at her adorable behavior while she blushed.

Eventually though, we ushered everyone inside and helped them remove their snow-laden winter gear. After doing so, Twilight led us all to the commons room, where an assortment of baked treats and hot drinks were already waiting for us, courtesy of Fluttershy and Rarity. Cadence settled down in a free chair next to Shining Armor, Flurry Heart sat on her father’s lap, and Twilight’s parents sat on either side of her while I poured everyone a drink of their choice.

“So, Happy Hearth’s Warming to all of you,” I began, raising a mug to those gathered around. “I’m glad you all made it safely. It just wouldn’t have been right not to have all of you here.”

Night Light returned my nod. “Thank you for having us, Spike. We were afraid the trains might not make it until later in the day, but it seems luck was on our side.”

“Also the weather team was on our side,” Cadence corrected, smiling at her father in law. “The Canterlot branch did a good job of ensuring the rails were clear, so we didn’t have to stop in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the trainsponies to clear the path. That made everything so much easier. It’s always nice when ponies all work together. That is what the holiday is about, after all.”

Twilight smiled and leaned into her father’s embrace, snuggling him like she was a little filly again. “It’s so good to have all of you here. Thank you for making the time to visit.”

Shining Armor shrugged. “Well, there’s not much going on in the Crystal Empire, and most of our citizens just take the day off to spend with their families. Makes the castle really quiet, so we saw no reason not to visit my favorite little sister.”

“I’m your only little sister, Shiny,” Twilight corrected.

“Still my favorite!” he countered, giving a cheesy smile. He then glanced at me. “So, what’s new with all of you?”

I shrugged, finally taking my seat next to Shining Armor. “Eh, not much. We’ve reconnected with some friends, but I’m sure the biggest news is the herd.”

Shining Armor gently coaxed his daughter off his lap before turning to face me, his face more serious. “That’s right, you started a herd. I think we need to talk about-”

“Shining, I love you, but if you start the ‘protective big brother’ act, I’m going to shove this mug down your throat,” Twilight warned, shaking her mug of hot chocolate for emphasis.

Shining Armor dropped his stern persona and pouted. “Aww c’mon, Twily. I never got to do it with your other flames. This is a big brother’s duty, after all!”

As Shining Armor bickered with his sister, a thought came to mind. Standing, I announced, “Oh, I almost forgot, there’s someone you need to meet. Let me go get her.” With that said, I hurriedly left the room, heading toward Twilight’s bedroom, where I knew Ember would be.

True to my intuition, Ember was in the room, but she was not alone.

The rest of my herd was there, in varying stages of dress, and Ember herself was wearing some new jewelry. Ember had chains that connected to her piercings, wound around her horns, and draped silver, diamonds, and sapphires around her face. Whatever I was about to say completely left my mind, and I could only stare in dumbfounded surprise at how regal Ember looked.

Ember was blushing by now, glancing away from me. “Well, s-say something, you dork.”

But I couldn’t. I couldn’t talk. So, instead, I made my way to Ember and cupped her face in my hands. She had only a moment to give me a questioning look before I brought my lips to hers, pressing my body into her as we kissed. A surprised noise bubbled up in her throat, but was stopped by my own mouth, and she instead wrapped her arms and legs around me, dragging us down to the bed as we proceeded to make out in front of three of the other members in the herd. I didn’t particularly care, and I don’t think Ember did, either.

I’ll admit my hands wandered a bit more than they probably should have at that moment, but eventually, I caught myself and separated from Ember, enjoying the look of close-eyed bliss on her face as she just savored the moment for everything it was worth. Eventually, she opened her eyes, and I could only smile at her and say, “You truly are our treasure, Ember. You look amazing.” She blushed at my words, but smiled nonetheless. I glanced around the room at the others, who were blushing to varying degrees. “Anyway, I did come here for a reason: Twilight’s parents, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry are all here. I’d like you all to meet them, as my herd, for the first time.” I then poked Ember in the chest. “And I’ll get to make up for not introducing you to my whole family earlier.”

Ember looked pleased, and allowed me to pull her up as we stood. After fixing her chains, which were a bit tangled from my actions, she nodded to me. “I’d be happy to meet them. Let the others get ready, and we’ll meet them all together.”

I looked around the room again, noticing that Rarity was only in her underwear, Fluttershy was blushing and covering her naked chest, and Lyla was in the process of pulling a pair of pants on. Clearing my throat with a sheepish smile, I said, “Um…I probably should have knocked. Sorry.”

Rarity merely shook her head with an exasperated smile. “It’s fine, dear. Lyla and I don’t particularly care, but I believe Fluttershy would like some privacy, so…”

I nodded with another nervous cough. “Right, right. I’ll be just outside the door, then.” I immediately left the room, throwing a particularly red-faced Fluttershy an apologetic smile, and shut the door behind me.

Only a few minutes later, the door opened, and the four exited. I wasted no time in leading them to the commons room, where the rest were gathered with Twilight. We entered a short time later to the surprised looks of everyone but Cadence, who was already well aware of the herd.

“Hello darlings!” Rarity loudly greeted, breaking the tension as she floated into the room, sitting beside Cadence to give the alicorn a hug. “It is wonderful you were able to make it. The trip was not too long, was it?”

“The trip was fine, Rarity. Thank you for asking,” Cadence answered, hugging the mare back. She then inclined her head toward us. “So, are you going to introduce us to the herd?”

Rarity smiled and stood. “Of course. As I’m sure you know Twilight and Fluttershy, I will introduce the two members you probably don’t know as well. First is Lyla, who was close friends with us for a few years before she captured Spike’s attention in a rather heated exchange.”

All of the attention was focused on Lyla, who for the first time in a while, looked distinctly ashamed. “Um, y-yeah. I got a little too excited and kinda…jumped him that night. Found out later I wasn’t supposed to do that, but Rarity was kind enough to forgive me for being excitable.”

Rarity moved to the changeling and gave her a brief nuzzle before standing next to the dragoness. “This, as most of you know, is Ember. She is the dragon lord of the Narrowscale clan in the dragon lands. By her right because of what happened during the Gauntlet of Fire, she recently claimed Spike as her mate in order to ward away a dragoness that was looking to abduct our dear Spikey.”

Shining Armor nodded gravely. “Yeah, I heard about that. Nothing came of it though.”

“Not yet,” Rarity said, twirling her finger. “After the new year, there will be a reckoning. However, that is for later. Anyhow, from here, I will let Ember explain the events herself.”

And so, with ample details, Ember explained everything: the nuances of dragon culture, what my actions during the Gauntlet of Fire meant to dragons, why we branded each other in the first place, as well as how things were going at the moment. It was a bit of a long explanation, but if she was going to be accepted by my family, they had to know the ins and outs of our relationship, why it happened, and what it means to her.

For a minute after she was finished, all were silent as they absorbed what was said. Eventually, Night Light asked, “So originally, you didn’t plan on becoming a part of Spike’s herd like this?”

Ember slowly shook her head, the sparkling chains swaying gently. “No. I won’t lie and say I didn’t already have some feelings for Spike,” she sent a smile my way, “but I didn’t think it would be possible for us to be together. I also thought that our cultural views might be too different for us to be a mated pair, because even though Spike is a dragon, he was raised as an Equestrian. Our cultures have some overlap, but things are also very different in some areas. We don’t have herds, for one. But,” she looked at each of the herd members, ending with me, and smiled happily, “I was proven wrong. This can work, and what’s more, I want it to work. I’ve learned so much about myself since I became a part of this life, and I’ve learned the support that a herd offers is a part of the Equestrian culture that makes this nation strong. It’s not something I would have chosen,” she moved over to Rarity, and extended a wing over the back of the lead mare, “but I’m glad I’m a part of it.”

The entire family was beaming at the dragoness, and I couldn’t help the overjoyed smile on my face.

“Wait,” Twilight Velvet began, raising a finger in the air, “I do have a question. I’ve noticed you use the term ‘mate’ when referring to Spike, here. Do you know what that means in Equestrian culture?”

Ember nodded to the older mare. “Yes, and it means the same thing for dragons. I’m well aware Equestrians only use the word ‘mate’ to refer to the ponies they want to spend their lives with. With this,” she pointed to the brand on her neck, “Spike and I are already at the Equestrian equivalent of being married. We are bonded for life.”

“And before you ask,” Rarity preempted, holding her hand up, “Ember is considering an Equestrian ceremony for our families. An Equestrian marriage means little to her, but she knows it is important to us.”

Ember shook her head, smiling at the mare still under her wing. “Not considering, decided. I’d be happy to do the Equestrian ceremony. It means a lot to all of you, and I don’t want to taint this new bond between us by refusing to abide by your culture. You’ve weathered mine, so I can do this for all of you.”

Rarity smiled and leaned in close to whisper to the dragoness. I couldn’t make out most of it, but I could read lips enough to see Rarity say “my treasure,” which brought a blush and a shy smile out of the dragoness. She didn’t outwardly react much otherwise, but I could see the wing tighten ever so slightly, pressing the unicorn a little closer to her side.

And yes, my smile was so wide, it started to hurt my cheeks.

“Well,” Twilight Velvet began, standing and gesturing to the rest of them, “I think I should introduce the rest of us, then. I am Twilight Velvet, Twilight’s mother. To avoid confusion, you can simply call me ‘Velvet’. This is my handsome husband Night Light,” the stallion in question smiled proudly, nodding to the dragoness, “and this is my son Shining Armor and his wife, Cadence. Those two rule over the Crystal Empire to the north, as a beacon of love and warmth in an otherwise frozen land. And this,” she gestured to the youngest alicorn in the room, “is their daughter, and my beloved granddaughter, Flurry Heart.”

“Hi!” Flurry Heart excitedly greeted.

Ember respectfully dipped her head. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet all of you. Family lines are very important to dragons, and I am pleased to see Spike has a very strong family. I’m honored to be a part of his life.”

Twilight Velvet merely smiled. “We may not legally be Spike’s family, but he’s spent enough time with us that we may as well be. I think I speak for the rest when I say we’re happy he found someone like you to keep him in line.”

I frowned at that. “What the hay is that supposed to mean?”

Twilight Velvet kept her motherly smile. “Just that it takes a strong female to handle a drake like you. A truly submissive mare would let you walk all over her, and you would both be miserable. Thankfully, it appears you’ve found a group of girls that all are confident and strong. Strong enough to stand up to you, and strong enough to reign you in when you get a little too crazy.”

“You make me sound like a wild beast,” I grumbled.

“You certainly can be,” Ember quipped, grinning at me. “And no, I don’t mean in a dirty way. Have you not noticed? Ever since I’ve been training you to open yourself up to your emotions, you’ve become assertive, with a more dominant personality, and you’ve also become more confident in yourself. Before, you were largely harmless; now, you’re just peaceful.”

“And the difference is?” I asked, not quite understanding where she was going with all that.

Ember stepped over to kneel in front of me, taking my hand in hers and nuzzling it lovingly. “A harmless creature is no threat to anyone. A peaceful individual can be very dangerous, but only wishes for peace. You were the former, now you’re the latter. That’s something to be proud of. Unwillingness to hurt others is not the same as impotence.” She then smirked at me. “And, as I’m sure the rest of your hoard can attest, strength and confidence is very attractive.”

And now I was grinning like a lovestruck idiot.

“I stand by my statement that you chose well, Spike,” Twilight Velvet commented, still giving me that loving, maternal smile of hers. She decided to immediately pivot from that to, “So, when can I expect grandfoals? Grand-whelps? Whatever the term is.”

While I blushed like a fool, Ember was prepared for this. “Probably by this time next year. I’ve already decided I want a family with Spike, and I see no reason not to get started. We’re both at stable points in our lives, we’re both mature enough for it, and neither of us are in dire straits as far as finances are concerned.” She took a seat in between Twilight and I while the rest of the group sat down.

Twilight Velvet nodded, but then raised an eyebrow. “Wait, how will that work? Are you staying here, then?”

Ember glanced at Twilight, who took the hint and explained, “I’ve been developing a new technology that will make distance a non-issue. I’m not ready to reveal it just yet, but it should be said that all of Equestria -- nay, all of the world -- will benefit from it. Because of her obligations to her people, Ember cannot stay indefinitely in Equestria, but with my new invention, the dragon lands aren’t so far away anymore.”

The family nodded as a whole, and Cadence said what they were all probably thinking. “I believe that’s a very good invention, then. No one should be separated from those they love.”

Ember blushed a bit at the insinuation. “It’s, uh, just Spike. Not ‘loved ones,’ ‘loved one.’ Singular.”

Cadence only smiled enigmatically. “One can love his or her friends without being attracted to them physically. There are many types of love, and each one is unique. Your love for Spike is romantic love -- the love of a mare to her stallion, I would normally say. However, imagine this, if you will:” she gestured to Twilight, “Twilight has been abducted by those that would do her harm. They are threatening to hurt or kill her unless you relinquish your place as a dragon lord.” Cadence’s horn lit up with a soft glow, and a spark of her magic fluttered to Ember, gently laying atop her forehead. “This spell enhances one’s imagination, coaxing you into a state of hypnosis so that you can truly imagine such a scenario as if it were real. Close your eyes and think on that; feel it, and tell me what you would be willing to do.”

I was well aware that Cadence’s realm of power focused on emotions and the bonds between others, but she apparently dabbled in magics of the mind, as well. Had it been anyone else, I would feel very uncomfortable, but I firmly believed Cadence was incapable of harming others through malicious intent. Causing problems through overzealousness, sometimes, but never to be mean.

Ember followed the request and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath as she relaxed. She suddenly slumped a bit as the spell fully took hold. I had heard rumors of it before, but never saw such a spell until that moment. I did, however, know that hypnosis was sometimes used to help victims of traumatic events. Hypnosis, when used correctly, allowed an individual to vastly broaden their ability to imagine situations and events, even to the point where they believed they were real. It could assist an individual in confronting uncomfortable truths in a controlled manner, or, in Ember’s case, let her feel her way through such a harrowing event without anyone actually being in danger.

Ember was tough, so I knew she could handle it, but I was going to offer extensive cuddles anyway.

As we all watched and waited, Cadence took the role of narrator for the session, since this type of therapy worked better if a calming voice walked the subject through the imagined plight, enabling the subject to completely focus on what they felt. And so, for the next thirty minutes, we watched as Ember experienced a completely fictional event through the gentle guidance of Cadence. There were times when Ember snarled or snorted smoke through her nose, but the most surprising was when Ember openly cried tears of anguish. I imagine I wasn’t the only one who wanted to smother the dragoness in a hug, but we all waited until the session was over to do so.

Finally, the climax of the session had been reached, and Cadence smiled knowingly at the emotions the dragoness had shown during it. “Okay Ember: I’m going to count to ten. With each number I count, you’re going to feel more and more alert until, at ten, I’m going to snap my fingers, at which point you’re going to awaken fully, completely refreshed, and remembering everything that you thought and felt. One, the fog is beginning to clear. Two, your eyelids feel less heavy. Three, you’re feeling the haze of sleep beginning to clear, and the world becoming more tangible. Four, you begin to sit up straighter and your legs begin to feel lighter. Five, your arms begin to lighten as well. Six, your wings become easier to fold comfortably as you become more alert. Seven, you’re coming even closer to waking up as your fingers begin to twitch. Eight, your eyes begin to open slowly as the world settles into focus again. Nine, you’re nearly fully aware and awake. And finally, ten.” She snapped her fingers, and Ember rapidly blinked her eyes as she looked around at us. It took a second, but once she realized she never actually left the room, she released a long breath of relief. “Now, look to Twilight and-”

Before any of us could react, she practically smothered the mare as she wrapped her arms and wings around Twilight, ending it all with even her tail wrapped protectively around Twilight’s waist as she held the pony close, as if fearing if she let go, the mare would disappear. Needless to say, I was caught more than a little unawares by the reaction, and worried perhaps Cadence’s hypnosis session might have been a little too intense. But I again had to remind myself: Ember was a dragon, not a pony. Emotions were intimately entwined with our very being, so anything regarding emotions was going to hit a dragon much harder than it would a pony. Granted, ponies weren’t exactly emotionless creatures themselves, but emotions were simply a part of life for them; for dragons, emotions defined what we were as creatures.

It took a moment before I could make out the soft whispers coming from Twilight as she returned the embrace with her own. Twilight was comforting the dragoness, softly assuring, “It’s okay, I’m safe. It wasn’t real. I’m okay, Ember. I promise.” This was barely heard over the sniffles and staggered breathing of the dragoness, who might have had a panic attack had Twilight not been there.

After a few minutes where we all just waited, Ember eventually pulled away from Twilight a little, but still kept a wing around her and her tail refused to leave Twilight's waist. Ember threw a half-glare at the Princess of Love. “You could’ve prepared me for that, you know.”

Cadence just smiled that same, enigmatic smile all alicorns seemed to possess when they were acting within the realm of their power. “I only facilitated the situation; everything you felt came from within you. If it was intense, that’s because those were the deep feelings hidden inside you.”

Ember raised her hand and touched it to her chest as she half-said to herself, “That was all from me?”

Cadence nodded firmly. “Even the best among us have hidden thoughts and feelings we either ignore, or refuse to confront. Sometimes they’re completely innocuous, but others, as you’ve come to find out, teach us things about ourselves we may never have known otherwise. For those that can handle it, this method enables one to come to understand themselves in a way few can fathom.”

Ember seemed to consider the words for a moment before raising her eyes back to Cadence. “What now?”

“Well, that’s up to you,” Cadence offered, nodding to the mare still in her grasp. “You have uncovered a truth that is only real if you want it to be. So, I’ll ask you now: do you love Twilight?”

Ember slowly turned her head to look at the mare. Twilight was blushing, but Ember honestly didn’t know what to think. Like most of us did before meeting Cadence, Ember probably understood very little regarding love and its many facets, so she began to speak aloud as she told us how she felt. “Well…I-I don’t know for sure. Here’s what I do know: the thought of someone trying to hurt her drives a spike of ice in my stomach. In my mind, I saw her beaten and bruised as evil creatures laughed and taunted me, threatening to kill her if I didn’t do as they said. I felt rage that someone would dare try to use one of my friends against me…” she leaned forward and rested her forehead against Twilight’s, closing her eyes and just breathing in the scent of the mare in front of her, “but more than anything, I was afraid. I wasn’t afraid for Spike’s sake or the sake of any of her friends: I was afraid for me. I was afraid that…” she paused briefly, pulling her head away as she looked surprised at what she was about to say, “I was afraid that someone I cared about would be gone. I was afraid I would lose someone very important to me. I was afraid I wouldn’t ever hear her laughter or see her face light up with joy. I was afraid I wouldn’t get to feel how much she cares about everyone, ever again.” Slowly, Ember rotated her head to stare at Cadence. “I-is that love? Is that what love is?”

Cadence just kept smiling, reveling in her expertise. “Love is impossible to quantify, because you can ask a thousand ponies how they experience love, and you’ll get a thousand different answers. Some ponies just know when they love someone, while some never realize it until the one they love is gone. For some, love is merely chemical impulses in the brain, while others believe love is an ethereal, otherworldly force that no one can completely comprehend. But at its foundation, love is merely a connection, a bond. It may nearly physically hurt you when someone you love is suffering, and you may want to see them, simply because you enjoy their presence.” She pointed her finger at Ember. “But, in my expert opinion, I do believe you love your herdmate, which is normal. You care about her, and don’t want to imagine her being sad or hurting. So, let me repeat the question I asked at the beginning: what would you do to protect someone you love?”

Ember was silent for only a heartbeat before she answered, “Anything. No price is too high.”

Cadence nodded approvingly. “I am happy to hear that. On the days when life is hard and the world seems to be against you, remember this feeling, right now. Remember the ones you’re closest to, and how much you care about them. In my experience, the bonds we hold can give us the strength to press on, even when the days are darkest. And, in the case of dragons, the emotions you feel can give you very real strength to use. I won’t claim to know enough about you to plan out your life, but I believe exploring what you feel toward those in your life may give you form of peace you’ve never known before.”

Ember just nodded slowly, again placing her hand over her chest. “I…I didn’t even know all of that was in here. After that, I have no reason to doubt you. You are the expert, after all.”

“Perhaps, but even I don’t have all the answers,” Cadence gently warned, settling herself against her husband with a loving smile. “Even I learn new things about love nearly every day. What I do know is that love is never a mistake, and should never be shied away from. Embrace it in all its forms, even if it’s just as friends.”

Ember smiled softly as she sat back, entwining her free hand with mine, still refusing to release the alicorn at her side. “This is crazy. I thought I knew everything about myself by now, but I’m still learning new stuff just from being around all of you.”

“A very wise pony once said that everyone dies twice: once when they are buried in the ground, and a second when their name is spoken for the last time,” Twilight Velvet reverently recited, calling up an old quote that all of us had heard in one way or another. “But, I believe a third can precede both. I believe you can die before both of those if you refuse to learn, or proclaim you know everything there is to know. Ignorance is the poison of choice for those who still breathe, but refuse to open their mind to possibilities.”

Ember just kept smiling, leaning against me (and thus, pulling Twilight with her). After ensuring she and the pony she still refused to let go of were comfortable, she said, “Your family is amazing, Spike. Even my father would be impressed.”

I shrugged, but inside, I was positively preening with praise. “Well, they’re the ones that made me the drake I am today. You fell in love with me, so it only makes sense you’d like the ones that helped make me who I am.”

I blushed a bit, despite the fact that I wasn’t the one directly being praised. It was still nice to hear Ember liked the ponies that made me into who I was. Before anyone could say anything else, a series of staccato knocks from the balcony door interrupted us, and the pattern was very specific. I stood and made my way over to the balcony door, pulling back the curtain and smiling at the pegasus outside before opening the door for the royal guard.

Silent Knight nodded his thanks to me, keeping to his namesake and not wasting time with words when he could be doing something. We all watched as he quickly did his fifth check of the nearby rooms in the past two days before speaking into a glowing crystal on his wrist with the simple words of, “Clear and secure. Send them in.”

The next two ponies to enter were ponies that anyone, no matter how isolated, would recognize. The brilliant multi-colored mane and fur the color of fresh snow identified the first as Princess Celestia, and the starry mane and deep blue of the other pony could only be Princess Luna. The two Canterlot princesses shook themselves and set about taking off their winter coats, and after doing so, practically glomped me in a hug, which I happily accepted with a broad smile. I mean, what else could I really do?

After a few moments to ourselves, they pulled away and the elder alicorn lovingly greeted, “Hello, my son. It is wonderful to see you.”

The night alicorn nodded in agreement. “Verily, ‘tis a privilege to spend such a wondrous holiday with friends and family. It has been too long since the chance to do so presented itself.” Princess Luna then glanced around the room, nodding shallowly to the rest. “Greetings, friends and loved ones. How does the day find you?” A chorus of positive greetings and well-wishes answered her, causing the princess to smile and release me. She once again focused on me, cupping my cheek and nosing me with her snoot. “And how have you been, dear Spike?”

I returned the smile and bumped her nose with mine. “Better now that the family is all here. It’s good to see you two, Aunt Luna. Thanks for finding the time to make it.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Spike,” Princess Celestia replied, cupping my cheek and giving me one more squeeze before stepping away. “I swear, it seems you mature more and more every time I see you.”

I grasped her hand in mine and nuzzled her palm before dropping it and stepping back. “I’m glad you two got here when you did. The rest of the herd’s family should be arriving within the next few hours, and the town will be gathering for the public celebration soon after that. Are you hungry or thirsty for anything?”

“We wouldn’t mind some tea and cookies,” Princess Celestia answered, moving toward the sitting area and conjuring two chairs for the two of them. “We’ll catch up with the others in the meantime.”

As the designated server for the moment, I just quietly left the room and headed back to the kitchen.

The first to arrive was Cookie Crumble and Hondo Flanks, Rarity’s parents. Rarity, of course, playfully lamented her father’s rather garish fashion choices, but gave hugs and kisses to them nonetheless. Rarity had advised the two of them quite a long time ago about her feelings for me, and had updated them with the start of our herd when we got together, so there was no awkward “breaking the news” to them. Hondo in particular was pretty laid back about the whole thing, and Cookie Crumble just squeezed me until I thought my bones were going to crack. Whether that was because she was happy or because she was warning me was unclear, but it was a nice moment nonetheless.

The next to arrive was Fluttershy’s family, starting with Mr. and Mrs. Shy (I honestly forgot their names), and Zephyr. Then, of course, was Posey, who was every bit as intimidating as I remembered. Needless to say, I was immediately wary of the giant of a pegasus, who was only a foot shorter than me (a major feat, since only alicorns tended to be near my height). My unease increased further when the mare asked to speak to me in private, and practically dragged me away with a very anxious Fluttershy left to escort her other parents and brother inside the castle to the commons room, where everyone else was gathered.

Posey had led me to the grand dining hall, where the food had already been arranged in stasis, waiting for the town to arrive later on. Other than that, the room was empty, which gave us near complete privacy.

“Sit,” the mare ordered, pointing to a chair, taking the chair next to it and turning it so that she faced me. I didn’t resist, and did as I was told, since I wasn’t particularly keen on upsetting this mare more than she already seemed to be.

A few seconds passed, and as usual, the quiet unnerved me. I decided to break the silence with a nervous, “Um, so…nice to see you could make it. Was the flight okay?”

“Cut the chit-chat, whelp,” she snapped, her forceful tone shutting me up immediately. It was more than a little uncomfortable that, save for a different hairstyle and slightly different eye color, I was looking at nearly a twin of Fluttershy, yet this mare was larger than her daughter by a significant margin, and she made even Flutterbat seem like a meek little mouse by comparison. Posey stared hard at me for a few moments before continuing. “Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way: you’re dating my daughter, are you not?”

I pulled at my collar, and imagined that if it were possible, I would be sweating bullets at that moment. “U-um, not…exactly, ma’am.”

“Speak up, drake!”

The order snapped me to attention, not unlike a soldier, and I blurted, “We’re not actually dating.”

“You better not be saying my filly is a booty call,” she warned, a growl emanating from deep in her throat.

“N-no, of course not-!”

“Then what are you saying?” she demanded, her face set in a deep scowl.

Without me noticing, as she kept pressing me, a pressure had been building inside me, and it was only when I prepared to answer did I realize I had to get my emotions under control to keep from doing something rash. As it was, I nearly shouted at the pegasus, just barely keeping myself from doing so. After taking a breath to calm myself, I answered, “It’s much more serious than that, ma’am. If everything goes well, we’ll be spending our lives together.”

Posey’s face scrunched up. “I don’t recall hearing about that.”

I tilted my head in confusion. “Fluttershy didn’t mention it?”

“No, she didn’t,” Posey ground out, somehow frowning even harder. Her deceptively soft features were creased with discontent, and it was not nice to be on the receiving end of that expression. It wasn’t “The Stare,” but it was darn close.

Before I could stop myself, my annoyance made itself known when I snarked, “Well, I can’t imagine why. You’re taking this so well.”

“Watch it, whelp!”

And finally, I snapped. “NO, you watch it!” I flared my wings, and even though I had tried to control it, I felt myself growing a bit as my protective instinct reared its head. Literally putting my foot down, I growled, “This is my house, my town, and my herd. You wanna poke at me? Fine, I can take it, but you will not insult my herd.” I pointed toward the door that led to the public throne room. “Rarity was the one that evaluated your daughter, and it was Fluttershy who showed interest in joining.”

“Well maybe-” she began, only for me to harshly cut her off.

“I WASN’T FINISHED,” I rumbled, accidentally infusing magic into the final word, causing the room to vibrate with power and the pony to take a step back as her fur stood on end. Regardless, it got her to be quiet, so I continued. “As I was saying, your daughter showed interest, and Rarity was the one that approved of her. When you question our collective decision to add her to the herd, you are questioning all of us. I’m not going to stand here and let you do that. I don’t care who you are.”

She stared at me for a moment before relaxing her posture and nodding. “Good, then I was right about you.”

It took me a second to realize what had just happened, and when I did, I stomped my foot and groaned. “Seriously? You couldn’t have just asked like a normal pony?”

Posey smirked, looking particularly pleased with the fact she just played me like a fiddle. “Do I look like a normal pony to you? Besides, you were scared of me. In my experience, a scared pony is going to say whatever they have to in order to get me to go away. So, I had to make you mad, so that you would tell me how you really felt.”

“I wasn’t afraid of you, I was afraid of what you thought,” I explained, crossing my arms and folding my wings on my back. “You’re my girl’s birth mother, and I wanted you to approve of me and the herd.”

“And now I do,” she answered smugly, outright grinning.

I snorted loudly. “I’m annoyed you felt you had to piss me off to get me to tell you the truth, but even more upset that you knew exactly how to poke me to get me angry.”

Posey walked toward the doorway, jerking her head for me to follow. As we walked, she said, “Well, I’d be a pretty bad border guard if I didn’t know how to interact with all manner of creatures, and get them to behave how I want. You aren’t the first dragon I’ve had to deal with, so I know what buttons to push, and how to get you to stop being a sniveling little whelp.”

“You do know I could set you on fire, right?” I bluffed, shooting smoke out of my nostrils. “Feathers burn pretty easily, and I don’t have to hurt you to screw up your day. Just burn off your secondaries so that you can’t get lift, and you won’t be flying anywhere.”

“You’re certainly welcome to try, kid,” she countered, glancing back at me with that same smirk. “I’ve dealt with bigger and meaner creatures than you. You don’t live as long as I have at the border by being bad at your job.”

I sighed in annoyance. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a jerk?”

“Oh, all the time,” she answered nonchalantly. “But, I’m not in this to be nice. I’m here to make sure Fluttershy is happy and safe. You can think I’m a jerk all you want, but in the end, I’m not here for you: I’m here for her.”

“Yeah,” I began, following Posey up the spiral staircase to the second level, “well I’m a part of her life now. How do you think it’s gonna make Flutters feel if you’re always a jerk to her herd, because of some ‘test’ you’re always heaping on us?”

She shook her head, her short pink locks waving only slightly as she did so. “My job as her mother is to make sure she’s happy and healthy. She doesn’t have to like me for that.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” I said, nearly running into the mare as she abruptly stopped in front of me.

She slowly turned around, her eyebrow raised, but otherwise stone-faced as she challenged, “Excuse me? I’m not sure I heard you right, because it sounds like you’re trying to tell me how to be a parent. Let me remind you that you don’t have kids, so frankly, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I took a second to compose myself into an illusion of confidence (at least, more confidence than I felt, at the moment), and shot back with, “Maybe I don’t know what it’s like to be a parent, but I know what I saw. Fluttershy loves you, and I’m not going to argue that, but you stress her the buck out. Does that sound like ‘happy’ to you?”

She stood her ground, her face again dropping into a familiar scowl. “Look, I like you kid. You’ve got moxie, and you’re willing to stand up for what you care about, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna sit here and be lectured by some young buck that thinks he knows my daughter better than I do.”

I planted my feet and stood my ground, raising a brow. “Better than you? No, I don’t think so…but you aren’t around for everything we’ve been through. And if you think Fluttershy tells you everything, you’re nuts. Besides, I know what I saw, and no daughter should have to be stressed out anytime her mother visits, because she’s afraid of how her mom is gonna treat the other important people in her life. Today is supposed to be a happy day, when your daughter gets to introduce her herd to her family, but instead she’s been anxious all day, thinking about how you were going to act when you got here. Tell me how that’s making her happy.”

“Wh-”

“And just think,” I continued, completely shutting her down, “one day when we have children, she might think twice about having you over to meet your grandfoals, all because she won’t be able to trust you to be civil with her herd. Is that what you want? Are you willing to keep making her feel this way? Because I predict if you keep pushing, she might decide she doesn’t want that kind of negativity around her foals. She’s a naturally caring, maternal mare, so I imagine she would do anything to protect her children, even if it meant keeping her mother away from them.”

Posey just stared at me, arms crossed as she appeared to be clearly unhappy about what I said.

“Maybe instead of doing things for her own good,” I added, attempting to steer the conversation back to amicability, “you might want to treat her like a grown mare instead of a foal that doesn’t know any better. Talk to her about your concerns instead of just doing things. I promise, you’ll get a better response.” I walked around her, squeezing past the railing and heading up the stairs. Just before I left her standing there, I said, “She’s a strong mare who knows what she wants out of life, and is willing to overcome her fears to get it. You’re allowed to worry, but making her unable to trust you to be nice to those she values isn’t the way to make her strong. You’ll just make her sad and anxious.” I continued up the stairs, tossing my head up. “Now c’mon, I’ll show you to the commons room, which is where everyone has been congregating. There, you can meet the rest of the herd, and hopefully soothe Fluttershy’s worries. I won’t tell her about the specifics of this conversation, so you can say whatever you want about it. For the time being, as long as you don’t cause problems with the rest, you and I can be amicable.”

I heard her let a long breath out of her nose as she followed behind me. “That’s…acceptable.”

No more was said as we made our way up the rest of the stairs and into the sprawling corridors, which eventually led us to the aforementioned commons room. As I expected, everyone else had found their way there, and were greeting friends and family. Rarity’s parents were in the process of trying on new scarves Rarity had made for them, and Fluttershy was accepting some mane, tail, and fur products from her younger brother. Fluttershy noticed our entrance and looked up to me worriedly, but with a smile and thumbs-up, I placated her worry and allowed her to greet her mother properly with a loving embrace. The warm, loving smile on the face of Posey as she held her daughter almost made me forget about how much of a jerk she could be.

Twilight caught my eye and made her way over to me, leaning up to my ear so I could hear her. “I’m sorry to ask, but could you go and help the Apples make their way to the castle? I’m sure they would be fine, but I’d feel better if someone was there to help in case they needed it.”

Rolling my eyes with a sigh and a smile, I gave Twilight a kiss on the forehead as I pulled away. “Sure thing. I’ll be back in a bit, then. See you in a few.”

Twilight returned my kiss with one on the lips before letting me go and heading back to the group of mingling ponies. I quickly headed back outside, taking flight as soon as the door was closed and heading toward Sweet Apple Acres in the distance.

I landed in the snow outside the farmhouse a short while later, the flight being fairly quick due to a distinct lack of air traffic. I strode up to the door without pausing, knocking loudly and waiting for one of the farmers to greet me. Only a few moments later, Big Mac himself opened the door, and after ushering me inside, led me to the kitchen. Multiple sealed containers were already prepared, so I tapped Granny Smith on the shoulder and asked her if they needed help.

The old mare nodded, pointing out back. “Ah’d ‘preciate it if you’d get tha cart from tha barn f’r us, then help load it. We’re jus’ ‘bout ready t’go.”

Snapping off a quick salute, I headed out to the barn behind the house and quickly found the farm cart she had spoken about, already cleaned and waiting. I grabbed the harness on the ground and put myself in it, then pulled the cart out of the barn and around to the front of the house, where Big Mac was waiting with a few of the containers already in his hands.

Big Mac stepped over with a few large strides, setting the containers in the cart. “Head upstairs ‘n fetch AJ. She’s takin’ ‘er sweet time, ‘n we gotta get goin’.”

I nodded before bounding up the front steps, and then up the large stairwell that led to the second floor. Thankfully, each door was marked with the cutie mark of the family member that stayed in it, so Applejack’s was easy to notice at the end of the hall.

I strode up to the door and knocked hard. Said knock was immediately followed by an agitated, “Ah said Ah’ll be out in a jiffy! Jus’ wait a durn minute!”

“Applejack, it’s me!” I shouted through the door. “Everypony’s ready to go; did you need help?”

At that, I heard a gasp and a thump, followed by a loud curse and groan. “S-Spike? Whatcha doin’ here?”

“I headed over to see if you all needed help making your way to the castle with all this food,” I explained, tapping my toe. “Seems like you all are set, but Mac told me to come get you, so here I am.”

A few of the floorboards creaked as she made herself over to the door, and the door cracked open. A single green eye peered at me through the crack, and Applejack answered, “A-Ah’ll be out in jus’ a minute, promise. Tell mah brother ‘n Granny Ah’ll be down in a bit.”

I nodded and turned on my heel. “Well, hurry up. No sense having a Ponyville Hearth’s Warming if you’re not there.” Without another word, I headed down the stairs again, meeting Granny Smith at the bottom, sitting in a chair. I jerked my head upstairs when she glanced my way, advising, “She said she’ll be just another minute. We’ll be leaving soon.” I received a nod in response, so I just went back to the kitchen and helped load the remainder of the food containers into the cart outside while we all waited for Applejack. Once that was all finished, I reentered the farmhouse just in time to see Applejack walking down the stairs.

Glancing up from the newspaper she had been reading, Granny Smith held out her hand for me, so I helped her up as she barked, “Land sakes girl, it’s about time! We was gonna leave without ya if ya weren’t down in tha next few minutes.”

Applejack was wearing a long, ankle-length brown winter coat that completely covered her, shutting out the cold. Interestingly, her hair was done up in a more intricate braid than normal, with some white daisies set into the locks. All in all, she looked nice, and I offered her a smile as she made her way to the bottom floor.

“Looking good, Applejack. Love the hair,” I complimented, giving her a thumbs-up.

A gentle blush bloomed on her cheeks, and she smiled happily. “Thank ya, Spike. Well, let’s get goin’. Sorry f’r makin’ y’all wait.”

I shrugged, offering my arm to Granny Smith as we left out the front door. “Ah, it’s no big deal. Still early in the day, so you haven’t missed anything yet. Did you need some help over there, Mac?”

The large red stallion finished hooking himself into the harness, glancing back before nodding. “Yeah, s’pose Ah could use a hand. Help them into tha cart ‘n hook up with me. We’ll get to tha castle quicker that way.”

Following his instructions, I gently helped Granny Smith, then Applejack into the cart, ensuring they were situated before closing the cart lift gate and walking around the front with Big Mac. After grabbing the spare harness from the bed, hooking it to the cart and putting it on, I nodded to the large pony and began pulling with him, getting the cart to move with little effort. Thankfully, it was too cold for the snow to melt, which meant the ground hadn’t turned into a mud trap, making for fairly easy travel through the town.

Applejack chatted with Granny Smith while Big Mac and I silently pulled the cart down the road out of Sweet Apple Acres, arriving in the town proper in only a few minutes.The few ponies that were still out and about waved happily to us as we passed, adding to a nice holiday atmosphere. We pulled up to the castle about ten minutes later, and just rolled the cart directly into the main entryway, since there was enough room to do so and we didn’t want to let the heat out by continually opening the main doors. Twilight was waiting for us, along with Starlight and Trixie.

After she hopped down from the cart, Applejack stepped over to the girls and gave them a hug, holding it for a moment before releasing the other mares. “So, where did ya want this stuff?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of that. Head upstairs and join the others. We’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. “Are ya sure? Ah don’t feel right just leavin’ all this here for tha four of y’all ta handle.” Twilight answered by levitating about half of the containers up in the air, causing Applejack to roll her eyes good-naturedly. “Right, Ah’ll let ya get to it then. Thanks, Twi.”

As Trixie and Starlight grabbed the rest, Twilight nodded to the Apple mare. “Thank you, Applejack. I’m happy you all could cater for us this holiday, and I’m sure the food will be lovely.” She then turned to me and nodded toward the cart. “Do me a favor and run that to the storage room down here, then check on Fizzle for me. Ask if she wants to join us.”

As the rest started walking away, I closed the distance between Twilight and I, quietly saying, “You know she’s probably going to decline, right?”

Twilight sighed through her nose, nodding. “I know, but I want us to at least make the offer. She deserves to feel welcomed, even if she turns us down right now. When she looks back on the time we spend together months or years from now, I want her to remember all the times we were there for her, even if she doesn’t always accept our offers.”

“Good enough for me,” I answered, tossing the empty harness back into the bed of the cart before slowly pulling it away and toward the storage room on the other side of the giant room. “I’ll be up there in a little bit, then.”

With us each attending to our tasks, we parted ways. I’ll admit, carefully fitting the cart into the storage room was a bit of a challenge, but I eventually accomplished my first task and set off to work on my second: seeing Fizzlepop.

For the second time that day, I again stood at Fizzlepop’s door, knocking a few times. Thankfully, there were no loud crashes or curses this time, and the door opened a few moments later to reveal the mare herself dressed the same as she had been earlier, albeit now with fluffy socks to keep her hooves warm. I tried not to stare at the cute socks with little cartoon mice on them, but they were adorable nonetheless. They certainly did a lot to break through her “tough mare” persona.

She did, however, notice me staring, and frowned at me with an embarrassed blush. “What the hay are you staring at?”

“Your adorable socks,” I answered without hesitation, seeing no reason to lie about it.

Her blush grew, crawling down her neck as she snorted and sat in a plush chair, crossing her arms. “Shut up, they’re warm. They were in my dresser, so I’m wearing them.”

I shrugged, holding my hands up placatingly. “Hey, I’m not judging, I’m just saying they’re cute socks.”

Her frown changed to a smirk as she argued, “You’d probably like them better if they were thigh-highs, wouldn’t you?”

And now I was blushing too. Pulling at my collar, I self-consciously laughed and answered, “W-well, I wasn’t thinking about it before, but I am now. Why, do you have some?” I’ll admit, the latter question just kinda slipped out, but I was silently proud at how it shocked her into silence. It doesn’t happen often, but once in a while, talking without thinking can work.

Her dark fur on her cheeks became even darker as blood rushed to her face, and she could only stare with her jaw dropped for a few moments. Eventually, she composed herself enough to grumble, “...I gotta say, I’m not sure whether to be impressed, or call you a pervert.”

“You started it,” I accused, pointing at her. “It’s not my fault your words made me immediately imagine you in sexy socks. You’re the one who said it, after all; maybe you’re the perv.”

While I successfully convinced her it was all playful ribbing, I was now thinking about her in sexy socks, darn it.

“So, was there a reason you appeared at my door, or did you just want to harass me in my sanctum of solitude?” she asked, and I was silently praising her for steering the conversation back on track.

Clearing my throat, I answered, “Yeah, actually. I was wondering if you wanted to join us all this evening for a meal with our other friends, and family.”

Almost immediately, as if a switch had been flipped, Fizzlepop’s demeanor dropped to something far more morose, and anxious. After a moment of staring down at the floor, she whispered, “...I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet, Spike.”

Instead of following my initial impulse, I slowed down and chose to answer with a more understanding response. “Okay, FIzzle. Just know, we’re always here, and we’re not going anywhere. You’re always welcome, whenever you feel you’re ready. Don’t ever forget that.”

The unicorn’s eyes found mine, and after a moment of searching my gaze, she gave a weak smile in return. “Thank you for understanding. Tell Twilight sorry for me, if you could.”

Shaking my head, I smiled at her. “She won’t be bothered. If I’m being honest, we both kinda figured you wouldn’t feel comfortable just yet, but we wanted to make the effort anyway. Like I said: you’re always welcome. If I have to be here every day to remind you that you have friends here, I’ll do it with a smile on my face.”

Smirking lightly, she jabbed back with, “That kinda sounds like an obsession, Spike. Sure you don’t just want to stalk me?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. “Oh yeah, you better be careful. After all: I know where you live.”

“Right back at you, bucko,” she countered good naturedly. Her smirk relaxed into something more subdued, but warmer when she added, “Seriously though…thank you. I can’t accept your offer, but I am thankful for it nonetheless. I don’t deserve it,” she held up a hand to stop me, “and I know you disagree, but that’s how I feel. For now, knowing you all want me here anyway is more than I could ever ask for.”

I just smiled at her again. “Anytime, Fizzle. Did you want one of us to bring you some eats, then? If you want to be alone, there’s no sense not getting some of the good food that’s going to be made.”

She returned my smile with a nod. “I’d appreciate that, if it’s really no trouble. Just grab me whatever; I’m not particularly picky.”

“It’s a date!” I blurted with a smile, only for said smile to freeze on my face when I realized what I had just said. Similarly, Fizzlepop didn’t seem to know what to say, and just sat there awkwardly for a moment, staring at me. Swallowing hard, I fought to preserve some sense of dignity. “Um…forget I said that. Anyway, I guess I’ll grab you some food later, then. Until then, then…um…I’ll just go.” I practically sprinted out of the room, and I could hear laughter behind me, so at least I knew I hadn’t creeped her out too bad. Nonetheless, I had to flee the incredibly awkward situation before I died of embarrassment.

My hurried retreat, however, caused me to nearly steamroll an earth pony mare with a familiar crimson mane and yellow fur. She no longer wore a bow in her mane, but braided said mane in a more intricate manner than her sister. Said mane was nearly thrown all out of style because of me almost tackling her.

“Spike, what tha hay is goin’ on? Where’s tha fire?” Applebloom shouted, half worried, half angrily.

I glanced down at the annoyed mare and smiled sheepishly. “Eh heh, sorry about that. Didn’t see you there.”

“Obviously,” she growled, fixing her overalls and tee shirt. After looking up at me again, she looked more concerned than anything. “Ooh, y’all don’t look so good, Spike. You all right?”

“He just got done sticking his foot in his mouth and was trying to escape embarrassment,” Fizzlepop’s voice said from behind me, positively radiating smugness.

Applebloom caught eyes with the unicorn, shrugging and looking back to me. “Well, glad t’ know that hasn’ changed after all these years. Anyway, Ah was lookin’ f’r Scoots and Sweetie. Ya seen ‘em?”

Tilting my head in confusion, I answered, “I didn’t even know they were already here, to be honest. Your guess is as good as mine.”

Applebloom stomped her hoof and growled, huffing loudly. “Darn it, now Ah ain’t never gonna find ‘em in this place.”

I pointed to the left wall, upon which a map could be seen. “Follow the map back toward the community rooms, like the commons. Chances are they’ll be in one of those places. Sorry I can’t help more.”

Applebloom lowered her head in resignation and sighed. “Naw, it ain’t yer fault. Anyway, thanks f’r yer help. See ya Spike, Fizzle.” She then scampered off down the corridor toward the direction of the commons area.

I glanced back at FIzzlepop and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that. Was there something you needed?”

Fizzlepop shook her head, her eyebrow raising. “No, just wondering what all the noise was. I’ll let you get back to being a dork.”

Rolling my eyes, I warned, “I’ll think of a way that you’ll pay for that comment. Keep digging that hole, Fizzle.”

“Oh, I’m positively shivering in my horseshoes,” she snarked, theatrically trembling before moving back into her room and grasping the door. “Anyhow, I guess I’ll see you later, then.”

Turning to leave, I tossed a wave over my shoulder. “Yep. See you then, Fizzle.”

The morning had gone on fairly smoothly, but with midday approaching, most of us were now getting the food and drinks prepared for the town to arrive. With so many ponies coming to join us in the castle, it was quite the undertaking, but we had planned out how this would be handled days ahead of time, and everyone was doing their jobs as planned. So, while things were hectic, it was a sort of controlled chaos that could be handled fairly easily. After all, we were friends with Discord, so we could handle things.

Speaking of the Lord of Chaos, Discord dropped in through a portal into the commons room, and after greeting everyone and handing out presents (only half of which exploded into glitter and confetti), he set about entertaining the fun-loving kids, who were only all too happy to spend time with the prankster that was Discord.

The townsfolk started to arrive just before noon, which was being handled by Twilight herself, since she was basically useless when it came to handling food. She greeted each visitor and directed them to the public first floor, where all the rooms were open for food and revelry. The grand hearth was still unlit at the moment, but everything else was in use, and there was no shortage of ponies to host.

As for me, I was slaving away in the dining hall with a few of the others, serving up food and drinks for the hundreds of ponies that were arriving. I could be dramatic and claim it was a thankless job, but the truth was that I received a “thank you” from nearly every pony I served, which was nice. The only real downside was the realization that we were going to be busy doing this for at least the next few hours, but such was the life of important civil figures.

And we were all doing our part in being good hosts. Trixie, for example, was wowing a crowd with her displays of magic and illusion, while for those with more calm, traditional tastes, Granny Smith was telling stories to a veritable sea of foals and young ponies. All in all, everything was shaping up to be a nice holiday, which put a smile on my face.

That was, of course, until I spotted a certain noblemare in the crowd.

Rosy Glow had arrived, and since Twilight was the one at the front door, I knew she had let the mare inside. I wasn’t sure what the play was, so I just stayed true to the plan and continued serving ponies as they came. I was somewhat annoyed when the mare stepped in line, but knew that this wasn’t the time for me to call her out in front of the whole town. Nobles weren’t known for forgiveness without recompense, so I knew that she was still sore because of what happened in Canterlot. Even so, this wasn’t the time for personal vendettas and such. So, as Rosy Glow stepped up in front of me, I spooned some roasted potatoes, carrots, and peas on her tray and gave her a smile as she passed. I had to mask my surprise when she smiled in what seemed a genuine manner, and moved on without incident. The fact she hadn’t sneered at me or thrown me some backhanded comment actually made me nervous.

Did I mention I hate politics?

I caught eyes with Lyla, who stood next to me. When she noticed my expression, she subtly bumped her hip into mine as she whispered, “Keep it together, Spike. With all the guards and five alicorns, this is the most well-defended structure in the entire nation. I can say with confidence she’s got at least a dozen of our hidden protectors watching her at this very moment, so she’s not going to be able to cause any trouble.”

I snorted out through my nose. “I know, but just having her here feels like an insult somehow. I know this is a public event, but this is also our home.”

“Believe me, I understand,” Lyla soothed, rubbing my back briefly, “but we’ll get through this just fine, I promise.”

“And Princess Luna has us covered as well,” Fluttershy reminded, subtly inclining her head to the ceiling when I looked her way. Sure enough, when I turned my eyes skyward, I could see vague shadows on the ceiling that, while not moving, should not have been there with all the lighting that was being cast in the dining hall. True to her word, I knew Princess Luna’s elite guard unit would be able to take down any would-be aggressors with ease before anyone was hurt, so I allowed myself a bit of calm, if only for my herd’s sake. The nervousness was still there, but I did trust my aunt and her guards to keep the peace. Besides that, there was a small contingent of solar guards creating a more visible presence, patrolling the corridors and the grounds outside.

I smiled at my two girls. “You’re right. I’ll try my best to keep that in mind so I don’t stress myself out.”

Lyla nudged my side with her elbow as we continued serving. “I promise I’ll give you a nice massage to work those knots out tonight, if you want.”

With that said, we continued doing our duty, serving the army of creatures joining us for the celebration. We of course saw many faces, young and old, that we recognized, but there were also plenty of creatures joining in the revelry that were clearly from out of town. Ember and Smolder were the only dragons I knew of that had made the trip, but there were plenty of changelings, yak, hippogriffs, gryphons, and even a bison or two that had shown up, which was going to make this one of the most diverse Hearth’s Warming town celebrations to date. True, not all of the varied creatures were familiar with the Equestrian holiday, but native Equestrians were quite happy to give them detailed origins regarding the celebration as it existed today.

Thankfully, as time went on, it seemed that Rosy Glow was merely making an appearance to be seen among many important public figures, and wasn’t looking to cause trouble. Things were relatively calm and festive, and the few small hiccups here and there were handled by the others in a prompt fashion. Eventually, everyone had been served the main meal, and we had cleaned up the positively demolished spread that everyone had enjoyed. I was finally free to mingle with everyone, but after greeting a seemingly endless line of creatures, I finally was able to escape to be at the sides of my friends and family.

It was during a lull in the excitement when Twilight nudged me and pointed to one of the archways, where Applejack was standing, now relieved of her winter coat. What I had originally thought was completely practical had instead been a coat to hide what she was wearing. Under the winter coat, Applejack had worn a forest green dress with a distinct country style that led to her farm upbringing. It was flattering without being overly opulent, and beautiful without too many frills. Instead, the dress accentuated her figure and natural attributes.

Twilight nudged me again. “Go on, loverdrake.” As I glanced back to the alicorn, my jaw dropped open in surprise. This had been planned, and what was worse, Twilight was in on it. At my accusatory glare, she just shrugged at me. “What? You were never going to make a move on your own, so we set this up. What better time than Hearth’s Warming?”

Chewing on my lip nervously, I whispered, “Are we sure about this? I told you about my worries regarding Applejack.”

Rolling her eyes, Twilight all but shoved me forward. “Will you just trust us for once? Go on, everything will be fine.”

Still a bit anxious, but trusting my herd knew what they were doing, I nodded and made my way toward the farm mare across the room. Applejack was watching me the entire time, and my heart rate steadily rose with each step closer to the beautiful earth pony ahead of me.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I stood in front of Applejack. I couldn’t think of anything more eloquent to say than, “Hi.”

Grinning at my tied tongue, Applejack replied with the same, “Hi.”

After a few moments of quiet, where I could do little more than take in her appearance, I finally was able to organize my thoughts enough to speak. “You look…wow. I mean…wow.”

A subtle blush formed on Applejack’s cheeks. “Thanks, Spike. Ya don’t look so bad yerself.”

While I thought I looked pretty frumpy compared to her, I took the comment in stride nonetheless. “Thanks. So…I guess your hair all done up makes more sense, now. I was wondering about that.”

“Rarity suggested it,” she explained, darting her eyes to the floor as she fidgeted with her hands. “She said it’d be a good idea to go with tha dress.” After glancing around, she hesitantly asked, “Mind if we take this somewhere a little more private?”

I held my palm up, and once she placed her hand in mine, I led us away from the room of the grand hearth, toward one of the side rooms that was off-limits to the public. After ensuring the door was closed behind us, I looked to Applejack again, finding the mild blush had blossomed into an extensive heat along her face and throat. I have to admit it was adorable to see her so flustered, despite my own nervousness.

“Rarity…also told me about yer fears. About me,” she said quietly, bringing my worries to light in a rather direct way.

“O-oh,” I croaked out, my heart leaping into my throat. Scrambling to save myself, I blurted, “I-I didn’t mean it as an insult, it’s just-”

“Spike,” she softly breathed, completely stopping my hurried apology before I could finish. After giving me a moment to settle, she assured me, “Ah get it. Truly, Ah do. Ah ain’t gonna lie ‘n say yer fear ain’t got some weight to it, after all.”

Raising my brow, I ventured, “Wait, so…?”

Blushing a bit deeper, Applejack nodded. “Y-yeah. Y’all were kinda a crutch f’r me after tha breakup with Thunderlane. Ah didn’t realize it until Rarity brought it up, and it got me really thinkin’ about it. Did some soul-searchin’, seein’ if mah interest in tha herd was just that, or iffin’ it was somethin’ real.”

Letting her words hang in the air for a moment, I eventually said, “Well, you’re here, so I guess I have my answer.”

Smiling a bit, she nodded. “Yeah. Kinda wish it were you that told me ‘bout yer worries, but-”

“That’s why I have a herd,” I finished, smiling back. “We all have our own weaknesses, and herds help us overcome those shortcomings so we become stronger as a whole. It’s not the first time I’ve screwed up, and it won’t be the last.”

Applejack shrugged her bare shoulders, and I’ll admit I had the sudden impulse to nuzzle the bare fur for some reason. “Ah ain’t without mah faults either. Like Ah said, Rarity bringin’ up yer fears made me realize that you were kinda right, at least a little. But if Ah wasn’t sure what Ah felt was real, Ah'd’ve told Rarity Ah didn’t want ta join tha herd.”

Stepping forward and grasping her hands in mine, I asked, “So you’re sure about this?”

Applejack gave my hands a squeeze, looking at our joined digits. “Ah am. You were there when Ah needed ya, and it ain’t tha first time. Ah know Ah can count on ya, and Ah’ve always felt close to you, ev’n b’fore ya grew up. This is worth pursuin’.”

“And Rarity told you the rules of the herd, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. No datin’ outside tha herd. Ah’m fine with that, Ah think, but y’all haven’t discussed adding another stallion? All these mares seems a bit much f’r just you.”

I shrugged helplessly. “We’ve talked about it a lot, and the idea alone makes me very uncomfortable. Dragons aren’t known for sharing, usually. Male dragons especially can become violent toward any other males that ‘move in’ on their hoards. Well…you all are my hoard. I collect pretty girls, not pretty jewels. All that might change in the future, but for now, you’re all mine.”

She rolled her eyes, the blush still prominent on her face. “Yer a dork, but Ah like ya like that.”

I released her hands and stepped into her, wrapping my arms around the mare as I hugged her close, breathing deeply. She reacted by immediately wrapping her own arms around my back, and for a few moments we just stood there, enjoying the contact.

“I’m sorry I’ve been kinda distant,” I whispered, still holding her. “To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to say to you. I kinda…figured out that you were one of the ones that wanted in the herd, and I kinda had a little freakout. From there, well…I wasn’t sure how to act around you.”

She nuzzled her face against my chest, sighing deeply. “It’s all right. Ah kinda figured, t’be honest. Jus’ don’t go avoidin’ me like that too often and we’ll be okay. We gotta talk to be healthy together.”

“I am gonna screw up,” I reminded gently, “but if you can forgive me for that and are willing to call me out for it, I think we’ll get along just fine.” We just enjoyed the embrace for another few moments before I suggested, “Wanna get back to the others and give the good news?”

Applejack nodded once against my chest before pulling away, taking a moment to tuck a few free strands of mane behind her ears. “Sounds like a plan.”

“And, I was thinking you and I can share a dance later tonight, after the rest of the town heads home,” I half-asked, though I already knew the answer.

Applejack’s smile brightened, and I swear I saw her eyes sparkling. “Ah’d be hard-pressed ta find somepony else Ah’d rather have a dance with.”

Taking her hand once again, I led her back out of the room and back to the grand hearth, where the rest of the herd was waiting. Upon seeing the two of us enter, grinning like lovestruck fools and hand-in-hand, Twilight’s face lit up with a brilliant smile of her own as she bounced excitedly in place, doing a good impression of a certain violently pink friend of ours. Every one of the herd present was smiling excitedly as we approached, and all but pounced on us when we were finally within tackle distance. We were in public, so we weren’t actually tackled to the ground, but the congratulations and welcoming gestures more than made up for the lack of rapid-fire snuggles.

As the clock got closer to the determined time, I was waiting out front for the arrival of one final guest who wanted to remain anonymous until the time was right. With the sun high in the sky, it was fairly easy to pick out approaching flyers, but the cream colored wings of the approaching pegasus were a little difficult to see against the glare of the late morning sun. The flying pony landed softly in front of me, shaking her long mane out before covering it with her hood again.

Her bright blue eyes winked at me as she folded her wings on her back, and her long mane covered her eyes again. “Evening, Sir Spike. Well, I made it, safe and sound.”

“You did indeed,” I said, holding out a hand to shake, which she took a moment later. “Thanks for coming, Songbird Serenade.”

With her mane in the way, it was a little more difficult to decipher her expressions, but she seemed giddy as she waved my gratitude away. “Ah, it’s no trouble, truly. My next tour doesn’t start for another two weeks, after the new year, and truth be told, I was pretty bored sitting in my studio. Spending time with friends is always nice, and this gave me a the perfect opportunity to spend some time with the heroes of Equestria.”

From what I gathered during my talk with Thorax, she didn’t know he was a changeling, so I knew this was going to be a surprise for her. I hid it well as I escorted her inside and toward the grand hall, where the flag was being raised before the lighting of the hearth. “We’re privileged to have you. I’m well aware that the life of a popular individual is pretty hectic, so I thank you for making the time to swing by.”

“Like I said, I wasn’t doing anything anyway,” she repeated, bumping me with her elbow. “I should thank you for reaching out, though I doubt you knew what I was doing.” She then cocked her head at me, and I got the impression she was raising her brow at me skeptically. “Unless, of course, you found the time to become a stalker.”

I just shrugged, taking the joke in good humor. “Maybe at a younger age, but not nowadays. I do still have that signed poster you gave me up on my wall though.”

“I’d judge you harshly if you didn’t,” she joked with a haughty tone. After walking behind me for a few moments, she asked, “So, not that I’m not grateful for the invite, but is there a real reason you reached out?”

“Well…there’s someone I wanted you to meet, for his Hearth’s Warming gift,” I answered, purposely being vague, just in case.

“Oh…so a fan? I’m always happy to see fans, but they must be pretty important for a Hearth’s Warming visit,” she commented, her curiosity obviously piqued at this point.

I bobbed my head from side to side. “...sure, yeah, he’s a fan.”

We passed through the room with the grand hearth, only stopping to give a quick wave to the rest of my friends before grabbing Thorax by the arm and pulling him with us out of the room, to one of the guest rooms. I got the feeling Songbird was silently curious, but said nothing as she dutifully followed along behind us.

When we finally arrived in an empty guest room, Thorax pulled away and rubbed his arm, throwing a mildly reproachful look my way. “If you wanted my attention, you could have just asked, Spike.” After fixing his shirt, he looked over at the cloaked mare and nodded to her. “Anyway, I’m Thorax. I guess Spike wanted us to meet?”

Songbird hadn’t spoken yet, and was clearly curious as she stepped forward, inspecting the changeling as she pulled her hood down. “I…I can’t quite place it, but you’re familiar somehow. Have we met before?”

When Songbird removed her hood, Thorax froze, and stared at the mare in utter shock. His head slowly rotated so he could look at me, and I just smiled in response. He tried to speak, only to squeak pitifully as he struggled to form words. After swallowing hard, Thorax tried again. “Um…n-not like this, no. My name is Thorax, but you haven’t met me.”

Songbird tilted her head, her ears flicking around. “Why do you say it like that?” Slowly, her mouth formed an “oh” as she surmised, “Oh wait, you’re a changeling. Do you mean we met when you were in disguise?”

Thorax nodded jerkily. “Y-yes, we have. I…” He paused before closing his eyes and allowing a film of magic to pass over him. When it finished, before us was standing a lanky tan-colored unicorn with a red mane and blue eyes. After giving the mare a moment to take him in, he greeted, “H-hi, Birdy. It’s been awhile.”

Songbird gasped deeply and backed up so fast that she rammed into a bedside table, which caused her to trip and flail wildly before falling onto the bed with a comical poof of air. She scrambled to sit up, and for the longest time could only stare at the disguised changeling with her jaw dropped open.

Eventually, the mare stood, almost tripping in the process, and slowly made her way over to Thorax, standing in front of him. She hesitated briefly before raising her trembling hands up to Thorax’s face, as if unsure whether to believe what she was seeing. Upon finally touching his face, she quietly asked, “...is it really you, Buttercream?”

Thorax reached up and took her hands in his, holding them tight and nodding solemnly to the pegasus. “Y-yeah, it’s me. It’s been me all along.”

She gently pulled her hands away from him, slowly reaching up again before-

*SMACK*

Thorax’s head was thrown to the side as a slap cracked across his cheek. I winced in sympathetic pain at the hit, but had foresaw something like this happening. The small pegasus glared up at him (or, at least, I could only assume she was, since I couldn’t see her eyes) and growled, “It’s been six years, and you couldn’t have even sent a letter? I thought…I…” Tears began to slide down Songbird’s cheeks as her emotions caught up with her, and she cried, “I-I thought you were dead! You don’t do that to the ponies you care about, Cream!”

Thorax winced as he raised a hand to touch his stinging face, and he grimaced as he tried to explain. “I tried Birdy, but you’re not exactly easy to get a hold of. I mean, you probably get thousands of fan letters per day, and your manager and agent aren’t exactly keen on letting some random pony meet you without there being some sort of publicity involved in it.”

“Then what about this?” she asked, motioning to the two of them. “Your friend called me up under false pretenses, and I showed up because they’re important and they’re friends. How is this different? You couldn’t have done something similar as King of the Changelings?”

I raised my hand meekly and corrected, “Technically, everything I said was true. The only difference is he’s a fan of ‘Birdy,’ his friend, not just Songbird Serenade, the music superstar.”

“Also,” Thorax continued, equally as meek as I, “please don’t call me a king. I refuse to be seen as anything like Queen Chrysalis. I just want what’s best for my people, that’s all.”

Songbird sniffled a bit as she reached up under her bangs and hurriedly rubbed her eyes. “Still…you just disappeared without a trace all of the sudden, and nopony knew what happened to you. How was I supposed to know you were okay? You couldn’t have visited? It’s been six years, Buttercream!”

Thorax frowned a bit as tears gathered in his own eyes, and he shot back with, “I was scared, okay? Before Spike, you were the only friend I had in the world, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to you. After I became the leader of the new changelings, I couldn’t just pick up and head back to the town, because I had others depending on me to lead them. And I didn’t know how I was supposed to explain being gone for such a long time. It…made it easier when none of your crew was willing to let some rando meet you, so I just passed it off as a lost cause. I saw you were successful and healthy, so I told myself that was enough.”

The mare sniffled again before taking one of his hands in hers, frowning with her head bowed. “I was certainly content, but how can you think I was happy without my best friend, Cream? Let me remind you: I thought you had to be dead, Cream. I figured that was the only way you could just disappear and never contact me again. I wrote a song about you, you idiot!”

“Y-you did?”

Songbird sighed and poked him in the chest. “What did you think my song Diamond was about?”

Thorax’s jaw dropped at that. “R-really? I thought it was about…I don’t know, an ex-lover or something.”

Songbird sighed again, shaking her head. She curled her finger at him and ordered, “Come here.” Thorax leaned down toward the mare, and without warning, she grabbed his face and laid a big smooch right on his lips, leaving the changeling stunned beyond words. After a second or two, she pulled away with a loud smack, and licked her lips as she rhetorically asked, “Do you get it now?”

He could only stare down at her, frozen in surprise. I felt privileged to have witnessed such a lovely reunion, but since things seemed to be progressing well, I saw fit to excuse myself and head toward the door. Before I could leave, however, I heard Thorax call my name.

I turned to look over my shoulder to see him blushing brightly, but smiling as well as he said, “Spike…thank you. Truly.”

I gave my own smile as I replied, “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Thorax. You too, Songbird.”

The mare grinned at me and playfully lamented, “I know if I said ‘I owe’ you, you’d just say ‘no you don’t’-”

“Darn right,” I finished, smiling at her. “Gifts aren’t given with the intent of getting something back. Besides, what kind of guy would I be if I expected some sort of favor for making two friends happy?”

“Sounds like you’d be a pretty crummy friend,” she snarked, leaning into Thorax as he rested his arm around her shoulders.

I smiled at the sight of them. “And that’s not the kind of guy I am. So, Happy Hearth’s Warming to the both of you. Now, before we all split up for the rest of the day, would you both like to join us for the lighting of the hearth?”

The two looked at each other for a moment before Thorax answered, “Y’know, I think that would be lovely.”

“And with this, we light the Grand Hearth of Ponyville, paying homage to the first Fires of Friendship ignited by the founders in ages past,” Twilight recited, taking the burning torch in her hand and tossing it into the carefully constructed cone of logs and tinder, which in only a few seconds began to crackle and pop as the fire merrily grew and spread additional warmth throughout the spacious room.

From there, the usually shy pegasus of mine continued. “With this fire, we remember how important friendship and love is to the continued wellbeing of everyone in Equestria and beyond. And with this holiday, we pledge ourselves to the tenets of harmony that have played a role in all our lives, no matter how young or old.”

“And finally,” Princess Luna began, placing her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder from behind, “we must remember that for every dark night, there is a bright moon to light the path.”

Princess Celestia took the place next to her sister, smiling at the gathered crowd. “And during the most punishing of days, there is a calming breeze to cool the sweat of our brows. Always, always remember that friendship takes work, and we must strive to preserve it. Thank you all for joining us on this most important holiday. Good day to all of you, and Happy Hearth’s Warming!”

The roar of the assembled crowd answered us, and following that, the crowd slowly began to file out of the castle. Those that were staying in the castle gathered near the hearth with the rest of us as we waited patiently for everyone to leave, and Twilight got a start on levitating some of the trash and discarded dishes up to be taken to the garbage bin and kitchen, respectively. I had gathered a few brooms in the broom closet nearby earlier in the day, so I opened the door and began passing them out to some of the others as we all got started on doing a good once-over of the castle before heading off to relax for the remainder of the day. Though I tried to fight them on it, even my mother and aunt insisted on helping, and with their help, I knew it would take very little time to get everything clean.

True to my assumption, it took only thirty minutes for the entire bottom floor of the castle to be set back in order, and we all gathered to see off the two Canterlot princesses, as well as the rest of our gathered relatives. Hugs and kisses were shared all around, including a particularly tight hug from the two larger alicorns encompassing as many of me and my herd as was possible, including our newest member, Applejack. Lyla, especially, was trying her hardest to look as though she wasn’t being squeezed to death by the two larger females.

Finally, we were released, and took in a collective gasp of air, yet spots still danced in my vision for a second. I looked at the two Canterlot princesses as the elder cupped my cheek and smiled at me. “It was wonderful to spend this day with you, my son. Always remember that I love you.”

While I blushed at the words, I couldn’t stop the smile on my face as I grasped her hand in mine. “I love you too, mom.” Turning my attention to the dark alicorn, I reached over and gave her a hug of her own, whispering, “It was great to see you, auntie. Don’t be a stranger.”

“We shall endeavor to make time for thee soon, beloved nephew,” Princess Luna said softly, nuzzling the side of my face in a rare display of public affection. Pulling away, she added, “Be well, Spike. Take good care of them.”

“Always, aunt Luna. Safe travels,” I said in closing, closing my eyes as the horns of the two alicorns lit up, their auras wrapping around all of the other visitors, before transporting them, the guards, and everypony's parents back to Canterlot, to make the afternoon trains back to their respective homes. When the light faded, only Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart remained.

With only my herd and our guests left, we all turned and headed for the stairs leading to the private levels of the castle after Twilight locked the front doors to the castle.

“So, Applejack, what did you plan for tonight? Are you going to head back home later to be with your family, or will you be staying the night?” Rarity coyly asked, trying and failing to completely hide her smile.

Applejack blushed. “A-Ah think Ah’m stayin’.” She growled and fanned her face, trying to get the blush to recede. “Why am Ah actin’ like this? Ain’t like Ah’ve never stayed tha night with y’all b’fore.”

“True,” Fluttershy said with a giggle, “but you haven’t stayed as a herd member before now. There are certain snuggles that aren’t allowed if you’re just friends.”

Applejack blushed deeper, laughing lightly. “Ah don’t think we’re doin’ any ‘special hugs’ tonight, but Ah wouldn’t mind a little extra love.”

I smiled from behind Applejack. “I think we can do that.”

She glanced at me from over her shoulder before quickly looking away, trying not to seem as excited as she was. I could tell though, and I’m pretty sure she was fooling no one. Still, that was for later. We still had basically the entire day to ourselves, and I was sure everyone had their own plans on how to spend it. For now, since the town was now gone, we were heading toward Twilight’s room to collect Ember, and from there we would take the day as it came.

Ember was quietly reading a book when we arrived, and looked all too happy to finally be able to walk around without being bothered by a bunch of strangers. She raised a brow at me when she noticed Applejack following, but after a brief explanation, she merely shrugged and fell into step with the rest of us. We joined the rest of our guests in the commons area, and from there made our way to the private dining room, where our food had been set up. Since none of us ate during the public celebration, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that felt ravenous, so we all enjoyed a late lunch of Apple family foods, and Sugarcube Corner treats. Yona and Ocellus in particular made sure to give praise for the tasty spread, but it wasn’t hard to assume everyone was enjoying the food, if the near-silence (other than the sounds of eating) was any indication.

The door opened again after a few minutes, and a familiar blue pegasus breezed inside the room, shaking a few lingering flurries out of her mane as she greeted, “Hey everyone. Sorry about missing out earlier, but…well, work needed me. Oh cool, food. Hope you don’t mind if I dig in.”

“Not at all, Rainbow,” Twilight answered, gesturing to the empty place across from us, next to Fluttershy. “Take a seat and enjoy the food. We’re glad you could make it.”

“You have to work even on Hearth’s Warming?” I asked, silently grateful to be off work for the week.

Rainbow Dash plopped herself down in the seat offered to her, and immediately began stuffing her face with food. After downing three slices of apple brown betty, a bowl full of steaming potato and leek soup, and a grilled salmon steak, she finally stopped and sighed happily, apparently having at least taken the edge off of her hunger, now that something was in her belly. The pegasus then glanced my way and gave me a wry smile. “The weather kinda tends to pick the most inconvenient times to go wrong. I was planning to be here in the morning with the rest of town, but Raindrops caught me on the way here and told me about an emergency alert that came from the Cloudsdale weather factory. Apparently some idiot left the condensers on all night, and a batch of snow clouds escaped the cloud pen. We had the ‘awesome’ job of looking for this batch of clouds and busting them before they could dump a blizzard on some poor town.”

I winced at that. “Eesh, sorry you had to deal with that on a holiday.”

She shrugged helplessly, taking a huge gulp of warm apple cider. “Eh, I’m used to it by now. Kinda comes with the territory of being a regional weather manager. Yeah, my jurisdiction is Ponyville, but if there’s some crazy weather, they might call on me for help. And…well, that’s what happened. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.” She jammed a warm roll in her mouth before washing it down with another gulp of cider. After nearly choking it down, she said, “But unless some crazy stuff happens, I’ll be here for the rest of the day. I already checked on Scoots, and she’s gonna spend time with her friends at Sweet Apple Acres, just to kinda get out of the house, y’know?”

“I think it would be good for her to spend time with her best friends,” Fluttershy commented, smiling at her fellow pegasus. “You’re a great big sister Rainbow, but those three girls have been through a lot together, and maybe reminiscing about happier times with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom will make the holiday only bittersweet, instead of outright traumatic. That might be the best we can hope for, right now.”

“And good for you too,” Twilight added. “It’s not like you to spend days at a time in your house, so I can imagine this is all very uncomfortable for you. You need time to get some fresh air too, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash shoveled another mound of food into her mouth, topped off with another hot roll and a swig of cider. After swallowing the mush, she sighed and rested her elbows on the table, running both hands up into her mane and resting on her palms. “I know, but I just wish there was something more I could do, y’know? I don’t feel good knowing that there’s nothing else I can really do to help her right now.”

“But that’s just it,” I said, brushing my ankle with hers from under the table, just for a bit of physical contact, “you’re doing everything you can. There are some things that only time can fix, and just the fact you’re willing to put your own life on hold for her speaks volumes about you. She knows that, and when she eventually comes out of her shell and is ready to face the world again, she’ll thank you for it.”

Rainbow Dash grunted and shook her head. “Yeah, I know that, but you know how I am. You keep telling me to just keep doing what I’m doing, but I am doing that. I don’t see anything changing, and I can’t help but think I’m doing something wrong, or I should be doing something else. It’s just…” she blew a long breath out, disturbing her long bangs as they fluttered in her face, “...hard. I hate this kinda stuff, because there’s not something I can do to just, y’know, fix it.”

Fluttershy leaned into the other pony’s side and wrapped an arm and wing around her, hugging tightly. No words were said between the two, and Fluttershy just let her warm embrace communicate what wasn’t said.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash sat up straight again and went back to eating, though she leaned a little more into Fluttershy’s hug now.

“So,” she spoke in between bites, “did you all exchange gifts already then?”

I nodded her way. “This morning, before the rest of the town started arriving. We still have gifts for you and Pinkie waiting, but Pinks will get hers when she gets back next week.” Realizing what I had said, I caught eyes with Applejack. “We haven’t given our gifts to you yet, AJ.”

She waved the thought away. “Ah’ll get’m later. Gonna be here all day, after all. No rush. Ah, uh, hope y’all don’t mind,” she began, nervously looking down at the table, “but Ah kinda had t’go cheap this year, on account’a tha barn needin’ mendin’, and tha hospital bills ‘n such.”

Waving her concerns away, I just gave her a smile. “You’re here, and that’s enough of a gift. We always enjoy the things you give us. I mean, look around,” I gestured to the private dining room, which was rather spartan and only had a few personal decorations here and there, “does it look like we live a lavish lifestyle? Not like we don’t have the money, but we don’t put stock in things that don’t have sentimental significance.”

“That’s an awful lot of sap there, Spike,” Rainbow Dash teased, nudging me under the table. “You gonna marry her next or something?”

I just bobbed my head side to side. “Maybe one day. This is just day one, but I think we’ll get there at some point in the future. That is the plan, after all.”

Rainbow Dash just stopped, a morsel of carrot comically sliding off of her lip and dropping to her plate as she just stared at us. “Um…what?”

Twilight smiled and nudged the earth pony next to her. “Applejack, would you like to do the honors?”

Applejack blushed a bit, but turned her attention directly to the pegasus on the other side of the table as she said, “Ah’m part’a tha herd now, RD. This is mah first day in it.”

Rainbow Dash just continued to stare, slack-jawed. It took almost a minute before she shook herself out of it and rolled her eyes at me. “Y’know, when I said it’s kinda like you’re collecting the full set, I was joking. I didn’t expect you to go along with it.”

I just shrugged off her jab and fired back. “I mean, collections are always more valuable when you have the full set. Maybe next I’ll want another pretty pegasus. You better watch out.”

Again she rolled her eyes. “Please, I can do better than you. Rainbow Dash does not settle, she succeeds.” Rarity looked like she wanted to say something to defend me, but seemingly realized this kinda talk was normal between us, and so let it go. I silently thanked her, and promised myself I was going to reward her for it.

A poof of purple smoke appeared off to the side, and Discord himself appeared in the dining room, surprising everyone present. He casually strode over to Fluttershy, affectionately patting her on the head, before looking over everyone present (including a particularly nervous Ember). “Well friends, it is time for me to leave again. This chaos spirit has a…let’s call it a previous obligation that I must meet.”

I raised a brow. “Since when does a being of chaos follow a schedule? I thought chaos didn’t have rules.”

“Except when it does,” the draconequus snarked, smirking at me. “Wonderfully chaotic, isn’t it? Chaos bends to no rules…except when it does, even though it, by nature, is unfettered. How delightfully unprecedented! Or is it?” I shook his head hard enough for his eyes to fall out, and after shining the two orbs on his fur, he popped them back in his head and bowed low. “Truly though, this has been a pleasure. And Twilight, thank you for allowing me to spread a little chaos amongst the young ones. I have no doubt their parents will be banging their sweet heads against the wall soon.”

Twilight sighed in exasperation, but smiled nonetheless. “As long as no lasting damage was done, and no pony was hurt, it’s fine. Thank you for visiting, Discord. It’s always a privilege to see you again.”

Fluttershy said nothing, merely smiling up at her chaotic friend. Again, Discord patted the yellow pegasus on the head before snapping his fingers, and disappearing in another poof of smoke…this one red, with the scent of apples for some reason.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel like I can breathe a little easier with him gone,” Ember commented, sounding far more relieved than she had looked moments ago.

I reached behind Applejack on my left and touched Ember with the tip of my wing, smiling helplessly at her. “It’s okay, I get it. He’s…let’s call Discord an ‘acquired taste’. Nonetheless, he’s a good friend, and a good ally to have on your side.”

Before she could respond, the door opened, and in walked a pony I was honestly surprised to see. “Fizzle?”

My shocked utterance drew the attention of everyone in the dining room, among all three tables, to the door. The unicorn in question looked decidedly nervous, clad in her normal clothes and completely exposed, but strode forward nonetheless. She took the seat on the other side of Fluttershy (which I could tell Ember was silently thankful for), and wasted no time in loading up her plate with many of the nice things on the table.

After a few moments of letting us stare at her, Fizzlepop defensively muttered, “What? I said I wouldn’t be coming to dinner, but…well, I’m kinda hungry, and…”

Twilight wasted no time in wrapping her arm around the shoulders of Fizzlepop, who after stilling for a moment, breathed easy and relaxed a bit. “Hey…you don’t need to explain. Whatever the reason, we’re glad to have you. When I said you were always welcome, I meant it. Please, eat and enjoy the food.”

Much like Rainbow Dash, Fizzlepop wasted no time in thoroughly enjoying the variety of food choices spread about the table, and took a little of each until she found things she greatly enjoyed. While I didn’t say anything aloud, I couldn’t help but think of the appearance of the unicorn as a Hearth’s Warming miracle, and it made the day seem just a bit warmer and brighter. I knew that, save for a few notable exceptions, Fizzlepop might as well have been diagnosed with some sort of avoidant personality disorder, brought about by the intense feelings of guilt and inadequacy due to her past, so it was truly something special that she chose to brave her anxiety, push through it, and spend time with us, even if just for a small amount of time. Save for Ember, who was doing her best to avoid eye contact, everyone at the table gave the scarred unicorn a smile whenever she caught their gaze. She didn’t speak, but I got the distinct impression that Fizzlepop was grateful for the welcoming environment we were fostering for her. I knew she still believed she didn’t deserve it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t feel good.

“My offer is still open, you know,” I quietly offered, looking Fizzlepop in the eye when she glanced my way. “If you want to come to dinner, we’ll happily welcome you again.”

Fizzlepop paused to consider my words for a moment before answering. “...I think I can only do one public appearance for today, but thank you for the offer.”

Twilight relaxed her grip on the unicorn and moved to affectionately rub her back, only for Fizzlepop to hiss loudly and jerk away, causing Twilight to frown worriedly. “Oh, I’m sorry Fizzle. Did I hurt you?”

The unicorn in question was still grimacing, her teeth clenched, as she assured, “I’m okay. It’s just an old scar, nothing more.”

Twilight frowned and moved away to give the older mare some space, even as her gaze hardened. “Fizzle, please don’t lie to me. A scar doesn’t cause that much pain just from brushing against it.”

“Twilight, please…not now,” Fizzlepop pleaded, looking to me for support.

I sighed internally and nudged Twilight. “Twi, leave it be. Fizzle deserves her privacy, okay?”

Twilight turned her gaze to me, every bit as intense, but it softened at my unwavering stance on the matter. Eventually, she sighed in defeat, and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry Fizzle, we don’t have to discuss anything you don’t want to. I’m just worried about you, is all.”

The pain had apparently passed, as Fizzlepop was able to offer Twilight a mostly-painless smile. “And I appreciate that, Twilight. Truly. Just…I have some things I can’t talk about just yet, and I need you to respect that.”

Twilight nodded again, this time with a reassuring smile. “I do. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, I just don’t like the ones I care about being in any kind of pain. Promise you’ll tell me about it at some point?”

Fizzlepop chewed on her lip nervously, looking at all the other faces that had been watching the exchange, before eventually relenting. “...later, if you’re really sure. I’ll warn you that it’ll probably ruin the rest of your day, though.”

“Worrying about you and not knowing why my friend is in pain makes me far more upset,” Twilight reminded her, this time rubbing her palm on the back of the unicorn’s neck, which was a safer area.

Fizzlepop lowered her eyes to the table, grasping her fork a little harder as she mumbled, “Your caring nature is going to get you hurt one of these days, Twilight.”

Twilight countered with, “It already has, but I’ll never regret caring about others. That’s something you’ll never change about me, Fizzle.”

“I don’t want to,” Fizzle whispered before going back to her meal. With that out of the way, everyone else went back to snacking, talking, and just enjoying the warm atmosphere at the table. And though she tried to hide it, I caught sight of the grateful ghost of a smile on Fizzlepop’s muzzle.

“So are you planning on banging AJ later?”

While I tried to play it off, I couldn’t help the blush that bloomed from within. “You have zero tact, Dash. Like, none at all.”

“No sense beating around the bush when I can just ask you straight,” she returned, smirking at me. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” I growled, trying to sound intimidating, but failing spectacularly, if Rainbow Dash’s victorious smile was any indication.

She just smirked from her spot on the sofa next to me. “That’s a no, then.”

“Not everyone bucks on the first date, Dash,” I snarked, raising my brow at her. “Maybe you should stop projecting your qualities on others.”

She just took the poke with grace, shrugging nonchalantly. “I guess it’s true no one can be quite like me. I guess I can’t keep expecting everyone to be as awesome as Rainbow Dash.”

I snorted at her preening, idly watching the others playing a game of “Two Truths and a Lie” from across the room. “Yeah, well, later in life when you move on from Ponyville, remember that not everyone will love Rainbow Dash and all her ‘awesomeness’.” Since her hooves were touching me, I felt as she went completely still, and I turned my eyes back to the pegasus to see her frowning at me. “What? What did I say?”

“Why do you always talk like I’m going somewhere? Do you want me to leave?” she asked, halfway between confusion and offense.

I shrugged. “Just kinda seems like the thing to do. You always planned to leave when you got your big break, and then you turned down the Wonderbolts. That doesn’t mean you’re not still gonna leave someday, and go off to show the world how awesome you are.”

“Spike,” she began, huffing and pulling her knees to her chest as she hugged them close, “Ponyville is my home. Yeah, I was born in Cloudsdale, and there’s a lot of cool things to see out there in the world, but this is where I want to be. Who’s gonna make sure all my students become the best fliers they can if I leave? Who’s gonna make sure those morons up at the weather factory don’t screw up Ponyville with their ridiculous weather schedules? Who’s gonna keep a tight flank and fly just close enough to the library for you to drool over it and dream about it?”

The latter comment made me laugh regardless of the serious talk, and it took me a second to think of a response. “Well, have you seen Fluttershy lately? The past few years, she’s taken your recommendations to heart, and while her wings are dinky compared to yours, she’s got a fantastic body. Since she’s a part of the herd, I’m sure I can get her to strut around every once in a while, maybe even in some lingerie if I play my cards right. Are you gonna do that?”

“Get real, perv,” she replied, though the blush on her cheeks made her reprimand have far less power than she probably hoped for.

Smiling triumphantly, I folded my hands and rested them in my lap. “Then you have no power here, Dash. Can’t tease me with your feminine wiles anymore.” Deciding to be a little more cocky, I added, “When you decide to finally pony up and join the herd, then we can do a comparison. Until then, my herd wins, hands down.”

She sputtered and squawked almost like a bird, the sound being both surprising and hilarious at the same time. I laughed uproariously at her reaction, unable to stop the guffaws that escaped, while Rainbow Dash just glowered at me and tried to pretend as if I hadn’t just said what I did, along with her blush increasing tenfold. Just when I thought I might have gone too far, she shoved my leg playfully with a hoof, but still wouldn’t look at me due to embarrassment. The fact she was willing to do so told me she wasn’t actually mad, so I counted it as a win on my side.

As my laughter tapered off, and I was able to gather myself once again, I said, “If I’m being honest, I don’t want any of you to leave, ever. But, that’s the dragon in me talking, not wanting to let go of something -- or someone -- important to me. In the end, though…” my mood sobered a bit, becoming noticeably more somber, “well, everyone’s going to leave me, one way or another. As a dragon, I’ve had to accept that fact. No matter how much I try to prevent it, and no matter how willing you are to fight it, your time -- everyone’s time -- in my life is temporary. Whether it be because you move away, or because you d-die, I’ll have to watch every one of you leave, while I stick around. I’ll have to watch generations of my own bloodline live out their lives and pass on while only I remain. Eventually, it’ll only be me, Ember, and maybe Twilight still around, while all of you are just memories of a better time.”

For a long few moments, only silence answered me. Eventually, Rainbow Dash muttered, “...dude, that’s bucking depressing. Way to kill the mood.”

Giving a subdued, apologetic smile, I said, “Sorry about that. It just kinda hits me sometimes.” Clearing my throat and faking a more happy smile, I continued. “Anyway, my point is that because my life will be so long compared to any of yours, what’s most important to me is that you all do all the things you want to do with your life, and that you’re happy. If that means I have to go years or decades without seeing you, or even knowing if you’re okay, that’s something I have to make peace with. It’s your life, not mine.”

“You’re right,” she interrupted, nudging me again with her hoof, “it is my life, so let me decide what to do with it. No matter what you or anyone else might think I’m ‘destined’ for, this is my life to live. If I decide I want to live out my days teaching foals to fly and managing weather, then that’s what I’m darn well going to do, and no one is gonna tell me otherwise. Got it? Have you ever considered that maybe that’s what makes me happy?”

I had, of course, but I couldn’t help the notion that she was destined for great things. “Well yeah, of course, but it used to be you talked all the time about how you were gonna be the best there ever was as a flier, and you wanted stadiums full of fans clamoring to just catch a glimpse of you as you rocketed by.”

“Yeah, well, things change,” she shot back, almost angrily. “Living life has a way of giving us ‘perspective,’ as Twilight would say, and I know now that stadiums full of screaming fans are less important to me than the ponies I already have in my life. Could being a Wonderbolt be amazing? Could I be happy about having my name literally etched in history as one of the best fliers that ever lived?” She shrugged. “Of course all of that could be true. But, every night I went to sleep when I was at the Wonderbolt academy, and during the short time I was actually a ‘Bolt, I looked at that picture of all of us that was taken just after Twilight’s coronation, and I felt a knife in my chest that twisted every time I thought about how much I missed you guys.” She crossed her arms under her chest, blowing her bangs out of her eyes with a puff of air. “And you know what? That ache never went away. It just got worse with every night, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. Spitfire and the rest of the ‘Bolts basically begged me to stay…but I couldn’t. Every time I considered it, I thought about everything I’d be losing. If I kept going with that life, I wouldn’t be able to just come and see my friends when I wanted to hang out. Important things could happen that I would never know about or be a part of, and even though we’d send letters and things like that, we’d start to grow apart, because I’d never be here anymore.”

I had noticed, though she apparently didn’t, that during her rant, tears had started to gather in her eyes. With a careful motion, I reached over and gently wiped the tears away from her eyes with my thumbs, and gathered her in my arms. She didn’t even resist, and just let it happen as she let herself be hugged.

After a few minutes of that, during which silence had its time, I softly asked, “That night when I last kinda touched on all this stuff…did I make you cry then, too?”

She stilled in my arms, though she didn’t pull away. “...you heard me?”

“I didn’t know it was you until just now. I heard someone, I just didn’t know who it was. Hay, I half-thought I might have just imagined it,” I answered, feeling all the more bad now that my fear was confirmed.

She was quiet again for a few moments before she eventually spoke. “I was upset because you were kinda right.” She pulled away from me a bit, so I let her go and she retreated to her spot on the sofa, but still kept in contact with me with her hooves on my thigh. “Used to be, I couldn't wait to get out of this small town. I mean, for a pegasus that wanted to be the best flier ever, there’s not too many prospects for a mare like that in Ponyville. Ponyville is a great place to live, but there’s not a whole lot of a calling for great fliers in a historically earth pony town. It’s not their fault of course, but that didn’t mean I was gonna just deal with it if I had a better choice.”

“Hence the Wonderbolts,” I surmised.

She shrugged slightly. “Well, partly. I always wanted to be a Wonderbolt, ever since I was a little filly. Then, when I followed Fluttershy to Ponyville, I saw becoming a Wonderbolt as my way out. But…well, I told you how that turned out. I was so angry with myself back then, because I felt like I was throwing away a huge opportunity, the chance to have my name chanted by thousands, maybe even millions, all because I couldn’t get over a little homesickness and missing my friends.” She reached up and slowly wiped away a few more tears that had gathered before they could trail down her cheeks. “But eventually, I figured that some things are more important than being the best flier. I mean, if it wasn’t making me happy, why the hay was I doing it?”

“So you left,” I finished for her.

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “Yeah. And I’ve never been so happy to be a quitter.”

“Quitting isn’t always a bad thing, Rainbow,” Twilight’s voice said from behind us.

Rainbow Dash flinched and whipped her head to look at the alicorn, who had somehow snuck up behind the sofa. She was smiling in that unsettlingly wise way alicorns seemed to magically develop over the years. I called it her ‘wise princess smile,’ which she hated, by the way.

Rainbow Dash licked her suddenly dry lips and stammered, “H-how long have you been standing there?”

“Since you confirmed Spike made you cry because of this type of conversation you apparently had before,” she confirmed, raising an eyebrow at me. “I was wondering why she seemed so broken up that night. Now I know, I guess.”

I smiled sheepishly. “Well, to be fair, it wasn’t exactly my plan to make a friend sad.”

“Sometimes saying the right thing can still make somepony sad,” Twilight explained, playing the part of princess well, even in a private moment amongst friends. “We should always strive to have the strength of character to say what we truly feel, even if it may make someone unhappy. Only with honesty can we make things better, and that includes during conversations between friends.” She then looked at Rainbow Dash, still smiling. “As long as you’re not hurting yourself or others, we will support you in whatever you want to do with your life, Rainbow. We’ll love you no matter what.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Twi. I kinda already figured, but it’s still nice to hear.” She cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes once more to be sure they were dry before standing up and fluffing her wings. “A-anyway, let’s do something fun, in celebration of you all finally nabbing AJ for this herd. How about a drinking game?”

“It’s a little early for a drinking game, Rainbow,” Twilight admonished, rolling her eyes. “Let’s set that aside for later tonight. Besides, it’s almost time for Lyla’s transformation ritual.”

“Her what?” Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

Twilight gasped and smiled. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know! Because Lyla is a queen-morph, she can’t become a ‘new changeling’ as easily as the rest. We couldn’t do it yesterday, because I had to study the spell some more, but I’m ready and we’re going to do it in a few minutes. Do you want to watch?”

Rainbow Dash just smirked at the alicorn. “What? You’re asking if I want to watch you cast some insane spell and change our friend into one of those new, sparkly changelings? Nah, why would I want to watch that? Sounds totally boring.” She pushed a knuckle into Twilight’s arm, laughing a bit. “C’mon Twi, you’re like the me of magic. Watching you cast awesome spells is always cool.”

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. “I would normally say you’re tooting your own horn a little hard there, but I’ll take the compliment. Nonetheless, I do think it would be nice of you to join us. This will be a big change for Lyla, and I think we should all be there to show our support.”

Rainbow Dash nodded with a smile. “Cool, so we doing it now, then?”

“In a few minutes, when Thorax gets here,” Twilight corrected. “Technically speaking, he’s not necessary, but I think it would be a good idea for a changeling to be there just in case something goes wrong. I doubt that will happen, but one can never be too sure.” As if he knew we were speaking about him, the tall changeling himself walked in the room, and once Twilight caught eyes with him, she nodded. “All right, here we go. C’mon, we’re heading to the pocket dimension where Spike trains with Ember.”

“Yeah, training. Is that what they’re calling it now?” Rainbow Dash teased, bumping me with her elbow.

I defensively blurted, “Hey, that only happened one time. And…I probably shouldn’t have told you that.” I was again blushing due to my big mouth. Rainbow Dash nearly fell over laughing, and Twilight groaned as she fanned herself to try and cool the blush that was now heating her entire face.

With only mild chatter here and there, we all collectively made our way to the aforementioned room, where a spell diagram had already been drawn on the floor, and the necessary reagents had been gathered. These included dream lilies (a magical flower that was a favorite of a certain night princess), six flawless rubies, a bowl of some sort of sand, and a strip of what looked like glowing wood.

Twilight beckoned all of us inside before closing the door. She then began assembling all the reagents around the circle, in empty spaces where something was obviously meant to be placed, and said, “Okay, let’s do this. Everyone else, stand against the far wall. Lyla, take your place, and Spike…take yours.” She pointed toward another, smaller spell circle to the side, across from where Lyla would be standing.

I raised a brow and asked, “I have a part in this? How?”

“Well, as you know, love is the catalyst,” Thorax explained, standing next to me as I took my place. “In order for changelings to transform, we have to give love instead of just taking it, and by doing so, it awakens something that was dormant within us, turning us into what we are now.”

“Okay, but-”

“For a queen though, we need a little more of a jolt, if you will,” Thorax continued. “Not only must she release the love she has inside, but you have to give love as well. And, while all love is valuable, romantic love is the strongest form of love. Also, as her chosen master, the bond between you two is as strong as it can be for a changeling. Your love is one of the keys in this spell, and is absolutely imperative.”

“W-wait, master…?” Rainbow Dash asked, likely voicing the same question many others had.

Thorax nodded to the pegasus as he stepped away from me. “Until recently, in changeling culture, there wasn’t such a thing as normal family bonds or love between changelings. The entire hierarchical structure was based upon ownership, and a changeling was pushed to choose a master they believed would stand for the morals he or she believed in.”

“Spike is indeed my chosen master, Rainbow Dash,” Lyla confirmed loudly, smiling as the others looked at her. “Everything I am is his, and I offer it willingly, because I know he is worthy of that trust.”

While we had touched on the concept before, it still made me feel awkward to think about. I mean, in traditional changeling culture (and even in modern times), Lyla was essentially my property to do with as I wished. I wasn’t sure I liked having that kind of power over someone, but she trusted me with said power, and I often told myself I had to be as worthy as she thought I was.

“That’s…kinda crazy, Lye,” Rainbow Dash replied, her wings slack and hands fidgeting, a clear sign she wasn’t sure what to think. Truthfully, I couldn’t blame her, and since Twilight was the only one that knew about this beforehand, I was pretty sure Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only one. She just happened to be the only one that was asking about it.

Lyla just smiled enigmatically. “Love makes us do crazy things.”

Twilight stood at the far end of the room, in another spell diagram, putting Lyla between her and I. After ensuring her footing was correct, she looked at the two of us and asked, “Okay, everyone ready?” Lyla and I briefly caught eyes before we both nodded, so Twilight lit her horn and allowed motes of magic to begin dancing off of it, sprinkling around the room like snow flurries. “Okay. Spike, all you need to do is focus on Lyla and what you feel for her. That’s all. I’ll do the hard part.”

Lyla’s specific positioning required her to be facing away from me, but she still threw a look over her shoulder, filled with so much love and trust that I felt a sympathetic warmth bubbling up within me. I held onto that feeling, and thought about everything I felt for Lyla.

Around Lyla, one by one, each of the spell reagents caught fire with white flames, which nearly instantly turned them to ash, even as a strange, shimmering, polychromatic smoke began rising from the ashes, surrounding the changeling in the middle of us. A translucent, mulberry barrier shimmered into existence to cover the area of Lyla’s spell diagram, which kept the smoke from escaping. Suddenly, my circle lit up as well, and we watched a glittery pink mist emanate from me, which I could only imagine was a visual representation of the emotion “love”. The mist passed through the barrier, and began mixing with the smoke.

The smoke began to swirl in the dome of magic, gathering around Lyla, who stood still inside, but I didn’t have to be an emotivore to know she was nervous. Still, she remained still as the smoke seemed to become more opaque, and began to get closer and closer to her. Then, starting at her hooves, it began to solidify into what I first thought was a cloak of some kind. It was only after it reached her knees, and covered her legs, that I realized what it was forming: a pupa. During their transformations, for a few seconds, changelings entered a pupa-like state, so I could only imagine things were going to plan. Faster and faster, the pupa formed around the changeling, until only her head could be seen. She glanced back at me one more time before the pupa covered her face, leaving only the surface of the pupa itself.

We all watched as the pupa floated a few inches off the ground, and Twilight canceled her spell, which dropped the barrier, leaving the insectoid chrysalis exposed to the rest of the room. And from there…nothing happened. The pupa floated in front of us, but didn’t seem to be doing anything. I had the urge to reach out and touch it, but abstained just in case me doing so would interrupt whatever was going on inside.

“Umm…so what now?” Applejack asked, voicing my thoughts as well.

Thorax slowly approached the pupa, looking it over while rubbing his chin. “Honestly…I’m not sure. It doesn’t usually take this long. I became what we’ve taken to calling a ‘royal changeling’ when I transformed, but for one that’s already a royal…it could be very different. Everything went as planned until now, but like I said, because she’s not like a drone to start with, I don’t know if this is right or wrong.”

As the pupa remained silent, I started to get more than a little worried. “Well…I mean, is she all right? Do we even know if she’s alive?”

Thorax carefully stepped over the outer ring, being careful not to disturb the chalk, and reached out to touch the pupa. A static-like energy arced out from the surface, but he reached through anyway and placed his palm on the pupa, closing his eyes and waiting. After a few anxious moments, he sighed heavily and nodded to me. “Definitely alive, and her magic is strong. I just don’t-”

A crack in the pupa silenced him, and he buzzed his wings to move away from the area as light spilled forth from the crack. The crack grew, and with it, the light increased, until with a burst light and a rush of silvery wind, the pupa exploded.

The force blew all of us back against the walls, and most of us fell over because of it. I scrambled to my feet and rubbed my eyes to try and clear my vision, squinting to try and see through the glare. Through the tinkling noise that reminded me of metal windchimes, another sound could be heard: the sound of a low, rumbling buzzing noise, like that of a very large insect. I could just barely see a glowing figure, which became more distinct as the light began to die down.

The first thing I could make out were four long, large, diaphanous wings, similar to that of a dragonfly, which were obviously the cause of the buzzing noise due to the fact they were fluttering wildly to keep the figure aloft. Next, from the top, I was able to make out large, regal antlers, like those of Thorax himself. As the hooves became visible, I saw a warm orange color, which slowly faded to brilliant white as it rose past her knees. An orange tail of normal hair could be seen hanging behind her, and finally, when the light fully receded, I was able to see Lyla in her new body.

Her hands and hooves transitioned in color from orange to white, leaving her torso completely white. Her mane and tail had changed to a lighter orange to offset her new coloration, and her antlers were darker, nearly red, along with a white, curved changeling horn on her forehead. Her wings were see-through, like all changelings, but sparkled with many colors when light caught them. The protective shell on her back was a very pale pink color, as if someone had taken the color white and just thought about the color red near it.

Slowly, Lyla lowered herself to her hooves, and finally, she opened her eyes to reveal a new orange iris to match her new body colors. I couldn’t help myself and practically lunged forward, wrapping my arms around Lyla and holding her close, since I had truly been afraid something had gone wrong.

Lyla’s hands reached up and hooked around my neck, and she nuzzled my chest as she gently assured, “I’m okay, Spike. Promise.” We held each other for a private moment until her head pulled away from me and she pursed her lips. “Hmm…so this is what it’s like to not be hungry. I have to say, I could get used to this.”

Smiling broadly, I pulled her against me again, and just held her as the others approached to join the embrace, even Ember. As a group, we all held the newly-transformed changeling queen, happy that she was alive and well. The fact I now knew she wasn’t going to constantly suffer the pangs of hunger was a nice bonus.

We eventually pulled away, and immediately, a coat was draped over Lyla’s shoulders by Rarity, who had pulled it from…somewhere. At my questioning look, Rarity gestured to the changeling, and I noticed that with the transformation, her clothes had been destroyed, leaving mere ribbons and a few stray threads here and there. Upon me gesturing with my own eyes to her body, Lyla blushed (which showed up wonderfully on her white cheeks).

“Well, buck. I liked those clothes,” she grumbled, kicking idly at the torn clothing at her hooves.

Smiling and nuzzling her mane with my nose, I answered, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re in a herd with a master seamstress.”

“Darling, if I may?” Rarity asked, holding up a measuring tape when the two of us looked her way. After Lyla gave her a nod, the seamstress wasted no time in taking some quick measurements of every point of her body, since it was unknown if her proportions had changed at all. After a minute or so of this, during which time I just gazed lovingly into Lyla’s eyes, Rarity rose up once again and huffed to herself. “Well, unfortunately, your body has changed a bit, and since you tend to wear tailored, fitted clothing, almost none of it will fit any longer. Even your underclothes will need to be remade.”

Lyla glanced down at her body (I did the same, don’t judge me) and frowned as she said, “Well…that’s no good. How much have I changed?”

Rarity frowned briefly. “You’ve gotten two inches taller, your bust has increased by another inch-”

“Wait, wha-”

“Your rump, as well, has increased by two inches, and in general, you’ve just grown. Some areas more than others,” Rarity coughed at that, and blushed, “but nothing terribly concerning besides the fact that I must make you an entirely new wardrobe unless you wish to walk around in the nude, and probably be arrested for public indecency.”

“Lyla, you got thiccc with three c’s,” Rainbow Dash joked, winking at her when the changeling turned her attention to the pegasus.

Lyla frowned a bit. “Did you just call me fat? Am I fat now? I’ll have you know I work very hard to-”

I laughed aloud at that, interrupting her coming tirade, and corrected her. “L-Lyla, no, it’s a slang term, spelled with only two -- or, in this case, three -- c’s, instead of a ‘c’ and ‘k’. The adolescents nowadays use it to refer to someone, usually a female, with impressive assets and…let’s call them prominent curves.” She just stared at me, and raised an- oh, she has eyebrows now, too. “What? I didn’t create the slang, I just know what it means. But, I have to agree with Dash on this one: you’re my thicc changeling honey, now.”

Lyla snorted and smiled, thumping me on the chest. “You’re a foal.”

“Maybe, but you love me like this,” I teased, smiling back at her.

Lyla rolled her eyes before sighing, looking down at herself again. “Well…I’ll say thank you in advance Rarity, but what am I supposed to do for now? I can’t exactly walk around naked for the next few days.”

“I have some clothes you can wear for the time being,” Twilight offered, stepping up and taking Lyla’s hand and beginning to lead her away. “The shirts might be a little snug, but they’ll fit, and you’re just about the same height as me now. Come on and let's get you dressed.”

As Twilight left the room with Lyla, we took that as our cue to leave as well, which we did moments later after cleaning up the rags left behind after Lyla’s transformation. After locking the door behind us, I led the group back to the commons room, where we chatted and snacked on the treats available, waiting for Twilight and Lyla to return.

“Well, all things considered, that wasn’t too bad,” Thorax mused aloud. “I was a little afraid she would grow as much as I did, possibly doubling in size. Could you imagine?”

I snorted a laugh at that, leaning into Ember as she wrapped an arm around me. “I’d probably be calling her ‘mommy’ then. She’d be an Amarezonian at that point.”

“Is that a thing you like?” Ember asked, seeming a bit more interested than I’d expect.

I looked over my shoulder to the dragoness, and shrugged. “I certainly wouldn’t say no, but it’s not one of my secret desires, if that’s what you’re asking. I mean, imagine if you were a giant compared to me.”

Ember cocked her head to the side, one of her chains falling over her right eye. “Well, it’s not like I can’t be, I just…” she blushed a bit, “it’s kinda nice being what Twilight calls ‘the little spoon’. It’s comforting to be fully enclosed in your grasp when you hold me, like nothing outside could ever get in, and I can feel completely at peace, protected from anything that might hurt me. But, if I wanted to…” Ember then proceeded to rapidly increase in size, until she towered over me by a good five feet. Where just moments ago, I could comfortably lean back and rest on her shoulder, I was now laying essentially on her lap, and she was looking down at me from what seemed like miles away. She then smiled wide, her draconic maw full of razor sharp teeth, and purred, “Hello, my little drake. Call me ‘mommy’.”

I consider myself to have a more dominant personality than submissive, but when she did that, something inside me squirmed delightfully. We were definitely going to explore that at some point later on.

Before I could ruminate on that, Ember shrank back down to her preferred size, and her face was now much closer to mine again. She shrugged one shoulder and explained, “But, besides that, a smaller form is easier to maintain. Takes less food and magic to keep you fed, and you need less sleep. That’s why big dragons spend so much time napping.”

I pulled away from her lap and sat up, trying not to let my mind wander to how much I now wanted to drag Ember out of the room and do unspeakable things to her. After gathering my thoughts, I glanced around the room, where most of the rest of the group was just talking amongst themselves…save for Applejack. The farm mare was smirking at me, and by that look alone, I knew she was going to embarrass me.

“Ah thought Ah was yer Amarezonian, Spike,” she teased, smiling wider when I blushed. “Might be yer gonna have t’ make it up t’me, cuz Ah’m feelin’ a might bit replaced.”

As my blush increased, I crossed my arms and pouted like a foal. “Yeah yeah, let’s pick on Spike because he talks without thinking sometimes.” But then, something occurred to me, and I sat up a little straighter as I narrowed my eyes at Applejack. “Wait, I never called you that directly. Where did you hear that?”

Applejack chuckled and said, “Where do ya think? Who else could’a heard ya say that?”

I just stared at her for a moment. “No one but- oh, Twilight is gonna pay for that!”

Due to my fuming, Applejack broke out into giggles. “Y’all- heh, y’all really are meant t’be t’gether, Spike. Ah r’member mah ma ‘n pa pokin’ each other tha same kind’a way.”

Despite my desire for retribution, I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face at her words. Being compared to the love of her own parents was high praise indeed, and I accepted said praise graciously. “I appreciate that, Applejack. Truly.”

Through the archway I was facing, Twilight entered, followed by my changeling. She was dressed in a pair of track pants (when did Twilight even buy those?) and a basic tee shirt, though, true to Twilight’s warning, things were a bit snug around her torso. Since the shirt was nearly skin-tight, and wasn’t meant to be, her chest pressed it out over her stomach, so there was a void of space between her lower torso and the fabric. Part of the reason Lyla wore fitted clothing was because she didn’t like clothes hanging off of her, so I knew she was a little uncomfortable at that moment.

Nonetheless, she still looked beautiful, and I greeted her by standing and crossing the room to lay a forceful kiss on her lips. While momentarily surprised, she melted into me, and I held her close as I enjoyed her warmth and scent, the latter of which hadn’t changed. After pulling away, she just smiled and allowed me to lead her to the sitting area with the rest.

Taking command of the room, Twilight announced, “Okay, all the important stuff is out of the way. Save for dinner, there’s nothing particularly big planned for the rest of the day. Does anyone have anything they want to do for today, or should we just play it by ear?”

“I vote we relax and enjoy the day for what it is: a holiday to spend with those most important to us,” Fluttershy suggested.

Twilight nodded to the pegasus. “I like that, and it sounds like a good idea. Any opposed?”

No one said anything to disagree, but Rainbow Dash still teased, “Twilight Sparkle being fine with not having a plan? It’s a Hearth’s Warming miracle!”

The room erupted into laughter, and even Twilight smiled good naturedly at her friend as she answered, “Well, once in a while, a change from the norm is okay. I think a day when we can all be together, a holiday created with the intent of ponies bathing in the warmth of love and friendship, can be one of those days.” She then pointed at Rainbow Dash, warning, “But I’ll be back to my uptight, scheduling ways tomorrow! Nothing can stop the Princess of Checklists!”

Popcorn and a few food wrappers were thrown at the alicorn as she giggled, and we all had a good laugh, just enjoying being friends.

As I stood on the balcony overlooking the town, with Cadence next to me, I reminisced on the collective past that brought us to this moment. There had been a great deal of hardship and strife, some really close calls, and many character-defining moments that brought us to the present. All of it, the good and the bad, had created this very moment in time, with us as we were. With that being the case, I couldn’t even feel particularly angry about the bad things that had happened. Though they were hard to deal with at the moment they were happening, those same instances had allowed all of us to grow as individuals, and right now, things were pretty good because of that.

“None of us have all the answers, Spike. Not even Celestia or Luna,” Cadence gently reminded me, adding to her previous assertion. “We’ll always be here to support you however we can, but in the end, there are some questions we simply don’t know the answers to. I don’t think anyone does.”

Sighing heavily and slumping against the railing to lean on my forearms, I lamented, “Yeah, I kinda figured. It’s just…it kinda hit me again when I was talking to Dash about it earlier, and it feels like I’m caught in a whirlpool that won’t let me go. It’s like, no matter how good things might be or how happy I feel at that moment, there’s always a dark cloud hanging overhead. I just want to be happy without these intrusive, negative thoughts always messing with me.”

Cadence extended her wing over my back as she shifted over to lean against me, and gave me a hug with said wing. “You learned a long time ago that your greatest fear is being abandoned. I don’t think any of your loved ones would ever throw you away, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always have a choice. Some things are beyond our control, and every creature, no matter how long they live, has to come to terms with that. I tell you that to remind you of the terrible things certain creatures have done in the past, trying to control the uncontrollable. If we allow fear to rule our lives, it can drive us to commit unforgivable acts.” She reached over and rubbed my arm with her palm. “You’re better and stronger than that, Spike. If ever you need to talk about any of your fears, we will all listen and counsel however we can, but this is a problem that can’t be solved. All we can do is accept the reality of mortality and learn how to cope.”

I nodded weakly. “I know, but it’s so hard to just live in the moment sometimes. I know the healthiest thing I can do is enjoy life for what it is, right now, rather than constantly fear the future, but the thoughts always come back.”

“You sometimes find yourself thinking five, ten, or sometimes even a hundred steps ahead,” Cadence finished for me, this time also extending her arm over my back to hold me tighter. She giggled softly. “You get that from growing up with Twilight; she does the same thing. I actually think the two of you could benefit greatly from speaking to each other about this more often. Support one another through your shared fears.”

I enjoyed the warmth of her embrace, and her words for a few moments before I spoke again. “Do you ever feel the same worries about Shining Armor?”

Cadence stilled for a moment before going back to stroking my arm. “Actively? No. I made my peace with the eventuality of death a very long time ago. At this point, it’s simply a fact of life, nothing more. That’s why I make sure to love him without reservation every single day. That way, when his time comes, I’ll not find myself regretting not giving him the love and support he deserves for being such a good husband, and giving me such a wonderful daughter.”

I licked my lips, furrowing my brow. “So…I should probably be doing the same thing, then.”

“It’s certainly a good start,” Cadence began, rubbing between my wings as she held me, “but I fear that won’t be enough. I’m afraid that for you and Twilight, this fear is always going to stay with you. Both of you are natural worriers, trying to account for every variable and every eventuality. But, to reiterate, this is not a battle anyone can win. I think the best thing for the two of you to do is to just talk to those you care about regarding your fears and concerns whenever they pop up, and those loved ones will reassure you and help bring you back to happiness.”

Smiling a bit, I leaned my head against hers and let out a long breath. “Thanks Cady. I’m glad you’re here today.” Again we stood there in silence for a few moments, but the quiet was eventually broken again.

“So, were you joking when you told Rainbow you were going to ‘collect the set’?”

Rolling my eyes with a snort, I answered, “Of course I was. Dash and I joke like that all the time.”

“Would it really be so unbelievable, though?” she pressed, finally releasing me from her grasp.

I shrugged as a blush crawled up from my core. “I mean, yeah. Dash was right: she can do better than me, and as for Pinkie Pie, I’m pretty sure her and Cheese are in a long distance relationship. Either way, both of them are beyond my reach, even if I was angling toward them, which I’m not.”

“And what makes you think you wouldn’t be the best choice?”

I shrugged again. “Because I’m not a harem protagonist in one of those cringy Neighponese animes that Starlight likes to watch when she thinks no one’s looking.” At her questioning look, I explained, “Twilight fell in love with their bathrooms and food, Starlight got addicted to their entertainment industry.”

Cadence blanched. “Wait, so does that mean she’s one of those ponies that’s all into the tentacles and-”

I barked a laugh at that and vigorously shook my head. “N-no, hehe. I mean, not as far as I know anyway, but she does have this weird fascination with cat-buses now. And by that, I mean a cat that’s a bus, not a bus full of cats.”

“But how-”

“I don’t know,” I answered, grinning, “but it’s a harmless pastime, so we let her be. Everyone has their hobbies, and hers isn’t hurting anyone.”

Cadence nodded before looking back to the town below. She then gasped and elbowed me in the side. “Hey, you’re not going to distract me! Now, why do you think you wouldn’t be the best choice for Rainbow or Pinkie?”

“Why do you think I am?”

She raised her eyebrow at me. “I never said anything about what I think, I’m asking what you think. I’m not asserting you would be the right choice for them, but I want to know why you think you couldn’t be.”

“Well,” I began, trying to organize my thoughts, “I already have six mares to keep up with, for one. I haven’t heard any complaints yet, but I’m also not some deity that has supernatural stamina and can be everywhere at once.”

“Relationships aren’t just about physical affection, Spike,” Cadence gently admonished.

“No, but it is an important part of a healthy relationship. Tell me I’m wrong,” I challenged.

Cadence just stared back at me for a minute before looking away and grumbling, “Fine…you’re right, it is. However, that’s not the whole story. Tell me your reasons regarding Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie specifically.”

I thought about it for a moment, trying to come up with something more than what I had said before. But, in the end, that was kinda it. “I mean, I already said why. Dash needs someone that wants to live life the way she does, free and fast, but while I do like to fly, that’s just not who I am. As for Pinkie, like I said, I’m pretty sure she’s in a long distance relationship with Cheese Sandwich, because everytime a letter arrives from him, she spends the whole day reading it alone in her room.”

The alicorn next to me reached over and grabbed my hand in hers, cradling it gently as she continued to look to the snow-laden wonderland that was Ponyville. “I’m not trying to push you toward anything, I’m just trying to get you to understand your true feelings instead of whatever rationalizations you would normally make. You’ve given me an answer about Rainbow, but for Pinkie, your only rationalization seems to be that you believe she’s already with somepony. I’m not asking you to try and draw her away from Cheese Sandwich if it is true, I just want you to say why you believe you wouldn’t be a better choice.”

Unfortunately, she was right: I was using the “inaccessibility” excuse to avoid actually articulating what I thought. So, I had to stop and really think about it to come up with an answer. Pinkie had never been particularly restrained when it came to physical affection with anyone she considered a friend, so I knew she was comfortable with me. Pinkie had even kissed me once, on the lips, years ago under the mistletoe during one fateful Hearth’s Warming. She was very open with what she thought and felt, and never made me feel as if I wasn’t loved or valued by her. I wasn’t exactly a party animal like she was, but over the years, Pinkie had come to understand and accept that parties weren’t a catch-all solution for every problem.

In the end… “I don’t really know. I don’t have an answer for that. I can’t say I’d be a better choice, but I guess if I’m being honest, Pinkie might be happy with me. That’s neither here nor there though, because I’m already greedy enough to have six girls to myself, while most herds would have another stallion or two already. I don’t need anymore -- hay, I don’t need more than one.”

“And what did Ember tell you about trying to rationalize your instincts?” Cadence pointed out, knowing the answer, but wanting to remind me.

Sighing heavily and hanging my head, I droned, “That it doesn’t work and just causes more problems down the line.”

“If you were a stallion I might be a bit worried, but you’re not a pony, Spike,” Cadence soothed, giving my hand a squeeze. “My suggestion would be to talk to a dragon about that worry, and follow your heart. Now, if only there was a dragon around here you could ask…”

Rolling my eyes, I conceded. “All right, I’ll talk to Ember about it at some point. Regardless, Pinkie isn’t even here, and hasn’t shown interest, so I’m in no hurry.”

Silence once more settled around us, more comfortable this time, and I enjoyed the simple pleasure of being in the presence of a beloved family member. Cadence had always been there for me, from the time I was just a hatchling, so I knew I could count on her no matter what. Since my life had recently become more complicated when it came to love, it was also a good thing to have an expert on the subject always willing to lend an ear or speak helpful words when I needed to hear them.

“So why did you head out here in the first place? Did something happen?” Cadence finally asked, voicing the initial question she probably had when she first found me on the balcony.

I shrugged. “No reason, really. The girls were all doing their own thing, so I decided to just get some fresh air and enjoy the scenery. I wasn’t brooding or anything, if that’s what you’re implying.” I took a long, deep breath of the chilly air, and blew it out of my nostrils as I smiled at the snowy town. “Sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy the beauty of the world.”

Cadence released my hand and stood up, stretching her arms and wings high above before relaxing and jerking her head to the glass door. “Well, let’s head back inside. It’s going to start getting dark soon, and I think I’d like some of that new drink Twilight told us about.”

I perked up at that. “Oh yeah, that…something ‘nog,’ right? Whatever the hay ‘nog’ is.”

Nodding, Cadence opened the door for us. “And it has brandy in it. You can’t go wrong with a good brandy.”

I shrugged though she couldn’t see me. “I’m not much of a drinker, so I can’t really say I have a favorite alcohol. I’ll try it, though. Could be nice.”

I followed Cadence inside, shutting the door behind us as she led the way through the winding corridors back to the commons room, where I could already hear Flurry Heart’s happy laughter, along with the dainty giggles of Fluttershy. Upon rounding the last bend, we saw that everyone was still gathered around the fire, and Fluttershy was holding Flurry on her lap as they all seemed to be looking through a large photo album. As I got closer, I could see it was in fact one of the photo albums that chronicled some of our many adventures over the years. Judging by the fact they were smiling and laughing, I imagined it was probably a picture that showed one of the more silly adventures we had, which made me smile as well. I had a lot of good memories of our time together, and if they could bring someone else joy like that, well…that was just fine by me.

“Uncle Spike, did you really get all itchy and turn to stone?”

Okay, maybe I’ll wake Twilight up with a foghorn on a random day.

I sighed in exasperation, but nodded to my niece. “Yeah, I did. It’s part of dragon adolescence, and even though it sucked while it was happening, I got a nice pair of wings out of the experience.”

“Most dragons aren’t born with wings,” Ember explained from in front of the hearth. “But even for those that are, we still go through what we call the ‘stonescale’ phase. I imagine ponies have their own adolescence issues to deal with.”

Flurry Heart frowned at that. “Well I never went through anything like that. Just the normal stuff, I guess. I was born like this though, so I haven't known anything different.” She stretched her wings out wide, completely covering the entire length of the sofa she was on, and nearly hitting both walls.

Ember’s eyes widened at that. “You’ve got some giant wings, Flurry. Have they always been that big?”

Flurry Heart folded her wings again, looking a little more self-conscious now. “Um…y-yeah. Mom told me I’ve had huge wings ever since I was born, and they only got bigger as I grew. Everypony keeps telling me I’ll ‘grow into them,’ but they keep growing too.”

Lyla, who snuggled up next to me as I sat down, decided to speak up. “Never be ashamed of what makes you unique. What you see as an abnormality, I see as something that gives you an advantage that others don’t have. Amongst changelings, we’ve adapted to make use of every little difference in our species. A changeling born with greater muscle mass and large claws makes a good digger. One with a greater affinity for transformation can become an infiltrator, which is what a pony would refer to as a ‘spy.’ One born with thicker chitin makes a good soldier.” Lyla smiled at Flurry Heart when the filly stared at her in wonder. “Don’t ever be ashamed of your differences. They’re what make you special, and you should treasure them. Fitting in is great, but without a spectrum of different types of people, society as a whole will stagnate and stop progressing. Just like every other ‘different’ person, you’re unique, and that’s okay.”

Flurry Heart’s mood had progressively improved as Lyla spoke, until she was practically vibrating on Fluttershy’s lap. Then, fast enough I could mistake it for a teleport, she zipped over to us and wrapped Lyla up in a tight hug as she whispered a heartfelt “thank you”. As Flurry Heart moved back to sit on Fluttershy’s lap, I leaned over to Lyla and whispered, “You’re really good with kids. Sure you don’t want to start a family?”

She glanced my way and raised an eyebrow. “You were the one that was all squirmy about it. Do you?”

Pushed back on my heels, I scrambled for a moment before answering. “W-well…maybe. I mean, why not?”

Lyla just stared at me for a long time. “...are you being serious, or are you trying to mess with me?”

Fidgeting a bit, I answered, “Well, I wasn’t at first, but truth be told, the more I’ve talked about it the past month or so, the more attractive the idea has become. I never really thought about having kids before, because I didn’t think it was possible. Now, since I have a dragoness I could have a family with, and after learning I can in fact sire offspring with the rest of you…well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

Then I made the mistake of looking away from Lyla, and noticed every single eye in the room was on me.

I practically shrank into my own body, suddenly very embarrassed by the attention, and I wished I knew how to teleport. True, I could probably figure out a spell to do it, but I couldn’t think straight at the moment.

“Is that true, Spike?” Rarity asked, standing to make her way over to me from the chaise she had been lounging upon. She gently took a seat next to Twilight on my other side, and kept her eyes on me as she waited patiently for me to answer.

“Yeah…” I answered, seeing no reason to waffle about trying to think of another way to say it. Better to just be direct, right? “I mean, everyone always talks about ‘being ready’ and all that, but is any new parent ever really ready?”

Shining Armor raised his hand and said, “Can confirm. Cadence and I had no idea what we were in for, and let me just say that all the how-to books and parental help in the world wouldn’t have adequately prepared us for having a baby. And I don’t even mean the ‘alicorn foal’ stuff: just the regular parent stuff had us panicking sometimes.”

“I got so used to her crying at night that when she started sleeping through the night, I thought something was wrong,” Cadence added, smiling wryly as she looked at her grinning daughter. “And then I spent the next two weeks checking up on her every hour or two to make sure she was still breathing and all that.”

“And then Cadence had a mental break when she couldn’t get Flurry to eat green beans,” Shining Armor said with a chuckle, briefly interrupted by a shriek of “I did NOT!” He continued laughing for a moment before kissing his sulking wife beside him. “C’mon, it was pretty funny, you have to admit.”

Cadence just pouted and grumped, “Was not.” After sighing and rolling her eyes, she looked at me again. “...but he’s right. Little things like that will make you panic -- not because they actually are a huge deal, but because it’s your baby. You want the best for them, no matter what, so if things don’t go quite how you were expecting, you get really anxious. It’s part of being a parent.”

“But,” Shining Armor began, just as his daughter decided to hop onto his lap, “there is no greater joy than that which your child brings you. Everything I might have done in school or in the guard pales in comparison.” He kissed Flurry Heart on the cheek, causing her to giggle. “Flurry is, without a doubt, my greatest accomplishment.” Cadence snorted from his side, so he immediately amended, “I-I mean our. She’s our greatest accomplishment.”

The warmth and candidness of their responses made me a little more confident in my own thoughts, and I no longer felt so embarrassed by the notion of suggesting I start a family.

“Well, I’m already planning to have a whelp with Spike within the next year,” Ember reminded, turning so her back was facing the crackling hearth. “Judging by what I’ve seen of the ponies around here, and by what the other hoard members have told me, I think growing up with brothers and sisters the same age could be good for our future whelp.”

“Ah gotta agree with Ember there, Spike,” Applejack weighed in. “As y’all know, us Apples got big fam’lies, ‘n tha youngins usually grow up with six ‘r seven siblings ‘n cousins all close t’ their age. Ain’t many Apples Ah know that grew up as only foals.” She shook her head slightly, the few loose strands of her mane falling down to frame her face. “Teaches foals early on how t’ behave ‘round others, and get used to dealin’ with a heap‘a different types’a ponies. Helps ‘em grow their social skills ‘n all that.”

Ember smiled at her new herdmate. “Thanks. Anyway, how long is the gestation period for ponies?”

“From nine to twelve months, depending on the type of pony,” Twilight answered, her mind already likely working ten steps ahead of the rest of us. “Earth ponies usually end up taking the shorter amount of time, with pegasi taking the longest.”

Ember nodded before looking at Lyla. Lyla got the hint and offered, “For changelings, it depends on the specific caste, or type, of changeling that we create. The average drone takes six weeks, soldiers can take two to four months, and queens can take up to two years. The other types of changelings, like the broodmothers and gatherers, are drones that have been selectively mutated to create specialized changelings.”

Ember finally nodded before turning back to me, and though she spoke aloud, I knew she was talking directly to me. “It would take about a month for an egg to be laid, and then another five for the whelp to develop within the egg.”

An excited squeal interrupted our little discussion, and we all looked over to see Cadence shaking with barely restrained enthusiasm, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide. She lowered her fingers slightly to say, “I-I’m sorry, it just makes me so happy to see a loving herd talking about starting a family! Eeee!”

Shining Armor rolled his eyes, but a smile was on his lips as he joked, “Great, you guys triggered her ‘love-sense’. She’ll be on a high for the next week.” He then glanced at his daughter. “You might be getting a brother or sister soon, Flurry.”

“Yay!”

Night had finally arrived, and dinner had been made and eaten. It took some doing, but we were able to get all of the dishes to the table so that nothing got cold, and everyone in the castle got to enjoy a home-cooked meal by some of the best cooks the town had to offer. Following that, we enjoyed some of that ‘nog’ stuff (it was surprisingly good), some wine in Rarity’s case, and the remainder of the treats that Sugarcube Corner had prepared for us. All in all, it was a great way to wrap up the night, which left us to enjoy what remained of the holiday in peace.

Rainbow Dash was happily playing with her gifts (one of which was an anatomically accurate action figure of her, of all things) as the rest of the castle’s occupants talked, watched a movie on the projector, or, in my case, danced with a very special mare.

Applejack’s eyes never left mine as we slowly danced near the balcony window, which showed the snowfall had begun once again. Her head laid on my shoulder as I hummed a soft song in her ear, and we just held each other as we slowly flowed from step to step, content to use the dance as more of an excuse for closeness than any complex dancing in itself. Applejack sighed in a dreamy, elated way that made it clear she was as happy as could be at that moment, and I felt the same. I continued humming a wordless tune, just letting my heart sing to her as I held her body close to mine, wishing I never had to let her go.

“Spike,” Applejack murmured, near a whisper as she looked up at me. Her vivid green eyes sparkled in the dim lighting, and her smile was positively radiant. “Did ya mean what ya said, ‘bout thinkin’ ‘bout startin’ a fam’ly?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m still kinda nervous about it, but obviously Ember’s on board, and the rest of you at least seem interested. The only one I didn’t hear anything from is Fluttershy, but I have a feeling once she gets to hold Ember’s whelp, she’ll catch foal-fever. She’s always had a very maternal personality, and I think she’d be a wonderful mother.” I then gently booped Applejack with my own nose, smiling at her. “I think you would, too. You helped raise your little sister, and you’d give your foal a wonderful upbringing with good values and morals.”

Applejack blushed heavily, but her smile widened as she affectionately nuzzled my cheek before pulling away. “Ah thank ya f’r that, Spike. Ah’ve always wanted a foal’a mah own ever since Ah saw tha Cake twins when they were foals.”

Giving a decidedly lascivious grin, I suggested, “Well, you’re in my herd. You can have one whenever you want, now.”

Applejack gasped before thumping me on the chest. “Spike! Y’all can’t jus’...”

I raised a brow and waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, I countered, “I can, and I will. We used to make sex jokes and stuff like that all the time, back in the day. Now, the only difference is you know I might mean it.”

“And ya didn’t b’fore?” she challenged, even though nearly her whole face was discolored due to blushing.

I shrugged. “Not for the most part, no. You gotta remember: back when we first started all that banter, I was still a virgin, and the only experience I had with sex was from dirty magazines. Frankly, if you ever took me up on my ‘offers,’ I’d have frozen up and not known what to do. I probably would have gone and hidden in the library until you forgot about what I said. Or forgot I ever existed. Whichever came first.” Applejack’s chuckling answered me, and I nodded. “Yeah, I was a bit ol’ fraidy-drake. You can’t really blame me, though. It’s not exactly a secret that you’re gorgeous.”

Applejack’s laughter trailed off and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, ain’t like Ah never heard that from every other stallion ‘n mare. Ah been told Ah was a looker ever since Ah was a younger mare. After a while, it didn’t mean a whole lot. Thunderlane was tha first one t’ show how important Ah was t’ him, so we went steady.”

“Understandable,” I replied, and I tried not to think about the fact I had been mildly (maybe more than mildly) jealous of the stallion in question. “He certainly wasn’t a bad guy, and you clearly cared about him. You were together for a decent amount of time.”

Applejack nodded, laying the side of her face against my chest as we continued swaying slowly. “Yeah, but like Ah said, we wanted diff’rent things outta life. But,” she shrugged, “Ah can’ find it in mahself t’ be too broken up over it. After all…iffin we never broke up, Ah’d never have considered bein’ in yer herd.”

“Maybe you still would’ve been happy with him, if he hadn’t wanted to travel,” I pointed out, though the words tasted a bit sour in my mouth. “Maybe you would have already had a filly or two of your own. You and I would just be good friends, and maybe I’d be Uncle Spike to your foals.” Briefly pushing my nose against her mane, I whispered, “By the way, you do know your foals won’t be regular ponies with me, right? They’ll probably be kirin, like Autumn Blaze.”

“Ah know,” Applejack said, still resting against my chest. “Ah guess it’s a good thing we got a good friend that’s a kirin, ain’t it?” She nuzzled me a bit, running her hands over my shoulders and upper back. “So long as it’s mah foal, Ah’ll love it. Don’t matter what it looks like.”

I smiled and nosed her mane again, taking a deep whiff of her scent, and sighing happily. We just swayed side to side silently, and enjoyed a few minutes of closeness as we let the world around us cease to exist. And I am not exaggerating when I say we could have stayed like that for the rest of the night and I would have been completely fine with it.

A tinkling from above caused both of us to look up, only to notice a small sprig of mistletoe suspended above our heads in a purple cloud of sparkly magic. I glanced toward the center of the room, where out of the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight with a massive smile on her face, her horn lit. The rest of my herd, Rainbow Dash, and even the Young Six were watching us with barely-restrained anticipation. Turning my eyes back to Applejack, who was blushing, and giving a mental shrug, I slowly moved forward, closed my eyes, and pressed my lips to the farm mare’s.

An initial jolt ran through her body, but within a second, she was reciprocating the kiss, holding me tighter as she hummed happily against my lips. Other than a playful swipe of her tongue against my lips, we kept things chaste, and separated after a baker’s dozen of seconds. Applejack’s shy, blushing smile just made me want to kiss her again…and so I did. This time, she was ready for me, and pressed back immediately with gusto. I allowed my hands to run over her body, being courteous of the fact we weren’t in private, but ensured she enjoyed our second kiss as much as possible.

When we pulled away a second time, her breathing was noticeably heavier, and she was fanning her face to try and soothe the flush that had overtaken her. “Landsakes, Spike. Yer gonna put me in the hospital iffin ya keep that up.”

“I promise to visit every day,” I teased, grinning at her.

Everyone has that one thing they like doing the most when enjoying the company of one they love. Some like to cuddle, some enjoy more lewd things, and some enjoy just spending time on a chair, snuggled up close to their loved one(s), reading a book (that’s Twilight, obviously). As for Applejack, it seemed she greatly enjoyed kissing, and I took a mental note to ensure I exploited that whenever I could. After all: if she was going to trust me enough to let me into her heart, I was going to prove I was worth that trust.

We were interrupted by wolf whistles and catcalls from everyone present (even Yona, which surprised me), causing Applejack and I to blush like teenagers.

“Good, now tongue-punch her fart-box!”

I literally almost choked on air at that comment, and I glared at the giggling pegasus. “D-Dash, what the BUCK! Too far, Dash. Way too far.”

“Okay, that’s it, you’re done for the night,” Twilight announced as she practically ripped the glass of alcoholic eggnog away from the pegasus. Before Rainbow Dash could protest, Twilight preempted her. “No, Rainbow. That was too much. Go to sleep, you’re drunk.”

But, unfortunately, a drunk pony is a belligerent pony, and Rainbow Dash wasn’t known for backing down even when sober. The pegasus stumbled to her hooves and glared at the alicorn, who was standing defiantly in front of her, and argued, “Buck that, Twilight. You need to chill out; I was just playing around. Maybe you need some more liquid courage to relax a little bit.”

Twilight just glared back, her wings fanning out a bit as she stood firm. “I’m plenty relaxed. After all: I was enjoying a beautiful holiday with my friends and herd, so I was just about as relaxed as I can be. Then you had to go and say something that was completely inappropriate, in front of young ponies, no less.” She shot a look over to the Young Six, who were all looking progressively more uncomfortable as time went on. Upon turning her eyes back to the bristling pegasus, Twilight sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Rainbow, if you aren’t going to apologize, then just go sleep it off. We’ll talk about it in the morning, when your head is clear. I’m not mad at you, but neither am I just going to allow you to say things like that to my herd, especially a new member that just had her first kiss with our drake. Now, are you going to apologize?” At the pegasus’ defiant glare, Twilight pointed her left wing to the corridor that led to the guest rooms. “Then go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“I’m not gonna stand here and let you treat me like a foal, Twi,” Rainbow Dash growled.

Still, Twilight remained unmoved, which only further aggravated the angry pegasus. “Then stop acting like one. Last time I’m going to tell you: go to bed.” At the pegasus’ sneer and refusal to comply, Twilight shot a spark from her horn, faster than anyone could have reacted, which struck the forehead of Rainbow Dash. The pegasus jolted, trying to say something that only devolved into slurring, before she toppled over. Twilight caught her friend before she could hit the floor, and hefted her up in her arms as she left the room.

The rest of us only watched uneasily, many of us probably lamenting, as I was, on how such a wonderful day had ended like this.

Chapter 27

It had been a week since Hearth’s Warming, and no one had heard from Rainbow Dash. Sure, we would catch glimpses of her as she flew through the skies to handle the weather, but the mare was practically unreachable by anyone but Scootaloo. Regardless of whatever was going on, she still made sure to spend time with her little sister figure, but it was clear to anyone that knew her that she was avoiding us. Rainbow Dash had disappeared from the guest room Twilight had placed her in the morning after Hearth’s Warming, and none of us had seen her since then. It was obviously distressing to her friends, but life waited for no one.

The new year was further marred by the fact that Ember was returning home, which made each moment we spent together as the time grew closer have an oppressive air of melancholy. We all knew it was coming, and each one of the herd did what they could to support and uplift the rest, but in the end, saying goodbye to someone you care about is never easy. In the relatively short time everyone had gotten to know her, Ember had endeared herself to each one of the herd in one way or another, so much so that she had become an integral part of our lives. In addition to all that, since we had decided I wouldn’t be following until a week later, I would be separated from my beloved dragoness for seven whole days.

Ember, too, was dreading saying goodbye. Much as she had originally thought it unlikely, she had become comfortable with herd life, and enjoyed the closeness and support that being part of a herd provided. While dragons are generally a very individualistic species, that didn’t mean we couldn’t find value in friendship and cooperation, and in Ember’s case, discover just how appealing love and acceptance could be. She had also confided in me that she had still been on the fence about how a herd would work until the gift she had received, where everyone in the herd had shown her how much she meant to them, and made her feel accepted and loved in a way that she had never experienced before. She later described the feeling as “intoxicating,” and considering how much I loved Equestrian culture, I could only agree.

It was because of all this that, on the day of Ember’s departure, everyone was more than a little dissatisfied with the day as a whole.

Breakfast had been lackluster, moreso to do with the reminder of what we were all dreading than the actual quality of the food or company. Ember had taken to picking at her breakfast as she leaned against me, and no one really knew what to say to make things a little less dim at the start of the day.

After twenty minutes of silence, Applejack sighed and stood from her place, stacking her dishes so Twilight could grab them later. “Well, Ah gotta get back to tha farm. Got paperwork that needs doin’, ‘n Granny’s gonna need mah help with tha house chores.” She walked around the table and hugged everyone (or, in my case, gave a kiss) before stopping at Ember. The dragoness looked up at the mare as she stood there, arms open, prompting Applejack to say, “Stand up ‘n gimme a hug, girl. Ah ain’t gonna see ya again 'til ya leave, so this is g’bye fer now.”

While Ember hadn’t gotten to know Applejack as well as she did the rest of us, she certainly wasn’t one to refuse a hug from someone that cared about her. With a sad smile, she rose from her seat and embraced the mare, hugging her tightly before releasing her. “It was good to get to know you, Applejack. Hopefully this ‘goodbye’ doesn’t last long.”

“Twilight’ll sort things out, don’t you worry,” Applejack assured, completely confident in her words. “F’r now, jus’ make sure ya remember yer one’a us now. We ain’t never lettin’ ya go, sugarcube.”

Once again, I swear I could feel the warmth that bloomed in Ember’s chest when she found herself smiling at the mare. “I won’t forget.” With one last nod to all of us, Applejack quickly made her way out of the room, and then out of the castle itself. It was eventually Ember that broke the silence this time when she asked, “Is it weird that I feel like I’m about to cry? I mean,” she sniffled a bit, and from my place, I did see the glassiness of her eyes as she struggled to hold it together, “we’ve been friends for years, but during the time I’ve lived here, I feel like I’ve become so much closer to all of you. This is strange, and scary for me. I feel so much more alive and accepted here than I have almost anywhere else, but I don’t like the rock that’s settled into my gut when I realized I’ll be leaving soon.”

“No one likes to say goodbye to the ones we care about, Ember,” I soothed, grasping for her hand and holding it firmly as I kissed her temple. “I know you never expected it, but the members of this herd have become important to you. They’ve become more than just your friends: they’ve become your family, and you don’t want to abandon them.” As she leaned against me again, I wrapped my wing around her shoulders, holding the dragoness close. “The weakness of caring about others is that sometimes it hurts you. I would never say it’s a mistake, but to care about someone, we have to make ourselves vulnerable. That vulnerability invites pain when we have to say goodbye.”

“And you aren’t alone in this, Ember,” Twilight assured, and everyone else at the table nodded in agreement. “All of us are unhappy that we have to say our farewells, even if it’s only for a little while. Even though it hurts, that just means you’re very important to all of us, and we’ll be counting the seconds until we are reunited. You are, after all, our beloved treasure.”

As always, the term drew a blush from Ember, but no longer from embarrassment. Instead, it was because it made her so unbelievably happy that she could do little more than smile.

After some time of Ember just grinning to herself, she laughed softly. “This will be the strangest mate presentation any dragon alive has ever seen. Mom and dad no doubt kinda figured I’d end up with Spike, but when I bring four ponies and a changeling with me, we’re going to be the talk of every dragon back home. I don’t think something like this has happened before.” Slowly, her smile dropped until she was frowning. “Not everyone will like it, you know. There are going to be some drakes and dragonesses that are going to make a stink about it.”

“Ember,” Fluttershy quietly ventured, “if it would cause that much of a problem, then Spike can go alone.”

“Absolutely not,” Ember immediately shot back with a growl, and had Fluttershy not gotten used to the “fiery-ness” of the dragoness’ personality, she likely would have been cowering in fear. As it was, Ember still realized what she had done, and how rude it might have seemed, so she lowered her head a bit and apologized. “...I’m sorry about that. But no, I’m not going to allow those important to me to be some dirty little secret that has to be hidden, all because some bigoted idiots can’t get their heads out of their tailholes long enough to realize that the world has changed since five thousand years ago.” She snorted loudly, again growling, but softer this time. “Besides: it’s my life, and no one is going to tell me what I have to do with it. If it isn’t related to guiding my clan, what I do in my personal life isn’t their right to question, nor even their concern.”

Bumping Ember with my elbow, I joked, “You’re hot when you’re all aggressive like that.”

Rolling her eyes, the dragoness poked me in the side. “You think I’m ‘hot’ no matter what.”

I shrugged. “Not gonna lie there. Still, I like it when you get all assertive. Makes my naughty bits tingle.”

With a gasp and a shove, Ember erupted into a blush while all the others giggled.

Breakfast was finished in short order, and after cleaning everything up, we all went our separate ways. Rarity had to get her design room organized for the coming spring, Fluttershy wanted to spruce up her house a bit for the animals that would be waking up or returning from warmer climates within the next few months, and Lyla had some work requests she needed to take care of. Because of that, after some hugs and promises to see Ember off later in the day, those that weren’t staying in the castle left, leaving only Twilight, Ember, a few guests, and the rest of us who lived there.

“I know this is the norm, but it feels so quiet now,” Ember commented as we watched them all go.

I nodded. “And still more are going to leave. Remember: Yona, Gallus, and their friends are all leaving soon as well. The only one left will be Smolder, and she’s leaving with you.”

“At least I’ll have company during the flight,” Ember commented, though it was half-hearted.

Like a thick fog, the oppressive dread of the dragoness’ coming departure clung to us as we made our way back into the castle, huddling close together to try and stave off the frigid melancholy that seemed to cling to our very bones.

We found our way back to the commons room, and even then, Twilight regretfully told the two of us she had work she had to take care of in her study. And so, even though the alicorn clearly did not want to, she left the two of us dragons alone. For the longest time, I could only lay on the long sofa, with Ember laying on my chest, holding her tightly as I did my best to commit every single contour to memory. For a decent amount of time, only the memory of her warmth would be all I could hold onto. Sure, I had the rest of my herd, but every one of them was unique, and none could replace another.

“Why is it, just as I’ve gotten close to everyone in your herd, the world makes us separate?” Ember lamented, snuggling into my embrace a little more.

Reaching up and gently cradling her head, I sighed heavily. “I wish I had an answer to that. In some ways, I envy wild animals. They don’t have to worry about politics or duties, they just get to live.”

“They also have to fight for survival every single day,” Ember reminded gently, “but I get what you’re saying.” She growled softly, and I only knew she did due to the rumble I felt against my chest. “Feelings are stupid sometimes. I know it’s only gonna be a week, and even after that, Twilight will have those gates up and running in no time, but I don’t want to wait. Waking up in your arms-”

“Or Twilight’s,” I teased, poking Ember in the side.

Ember blushed and squirmed against me. “...yeah, and Twilight’s. A-anyway, it’s become normal for me, and it’s a normal I want to keep. I won’t say I was miserable or anything back before we got together, but you all have opened my eyes to so many wonderful things that I don’t want to give up…but I’ll have to anyway. I’ll be miserable now because I’ll no longer have all those things. Instead, I’ll have to go back to waking up on a stone bed, alone, and I have to act all high-and-mighty again.”

“The good news is it’s socially acceptable to bite dragons if they get too out of line,” I pointed out, smirking.

Ember laughed softly, her body shaking against me as she struggled to not burst out in guffaws. Even so, the moment brought a little joviality into the mood, which I think we both needed. As her giggles tapered off, she pulled away from my chest and kissed me, not even hesitating to do so. I dedicated my attention wholly to my part in the kiss, ensuring it would be a moment to remember, and one that would hopefully keep her warm on a lonely night. We held each other, slowly massaging each other’s lips and playfully tickling our tongues against each other’s mouths, but went about it in a completely comfortable, unhurried fashion. It was a moment of pure love story books were written about, and for yet another time, I thanked whatever force had brought Ember into my life.

“You two really can’t keep your claws off each other, can you?”

Ember jerked away from me, and went so far as to fall off of the sofa with a muffled thump. Fizzlepop, meanwhile, was doing her best not to laugh, but her shoulders still shook with stuttered breathing even though no sound escaped. Ember had done a good job of avoiding Fizzlepop due to fear of the unicorn, but the universe of course saw fit to make sure the two would meet sooner or later, even if it was the day Ember left.

Ember, of course, didn’t recognize Fizzlepop’s voice, so after opening her eyes and looking toward the one who had interrupted us she outright screamed and vaulted the sofa to hide behind it.

Fizzlepop was more amused than anything else, even as she joked, “Now that’s just rude. C’mon, I brushed my teeth and everything this morning.”

Fizzlepop was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, her fur slightly shiny from sweat. It was clear she had just been working out, but with the more relaxed clothing her ample musculature was on display, which only made her more intimidating. She might have even been more defined than she was in the past, and I’m ashamed to admit I found myself staring. It took a moment for me to mentally slap myself and bring my focus back.

Sitting up and jerking my head back toward where Ember had disappeared, I explained, “They’d lie about it, but dragons were really glad you never headed their way.” Ember’s growl promised retribution for my betrayal, but I knew we needed honesty between us, or Ember was never going to get used to Fizzlepop.

The mare looked a little deflated, but I knew she expected some kind of negative response to her presence. I knew she was used to it by now, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. My first instinct was to get up and hug her, but I also knew that while Fizzlepop was warming up to me a bit more, we weren’t at that point just yet.

The unicorn just stared at the backrest of the couch and ordered, “Ember, stand up and face me like the dragon you are. Stop being a coward.”

My jaw dropped faster than a meteor from space, and I was at one of those moments in life where any plan or response I might have had was destroyed in the fires of “what the buck”.

Ember practically launched over the sofa, barely missing my head, and landed right in front of Fizzlepop as she roared, “TAKE THAT BACK!”

Even in the face of an angry dragoness, Fizzlepop was completely unfazed. She casually fixed her mane, which had been blown back by the force of Ember’s yell, before answering, “I just call it like I see it. You’re a leader of your people, and you were cowering away from a creature that’s downright tiny compared to a dragon. What do you think that looks like?” She kept her stoic face as she gestured to Ember herself. “And do you think this little display is proving me wrong? You’re behaving like a scared animal that is allowing their ‘fight-or-flight’ instinct to rule them. You chose ‘fight’ only after I goaded you.”

I recovered my mental faculties in time to jump between the two, just as Ember took a step toward the slightly shorter mare. “Okaaaay, we’re not gonna fight. Ember, chill out.”

“But she-”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let two of my friends fight, especially not in the castle,” I advised, unwilling to budge even in the face of my mate, and every instinct within telling me that Fizzlepop was a threat I needed to get rid of. After taking a deep breath, I gently placed my hand on Ember’s shoulder, trying to get her to calm down. “Fizzle isn’t the type of pony to say stuff just to be mean. Why do you think she would have said that?”

Ember continued glaring at me for a few seconds, but slowly, her expression became more thoughtful, until she looked slightly ashamed. “...because she wanted me to stop being afraid of her, maybe.”

“I wanted you to speak to me, Ember,” Fizzlepop corrected. “A lot of the people I talked to over the years were terrified of me at first, but that could never change if they wouldn’t speak to me. You avoiding me since I started living here wasn’t doing anything to break that fear, was it?”

Ember, now likely feeling a bit chastised, lowered her gaze to the floor and kicked at the rug we stood upon. “...n-no, I guess not.”

After holding her unflinching gaze on the dragoness for a few seconds, Fizzlepop sighed and explained, “Look, I’m not good at this stuff. All I know for sure is that nothing changes if people don’t talk to one another. Which…kinda sucks because I’m not good at that either.” Fizzlepop took another breath before opening her eyes and again catching the eyes of the dragoness. “I don’t expect us to be ‘best buddies’ or anything like that, but I don’t want you avoiding me. I’m not going to downplay the things I’ve done in the past, but that’s not who I am anymore, and I’m doing my best to change. Twilight says you’re gonna be around a lot more after she gets the portal up and working, so I don’t want us avoiding one another every time you come here. Can’t we just…sit down and talk? Get everything out in the free air, so we know where we stand?”

I watched Ember as she thought to herself. Eventually, she raised her eyes again to look at the unicorn across from her, and nodded. “Yeah…I think that would be a good idea.”

Fizzlepop smiled a bit before gesturing her hand in an arc to the corridor that led to the private library. “Then come and join me. Spike,” she looked my way and raised her eyebrow, “I think it would be better if we spoke alone, otherwise Ember might subconsciously use you as a crutch. If we’re ever going to get past this, we need to speak on even ground.”

Ember looked distinctly uncomfortable by that suggestion, but reluctantly agreed. “...well, I’m not going to lie and say that’s untrue. I-I guess that’s fair.” It took her a few moments, but eventually Ember looked up at me with a tremulous smile. “I’ll be okay. Go and spend time with Twilight or something. I’ll find you when we’re done.”

Raising my brow, I asked, “Are you sure?”

Ember nodded immediately, looking a bit more confident. “Yeah. Besides, I’m sure Twilight could use some help catching up with work.”

Much as I wanted to deny it, she was right on that account. We had fallen behind on paperwork and the like due to the holidays, and so Twilight was having to work doubletime to make up for it. True, she hadn’t asked for my help, but it was wrong of me to leave it all for her to handle. Besides, Ember wouldn’t be leaving for another few hours at least, so this would give us all some time to get important things out of the way so we could all see her off.

I returned Ember’s nod, giving her a hug before pulling away. “Okay then. I’ll probably be in Twilight’s study then. Love you, Ember.”

Ember’s smile widened as she returned, “And I love you, Spike.”

I glanced at Fizzlepop as they walked away, and briefly saw a distinctly pleased smile on her face before she quickly schooled her expression. It appeared that even though Fizzlepop wasn’t very practiced in relating to others in a healthy manner, the fact she was able to find joy in the happiness of others told me she had the capability to heal and become a functional, treasured member of society.

There was actually far less work to do than I had originally imagined, so after helping Twilight, we found ourselves down in her lab, where she was working diligently to perfect the runestones that would be needed for the portals. It involved a lot of transmutation, chemistry, and even brute force to create the stones needed for the portal network. My presence actually was useful, since we could use my flame to see what runes engraved on the stones would respond to draconic magic. The idea was to create or repurpose a rune set that would use the raw energy of dragonflame to power the portal, while allowing the other runes to dictate what portal each connected to, as well as the spell necessary to form the portal. Needless to say, it was tedious work, and we had already dodged one explosion as a certain stone composition was unable to handle the myriad of spells that would be needed to ensure the portal was stable, reliable, and that it would work at all.

Twilight had just finished mixing and pouring another mixture into the stone casts when she suddenly asked, “You don’t think I’ve been coming on too strong to Ember, do you?” Though she was focused on her work, and couldn’t see my face, she was still able to rightfully discern my silence as confusion. “I mean with the herd, and doing everything possible to welcome her into our lives. What happened on Hearth’s Warming reassured me quite a bit, but I’m constantly afraid I’ll do or say something that’s going to drive her away, or make her think I’m weird or something. She hasn’t said anything about that, has she?”

I shrugged as I poured the concrete-like mixture into another of the molds, this mixture different from Twilight’s. “She hasn’t mentioned anything bad. She’s said how some things are kinda weird sometimes, but that’s to be expected, what with her being raised outside of Equestria. Ember isn’t the type of dragoness to keep quiet if she doesn’t like something, in case you haven’t noticed. I mean, has she seemed uncomfortable around you since Hearth’s Warming? Because I haven’t noticed anything.”

Twilight paused for a breath before she resumed smoothing out the surface of the mix in the mold. “Not…exactly. It’s mostly just a feeling. Sometimes, it feels like she doesn’t know quite what to do or say around me.”

“It might be just that,” I offered, beginning to do the same as Twilight, trying to form what would be a block of stone into as smooth a surface as possible. “A lot of the stuff we’ve exposed her to is novel to her. There’s a lot of times when she confides in me that Equestrian culture sometimes confuses her, and she finds herself fighting her own upbringing and instincts. As for being in a herd, all of that is new for her, so there’s going to be a lot of times when she’s awkward or something. That doesn’t mean she’s not enjoying it, though.”

Twilight frowned briefly as the mix in her mold bubbled, but after shaking the mold a bit, it settled down. She sighed before finally looking up at me with a small smile. “That actually does make me feel better. I mean, I know she’s slept in the same bed with the herd repeatedly, and has even gotten used to cuddles and things like that, but I still worry. It’s silly, but the fear still remains even though I tell myself I’m being silly.”

Reaching over and nudging her, I teased, “I knew you were a silly pony when I fell in love with you, Twilight. That’s why you have more level-headed people in the herd to offset that silliness.” I shrugged even as she puffed out her cheeks with a pout. “We’re all silly sometimes. That’s part of being a living creature, I think. None of us are exempt from being silly.”

“You didn’t have to agree with me,” she grumbled, turning her attention back to her work.

“No sense in denying when you’re right,” I countered, shooting her a toothy grin when she glared at me from the corner of her eye.

Twilight rolled her eyes before standing and lighting her horn, and slowly, wisps of vapor began to flow out of the molds as she used a variation of telekinesis to draw out each drop of water from the mixture. This sped up the drying process without the issues using heat would cause, such as cracking of the finished stones. With another layer of magic covering her horn, immense pressure forced all of the air bubbles from the drying stones, creating solid rock instead of concrete, and thus adding strength. This, however, did cause a good amount of heat, and the mixtures glowed a dull red as her work continued. Finally, the last of the air was removed, leaving only two bricks of differing mixtures, which we were required to let cool naturally. This of course prompted us to take a break from the job, so Twilight and I moved away from the work area and opened up the little picnic basket that we had brought down with us, revealing two bottles of pop with a cooling enchantment on them, and a few tomato and cheese sandwiches to munch on. We wiped our hands with a hand towel before digging in, enjoying the simple fare as we waited on our fifth attempts to cool.

We ate silently as we leaned against one another, enjoying the simple meal and company as we let the minutes tick by. Much as we wished otherwise, we both knew the likelihood of figuring out the correct mixture of minerals, gems, and binding metals that would remain stable with the amount of magic that would be placed upon them today was low, but that just meant the earlier we figured it out, the sooner we could place the gates, and thus cut down on the time we would be separated from our dragoness. Sure, there were numerous applications these gates could be used for outside of that purpose, but our reason for it was so that we could remain close to someone we loved. Or, at least, someone I loved...

Hmm…

“Twilight?” I called, hoping my question wasn’t going to cause a Twilypanic episode. Twilight hummed in response, so I pushed on and asked what was on my mind. “...do you love Ember?”

Twilight turned her head slightly to look up at me, raising an eyebrow. “Of course I do. She’s a good friend, and now she’s a part of the herd. Why wouldn’t I?”

“That’s not what I meant, Twi,” I clarified, staring into her eyes until she understood what I was asking.

It took a few seconds, but then her eyes widened as a fierce blush lit up her cheeks, and she glanced away as she chewed on her lip nervously. Eventually, she stammered, “I-I’m not sure where you got the idea that…” She trailed off as my raised brow remained where it was, and I made it as clear as possible that I did not believe her. After a few more seconds of staring her down, she eventually squeaked out, “...m-maybe…”

“You’ve been pretty upset that she’s leaving,” I pointed out, gently rubbing Twilight’s upper arm and speaking in a soothing tone. “Sure, that could just be the Princess of Friendship being upset that a good friend was going away, but I just had a thought that it might not be that…so I figured I’d ask.”

“It just…kinda happened,” she mumbled helplessly. “I didn’t realize what I felt until this morning, when I looked over at Ember in bed, knowing I was going to have to say goodbye to her. It just hit me all at once, and I feel like such a fool for not noticing until today.”

Nudging her with a grin, I teased, “Glad I’m not the only one who’s oblivious sometimes.” Twilight shoved me back with a pout, prompting me to laugh at her foalish behavior, even as we settled back to leaning against one another. I extended my wing and wrapped it around her shoulders, assuring, “Well, I’m not gonna say anything about it, but Ember’s not stupid. She’ll figure it out eventually, so the sooner you get it out in the open, the better things will be.”

Twilight sighed heavily before taking a sip of pop. “Not that anything’s going to come of it, though. Dragons are pretty even on the gender ratio, so I’m sure attraction to the same sex isn’t mainstream. Ember hasn’t exactly shown any inclination toward anyone but you.”

Raising a finger, I countered, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Dinky kinda threw her for a loop the first time they met, and I think she awakened something inside Ember that she didn’t even know was there. It’s not a definite thing, I’m just saying: don’t count it out. But besides that, Ember isn’t the type of person to shy away from things just because they’re difficult. The most she can do is say she’s not interested, but she’s not going to stop being your friend.”

Twilight paused for a moment before going back to eating. After a few bites, she finally responded. “I don’t think I’m going to say anything just yet. I’ll probably wait until after I get the portal gates up and running before I do anything about it. Ember’s going to be stressed until she has a way to reliably get back and forth from Equestria and her home without flying the distance, so I want to take care of that hurdle first. Besides, there’s always the very real possibility that I’ll get the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech.” She then raised an eyebrow at me and said, “You’re surprisingly okay with all this. Had a few fantasies swimming around in that brain of yours?”

I didn’t deny it. “Well, yeah. The bath we shared with Ember pushed that train along pretty good. Besides that, it was the first time I’d seen your unclothed body in a long time, and I liked what I saw. Kinda hard for my mind not to run in circles with that image in my head.” I completed my statement with a lascivious grin and a wiggle of my brows.

Twilight blushed deeply again, and darted her eyes away from me as she squeaked something adorably. I just laughed and bumped my weight against her gently, keeping the mood light and jovial despite the teasing I was heaping on her.

Leaning in close to her fuzzy ear, which twitched at my breath, I huskily whispered, “Does it excite you to know I fantasize about you? Is it arousing to know that I long to run my hands all over your body as I pound that perfect purple pony plot?”

I had never spoken to Twilight that way before, and her response showed that. Her body froze as her horn sparked like a live wire, and her entire face flushed with blood as her wings rose of their own accord, spreading wide to display their plumage to me, throwing my own wing off of her in the process. Her mouth dropped open in shock as her ears twitched madly, as if they were unsure what to do, and I swear I could hear her heart racing. Even as I reached out to caress her shoulder, tiny arcs of her magic tickled my hand, like static electricity.

Before I could progress further with my teasing, Twilight’s horn lit up with a bright glow, and with a flash, a bucket appeared over her head. I didn’t have time to ask what was happening, because the bucket then upended, pouring what was apparently ice water all over her. The alicorn immediately shrieked and stood, shaking herself to try and clear some of the icy liquid from the inside of her clothes. I, however, burst into laughter, and very nearly fell off of the stone bench we had been sitting upon.

I tried several times to talk, only to devolve into laughter every time. It took a few moments for me to compose myself enough to force out, “Get- hehe, get a little heated there, Twi?”

She whipped her head around to look at me, the water now actively steaming off of her head, as she pointed an accusatory finger at me and roared, “YOU’RE A BUCKING TEASE!”

Putting a hand to my chest and gasping theatrically, I playfully answered, “You wound me, Twilight. Me, a tease? Why, I never!” Leaning closer and grinning once again, I purred, “I never tease. Say the word and we’ll go to your bedroom right now and break it.”

Her eyes widened at that, and the blush returned full force. “B-break what? The bed?”

My smile widened to something more predatory. “The room.”

Again, her horn sparked, and for the second time, a bucket of ice water was teleported over her head, and dumped icy water on the alicorn princess. Another shriek escaped her mouth as she chanted, “Cold, cold, cold,” dancing around to try and dislodge more chunks of ice from her blouse. I began laughing once again, only for a mulberry lightning bolt to strike me on my rump like a whip, causing me to squeal and jump away. For a long few moments, we glared at one another, neither unwilling to budge, until a snort escaped me. Twilight answered with a snicker of her own, and we both fell into laughter together.

It took significantly longer for us to compose ourselves this time -- long enough for the runestones to cool to a manageable temperature. So, after we shook out our residual giggles, we returned to the work area to continue our testing. With a quick spell to dry out her clothing, Twilight then stepped over to the molds and inspected them. She hummed a few times, nodding, then pointed at the mold itself. As I had four other times, I hefted the heavy mold up, and set it on a steel table before carefully turning it on its side, using the floating bottoms of the mold to push the stones up and out, gently cradling each one and lowering it to the table to ensure they weren’t damaged.

Then, Twilight started her part of the job, which involved using what was essentially a laser from her horn to inscribe the stones with the arcane runes that would be needed to create the portal. Unlike dragon writing, she had to be sure the runes she etched were perfect, so I remained silent so she could concentrate, and just waited patiently for her to finish. After nearly twenty minutes of etching, checking, and rechecking her work, Twilight stood up and wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead.

Twilight picked up the clipboard that held her checklist. “Hoo, okay. Now, these are mixtures number nine and ten. Spike? You’re up.” She grabbed one of the two stones, leaving only one for us to work on at the moment.

With a nod to Twilight, I waited until she had stepped back before breathing a generous gout of flame over the remaining runestone. As they were meant to, the runes sucked in my flame and began glowing with my emerald fire, the air humming with power as my magic was transformed first into neutral magic, and then into the energy necessary to activate the stone. With my job done, I stepped back to stand next to Twilight, and we waited to see if the stone would hold together under the force of the spells upon it.

The stone began humming ominously, and I prepared to dive behind the table with Twilight. We held our collective breath, until eventually, the stone popped and spat out a little globule of clear magic, which hovered just above the stone. I let out a breath as Twilight cheered, and let my body relax as the stone held. This was the first one that had worked; every other so far had failed, so a success made this all worth it.

Twilight shoved the unused stone in my hands before picking up her clipboard and darting over to the glowing stone, taking observations on everything she could before the magic ran out. The spells were only meant to last a dozen or so seconds before the energy depleted itself, so she hurried and got everything she needed. Just like we had planned, less than thirty seconds later, the stone quieted, and Twilight again cheered when it didn’t crack under the stress we had subjected to the stone.

Twilight skipped over to me and shoved the clipboard in my face as she gushed, “It worked, it worked! Look, Spike! It totally worked!”

Laughing merrily at the excited princess, I wrapped her in my free arm and gave her a squeeze. “I saw, Twi. Good job.”

She carefully extracted herself from my grasp and walked over to the now-silent stone, picking it up and placing it within a metal case that was designed to shut out magical energy. She then pointed at the stone I still held and said, “Okay, last one.”

Raising a brow, I asked, “Why? We found one that worked.”

“But that one might work even better, so we have to test it,” Twilight pressed, now pointing at the table. “A scientist doesn’t leave an experiment unfinished just because one test gave the desired result. We need data for all of the variables.”

Rolling my eyes, I did as I was told and set the last stone on the table, wasting no time in breathing another gout of flame over it and stepping back to let it do its work. This stone, too, hummed ominously, but now that I knew this was apparently normal, I wasn’t as tense as the first time. This stone buzzed for a bit before it also produced a small glob of magic, and Twilight again cheered as she rushed over and began taking notes.

I walked up next to her this time, happy to see things going well after so many failures. Twilight, of course, was downright ecstatic, both because of how this would help us be with Ember, and due to the fact that…well, she was a science nerd inventing something new. Besides that, it had been a long time since Twilight had been able to tinker with a new project, as shown by the fact that most of her other projects were incomplete. Royal duties unfortunately did not leave uninterrupted time for such endeavors.

“Two, one right after the other!” Twilight squealed excitedly, bouncing on her hooves in a way that reminded me of a certain hyperactive pink earth pony. “It just figures the issue seemed to be that we needed to adjust the amount of quicksilver* and plumbum* to find a stable mix. I didn’t think they would make that big of a difference.” She pointed to the stone in front of us. “Both are dense metals that have very little thaumic malleability*, but it appears their ability to form a crystalline amalgam when mixed together has somehow added quite a bit of structural integrity and thaumic malleability to the stone itself. And I have no idea how! Oh, this is so exciting!”

Her celebration was cut short as the stone began humming louder, and arcs of wild magic began lashing out of the stone. Twilight only had enough time to say “uh oh” before the stone exploded in a cloud of very fine dust. Luckily, I had just enough time to turn my head away and hold my breath, but I was still covered in the remains of the stone, which had nearly aerosolized. Before I could do anything more, Twilight’s hand grabbed my wrist, and she jerked me along with her as we hurriedly made our way to the corner of the room, where a few safety items were kept for emergencies. This apparently was one such emergency, since Twilight shoved me under a showerhead and pulled down on the handle nearby, causing a deluge of sterile water to spray down on me.

“Couldn’t I have taken my clothes off first?” I questioned, spitting out a mouthful of water in the process.

“We will in a second,” Twilight assured, and I felt as she pressed in next to me. “Scrub every inch of your skin, and strip down while you’re doing it.”

I paused for a moment. “Wait…strip? You mean-”

“Everything, Spike,” Twilight confirmed. My eyes were still closed, but I was sure she was blushing. “Underwear too. We’re dealing with two toxic heavy metals, which at the very least cause irritation. I’ve never been covered in plumbamalgam dust before, but I’d rather we not risk it. Better safe than sorry.”

With that in mind, I complied with the process and pulled off my shirt, trousers, and then underwear, kicking them off to the side as I continued furiously rubbing everywhere I could to remove as much of the dust as I could.

“Okay,” Twilight began, and I heard her gulp loudly, “I swear this isn’t me being a pervert, but we need to help each other wash. I need you to get to the places I can’t reach, mainly my back, and I’ll do the same for you. And before you ask, yes, I’m sure.”

Despite the suddenly hazardous situation, I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped as I teased, “I’ll try not to enjoy it too much.”

“We’re just getting clean, Spike. Fun will have to wait for another time,” Twilight said, though she ended with a giggle.

I finally had a moment to stop and wipe my eyes, and found myself looking down at Twilight, who was turned away from me, and was looking at me over her shoulder. After a moment of me staring, I physically shook my head and got to work rubbing my hands through the fur on Twilight’s back, including behind her shoulders and around her wings.

“Any reason you can’t use your magic?” I asked, even as I ran my fingers through Twilight's longer winter coat to try and rinse out as much of the dust as possible.

Twilight kept her eyes facing forward. “Plumbum and quicksilver are resistant to magic, so I wouldn’t be able to get as much as just washing by hand. And thanks to your help, I can get my whole body decontaminated.” After a few more moments of me working on her back, Twilight turned around, blushing as my eyes immediately shot to her chest, and motioned for me to turn around. “Okay, your turn.”

Clearing my throat, I did as I was told. “Right, sorry about that.”

I felt Twilight’s hands begin scrubbing my back, which took less time than she did, since I had dragonhide instead of fur. She then moved to my wings, and was silent for a long while before she finally spoke. “Please don’t be sorry, Spike. I…I like that you find me attractive. I like it when you stare. I-it’s just been a long time since anyone’s seen me like this, and besides that, it’s you.”

“What do you mean by ‘it’s me’?” I asked, unsure of exactly what she meant.

“What I mean,” Twilight began, clearing her throat before continuing, “is that you’re one of the most important people in my entire life. I know it’s shallow and silly, but sometimes I look at my body, with all its flaws, and I feel ugly. I feel ugly, and I’m scared you’ll agree.”

Laughing softly, I said, “Put it this way, Twi: if I touched your body as much as I wanted to, we’d never get any work done. I could spend an entire day just feeling you up, and I wouldn’t feel that day would be wasted. You’re a gorgeous mare, and yeah, you’ve got flaws, but all of us do. For example: I feel like my hands are too small for my body, and that my legs are shorter than they should be. I feel like my proportions are all off, and that makes me feel like a freak sometimes.”

As Twilight meticulously rinsed every inch of my wings, she hummed aloud. “You seem so confident in yourself lately. It’s difficult to imagine you having body image issues.”

“I think anyone that’s not a narcissist has things about themselves that they don’t like,” I explained, shifting a little as she hit a ticklish spot. “If I wanted to see a perfect body, I’d go look at smutty pictures that have been touched up with the finest editing to make the models look unrealistically flawless.” After another minute or so, her hands stopped scrubbing my wings, so I turned around to see Twilight looking up at me, looking so small and vulnerable as her face held an extensive blush. I reached out and cupped her cheek in my hand, bringing her eyes up to look at me as I assured, “I think you’re a gorgeous mare, Twilight. I’ll tell you and show you that however I can every day if I have to; whatever it takes to reassure you when you’re having a day when you’re not feeling so beautiful.” Twilight was sporting a wide smile from my words, but as much as I wanted to continue stroking her ego (and even though I wanted to stroke her in other ways), we weren’t done just yet. “Okay, we need to get your wings. Gonna take quite a bit longer than mine.”

Twilight glanced back at the appendages, which, while sodden, had flared wide due to my words. I couldn’t help the smirk that crossed my lips at the sight, nor the single laugh that bubbled up as Twilight looked so adorably embarrassed, but she eventually nodded and began cleaning her left wing. “Get the other wing. Be gentle, but thorough. You have to go down each feather.”

Pausing briefly, I stated, “That’s hundreds of feathers, Twi.”

She nodded with a sigh. “And this water is getting cold, so let’s hurry this up.”

With that mild urgency, I followed Twilight’s example and meticulously rinsed each and every feather, double checking a few times to be sure I didn’t miss any. It took a good twenty minutes, even with the two of us, but eventually, the decontamination was finally finished, so Twilight pushed the handle up, shutting off the water.

She lit her horn and said, “Now, if we got everything, my magic shouldn’t react when I…” Her aura reached out to me as well, and there was nothing but the warm, thick feeling of Twilight’s magic as it coated me from every angle. She let out a relieved breath. “Good, it appears that we got all of it. Okay, these,” she pointed to our soaked clothing, which was still in a pile on the floor, “will need to be disposed of in the trash.”

“Aww, but I really liked that shirt,” I grumbled as I leaned over and carefully picked up our clothes, shoving them in a hazardous waste bag that Twilight had hanging on the wall.

Twilight just shook her head. “Contaminated. We can’t risk it.” She walked over to the wall and flipped a switch, causing the roar of a ventilation system to kick on. “This should clear the room of the remaining dust. We’ll let it run for the rest of the day, and do a final cleaning tomorrow to be sure no contaminated particles remain. Now,” she gently took the bag from my hands, disposing of it in a shiny metal waste bin just before she again wrapped the two of us in her magic,” I think the two of us need a real shower. This had me getting sweaty at a few points, and there’s no sense putting on clean clothes if I’m not actually clean.”

“What about me?” I asked. “I just washed this morning, and you know it’s pretty difficult for me to get dirty.”

“I mean, if you don’t want to join me, then-”

“No no, let’s not jump to conclusions!” I interrupted, mentally groaning when Twilight looked at me with a victorious smirk. Regardless I added, “I just…I didn’t think you’d want me there with you.”

While Twilight’s blush had been pretty constant since we had stripped, it deepened a bit now. She took a second before saying, “...w-well, I liked when we were together in Canterlot. It’s not as if I have anything you haven’t seen before, and…well, we are mates, right?”

My eyes widened at that. “That’s the first time you’ve called us mates without tripping over the word. So you’re-”

“I’m in, Spike,” Twilight confirmed, allowing her magic to wrap fully around me as her spell prepared. “I’m committed to this, and I want to start acting like it. There’s no reason not to.”

With a pop and a flash, we were suddenly upstairs in the bathroom, and a shriek of surprise caused me to jump away and stumble against the wall. Looking toward the source of the scream, I found Starlight standing under the active showerhead, doing her best to cover her body with only her arms, failing miserably to completely hide her private areas.

“For Faust’s sake Twi, you could have knocked first,” Starlight chastised, though she didn’t actually sound angry. Then, to my utter shock, she removed her hands from her body and went back to washing, though she didn’t turn away from us as she began soaping and washing her mane. I had an unobstructed view of everything.

Twilight had the good grace to be apologetic. “Um y-yeah, I’m sorry Starlight. We had a bit of an accident in the lab, and after decontamination, we needed to actually wash before getting clean clothes. You’re right, I should have checked first.” Twilight then slapped the back of her hand against my chest, snapping me out of my gawk. “Spike, eyes to yourself!”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Twi,” Starlight commented, rinsing out her mane before lathering it up again for a second shampooing. “He’s got two naked mares in the room with him, one of whom he’s never seen completely nude before. I’d consider it a failure on my part if he was able to just ignore that.”

Twilight’s mouth flopped open as she struggled to articulate her argument. “B-but he…y-you…” After a moment of just staring at the other mare with wide eyes, Twilight ventured, “You’re not even going to try and cover up?”

After rinsing the soap out of her eyes and picking up the conditioner now, she argued, “Me suddenly being modest isn’t going to magically remove the image he’s already stored in his mind, Twi. No sense being all prudish about it now. Might as well let me be seen in my natural glory, so he can at least have a realistic memory instead of some idealized image.” After rubbing her hands vigorously together to spread the conditioner over them, she brought her palms to her mane and began massaging the liquid in. She locked eyes with me, smirking, and challenged, “Like what you see, Spike?”

“Nice piercing,” was all I could think to say, and had my mind been clear of the hormone-driven fog, I would have slapped myself for it. Twilight took it upon herself to physically correct me, again slapping me hard on the chest with the back of her hand.

Starlight grinned in a surprisingly non-lecherous manner, closing her eyes as she went back to working the conditioner through her mane. “Thanks. Take it from me though: while your response tells me the pain was worth it, had I known how much it hurts, I wouldn’t have followed through with it. I almost punched the poor mare that did it for me. It also had the unfortunate side effect of deadening sensation on the side with the piercing.”

While I continued staring, Twilight’s curiosity apparently overcame her embarrassment, and she began asking questions. Again, had my mind not been hazy with a growing lust, I probably would have melted into a puddle of embarrassed goo.

“Wait, so you can’t feel anything on that side of your…”

Starlight shrugged. “I can, just not as much as before. The idea is for that not to happen, but a significant number of mares experience nerve damage from it. Luckily, all the really sensitive bits are safe, so it’s not a huge loss. I can still have plenty of fun.” After one final rinse, Starlight shut off the shower and levitated two towels from the towel bin into her hands, wrapping one around her body as the other wrapped around her wet mane. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I believe I’ve shocked the two of you enough for one day, so I’ll let you have the bath to yourselves. See you later Twilight, Spike.” She punctuated her farewell with a wink before promptly leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

For a long few seconds, I stood there, still frozen, trying to make sense of what just happened. Eventually, Twilight tugged on my wrist, leading me over to the washing area as she idly commented, “Well, that happened. A-anyway, let’s get cleaned up, and then we can have a soak. Take a seat, Spike.”

I complied while still in a bit of a haze, seating myself on the short plastic stool. Twilight walked around in front of me, squeezing a bit of scale wax in a bucket before turning on the detachable showerhead and beginning to fill the bucket with water, causing a frothy lather to form. As more time passed, my rationale returned, and I was finally able to form words again.

“That…did that really just happen? Was I just hallucinating?” I asked, still trying to determine whether or not I had randomly daydreamed or something.

Twilight sighed, even as she stood and began wetting me down with the bucket of water and scale wax. “No, that definitely happened. We teleported in, Starlight was bathing, and she decided she’d give us a bit of a show before leaving. You also commented on her piercing-”

“I DID WHAT?!”

“Shortly after, she finished washing and left,” Twilight finished, rolling her eyes at me. “She didn’t seem particularly bothered by it either, which I honestly wasn’t expecting. I know some ponies are less modest than others, but I never figured Starlight would be so calm about it. Close your eyes.” My mind was still reeling, so I mindlessly did as I was told as Twilight dumped the rest of the bucket over my head, fully coating me in the mixture. She then turned on the showerhead again and began rinsing my whole body off. After my face had been sprayed, I wiped my eyes clear and opened them again, finding Twilight leaning close, her ample chest inches from my face as she rinsed my shoulders and back. I just barely kept myself from doing something inappropriate, waiting patiently as Twilight finished her work.

I stood once I was clean, allowing Twilight to take a seat next, at which point I sprayed her down, being careful to lower the pressure of the spray around her wings. Once she was suitably dampened, I handed her the mane shampoo as I got to work, lathering up the rest of her with the coat shampoo, and yes, I enjoyed running my hands over her body. I had to do something to vent some of the feelings that were roiling within me, didn’t I? Luckily, unlike Starlight, Twilight was in my herd, so I was allowed to be closer to her.

As I moved to her front, Twilight was sighing happily even as she lathered up her mane and tail, doing her best to focus on the task at hand. Truth be told, I was having the same trouble, but knew it would be best not to press her boundaries too much. With that in mind I gently ran my hands over her collarbone, shoulders, and around her sternum before moving to her stomach. Then, I carefully soaped up each leg, avoiding the space between since we were supposed to be washing, not playing. This still left a few areas untouched, but Twilight could handle those on her own.

Just as I was about to move away, Twilight spoke just barely loud enough for me to hear her. “You…y-you can finish up top, if you want. It’s okay, Spike.”

Despite the seriousness of what she was suggesting and the clear nervousness in her voice, I couldn’t help the quiet laugh that escaped. “If I want? Twi, I always want to. I’m a guy, and a dragon at that. Over half of my thoughts during the day are about mares' bodies, and how nice it would be to squeeze certain parts of them. And now, you’re giving me permission to do that, with you. Only the commonly-accepted rules of public conduct keep me from doing that all the time. You and I both know Lyla would let me, regardless of who was around at the time.”

Twilight was smiling at me, feeling a bit more confident now. “Well, I’m giving my permission. A-are you just going to stare at them, or are you going to- ah~! B-be gentle, Spike!”

With an admittedly pervy grin, I had placed both hands on the slick, wet orbs of flesh and massaged, both of us pretending this had something to do with hygiene even as Twilight moaned long and loud. She eventually got control of herself enough to keep washing the other areas I didn’t attend to, but kept her eyes locked with mine as she still hummed deeply in delight at my touch. It was the most physical thing I had done with Twilight thus far, and I was going to enjoy it as much as I could for as long as she let me. Sure, I could pretend our positions were beautiful and intimate as I touched Twilight and she voiced her pleasure to me with nothing more than noises, but in reality, it was just a dragon kneeling in front of his mate and massaging his marefriend’s pony pillows in a way that had very little to do with cleanliness. I even flicked the little nubs that hardened under my fingers a few times, and Twilight jerked with a gasp each time I did so…and…

Yeah, there was nothing about this that we could claim was innocent.

Eventually, Twilight regained some control of her mental faculties, and brought the shower head up to begin rinsing off her body. Realizing our bit of fun time was done, I reluctantly pulled away, allowing Twilight to spray off the suds from her mane and coat. Realizing what was coming next, I walked over to the bath and started the faucet, beginning to fill the tub with steaming water as my mare finished her rinse. The tub was about half full when the shower cut off, and I could hear the sprayhead being hung up on the hook as Twilight’s hooves clopped on the floor until she stood next to me. I felt her weight settle against me as we waited, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, my palm resting on her cutie mark as the water finished filling the bathtub. Finally, I cut off the water flow, and I assisted Twilight in stepping into the tub. I did the same, thinking for a moment about how we were both going to fit, before Twilight gently pushed down on my shoulder, coaxing me to sit. I did so, and without hesitation, Twilight sat herself on my lap, leaning back against me as we both let the water envelop us.

“Don’t poke me, Spike,” Twilight half-warned, turning her head slightly so I could see her teasing smile. I moved my hands under the water, gently touching a claw to her side, causing her to giggle. Twilight shook her head and clarified, “That’s not the kind of poke I meant, you dork.”

Realizing what she was implying, I shifted a bit beneath her, getting a feel for what parts of me were contacting what parts of her, and just smirked as I recognized the situation. “If anything happens, it won’t be poking. Considering how we’re positioned, a certain part of me will invade a certain part of you, and then we won’t even be able to pretend we’re just soaking in a bath together.” Only the confined space of the tub kept Twilight’s wings from flaring out and slapping me in the face. As it was, I could still feel the feathered appendages trembling against my chest, and I mentally fist-pumped at having such an effect on Twilight. I leaned my head closer and whispered into Twilight’s splayed ear. “With a flex of two muscles, I could claim you as mine, right now. It would be so easy. I’m sure your body is practically begging to be filled right now, so I’d slide right in, wouldn’t I?”

A strangled sound came from deep in Twilight’s throat, and seemingly against her will, her squeezable rump wiggled against my lap in anticipation. Only my ironclad self-control kept me from following through with what I said to her.

Knowing I had pushed her enough for now, I casually rested my hands on her stomach, feeling her muscles tense under my fingers for a moment before relaxing. After allowing her to calm down a bit, I said, “Anytime you have those feelings of inadequacy or feel that you’re ugly, remember this moment, right now. I want you, Twilight; my body aches to have you. Everything in me is telling me to throw caution to the wind, to push myself inside you and breed. You are beautiful, and sexy, and I’ll never let you forget that.”

Despite hormones raging and the obvious desires of her body for sex, Twilight giggled almost drunkenly. “Even when you’re being a horny tease, you’re still sweet. You truly are one in a million, Spike.”

“I feel the same about you, Twilight,” I returned, idly rubbing my hands over her stomach and chest in a relaxed manner, taking full advantage of the privilege I now had with touching a more intimate part of her. Well, two parts.

Twilight hummed in delight, bringing one hand up to rest on mine, even as I continued my ministrations. “Thank you, Spike. I ~mmh~ I love you.”

“I love you too, Twilight,” I replied, content to let my hands show that love to her in a way that I never had before.

Time passed, and the heat of our bodies kept the bath steaming long after it should have cooled.

Yona and I stood in a field behind the castle, where everyone present was waiting with bated breath for what was going to happen. With this being the last day she would be in Ponyville, we were following up on my promise to spar with her, and this obviously wasn’t the type of thing anyone wanted to miss. Because most were unsure of what was going on, we were also drawing a crowd from other Ponyvillians, so this was likely going to be what everyone would be talking about for the next week.

“Don’t hold back, Yona,” I shouted. “Put everything you got into this, because I’ll be doing the same!”

The yak cow thumped her chest with a fist, smiling in excitement. “Good! Yona wants honorable fight!”

While I was still taller than her by a foot, I had already shrunk down by a foot to make the fight more fair. I mean, let’s face it: if I used the advantages of my draconic body, there was nothing she could do to beat me. Even as I was, I had a good two hundred pounds on her and a longer reach, but Yona had told me to stop shrinking. After all, she claimed fighting a small dragon would be less fun, and wanted the challenge of facing a larger, stronger opponent. Yak brawlers enjoyed the thrill of knowing the odds were not in their favor, because it just drove them to become all the more fierce in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds.

Of course, there was the fact that yaks were not built like ponies. Even compared to a pony of her height, Yona was far more stocky than a mare would be. Her arms were thick, as were her legs, and everywhere one looked, her body was packed with well-tested muscle. Because of their culture and diet, being big and strong was the norm for them, which was why yaks were known for breaking things by accident. True, she wasn’t going to be breaking me, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be careful.

After staring each other down for a few silent seconds, Yona and I dashed toward one another at the same time, meeting in the middle by grasping each other’s hands. I was momentarily surprised when Yona’s lower center of gravity allowed her to begin pushing me back, but countered by leaning forward, digging my claws into the ground, and using my superior strength against her. With a shove of my entire body, all at once, I threw her off balance, causing the yak to stumble. I immediately pressed my advantage, slamming her to the ground with earth-shaking force, knowing her more robust body could take it. Even so, a whoosh of air left her, and Yona gasped deeply to try and restore the breath I just knocked out of her.

Before I could capitalize on her position, Yona rolled away and sprang to her hooves, throwing a lunging gut punch that I just barely had time to move away from. The force was lessened, but even so, it was enough to distract me and allow Yona to leap into the air. She could have gone with any number of maneuvers, but instead I saw, of all things, her crotch heading toward my face. I only had a second to marvel at the scent of strawberries before her legs hooked around my neck and her weight suddenly shifted, throwing me forward as she flipped us through the air, slamming me on my back as she remained mounted on my face. My breath now left me as I struggled to breathe, and Yona curled and rolled back over my body, expertly mounting my waist and beginning to throw blow after blow at my face. I had enough time to raise my hands to protect my head, but each punch was thrown with an impressive amount of force, the yak clearly having practiced to get the most out of the physics of her body. I was stronger, true, but I was all but helpless in our current position, and even with my blocks, grazing blows still hit my head from time to time.

A sensation from a forgotten part of my body reminded me that I had a tail, and I used the powerful appendage to wrap around Yona’s chest, ripping her off my lap and tossing her to the side, allowing me to get to my feet again. As we both stood, I gingerly touched my face, wincing at the split lip I now had, and rolling my sore shoulders.

“I gotta admit, you almost had me there,” I commented as Yona found her footing again.

Yona smirked, winded, but still confident. “Cat is source of female power, no? Yona just used it.”

I raised my brow as I mouthed the word “cat,” trying to discern what she meant. Upon realizing what she actually meant to say, I burst out laughing. “I-I, hehe…I don’t think that’s how you’re meant to use ‘it,’ but I can’t argue with how effective it was. That was an impressive move, Yona. I hope you don’t expect to catch me by surprise with that again.”

“Yona should take off shirt then, maybe!” she challenged, well aware of how distracted males could get at the sight of a nice pair. It wouldn’t have happened to me in this situation, and thankfully, she didn’t remove her clothing, but the teasing made this more fun.

Grinning in return, I joked, “If you start taking off clothes, this is going to become a very different kind of activity. Not sure this is the time or place for that. Plus, it would get me in trouble.”

“Darn right it would!” Twilight playfully threw in, though she was smiling as she said it.

Yona and I were now smiling at each other, both still breathing heavily, and prepared for more. Again, as if we planned on it, we rushed at each other at the same time, but this time, I was admittedly a little bit unfair as I slammed my entire weight into Yona, letting the yak bounce off like she had just hit a brick wall. My chest was stinging where her face had hit, but my opponent was on the ground again, and this time I pressed my entire body onto her as I pinned her to the ground. With my extra weight, I was able to keep her shoulders and waist from moving, and even with flailing her limbs, she wasn’t able to shift her body to escape.

After doing this for a few more seconds, Yona groaned and ceased struggling, knowing she was beaten. Even so, she flashed me a toothy smile. “Yona admits defeat. Good fight, Spike!”

I rolled off of the yak and extended a hand, pulling her up with me when she took it. After dusting myself off, I again raised my hand to my face, feeling how sore it was even as I returned her smile. “Yeah, that was a good fight. You got some good hits on me, too. This is a story to tell, to be sure.”

Just then, in the distance, we heard a loud whistle herald the train’s approach. Twilight gestured to the castle doors and said, “Okay, it looks like it’s time to head to the station. Get your luggage everyone. We’ll walk you to the train station.” A chorus of upset noises answered Twilight's declaration, but the younger creatures did as they were told, leaving me standing with Twilight and Starlight as the alicorn checked over my injuries. Twilight sighed in exasperation at my face, lamenting, “I really wish you would have promised her something else besides a fight, Spike. This is your own fault though, so you don’t get to whine from the bruises.”

I shrugged as Twilight removed her hands from my face. “I can’t really think of anything else she would have wanted. Sure, I could have gotten her some little toy or something from the store, but I wanted to give her something that a yak would find valuable.”

Twilight bobbed her head side to side before sighing through her nose. “I guess. I swear, you get yourself in some of the oddest situations, Spike.”

I shrugged. “Not one of my smartest ideas, but Yona’s happy, so it’s worth it.” All the young ones exited the castle again, so I tossed my head toward the road. “All right, let’s get moving. Smolder, if you keep playing with that you’ll go blind.”

The young dragoness let go of her tail, which was covered in a long piece of insulated cloth to keep it warm. She was wearing a mostly identical (though smaller) outfit to Ember’s, which kept her warm in the winter air. “What is that supposed to mean? I’ve never heard of that before.”

I chuckled even as both Twilight and Starlight rolled their eyes. “Nothing, forget about it. So, how do you like the new digs?”

Smolder looked down at herself, smoothing out the coat she wore. “I gotta admit, it’s pretty nice. It’ll make visiting my friends a lot easier, especially since Yona’s home is so cold.”

“Have you visited her before?” Starlight asked, now walking next to Smolder.

She shrugged. “I tried, once. If it’s not snowy and freezing cold, it’s wet, muddy, and slightly less cold. I’d visit her more often, but I ended up just sitting by the fire the entire time, and that’s not fair to her.”

“Well,” I gestured to her new outfit, “now you have a way to do that and still do things with her. She’ll be happy to see you more often.”

“And I’ll be happy to visit,” Smolder added on. “The yaks are pretty cool, too. They like to eat, they like to drink, and they like to explore. Those’re my kind of creatures.” She then perked up a bit. “Oh, did you try out your new spell?”

Remembering her Hearth’s Warming gift to me, I smiled. “Sure did. Nice to know that even in complete darkness, I could find my way around without lighting a fire, and giving myself away to another predator.”

Her spell had been confusing, at first. It acted on the brain directly, enabling it to interpret sounds in a more advanced way to map the world in three dimensions and allow me to “see” through sounds. It wasn’t echolocation per se, since I couldn’t make the extremely high-pitched chirping sounds, but it allowed me to use any sound as a source to map the space around me without actually seeing. This unfortunately also had the side effect of blinding me while the spell was active, so as to keep the brain from having to handle conflicting “visual” stimuli. It was a brilliant spell that could be a lifesaver in the right situation.

“Just remember that any really loud sounds could completely incapacitate you while you’re using it,” Smolder warned. “Since your pathfinding abilities would be changed from visual to auditory, sound is your friend, but it’s also your weakness.”

With that final warning, we just continued walking to the train station, letting the six friends talk amongst themselves. As we approached the station, Silverstream’s chaperone was already waiting, and Thorax was saying his goodbyes to a cloaked pegasus mare who flew away soon after we arrived. I caught eyes with the tall changeling, giving him a smile and wink as he grinned with an unashamedly lovestruck expression.

We all gathered on the platform, me stepping up next to Thorax and saying, “Seems like you two are getting along pretty nicely. Did you like your present, then?”

Thorax was positively beaming as he nodded rapidly. “More than I could ever express. This is quite possibly the best gift anyone could have ever gotten me. You made my entire year, Spike. Maybe even the rest of my life.”

Laughing heartily, I clapped Thorax on the back. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Thorax. You knew her years ago, but you two are just getting to know each other again. I think you two are meshing pretty good, but relationships take work. All that having been said, I’m glad I could make you happy. You deserve it after everything you’ve done for us.”

Thorax briefly returned my pat on the back with one of his own. “I have to be honest, I’m not sure I can one-up this gift. Thank you again, Spike. You’ve brought a joy to my life I long thought lost forever.”

I rolled my eyes, progressing to giving him a hug around the shoulders. “I didn’t do it because I was expecting you to return the favor; I did it because I wanted to do something nice for one of my best friends. Besides: everyone deserves love. You gave me an opportunity to help you with that, so I did. It’s not often I get to use my connections for a good cause, so I wanted to help you out. I’m just glad it made the two of you happy.”

“It did. You know I’m still going to try and pay you back, right?” Thorax replied, smirking at me.

Laughing a bit, I nodded. “Yeah, I know. And I’ll appreciate it no matter what you do. You’re my friend, and as long as you’re happy, that’s payment enough.”

“As Rainbow Dash would say, ‘That’s enough sap’.” Thorax joked, noticing how my smile vanished and a frown replaced it. “Oh…I’m sorry, I forgot about-”

“It’s not your fault,” I interrupted, my words a bit sharper than I had intended. Thorax thankfully didn’t appear particularly bothered by it, and seemed to understand my feelings on the matter. He still released me and stepped away to give me a little space.

Thorax and I were quiet for a while. Finally, he asked, “No one’s spoken to her since Hearth’s Warming?”

“No pony but Scootaloo, and she’s not saying anything about it,” I answered, frowning a bit more at that. “Besides the fact I don’t want to push too hard with Scootaloo still being in a very vulnerable place, she’d never betray the trust of Dash. We won’t know what’s going on until she’s ready to talk to us.”

“Or,” he began, glancing at me from the corner of his eye, “you could foalnap her, tie her to a chair, and force her to talk like in one of those cheesy spy movies.”

As much as the ridiculous suggestion made me smile, I had to decline. “That wouldn’t work. Dash is…complicated, especially lately. If she doesn’t want to talk, pushing harder will probably just make her shut down. As it is, none of us have any idea what prompted that behavior, so we don’t even know how to address it.”

“She seems to be the most difficult mare in your herd,” he commented idly.

My mouth dropped open in surprise at his assertion. “W-what? Thorax, she…Dash is not a part of my herd!”

He tilted his head in confusion. “She’s not? I could have sworn-”

“No, she’s not,” I confirmed, trying not to laugh at the hilarity of his terribly incorrect assumption. “We’re not even…no, just no. It’s not a thing, and it won’t be a thing. She wants nothing to do with me in that regard.”

“Are you saying you don’t find her attractive?” he asked, likely thinking he had a “gotcha” moment.

I rolled my eyes. Hard. “Of course I do, but if that’s all it took for a mare to be in my herd, half of Equestria would belong to me.” I made it a point to ignore the tiny part of me that said that was a great idea.

“Then are you saying you don’t like her as a pony?” he pressed, pushing me back on my metaphorical heels.

Setting my jaw a little firmer, I answered. “I do like her. She’s one of my best friends, and yes, she’s a good-looking mare, but that doesn’t mean her and I are together, Thorax. Trust me when I say she is not interested in me. Put it this way: I’d put my bits on my own mother coming onto me before Dash does. And let me just say, if that happened, I’d probably cut my dick off and throw it in the river.” At his confused expression, I clarified, “That’s a slang term for the male reproductive organ, most often used by minotaurs and gryphons.”

Understanding seemed to dawn on him. “So you’re saying-”

“Never gonna happen,” I finished for him. “I have a better chance of getting pity sex from Scootaloo, and she’s bent toward other mares. Yes, it’s that ridiculous.”

Thorax looked like he still wanted to argue, but eventually relented with a sigh. “Fine, I’ll drop it. On a similar subject though, do you have your eye on anyone else at the moment?”

I shrugged. “Supposedly there are a few other applicants Rarity’s already approved, so I’m waiting on them to come to me. That’s generally how things work in Equestrian herds: the lead mare evaluates applicants, and the lead stallion -- or drake, in my case -- gives the final approval when they decide to finally meet him. Since no one else has approached me, they probably aren’t ready yet. Besides,” I shrugged again, “I already have my hands full with six, which is more than most stallions handle on their own. Normally, at this point, we would have scoped out another stallion to take some of the pressure off of me, but…” I shivered involuntarily. “Just the thought of another male being with my herd makes me…uneasy, let’s say. I still don’t know what we’re going to do about that. The fact we all have our own obligations and lives outside of the herd makes things easier, since we’re not just stewing on thoughts of who has the most time with certain members of the herd, but I don’t know how long that will last. It might not be sustainable.”

“You’re the first dragon to have a herd, though,” Thorax suggested. “Maybe this will work out for you.”

“Or it could crash and burn. It’s too early to tell at this point,” I countered, knowing I had to keep that perspective, just in case we started to split at the seams.

A deep buzzing noise could be heard approaching from the distance, slowly increasing in volume until Ponyville’s new changeling queen could be seen approaching the train station. Before she arrived, Thorax clapped me on the back and said, “For what it’s worth, I hope it all works out for you nonetheless. You’re probably the best friend I could ever ask for, and you deserve a happy life.”

Lyla descended and landed a bit more sloppily than I was used to, and I immediately held out a hand to steady her. Because of that, everyone was now staring at the tall changeling female. After trying her best to brush it off, she challenged, “What are you all staring at? These wings work differently than the ones I had before.” She turned back to me and sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “I can fly a lot faster now, but I have less control. I’m going to need to get plenty of practice so I can use these things without crashing.”

I leaned over and gave the brightly-colored changeling a quick kiss, commenting, “Well, for what it’s worth, your wings are beautiful. I’m sure you’ll get the technique down in no time.”

“At least you’re roughly the same size,” Thorax threw in, grinning at his fellow changeling royal. “If I didn’t pay attention to how I was walking, I would end up tripping for the first week after my transformation. Pharynx too, though he’ll never admit it.”

As Lyla took her place at my side, I nudged her gently. “How is everything otherwise?”

She shrugged. “Well, other than the fact I got wolf-whistled yesterday, everything’s been fine.”

I raised my brow. “Say what?”

“Yeah, a stallion and his marefriend made their approval known as I was making my way through town,” Lyla answered, carefully folding her wings and allowing her shell to close over them. “It’s been a long time since that happened, and the last time was because I took off my shirt because it was so hot outside. I was also working up on a roof at the time, so it’s not like I did it for no reason.”

Chuckling a bit at the changeling queen, I carefully explained, “Lyla, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’re hot. Besides that, look at how ponies are colored as well as the clothing they wear: ponies naturally prefer brighter tones. With you being white with light accents, you’re more pleasing to look at now. Not that you weren’t before, but…well, let’s say you upgraded. The pony psyche is naturally drawn to bright, vibrant colors, so violet, dark green, and black aren’t normally colors they choose for themselves.”

“Let’s not forget the fact that your body upgraded in other ways,” Twilight added, finally speaking up as she made her way over to the three of us. “You’re tall, you’re fit, and you’re curvy. You’re going to get looks anywhere you go, Lyla. Trust me, I know the struggle. I had to get used to the same thing when I became an alicorn.”

Lyla blushed a bit at Twilight’s comment. “I-I mean I don’t really mind, it’s just…different. I’m not used to the attention. Besides, the first time I got a ton of attention, things turned out pretty badly.”

Even after all these years, I still growled at the memory of finding Lyla half-dead.

“My thoughts exactly, Spike,” Twilight agreed, nodding firmly with a frown.

Taking a breath in through my nose, I settled my emotions before speaking again. “After Twilight shouted at the town that time, even the hostile ponies knew it was better to just leave you alone. Now, you’re not going to be able to be so incognito anymore. Ponies are going to want to talk to you and be around you, which is a good thing, but yes, it’s going to feel weird for you. You can still feel what they are feeling though, so you can still tell if any of them have bad intentions.”

The rhythmic chugging of the approaching train had now increased in volume enough that it drew everyone’s attention, and all of us looked to the track just in time to see the Ponyville Express break through the treeline. The brightly colored train slowed down as the brakes were applied, all of us watching it pull up in front of us until, finally, it stopped, and the doors opened to allow the passengers to exit the cars.

Everyone began saying their goodbyes to Smolder and Twilight, but before any of them could even frown, a flash of teal magic heralded the arrival of Starlight, causing all five of the departing creatures to wrap her in hugs. Starlight happily embraced her students, giving well wishes to each of them, before allowing them to pull away even as she sniffled with tears in her eyes.

“I’m going to miss all of you,” Starlight announced, hiccuping once as she tried to keep herself from outright sobbing. Twilight stepped up beside her and extended her wing to wrap around Starlight’s shoulders as they both watched their students gather their luggage and begin boarding the train. With Twilight and I giving a parting hug to Thorax, we watched as everyone found their places in the train car, opening the windows to scream their farewells to all of us as the whistle blew, the conductor gave the all-clear, and the train began moving once again. In only a matter of ten minutes, Smolder was the only one of her group that was left, and she threw aside any semblance of stoicism as she rushed to the edge of the platform, yelling words of affection and friendship to her friends as they pulled away.

Eventually, the train moved far enough along the track that we could no longer pick out the departing guests anymore, so we all huddled together, watching the train until it pulled around a bend, disappearing behind a large hill. Smolder readily accepted a comforting hug from Starlight, both of them with teary eyes, though Smolder would probably deny it. Since our other guests had left before this day, once Ember and Smolder left, the castle would again be a quiet place, which I knew I would find myself wanting to fill with the voices of my friends every chance I got.

“Goodbyes are always the hardest,” Twilight said aloud, speaking the words I imagine all of us were feeling at the moment.

Sniffling again, rubbing her eyes to try and clear them, Starlight nodded with a sad smile. “Y-yeah, they are. I hope we get to see everyone again soon.” She gently walked out from under Twilight’s wing and gave herself a bit of a shake, turning to all of us and tossing her head back toward the castle. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a hot chocolate right about now. Maybe a gallon of ice cream or three.”

We began walking back to the castle, even as Twilight said, “I’m not willing to work off that many calories, thank you very much. Hot chocolate still sounds good though. I’m in.”

Lyla sighed before announcing, “Unfortunately, my workload is pretty heavy today, so I gotta go again. I’ll be sure to swing by later when…” Though she didn’t finish the sentence, we all knew what she was talking about. Nonetheless, she gave me a chaste kiss, and Twilight a hug before lifting off into the sky (albeit, a bit shakily) and speeding off back toward town.

After watching the changeling leave, the four of us quickly made our way through the town and back home, stopping only to greet the few ponies that were out and about at that time.

Upon arriving back at the castle, like usual, we began making our way back toward the stairwell that would take us to the second floor. There was, however, a difference now, as there were three ponies gathered in front of the public dais, obviously waiting for us to return.

Twilight immediately straightened her back, spread her wings a bit, and put on her formal princess smile as she greeted, “Good day, my little ponies. How can I help you this morning?”

The group was composed of a stallion, a mare, and a young filly. They looked between one another before the stallion stepped forward, reaching in the satchel that rested against his hip, and pulling out a rolled piece of paper. Twilight took it with a smile and unrolled the stationary, beginning to read. It only took a few seconds for her to finish before she rolled it back up and fixed the three with a more grave expression.

“Where did you get this?” she asked softly, but firmly.

“We regularly travel to Canterlot to trade alchemy reagents with the locals there,” the stallion answered, nodding toward the paper in Twilight’s hands. “Those were being passed out by a few ponies a block or two from the palace a few days before Hearth’s Warming. We didn’t get back into town until just now, but we thought it was something you might want to see.”

Twilight let out a long breath through her nose, nodding to the gathered ponies. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Have a good day, you three.” Taking that as their dismissal, the ponies quickly left the castle, closing the large door behind them.

Gesturing to the item with a nod of my head, I asked, “So what is it?”

Twilight chewed on her lip before gingerly passing the rolled paper to me. “You’re not going to like this.”

I took the offered paper and unrolled it, gazing at what was inside. Printed in grayscale in the center of the paper was a photograph overlooking the private airdock of the castle, where you could clearly see a dragon being smothered in the bust of a certain white alicorn mare. The dragon was, of course, me. I remembered the moment with some minor embarrassment, but what turned that embarrassment to anger was the bold headline at the top of the flyer.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA’S SECRET LOVER?”

For a few seconds, I couldn’t do anything except stare at the headline in baffled shock. I had so many conflicting emotions running through me at that moment that I couldn’t form a response that didn’t involve breaking something. If I hadn’t been training with Ember to control my more volatile emotions, I had no doubt I’d be setting something on fire at that moment.

“W-what in the hell is this?” Smolder voiced from beside me, her response more confusion, less anger.

“It’s slander, that’s what it is,” Starlight growled, her righteous anger making me feel a little bit better.

Twilight gently took the paper from my hands, crumpling it up and setting it on fire with a spark from her horn. “Unfortunately, it’s not. Because the headline asked a question, instead of asserting something, it’s technically not slander, and so we can’t just bring charges against whoever did this. I think it’s clear to all of us what they are trying to do here, but because of the wording, they’re not breaking any laws. We can’t prove malicious intent just from this, unfortunately.”

While the anger within me had lessened to a more manageable degree, I was still seething. “Twilight, what’s the maximum punishment for assault?”

“No, Spike. You’re not going to be punching anypony,” Twilight chastised firmly. “As much as I wish I could do the same, we can’t go breaking laws just because of this.”

With the haze of rage subsiding a bit more, I was finally able to focus on my peripheral, and saw that Smolder’s confusion had graduated to anger now. “So you’re just going to let these snakes get away with it? Do you know what we’d do if something like this happened back home? Dragons have been permanently maimed for less!”

“Smolder, I get it, but we have laws we must follow,” Twilight explained, her voice flat. “Yes, this is a dirty game being played, and we all know it, but we must still adhere to the rule of law. Trust me when I say they are not going to get away with this. We will find out who did it, we will track them down, and they will face justice one way or another. And don’t tell Ember about it just yet, please.”

Smolder growled before stomping away, and honestly, I understood her feelings. I, too, wanted to immediately get retribution for this, but the real world doesn’t work that way. Besides that, while I think all of us could guess Rosy Glow had a hand in this, we couldn’t prove it, and we could be wrong about that anyway.

Closing my eyes and breathing more slowly out of my nose, I requested, “Twilight, I’m sure mom’s already seen it, but just in case, send her and Aunt Luna a letter. Then-”

“I’ll get a hold of the city guard captain in Canterlot, to see if he can start tracking down whoever started this,” Twilight finished, nodding firmly. “Well, I guess we’ll be doing some work today after all. Spike,” she leaned forward, giving me a light kiss on the side of my mouth, “try and keep calm.”

Twilight teleported away, leaving only Starlight and I standing on the dais. “What normally keeps you calm?”

“Kissing a gorgeous mare does a pretty good job of it,” I idly commented, smirking halfheartedly at Starlight.

The mare smirked right back, taking my hand and guiding me toward the stairs. “I think I’ve already given you enough of a gift today, loverdrake.”

Feeling a bit more of my playful side surface with the relaxing banter, I said, “Can you blame me? I already got to see the cookie jar, so maybe I want a little taste.”

“You have six other cookie jars already. Taste some of them,” Starlight retorted, though she still smiled at me.

We began to climb the spiral stairs, but I still had one little quip to give her. “Every cookie is different, Star. I especially like the soft, moist ones.” Starlight missed a step and nearly fell, only her grip on the railing preventing her from doing so. With a bark of a laugh, I shouted, “Hah, I win!”

“You are an unabashed pervert,” Starlight muttered as she continued ascending the stairs.

Following closely behind the mare, I argued, “What does that make you, then?”

“A mare that was taking a shower and didn’t see the point in covering up what you had already seen,” she countered, though again, she didn’t seem particularly bothered. “You know by now that I live my life in the realm of practicality. Hence the whole ‘no cutie marks’ fiasco I cooked up.”

Twisting my lips into a grimace, I couldn’t help but grunt, “Not one of your finest moments.”

Starlight let out a long sigh. “No, but it was brought about from what I saw as practicality. In my warped mind, I saw cutie marks as the common factor for all of society’s problems amongst ponies, and so I figured if we just got rid of them, everything would be better. Sure, I was wrong, but my analysis was based on logic.”

“But ‘logic’ can be kind of a misnomer sometimes,” I pointed out, just as we reached the top of the stairs. “Someone’s logic is based on what they believe to be true, but that might not line up with what is true. With that being the case, are you going to tell me why you actually let me watch you shower? We both know you possess both the power and skill to have teleported me back out of the washroom within a second of me arriving. As soon as you saw it was me, you could have sent me out to my room or something.” Starlight was silent now, prompting me to tease her again. “You wanted me to watch, didn’t you? You’re a dirty mare, Star.”

Starlight grasped my hand again and began pulling me to the kitchen. Silence again enveloped us for some time until she spoke once again, nearly whispering. “Is it so wrong to want to feel sexy every now and then? I’m not gonna deny that seeing the effect I had on you was exciting. Besides: it was your fault. You’re the one that couldn’t stop staring.”

“Technically, it was Twilight’s fault,” I corrected with a chuckle. “I didn’t teleport myself there.”

“She didn’t force you to stare,” Starlight countered, releasing my hand once we arrived in the kitchen, at which point she began preparing mugs of hot chocolate for the two of us.

I leaned back against the counter while Starlight did her work, watching her intently as she did so. “Can you blame me? You’re beautiful, and you’re one of my best friends. I’d have to be either blind or crazy not to find you attractive.”

Starlight quickly turned her head away as a blush bloomed on her cheeks, focusing on the work at hand. “...th-thank you. Y’know, you’re a lot more confident than you used to be. I remember back before I left to travel, all I had to do to turn you into a stuttering mess was just stretch a certain way.”

I shrugged. “I have a herd now, and what’s more, Ember’s been helping me come into my own as a dragon. Confidence comes with that. One of the things she made sure to beat into my head is that even though my hoard is unique, wanting more is not. Dragons always desire to add more to their hoard, and she’s taught me I shouldn’t feel bad about that desire.” I laughed a bit self-consciously. “Granted, hoarding girls isn’t the same as gold, jewels, and whatnot; I can’t exactly just go out and pick up mares whenever I feel the urge to do so. I’m still bound by the morals of my upbringing, so I care what others think more than most dragons would.”

“So you’re not trying to ‘pick me up’ then?” Starlight prodded, her eyes focused on the steaming saucepan.

I shook my head. “No, I’m not. Everything has to go through Rarity first, so-”

“But you’re allowed to make suggestions, Spike,” Starlight advised, still not looking at me. She grabbed a nearby mug and poured the steaming mixture into it, stirring a few times before shaving some chocolate on top and handing it to me with a smile.

I took the offered mug from her, but was now a bit confused. “Are…are you saying I should be suggesting something, Starlight?”

She just kept smiling at me before stepping away and heading out of the room. “See you later, Spike. Keep your chin up.”

I could only stare as the mare left the room, holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate and not for the first time wishing I could read minds.

After a minute or so, I mentally shrugged and left the room as well, sipping the drink as I made my way back to the private apartments. Ember had been with Fizzlepop for quite a while by now, so I thought it would be best if I checked on them, just to be sure they hadn’t gotten in a fight or something. The castle was still standing, which kinda ruled that out, but I was still interested to know exactly how they were doing.

Within a few minutes, I was knocking on Fizzlepop’s door again, and only a moment later, the door was pulled open by the unicorn herself. Surprisingly, she was smiling at me, and beckoned me inside, where I immediately saw Ember sitting in a relaxed pose on an armchair, and judging by the placement of a few knick-knacks on the coffee table, which I could only conclude were storytelling props, it appeared she had not sat herself as far away as possible from the unicorn as they were talking. That alone made me smile.

“So, you haven’t killed each other yet. That’s a good sign,” I casually observed, smirking at the two.

However, as I approached, Ember suddenly perked up with a frown. “Spike, what happened?” At my confused look, she rolled her eyes. “I told you, as our bond deepens, I’ll be able to feel what you’re feeling when you’re close. Right now, you’re in turmoil.”

“So I can’t hide anything from you,” I half-lamented.

Ember moved to the sofa, then patted the spot next to her. “You shouldn’t be anyway. Now c’mon, tell me what’s wrong.”

I took a seat next to Ember, and was immediately brought into her arms as she embraced me. Fizzlepop stood by awkwardly and suggested, “I can give you guys a moment to-”

I held up a hand to stop her. “No, you’ll end up finding out at some point anyway. Take a seat, Fizzle.” The unicorn still looked a little awkward, but carefully took the seat Ember had been using before, and gave me her full attention.

With a deep breath to prepare myself, I started with, “First, Ember, you have to promise you’re not going to go on a hunt to hurt anyone.”

She raised her brow at me, her nostrils flaring as she clearly prepared herself for whatever I was going to say. “...fine, I promise. Now, out with it.”

“I…I saw Starlight in the shower,” I began, staring down at the table in front of me. Ember just sat there for a moment, so I explained, “Let me rephrase that: Starlight let me see her showering. For a few minutes. She let me see everything.”

Ember paused, her hand that was rubbing my shoulder stopping for a moment. “Well…that doesn’t sound that bad.”

“Twilight was there, too,” I added. “After Starlight left, Twilight and I shared a bath together, and…well, let’s say we got closer than we’ve ever been before. I was this close to just taking her, right there and then. Today has been one hay of a day, I’ll say that.”

Ember was largely stoic, but Fizzle was now actively blushing and fanning herself, though the unicorn said nothing. Eventually, Ember pushed me on. “Okay, but I have a feeling that’s not everything.”

“I’m gonna skip the middle bit here, because I want to tell something else first,” I advised, knowing what happened before the kitchen was going to be the part that was going to make Ember want to do something drastic. “I think Starlight might have…implied I should suggest to Rarity she join the herd. Maybe. I-I don’t know for sure.”

Ember tilted her head at that. “Huh. I have to be honest, I didn’t even know she was interested in you.”

“Like I said,” I grumbled, “with the way she worded things, I don’t know what she was really trying to say. It was confusing. When I asked her to clarify, she just left with a smile. She’s always been kinda flirty, but this felt different somehow.”

Ember went back to gently running her palm over my shoulder. “That’s unfortunately something you’re going to have to work out on your own. As for my thoughts, I’ll say that I do like Starlight. She’s a smart, strong mare, and while I’m not saying you should do anything, she wouldn’t be a bad mate by any stretch.” She then bumped her body into me. “Now, get to the part you skipped. Pretty sure that’s the part you think is going to make me mad.”

“Not think, know,” I corrected with a huff. I took a moment to prepare myself for an explosive reaction before beginning. “Okay, remember when we went to Canterlot, and my mom hugged me in the airdock?”

“I remember you looking really embarrassed as an alicorn shoved your face in her breasts,” Ember teased, throwing a smirk my way.

I reached back and nervously rubbed the back of my neck, even as I blushed. “Y-yeah, that. Anyway, somepony somehow got a picture of that.”

“Wait wait wait, back up,” Fizzlepop interrupted, waving her hand to get our attention. “Who is your mother?”

Slumping a bit, knowing I was going to have to let a secret out to her, I answered, “Princess Celestia. Legally, my name is Spike Solaris. No, I’m not a prince, but that’s only because I never had a coronation. Legally, I’m part of the royal family and first in line to the crown if anything should happen where Celestia, Luna, and Twilight can’t lead. Should they all somehow come down with an illness at the same time, for example, I would either have to take the throne, or delegate everything to someone I trust.”

Fizzlepop just stared at me with her jaw dropped. She eventually leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “Just when I thought I knew you…”

Ember again bumped against me and said, “Okay, back on track now. What does the picture have to do with how you’re feeling?”

Just thinking about it caused the fire in me to burn a bit hotter, and I again had to control my anger. “A bunch of ponies were handing out flyers with that picture on it, and the headline suggested that I’m a secret lover of Princess Celestia.”

Ember sat back with a huff. “That’s…kinda messed up, but I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Fizzlepop slowly raised her hand, and when I nodded to her, she said, “Okay, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but the relatively quiet life that you all have here is largely because no one knows Spike is a royal. Is that about it?” I nodded again in agreement. “With this little picture out there, the royal family is going to be forced to address all of this. What’s more, the only easy way to get rid of all this is to admit, publicly, that Spike is legally a prince of Equestria.”

“That’s not all,” I muttered, feeling a headache beginning at the thoughts I had tried to ignore regarding this problem. “Opponents in the upper class could file suits against the royal family, claiming that the only reason I’m not banished or in a cage is because I’m related to Celestia and Luna by adoption. They’ll claim I got off easy on things I shouldn’t have, all because of my family. They’ll scream about nepotism and unfair privilege. I don’t want to sound like a sensationalist, but this could cause political unrest and riots.”

“...and that includes you ‘getting away’ with what happened with Sapphira,” Ember concluded with a scowl. “Those same nobles are going to suggest the only reason you weren’t thrown in the dungeon is because you’re Celestia’s son.”

“Exactly,” I finished, resting my face in my hands as I groaned. “Why, why can’t these petty bastards just leave us alone?!”

The room was quiet for a few minutes, all of us just thinking about everything. Eventually, Ember spoke again, but she definitely didn’t sound happy. “I…I understand why you asked me to promise not to hurt anyone, Spike. However, you can’t just expect me to sit here while someone does this to people I care about!”

“I can and I am, Ember,” I argued, sitting up and resting my hand on her leg as I looked into her eyes. “We have to follow Equestrian law-”

“With all due respect, fuck your laws,” she snarled, saying a curse I hadn’t heard her use before. Smoke was now puffing out of her nose as she breathed heavily. “This isn’t just a threat, this is an attack, Spike! Their actions are actively threatening your way of life, your safety, and that of everyone you’re close to! DON’T ASK ME TO STAND BY AND DO NOTHING!”

The room shook from the force of Ember’s voice, and for a second, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Unlike me, Ember had far more experience with her emotions, and one look around the room, as well as at Fizzlepop and I, made her realize how she was acting. Closing her eyes, and with a phenomenal application of will, Ember’s breath slowed and she stopped expelling smoke.

A moment later Ember opened her eyes, only to look down at her lap in shame. “...I’m sorry.”

Without wasting another second, I gathered the dragoness up in my arms and tucked her head under my chin, holding her tightly and gently stroking her back. “Shh, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay Ember, I’m not angry with you. Fizzle’s not either, right?”

Fizzlepop had gathered her wits during that short time, and nodded to the dragoness with a surprisingly collected expression. “Right. It’s okay to be mad, Ember. This whole situation is bucked up, and you’re allowed to be angry.”

“But I was raised better than this,” Ember mumbled, not even trying to move from my embrace. “I know how dangerous it is to lose my cool, and I know better than to react on impulse like that. I’m supposed to…I have to be better than that. I’m not some little whelp anymore, so there’s no excuse for that.”

“No one’s perfect, Ember,” I pointed out, briefly moving my head to lay a kiss on her temple before going back to running my hand in circles on her back. “No one in their right mind expects perfection from anyone. Besides: this is a private moment. I’m not telling anyone about it.”

From the corner of my vision, I watched as Fizzlepop’s hand hesitated before reaching over and pressing her hand against Ember’s knee, and she offered us a reassuring smile. “Same here. This momentary loss of control can be our little secret.” The hand was removed just as quickly, but I sent the unicorn a smile of my own to let her know I appreciated her for it.

Ember let out a breath and closed her eyes as she snuggled against me. “Thank you. Both of you.”

I smiled down at Ember and chuckled lightly. “Y’know, I originally came here to check on the two of you, to see how your talk was going. Then we got kinda distracted, I think.”

Fizzlepop laughed as well. “Unless Ember has something to say about it, I’m pretty sure we’re good. We hashed everything out for a while, we watched you fight Yona…”

Giving a nervous laugh of my own, I cleared my throat. “Oh, you saw that?”

“Yep, which is why we didn’t ask about your busted lip,” Fizzlepop clarified, smirking at me. “Anyway, after that…we talked about you.”

A smile slowly formed on my face as I raised my brow at Fizzlepop. “Did you now?”

“We did indeed,” she answered with no embarrassment whatsoever. “We talked about how much of a dork you are, and how often you blurt out things without thinking.”

I admit I was deflated from her answer. “Oh…okay.”

“But I think we’re okay now,” Fizzlepop finished with a little half-smile. “We’re not best buddies or anything, but I don’t think Ember’s going to be hiding from me anymore.”

Ember snorted at the offense, but I chuckled and cuddled her more. “Then that’s good enough for me. Thanks, Fizzle.”

The mare nodded before standing. “Now, I never got around to cleaning up after my workout, so unless you want to be caught watching a mare showering for a second time today…”

I surprised myself when I immediately returned fire with, “Caught or invited?”

A mild blush bloomed on Fizzlepops cheeks, but her smile persisted. “Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Get out,” she finished, shaking her head and waving me away.

I chuckled to myself, still reeling from the audacity of my teasing, but stood and pulled Ember with me as I made my way to the door. Before exiting I stopped and glanced back at Fizzlepop, who was still standing in the living room with that same half-smile on her lips. “Can I count you in for dinner tonight?”

The mare went silent for a moment, apparently considering the offer, before giving a single nod. “You can. I’ll be there.”

And so, with a bit of a bounce in my step, I led Ember out of the room and closed the door behind me. From there, I immediately brought us to Twilight’s study, where the mare herself was reading a book and sipping chamomile tea, the latter of which she drank whenever she needed to soothe her nerves. I understood the sentiment, and was just happy I only had to deal with one herd member that wanted to tear someone apart.

Twilight looked up as we entered, and upon seeing the state of Ember, frowned. “You told her, didn’t you?”

Ember nodded glumly. “He did, and I kinda…lost my cool for a little bit.”

Twilight looked us up and down, sighing as she stood. “Well, I don’t see any burns on your clothing, so can I assume nothing’s broken?”

I nodded to her. “Yeah, she’ll be okay.”

“Saying I’m ‘okay’ isn’t exactly accurate, but I’m not gonna destroy Canterlot, if that’s what you’re asking,” Ember said, gently pulling away from me as she stood up to her full height again. “However, you know I can’t let this stand, Twilight. It’s unacceptable.”

The mare slowly nodded as she moved forward and reached up, gently cupping the dragoness’ face in her hands. “Ember, I swear I’ll do everything in my power to right this wrong. Trust me. I’m every bit as upset as you are, and there will be vengeance. We just have to be smart about it.”

Ember reached up and grasped one of Twilight’s hands, smiling a bit crookedly. “If there’s one thing I can always trust about you, it’s that you’re smart. I believe you, Twilight.”

A faint dusting of pink bloomed on Twilight’s cheeks, but she smiled back at the dragoness as she released her. “Good. Anyway, it’s about that time for you to…”

At the mention of what was to come, Ember sighed and looked down at the floor. “Time for me to leave. Yeah, I’ve been trying not to think about it.”

Twilight stepped up to the dragoness and wrapped her arms around the larger female, leaning her weight into Ember as the dragoness’ wings enclosed her. I joined the embrace a moment later, and for a few seconds, we just stood there and enjoyed the shared warmth.

Eventually, we broke apart and Twilight asked, “Did you want help getting your armor on?”

Ember shook her head. “Nah, I’m not wearing it. I can just send it back home with a portal; how do you think I got it here in the first place?”

Twilight’s mouth formed a little “oh” shape as realization dawned on her. “Ah, I wondered how you did that. When you flew in, you weren’t carrying anything with you, and then your armor just kind of…appeared.”

Ember smirked at her as we began moving as a group out of the study. “Dragons can do portals too, but over long distances, it’s not safe to transport a living body. Things can get…lost. It makes it easy to add things to the hoard though, should we find anything in our travels. That way we don’t have to fly it all the way back home. I have an anchor point in my hoard room that I can use to create a portal from almost anywhere.”

Despite the lingering topic, Twilight smiled a bit at that. “That’s incredible. I’ll have to talk to you about that when we next see each other.”

While the near future was still weighing heavily on all of us, being near each other made it hurt a little less.

And so, despite my wishes that somehow, some way, Ember would be able to stay forever, the time finally came for the two dragoness’ departure. The entire herd had gathered on the largest palace balcony outside of the commons room, and everyone was saying their farewells to the two as they were the subject of hugs and well-wishes. I was up next and I gave Smolder a one-armed hug (to preserve her air of toughness), but of course fully embraced Ember as she wasted no time in engaging me in a firm kiss.

Our tongues battled for supremacy for a few seconds (with both of us winning) before she finally pulled away and just rested her head on my shoulder. We held one another for what felt like a long time, yet not long enough. Before we pulled away, I whispered, “Fly safely, my beloved. I’ll be counting the minutes until we’re together again.”

Ember loosed a girlish giggle, nosing my throat before pulling away. “That was sappy, but I like it. I love you too, my mate.”

Finally, Twilight stepped forward and hugged Smolder first, whispering something in her ear before moving to Ember. The elder dragoness initiated the hug this time, pulling Twilight into her arms and wrapping her tail and wings around the mare as they embraced. The two held each other tightly before breaking apart, but just before pulling away, Twilight leaned up and laid a soft, lingering kiss at the corner of Ember’s mouth. The dragoness froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, before catching eyes with the mare as they pulled away from one another.

Ember raised a brow and smirked. “I’m not injured, and you’re not disoriented by being groggy from sleep. What’s your excuse this time, Twilight?”

Twilight’s face was burning, but she still held the dragoness’ gaze. She seemed to be struggling to say something, and for a moment, I thought she was going to break down and confess, right there.

“E-Ember, I…” she began, only to trail off as she laid her head on Ember’s shoulder for a moment. Upon removing herself from the dragoness, Twilight stood up taller and smiled more confidently. “Have a safe flight, you two. I promise to get those gates up and running as soon as I can.”

Ember kept smiling at her fellow herdmate, giving Twilight’s shoulder a gentle rub. “I know you will, Twilight. I have faith in you.” Ember stared into the eyes of the alicorn for a few more moments, and the longer she did, the more teary her eyes became. With a loud sigh and a hurried wipe of her eyes, Ember stepped away and shook her body out. “Hoo, okay, time to go. You ready Smolder?”

The younger dragoness was smirking up at Ember. “I don’t know, are you sure you don’t want to stay with your herd forever and ever?”

“Don’t tempt me,” Ember replied with a slight frown even as she turned to face the edge of the balcony. We all stepped away to give the two dragoness’ ample space to spread their wings, but Ember looked back one last time before they took off. She spent a few seconds just looking at everyone there, finally settling on me. “I’ll miss all of you.”

Twilight was too close to crying to say anything, so Rarity stepped up and nodded firmly to Ember, even as her eyes shined with unshed tears. “And we shall miss you too, darling. Fly safe, fly fast, and return to us soon.”

Ember nodded before both dragoness’ flapped their wings simultaneously, blasting them into the air. Both of them glanced down at us once more before rocketing north, disappearing in the haze of falling snow within seconds, and leaving all of us feeling varying degrees of loss once we could no longer see them.

Six herd members plus Starlight continued watching the sky, and I had a feeling that even Fizzlepop was looking out the window at that moment.

“This…sucks,” I commented, unable to say much else.

“And it appears we’re all busy as well, which means we cannot stay,” Rarity said, her tone speaking of exactly how much she didn’t want that to be the case.

Rolling my shoulders, I turned back toward the interior. “Well, let’s get moving. The sooner we finish our work, the sooner we can spend time together. Who’s gonna be staying tonight?” Glancing back over my shoulder, I noticed everyone present was just looking around at each other, but no one was saying anything. “...anyone?”

“Seems we all got stuff we gotta do, Spike,” Applejack answered for the group.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy chimed in, looking ashamed.

I shook my head and took another breath to try to handle the disappointment. “It’s not your fault, girls. We all have obligations, so don’t feel bad about doing what needs to be done. Besides, it’s not like we live in different towns or anything like that.”

Rarity stepped forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek, lovingly caressing the area before stepping away. “How about we plan to have a herd date later this week? Does that sound doable for everyone?” A chorus of affirmative answers followed, which lifted my spirits a little. “Then it’s decided. For now, this is goodbye, but don’t be afraid to drop by and visit us if you’re around, dear.”

“And never forget that we love you, Spike,“ Lyla added, smiling at me.

I gave one more smile to all of them as we headed back inside, and I helped each of them get dressed to brave the chilly air once again. Sooner than I wanted though, all of them were dressed in their coats and boots, and I had to say goodbye to each one as they left through the front door, until it was just me, Twilight, and Starlight watching them go as we closed the door behind them.

We stood there for a few seconds, lingering at the entryway, before Starlight exhaled heavily and turned on her hooves. “Okay then, back to work.”

Twilight followed the other mare while I just stood there, hoping against hope that the door would once again open and everyone would come back. When they didn’t, I swallowed down the heartache and turned on my heel, following the two mares back upstairs for a long day of work.

Chapter 28

“Pinkie, the shirt didn’t shrink,” I carefully advised, trying not to sound overly judgemental.

I somehow found myself in Pinkie’s room with her, only a few days after the departure of Ember and Smolder, wondering why I was helping her pick out clothes. Unlike when Rarity would do the same thing, as far as I could tell, there wasn’t any playful seduction or anything of the sort: the pink earth pony was just tossing clothing out of her closet as she sifted through shirts, trying to find “the right one,” though she never specified what would make it right. This was further complicated by the fact she was wearing next to nothing the entire time, and watching her wiggle into or out of clothes was…doing things to me.

In a supposed effort to show me how the shirt didn't fit right, Pinkie decided to bounce up and down, causing her fun parts to also bounce. Said parts had my complete, undivided attention during their dance before I physically slapped myself to stay in the conversation.

“Ooh, that looked like it hurt,” Pinkie commented. “Anyway, I just wore this shirt before I went back to the farm! I washed it when I was there, and now it doesn’t fit!”

I closed my eyes and worked to settle my labido, which a certain curvy friend of mine was putting through the wringer. “Okay, this is gonna sound kinda creepy for me to ask, but do your bras still fit?”

I heard the rustling of fabric. “Um…” Some more rustling, the sound of what was clearly a clip of some kind, followed by more of the same sounds. After a minute or so, Pinkie cried, “No! My girls are escaping now!”

“Pinkie, for the love of Faust, can we please not discuss what your ‘girls’ are doing?” I pleaded, admittedly on the verge of whining. “Anyway, if your girls are escaping now, the only logical explanation is that you…might have gotten a little bigger.”

I heard Pinkie gasp loudly. “Spike, did you just call me fat?”

“Wait, no, I didn’t-”

“I prefer the term ‘voluptuous,’ thank you very much!” she concluded, sounding suitably outraged. Had I the courage to open my eyes, I probably would have laughed at her facial expressions. As it was, I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t receive an eyeful of Pinkie’s two funbags, and I had enough mare problems at the moment. I didn’t need to start fantasizing about another of my best friends.

“Pinkie,” I groaned pitifully, “I don’t think anyone is denying that you’re very curvy, and you have a body that is likely in the dreams of a good number of Ponyville’s populace.”

“Thanks Spikey!”

“You’re welcome,” I grunted, with my eyes remaining closed. “However, all I’m saying is maybe you ate too much food over the holidays. That’s it. You’re still cute, you’re still pretty, and I’m sure no one will deny that. All I’m saying is that it doesn’t make sense that all of your clothes seem to have gotten tighter all of the sudden, seemingly at the same time.”

“W-well maybe if I…” Pinkie began, before more rustling was heard. After a moment, the very distinct sound of tearing fabric was heard, followed by a cry of frustration. “Aww, phooey! Fine, guess I have to wear my not-so-cute clothes for now.” After a few more moments, Pinkie tapped me on my shoulder with a sigh. “Okay Spikey, you can open your eyes now.”

Cracking open one eye, I was relieved to see Pinkie was now wearing a long white shirt that was quite a bit more roomy than what she normally wore. She still wasn’t wearing any bottoms, but since she was at least wearing underwear, that was the best I was probably going to get for the moment. I tried to ignore the two pointy spots on the front of her shirt (which oddly reminded me of little, wrapped bon-bons), and I definitely wasn’t wondering if they tasted as sweet as the pony smelled.

Pinkie was staring down at the floor, shamefully hoofing the fluffy, pink carpet on the floor. “W-well…I guess if I’m being honest, I might have had one too many goodies sometimes.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “O-okay, maybe more than just sometimes.”

Smiling and reaching up to capture her chin, I gently tilted her head up until those beautiful baby-blues were looking at me. “If it bothers you that much, you can join me when I exercise. I work out every day, so I'm sure I can fit you in if you want some help. I give it a week of that, and you’ll be back in tip-top shape.”

Pinkie pouted at that. “That doesn’t exactly sound like a whole lot of fun, Spike.”

I shrugged helplessly, releasing her chin as I stood. “There’s no easy way to stay in shape, Pinkie. It takes hard work and dedication. It’s either that, or you have to buy an entire wardrobe of new clothes.”

Pinkie looked behind her, where piles of her clothes littered the floor, and sighed. “Fiiiine…I guess I gotta.” She tromped over to the closet and pulled out a cute little pair of bright blue cargo shorts, which she shimmied into and buttoned before trotting over to me.

Looking the mare up and down, I asked, “Now, was there an actual reason you invited me over here, or did you just want to torture me by playing dressup?”

“Yeperooni! I wanted you to help me make a baby!”

I just stared at the mare for a long time. “You want me to help you make…a baby…”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the door. “I got an order for a cake in the shape of a baby! It’s gonna be soooo cute!”

I felt my eye twitch, and the intensity of the fire within reminded me I needed to burn some magic at some point that day. “...are you doing this on purpose?”

She tilted her head in that cute way a puppy does when it hears a new sound. "Am I doing what on purpose?”

I restrained the groan this time and swallowed all that down for now, instead nodding to the fun-loving pony at my side. “Nevermind. Sounds fun, Pinks.”

The baking had gone well enough, but after helping the pony make multiple cakes and shape them, I left the decorating to her. Not because I didn’t want to help, but because my fire burned all the hotter when Pinkie innocently asked if I wanted to “put some icing on her cake”. I felt bad at how rude I probably looked when I quickly said some haphazard goodbyes and all but sprinted out of the bakery. Still, I had to get out of there before I did something untoward to a friend.

The walk outside did some good to clear my head and settle my fire, and I found myself taking my time strolling around the town. The temperatures were slowly starting to become less cold as the days went on, which meant that within the next month, Winter Wrap-Up was going to happen. Since there was no more snow scheduled for the foreseeable future, the locals were shoveling around their homes, and volunteers were also cleaning up the public paths so that it was easier to get around town. This of course meant more ponies were out and about, which meant I got to say “hi” to quite a few that I hadn’t seen all winter. The flower triplets were out preparing their garden for the coming spring growing season, ensuring the bulbs that they had planted before winter were ready to sprout for spring, which meant the marketplace would soon have their colorful bouquets return. All three waved to me as I passed, but other than a wave in return, I didn’t stop to chat. Instead, I kept my feet moving, and just enjoyed the quiet for now. Quiet was a rarity for me, after all, so I took it where I could get it.

I was passing by the west end of town when I spotted a familiar young pegasus sitting on her front step. Her purple mane was nice and short, which was how she liked it, and her fur was well-brushed and clean. Scootaloo looked far more put together nowadays, and the sight made me smile. Sure, she was still in the thick of grieving, but things were improving, and that was always a good thing.

She was staring down at a book she was reading, her eyes scanning the page quickly as she remained engrossed in it. A glance at the cover showed it was a book on, of all things, engineering, and I found myself momentarily surprised by the topic. Then again, Scootaloo wasn’t known for being stupid. Sure, she wasn’t a bookworm or anything, but she was sharp as a tack, and twice as feisty.

The sound of my steps on the stone pathway alerted her to my approach, and she glanced up when she saw me. Immediately, her face relaxed into a smile, and she stood to greet me. I turned down the short walkway that led to her house, and met her with a hug once I stepped up to her front steps. After a few moments of holding the embrace, I released her.

Looking down at the pegasus, I greeted, “Hey, Scoots. How are you doing today?”

“I’m…doing okay,” she replied, shrugging a bit. “Not a hundred percent yet, but getting there.”

I gave her a firm nod. “That’s good.” I pointed to the book in her hand. “What’s that you’re reading?”

She glanced down at the book she held. “Oh, this? Just some stuff I was looking into. Helping others find their purpose in life might be my talent, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills. So…I’ve been thinking about what else I’m good at.” She gestured to the brand new picket fencing that encircled the yard, which included a space for the gate that was laying against the front porch. “I’ve always been good at building stuff, so I figured…why not upgrade that skill and learn some really cool stuff?”

My jaw dropped a little at that, again looking at the fence. “Wait, you built this? This is you?”

Scootaloo hopped down the steps and stood beside me. “Yep, I did this. Does it look good?”

I stepped away from her and got closer so I could inspect the fencing. Just from where I stood, the spacing between each fence post looked even, as did the individual pickets. The rails didn’t appear to dip anywhere, and the tops of each picket and post looked to also be in line with each other. Crouching, I followed the line with my eyes, and was impressed that I couldn’t pick out any obvious imperfections.

I stood again and walked back over to her with a gobsmacked expression. “Scoots, did you use a level when you did this?”

She shrugged. “Don’t have one. I kinda had to eyeball it.”

Whistling loud, I glanced back at the fence once more before smiling at Scootaloo. “Then this is pretty impressive. I’m no expert, but it looks pretty darn good.”

She shrugged again. “I mean, it’s not perfect. Just from here, I can see a couple parts that are a little uneven, but I think I did a pretty good job for my first fence.”

“I’ll say,” I marveled aloud, nodding approvingly at the fencing. “Hay, I’d pay for a job like this. You did good, Scoots.”

She gave a little smile at that. “Thanks, Spike. So, what’re you up to today?”

I shrugged. “Not much, honestly. The workload was pretty light today, with most of it being stuff Twilight had to take care of, so I’ve just been kinda wandering around to see what trouble I can get into.”

Scootaloo bit her lip, her eyes darting back to the house before looking up at me. “Do you think we could talk then?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

She shivered a bit and amended, “Do you think we could talk inside?”

Smiling briefly at the pegasus, I nodded. “Sure. Lead the way.”

I followed Scootaloo back in the house, idly noting that the house was nice and clean, and while quiet, had regained some life to it. She led me to the living room, where I took a seat on an armchair while Scootaloo sat on the edge of a loveseat.

“So, what’s up?” I asked, wondering what Scootaloo might want to speak in private about.

She let out a long breath before raising her eyes and plainly stating, “I’m worried about Rainbow.”

My first impulse was to laugh, but I swallowed that down. Even so, I couldn’t help the little bit of snark that escaped. “Yeah, welcome to the club, Scoots.”

She immediately frowned at that. “I’m serious.”

I sighed and leaned back in the chair, crossing a leg over my other knee. “I’m not sure what you want me to do about it. She hasn’t spoken to any of us since Hearth’s Warming, so unless you’re willing to give us some more information, I can’t really help. We don’t even know anything.”

She just stared at me for a minute before she spoke again. “...tell you what: if you tell me what happened the last time you all saw her, I’ll tell you what I know.”

I raised my brow at that. “She didn’t tell you? I figured she would have.”

Scootaloo shook her head with a straight face. “Nope. So clue me in, please.”

With a long sigh and doing my best to prepare myself, I began telling her what she wanted to know. Since she knew what happened before she left with her friends, I skipped ahead and just laid out everything that happened once she was gone. Most of it was pretty boring until, of course, I explained what happened at the end of the night.

“That…doesn’t sound like her,” she mumbled, glancing away with a mild blush. “I mean, she’s never been what I think any of us would call proper, but that was way past ‘crass’.” She bobbed her head a bit and shrugged. “But, if I’m being honest, her behavior after that kinda made sense. She’s always been a hothead, and doesn’t like being told what to do. If she was already sauced, that probably added to it. Couple that with the fact she’s a lightweight, and…”

With a snort, I nodded. “Fine, I guess that explains some of it. Still, the comment she made was way out of line, and for all the teasing she’s done over the years, that was too far. Now, I’ve told you what happened, so tell me what you know.”

Scootaloo again bit her lip and pulled her legs up to her chest as she went silent for a while. Eventually she breathed deep and said, “...okay, but bear in mind it’s not much. She’s been having nightmares every single night. I hear her crying in her sleep, but she acts like everything’s fine when she wakes up.”

I pursed my lips as I thought about that information. “And if she’s having nightmares, that means Luna’s letting it happen. That means she feels there’s something Dash needs to confront, but the fact she’s still having nightmares means she’s not.”

“I tried to get her to talk about it yesterday actually, but she brushed me off,” Scootaloo said, frowning deeper as her tail whipped back and forth off the side of the chair. “Whatever it is, she’s not even gonna talk about it to me. I really don’t want to use emotional blackmail, like making some crocodile tears and making up some sob story about how she’s hurting me, but…” she huffed angrily, “I don’t know what else to do. She’s hurting, I know she’s hurting, but she’s pretending everything’s fine.”

We sat in silence for a few beats. “...you know she does it for you, right? She doesn’t want to stress you out.”

Scootaloo snorted in anger. “Yeah? Well, she’s failing. By acting like everything’s fine when I know it’s not, she is stressing me out. I mean, does she think I’m some stupid little filly or something? What, does she think I’m that wrapped up in my own horseapples that I'm completely oblivious to everyone and everything around me?"

"I think she's hoping for that, yeah," I carefully pointed out.

Another angry snort escaped her nose. "Yeah? Well I'm not.” She then closed her eyes and shivered slightly as she lay her chin on her knees. “...look, my parents are gone. It bucking sucks, but I’ve moped enough, and they taught me better than to ignore everyone and everything else just because life’s hard. Letting the world fall apart around me doesn’t make things better.”

While it was heartening to hear her willing to plow through the difficult parts of life, I was worried she was pushing herself too hard. “Scoots, no one expects you to just hit the grindstone and get on with your life after this. Not right away, anyway.”

“But they do expect me to get along with things,” she reminded, huffing quietly. “And that’s fair, so I can’t just let things crumble while I grieve.” She glanced up at me with the ghost of a smile. “My friends deserve better than that. That's why I want to help Rainbow Dash. If that means I need to physically pull her head out of her flank, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Her determination made me smile as well, and I couldn’t help but admire that about her. “You’re a tough mare, Scoots. I don’t know how we’re gonna do it, but I wanna help you.”

Her smile regained a little more of her vigor from my response. “Cool. I’ll figure it out, but it makes me happy to know you’ve got my back.”

“Always,” I said without hesitation.

She uncurled herself and stood, shaking out her diminutive wings. “Anyway, I’ll let you get going. I’m gonna need some time to come up with a plan, because as silly as it sounds regarding Rainbow Dash, we’re gonna have to use a delicate touch or else she’ll just shut down.”

“Talk to your friends,” I helpfully suggested. “Three or four heads is better than one.”

Scootaloo nodded before walking over and wrapping me up in a hug. “I’ll do that. It was good to see you, Spike. Thanks for talking with me.”

I gently patted the back of her head and released her. “Of course, Scoots. Was there anything else you needed before I go?”

Scootaloo shook her head with a smirk. “Nah, and I know you probably have stuff you need to take care of, like whatever had you running away from Sugarcube Corner like that.”

I froze at the accusation. “...y-you saw that, huh?”

“Kinda hard to miss a guy as big as you, and I have a clear view of Sugarcube Corner from my front yard,” she explained with a hint of humor, poking me in the side. “I take it Pinkie did something weird again?”

A headache began to form at the reminder of our baker friend, and I rubbed my forehead in an effort to alleviate it. “You could say that, yeah. Mostly just more of Pinkie not having a concept of boundaries.”

“Did she kiss you again?”

I blushed at the thought, less so because of the memory and more because I kinda wanted it. “...no. More like she asked me to help her find clothes to wear, which involved me essentially sitting there and watching her play dress-up for almost an hour. I didn’t see anything untoward exactly, but let’s just say it got my motor running more than I would have liked, considering it’s Pinkie.”

Scootaloo tilted her head at that, all but forgetting that she had been ushering me out just a few moments ago. “What do you mean?”

I gave a ragged sigh and leaned against the wall. “Scoots, I had to watch one of my friends prance around in her underwear for almost an hour. And since she’s not one of ‘my girls,’ I could only watch. Imagine if you had to watch some pretty mare for an hour, almost naked, knowing you weren’t allowed to touch.”

Scootaloo froze for a second, her cheeks pinkening just a little, before she cleared her throat and answered, “...okay, maybe that would kinda suck a little.”

“And there’s also the fact that she somehow threw innuendos around without even realizing it,” I tacked on, remembering she had asked me to help her ‘make a baby’ before clarifying exactly what she meant. Even almost an hour later, the thought still caused my fire to flare up a bit.

Rolling her eyes and smirking, Scootaloo commented, “Yeah, she kinda has a habit of doing that. I still haven’t figured out if she even realizes she’s doing it. She’s either playing all of us, or she’s disturbingly innocent.” Giving one final shrug, the pegasus just gave me a mild shake of the head. “I can’t really help with that, but I hope it works out somehow. One of the things Rainbow Dash did tell me about was that Pinkie talked about how much she missed you while she was gone, as soon as she got back.”

“I figured. I mean, she said she was going to miss us until she got back,” I mused aloud, knowing full well that although she loved her family, she would prefer to stay in Ponyville. “I mean, I’ll readily admit that Hearth’s Warming missed that ‘little extra’ without her here, but her family has to stay with the farm, so she makes sure to visit them when she can. It just so happened that this time it was Hearth’s Warming. Well, I’ll make sure I invite her over to hang out sometime. At least at the castle, she doesn’t have a reason to be naked.”

“Saying that is tempting fate, Spike,” Scootaloo playfully warned, opening the front door for me. “Anyway, I’ll let you get going. Don’t worry about Rainbow Dash for now; let me figure out what to do, and I’ll contact you then. For now, we’re just going to have to watch her be stupid until I can think of something to make her stop.”

I raised a brow as I passed her, stepping outside once again. “Are you sure I shouldn’t at least try to get her to talk to me?”

Scootaloo shook her head hard, snorting in annoyance. “We both know that if Rainbow Dash doesn’t want to talk about something, she’s not gonna. Like I said: she’s being stupid, so until I can figure out a plan to get her to stop, she’s gonna keep being stupid. Just gimme some time and I’ll come up with something.”

“Cool,” I concluded, waving to the pegasus. “Well, I’ll see you later. And remember: you’re always welcome to visit us if you want. Take care, Scoots.”

She nodded to me before shutting the front door. With that out of the way, I made my way back up the walkway to the main town path, going back to walking around town. This was one of the few times I wished I had more work, so I could at least distract myself from the feelings of frustration that were swirling within me. With nothing else to do, I decided to head back to the castle and see if any of my three roommates needed help with anything, and silently hoped that something, somehow, could take my attention away from the negative thoughts that were slowly building in my mind.

There honestly wasn’t much to do back at the castle, but Twilight was grateful for the help nonetheless. I was able to help her finish up the rest of the paperwork she had been in the thick of by properly filing and organizing it for quick mailing in the morning, when the offices they needed to be sent to would be open. Along with that, I offered my assistance in clearing some of the backlog of work that was honestly not late, but Twilight had wanted to get a head start on, and simply hadn’t had the chance. This reduced Twilight’s “resting” stress levels further, and after getting to observe my magic-burning session for the second time, Twilight was left in a pretty good mood for the day.

Currently, we were resting together on the sofa in the commons room as she silently read a book. I was splayed on my back, with Twilight laying on top of me on her back, and I busied myself with lovingly caressing Twilight’s body in a relaxed manner. Contrary to the “heated” day we experienced a few days ago, there was nothing particularly sensual about the moment. Instead, one of my hands idly rubbed circles on her stomach while the other slowly and methodically parted the fur against her ribs. No plan in mind, no need for any progression to heavier touching: it was just a moment with the two of us relaxing, and me enjoying the feel of Twilight’s body in my hands. The quiet moment was interrupted when Fizzlepop entered the room, looking a little nervous as she approached us. As one, Twilight and I sat up, and I released my hold on her as she took the seat beside me.

Twilight, as always, smiled happily at our friend as she greeted her. “Good day, Fizzle. Are you doing okay today?”

The mare looked uncharacteristically anxious in the face of her friend, and hoofed the rug on the floor in a very Fluttershy-esque manner. She bit her lip and squirmed as she mentally debated with herself, and though I didn’t say it aloud, I couldn’t help but think the former conqueror looked cute with that behavior.

Fizzlepop muttered something to herself, too quiet for Twilight or I to hear, before straightening herself a bit and looking Twilight in the eyes. “Twilight…I-I need your help.”

Twilight’s mood instantly shifted, and she stood up to approach the other mare with concern in her eyes. “Of course, Fizzle. Anything you need.”

I didn’t want to assume, but I had a feeling I knew what this was about. My thought was confirmed when Fizzle looked at me and subtly nodded before looking back at Twilight. “Twilight…I’m sorry I never told you about this before. Spike already knows because he helped me one time, but I asked him not to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. You already have so much on your plate with matters of state and being a good princess that-”

“Fizzlepop,” Twilight gently said, her tone sounding somewhere between hurt and understanding, “I appreciate that you don’t want to burden me with anything, but I’m the princess of friendship. If my own friends feel like I’m somehow above them and that they shouldn’t bother me when they have a problem or a concern, then I feel like I’ve failed in my duties. Please Fizzle, don’t ever tell yourself that I don’t care or that I don’t want to know when something’s wrong.” She then glanced at me and gave a slightly disappointed frown. “I…I want to be upset that you kept a secret from me Spike, but I understand not wanting to betray a friend’s desire for confidentiality. I promise, I’m not upset at you.”

Fizzlepop jerked her head at me. “Good, because it’s not his fault. I asked him to keep a secret, so if you want to be upset at someone, be upset with me. Anyway, this is a secret I’ve kept for years, and the reason I’ve decided to break my silence on it is…” she winced slightly and reached back behind her shoulder, one of her eyes closing as a lance of pain seemed to hit her at that moment. She grit her teeth hard and took a few sharp breaths in through her bared teeth. After the wave of pain apparently passed, she looked at Twilight with an almost pleading expression. “I-I don’t want to be in pain anymore. Please, help me Twilight.”

Twilight gasped as she rushed to meet the mare and began inspecting her. “W-where does it hurt? What can I do?”

I brought myself up to the other side, and caught Fizzlepop’s eye. With a helpless expression, I suggested, “Show it to her.”

Fizzlepop held my gaze for a moment before reaching down to grasp at the hem of the sweater she wore. The movement caused her to wince again, and she growled as the wave of pain passed over her. It was clear to me that the pain was getting worse for some reason, which also caused me to worry more than I already did.

With a silent request to me spoken through her pleading, teary eyes, I reached to the bottom of the sweater and gently pulled it up. Twilight gave a startled gasp at what she likely thought was a very inappropriate action, but after removing the sweater, I used my hands to gently guide Fizzlepop to turn and show the large, bloody bandage to Twilight, prompting a second gasp to escape the alicorn’s mouth.

Twilight slowly raised a trembling hand to her lips, her eyes already beginning to fill with tears as she choked out, “F-Fizzle, w-what am I looking at?”

“It’s a cursed wound,” I answered for the mare, as I had a feeling words were particularly difficult for her at the moment. “I first learned about this before the new year, but she wasn’t in this much pain before. Something’s different.” Twilight slowly reached a hand up toward the other mare’s back, but before she could touch the bandage, I gently stopped her and shook my head. “Twi, I promise, it looks just as ugly as you imagine.”

“And it’s not infected, I promise,” Fizzle ground out, her mouth still forced into a grimace. “But the pain’s been getting worse, and I don’t know why. And now…I-I can’t stand it anymore. I need to do something.”

Twilight swallowed hard, and I saw her throat bob at the action, though whether that was from feeling sick at the sight or trying not to cry for her friend, I wasn’t sure. Twilight sighed deeply and shook out her wings, the feathers fluffing as she did so. From there, Twilight’s posture straightened, her eyes sharpened, and her entire body seemed somehow more powerful as the full might of the Princess of Friendship was now focused on a singular goal.

Her eyes held Fizzlepop unflinchingly as she stated, “I’ve researched curses before, though I’ll readily admit that I’ve never had a chance or reason to counter or dispel one. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to help you, Fizzle. For now,” her horn flashed, causing a bottle of prescription pills to fall into her open hand. She immediately handed them to Fizzlepop and ordered, “take those. They’ll make you a little loopy, but it’ll relieve a good bit of the pain. Make sure you eat something with them, and-”

“Don’t take it with alcohol or operate heavy machinery,” FIzzlepop finished with a pained smile. “Thank you, Twilight. I really do appreciate it.”

Twilight smiled slightly before turning her eyes to me. “Spike, I have a job for you: you’re to stay with Fizzle and assist her in any way she needs. If she asks for a glass of water, get it. If she needs someone to go to the store, do it. Can you take care of that for me?”

I raised a brow and smiled at the alicorn. “So I’m a glorified butler now?”

“A handsome butler,” Twilight joked, returning my smile. Her expression then became serious. “But yes, I need you to do whatever she needs done. Those pills are going to make her lethargic, but I also don’t want her in pain, so I need you to help her. Starlight and I will handle the normal day’s business should it come up, but your only job is Fizzle.”

Fizzlepop narrowed her eyes at her friend, even as one of those eyes closed when another wave of pain hit her. “I’m not an invalid, Twilight. I don’t need to be babied.”

Twilight slowly reached out and gently caressed the cheek of Fizzlepop, which caused the mare to freeze as a light blush formed on her cheeks. Regardless, Twilight held the mare’s face in her hand as she gave the unicorn a sad smile. “No one deserves to be in this much pain, Fizzle. Like I said: those pills will make you effectively useless, so you’re going to need help. I promise I won’t tell anyone, but neither am I going to let you suffer. The medication will let you get some rest without so much pain, and Spike will ensure you’re looked after. Please, trust me on this.”

Fizzlepop looked down at the pill bottle and hurriedly unscrewed the cap as another wave of pain hit her. After pouring out a few pills, she chucked two into her mouth and swallowed them dry before replacing the cap and turning her eyes back to the alicorn in front of her. At Twilight’s questioning look, she advised, “I ate a few minutes ago, so I’ll be okay. By the way…I know I’ve been kinda difficult, Twilight. I just want you to know I’m grateful, and I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Twilight just nodded before inclining her head to me. “Get her to her room. I’m counting on you, Spike.”

Without prompting, I gently ushered Fizzlepop with me, and we made our way out of the commons room toward her private apartment. The walk was short and silent, but the air seemed heavy somehow, as if I was breathing jungle air. Maybe it was because I was essentially being assigned to Fizzlepop as her caretaker or the fact that something was clearly wrong with her, but whatever the reason, I didn’t find reason to break the silence even as we entered her private quarters.

“I’m gonna get a shower before this pill kicks in,” Fizzlepop announced as she moved toward the bedroom section of her apartment, which also led to her bathroom. “I’ll warn you that you might hear some cursing.”

I knew why, and had a feeling the soapy water wasn’t going to feel good on the worsening wound. “I understand. Do you need help taking care of it like I did before?”

She shook her head lazily. “No. I did that just an hour ago, so it’s fine for now. Just wait out here for me, and I’ll be back soon.” She made her way out of the living room, but just before entering the bedroom, she paused at the double doors and looked back over her shoulder, winking at me. “Try not to sneak a peek like you did with Starlight.”

Blushing a bit at the memory, I retorted, “Hey, that was not my fault. Besides,” I gave her a rather suggestive lick of my lips, “if it’s going to be like what happened with Starlight, that means you won’t care if I invite myself in. So be sure and let me know if you need help cleaning those hard-to-reach places.”

The blush that had receded since we made our way to her apartment flared up again, and she turned away to leave the room. Again she stopped, popping her head back in through the doorway. “Uh, by the way, if those meds are as strong as Twilight implied, I hope you won’t take anything I say seriously if I get kinda…silly.”

Despite the anxiety she clearly was feeling, I still sent her a reassuring smile and assured, “I won’t hold anything you say or do in that state against you. Just get yourself cleaned up, get dressed, and resign yourself to being waited on hand and hoof until Twilight decides otherwise.”

Contrary to what I thought she would do, Fizzlepop smiled more genuinely at me, only to disappear behind the twin doors as she closed them, leaving me alone in the living room. With nothing else to do at the moment, I picked up the remote and turned on the television, deciding to catch up on the news or something as I waited.

…

A short while later (and some loud curses that were just barely muffled by the multiple walls between the bathroom and the living room), the doors opened once again to reveal Fizzlepop, who was now dressed in far more relaxed wear consisting of lounge shorts and a button-down lounge shirt that was made of soft cotton. Just from her heavier gait, I could tell the pills were already having an affect on her, and I hurriedly stood to offer her my hand to help her over to a chair. Fizzlepop waved me off and made her own way to the loveseat, sitting a little uneasily down on the cushion before bringing her legs up and curling them to the side. She then lay down on her side and propped her head up on the cushioned armrest, letting out a long breath as she did so.

“Twilight wasn’t kidding about these pills,” she said aloud, though it was unclear if she was just thinking aloud to herself or talking to me.

I responded nonetheless. “Twilight had to take them after she was injured due to a lab accident that drove a huge shard of metal through her arm.” At Fizzlepop’s questioning stare, I clarified, “Yeah, through. The healing magics did their work and she made a full recovery, but she was in constant pain for eight days. They gave her those pills so she could sleep, because otherwise she would just writhe in pain the entire time.” Fizzlepop said nothing for a long time. When she finally did speak, it was quiet, but in a direct tone of voice that told me she truly meant what she said.

“Hey Spike…thanks for not telling Twilight,” she said, shifting a bit as she focused on the mindless programs that were on the television screen. “Looking back, I could have avoided this by just telling her sooner, but I still want to thank you for keeping your word.”

“For the record, I don’t like keeping secrets, least of all from my friends,” I replied, catching sight of Fizzlepop’s ears pinning back at my words. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before I continued. “However, while I didn’t agree with you keeping this from Twilight for so long, it also wasn’t my secret to tell. Your business is your business, and while I would always prefer my friends to be more open, I’ll never force that upon you or anyone else.”

Fizzlepop smiled slightly at my words before settling herself and letting out a long breath. The two of us just watched television for some time, and while Fizzlepop didn’t fall asleep, she did seem significantly more relaxed. Twilight swung by to check on us and gather a scraping of the cursed flesh around the edges of Fizzlepop’s wound (Twilight nearly gagged as she was doing it), but other than that, the day marched on calmly, and I enjoyed the time despite the situation. Fizzlepop wasn’t exactly a talkative pony, so we didn’t have long drawn out conversations or anything, but it felt nice just sitting there, offering my (hopefully reassuring) presence to a friend in need.

…

Eventually, as was my job for the day, I found myself in the kitchen fixing a quick meal for Fizzlepop. The pills Twilight gave her seemed to be doing their job well enough so that the unicorn mare could relax a little, but the fact she needed medication of that caliber scared me a little. I remembered when Twilight took the recommended dosage, she was all but comatose. That alone told me the amount of pain Fizzlepop was in every day, as well as how bad it must have been for her to finally break down and ask for Twilight’s help to remove the curse.

The brush of fingertips raced over my back as someone passed by me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a certain pink unicorn passing by. “Oh, hey Star. How’re you doing today?”

She smiled at me as she walked to the refrigerator, pulling open the door and reaching in to pull out a bottle of apple juice. After unscrewing the cap and taking a sip, she answered, “Pretty good actually. Twilight has me doing some research on old spells and spellcasters, and you know I love learning about old spells.”

I tried my best not to react in a way that would tip her off to exactly why Twilight had enlisted her help. I wanted to tell her, but Twilight had clearly concluded the reason would only upset her, so Starlight didn’t know. I wasn’t kidding when I told Fizzlepop I didn’t like keeping secrets from my friends, but this was also one of the rare situations when telling Starlight what was going on would only cause undue stress for the mare.

So instead, I smiled and nodded with a relaxed face, ensuring my facial expression wouldn’t give it away. “Sounds pretty cool. So Twilight’s on another research binge I guess?”

Starlight shrugged a bit. “It seems that way, yeah. You know how she gets.”

“I do indeed,” I answered, grinning despite my internal worries. “For a long time I was her only assistant, so I’m well aware of how she is when she gets bitten by a random ‘research bug’.”

She giggled a bit at the thought of our analytical friend, then pointed to the sandwich I was making. “Whatcha making there?”

I glanced down at the sandwich-in-process, smearing a good amount of dijon mustard and mayonnaise on either piece of bread before beginning to assemble the tomato, single basil leaf, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and haybacon onto the two slices. “Eh, nothing special. Just a BLT with some basil. Fizzle’s feeling a little under the weather, so I’m bringing her some lunch.”

As I began pouring some baked radish chips onto the plate, Starlight gently placed her hand on my shoulder and asked, “Oh dear, is she okay?”

I took a moment to think about how to respond. “Well…yeah, for the most part. She’s just not feeling up to doing anything right now, so I’m making sure she eats and drinks.” Speaking of that, I then reached into the refrigerator and pulled out another small bottle of juice identical to the one Starlight was sipping from. “I don’t have much to do today, so I’m spending time looking after a friend. I’m happy to help out.”

Starlight’s concerned expression melted into a bright smile as she again rubbed my shoulder affectionately. “You’re a sweetheart, Spike. I’m sure she appreciates it. Let her know I hope she feels better.”

“Will do, Star. See ya later,” I finished, flashing one more smile to the mare before I left the kitchen and made my way back to Fizzlepop’s apartment.

The walk was short, and only a few minutes later, I was gingerly knocking on the door with my knuckles. When I heard nothing from inside, I gently pushed open the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me. Fizzlepop was exactly as I had left her, looking largely relaxed, but restless as she tried her best to deal with the lingering pain that even the pain medication couldn’t completely eliminate.

She turned her head to me as I slipped inside the apartment, her eyes a bit more hazy this time, and it was clear the medication was doing its job well. In addition to actually relieving pain, the drugs also made it more difficult for the individual to be aware of the pain itself. It wasn’t a perfect medication to be sure (all medications had their downsides, after all), but considering the severity of the pain she would otherwise be feeling, it was a fair tradeoff.

Fizzlepop smiled a little crookedly. “Hey, you’re back.”

I returned her smile and moved over to set down the plate and bottle of juice in front of her. “Of course I am. Anyway, I brought you lunch. I know you probably don’t feel very hungry right now, but you gotta get something in your stomach or else those pills are going to make you sick.”

Fizzlepop groaned as she pushed herself to a seated position, wobbling a bit as she finally sat up. She carefully reached forward and took the plate from the table and popped one of the crisp radish slices into her mouth, crunching and humming pleasantly. She apparently didn’t need coaxing to eat, so I just stayed silent and allowed her to feed herself, ready to assist in whatever way she might need. After a few minutes, Fizzlepop placed the empty plate and half-empty bottle back on the table. With a soft groan, she hefted her legs back up on the loveseat and lay down once again, her eyelids noticeably heavier this time.

“Think ‘m gonna shut my eyes for a little bit,” she mumbled aloud, doing as she said and closing her eyes.

Though she couldn’t see it, I smiled at her and just continued watching the television as she got some much-needed rest.

I awoke some time later, the light of day still streaming in the windows. That alone told me not all that much time had passed, but I still felt a bit groggy from being asleep. I glanced over at the mare I had been tasked with watching over and found her sound asleep, little snores leaving her mouth as she slumbered peacefully. Her shirt had ridden up a little bit as she slept, showing off her toned stomach, and her shorts already showed off the impressive musculature of her legs. As much as I tried not to, I couldn’t help but admire the mare.

After allowing myself a minute to look over Fizzlepop, I stood and stretched, fanning out my wings and allowing the muscles to fully extend. I let my arms and wings drop once again and looked over at the sleeping unicorn, finding myself smiling at her. Without a thought, I pulled the throw blanket off of the back of the loveseat and gently laid it over her body. And then, without knowing quite why, I found myself gently running my claws through her mane before turning and leaving the room.

I wanted to check up on Twilight to see if she had made any headway on anything. We had received a letter from Luna that told us she would be looking into the fiasco that was happening due to the infamous picture that was now circulating, so that allowed us to completely devote our time to the portal and, now, curing Fizzlepop of the curse.

I wound my way through the corridors until I came upon Twilight’s study. Without knocking, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately noticing the alicorn herself huddled within a circle of books as she wrote upon a scroll at her desk.

I stepped up beside her, but before I could greet Twilight, she said, “How is she?”

Shrugging slightly and letting my eyes browse over the titles floating around Twilight’s head, I replied, “Much better. Those meds really helped, and she’s sleeping right now.” I carefully reached under the circle of books and placed my palm on Twilight’s shoulder, giving her a gentle rub. “Any progress?”

Contrary to my fears, Twilight turned her head a bit and smiled at me. “Actually, yes. I’ve already pinpointed what kind of curse it must be to create an unhealing wound, so now Starlight and I are researching how to undo it. The only problem I have so far is that curses are innately evil magic, and might require a sacrifice to dispel it.”

I frowned at that. As a general rule, Equestria outlawed most of the more dangerous schools of magic for regular citizens, such as soulmancy, umbramancy, and necromancy. This was a problem for the situation with Fizzlepop, since those same magics usually required less-than-pure means to dispel them. As a master mage and Celestia’s trusted protege, Twilight had access to many of these magics, and being the embodiment of the Element of Magic meant she had both the power and skill to cast them. Because of the social stigma however, she tended to stay away from certain schools of magic.

“Well…there’s always blood magic,” I quietly suggested.

Twilight glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “Spike, you know I don’t like using that.”

“But what if we have to? What if we can’t find a normal means to do this?” I pressed, gently running my thumb over her shoulder.

Twilight went very quiet, and I could only imagine she was internally debating it with herself. Blood magic was one of the “dangerous schools” that, while technically legal, was harshly regulated. Blood magic, after all, required blood, which every creature needed to live. The ability to draw upon the inherent power of magical blood made it incredibly powerful, and I knew that she knew there was merit to my suggestion. I knew she also knew that, even for the privileged royal researchers that were allowed to experiment with that school of magic, they were often viewed with suspicion and even fear. As an academic, Twilight was well aware that no school of magic was inherently evil, but she was also aware that some were more prone to be used for evil than others. Curses didn’t have their own school, as nearly every school had its own curses (even elemental sorcery), but because the intent of a curse was always to directly cause suffering, they were widely considered to be an innately evil form of magic.

After a few minutes of silent thought, Twilight eventually admitted, “...maybe. I want to try and avoid that if I can, but I fear you might be right.”

“And I’ll volunteer my own blood as tribute,” I added, not even needing to think about it. This caused Twilight to whip her head around and for all the books to fall around her as she stared at me with her jaw dropped. I just shrugged and said, “What? Dragonsblood is powerful, so much so that back when my kind was considered little more than monsters, our blood was incredibly valuable. So, if we should reach the point where you decide we need to do it, you have a willing donor.”

She continued to stare at me for a bit longer before closing her mouth, swallowing hard, and asking, “Spike…are you sure?”

I shrugged. “Ponies donate blood every day to save others. I’d just be doing the same thing.”

Slowly, a smile grew on Twilight’s face, and she reached out to grasp my hand. “You’re a good friend, Spike. If we end up having to do it, I’ll make sure Fizzle knows what you did for her. Now,” she levitated each fallen book and fixed the pages before stacking them on her desk and standing, “I don’t know about you, but I could use some fresh air. Let’s take a quick walk while Fizzle’s sleeping.”

With no reason to decline, I followed my mare out of the study, and subsequently out of the castle where ponies were going about their daily lives. The days were getting progressively warmer as time went on -- still cold enough for snow and ice, but no longer so cold that being outside for longer than a dozen minutes was physically uncomfortable. As for me, since the weather didn’t particularly matter much, it was nice to see others out and about.

As we walked, Twilight casually looped her arm in mine. I tried my best to ignore the new glances and whispers that had started ever since the infamous photo had surfaced, but luckily, most of the citizens of Ponyville were humble enough and had known us long enough to guess it was likely tabloid nonsense. It still bothered me, but I had made my peace about my lack of privacy a long time ago.

“Are you okay Spike?”

Humming and turning to look at Twilight, I was privy to see her concerned face looking up at me expectantly. Flashing her a weak smile, I answered, “Yeah, just…thinking.”

Twilight turned her eyes to the ponies outside, and seemed to understand my thoughts a little better. “Oh…this is about that picture.”

Heaving a big breath and letting it out in a sigh, I nodded to her. “Yeah, it is. Twi, what are we going to do about this? Any ideas?”

She frowned and turned her head down as she thought, and I just gently ushered her along as we kept walking. Eventually, she spoke up again, sounding helpless. “I don’t know, Spike. Luna said Celestia almost exploded when she heard about it, and Luna herself isn’t exactly happy either. Their investigation teams are still doing their jobs, but it might very well be that you’ll have to come clean about who you really are.”

“And then, we’ll have to deal with ponies making claims of nepotism and such,” I grumbled, not liking that particular option.

Twilight also gave a resigned sigh at that. “...Spike, not to sound unsympathetic, but how long did you really think it was going to last? Very few secrets remain buried forever. Frankly, I’m surprised it lasted this long.”

Part of me wanted to yell at her for that, but I kept calm and had to admit she was correct. I had been thinking like a little kid: I believed that if I just let things be, everything would work out just fine and I’d never have to confront this particular part of my life. To be fair, being the adopted son of Princess Celestia came with a lot of perks, but I hadn’t been shouldered with the responsibilities that came with most of those perks. Sure, I had a lot of work to do as a member of the Council of Friendship, and I certainly helped Twilight with her own duties, but as a member of the royal family, there would be a workload for me as well, should I go public.

And unfortunately, as the days went on, it seemed more and more likely that I would have to do so.

“I’m starting to fear revealing myself might be the only way out of this,” I said quietly. “I mean, the only other way I can think of is to find out who did this and frame them for something crazy, which would delegitimize their claim. However, even with this whole fiasco, lying to get what I want doesn’t sit right with me.”

Twilight bumped her shoulder into me, smiling. “That’s because you’re a good person, Spike. It would be all too easy to do something like that, but you still don’t want to, even if they might deserve it.” Her smile receded and was replaced with a more frustrated expression. “I mean, let’s face it: whoever put this story out there was aiming to cause trouble for you, and they deserve to be punished for it. But if we sink to using dirty tricks to silence those that may oppose us, we’re no better than those that seek to harm us. We have to be better than that; we are better than that.”

I blew a steaming breath out of my nose. “Maybe, but sometimes I don’t want to be. Being a 'good guy' sucks sometimes, because you have to worry about the rule of law, collateral damage, and all that stuff.”

Twilight giggled softly at that. “I agree, Spike. Just dream and fantasize about it, but don’t actually do it.”

She then shivered a bit and fluffed her wings to insulate a little better. “Little cold there, Twi? You didn’t grab your coat before we left.”

“That was on purpose,” she explained, continuing to walk beside me. “It’s nice to feel the chill on my bare fur from time to time, and besides that, cold kinda shocks the system and allows me to think more clearly. That’s why cold showers work so well when we’re a little ‘heated’. Clears your head and lets you focus.”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve actually seen you under the effects of a real heat, though,” I pointed out, causing the mare to blush a bit.

While Twilight tended to be fairly academic regarding biological facts of life, knowing the effects of the estrous season and how it used to be caused her a fair amount of embarrassment. Recent advances in medicine had vastly improved the state of mares (and stallions, indirectly) during estrous season, allowing most to continue living life normally, but even as recently as eight years ago, mares were subjected to a radically increased sex drive due to the biological instinct to make more ponies. Twilight was one of the mares that had been hit the hardest by her heat, and there were a few times when I started to mature into an adult that she had taken to completely isolating herself to keep from doing something to me that she’d regret. For mares like her, the heat suppression medication that was now mainstream had been a great boon, since it all but eliminated the symptoms of estrous for her. Save for a desire to practice ‘self care’ a little more often, Spring could safely be spent doing the things she normally did, without the constant intrusive thoughts that told her she needed to secure a mate, and be bred like…well, like a mare in heat.

Twilight’s flushed face caused her to look downright adorable, even as she tried to pretend the increased blood flow was just a “healthy glow” from proper hygiene and diet. Contrary to what I had expected though, she smiled at me and said, “W-well, in the future, you’ll get to experience it first-hand. When a mare wants to have foals, she has to stop taking the medication to avoid pregnancy complications.”

And, as another of my herd suggested the very real future involving having a family with her, I found myself smiling unreservedly. As the months had gone on, I had found myself wanting a family more and more, and I was finding myself downright eager to get started. I was fairly sure Ember would be the first, but perhaps the following year, Twilight and I may be welcoming our own baby into the world.

“You’re smiling pretty wide there, Spike,” Twilight observed lightly. “Are you really that excited to take me to bed?”

Glancing down at her, I presented my own blush. “N-no! Well…yes, but no. I just…” I gave a loud sigh as she giggled, continuing to lead us on the short walk through town. “I…I don’t think it’s news that I would love to cross the final threshold with you, Twilight. You’re a wonderful, beautiful mare, and I’m always willing. But I’m more excited to start a family with the ones I love. Don’t get me wrong: making a baby will be a lot of fun, but I’ve found myself daydreaming more and more about starting a family with my herd. It’s an innate instinct for all sapient creatures, but ever since finding out I can sire offspring with all of you, I’ve been thinking about it more and more, and I want it. I want it real bad.”

Despite the full-face blush that she sported, Twilight was still smiling at me. “It’s a biological imperative. With Lyla and Ember, you’ve had no shortage of the physical aspects of relationships. You’re now in a place in your life that you have both the capability and stability to start a family, and so it’s something you want. Believe me, I understand.”

Still looking down at the mare, I gave her a smile. “You do?”

“Pretty much every mare has daydreamed about having a foal, Spike,” she explained as we made a turn on one of the pathways, heading back toward the castle. She hugged my arm and leaned into me as we walked, nuzzling her face against me affectionately. “Now that I have you, of course I’ve thought about it. Until we found out from Ember that you could sire foals normally, I had resigned myself to surrogacy or adoption, but I’ll not lie and say I didn’t want a foal of my own blood. Now, knowing I can have that, I want it too. So yes, Spike, I’ve thought about it quite extensively.”

If I didn’t have the self-discipline that I did, I would have outright squealed in delight. Yes, I was that happy. Regardless, I’m sure my smile was wide enough to be seen for miles around, and I didn’t dare hide it. I wrapped my wing around the mare and hugged her tightly for a moment before laughing to myself as we continued walking. Sure, the past few months had come with many challenges, and there was sure to be more, but I had to be sure not to overlook the wonderful things that also happened.

“That,” I croaked out, pausing for a moment to clear my throat and try again. “T-that makes me really happy, Twi. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy as I am right now.”

“Then I’m glad I can be a part of that,” she finished, still smiling up at me with rosy cheeks.

Within a few more minutes, we arrived back at the castle, and Twilight bid me goodbye with a quick kiss. She made her way back to her study to continue her research, and I once again walked to Fizzlepop’s apartment. Upon arriving at the door, I knocked softly, and upon receiving no answer, gently pushed open the door and poked my head inside. Fizzlepop was still sleeping on the loveseat, so I let myself inside and closed the door behind me. Other than pulling both arms underneath the blanket, it seemed she hadn’t moved since I left, which made me smile once again.

This time, realizing my desire ahead of time, I walked over to her and gently ran my fingers through Fizzlepop’s mane, causing the mare to mumble and snuggle into the padded armrest a bit more. I pulled away and reclaimed my seat across from her, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels to try and find something interesting to watch as I watched over her.

As if she sensed my presence within the dream realm, after a few minutes, Fizzlepop began to stir, grumbling to herself as she awakened. After a few moments, she yawned and sat up, stretching mightily and scratching at her cheek before settling her eyes upon me.

“Oh hey, you’re back,” she sleepily greeted, rubbing her eyes to try and wake up a bit more. “I got up briefly to take care of business and saw you weren’t here, so I figured you had to do the same or something. You know you could have just used my bathroom, right?”

Chuckling and shaking my head, I clarified, “Nah, it wasn’t that. I stopped by to see how Twilight was doing, and you’ll be pleased to know she’s already made headway. She said she’s already pinpointed what kind of curse it must be, so now she’s just figuring out a way to safely dispel it.”

Though the pain medication kept her a bit groggy, she was aware enough to realize just how incredible that was. Her surprise was shown with a slight raise of her eyebrows, and she whistled softly. “Already? Wow, Twilight doesn’t play around when it comes to research.”

I nodded shallowly. “When properly motivated, Twilight becomes a one-mare research department. If something is important enough to move to the top of her mental priorities, I believe there is nothing she can’t discover and decipher, and no problem she can’t solve. As the Princess of Friendship, a friend in need certainly qualifies.”

Fizzlepop sat back against the backrest of the seat, grimacing when her tender wound touched it. After a few moments, she blew out a long breath and said, “You know, pain has been a constant in my life. First there was the mental and emotional pain that drove me to conquer nations, and recently, there was the physical pain of this wound. I’ll be glad to have it gone, of course, but pain has become a part of who I am. Maybe it’s silly, but I kinda wonder who I’ll be without it.”

I shrugged. “You’ll be Fizzle.”

“Yeah, but who is that? I’m not sure I even know,” she countered, frowning as she turned her eyes to the ceiling, leaning her head back to rest against the top of the cushion. “Like I said, maybe it’s silly, but I don’t know what it’s like to live without pain of some kind. Friends are new to me, having a home is new to me, and even being able to sleep without fear of being attacked is new. My one constant has been pain of some kind. It’s colored my decisions, it’s been the driving force in my life to keep me going, and it’s ensured I never forget the terrible things I did.”

I frowned a bit. “You’re forgiven for that, Fizzle.”

“Let’s face it, Spike: I’m never going to have a normal life,” she continued as if I hadn’t said anything. It seemed that with the influence of the pain medication, she was opening up a bit more, which was nice. “I’m never going to have employment at a regular business, I’ll never get to know what it’s like to walk around without being stared at and feared, and I’ll…”

As she trailed off, I waited for a few moments. When she didn’t continue, I gently coaxed, “You’ll never what, Fizzle?”

For the first time since I’d known her, Fizzlepop looked distinctly sad. Not angry, not uncomfortable, and not even morose: she looked sad, like she was going to cry at any moment. I’ll admit it was strange to see the mare looking so vulnerable, and while logic told me this was a good thing for her mental and emotional recovery, I couldn’t help but feel sad for her.

She sucked in a big breath, having trouble doing so as her chest fought against her. Eventually, quiet enough that I had to strain to hear her, she said, “...I-I’ll never have a family. I’ll never get to live my later years in the company of someone that loves me, with a few foals running around. I’ll never get to know what it’s like to be loved unconditionally by someone, just for being me. I’ve told myself for years that I didn’t need or want that, but without the constant fight to survive, and without the promise of unending pain…”

“You kinda want it now,” I surmised, frowning deeply.

She went from almost crying to growling angrily in a millisecond, grabbing fistfuls of her mane. “This is stupid; I’m stupid. I didn’t even care about any of this junk before, and now my stupid, STUPID head has me thinking about stupid things that I can’t have because of things I can’t change, and-”

“Who says you can’t have those things?” I asked, partially as an honest question, but partially to keep her from literally tearing her mane out.

“Who would prove me wrong?” she snapped, letting go of her mane and locking her gaze on me with the intensity of a tiger stalking prey. “I will never be accepted in normal society, I am feared and hated by nearly everyone, and to top it off, my own trauma will never let someone get that close to me. I want it, and it can’t happen: so yes, I’m stupid. It’s all stupid!”

While she appeared angry, the tears that now fell from her eyes told a different story. For once, I stopped second-guessing what she might want or what she might be comfortable with, and made my way over to sit right beside her. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and she immediately leaned against me as she struggled to choke back sobs. Despite her attempt, the dam gave way, and this strong, resilient, proud mare broke down into sobs as she lamented the consequences of the choices made in her life. I didn’t agree with the premise that she could never have those things, but now wasn’t the time to fight her on that. So instead, I held Fizzlepop as she cried, and let my silent presence do what words could not.

We stayed that way for a few minutes, and slowly, her sobs quieted until she was sniffling every now and then. Those, too, eventually quieted, which left the two of us just holding one another. Seemingly realizing what she was doing, Fizzlepop abruptly sat up and scooted away from me, her cheeks flushing as she darted her eyes away from mine.

After a few moments, she loudly cleared her throat. “Um…sorry about that. I didn’t mean to get all emotional like that.” She rubbed her eyes a bit to clear the wetness before sighing loudly. “I hope you remember what I said when I first took those meds.”

“You asked me not to judge you for what you might say or do under their influence,” I answered, smiling at her. “I won’t. However, something you need to understand is that these are just pain pills: they don’t have the power to implant thoughts or feelings into you. That means that whatever you’re feeling or thinking was already in here,” I tapped a finger on the center of her chest, “and the temporary reduction in control of your emotional faculties is just making it easier for all that to come out. Look,” I released my own breath as I dropped my arm back to my side and leaned back against the cushion behind me, “I know this is probably just a temporary occurrence. I know that because of what you’ve been through and the life you’ve lived, holding things inside is probably more comfortable. You’ve built up walls and a shell to keep yourself safe from those that might want to do you harm, and because you’re still alive, it clearly worked. And, even though it’s lonely sometimes, that place is familiar and comfortable for you.”

She just stared at me. “That’s…surprisingly insightful.”

Giving her a brief smirk, I said, “I’ll take that as a compliment. My point is that I don’t expect you to all of the sudden open up with all of us. We will always be here for you and will always be willing to talk and help however we can, but I know it’ll be years before you’ll ever be comfortable enough with any of us to fully let those walls fall once and for all. Maybe you never will. What I do know is that none of us blame you for that. You’re allowed to be frustrated, and you’re allowed to want those cheesy idealistic things that we all dream of. You’re also allowed to be wary of letting others in, especially considering your past.”

She stared down at her hands in thought, fiddling with the hem of her shorts for a few seconds. “...y’know, in all that time I was traveling, I was hoping to rediscover who I am. I don’t want to be Tempest Shadow, but I’m still not sure who Fizzlepop Berrytwist is. I only use the name because it’s the only other name I’ve had, but even now, I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. I wasn’t kidding when I told Princess Cadence that I feel like she represents everything wrong with Equestria, but that doesn’t mean those things aren’t also nice. Me though…” she paused here, forcing her hands to still, “I represent what shouldn’t be in Equestria. Anger, rage, malice, murder…that stuff isn’t supposed to happen in such a sunny, happy place.”

“And because of that, you’ll never completely feel like you belong,” I surmised, frowning as I began to understand her feelings regarding herself, and why she didn’t feel like she belonged. When she didn’t answer, I found a question bubbling up that I was hoping she’d answer. “So…why did you come back?”

She didn’t answer for a long time. Other than the subtle rise and fall of her chest, and rolling of her jaw, one could rather easily mistake Fizzlepop for a statue. Eventually though, she answered, and what she said reminded me of just how vulnerable she truly was. “Because, despite my remarks on how naive and sunny this place is, and despite how much I feel like I don’t deserve it, this is the one place where I’ve felt like I’m welcome. Not even Ponyville as a whole: just here, in this castle, with Twilight, and now, you. It’s selfish, but I wanted that, and in a moment of weakness, I decided to take something for myself.”

“Everyone’s allowed to be selfish sometimes, Fizzle,” I soothed, resting my hand on her shoulder.

She gently shrugged my hand off, shooting me a surprisingly sober glare. “The last time I was selfish, tens of thousands died across the world, and a few thousand were a direct result of my own actions.”

“You screwed up,” I stated flatly, rolling my eyes at her. “Is torturing yourself going to change any of that?”

“We’ve had this conversation before, Spike,” she argued, her glare lessening, but her eyes still narrowed.

I shrugged. “Maybe we need to have it again, because you still aren’t getting it. You spent years of your own life working to fix the things you destroyed, and I can almost guarantee you refused payment for most of it, except for what was necessary to keep on living. You weathered insults, threats, attacks, and a curse for your trouble. I get it, you’ll carry that guilt with you for a long time, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to want things for yourself every now and then. Do I need to carve that into one of the walls here? Maybe on the bedroom ceiling, so you see it every time you wake up? I’ll get a custom coffee mug made with that printed on the side if I have to.”

Fizzlepop’s mouth had dropped open during my half-threats. She could only stare at me for a bit before eventually forcing out, “Y-you wouldn’t actually do that, right?”

“I’m a mate to the Princess of Friendship, and I have too much time on my hands. Try me,” I threatened, finishing with a wide smile of sharp teeth.

Again the mare just stared at me for the longest time before eventually breaking my gaze and looking away. When she spoke again, it was almost a whisper. “...why are you doing this, Spike? You don’t owe me anything. Considering what I’ve done, I owe you.”

I shrugged helplessly. “I’m doing it because I feel it’s the right thing to do. I’m doing it because you’re my friend, and I believe anyone with the will to change deserves a second chance. I’m doing it because in another life, I could be you, and I would want someone to offer their hand in friendship to me.”

Her lips curled a bit at that, as if the very idea of me being in her place was impossible. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t have it in you to do the things I did.”

“Did you think you did when you were little?” I argued, letting the question hang in the air for a bit.

She digested my point for a moment before reluctantly nodding. “Fine, I guess I get it. Still, are you sure you’re not in this for something? This is…weird for me. No one’s ever done something for me for nothing. Not until Twilight.”

I decided not to comment on the fact this was the most we had ever spoken before. “Nope. Call me a bleeding heart if you want, but I don’t like seeing my friends unhappy or in pain, and I have an innate desire to correct that when I see it. Draconic instinct to protect the hoard, and all that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall agreeing to be a part of your hoard.”

I shrugged. “Not the herd, no, but all of my friends are a part of my hoard. As is Ponyville as a whole. I don’t hoard things: I hoard friends, and places significant to me. Other dragons are protective of piles of gold and shiny rocks, but I protect my home and all the people in it. That includes you, Fizzle.” I then shot a saucy smirk her way. “I mean, unless you’re asking to be a part of my herd. We can certainly rectify that oversight, if we need to.”

She snorted at me before nudging me, causing me to stand. She curled her legs up again and lay back against the armrest. “That’s not in the cards, Spike. Nice try though.”

I had meant the entire thing as a joke anyway, so I just brushed it off with another shrug. “Eh, can’t blame a guy for trying. Anyway, did you need anything, or are you good for now?”

She shifted a bit, wincing slightly when her shoulder pulled at the bandage on her back. “I am a little hungry.”

“How about some creamy tomato soup with crackers? It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll fill you up and it tastes good,” I suggested.

As she gently rested on her side again, Fizzlepop snorted at me. “You’re a regular house servant. Should I start calling you ‘Jeeves’?”

I shrugged as I made my way to the door. “I prefer ‘Spike the Marvelous,’ actually.” I tossed a smile over my shoulder as I pulled open the door once more. “Seriously though: is there anything else you need or want? You are literally my only responsibility today, so I am completely at your disposal.”

She gently shook her head as her eyes lowered a bit. “No, you’ve already done more than I could ever ask for.”

“Fizzle-”

“I know, Spike,” she interrupted, huffing softly, “but that’s just how I feel. All I’m trying to say is I’m grateful, even if I don’t feel I deserve it. Thank you.”

While I knew helping Fizzlepop heal was going to be a job that would take months or years, I still didn’t like knowing that there was not much I could do to fix how she felt now. Still, if I could make her feel a little better in her time of need, that was going to have to be good enough. With that last thought, I again left the room and closed the door behind me, heading toward the kitchen for the third time that day.

It was during my walk, however, that I felt a familiar pressure in my throat, and I let out a loud belch. The flame swirled in front of my face and materialized into a scroll, which I snatched out of the air to inspect. The scroll was sealed with plain twine instead of a wax seal, and the scroll itself was made from parchment instead of paper. This told me it was from someone outside of Equestria, and I knew of only one person it could be that could send a letter directly to me.

I snapped the twine with a claw as I continued walking, unrolling the scroll as I began reading.

“Dear Spike,

I miss you.

I know I start almost every letter that way, but it never stops being true. It seems every day I miss you more and more, and I especially miss waking up with you next to me, holding me tight. With all the pain-in-the-tail things I have to take care of every day, I find myself missing all of you more with every passing moment. I often find myself fantasizing about a portal appearing in my home, with you and Twilight stepping through, announcing she had finished the portal network, and I’d be able to see everyone again. More than that, I find myself wanting to just get away sometimes, even though I know I can’t.

Being gone for so many months left quite a bit of work for me when I returned, and I’ve been doing my best not to lose my cool. Still, some days, it’s really difficult. I got used to not having responsibilities when I was staying with you, and while I knew from the beginning it was only temporary, it was nice to live for myself for once.

Anyway, I got kind of distracted.

I was just sending you this letter to tell you that I’m okay, and everything is going as smooth as it can back here. Father was pleased to hear we are mated now, and mother hasn’t stopped gushing about how beautiful our whelps will be. I…haven’t told them about the herd yet, but I imagine it will be better if everyone is there when I do, just so all of you can explain with me. Regardless, I find myself both nervous and excited at the prospect of revealing such a thing to not only my parents, but the clans as a whole. As far as I know, no dragon has ever done something like this before. But, I’m well aware a lot of dragon traditions have held us back as a species, and maybe it’s time to redefine or do away with some of those traditions.

Anyhow, I’ll be counting the days until we see each other again. If the schedule is kept, that means just four more days, but that seems like an eternity from now. I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little clingy when you get here, but I imagine you’re not going to mind too much.

Until we are together again, beloved,
Ember”

I felt a warmth blossom and a fairytale fluttering in my chest that told me I was deeply in love with my dragoness, as if I needed more proof of that. I carefully rolled up the scroll again and tucked it into one of my trouser pockets before continuing on my way to the kitchen, a new bounce in my step as my day became brighter just from that letter alone. Not that I had been particularly depressed or anything, but I believe everyone can use a little pick me up from time to time.

I arrived in the kitchen a few minutes later, and set about preparing the meal as intended. This involved stewing fresh tomatoes and onions in a pot with a lump of butter, then using the hand blender to blend everything to a smooth, creamy consistency. I poured the mixture into a bowl and topped it with two fresh bay leaves before grabbing a sleeve of crackers and a lap tray, then walking back to Fizzlepop’s room. There were no interruptions or anything, so the walk was quick and quiet, and after already doing this twice today, I entered the room without knocking or anything. Fizzlepop was nestled on the loveseat, still awake, though clearly a bit out of it. If the open pill bottle nearby was any indication, she had just taken another dose of medication.

The sound of the door opening drew her attention, and without prompting, she sat up with a groan. I made my way over and gently set the tray down on her lap before retreating to the sofa once again to let her eat in peace. The program currently on the television was some daytime drama that was good for little more than background noise, so I left things as they were and just sat silently while Fizzlepop enjoyed her meal. I had hoped for the day to be boring and otherwise uneventful, but during a break in the program, a news advert appeared showing a very familiar picture on the screen. I sat up and grabbed the remote, turning up the channel as an orange unicorn mare spoke.

“...story in Canterlot may reveal that our very own Princess Celestia may be closer to the nation’s heroes than she seems. Is this some odd greeting alicorns have, or is he a secret lover? More on this at 8:00pm…”

While it was only a quick advert that was already over, I had to turn down the volume to keep from losing my cool. While I knew this was a looming threat on the horizon, I hadn’t thought about the issue with this story for almost a whole day. After all: I had been focused on tending to Fizzlepop’s needs, so I didn’t have the time to worry about anything else. Now, with news outlets actively reporting on the story, I knew there was no escaping the uproar this was going to cause.

“And so it begins,” Fizzlepop muttered from her place across from me.

I breathed in, held it, and let out the air before answering. “Yep. At this point, I kinda wish that-” At that very moment, an alarm sounded throughout the castle. I was quite familiar with it, since it was there for something that was my job to take care of. With a growl, I threw up my hands and yelled, “Oh come on, I didn’t even get to say it!”

“What in the hay is that noise?” Fizzlepop shouted, covering her ears with her hands.

I stood and rolled my shoulders. “It’s the Everfree warning alarm. It lets us know when anything dangerous is heading toward Ponyville. Twilight set them up years ago, and thankfully, we don’t hear them go off too often.” With a loud sigh, I headed to the door. “Well, duty calls!” I left Fizzlepop in her room a moment later, jogging down the corridor toward the map room, where Twilight would no doubt be gathered to address the alarm and what was causing it.

True to my assumption, Twilight was there when I arrived, along with Starlight. The larger alicorn had her hands braced on the table as she looked over the part of the map that showed Equestria, moving her hands above it in a way that somehow caused it to zoom in to Ponyville specifically.

Twilight pointed toward the northwest of the town, where three red dots could be seen moving slowly out of the Everfree, and toward the town itself. “There seems to only be three right now, but more could be coming.”

“Any idea what we’re dealing with?” I asked, frowning down at the map as I mentally prepared myself for what was to come.

Twilight shook her head. “No, but whatever they are, they’re big. Spike,” she finally looked up at me, her eyes steely and her posture stiff, “head out there and see what you can do. I’ll gather the girls and meet you there in a few minutes. If you can’t subdue, distract them until we arrive.” She then frowned briefly. “Do you think you can grow to a giant size safely?”

I shrugged. “I’ve never done it without Ember around before, but I think so. We practiced quite a bit, so I’m pretty sure I can keep my head straight even when I’m big. If not, you’ll have to find a way to calm me down.”

Twilight huffed before shaking her head. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. For now, head out and do what you can. I’m counting on you, Spike.”

I gave her a quick salute before pressing my hand to the wall, and jumping out the window that appeared a moment later. With one last glance back, I shot off into the air and bolted toward the Everfree forest.

Reaching the border with the Everfree only took a few minutes, but I was able to see what we were going to be dealing with within thirty seconds. It was a pride of manticores to one side, a pack of timberwolves on the other, along with what had driven them out of the forest: a swarm of parasprites. The timberwolves in particular were extremely upset, as parasprites could be seen all over them, eating their leaves and the few berries that might be growing on them.

I knew there wasn’t much I was going to be able to do to combat the threat other than keep them focused on me until the girls could arrive. With that in mind, I hurriedly removed my shirt and pants, tossing them to the side before closing my eyes and willing myself to grow to protect the town. With my protective instinct already screaming at me to defend the town, it took no time at all for the transformation to take hold, and I felt my body stretching in all sorts of ways as I grew larger, bulkier, and heavier. The comparatively silent flaps of my wings became inescapably noticeable as their size increased, and the odd lengthening of my neck was momentarily distracting. However, after only a few seconds, I opened my eyes and flexed my hand in front of my face, recognizing it was now larger by a factor of at least ten, which would have to be big enough. And, while my instincts were far more noticeable than normal, I was still able to think and feel as I normally did, which was a definite plus in my book.

Since the timberwolves were busy with the parasprites, I headed toward the manticores, knowing they would be a far greater threat if they escaped into the town. I descended lazily before closing my wings and dropping the last twenty feet, crashing into the ground causing a tremor to race through the dirt that I’m sure everyone in Ponyville felt. This, along with the loud roar I gave, thoroughly got the attention of the eight manticores in front of me, which meant my plan was working.

The manticores roared right back, dwarfed by my size, but brave since there was only one of me and eight of them. They wasted no time in swarming me from all angles, their claws largely ineffective against my thick hide, but a bite on my thigh told me their fangs were still sharp enough to pierce my skin. The prick to my leg forced me into action, and I whipped my body around and began tossing them left and right to keep them angry and focused on me, but unable to to easily get close enough to do any further damage. I was intentionally trying not to hurt them, since Fluttershy would be quite upset if I killed any when I could have spared them, which made the whole situation more difficult.

Keeping track of eight targets was difficult, and despite my attempts, I still took a bite here and there. One flew up to my face, attempting to injure me somewhere that would be more debilitating, but my longer neck allowed me to move my head away as I batted the beast away with the palm of my hand. I made sure my strikes hurt, but again, I pulled my punches so to speak. Minutes passed and I took a few more hits, but eventually, I heard the telltale sound of a sonic boom as Rainbow Dash arrived on scene, followed seconds later by the rest of the girls.

Shoving the manticores away briefly, I yelled, “Pinkie, get those parasprites back into the forest! The rest of you, deal with the timberwolves!”

Rainbow Dash spoke to me for the first time in days, worriedly asking, “But what about-”

“Worry about these later! Get going!” I shouted, just before the manticores again swarmed me, nearly knocking me to the ground with their combined weight. With another angry roar, I threw them off of me and punched one hard in the side, feeling the bones move just a little more than they should. Fluttershy would be angry with me, but I needed to keep the manticores from going after my friends.

Fighting in real life wasn’t anything like an action film. It was messy, it was bloody, and it was chaotic. All I could do was keep the beasts focused on me, and hope that my friends were taking care of the rest, but even then, keeping track of more than one opponent was hard, and more than five was extremely difficult. Even with my highly mobile head and wider field of vision, I kept having to quickly count during a lull in the fighting to be sure there were still eight around me, which in turn led to me taking a bite or attempted sting. Luckily for the latter, the stinger wasn’t sharp enough to pierce my skin, but that doesn’t mean the manticores didn’t try. I was definitely going to have quite a few bruises as a result of the large, heavy appendages hitting my body over and over again.

“Spike! We’re back! What do you need?” Twilight’s voice shouted from off to the side.

I glanced around and caught her eye for a moment. As I still pushed and shoved the manticores away from me, I ran through a few ideas before finally settling on, “Put them to sleep! If we can move them far enough away from the border, they’ll retreat to the deeper forest when they wake up!”

With a nod, Twilight closed her eyes as her horn began glowing like a miniature sun. After a chime and a flash, all of the manticores dropped to the ground, snoring. I took a moment to breathe and inspect my body, seeing I was going to need some disinfectant and bandages in a few places, but none the worse for the wear. With a heavy sigh, I gathered the manticores up in my arms and inclined my head toward Fluttershy, who understood what I was asking and took flight next to me as I also flapped my wings to ascend.

We flew for a few minutes, ensuring we were miles away from town before I dropped down into a clearing and laid down the pride as Fluttershy got to work inspecting the beasts to be sure I hadn’t caused too much damage. Despite the fact that they had clearly been trying to hurt me, I didn’t want to have caused permanent damage upon any of them, so I said nothing as the pegasus looked over the creatures I had been fighting only a few minutes before.

Fluttershy frowned as she looked over the one I had tagged in the side. “Thank you for not killing any of them, Spike”

I nodded slowly. “You’re welcome. I really tried not to hurt any of them, but they were biting me, and the battle was kinda crazy, so I couldn’t completely avoid causing some damage here and there. Plus, I needed to keep them angry enough to keep attacking me so they wouldn’t get into the town.”

Fluttershy absently nodded before standing and moving over to me, gently rubbing her hand against my knee. “It’s okay, Spike. I understand. I’m glad you’re okay too.”

After she ensured the manticores would be okay, we took flight once again and headed back to Ponyville. On the way though, I found myself asking, “What could have driven the parasprites to such numbers? Aren’t the carnivorous plants supposed to be keeping them in check?”

Fluttershy nodded as she kept her eyes forward. “Which means something is wrong. Pinkie will…um, dispose of the ones she caught, and I just hope it’ll keep their numbers down until Zecora returns and she can help us discover and hopefully fix whatever caused their numbers to swell so much.”

Despite the situation, I chuckled. “Y’know, I remember a time when the mere thought of another creature being killed would make you faint.”

She smiled briefly, continuing her flight beside me. “As I’ve grown and learned more, I understand how important ecology is. Too much of one animal can cause an entire ecosystem to collapse, which is why predators are so important. If I had my way, no animal would ever have to die, but nature doesn’t work that way. To balance the environment, some animals have to serve as a food source and others have to hunt them, otherwise the prey animals will destroy the plant life, and thus, destroy whatever environment they’re a part of. In this case, whatever would normally be eating the parasprites isn’t doing their job well enough, which caused their population to boom, and that’s what caused the timberwolves and manticores to be driven out of the forest.”

I snorted loudly at that. “I just hope no one gets hurt in the meantime. By the way, where’s Lyla?”

Fluttershy inclined her head toward Ponyville. “Watching over the outskirts of town in case any creature got by you. We needed a second line of defense just in case you couldn’t keep the attention of all the creatures, and since you were already there, she elected to protect the town.”

I glanced away at that. “I don’t think she’s going to be too happy with me about that.”

“Then make her understand,” Fluttershy asserted, pulling forward a bit so I could look at her. She sent a smile my way and said, “You did the right thing, Spike. If you had stayed away and let Lyla face the danger, those few minutes it would take to get her could have allowed these creatures to wreak havoc on the town. Ponies could have died.” She motioned to me, and I could only imagine she was looking at my bite wounds as she frowned. “While I wish we could have prevented you from getting hurt, you’re a lot better off than ponies would be.”

I nodded as I turned my head back to the front. “Yeah, and these’ll heal in no time. I’m just glad no one was seriously injured. When the alarm went off, only the urgency kept me from having a panic attack. If I’d had time to think about it, I might have frozen.”

We remained silent the rest of the way back. As soon as I landed upon arriving to where the others were waiting, everyone swarmed me, fussing over the bite marks and blood even as they praised me for my efforts. Fluttershy and Twilight worked quickly to create a salve, using plants from Fluttershy’s satchel she had thoughtfully brought with her. The two pegasi flew up to tend to the bite marks on my hands and shoulder, while the rest of the group did the same for my legs and tail. After a few minutes, the work was done, and Rarity wasted no time in admonishing me for not waiting for backup before “rushing in like a brute.” It took some doing, but I was able to convince her of the necessity of my actions with some help from Twilight.

The one I was dreading the most, however, was Rainbow Dash. It seemed during the past year, she had become incredibly protective of me, usually whenever I put myself in danger for one reason or another. But as I glanced around, I was strangely disappointed not to see her. It seemed that now that the danger had been taken care of, Rainbow Dash was back to avoiding all of us. A look around the gathered mares told me they all knew what was going on, but none of us knew what to do about it. Because of that, a familiar, uncomfortable silence enveloped us as we headed back to town.

As we reached the outskirts of the town, a certain changeling queen was impatiently waiting, pacing back and forth until she noticed our approach. She wasted no time in practically teleporting to me, her larger, stronger wings capable of much higher speeds than before. The fact I was ten times larger than normal meant I barely felt it when she clumsily crashed into my side, as she was still in the process of learning to fly again. This didn’t stop her from scrambling right back to her hooves and stomping over to me, looking comically adorable even with how angry she was.

“What the hay were you thinking?!” she screeched, gesturing to my body with a loud, angry snort. “Look at you! You’re in shambles!”

Despite her fussing, I reached down and gently patted her on the head. She immediately froze, confused, before batting my hand away while I chuckled at her. “Lyla, I’m okay. I promise. These,” I gestured to the bite marks, which were already scabbing over thanks to the salve, “are surface injuries. It’s nowhere near as bad as what you went through, I swear. Besides: this is my job. True, it’s the first time I’ve actually had to fight to keep the town safe, but I’m supposed to be protecting my home, so that’s what I’m doing.”

Lyla quieted at my explanation, now chewing on her lip as she seemed to be trying to come up with an argument. “But Spike, you can’t just throw yourself into danger like that.”

“Like you did with Sapphira?” I asked with a smirk.

Lyla pouted and crossed her arms under her chest. “That’s different.”

“How?” I challenged, my smile never abating. “You did that to protect me. Well, I’m doing this to protect my town, including you. Luckily, I wasn’t grievously injured, so you don’t need to rush me to a hospital or anything.” I kneeled down now, gently running my giant thumb over her cheek as she tried to keep glaring up at me. “You’re allowed to worry about me, but now that I’m strong enough to stand with all of you instead of staying on the sidelines, I’m not going to stand by and be dead weight when I can do something.”

“I don’t like it when you’re in danger, Spike,” she argued, still frowning up at me.

“And I don’t like it when you are either,” I countered, gently wiping a tear away from her cheek. “So instead of us trying to constantly keep the other from being in danger, we can protect each other.” I gestured to the other girls who were gathered around us. “We all can. This is a group effort, and it’s far past time I start pitching in. Twilight helped make me smart, and Ember helped to make me strong. I want to use that to help all of you.”

Lyla huffed, but couldn’t stop herself from nuzzling against my finger. After a moment, she looked up at me again and said, “I’m not sure if I like this.”

“I’m not asking you to like it,” I clarified, pulling away from her and standing again, “I’m just saying that from now on, I’m joining you. More of us protecting each other means it’s less likely any one of us will get seriously hurt. Lyla,” I sighed heavily and shook my head, remembering what had happened to her, “seeing you injured like that terrified me. I never want that to happen again, so I want to try and stop that by helping all of you from now on.”

Regardless, Lyla continued frowning. “Spike, you hate fighting. You’re basically a pacifist.”

I shrugged. “I certainly don’t want to fight, but I will if it means protecting my home and those I care about. I want to help all of you. After all, a burden-”

“Shared is a burden halved,” Lyla finished with a grumble, unable to refute my argument in any way except that she didn’t want me to be hurt. However, I had apparently gotten her -- and by extension, the others -- to understand that neither did I want to see any of them hurt, so why not help them?

I closed my eyes and focused, feeling my body start shrinking almost immediately. Other than some light seeping, I didn’t feel any of my wounds open again, and after only a minute, I was back to my regular size. After opening my eyes and giving my sore shoulders a roll, I caught Lyla’s eyes again and smiled. “Believe me: I’m in no hurry to die, Lyla. However, neither am I going to just sit around and let all of you put yourselves in harm’s way while I sit around and do nothing. Besides, in the increasingly likely event that I’ll need to reveal the truth of who I am to the public, it looks good if I am willing to face danger for the sake of Equestria. The nobles will still hate me, but that’s normal.”

With her argument sufficiently defeated, Lyla sighed again and took my arm, leading me back toward town. “Well, c’mon and let’s get you cleaned up. Oh, and I found your clothes.” She gave a pat to the messenger bag she wore over her shoulder.

At Rarity’s outraged gasp, I chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of my head. “Y-yeah, I kinda figured they’d do better not being on me when I changed. Better to get a little dirty on the ground than be torn to ribbons when I grew into a giant dragon.”

“Speaking of, how does your neck feel?” Twilight questioned as she stepped up beside me.

To test it, I leaned my head from side to side before shrugging. “Well, it doesn’t hurt, but it is a little disorienting. Just a few minutes ago, my neck was almost as long as my body. Now, it’s short and stubby by comparison. Takes some getting used to, but a serpentine neck has its advantages. Reach, for one.” A loud growl issued forth from my stomach, reminding me of a problem with growing so rapidly, and so large. With an embarrassed smile, I advised, “But, I need to eat now. I’d appreciate it if-”

“Ah’ll whip somethin’ up for ya while ya get cleaned up and you get those bites bound up right,” Applejack suggested from behind. “Ah can spare a bit’a time to make us somethin’ t’eat b’fore Ah head back home.”

I gave a happy hum of anticipation. “That sounds fantastic. Can any of you stay tonight?”

“Ah think Ah can spare some time t’stay with mah new herd,” Applejack confirmed with a smile that I could hear even in her voice.

“I believe unless any of you has prior obligations, we can all spend time together,” Rarity added.

The silence that answered me made me smile. True, Twilight and I would be busy for awhile yet, but I could look forward to the later hours in the day.

Once again, Twilight and I found ourselves in the castle, both of us returning to our mutually agreed-upon tasks for the day. With the emergency taken care of, I was on my way back to Fizzlepop’s room, hoping that she had gotten some rest in the meantime. Two covered travel mugs were in my hands, one for each of us. Mine was a generous portion of hot chocolate with emerald shavings, while Fizzlepop’s was filled with some of the tea a certain ex-mercenary gave us to bring home when Twilight, Ember and I returned.

Like before, other than peeking my head inside to make sure I wasn’t intruding upon anything, I walked inside Fizzlepop’s apartment without knocking. Noticing she wasn’t there, I walked over and placed the two mugs on the coffee table before taking a seat on the sofa and waiting for the unicorn to return. I idly glanced around the room, noticing nothing had changed since I left, which thankfully meant Fizzlepop hadn’t been putting herself under any undue stress.

My silent thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a toilet flushing, followed subsequently by the sink running for a bit. The water then cut off a few seconds before the door opened, and moments later the mare herself walked through the double doors into the living room. The hazy look in her eyes cleared up a bit when she spotted me, but a frown immediately formed on her lips when she noticed the bandages on my legs and arms.

“Got a little roughed up, did ya?” she rhetorically asked.

I self-consciously ran my fingers over the bandage on my left forearm. “Yeah. Got into a fight with a pride of manticores. No one else got hurt though, so everything’s okay.”

She let out a breath through her nose before ambling over to the loveseat and sitting lazily upon it. “Considering how dangerous a manticore is, I’m kinda surprised you didn’t get more hurt. Especially fighting off an entire pride. You didn’t get stung, did you?”

I shook my head. “Nah. Seems their barbs couldn’t pierce dragonhide, which I’m thankful for. They ended up just slapping me a bunch with their tails, which will leave bruises. They did get some good bites on me though.”

Fizzlepop nodded as she reclined against the armrest. “Yeah, those buckers bite hard. I’ve seen them bite through trees when sufficiently motivated. Not as strong as a cragdile of course, but eight of them biting you couldn’t have felt nice.”

“Not really, no. And Lyla also wasn’t particularly happy with me for putting myself in harm’s way,” I advised, leaning back against the backrest and letting out a long groan of contentment. “But, if anyone would understand that sometimes danger is unavoidable, I imagine it would be you.”

As she fully lay down again and covered herself with the blanket, Fizzlepop sighed again. “Yeah, I do. While it’s certainly not the main reason, it’s a reason I never got close to anyone. The more people that care about you, the more people it hurts when you get hurt. It is an unfortunate truth that sometimes we’re going to get hurt, whether physically or mentally, and having other people worry about you complicates things.” She looked up at me with a shrug. “Don’t get me wrong: it’s nice to be cared for, but during a time where I never stayed in one place for too long and basically the entire world was my enemy, making friends would have caused more problems that I didn’t have time for.”

“Speaking of, what about Grubber?” I asked.

She shrugged again. “We parted ways. I guess he was kinda the only friend I had, but we were only friends because we were both under the Storm King’s thumb for one reason or another. In the end, he decided to return home, and his family welcomed him with open arms. Hedgehogs are really close-knit, especially with the mothers and their hoglets. Kinda stupid for them to just ignore all the stuff he did just because he came home, but that’s not my business. In the end, we said our goodbyes, and I haven’t heard from him since. But, if I’m being honest, I am glad one of us got to go home again.”

I nodded slowly. After a few moments of silence, I asked, “Do you mind if I ask why you couldn’t go home?”

She stilled at my words, breathing deeply in silence. Eventually she answered, but it was with a tone of sadness and longing. “...there’s nothing for me to go back to. Being the scarred unicorn filly with no horn and no cutie mark basically ostracized me from ‘polite’ society as it was. I was an orphan, so it isn’t like I have parents waiting for me, and no one in town would even want to see me. You forget, Spike: you and Twilight might have accepted me, but no one else will. There’s never going to be a time I can just walk into a town, my face and horn in the free air, and not be immediately met with fear and suspicion.”

While the explanation certainly answered my question, I now had another that I blurted out before I could stop myself. “What is your cutie mark? I’ve never seen it.”

Despite the previously morose mood she was in, Fizzlepop barked out a laugh and shook her head. “Spike, if you wanted to get a look at my rump, there are more tactful ways to ask.” It was at that moment that I did indeed realize how my question sounded, but before I could stammer out an apology, the mare waved my response away. “Don’t worry about it; I know what you meant. Well, the answer is I don’t have one.” She shifted a bit and pulled the side of her shorts down, exposing her hip, showing that the fur was the same as the rest of her body: unadorned and plain. “See? Nothing there. If I have a special talent, I’ve never figured it out.”

My brow furrowed as I looked down at my lap. “Everyone has a special talent, Fizzle. Even dragons. We don’t get cutie marks, but we all have something we are uniquely talented at.”

“As far as you know,” she argued. “But Equestrian society has a tendency to push out those that don’t conform or fit in. I’m proof of that, and so is your friend Zecora. Fearing the unknown is natural, but for all of Equestria’s talk of acceptance and love, this nation demands conformity from those that are going to live here. That’s fair, because for a nation to survive, everyone living in it needs to have a similar culture and values, but let’s not pretend Equestria doesn’t have its bouts of xenophobia.”

Looking over to her again, I continued frowning. “They accepted me.”

“Do they, though?” she challenged, her eyes remaining closed as she rested her body. “How many times do you get looked at with confusion or fear when you go anywhere but Ponyville? How often have those Canterlot noble plotholes called you a beast, or a monster?”

“Okay, that’s not fair,” I countered, pointing my finger at her. “The nobles are jerks to everyone, even each other.”

Fizzlepop was still as she answered me. “Fine, that’s a good point. However, you’re going to have a rude awakening when the truth of who you are comes out. A lot of the ponies that you believe accept you might suddenly turn their backs on you. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid I’m not. And,” she interrupted me, causing my teeth to clack as I snapped my mouth shut, “before you say something about how Equestrians wouldn’t do that, remember: I was born in Equestria too. Don’t take it the wrong way when I say this, but you live a very sheltered life. I’ve seen and done more than you have, so believe me when I say the world is very different from how you perceive it. I have no doubt your friends will be there to help you through trials, but they might be the only ones. You’ve never known what it’s like to have the people you thought were your friends turn on you, and the townsfolk you thought accepted you suddenly shun you. If things go the way I think they might, you’re going to experience that very soon.”

“That’s…not very reassuring,” I grumbled.

Fizzlepop just continued lazing on her side. “It’s not supposed to be. I’m not trying to make you feel better, I’m trying to give you a little insight into how the world really works, and how bad things might get. It’s better to be prepared and worried than ignorant and happy.”

I frowned hard at that. “I happen to like being happy.”

“Everyone does,” she said with a sigh, “but happiness doesn’t always keep you alive. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like and confront uncomfortable truths to survive. I wish you didn’t have to go through that, but life doesn’t always give us a choice. During those times, we can either isolate ourselves to keep from hurting others, or lean on our friends.”

I was smart enough to pick up on what she was insinuating. “Well, it worked for you.”

Fizzle opened her eyes and stared at me with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. “You don’t want to be like me, Spike. You have friends and a herd that care deeply for you. I became what I am because I never had any of that. I was treated like a monster by everyone I met for so long that I ended up becoming one. You’re better than that, and your friends will ensure you stay on the right path.”

While my heart ached for Fizzlepop, I also understood why she was telling me these things. Part of her self-imposed redemption fueled by her guilt dictated that she wanted to make sure I didn’t make the same mistakes she did. I didn’t think there was any chance of that happening, but I appreciated the words nonetheless. Though I knew she didn’t believe it, it was clear to me there was a good, caring pony buried inside the cynical ex-commander of the Storm King’s armada.

From there, we lapsed into silence as the two of us watched some program on television that, for the life of me, I can’t even recall. It wasn’t important anyway.

…

A few hours later, a knock on the door brought me out of my mindless zoning, and woke Fizzlepop from her light doze. The two of us glanced at each other before I stood and made my way over to the door. Upon opening the door, I was greeted by my favorite alicorn princess, who looked quite pleased with herself.

I could only smile in return. “You look like you figured something out.”

Twilight nodded rapidly with an almost manic grin. “I did! I found out how we need to remove the curse.” As she stepped into the room, she turned her eyes toward Fizzlepop, who was now focusing intently on the other mare. “Because of how long you’ve had the curse, it won’t be a quick process, but I do have a treatment plan we can follow to purge you of the curse once and for all.”

Fizzlepop just stared blankly for a few moments before eventually venturing, “...s-so you can fix me?”

Twilight stepped closer until she was standing in front of the unicorn, and gave a firm nod. “I can. Like I said, it won’t be quick, but-”

Twilight was interrupted when Fizzlepop quickly stood and practically flung herself at the alicorn, latching onto her in a surprise hug that nearly knocked Twilight over. It only took a heartbeat for Twilight to return the embrace, being mindful of the sensitive wound on her back. The two mares held the hug for a moment before breaking away, a suddenly wobbly Fizzlepop doing her best to hurriedly wipe away the relieved tears from her eyes before either of us could see them.

FIzzlepop loudly cleared her throat and said, “Um…sorry about that. The pills are kinda messing with my head.”

Twilight just smiled and gently shook her head. “Never apologize for being grateful. Besides: this thing has had you in near-constant pain for years, so you’re allowed to be relieved that we can fix it. If that means you get a little uncharacteristically physically affectionate, well I suppose we’ll just have to cope.”

Fizzlepop rolled her eyes before carefully sitting back down in her place, letting out a long breath. “Still…it’s nice to have an end in sight. After so many different people have told me there’s no hope, you’ve given me some.” As Twilight opened her mouth, she grabbed a pillow and warned, “And if you start lecturing me about how ‘that’s friendship,’ I’m throwing this pillow at your face.”

Twilight’s surprised expression changed to a smirk at the challenge. “That’s friendsh-” And, true to Fizzlepop’s warning, the pillow impacted Twilight’s face with considerable force, leaving the alicorn slightly off-balance even as she giggled like a foal. Despite how disgruntled she was trying to appear, Fizzlepop also cracked a smile and snorted out a single laugh.

After giving a moment for Twilight to settle down, Fizzlepop asked, “So, when do we start?”

Twilight nodded to the other mare. “Right now. This first treatment won’t do much, in all honesty. Instead, the spell I’m going to use will essentially prepare you and your magical core for the rest of the spells I’ll be casting on you.”

Fizzlepop raised a brow at that. “My magical core?”

Twilight nodded again. “That’s why the curse never went away. It uses your own internal magic to stay active, like a parasite. This first spell will sever the curse’s connection with your magical core, which might be…uncomfortable. From there, we’ll just have to treat the affected flesh.”

The unicorn let out a long, slow breath. “Well, I’m used to pain by now. If a little more means I can be fixed, then I’ll bear it gladly. Ready when you are.”

Twilight took her own breath before closing her eyes and lighting her horn. A cloud of her magic slowly slithered out of her horn to cover Fizzlepop completely before sinking into her skin. Only a single line of magic still connected Twilight to her spell, and within a second, Fizzlepop tensed a bit and growled as the pain flared up again. Thankfully for all present, it lasted only a few seconds before Twilight cut the power from her horn, and the spell was completed.

Fizzlepop slumped once the spell was completed, gasping for breath as she struggled to settle her nerves, which I could only imagine were on fire at the moment. After gulping down a few lungfuls of air, she ground out a few choice curses before commenting, “Buck, I wasn’t expecting that. Felt like you were cutting a chunk out of my insides.”

Twilight had the good grace to look apologetic. “A-heh, sorry about that. I’ve never actually had to cast a spell like that before, so I wasn’t exactly sure what it would feel like for you.”

Fizzlepop shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Sometimes you gotta cause a little pain to heal, and I’m certainly no stranger to that. Oh, by the way, did you find out why the curse started hurting more all of the sudden?”

Twilight jolted at the mention of that, and by her expression, I knew the answer wasn’t going to be nice. “Um…yeah, I did. To be blunt, it was killing you.” At Fizzlepop’s tired, uncomprehending stare, Twilight elaborated. “Well, like I said, the curse uses your own magical core to stay active. Over the years, it started to meld with it, so much so that it was starting to corrupt you. If you had waited another week, there might not have been anything we could do for you other than make you comfortable.”

Fizzlepop just sat there with her jaw dropped. There was no denying she was a tough mare, but confronting your own mortality was something that would shake nearly anyone to their core, no matter how seasoned they might be. I’d had to face the same sort of situation once before, and I knew exactly how emotionally stressful it could be.

“It was…killing me,” Fizzlepop confirmed, her face unreadable.

Twilight nodded solemnly. “Yes. During an experiment, I caused injury to my own core by accident, and the pain alone caused me to pass out. Considering how painful that was, I can only surmise your pain tolerance is higher than even my most generous estimates. I don’t even know how you were still functioning under that much pain.”

“Will there be any permanent damage?” Fizzlepop asked next.

Twilight frowned briefly. “I…don’t know. Like your flesh, this might leave something like a scar in your core. As for how much it will affect you, there’s no way to tell for sure.”

“How bad could it be? Give me the worst case scenario,” Fizzlepop pressed, nearly begging for an answer.

Twilight bit her lip as she pondered how to word her thoughts. “Well…if it’s the absolute worst case scenario, we’re talking about your life span being reduced by decades. This could be complicated by early onset dementia and cognitive decline, as early as middle age.”

“So I’ll essentially age faster than I should,” Fizzlepop summarized.

Twilight reluctantly nodded. “Yes. Again, that’s the worst case, and I doubt even with the damage caused that such a thing will happen-”

“But the possibility still exists, and we won’t know until much later down the line,” Fizzlepop finished, getting another reluctant nod from her alicorn friend. The mare released another long breath, leaning back into her seat and closing her eyes. “Well, there’s no sense getting all worked up over something I can’t change. If it comes to that, I’ll deal with it. If things are better, then I’ll deal with that too. Either way, I’m still alive thanks to all of you, and if you can take the pain away, you’ll have my undying gratitude.”

Finally deciding to put in my own two bits, I added, “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll ensure whatever life you live will be free of this curse, so you can live how you want without that constant agony bearing down on you. It’s one less thing to worry about, at the very least.”

Fizzlepop glanced up at me finally, smirking. “So Twilight will do the heavy lifting, and you’ll make me food. Nice to know you two make such a great team.”

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” both Twilight and I answered at the same time. We glanced at each other and laughed heartily.

Instead of doing what I thought she would and rolling her eyes, Fizzlepop gave a single nod as she quietly commented, “Apparently it does. Whatever this is, it works for you.”

Twilight returned the smile. “Anyhow, I think we’ll have a spell treatment every three days, to be finished up in about two weeks. For now, rest and recover, and know that you’re officially on the road to recovery. Was there anything else you needed before I head back to work?”

Fizzlepop chuckled halfheartedly. “Twilight, you’ve done more for me than I can ever repay. I mean that. At this point, you could ask me to sacrifice a child to you, and I’d do it. I have no right to ask you for anything ever again.”

“For the record, do not sacrifice a foal to me,” Twilight jokingly warned. “That’s a lot of paperwork I’ll have to fill out, and ponies already look at me strangely when I go off on one of my ‘sciency tangents’.”

Fizzlepop (and me, by extension) looked distinctly surprised. “...I gotta admit, I didn’t expect you to roll with that kind of joke. I’m impressed, Sparkle.”

“Oh, I’m just full of surprises.”

Fizzlepop only smiled enigmatically. “I don’t doubt it. Anyhow, to answer your question, no, I think I’ll be good for the rest of the day. You’ve exceeded any expectation I could possibly have, and an end in sight to this pain is more than enough. Thank you.”

Twilight was beaming and offered one final nod to the other mare before turning and leaving the room. Just before exiting though, she called over her shoulder. “Oh, and Spike, your task still stands until Fizzle relieves you. Thanks for your help.”

As Twilight leaves, Fizzlepop just stares at the door, quietly muttering, “Why do I feel like we’re part of a plan and neither of us knows what’s going on?”

“Because you’re 100% correct,” I answered blandly, sighing as I again took my seat and gave a big stretch before relaxing. “Alicorns have a habit of playing multiple ‘long games’ all at once. The world is kinda one big chessboard, to them. It’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise. And for Twilight specifically, I don’t think she’s capable of hurting anyone on purpose.”

“Dragons have long lifespans too, though,” Fizzlepop pointed out.

I shrugged. “Yeah, but I tend to live in the moment. Maybe that’ll change when I get older, but I’m of the mind that if you spend too much time looking ahead, you miss everything that’s happening right now. I don’t want to make the mistake of missing life happening currently in favor of focusing only on the future. That’s no way to live, and it would only lead to regret.”

“I assume one of the Canterlot princesses taught you that,” Fizzlepop commented.

“My mom, yeah,” I answered, smiling briefly. “Not the kind of thing any parent wants to need to teach their child, but paramount for someone like me, who’s going to live for eons. Twilight got the same lesson when she ascended, but as a mare that’s naturally anxious, she wants to have plans for every single eventuality. She’s still learning that such an approach is untenable.” I turned my eyes to the unicorn across from me and tentatively asked, “So, anything you want or need to do?”

Fizzlepop made herself a bit more comfortable as she hummed aloud. “...tell me a story. In fact, tell me your favorite story about something you and your friends have done.”

With a broad smile, I nodded. “Sure, I’ve got a few.”

Chapter 29

Thankfully, the days passed fairly easily, and before I knew it, the day to return to my beloved dragoness had finally come. As we had agreed, the entire herd would be going, meaning certain ponies had to be talked down to keep them from trying to bring their entire house with them. Well, one pony.

“Rarity, we’re spending only a few days there, and it would be extremely risky to bring this many clothes to a place that thrives on lava and fire,” Twilight advised, unwilling to budge. “Besides, unless you know how to teleport long distances without seeing where you’re going, the more things we bring, the higher the chance of something going wrong in transit. You wouldn’t want to be dumped a hundred miles away from the rest of us, now would you? And that’s even assuming nothing was lost during transit.”

Rarity tried to keep her defiant glare on her face, but the worried gulp and sweat that began beading on her forehead betrayed her. Biting her lip and glancing over the eight cases she was trying to bring, she relented. “...m-maybe I could consolidate some things.”

“Maybe you can. I’ll help,” Fluttershy said, smiling affectionately at her friend as she moved to assist the fashionista.

Twilight watched the two begin going through the cases for a moment, then turned to Starlight, who was standing nearby. “So, are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

Starlight rolled her eyes and shook her mane out of her eyes. “Twi, we’ll be fine. I’m pretty sure I can handle anything that might come up, and if worse comes to worst, I’ll shoot a letter to Spike to let you know. But, don’t do what you normally do and worry yourself to death if you don’t hear anything from me. That will just mean that everything’s fine.” The pink unicorn then raised an eyebrow at me. “I’m counting on you to reign in her neuroses so she doesn’t panic when it’s not needed.”

Twilight gave an offended snort from beside me, even as I wrapped her in my wing and smiled at the other mare. “Of course, Star. You act like I haven’t known Twilight my entire life or something. I knew what I was getting into from the very beginning.”

“You both suck,” Twilight grumped, though she didn’t leave my embrace and instead snuggled a bit more against my side. Just before I could fire off an innuendo-fueled zinger, Twilight preempted me by saying, “And if what you’re about to say has anything to do with making that comment somehow sexual, you’re going to find out what the moon looks like this time of year.”

While I knew the threat wasn’t real, I also knew making Twilight mad before we headed to the dragon lands was a bad idea. So, despite my innate desire to poke at her, I swallowed down the comment and just smiled at the alicorn.

“What about Fizzle?” Starlight asked curiously.

Twilight shrugged from beneath my wing. “She just had a treatment and is still taking pain meds, so she’ll be pretty quiet. Just, y’know, check on her from time to time to make sure she doesn’t suddenly take a turn for the worse or something. The chances of that happening are slim to none, but checking on her twice a day couldn’t hurt. I imagine she’ll want to be left alone anyway, so I don’t expect you to foalsit her or anything.”

Starlight gave a single nod. “Well, I guess I’ll just keep things together until all of you get back. Have a nice time!”

As Starlight walked back toward the castle, I caught sight of a cloud hovering a few dozen feet above the castle. I squinted at it, and saw just a smidge of a rainbow mane peek over the edge briefly before disappearing. I frowned at the sight before sighing and turning away.

“She’s still not talking, hm?” Twilight questioned idly as we turned back to make our way to our herd.

I shook my head. “No. Like I told you: Scoots said she’ll come up with something to shake her out of her funk, so for now we just gotta leave her be. I just wish she’d talk to us.”

“Talking has never been one of Rainbow’s strengths. True, she’s gotten better as we’ve matured, but she’s still prone to avoiding awkward situations, even if talking would help,” Twilight pointed out as we separated. “For now, I think leaving her to her own devices is best. If she doesn’t want to talk to us, trying to corner her will just push her away. What we’re going to do is focus on our trip to the dragon lands, and whatever comes of that. That’s all we can do.”

I shrugged and half-smiled. “I know you’re right, I just feel like this whole situation is stupid. Well, whatever. We’ll handle all that when we get back.” I approached my unicorn mate and grinned at her as she pouted adorably. “So, are we ready?”

Rarity just frowned harder, crossing her arms under her chest. “I suppose.”

Rolling my eyes, I wrapped an arm around Rarity’s shoulders. “Quit acting like a foal, Rares. Besides the fact dragons don’t put much stock in wearing fabric, we’re only going to be there for a few days. Who you are is far more important than what you’re wearing. Besides: in a place with lots of fire, the likelihood of your clothing getting damaged or destroyed is far higher than it is in Equestria. The less we bring with us, the better.”

“B-but what if there’s a fashion emergency, and I don’t have enough clothing options?” she weakly argued.

I just shrugged again, smirking at her. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to be naked.”

An odd choking noise came from the white pony before she slapped me hard on the arm, which only caused me to erupt in laughter. The rest joined in only a moment later, and eventually, Rarity could only smile with a blush as she shook her head at me.

After we settled ourselves and gathered in a close group, Twilight lit her horn and explained, “Okay, grab hold and huddle close, everyone. As with any long-range teleport, this is going to be particularly jarring for your stomach, so I hope all of you remembered not to eat anything.” With a deep breath, Twilight added a second and then a third layer to the glow on her horn, and with a bright flash, the world fell away.

After what was in reality only moments later (though it felt like hours), I could feel a distinct difference in the air. Each breath I took felt heavier, and the air was more dry than it was in Ponyville. As my ears stopped ringing, I carefully opened my eyes and looked around us.

We were in a cave, and under Twilight’s hooves was the temporary teleport anchor she had sent to Ember. The dragoness herself was standing a dozen paces away, but once she saw we were all safe and whole, she wasted no time in making her way over and greeting each individual. I was the last one she welcomed to her home, but the dragoness nearly knocked me over when she flung herself at me and immediately captured my lips with hers. The sheer passion and longing in that kiss made me weak in the knees, and I’ll readily admit to almost dropping her as I struggled to stay standing.

Just before my legs completely gave out on me, Ember pulled back and disconnected our lips with a loud *pop*. She laid her forehead against mine as her shining eyes looked deep into my soul and her radiant smile brightened my entire life. “Hello again, beloved.”

I wish I could honestly claim I said something wonderfully romantic and sweet, but all that came out was a goofy laugh and a dorky smile. However, if Ember’s persistent, loving smile was any indication, that was enough, and she didn’t seem to mind whatsoever.

The dragoness carefully untangled herself from me and looked once again at the assembled ponies and changeling. With an approving nod, she said, “I’m glad you all could make it. As you can see,” she gestured around the large, cavernous stone room, “this is my home, and all of you are welcome to whatever space you want. I apologize for not having something that’s more traditionally appropriate for a pony, but…well, Equestrian stuff burns pretty easily. Even the wood frames you use for beds would be impractical around here.”

“It’s okay, Ember. We came prepared,” Twilight announced just before opening a portal with a wave of her hand, sticking her whole upper body inside, and pulling out a full metal bed frame to be assembled. Said frame was quickly built with only a trifle of a spell, which left a bare bed frame now sitting against the corner of the cave furthest from the entrance. Next, Twilight reached into the portal again, this time pulling out a matching mattress, plus a bag that contained sheets, a blanket (which the ponies were unlikely to need, due to the heat), and pillows. At Ember’s dropped jaw and questioning eyes, Twilight explained, “Before you ask, all of this was bought specially or created by Rarity herself. The bedding is both highly tear-resistant, and immune to all but the most extreme of heat. While I haven’t tested it so thoroughly, I’m sure if it dropped in a volcano, it would be fine as long as the spells weaved into the fibers hold. And since I’m the one that cast the spells, I’m confident they would.”

Ember just continued to stare at the alicorn for a few moments before shaking her head with a soft laugh. “And here I was expecting you to do something normal for a change. I wonder when I’ll stop being surprised by you.”

“Normal is boring,” Twilight snarked with a matching smile at her dragoness herdmate.

Ember’s smile remained as she nodded. “So it is. Anyway, since you all are here, I figure we can get the hard part out of the way and meet my parents. I, uh, haven’t told them anything regarding this, but my father knows I’m hiding something. I still don’t think he will have expected a herd in his wildest dreams, and I’m both excited and terrified to see his reaction.” As she spoke about us meeting her parents, Ember’s face gradually devolved into a worried frown, even going so far as to nibble on her lip.

Twilight wasted no time in nosing her way into Ember’s space, settling herself under the taller dragoness’ wing and wrapping her fuzzy arm around the other’s lower back as she smiled up at her herdmate. “Hey, it’ll be okay. All of us are here to support you, and your father’s just going to need to get used to it. Like I said: you’re stuck with us, our treasure.”

While she would always deny it, Ember let loose an honest-to-Celestia squee at the pet name, and hugged the alicorn tightly to her side. It took everyone else joining in the hug for her to realize what she had done, and though a blush bloomed from within her, she didn’t resist the collective embrace from everyone.

After breaking apart, we all took a few moments to settle our things within the open space, as well as allowing time for the rest of the herd to change into more appropriate attire, before following Ember out of the cave. Upon leaving the mouth of said cave, the ponies were blasted with a wave of warm air due to the volcanic environment. Though it was winter, the dragon lands were always kept at a comfortable temperature, which meant the ponies were able to wear what was more appropriate for summer, even at the end of winter. Granted, there was a need to be wary of the lakes of lava and active lava flows, but it was fair to call the temperature “balmy”.

We all followed behind Ember, but it wasn’t difficult to see where we were headed, given that the massive size of her father allowed him to be seen for miles around. We were also the subject of stares from quite a few dragons, moreso because of the ponies and changeling than me. None of them approached, but it was clear we were going to have quite a few questions posed to us during our stay. I didn’t mind so much, but I was also kinda looking forward to when a dragon would inevitably test the boundaries of any of my herd. Even Fluttershy, who was unanimously voted to be the “softest” of any of us, was not going to accept being pushed around.

“Going from the looks we’re receiving, I can only conclude you didn’t tell any of the others that we would be visiting,” Lyla observed, though the answer was obvious to all of us.

Finally showing something other than nervousness, Ember looked over her shoulder and smirked at the changeling queen. “I thought it would be more fun to surprise them. Besides: it would be good for them to get used to visits from other races. The more comfortable we as a species become with other races, the better.”

We were silent the rest of the walk, eventually arriving at the giant crag that Torch used as a basking spot. Going off of the patient look on his knowing face, he had been watching us for awhile now, or his sharp sense of smell had picked up on the scent of non-dragons. He sent a silent raised brow Ember’s way, and though the dragoness hunched her shoulders a bit, she continued to approach the giant dragon in front of us.

“I must confess, I thought only the whelp would be joining you, Ember,” the giant dragon boomed, his deep, rumbling voice causing my bones to ache.

Ember, realizing the rest of us weren’t particularly used to having our bodies vibrated by the voice, snorted a few sparks out of her nose as she said, “Father, I asked you to speak softly. Also, ‘the whelp’ has a name. Use it.”

The sight of a comparatively diminutive dragoness like Ember standing up to her father, a dragon that dwarfed even the city of Canterlot, was downright hilarious. However, the sudden change from nervous to righteously indignant was severe enough that it snapped us out of our collective awe, and had all of us staring at the two dragons, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen. Eventually, Torch completely ignored his daughter’s request to be quieter, and belted out a laugh loud enough to shake the numerous mountains and volcanoes that surrounded us for miles.

It took a few moments for the giant to finish laughing, but he eventually calmed down enough to say, “And here I thought all that time in ponyland made you soft, daughter! I’ve never been happier to be wrong!” He then lowered his head to look at each of us before (thankfully) quietly saying, “So, introduce me to the Equestrians then. Who are they and why are they here?”

Ember slapped her palm on her face and groaned. “Dad, can you please stop playing games? You know full well who all of these ponies are…well, except for maybe Lyla.” Ember stepped back and ushered the changeling queen forward as she announced, “Dad, this is Lyla. She’s the first changeling that became a citizen of Equestria, and lives in Ponyville.”

While he thankfully didn’t seem hostile, Torch didn’t look particularly impressed. “And why did you bring a changeling to our home, daughter? In fact, why are any of them here? I was under the impression we would only be presenting your new mate to the clan.”

Ember squirmed a bit under her father’s gaze, clearly unsure of how to word the truth. While a part of me wanted to jump in and explain everything on her behalf, I knew that Ember deserved to be the one to tell her father what was really going on. Besides that, it probably wouldn’t look good if I made it seem as if the daughter of Torch and a dragonlord couldn’t muster up the courage to speak when it was needed.

Ember glanced at me briefly. “Well, as you can see, we both have branded one another. Spike and I are mated.”

“Then everything is as it should be,” Torch surmised.

While it would be easier to just leave things that way, Ember steeled herself and finally brought her gaze up to meet her father’s. “Yes, but…that’s not all. There’s a reason all the others are here as well. Technically speaking, by Equestrian culture…th-they’re my mates too.”

Finally, that got a more noticeable reaction from the draconic giant, as he froze and his massive maw dropped open in shock. Likely for the first time she could remember, Ember got to see her father unable to say anything in response to a situation. Eventually, the dragon patriarch was able to utter, “...come again?”

“All those you see standing here are legally her mates as well, Torch,” Twilight spoke up, stepping forward to take her place at Ember’s side.

Immediately, the dumbfounded look on Torch’s face twisted into a snarl. “I wasn’t asking you, pony. My daughter is fully capable of answering questions on her own,” he then shot a look to the dragoness in question, “and I expect her to do so.”

For the first time since the meeting began, Ember showed an emotion besides anxiety and worry. Now, she snarled right back at her giant of a father. “When you speak to the ones I care about, you will do so with respect, father.”

“Respect is earned, whelp,” Torch shot right back, his gaze unyielding. “As it stands, you’re standing here with a bunch of outsiders, claiming that you’ve submitted to the whims of a nation that is not your home. A dragonlord never settles, they take what is rightly theirs.”

“Oh go stick your head in a volcano, you grouchy old windbag,” came another voice from off to the side, just as another large dragon with a mauve hide, deep blue spines, and a soft blue belly climbed up from the canyon far below us. The softer, sleeker body and face told me this was a female, and the resemblance between this dragon and Ember was uncanny. “As I recall, a dragonlord leads as they see fit, and that includes how they live their own life. Ember has earned the right to make her own decisions in life, as long as they do not harm dragonkind.”

Ember relaxed just a hair, her face forming a half-smile. “Perfect timing as always, mother.”

Ignoring the comment by his daughter, Torch turned to the elder dragoness and argued, “And how do you know this won’t harm our kind? There is a reason dragons do not live the same way as ponies!”

The dragoness smiled enigmatically. “Perhaps it is well past time dragonkind adapts to the world, instead of stagnating. If I recall, that has been Ember’s plan all along for her reign. I daresay adopting some attributes of the Equestrians could be beneficial for all of us. Ponies did not become the largest, most powerful nation on this planet by being foolish, dear. Now, go take a soak in the lake to settle yourself, lest you say or do something stupid.”

The ex-dragonlord grumbled to himself as she lumbered away from us, likely heading to the giant caldera that held an open lava lake. After watching him go for a moment, Ember once again smiled up at her mother. “Thanks mom. I was worried I was gonna have to get physical with him if he didn’t stop.”

The large dragoness lazily draped herself over the vacated crag, letting out a loud sigh. “He is my mate, and I love the brute, but your father is set in his ways. You know that better than anyone, my little sapphire.”

Ember immediately blushed at the nickname, and I chuckled aloud as I commented, “Oh, I am definitely remembering that name. It's adorable.”

Ember once more slapped a palm to her face as she whined, “Moooom! C’mon, don’t use my whelp name in front of everyone!”

The dragoness just continued to smile, gesturing to us. “So, are you going to introduce me to these lovely individuals? I don’t think we’ve formally met before.”

Feeling significantly less tense with her mother, Ember relaxed a bit more and nodded. First, she wrapped her arm around Twilight and said, “This is princess Twilight Sparkle, and she’s Equestria’s Princess of Friendship. While she has many talents, her primary calling is to foster positive relations with anyone and everyone, if at all possible. The school we sent Smolder to was Twilight’s passion project, and I know Smolder has told everyone plenty about that.”

“She has indeed,” the dragoness replied.

Ember moved over to me next. “I know you recognize Spike, but now, he’s my mate as well. While he doesn’t take a big leadership role in Equestria, he’s still an integral part of the nation, and he works with the others to ensure his home is peaceful.”

“It’s nice to meet you again, ma’am,” I greeted, smiling at Ember’s mother.

I received a smile right back as the large dragoness reached out a claw and gently poked me in the cheek. “Still such a charmer. I’m quite happy my lovely daughter managed to secure you as a mate after all. I was halfway worried she would remain unclaimed for decades to come.”

“MOM!”

Ember’s mother giggled in a decidedly feminine manner, holding a hand up to her mouth as she struggled to stay composed. After a few moments, she breathed deeply and assured, “Come now, there is no need to be ashamed. Honestly, I knew from the moment I saw the two of you together that he was your destined mate. I sensed it, and I knew the time would come at some point. I’m just happy it didn’t take centuries.”

Ember snorted hard, but said nothing in direct response to that, opting to continue the introductions. Next, she moved to Rarity, and laid a hand on the unicorn’s shoulder. “This is Rarity Belle, first of Spike’s hoard and the alpha female.”

At that, Ember’s mother raised a brow high. “You aren’t the alpha, Ember?”

Knowing things were more complicated than it seemed, Rarity decided to speak up. “Greetings. I am indeed Rarity, and as Spike’s first courted female, I am the ‘alpha’ of his herd. While that may change in time, for now, I am the one whom all decisions go through, and I have the responsibility of ensuring everyone is kept healthy and happy.” She briefly caught eyes with Ember before turning her attention back to the larger dragoness. “In an Equestrian herd, all are treated as equals. Simply being a dragon does not grant Ember the position of alpha, nor does her position as a dragonlord give her any additional standing within the herd. She will be treated with whatever respect she deserves based on her actions and behavior, not simply because of what species she is or what title she may hold in these lands. I assure you: it is no disrespect. Instead, with us, Ember can live and be cared for as a normal individual, where the only expectation is the same care and respect we offer to her. We don’t look to use her connection to her clan as an asset, and nor do we expect her to offer us special treatment within the dragon lands simply because of our connection to her.”

The elder dragoness tilted her head slightly, looking intently at her daughter before smiling a bit. “I am aware that being the daughter of Torch made your life more difficult than others of your age, Ember. While I wish you could have grown up in the common way, I am happy to see you have found individuals who offer you the chance to be cared about based on your own merits. For that alone, I accept this arrangement.” She then nodded to the group. “I see there are three other members I have yet to know.”

Applejack stepped forward next, tipping her hat respectfully to the mother of Ember. “G’mornin’, ma’am. Mah name’s Applejack, and mah fam’ly owns and operates Sweet Apple Acres, which is a farm that grows produce sold all around Equestria, and even t’ some places outside’a it. Mah fam’ly was one’a tha first t’ settle tha site that’d become Ponyville, and mah kin’re spread all across Equestria.”

Ember’s mother nodded with a thoughtful expression. “So you have a very prolific family with many connections. This is good. Family lines are very important to dragons.”

“So Ember’s said,” Applejack acknowledged. “Ah doubt there’s a single citizen of Equestria that’s never heard of tha Apples, ‘n there’s at least one’a mah relatives in every town ‘n city. Needless t’ say, fam’ly reunions are a big deal. Ah’m of tha mind that fam’ly is one’a tha most important things in life.”

The large dragoness bobbed her head from side to side, mulling over what she was told. “While I cannot say dragons place the same importance on family in the same way as you seem to, I can respect valuing family. Thank you, Applejack.”

Taking the dismissal as a cue, Ember stepped over to Fluttershy next, and gently ushered the pegasus forward. Once again, Ember was surprised when Fluttershy was standing tall instead of cowering, confidently meeting the gaze of her mother. It took a moment for Ember to mentally shake herself, eventually settling on a brief introduction. “This is Fluttershy, Ponyville’s resident animal caretaker. She might seem soft and delicate, but I’ve seen firsthand just how foolish it would be to underestimate her. She’s a strong, capable pony, and even before getting to know her as a fellow hoard mate, I respected her for her ability to masterfully deal with large predators and beasts of the Everfree Forest.”

“Really now?” Ember’s mother replied with surprise, clear in her tone. “Even the ursa?”

Fluttershy blushed a bit at the attention, but smiled nonetheless. “Oh, they’re not so bad once you get to know them. In fact, I think ursa and dragons have a lot in common: they like to eat, they like to sleep, and they generally just want to be left to live in peace. Sure, they’re big, but they’re only dangerous if you encroach on their homes, much like I imagine dragons are. I don’t think it’s a secret that any one of you would be upset if a stranger was walking around your home uninvited.”

“Yes, I suppose I can understand that,” the elder dragoness once again agreed.

Finally, Ember moved to the last member of the herd. “And this is Lyla, Ponyville’s resident changeling, and apparently a queen of her kind.”

“A queen by my form, not by title,” Lyla clarified, waving to the elder dragoness. “In reality, I’m just one of Spike’s herd, one of Ponyville’s protectors, and someone that wanted to be here to support Ember, should she need it.”

Ember’s mother nodded to Lyla with that persistent smile, placing one large claw on her chest. “It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I am Purple Spinel, mother to Ember and mate to the grump you met earlier. You are welcome here in these lands, and I for one am quite happy to meet all of you. However,” she glanced at me directly, “I would appreciate an explanation on just what a herd is, and why Ember somehow has multiple mates to present to the clan.”

Everyone looked to me now, and I sighed as I realized I was apparently expected to explain everything. Regardless, I did as I was expected to, and stepped up closer to the dragoness as I gestured behind me to the others. “In Equestria, males are expected to take multiple mates in order to keep the population growth steady. Females are naturally born at a higher rate than males, so it’s normal for males to court multiple females. Normally a herd has two or three males and six to twelve females, but…well, with me being a dragon, we’ve had to adapt things a bit differently. As for why Ember has multiple mates, that’s because Equestrian herds are one big relationship between all members. So, when Ember accepted the terms of being in a herd to be with me, she wasn’t just accepting me as a mate, she was accepting everyone else as a mate as well.”

Purple Spinel raised her brow high and looked to her daughter. “I was under the impression you only fancied drakes, daughter.”

Ember made a weird noise that was halfway between a squawk and a growl, but since she seemed unable to form words, I decided to clarify. “I’m the only one Ember has actually mated with. One thing you need to understand about Equestria is that attraction and even mating between those of the same sex isn’t stigmatized like it is in many other places around the globe. Equestrians are of the mind that you can’t force love, so if you happen to be attracted to someone of the same sex, that’s fine and you are encouraged to do what makes you happy.” I gestured to the alicorn of the group. “Twilight, for example, finds both males and females attractive, and she’s courted individuals of both sexes in the past. Some, like Rarity, are only attracted to the opposite sex, and yet others are only attracted to the same sex. And before you tell us, yes, we’re all aware that such things are taboo amongst dragons. However: as ponies are a different species, we ask that you don’t judge them the same way you would a dragon. Things are different in Equestria, and we ask that you respect that. The only way our culture impacts Ember is that she has multiple mates now.”

“We’re also aware that’s going to cause quite the stir amongst the clan,” Twilight added, directly acknowledging the possible hurdle we were going to have to navigate. “That’s also why we’re here. We will not let Ember weather this incident alone; the herd stands together.”

The elder dragoness sighed heavily again and lay her head down on her crossed arms. “Unfortunately, you are correct in your assumption. Many dragons will not accept this arrangement, and quite a few are going to be upset about it. Not that it’s any of their business, but since Ember is the dragonlord, they will assume her personal life is up for debate. I don’t personally have a problem with what any of you do in your private lives, even if I don’t understand it. In the end, if this makes you happy, Ember, then I will support you however I can.”

Ember smiled despite the air of tension that had been evoked due to Twilight mentioning the inevitable conflict. “Thanks mom.”

“There is, however, one other issue we have to address,” Lyla advised, raising her voice a bit to get the attention of Ember’s mother.

Purple Spinel rolled her eyes over to the changeling, though she didn’t raise her head. “And what would that be?”

“Sapphira,” Ember spat, knowing full well that we had to address this when everyone was here.

Purple Spinel snorted loudly. “Ah yes, I heard about that. If I am not mistaken, the issue is that Sapphira nearly caused a war with Equestria, correct?”

Twilight nodded gravely. “Yes ma’am, that’s correct. Not only did she claim land that was already settled by the nearby towns, she attempted to abduct Spike and injured Lyla.”

“Nearly killed her, iffin’ we’re bein’ honest,” Applejack threw in, crossing her arms and huffing.

“Nonetheless, Equestria demands recompense,” Twilight continued, her brow creasing and her lips curling into a frown. “As much as I want to just forget about all this, we can’t. Everyone knows what happened by now, and we need to show the people this type of incident will not be ignored by the ruling class. So, by Spike’s right as the dishonored party, we will demand a duel for the return of his honor.”

Again, Purple Spinel raised her brow, glancing over to her daughter. “I see you told them of our ways. Well done, daughter. However, as much as Spike may have grown over the years, he is no match for Sapphira in a fair fight. Sending him against her is a death sentence.”

“But, we can choose a champion to represent me, right?” I pointed out with a decidedly predatory grin.

Ember’s mother slowly nodded. “Yes, this is true. But, as I’m sure she has told you, they must be your kin.”

“And that is where magic and technicalities come into play,” I answered, continuing to grin. “I was hatched by Twilight’s magic, making Equestrian magic a part of me. Any dragon can confirm this. As for my kin, I was officially adopted by Princess Celestia. I know even dragons adopt orphaned whelps.”

“Wait, you’re not saying that Princess Celestia-”

I laughed heartily. “No no no, that’d be absurd.” At my words, Purple Spinel relaxed a bit, but I could only grin internally at the thought of what my next words would do to her. “No. My champion will be my aunt, Princess Luna.”

The large dragoness froze at the name, and her wings began noticeably twitching as she seemed to be struggling to reign in her fight or flight instinct. Eventually, through what appeared to be bone-chilling fear, she was able to utter a reverent, “You can invoke the wrath of the Mare in the Moon?”

“Well, she wasn’t in the moon per se, but…yeah, I can,” I confirmed with a smile. “Luna doesn’t get too many chances to really ‘stretch her wings’ anymore when it comes to battle, so she practically jumped at the idea. Honestly, I’m more worried about what she’ll do to Sapphira. Probably toy with her in front of the spectators, making the dragoness look weak and feeble in the face of Equestria’s guardian of the night. I think Sapphira’s gonna get a double helping of humble pie.”

“Ah’d say she’s earned it,” Applejack threw in.

Twilight nodded firmly. “Seconded. I think all of us have a personal stake in ensuring justice is meted out.”

“I suppose this Sapphira should have thought of the possible consequences before taking such a monumentally idiotic action,” Rarity spat with venom.

Ember nodded firmly, but kept the conversation moving. “However, what I need from you, mom, is help convincing the clan that some ponies not directly slighted can witness the event. Mostly reporters and such. They want proof that the problem is being dealt with.”

Purple Spinel hummed aloud before answering, “I believe that can be arranged. Our clan isn’t particularly known for violence, so I believe the only dangers visitors will need to be aware of would be the lakes, flows, and the occasional eruption. The clan members themselves will probably just ask them many questions.”

Shrugging, I suggested, “Well, we’ll handle all that tomorrow then, I guess. Let’s give it a day for the novelty of ponies and a changeling being here to wear off.”

Ember’s mother nodded slowly, letting out another long breath. “And, I suppose we can allow some time for my boulderhead of a mate to calm down so he can think a little more rationally. He’s just concerned for you, Ember. He’s well aware that something like this will cause problems for you, and this is his way of being worried.”

“Well, he’s being a jerk,” Ember bluntly stated with her arms crossed. “What, does he think I haven’t thought about all this? I asked all of them to come on purpose, because I knew both my parents and the rest of the clan deserved to know the extent of my connection to Equestria. Besides trying to forge a stronger relationship between our nations, all of you deserve to understand that this is also personal for me. While Spike may be the only one who has had the privilege of a more physical relationship-”

“A privilege I enjoy as often as I can,” I teased, smiling with a saucy wiggle of my brow.

Ember blushed again, but cleared her throat and continued. “Um…yes. Anyway, all of the individuals here are important to me. Like I told all of them when I planned this, I will not have all of them be some dirty secret I keep from my parents and my clan. To do so would dishonor both me and them, and that’s something I won’t be doing.”

The elder dragoness considered her daughter’s words for a moment before smiling wide. “It appears you’ve learned your lessons well, my little sapphire. I could not be more proud of the dragon you have grown into. And, though he doesn’t quite know how to say it, so too is your father.”

Again, Ember blushed, but looked quite pleased at the praise. “...th-thank you, mom.”

Purple Spinel continued to smile. “You’re welcome. Now, I am already acquainted with Spike, but I regretfully do not know very much about the rest of you. Ember, why don’t you take Spike and give him a quick tour while I get to know the rest of the guests?”

The sudden request momentarily put me off balance, but with a reassuring smile from Twilight, I calmed myself and nodded. “I guess I’ll go see what’s changed since the last time I was here, then.”

“Go easy on them, mother,” Ember half-warned, her playful glare and smile letting me know she wasn’t actually worried anything bad would happen.

Purple Spinel waved a claw at us. “Come now, you don’t truly expect me to not have plenty of questions for them, now do you? I was expecting you to bring back one mate, and instead you bring six. This is an exciting and interesting moment for me. It isn’t often I am surprised, and I want to enjoy this.”

Ember rolled her eyes before gently pulling me along behind her. “Fine, fine. We’ll be back in a little while.”

I thought it was a little strange we were obviously being dismissed, but mentally shrugged and followed Ember out into what was essentially the main square of her clan. It was a giant collection of crags, flat rocks, and even some shaped stone chairs, with open air so that the dragons that gathered there could comfortably bask in the sun.

There were a few already there when we walked in, some doing a double-take when they noticed me, but none saw fit to approach. I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but thought no more about it as we approached a dragon I did recognize.

Smolder was relaxing on a large, flat outcropping of rock with her eyes closed and one leg hanging off to the side. The leg was swinging ever so slightly, telling me she was awake, but not particularly bothered with doing anything of any importance so early in the day. It was technically still early morning, after all.

Ember made her way directly over to the younger dragoness and lightly tapped her foot with the tip of her tail. Smolder twitched at the touch and sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes before opening them and looking over at us. With a smile, she waved to both of us and greeted, “Oh, hey you two. Forgot Spike was visiting today. How was the trip?”

I shrugged. “Basically nothing at all. Twilight teleported all of us here, so it took a matter of a second or two.”

Smolder raised her brow at that. “Wait, all of you? I thought it was just gonna be you.”

Ember nodded slowly. “Yeah, the whole herd came.”

Smolder’s lips formed a surprised “o” as she absorbed what she had been told. “Wow…how did that go?”

Ember snorted in annoyance. “Mom’s talking to everyone right now, and my dad…well, you know how he is. He didn’t exactly make a good first impression, so mom told him to go cool off. One way or another, he’s going to have to get used to it, because I’m not excluding all of them just because it makes my father uncomfortable.”

Smolder let out a breath before shrugging. “Well, I won’t waste my time by saying how that’s gonna take time, or that he’s gonna fight it. You know Torch better than any of the rest of us, so I’m sure you already know all of that. What I will say is that I get it. My brother wasn’t exactly happy when he heard I was friends with ‘lesser creatures,’ so I understand having a boulderhead trying to make things hard when they don’t need to be.”

I smiled wryly at that. “Garble’s still kind of a jerk, huh?”

Smolder nodded with a roll of her eyes. “Yeah. Not as bad as he used to be, but that’s just the way he is, I guess. He’s a dragon through and through, but he’s still dumb and thinks dragons are all that matter.”

“If I recall, you used to be the same way,” Ember pointed out with a smirk.

Smolder rolled her eyes again, but didn’t deny it. “Yeah, but that changed. Unlike my boulderhead of a brother, I’m willing to learn about new things instead of assuming I know all I need to know. Besides: all those baddies Equestria’s been taking down, one by one, had the major flaw of overconfidence. That’s one of the things you’re trying to change about dragons, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Ember answered, glancing around at the dragons trying to seem like they weren’t watching us. “Humility would be a good quality for us to have, as well as the desire to learn new things. The world has a lot more to offer that could make the lives of dragons better, so I think it’s time to change that. Maybe a dragonlord being part of an Equestrian herd is enough to shake things up and get some of the more accepting dragons thinking.”

“In Equestria, we call it ‘planting a seed’,” I commented jerking my head toward a cliff face where four different dragons were perched, watching us. “It means that while it might not do anything right now, you’re investing in the future. Maybe nothing will happen for a while, but as long as you stand firm and refuse to budge, dragons will have to start adapting, and that’ll start with questions.”

“And as we answer those questions, they will begin to understand,” Ember continued. “With understanding comes a willingness to learn more, and even befriend. You, Smolder, are proof enough of that.”

Smolder bobbed her head from side to side before shrugging. “Yeah…I guess I am. I know I never would have gone to the school on my own. If you hadn’t made me, I don’t think I’d have ever met any of the others.”

“And though we don’t really think about it, Twilight’s School of Friendship directly fostered the alliances between the different nations that allowed us to stand together against Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and Tirek,” I reminded, thinking back to the epic gathering of at least a dozen different races, all to fight united against the greatest threat to date.

Smolder shrugged once more. “I guess that’s true. I’d rather we don’t have to repeat that event anytime soon, though.”

“If I have a say in it, they’ll stay frozen in stone forever,” I snarled, my instincts flaring at the thought of the danger those three would pose if they ever got out. Just the thought of my home or any of my loved ones getting hurt…

“Spike, calm down. It’s okay.”

The voice of my mate brought me back to the world, and I realized I had been on the verge of hyperventilating, and I was snorting smoke out of my nose. Glancing around, I noticed I now had the attention of every dragon within view, a few trying to act like they hadn’t been watching me ever since we entered the area. Ember had a patient, loving expression on her face, while Smolder looked like she wasn’t sure of whether she should fly away or get ready to fight me. With a deep, steadying breath, I settled my nerves and gave the two dragonesses a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, sorry about that. It’s just…the thought of the damage they could do, and who they could hurt if they escaped, got me burning a little.”

Ember pressed against my side, nosing my throat lovingly as she assured me, “With how much magic they have within them, I’m pretty sure that if they broke free, everyone across the entire planet would feel it. Since that hasn’t happened, I think you can relax a little.” Both of us started when we heard a barely suppressed “aww” come from in front of us, and looked over to see Smolder blushing madly as she refused to look at either of us.

Raising my brow at her, I asked, “What was that about, Smolder?”

She stayed silent for a few moments before sighing loudly and answering, “It’s just…you both are really in love with each other. Like, that fairytale kind of love you usually only read about in books. It’s…nice to see, especially with dragons. Ember will back me up when I say it’s pretty rare around here, and it’s cute.”

While Smolder spent far more time around ponies than Ember did (and was still growing up when she attended the School of Friendship), hearing her refer to something as “cute” was uncommon, to say the least. Along with her coloration, she reminded me of a certain petite pegasus who also overcompensated for her size by putting on a tough front. When she was younger, she always wanted to appear cool and collected, and sometimes even aloof. The friends she made at the school had fixed that, but her “softer” impulses that cropped up sometimes still embarrassed her.

But, rather than embarrass her further, Ember just smiled at Smolder and said, “Thank you, Smolder. One day you’ll also find your destined mate, and you’ll get to experience the same.”

Smolder blushed a bit deeper, but smiled at us. “Yeah…I hope so. A-anyway, what are you two up to right now?”

I shrugged as I released Ember from my grasp. “Nothing at the moment, just wandering around while Ember’s mother talks to the rest of the herd. Why, did you have something in mind?”

Smolder walked past us and said, “Yeah, I figured you both could join me for a dip in the lava pits. It’ll pass the time, and I bet you, Spike, haven’t really gotten to enjoy a dip in hot magma over in Equestria.”

I chuckled at that. “Nah, not so much. We don’t have any active volcanoes in Equestria, so the best we can do is superheat some water. Even then, with how fast it evaporates, I can only enjoy it for a few minutes, and I can still barely feel it.”

Smolder laughed. “Well, I guess you need to visit more often, then. Equestria has its perks, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not exactly built for dragons.”

“Twilight’s getting a portal network together, so I will be,” I advised with a conspiratorial smile. “Once the portal gates are up and running, it’ll be a lot easier for all of us to visit each other. You’ll be able to more easily visit all your friends, and I’ll be able to walk back and forth between our two lands to make sure I’m a more tangible presence in Ember’s life, so that the dragons around here can get used to me.”

“And then you two can start popping out some whelps,” Smolder joked, only to stop when we were silent. She glanced back at us and raised a brow. “Wow, really? That was a joke, but you two are already thinking about it?”

“Guess you’ll be ‘Auntie Smolder’ faster than you think,” I teased, my smile widening at the increasingly-appealing thought of having children of my own.

Smolder went back to leading us to the lava pits as she shot back, “Ember and I aren’t related, Spike. I’ll be a friend of the family, and nothing more. Still…I guess it’d be kinda cool to get to see your whelps grow up in such a diverse family. Far as I know, no dragon before you has grown up with ponies, so this’ll be breaking ground in new territory. Your whelps will grow up in a herd with a dragon mother, multiple pony aunts, and a changeling queen. Sounds like that could be pretty cool, and your whelp will be very worldly.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for,” I agreed, giving a firm nod. “While I had wonderful teachers and a childhood friend to grow up with, there were plenty of things about being a dragon that no one could help me with. But, with me and Ember being a part of its life, my hope is that our whelp will be far better adjusted than I was, and far less awkward than Ember.” An angry snort from the blue dragoness answered me, which only caused me to laugh and bump into Ember’s shoulder. “What? It’s true, but you’re also getting better. My hope is to spare our whelps from that same awkwardness by getting them used to all that stuff early in life. With your help, they’ll still be true dragons, but they’ll also be adjusted to Equestrian life so that they can easily live in either of our homes.”

Ember squinted at me for a few moments before turning her gaze ahead of us again. “Well…I guess that’s fair. However, they’ll need to stay here until they get old enough to handle cooler temperatures. For a young dragon not like you, cold can be deadly.”

I shrugged. “I understand. I was especially susceptible to cold when I was little, so I know what that’s like.”

We continued our short journey in silence for a few minutes before coming upon a deep depression in the ground, where open lava pits could be seen. This was, of course, a very popular place for dragons to lounge about, so there were a few dozen dragons of varying sizes and colors all enjoying the relaxing heat generated from the molten rock. Off in the far distance, we could all see the massive bulk of Torch lounging in his own private lava lake, which was only big enough for him, but he wasn’t paying any attention to us, which I was just fine with. I quickly got undressed and placed my folded clothes behind a rocky outcropping before following the other two dragonesses down into the lava pits. The dragons already there were, of course, watching me intently, but I was used to the stares by now. At least it wasn’t the disdainful stare of the nobles in Canterlot, and there were relatively few outright gawking dragons. Besides that, a glare and challenging growl from Ember worked pretty well to get them to mind their own business, so our short walk down into the lava itself was unobstructed.

Immediately upon stepping into the lava pool, I released a pleased groan as heat penetrated my thick hide and warmed me to my core. The lava was hot and thin enough that I could submerge my body without popping up to the surface like a bobber, and the novelty of experiencing the dragon version of a hot tub was doing a great job of relaxing away all my woes. Not that I had many woes in life, but it was a wonderful feeling nonetheless. My comfort was further augmented by the lovely sensation of Ember mounting my lap and holding me as we sat in the pit, which made everything even better.

The quiet was only momentarily broken when Smolder half-warned, “You both are drawing quite a few eyes this way.”

“Let them stare,” Ember commented without a care. “Spike is my mate, and I’m going to treat him as such. Maybe they can stop being such scaredy-drakes and actually talk to me about it. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the moments I can spend with him.” Ember cracked open an eye to look at Smolder, who looked a little nervous, and laughed. “I’m not gonna mate with him in public or anything Smolder, so calm down. I’m just not going to refrain from touching or hugging my mate in public, simply because the clan is used to me not having a mate.”

“You know there’s also going to be a few drakes that are gonna be upset,” I pointed out, closing my eyes and relishing in the warmth of the lava, and the sensation of Ember’s body pressing against my own. “Not that I care, but I imagine they’re going to try and throw their weight around and get me to leave. Hasn’t happened yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

“They can shove it up their tailholes,” Ember grunted with a snort. She turned her head slightly, opening the eye closest to me as she smiled. “You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go. Besides: they’d have to contend with Twilight if they try to come between us, and she’s scarier than I am.”

“Alicorns are freaks of nature,” I commented without hesitation. “Ridiculously powerful, basically immortal, all wrapped up in a soft, fluffy package. I mean, going off of how goofy and regular my mom seemed, would you ever think she could glass an entire continent?”

“Glass?” Smolder asked in confusion.

I nodded. “Meaning she could superheat the entire landmass to a temperature that would essentially turn everything to obsidian when it cooled. She told me one time when she was younger she created a miniature black hole when she lost control during a moment of emotion and compressed a wooden cup past its schwarzhoof radius.” The silence that answered me caused me to open my eyes, and found both dragonesses staring at me with a complete lack of comprehension. “Oh, uh, the schwarzhoof radius is a volume within which, if you compress all of an object’s mass, it turns into a black hole*.” The continued lack of comprehension caused me to venture, “...neither of you know what a black hole is, do you?”

“I have a feeling you’re going to tell us,” Ember said with a smile.

I chuckled and nodded. “Okay, allow me to teach both of you about some of the things Equestria has discovered regarding physics.”

After thoroughly breaking the brains of the two dragonesses (and a few of the other nearby dragons that were eavesdropping, but trying to act like they weren’t), the three of us were again wandering around Ember’s home as she gave me a brief tour. There wasn’t much to see honestly, but only because anything of note was kept in the hoards of dragons that owned the things. For obvious reasons, dragons weren’t big on buildings or public accommodations, which would make attempts at future visits from other races difficult. Due to the lack of hotels, motels, or even taverns, any visitors to the dragon lands would need to stay with a dragon in their home, and it went without saying that most dragons were against that. These shortcomings and others were some of the things Ember was trying to change, but when working with dragons, change came slow.

Eventually however, we found our way back to where we left the herd, noticing that Purple Spinel was still resting on her basking spot, her tail lazily waving back and forth like a metronome as she focused her attention on what could only be my herd down below her. Turning the corner confirmed my suspicion, and it seemed Twilight and Applejack were regaling the elder dragoness with stories of our exploits back in Equestria. As a race that didn’t put much stock in books (paper burns very easily, after all), verbal stories were something dragons of all ages enjoyed. Upon getting closer, I discovered Twilight was telling the first story we all had together: the return of Nightmare Moon, and the cleansing and return of Princess Luna. It goes without saying that, by this point, pretty much the entire world knew the story, but it was a different experience altogether to get the story straight from the mouths of the individuals that lived it.

“And so I charged her.”

Purple Spinel gasped in genuine surprise. “You charged at Nightmare Moon? What were you thinking?”

Twilight shrugged helplessly. “I thought I was alone, and I had to do something. At the last second, I teleported behind her, and tried to ignite the Elements of Harmony with a spark of magic. But…that didn’t work. I misunderstood what the ‘spark’ actually was. The stones crumbled, and I thought all was lost. Just as I started to despair, I heard the girls coming up the stairs, and I realized that was the spark. It was the spark of friendship within me, within all of us, that was the catalyst for the Elements of Harmony, and our bond together.”

Applejack nodded with a pleased grin. “Ah’ll readily admit Ah didn’t believe all that ‘Elements of Harmony’ business until that moment, but as soon as Ah saw Twilight standin’ there, willin’ to fight for all of Equestria, alone if she had to, I knew she was a good apple. And Ah also knew Ah’d follow her ‘t Tartarus n’ back.”

“Which we have done, by the way,” Twilight added.

The elder dragoness tilted her head. “Wait, wha-”

“But, as I realized each of those mares were my true friends, the true spark ignited, and the Elements of Harmony were revealed to us,” Twilight finished, smiling broadly. “Through the power of friendship, the Elements of Harmony purified Nightmare Moon, bringing Princess Luna back, and ending the everlasting night.”

Purple Spinel noticed our approach, and slowly rolled her eye over to us. Without hesitation, she said, “Ember, these ponies are insane. They must be, to think things like this are normal.”

“Normal is boring,” Ember said, unknowingly copying Twilight from earlier that morning. Twilight’s ears perked up, and she smiled at her fellow herdmate, though neither dragonesses knew why.

From her place lounging on a stone bench, Rarity flipped her mane and smiled up at Purple Spinel. “During times of strife, heroes and heroines are born. It just so happens that we were able to be those heroines. While I would in no way wish strife upon our nations just for some of us to find the courage to stand firm in the face of unspeakable odds, I would also not trade the experiences I have had for all the gold and jewels on the planet. It made us into who we are today, so I cannot find it within myself to regret a single moment of it.”

“Granny would say they were tests of character, ‘n we passed ‘em,” Applejack added, leaning against the white unicorn as she chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong: Ah love peace ‘n quiet, but even tha hard parts were worth it, b’cause it led us here.”

“We’d have never met Ember,” I concluded, leaning over to lay a chaste kiss on my dragoness’ cheek as I smiled up at her mother. “I wouldn’t be the drake I am today without everything we went through, the good and the bad. Ember seems to think I’m worthy of being her mate, so I can’t find it in myself to regret any of it either. Even the hard parts -- especially the hard parts -- made us strong, resilient, resourceful people, and the world needs more people like that.”

Purple Spinel nodded thoughtfully with a gentle smile. “On this we can agree. I believe Ember will need your support as she works to put dragons onto a new path, and though I worry about what Equestrians consider ‘normal,’ I can also see all of you are upstanding individuals with good moral codes who want what is best for everyone.”

“We’re not perfect by any means, but we try,” Fluttershy spoke up, likely for the first time since meeting Ember’s mother. “Sometimes, just trying to help can be enough to bring others around, so we make an attempt to help whenever we can.” The quiet, demure words were completed with Fluttershy’s signature adorable awkwardness, which included fidgeting with her hands and hiding behind her wings.

Purple Spinel nodded absently as she absorbed the words, though she seemed unable to give words to what she was feeling. Eventually, she broke the silence. “Ember?”

“Yeah, mom?”

“Is it normal to want to pick up this pony and hug her like those plushies Smolder brought back with her?” Purple Spinel asked, more than a little confused at what she was feeling. I couldn’t help but smirk at the thought: no one, of any race, seemed to be immune to Fluttershy’s adorable mannerisms. If the mare had evil intentions, she truly could rule the world.

Ember outright laughed at her mother, who actually looked a bit offended at the outburst. It took a moment, but eventually Ember reigned in her giggles enough to answer, “Y-yeah, that’s normal mom. Fluttershy kinda brings that out of people.” Ember walked over to the pegasus in question and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing the mare against her side as she squeaked adorably. Ember looked pleased with herself when Fluttershy let loose that adorable little purring sound she made when she was especially happy. “Just think of what we could accomplish if we could somehow weaponize this amount of cuteness.”

Purple Spinel raised her brow high once again, clearly surprised by her daughter. “I’ve never heard you willingly call anything ‘cute’ before. These Equestrians truly have changed you, Ember.”

Ember blushed even as she continued to hold Fluttershy, but neither denied it nor drew away from her herdmate. Instead, she held her mother’s gaze and nodded firmly. “Yeah, I guess they have. But I’m also happy. Finding some things -- or ponies -- cute doesn’t make me less of a dragon, and it also doesn’t mean I’m going to go soft on my plans to push our people into a new golden age. I know most dragons don’t believe it yet, but Equestria has a lot to teach us about how to be a strong, modern nation, and we’d be stupid to ignore that. Yeah, I got a personal stake in Equestria now, but again: it makes me happy. That’s…not a problem, is it?”

Ember’s mother reached her long neck and lowered her head down to gently nuzzle her daughter briefly before pulling away again. “Never, Ember. Again, I cannot claim to understand all of this completely, but I can see how happy and fulfilled this life makes you. You’re more than mature enough to make your own decisions with your own life, and I can see that it isn’t a detriment to our people. Now,” she snorted loudly, tossing her head off to the side, toward the lava lake in the distance, “we just have to get that through your father’s overly-thick skull.”

“Do you think witnessing the fight between Princess Luna and Sapphira might change his mind?” Twilight ventured.

Purple Spinel shrugged her shoulders. “It would at the very least convince him that not all ponies are soft, delicate things, but dragons already know alicorns are not to be trifled with. I believe the best thing you can do is out-stubborn him. If he sees his disapproval does not stop you, he will have to confront you about it, and then you can make it clear that you will not allow him to dictate how you live your life. He will be unhappy with you for a little while, and he will likely bellow as he normally does, but eventually, he will have no choice but to accept this new life of yours. Whether he likes it or not, your life is your own to live.”

“And yer sure he ain’t gonna stir up trouble b’cause’ve it?” Applejack asked, which was a very valid question.

Thankfully, Purple Spinel shook her head. “No. Torch is far more direct than that. He will grumble and yell, but if that doesn’t work, he won’t bother trying to cause trouble with all of you. It wouldn’t be worth the effort, especially if it drove away his daughter. He puts on a tough front, even to his daughter, but Torch adores Ember and would rather give ground on his own beliefs than lose her. Make no mistake: he will fight this, but as long as all of you stand firm, he will eventually come around.”

Ember smiled and nodded. “Thanks for being so cool about this, mom. Did you need anything before we leave?”

Purple Spinel laughed softly and shook her head. “I have a strong, capable daughter who is happy and fulfilled. I think I have everything I need at the moment. Run along, Ember. Tend to your herd for now. Other than appearing tomorrow for you to present them to the clan, I believe the day is yours to do with as you wish. Let me handle your father for now.”

Ember held her smile. “Thanks mom. I’ll see you later, then.” As she passed me, she grasped my hand and pulled me along. “C’mon, let’s get settled in for the day. There won’t be much to do until tomorrow, so today’s gonna be pretty lazy. I cleared the day as far as work is concerned, so I’m yours to do with as you wish.”

I raised my brow at that. “Really now? I like the sound of that.”

“That’s a rather obvious double entendre there, dear,” Rarity commented with a smirk. “Getting a little hot under the collar with your mate here, hm?”

Ember defied my expectations by shrugging with no blush in sight. “What can I say? I missed my mate. I spent months savoring his touch every day, only to suddenly be forced to be without it for a week. I refuse to apologize for wanting to enjoy the presence of my mate. If I had the choice, neither of us would leave the bedroom for days.”

Everyone present blushed, including me, and Fluttershy whispered “Oh my goodness,” even as she smiled approvingly at the dragoness.

Ember glanced back at the group, smirking as she said, “By the way: I was serious when I said I wanted to start a family with Spike soon. Probably within the next few months here, we’re going to be very busy, if you catch my meaning. Basically until I can feel the egg growing within me, we’ll be mating as much as we physically can. It will also need to happen here, since I’ll need to be in my larger form to ensure the egg is created at the proper size. Needless to say, Equestria as a whole isn’t exactly built for full-size dragons mating.”

While the others worked to control their embarrassment at the casual talk of sex, I couldn’t help it as my jaw dropped open in shock. Just a few months ago, Ember wouldn’t have been able to talk about such things, especially around others, without stuttering and blushing. Now, she was doing so as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Lyla was thankfully thinking along the same lines I was, and had the wherewithal to be able to speak without jumbling her words up, like I would have. “Y’know, half a year ago, this kind of subject would have had you practically hiding behind your wings in embarrassment.”

“I have all of you to thank for that,” Ember commented without hesitation. “You’ve corrupted a dragonlord; I hope you’re all happy with yourselves.” She shrugged again. “Any modesty I had around all of you kinda disappeared when both you and Twilight watched Spike and I mate, while giving us pointers.”

Oh right, that happened. How the hay had I forgotten about that?

“You were mating in my library,” Twilight countered, her blush deepening. “Of all the places I would go to relax, the library is number one. We have bedrooms for that kind of fun, but you all decided to use a room designed for reading books. That was your fault, not mine.”

Ember turned her head a bit to catch the eye of the changeling queen. “What’s your excuse, Lyla?”

Lyla shrugged nonchalantly. “I sensed a great deal of love, and I was interested. Once Twilight decided to start advising the two of you, and you took that advice, I decided to do the same. You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself.”

Now, Ember did blush a little. “Well…yeah, I did. It opened my eyes to a new world that’s normal for ponies, apparently. For all my misgivings, it was really nice. I will say, however, that is one aspect of Equestria that most dragons will not be comfortable with. As it was happening, it was very strange, and only Spike’s passion and reassurances kept me from leaving.”

“Which was why we didn’t join in, Ember,” Twilight explained, speeding up to stand on Ember’s unoccupied side, and wrapping an arm around the dragoness’ waist as we continued our journey. “Had either of us been so inclined, it would have been normal for us to join the two of you to make the whole experience that much better. I could tell, however, that just the two of us being there was already enough for you to handle, so we kept our involvement restricted only to verbal encouragement or suggestions, to let you get used to our presence.” She then smiled up at Ember. “However, in the future, you might find a hand or two adding some extra stimulation here and there, or some lips teasing you in places that Spike isn’t currently lending his attention.”

The blush Ember had deepened to a level we rarely saw, and she giggled self-consciously even as we continued walking. “Y-you know, half a year ago, I wouldn’t even have considered that, but now, I’ll admit that I find myself being kinda interested. You all have shown me that you’re in no way trying to hurt or use me, so I have no reason not to trust you when you say this is normal, and it could be really nice. Just…don’t expect me to return the favor, y’know. I don’t think I’m there quite yet.”

“Even if you never feel comfortable reciprocating, you are still our treasure,” Rarity purred, giggling like a filly at the adorably embarrassed expression Ember was sporting. “As what Equestrians call a ‘bent mare’ -- which is slang for a mare that is only attracted to males -- I understand having no desire to mate with another female. If you end up being the same type of dragoness, you’ll find no one here will judge you for it, and with me, you will be in good company. You will remain our treasured dragoness, and you will be loved and cared for regardless of who or what your sexual desires include. Sex is only a relatively small part of a healthy relationship, after all.”

As Ember’s cave came into view, we all released a collective sigh of relief and walked inside without hesitation. While it was nice to check out Ember’s home, the blowup with Torch left a sour taste in our mouths. There was also the fact that I believe I wasn’t the only one that wanted to ensure we were well-rested for the following day. If Torch, a dragon that loved Ember, reacted the way he did, it was a safe bet the rest of the dragons might not be so restrained in their condemnations. For all we knew, there might be an attempted attack on us for “disrespect” or something. Besides that, Ember wasn’t exactly unattractive, and it would be foolish to think she didn’t have any male dragons pining after her. And, since dragons believed they were entitled to have what they fought for, it might be that I would be challenged by a drake or two while we were there.

“Hey Ember?” I hesitantly began.

The dragoness turned her head to look at me just as we entered the cave once more. “Yes?”

I rolled my shoulders to ease some of the tension. “Have you had suitors before? Like, other drakes that never became your mate, but were interested in you.”

Ember frowned briefly as she thought. “Yeah, dozens. And those were only the ones that approached me. As the daughter of Torch and the dragon lord of my clan, it goes without saying that I’m a mate that’s been well sought-after.”

“Okay, then that might be a problem,” I said with a grimace.

Ember smiled cheekily at me. “Why, are you a little possessive?”

Chuckling self-consciously, I rubbed the back of my neck. “K-kinda, but that’s not what I was hinting at. What I’m suggesting is that those drakes aren’t likely to just accept that not only do you have a mate -- multiple mates, at that -- but that we’re all outsiders. Part of the uproar that’s likely to happen will be because you chose me, an outsider, over a dragon from the dragon lands.”

Ember raised a claw and opened her mouth to counter my argument, only to slowly lower her hand and groan as she pressed her face into her hands as I led her along into the cave. “Ugh, I hadn’t thought of that. You’re probably going to get challenged to a fight at some point.”

“Do I have to accept it?”

Ember shook her head, still frowning. “...no, but the drake that challenges you might claim you’re a coward if you decline. I know you don’t really care about that, but it might look bad if you refuse the challenge.”

I rolled my jaw a bit, thinking over the problem. On the one hand, I didn’t like fighting if I didn’t have to, and preferred to beat my opponents in less dangerous ways. On the other hand, this wasn’t just about me. I didn’t want to do anything that was going to make things more difficult for Ember or the clan, especially with the fact she was going to be revealing quite the bombshell to all of them the following day. Because things would already be tense, I had to admit it might be unavoidable that I’d have to accept such a challenge to keep things from getting worse. And, if it was an older dragon, I would need to fight dirty to win. I would feel kinda slimy if it came to that, but all that mattered in the eyes of a dragon is who won. If you were stupid enough to fall for a dirty trick or not protect yourself from a “low blow,” that was your own fault.

With a deep groan of annoyance, I rhetorically asked, “I’m gonna have to fight, aren’t I? That’s just fantastic.”

“I’m not a fan of Spike getting into a fight, dear,” Rarity voiced from her place in one corner of the room, where her bags sat and she did her best to organize them without a chest of drawers.

Ember sighed heavily and plopped down on the ground, unbothered by the bare stone. “Neither am I, and I’m a dragon. This stuff is normal for me, and I still don’t like it.” Ember graduated to completely laying down on her back, her eyes blankly staring up at the ceiling. “However, like I suggested, it could make things worse if he doesn’t accept the challenge. As I’m sure Twilight will agree, politics make everything more complicated, and that even includes dragons. We don’t have a noble class, courtiers, or anything like that, but to a certain degree, we are all beholden to the will of the clan, and honor is a big deal as well. If you dishonor yourself enough, the clan can even recommend you be exiled.”

Rarity tilted her head a bit, her lips twisting into a slight frown. “Is it not dishonorable to challenge a random dragon to a fight?”

“Not if they aren’t formally a part of the clan,” Ember explained, snorting hard enough to blow smoke into the air above her. “If it was me they challenged, or any of the other established members of the clan, that would be very rude. However, since Spike is only technically a part of the clan due to me claiming him, he is ‘up for grabs,’ so to speak. And, even after I present all of you to the clan tomorrow, since he doesn’t have any standing within the clan by his own merit, certain dragons might think it’s fair he has to prove himself.” Just as Rarity opened her mouth again, Ember added, “And before you say it, a dragon lord is not a ruler. We are guides or leaders, but not rulers. Our place within the clan is to guide it toward what we believe is the best course for our people, but no dragon is going to just follow along blindly. So, while I could voice my disapproval if and when a dragon should challenge Spike, that doesn’t mean much. I haven’t been a dragon lord long enough for my disapproval alone to deter clan members from doing something stupid.”

“Princess Celestia can do that,” Twilight commented, reclining on the bed she had brought with us. “I’m kinda jealous of it, actually. She says I’ll get there one day, but I just can’t see a pony like me having that kind of effect on others.”

Fluttershy took the seat next to Twilight, and wrapped a wing around her as she snuggled up to the alicorn. “Twilight, don’t put yourself down like that. People love you all across the world. You shouldn’t aim to be like Princess Celestia, because you’re you. You know Princess Celestia would say something along the lines of her guiding you to become the best you, not another her.”

Twilight sighed deeply as she wrapped the pegasus in an embrace, gently laying her chin atop the other’s head. “I know, but she was also my mentor for years. Sometimes I can’t help but compare myself to her, and to a lesser degree, Luna. I really try not to, but during the times I feel like a floundering little filly who has no idea what she’s doing, I look to their examples for guidance.”

While she didn’t join in the hug, Applejack plopped herself on the bed as well, laying back and enjoying the softness. “Princess Celestia wouldn’tve given all’a this responsibility to ya iffin she didn’ think you were ready. Sure, ya had tha wings ‘n ev’rything, but that don’ mean ya just get responsibility put on ya. Cadence was a alicorn f’r years before tha Crystal Empire returned, ‘n her only real responsibility was foalsittin’ ya.”

Twilight raised her finger and opened her mouth to respond, only to close it a moment later with a huff. “...yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“You don’t honestly think that all that unflappable calm and confidence just comes with being an alicorn, do you?” Lyla rhetorically asked. “No: it comes with living for a ridiculously long time, making a lot of mistakes, but coming out the other side wise and experienced. It’s going to take time for you to get to that point, so there’s no need to compare yourself with another alicorn that’s at least a thousand years older than you.”

Twilight stuck her lip out in a pout, even as she still held Fluttershy against her. “You all are making too much sense, and I hate that you know me well enough to know I respond more to facts and logic than I do kind platitudes and emotional comfort.” She then glanced at the pink mane still laid against her. “Well…mostly, anyway.”

“We call it the ‘Twilight 80/20 rule’,” Lyla said as she absently wandered around the cave, taking in the treasure hoard off to the side.

Twilight finally released Fluttershy, but remained seated as she cocked her head to one side. “And what’s that, exactly?”

“It means any time you’re distraught or panicking about something, you tend to respond best to a helping of 80% facts and logic, with 20% emotional comfort and understanding,” Rarity explained just as she finished organizing her luggage so she would be able to more easily find what she needed.

Twilight could only stare as her mouth slowly dropped open. Eventually, her mouth snapped shut, and she carefully ventured, “D-did you seriously use math to figure out how to make me feel better?”

Rarity giggled daintily. “Use it? No. And it's an estimation more than anything. I just thought it would be entertaining for you to think we do.”

Despite her previous confusion, Twilight still smiled. “...fine, I do find it a little funny. Thank you, girls.”

“It seems every day there’s a mini-friendship lesson with all of you,” Ember whispered to me.

I shrugged with a grin. “Our friendship has solved a lot of problems, and Twilight is the princess of friendship. This is pretty normal, in all honesty. Friendship and understanding has become a cornerstone of Equestrian culture, furthered by Twilight’s work directly. Sure, before Twilight we had small pockets of different creatures and cultures here and there, but only recently has Equestria become far more diverse in the races you can find within the borders. There is still a distinctly ‘Equestrian’ culture that everyone subscribes to, but Equestria is no longer only a pony nation.”

Ember was smiling in a way that she always did whenever she was profoundly pleased. She followed this with an affectionate lick at my brand, which sent electric tingles all throughout my body. I reflexively wrapped my arm around her and held the dragoness close to me, and for a few moments, we just enjoyed the mutual embrace and a return to what we now considered normal.

“I guess I can’t be too snarky about it, though,” Ember murmured, closing her eyes as she took a deep whiff of my scent. “After all: Twilight’s ideals of friendship passed on to you, and if not for that, we would have never met. Knowing what I know now, I don’t want to imagine the possibility of us never meeting at that pivotal moment in our lives. I would have never become a dragon lord, you would have never unknowingly proposed to me in front of the whole clan, and I never would have met you until years later, if not centuries.” She shivered a bit, and not because of a cold breeze. “So much could have gone so differently if not for that moment. It’s almost like it was-”

“Destiny,” I finished, nodding a bit. “I’ve seen too many things happen in just the perfect way in my life to not believe in some form of destiny. First, there was Twilight and the others becoming the embodiments of the Elements of Harmony, then there was me deciding to follow my instincts and go to the dragon lands when Torch called the dragons home, and even me being the first to befriend who would become the new leader of the changelings. All of it seemed almost preordained, like those things had to happen for the world to keep going.”

Ember hummed happily when I started running my hand down her side, ending with a possessive squeeze of her firm behind, which earned me a squeak-turned-moan that she just barely kept quiet. After taking a moment to enjoy the treatment, Ember explained, “Dragons don’t really believe in destiny in broad terms. Other than our destined mates, dragons are taught that everything in life is ultimately of our own making. As creatures that pride ourselves on strength and power, it makes sense we would avoid a concept that suggests some things are out of our control.”

I shrugged again with a soft laugh. “I don’t know, I think it’s kinda nice to know that I can never screw up something that’s meant to happen bad enough that it won’t happen. I mean, at least when we’re not talking about time travel. Bring that concept into the mix, and things get very complicated, very fast.”

Ember reached up and rubbed her temple with a grimace. “Yeah, I still remember the headache I got from Twilight trying to explain causal loops, predestination paradoxes, and so on. I’ll leave the heavy thinking to her, to be safe.”

I was well aware of the fact that when Twilight was really excited about something, she would often talk right over other people’s heads without even realizing she was doing it. I had learned a long time ago to just smile and nod until she was done, which was usually when she’d realize I had only absorbed about 10% of what she’d been talking about.

“Twilight’s always done that,” I reminded her. “It was part of the reason she didn’t have many friends when we were little. Sure, there was the fact that she had trouble relating to others of her own age, but there was also the fact that she plain just didn’t have much in common with others. For her, it was like trying to explain something like astrophysics to an ant: it doesn’t matter how simple you make things, an ant will never understand what you’re talking about. For Twilight, that’s what it was like trying to talk to other ponies about the things she was interested in.”

Ember glanced over at our alicorn mate and frowned. “That must have been very difficult for her.”

I nodded solemnly. “It was. I think all of us go through a period of adaptation early in life so that we can relate to others, but for Twilight, it’s a struggle she fights every day of her life. Twilight once explained it as being a ‘natural-born alien’: she was undoubtedly born on this planet, but it’s like her mind and very essence are alien, and she just isn’t like others. She has to make conscious choices every day in order to fit in, because if she doesn’t, she fears she’ll drive away others.” Glancing at the alicorn again, I sighed. “I think that’s part of the reason mom sent me to live with Twilight. Twilight needed someone that would pull her out of her comfort zone and ensure she didn’t forget about the rest of the world. Also, as a ‘normal’ person, I could help her learn to fit in with normal society. Had it not been for me, Twilight would have easily spent weeks or months at a time studying in isolation, unaware the world was moving on without her. I believe part of what made her the Princess of Friendship was that making friends has never been easy for Twilight. She’s unintentionally short or abrasive with people she doesn’t know, especially when she’s busy with a task, and struggles to consider or even understand how others might feel at any point in time. I think that because she has to put in so much effort, she was blessed with that title, because effort is far more important than natural talent, in my opinion.”

“But don’t cutie marks represent natural talent? Isn’t that kinda the thing in Equestria?” Ember asked, confused.

I shrugged helplessly. “Yeah, but I think the focus on what one’s ‘special talent’ is shoehorns a lot of ponies into one very narrow path in life. I’ve met more than my share of ponies that follow their cutie marks, but have many other talents that could have taken them far in life. Don’t get me wrong: a pony’s special talent is important, and one who ignores it generally ends up unfulfilled, but many ponies make the mistake of only focussing on their talent once they find it, even going so far as to forsake whatever other interests they might have had beforehand.”

Ember nodded slowly. “I see. So, in your opinion, ponies put far too much emphasis on their special talent, and often leave other skills by the wayside as a result.”

I bobbed my head a bit. “Kinda, yeah. Not every pony does so, but Equestrian culture has placed a huge amount of importance on finding your special talent and getting your cutie mark. In certain counties, for example, a pony is not legally considered an adult until they have a cutie mark. It’s part of the reason the Cutie Mark Crusaders made getting their cutie marks such a big deal.” I shrugged, adjusting my head to more comfortably rest against Ember’s horns. “I mean, I do think it’s cool that Equestria and the concept of cutie marks teaches ponies that everyone, no matter how seemingly unimportant, is unique and has something to offer the world. I just think many ponies unintentionally pigeonhole themselves when they discover their special talent.” Ember’s nearly-silent sound of confusion prompted me to explain. “It means that they quickly and rigidly assign a classification to themselves. Like, as soon as they discover their cutie mark, they lock themselves into one road in life and ignore everything that might have been outside of it.”

“You seem to feel pretty strongly about this,” Ember noted idly.

“Maybe. It’s just, as a creature that will never get a cutie mark, I’ve gotten to discover many talents I have, and I enjoy all of them,” I explained, letting out a long breath. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just being silly.”

“No,” Ember said, snuggled against me, “it shows you care. I love that about you.”

We sat in silence for a little bit, before I laughed and said, “Y’know, if nothing else, for the next few days, we’ll get to just snuggle together every moment you’re not doing something for the clan. Since Twilight and I are technically ‘on leave,’ we have no responsibilities for these few days.”

“And I love that,” Ember immediately concluded with a happy sigh. “It’s like you said: adult life can often get in the way of the things we really want to be doing.”

“Which is why we have to make sure we don’t waste the time we have,” I finished, kissing the top of her head and just enjoying the closeness.

The herd, minus Ember, remained in the cave, occupying ourselves with a little impromptu card game courtesy of Applejack. Meanwhile, we tried to ignore the rumbles that would shake the cave every now and then, and the fact they came from the booming voice of a certain dragon father, instead of minor earthquakes. Though I suppose, technically, if the earth was shaking, it was still an earthquake. Did the source of the energy matter if the ground still moved? I guess it didn’t matter in the end, but I was doing anything I could to distract myself from my instincts that were screaming at me to go and defend my mate, because I knew that in doing so, I would make things much worse. I wasn’t enough of a fool to think I could take on Torch, after all.

“Got any threes?”

“Go fish.”

Applejack sighed and reached to the deck, pulling a card. Finding a match in her hand, she laid a pair of cards face down to her side, as she wiggled to get a bit more comfortable with her head laying on my thigh. I absently reached down and gave her mane a comb-through with my claws, ending with a cheeky pinch of her fuzzy ear, earning me a squeak and a blush, which made me smile. Sure, it was foalish of me, but the little bit of foalishness helped to settle the tense atmosphere a little bit. It also helped to settle my instincts, and so kept me from doing something stupid.

A moment later, the rumbling stopped, causing all of us to raise our heads questioningly. No one spoke a word as we waited, until I finally joked, “Well, either they’re done screaming at each other for now, or one knocked out the other.”

“If Ember shows up bruised again, Torch is going to find out what it’s like to be buried under a mountain,” Twilight snarked, though I could tell she was only half kidding. The alicorn didn’t look particularly happy about the prospect of Ember being injured again, by her own father no less. I think we all knew the chances of Torch harming his daughter were very low, but never zero.

A few minutes after that, Ember stomped into the den again and paced for a minute, mumbling to herself angrily, before walking over and plopping herself down between Twilight and I. We all noted that, thankfully, Ember was no worse for the wear, but was clearly frustrated. Twilight wasted no time in cuddling up to the dragoness, and I wrapped a wing around both of their shoulders, holding them close.

After a few moments of silently fuming, Ember finally spoke. “My father is just so…ugh! I’m a dragonlord in my own right, so he has no right to try and dictate how I live my life! It…it’s not…”

“Fair?” Rarity ventured knowingly. The dragoness took a moment to meet her eyes, but when she did, Rarity offered Ember a tired smile. “When has life ever been fair, darling? We cannot control what life will throw at us, or who may stand in our way.”

“But we can always decide how we’ll face those challenges,” Fluttershy finished, receiving an approving nod from the herd’s alpha mare.

Twilight gave Ember an affectionate nuzzle before sighing. “You can’t force anyone to change their minds, but you can certainly choose how you will behave. Loving your parents doesn’t mean you must agree with everything they say or believe, and nor does it offer you those same things. Disagreements happen, even between family members, especially when the child begins making his or her own life in the world. It’s a scary time for any good parent, and while your father’s behavior isn’t exactly ideal, it’s clear his behavior is borne from love for you.”

“Love can be toxic, Twilight. Even I know that,” Ember grumped, but didn’t move away from the embrace. “He can have all the love in the world for me, but if it drives him to do stupid things, it’s not a good thing. I can certainly understand that he’s scared, and that he just wants me to be safe, but the world isn’t safe. Whether it be by a broken heart or by a meteor, something, somewhere, somehow, is going to hurt me. Suffering is a part of life.”

Applejack shifted to sit up, running a hand through her mane to settle it a bit before looking over at us. “Y’all will understand when ya have little ones’a yer own. Ah ain’t been a mama yet, but Ah helped raise ‘Bloom, ‘n Ah can confirm that love can make ya do some pretty mean things, even ‘t those ya care about. Ya gotta be careful ‘n make sure yer maternal need to protect yer little one don’t keep ‘em from growin’. None’a us are gonna be around f’rever, so our jobs are ta make sure our youngins can survive in tha world without us. Parents are just regular people like tha rest of us, ‘n just like them, you’ll make m’stakes too.”

I could tell that as much as Ember wanted to argue that point, she knew she couldn’t, because she just pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. It was downright adorable when Ember would get all pouty about certain things, and while I did my best not to poke fun at her, I enjoyed it every time it happened. Ember was far more cute than she would ever believe.

Deciding to push the conversation on to less aggravating things, Twilight asked, “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

Glancing up at the alicorn, Ember pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. “Well…dragons aren’t exactly early risers, so I think we’ll probably do it some time around midday. Everyone should be awake and aware by then, and will have eaten their first meal of the day. So, dragons that aren’t hungry or sleepy will probably be more agreeable. I still bet quite a few of them are going to make a fuss, but the more comfortable they are at the time, the better.”

Nosing Ember’s temple, I whispered, “I just want you to know that I’m proud of you. I can tell you’re worried, but you’re doing it anyway. That’s the kind of strength of character that makes me feel privileged to be your mate.”

I felt the dragoness warm up as she blushed, but she smiled regardless. “And the fact all of you are willing to stand beside me, in the face of a bunch of dragons no less, makes me proud to call all of you friends and mates as well.”

At least in private, Ember no longer stammered or blushed when referring to everyone present as her mates, having apparently completely accepted the fact and was even enjoying it. True, she hadn’t shown any obvious inclination of physical attraction to any of the others, but that didn’t matter. A herd, after all, wasn’t solely about sex and procreation. A herd was a family, a support structure, that made every member safer and stronger. It was like friendship, but even better.

“So, what’re we playing?” Ember continued, sitting up a little straighter to look over the cards gathered.

Twilight and I gave her some room, though we still stayed close enough to touch. The alicorn waved a hand over the circle and said, “Right now, just ‘Go Fish,’ which is essentially a simple matching card game. We know many others though, if you would like to learn. It’ll pass the time, if nothing else.”

Ember tossed a quick smile to Twilight, so the alicorn began a quick explanation of the rules of the game while her magic deposited the cards in my lap to shuffle. I went about my assigned task and mentally prepared myself for a nice night with my herd, confident that whatever might come the next day, we could and would face it together.

Chapter 30

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Chapter 1

Ever since I was old enough to understand who and what I was, I knew I was more than a little weird. After all, even though dragons might physically mature differently than ponies do, my mind matured about as fast as it should have for someone my age, and it was helped along by the fact that I had great mentors and friends early on. Still, I always knew I was different, but came to terms with that fact pretty easily. Different didn’t mean less, after all.

I never had a problem fitting in either, since Twilight always eased the tension wherever we went (although that wasn’t much, seeing as how until we left Canterlot, we rarely even left Princess Celestia’s castle). The idea of a dragon living among ponies was made more acceptable when the friends she made in Ponyville all vouched for me, even after I went on a greed-rampage and started snatching up anything and everything I could. All supernatural things aside (and a few draconic issues I had to work through), I became as much a part of our society as any pony, and I was happy.

Years passed and we all matured, growing closer as our bonds strengthened through mutual trials. I grew physically to more readily match my mental and emotional age, which meant I didn’t get treated like a little kid anymore (thank Celestia for that), but that didn’t mean life got any simpler. Quite the contrary: it got more complex.

- 22/4/1012 P.N.M. (Post Nightmare Moon)

Chapter 1

I idly kicked my clawed feet in the liquid rainbow as it flowed toward the cliffside, waiting for the sun to rise. It was quiet, with only a few ponies being out and about before daybreak, which meant I could simply enjoy the feeling of dewy grass on my bare scales. It was something I spent more and more time doing ever since my wings had finally come in (for which I was infinitely thankful for), since as a “baby” dragon, Twilight had never let me go anywhere without her. True that it had taken some doing to convince Twilight that I was a big boy now and could take care of myself, but it had been worth it in the end. Besides, she needed to learn how to clean up after herself sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong: I love my friends. I love being around them, I love hanging out with them, and I love spending time with them doing whatever came to mind, but sometimes I needed some time to myself. Before my independence was granted to me with a larger body and wings, I’d always needed a chaperone whenever I wanted to go anywhere outside of Ponyville; thankfully, things were different now. It was now not uncommon for me to be gone before Twilight woke up, only leaving a short note to let her know what I was doing before I left. Sometimes I felt a little bad at the fact that Twilight seemed so morose if I wasn’t there to cook her breakfast, but a wise pony once said, “Positive change is never easy; doubly so when dealing with the heart.”

I’d make it up to Twilight by swinging by and picking up some breakfast from the Cakes and Pinkie; muffins and coffee always put a smile on her face in the morning.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the very tip of the sun crested the horizon, spilling light across the landscape. The ocean shimmered like it was made of quicksilver, and the land glowed orange like hot iron. It was a beautiful sight, and one I never got tired of seeing, no matter how many times.

With my morning reverence complete, I stood from the bank and shook off the errant drops of liquid rainbow from my legs before standing and grabbing my shirt. Tossing it up in the air, I used the technique Rainbow Dash had taught me to put shirts on with wings: wings first, then arms, then head, all in one fell swoop. Besides being easier than fighting with four limbs and a head and stretching the shirt, it also looked pretty cool to do.

Rolling my shoulders once, I practiced a takeoff taught to me by Rainbow Dash herself; I crouched low to the ground on all fours and extended my wings before leaping and flapping at the same time, rocketing into the air as if I were shot out of a cannon.

It was still early morning by the time I got back home to Ponyville, and I was able to see young colts and fillies pointing up at me as I wheeled in the sky, looking for a safe place to land. I was pretty well-known in town (and pretty hard to miss, with a wingspan double that of your average pegasus), which meant that I could comfortably fly around town without causing an uproar. The only problem was that I had to watch out for-

“Spike, think fast!”

I had no time to react before a smaller, furry body plowed into me, which would have knocked me out of the air if I hadn’t been halfway expecting it. With a practiced maneuver, I used the momentum from the hit to swing my attacker around and throw her into a nearby fluffy cloud, causing the pegasus to disappear with a comical *POOF* of white fluff.

I slowed to a hover next to the cloud and smirked as a rainbow-maned head poked out, grinning at me. “Heya, Spike!”

I rolled my eyes with a grin. “Good morning, Rainbow. Do I want to know why you’re up so early?”

She shrugged and hopped out of the cloud, patting herself down to remove the small puffs of cloud that remained. “It was nothing serious, if that’s what you’re asking. Scoots just had a bad dream is all; she’s been having them ever since she watched that movie two nights ago with her friends.”

I raised an eyebrow. “She’s still staying with you?”

Rainbow crossed her arms and huffed. “What are you trying to say? Her parents get back tomorrow, and I think I can handle a little filly for a few days.”

I smirked in response. “Says the pegasus who found a way to set her kitchen on fire -- which is made of clouds, need I remind you.”

“I’m just an overachiever like that.” she snarked, slugging me in the shoulder playfully. “Besides, that only happened once.”

I grinned. “Didn’t you also set your hair on-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll have a raincloud following you around for a month.” Rainbow warned, though I could tell it was in good humor. She then dropped her annoyed facade and swooped in close, giving me a big hug, as had become common nowadays. “It’s good to see you, Spike.”

A hug or friendly touch here and there was pretty common from the rest of my friends, but only recently had Rainbow become so tactile as well. Not that it bothered me -- quite the contrary, actually -- but I had found it a little strange until I got used to it. Then again, Rainbow had grown a lot from the brash, tomboyish pegasus I had met twelve years ago. Frankly, we all had done a lot of growing up (which made sense, seeing as how they were just little preteen fillies when we first came to Ponyville), so I guess I could readily accept that Equestria’s coolest pegasus had started to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life. I still didn’t expect to see Rainbow Dash all dolled up on a fashion runway anytime soon, but that was okay. Baby steps.

Since I was now holding Rainbow’s weight as well, I was forced to flap with a little more strength to keep us aloft; not that it bothered me much, since she was so light compared to me, and I think she finds it cool that my wings are so huge compared to hers. Even though Rainbow didn’t use like twenty different conditioners like Rarity did, her fur was still very soft to the touch, and I enjoyed the feel of it between my claws as I held her.

All too soon for my liking, she pulled away with a bright smile. “So, whatcha up to?”

I shrugged. “Just got back from Rainbow Falls, so I figured I’d swing by Sugarcube Corner and get Twi and I some breakfast.”

Rainbow nodded before gesturing to the sky. “Well, I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll see you later, kay?”

I nodded. “Sounds good, Rainbow. Take care.”

I watched Rainbow Dash jet away in a burst of prismatic color, taking great pleasure in the way her shorts hugged her hindquarters. Let it be said that while I was a gentledrake to all the girls, I was still a male, and so I afforded myself a few pleasant things here and there so I could keep my sanity around so many beautiful mares...and there were a lot of them. Beyond the Element-bearers, I got on well with almost everyone in Ponyville, and with Ponyville being a mare-dominated town in Equestria, that meant I was often surrounded by friendly mares who didn’t seem to realize just how pretty they were.

I’d gotten over my single-minded infatuation with Rarity (though I could admit I still liked her), which meant that I was more than aware of how handsy some of the girls could get when I was around them, especially when I was forced to take off my shirt to work. Yet again, I didn’t mind, but it was also a hard thing to miss. I knew why things happened that way, of course; in a town of about three-hundred, only around forty of the population were males, which meant that mares had to be a bit more obvious with their affection if they wanted to attract a male.

Now, I’d learned a lot about dragons during a brief three-month long journey through the dragon lands to the north, which meant that I knew that while ponies and dragons looked and behaved very differently, there were still a lot of things the two races shared.

First and foremost was the fact that both dragons and ponies were magical beings, able to cast spells of all sorts. This meant that if I could find a dragon to teach me draconic magic (or Drakespeak, for that matter), I could cast spells like Twilight could. We were also similar in the sense that we both held reverence to the Two Sisters (Princesses Celestia and Luna), and preferred peace to war; sure, dragons could be temperamental, but they weren’t the warmongering monsters most ponies made them out to be. It was kinda weird that ponies saw me as a pony, but I couldn’t complain.

As I had come to find out though, one thing that ponies and dragons didn’t share was polyamory. For dragons it was strange and downright taboo for one to have more than a single mate, but for ponies it was completely normal. Big Macintosh’s herd is a fine example: two stallions, twelve mares. I honestly never thought such a quiet pony like Mac would get the attention of so many mares, but I guess stranger things have happened.

I was glad I didn’t have to worry about all that, though. I had dated a bit here and there, but more often than not found myself being a bachelor who spent his free time reading and enjoying time with friends. Besides that, I enjoyed my privacy. I knew that Twilight and the others missed me when I would go ‒ even if just for a day -- but I also knew that I wouldn’t be missing any date nights or anything if I left.

I pushed my thoughts away for the moment as I approached Sugarcube Corner, its frosted cake-like appearance one of the things that hadn’t changed, even though the size of the building had. With the younger Cake twins being teenagers and their business growing, the entire place had been renovated nearly seven years ago to accommodate the need for space. Though Pinkie’s antics were the main attraction (besides the masterfully-baked treats, of course), the Cake twins had taken after their surrogate older sister, mixing work and play.

I placed my hand on the wooden door that led to the interior and pushed, hearing the polished brass bell chime to announce my arrival. Pound Cake was manning the counter while his sister energetically trotted around the many tables of the establishment, helping customers. Pumpkin and Pound Cake had been downright ecstatic to take over the family business, which meant Carrot and Cup were free to meander about the store, making sure the customers felt not only welcome, but like friends. It was the warm and family-like atmosphere of Sugarcube Corner that made it so popular (yet again, besides the wonderful baked goods), so fostering relations between the workers and customers was of paramount importance.

Pound had just finished serving a customer when he noticed me in line, and waved excitedly to me. I chuckled to myself and waved back, adjusting my wings as I waited patiently. After a little over five minutes, I was finally standing at the counter, and offered my fist for a bump to a friend.

“G’mornin’, Spike. Fancy some breakfast?” Pound asked jovially.

I nodded before looking down at the glass case, examining what was for sale. “Umm...let me get two Razzle-Dazzle raspberry tarts, two pumpkin spice muffins, and two coffees -- one mint chocolate, the other black with two sugars.”

Pound nodded and told me my total, so I fished a few bits out of my coinpurse and paid before standing to the side to wait for my order. As always, morning was one of the busiest times of the day for Sugarcube Corner, which meant most of the town was either actively in the establishment, or would be passing through soon enough.

“OHMYGOSH, SPIKE!”

That was the only warning I had before a fluffy pink projectile proceeded to glomp me, bringing me to the floor and causing all eyes to stare at me and my attacker for a moment before the patrons went back to their business. As I said, we had all grown and matured with time, but one thing that (thankfully) hadn’t changed was Pinkie’s overly-affectionate-ness. I guess if you were the type of pony who wasn’t too keen on hugs, Pinkie could be a bother, but I happened to like it. Much as I would never tell Twilight or the others, I was a bit of a cuddler, and loved to get hugged and things of the sort.

So instead of doing what most would have done and yell at my assaulter, I just brought my claw to the back of her wild mane and briefly massaged her scalp gently.

“Hey Pinks,” I greeted with a smile, “it’s good to see you. Can you let me up now?”

Pinkie giggled and nodded against me before pushing herself to a standing position, and offering her hand to pull me up.

As I matured over the years, I had become acutely aware of the bodies of the mares I called friends, and with their mutual assurance that they didn’t really mind me looking, I would often find myself casually admiring them from time to time.

For example: Pinkie, to put it simply, was voluptuous. Whether be it because of a natural body style she had been born with or some strange workout she did to keep in such good shape, she was the definition of “curvy”. She was a little thicker than the others, but made up for it with a solid figure brought about from so much time bouncing and running around everywhere, as well as helping Dash train from time to time. Even as I cradled her smaller hand in my own, I could feel the strength within the digits, and was already quite aware of just how graceful she was for an earth pony. Yes, I just called Pinkie graceful...for an earth pony.

Also, to my eternal shame, I had once or twice purposefully “slipped” a hand and groped her hindquarters.

As I said, I’m still a male; don’t judge me.

Thankfully for me, Pinkie was known to borderline-molest nearly everyone she considered a friend, so she was certainly fine with a friend being a bit more handsy than most...even if he was her only close male friend...a-and a young adult who’d been sexually repressed through his adolescence because his body was that of a young child instead of a teenager.

Pinkie didn’t seem to mind though, and contrary to what ponies thought of her, she wasn’t just some ditzy innocent little filly. She knew how things in the world worked, and I’m quite sure she knew I probably really liked it when she’d tackle-hug me, or squeeze me tightly at random intervals.

Back to the matter at hand, though…

“So what are you doing today, Spike?” Pinkie asked, bouncing in place just enough to draw the eye of every pony with a pulse.

I shrugged, motioning to Pound. “Well after I get breakfast for Twi and I, I’m not sure. Probably just mosey and see what I can do around town. I might go and see what Fluttershy’s up to before you all come over later.”

Pinkie let out one of her exaggerated gasps as she clutched my hand firmly with both of hers. “How is Shy-Shy? I haven’t seen her in FOR-EV-ER!”

I couldn’t help but grin at her exuberance; it was cute. “She’s fine. Fluttershy’s just busy this time of year since most of the animals are either getting ready to hibernate for winter, or fly somewhere warmer until spring comes.” I released a loud sigh, making my displeasure known. “Must be nice to have someone take care of you during winter.”

Pinkie frowned just slightly. “Twilight doesn’t take care of you during the winter?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m grown now, Pinkie. My day consists of something like this:” I cleared my throat as I prepared to speak in falsetto, “Spike, can you get me some hot chocolate? Spike, can you make dinner tonight? Spike, can you light a fire?” I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. “Celestia knows I love her, but ugh, would it kill her to learn to cook?”

Pinkie giggled and shook her head. “Twi might be all smartsy, but not even she can do everything! I mean, she even gets to fly now; how cool is that?”

Princess of Friendship...more like Princess of I-have-mastered-the-art-of-burning-soup.

Pound interrupted our conversation by holding a bag of pastries in front of my face, which I took with a grateful nod before reaching over and grabbing my carrier of two coffees. “Well Pinkie, I gotta head out. Come and see me after work if you’re not doing anything; we’ll hang out or something before the sleepover.”

She nodded vigorously as her smile grew to cover her entire face. “Sure! See you later then, Spikey!”

As I made my way out of the bakery, I couldn’t help but smile at just how easy it was to talk to the girls. Some of my childhood friends like Snips, Snails, Pipsqueak and Featherweight had grown up into fine young stallions, but they would still get a little nervous talking around a pretty mare if I wasn’t there to lend support and keep them from sticking their hooves in their mouths. I suppose if I hadn’t been raised around six national heroines, I would likely react the same, but my experience with being comfortable around pretty mares made me the subject of quite a few rumors between them. I didn’t mind, really, though I did thoroughly correct them when they started talking about how Twilight and I seemed a little close for just living together. Anyhow, the point is that talking to a pretty face was no big deal to me, as I’d had over a decade to become desensitized to it.

Such a point is important for this very reason: to anyone else anywhere else, it would look like I was the town playboy.

After about a month of trying to stop the rumor mill on that specific track, Twilight and I gave up on it and just let it go. After all, save for anything remotely sexual, I was about as close to Twilight and her friends as any special somepony could be, so much so that some of them -- Rarity and Pinkie, in particular -- had taken to calling our outings “dates”, even in public. As Rainbow Dash had put it, “If everyone’s going to believe something that’s not true, no matter what you say, you might as well have some fun with it.”

Dash did have her moments of insight from time to time.

Besides all that, as stated earlier, I enjoyed the attention I got from my friends. I suppose my desire to have closeness between me and those I cared about stemmed from the time when Celestia raised me as a hatchling, during which she would often fall asleep with me on her chest, where I could hear her heartbeat as I snoozed. While I no longer needed a warm body nearby to sleep, I couldn’t deny that I was addicted to physical contact. As a young drake wanting to step out into the world on his own, I used to shun the contact, since said attention was often in the realm of “babying”, but ever since my previous growth spurt, things had evened out for me rather nicely. Nowadays, I felt more like a stallion than just “Twilight’s assistant”, and I have to admit that it was a rather nice change.

Speaking of my purple pony friend…

“Twi~light!” I sang as I opened the front door to the common room in the living quarters of the castle, closing and locking it behind me. I halfway expected her to be asleep between the pages of a book, seeing as how she had been very keen on studying a new spell lately. It wouldn’t be the first or even hundredth time I would have found her in such a state, but what I actually found was just as common an occurrence.

She was floating a few feet off the ground, suspended in a sphere of her own magic aura as she meditated to more easily control her immense internal power. Also, seeing as how the throne room wasn’t set to open for another three hours, she was quite shamelessly doing so in nothing but a tank top and pajama bottoms. To any other red-blooded stallion, the image of one of their princesses in a thin top and silk bottoms would send them into a lustful frenzy; for me, it was something I’d seen so many times it may as well have been expected. You live with somepony long enough, you’re going to see them naked...often.

As I quietly sat down at the table and waited for Twilight to finish her weekly session, I turned my thoughts toward my oldest friend.

Twilight was -- quite literally -- my first friend in the world. She was the first pony I saw when I came into the world, and for years afterward the last thing I would see before I went to sleep at night. I owed my literacy, script, and vocabulary to her, as well as my life many times over. We had saved the world together and weathered storms, both metaphorical and literal. Life for us had been downright deadly sometimes and we walked a path that was far from typical, but we survived because we stuck together. With the help of our friends and most of all each other, we knew we could overcome anything the world threw at us.

As a pony, Twilight had grown and matured beyond the sequestered bookworm who was obsessed with pleasing Princess Celestia. Now, she was wise and confident, and valued the friends she had made in life more than anything else in the world. While she was still rather high-strung and a bit anxious at times, I knew I could count on her no matter what if life came crashing down around us. I had learned early on that a constant of life was, in fact, its inconsistency, but knowing Twilight had my back was something I knew would never change. Sure we bickered and fought sometimes -- more, it seemed, ever since I had grown -- but besides Celestia, she was the closest thing to family I would likely ever have.

Growing up had some interesting effects on my perception of her, though. First of all, I came to realize that Twilight was no longer just a pony I knew, but a mare...yes, I realize that sounds stupid, but bear with me. All of my life I had lived with the same pony, and as such, had been exposed to every facet of her being. I knew about her worries and fears, her dreams, and even her nightmares...but she had always just been Twilight to me. Now, with the eyes of an adult, I had begun to see her for the beautiful mare she had become over the years. It was disturbing at first, feeling the desire to look at Twilight’s body and admire it when she would bend or stretch certain ways, but I found it within myself to endure. When it came right down to it, what I thought when I looked at Twilight could be summed up in three words:

She’s so beautiful.

I wasn’t so shallow to focus solely on physical beauty, though that was nice too. No, it was who Twilight was that made her so attractive. She was intelligent, loving, kind, and a host of many other things that just made her an amazing pony. More than that though, I had come to know Twilight as no one else had; I had seen her in her darkest moments, and had more often than not been the only one to help her through trying times in her personal life. I had been there during her first relationship, and the fallout that followed soon afterward, for example.

It was all those memories and trials that made Twilight who she was to me, and it only made her more beautiful as a pony. It was that beauty within her that allowed her to transcend what was thought possible to become an alicorn, and it was that love and care for her friends and fellow ponies that made her such a great princess.

I glanced over at Twilight as she began to slowly lower to the ground after at least a few hours doing her meditation, and smiled. I don’t think Twilight realizes exactly how important she was to me all these years, and I’m not articulate enough to explain it in words.

Twilight had once asked me why I was always there for her when she needed me most; well that was why. She deserved it, because she made me feel like someone should be there for her, since she was always available for everypony else. She was a princess without a knight, as it were.

“Raspberry tarts and coffee? Spike, you shouldn’t have.” Twilight commented with a grin as she slowly walked to me.

I nodded, returning her smile. “I figured I should get us breakfast, seeing as how I left early this morning. I know you don’t like it, so I thought I’d-”

“Bribe me with baked treats and minty nectar of the heavens.” she finished, smirking as she took a bite of one of the tarts and swallowing. “Good idea.” Her smile then faltered a bit as she said, “All kidding aside though, I would really prefer if you didn’t just leave like that. You know I worry about you, Spike.”

I chuckled and shook my head as I stood. “Twi, I’m a big drake now;” I used my hand to visually compare our heights as my smile grew, “bigger than you, actually. I’ll be alright.”

Twilight huffed before stepping forward and resting her forehead on my chest, shifting her wings in what I had come to recognize as a nervous pegasus response. “I know Spike, it’s just…” she sighed and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight, “I still worry about you. We live a dangerous life sometimes, and I don’t like it when you go off alone. If something were to ever happen to you, I…” Her voice broke as she trailed off, and her grip tightened.

I brought my own arms up around her smaller form, taking care to keep my claws away from her wings as I did so. I then rested my head beside her horn and released my own sigh as I explained, “I’ve had to see all you girls in the hospital at least once each, so I’m really the only one left. Sooner or later Twi, I am gonna get hurt somehow,” I brought one of my clawed hands up to run fingers through her hair, “but I’m also in no hurry to end up in a cemetery under a headstone. I’m always careful, and I never go looking for trouble.”

“Like Rainbow Dash.” she mumbled good-naturedly.

I chuckled softly and nodded. “Like Dash.” I released her and held her at arm’s length for a moment before jerking my head to the table. “C’mon, breakfast is gonna get cold if we wait much longer. If you’re having a slumber party today, you need to be awake enough that you won’t fall asleep when we’re cleaning this place up.”

Twilight furrowed her brow as she followed me to the table. “When was the last time I fell asleep during cleaning?”

“Last week,” I answered immediately, “when you didn’t get any sleep the night before because you were convinced Discord was behind the hurricane that hit Fillydelphia.” I shrugged and took my seat, digging a pumpkin spice muffin out of the bag. “Turns out it was just a rogue storm from the sea.”

Twilight sat down as well, but crossed her arms and pouted cutely. “Hey, it was a perfectly reasonable explanation since we haven’t had an unplanned storm in Equestria for nearly two hundred years. What else was I supposed to think?”

I rolled my eyes as I swallowed a bite of muffin and sipped some coffee. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe since Discord was here it was just a freak storm. You know he can’t be in more than one place at once unless he splits himself, and then he just gets smaller. Besides,” bite, swallow, “Discord might like playing pranks still, but he’s never downright malicious, and even he agrees that purposefully hurting or killing ponies isn’t funny.”

“So the only reason he doesn’t hurt or kill is because he doesn’t think it would be funny?” Twilight asked incredulously. “I hate to think that a global collapse of everything we hold dear hinges on whether or not Discord’s sense of humor is morbid enough.”

I sighed and shook my head. “You worry too much, Twilight. Fluttershy’s assured all of us that he’s reformed, and you should trust her. Regardless of what you might think, Fluttershy is not as naive as most ponies think she is, and Discord’s been her friend for ten years now. If Discord’s up to something, he’s not patient enough to set something up for that long.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What about the black vine seeds that took over the Everfree that one time?”

I prepared to retort, only to realize I had nothing to say. Instead I just took another bite of my muffin before answering, “Alright fine, you got me there. Still, that was Discord in the past, not now. If Fluttershy says he’s reformed, you need to trust her on that.”

Twilight was silent for a moment before sighing and nodding. “You’re right. Fluttershy would be upset if she knew how I felt about that, but I can’t help it. I guess I’ll just have to trust them.”

Silence then enveloped us as we ate breakfast across from each other, and I smiled to myself as I enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere in our beloved home.

Two or three hours later found me tired on the front steps of a meticulously-cleaned tree-like castle, and it was at that time I thanked whatever force created the dragons that we didn’t sweat. Twilight, on the other hand, was collapsed in a heap against my shoulder, her fur and mane mussed and tangled in quite a few places. Still, the ground floor had been polished to a near mirror sheen, and the rest of the place was cleaner than the day we moved in. The sad part was, Twilight pretty much forced me to help her clean it like this anytime our friends would be over for any longer than a few hours. It didn’t really matter to me though; the soreness I felt was more than worth it just to see Twilight smile.

My feelings for Twilight were...complicated. On the one hand, she had helped raise me, and taught me many life lessons that would normally make her a mother or older sister figure in my life. However, whether it be because of the subtle changes of the dynamic between us or some other unknown reason, I no longer saw her as such. We were only two years apart in age after all, and there were a lot of times when I sometimes felt I was the mature one in our little group of two. The point is, Twilight was more important to me than I could ever express to her in mere words; I loved her, and we both knew it. The type of love I held for her had slowly changed over the years though, as was evidenced by the fact that I would sometimes find myself subtly checking her out when she wasn’t looking.

Brothers aren’t supposed to do that to their sisters.

That fact alone should have bothered me more than it did, but in our decidedly-crazy life that we lived, I had learned pretty quickly to just go with the flow and adapt quickly to changes. It had served me well thus far, so I wasn’t going to stop following that plan. Nonetheless, I was still reluctant to cross any invisible boundaries with such an important pony in my life; Twilight’s happiness and wellbeing meant more to me than some recent desires I had.

Twilight began to mumble in her sleep and gnaw on my shoulder, which likely meant it was time for her to get cleaned up so we could prepare for the arrival of the other girls. No doubt she would kill me if I let her be seen so disheveled by the others, so I nudged her gently with the tip of one of my claws.

“Twi…” I cooed gently, “Twi, it’s time to get up.”

“Mmrf, don’t wanna…” she whined before snuggling deeper into my grasp.

I sighed and stood, pulling her roughly up with me, righting Twilight on her hooves and giving her a good shake. “Twi, you need to go shower and stuff. Applejack likes to be early which means she’ll probably be here within the next thirty minutes, so go and get ready while I make up some snacks for you all.

Awake but still a bit out of it, she mumbled a few things before hugging me and whispering, “Thanks Spike; love you.”

“Love you too, now go on.” I returned, nudging the drowsy princess through the door.

Voicing “I love you” to each other was something Twilight and I only did in private, as other ponies would likely get the wrong idea if they heard us. We had been doing it since I could speak, and were not going to stop simply because I was nineteen -- or twenty-one, in Twilight’s case. Why she had started in the first place I’ll never know, but it was such a habit that the days felt empty if we hadn’t heard the other speak the words. It made trips spent away from each other (which thankfully were rare) a bother, since we both literally lost sleep over it.

As I waited for Applejack or one of the others to arrive, I observed the ponies of Ponyville as they went on their daily errands and such. Many of them would offer me a smile and wave as they passed the road leading to the library, though those that were in a hurry still gave me a nod of recognition.

I knew many of them as personal friends, including a unique addition to our town: the changeling soldier named Lyla.

One of the first things Twilight did when she was given control of some of the foreign affairs of the kingdom was search for and find those from her past that she felt had more of a story to tell than what was readily apparent. Trixie Lulamoon was one of them, as was the gryffin, Gilda, but Twilight wasn’t satisfied with half-measures. One of the things she felt didn’t add up was why the changelings had attacked Canterlot during her brother’s wedding.

Twilight and I left on a year-long expedition across Equestria and the neighboring territories, searching for any trace of changelings. Much to our surprise we didn’t need to look very long, as they were found dotted around small settlements throughout pony lands, which made sense since they needed ponies to live. Upon forcefully capturing and interrogating a changeling we found, she came upon some very useful information regarding changelings as a whole.

First of all, just like ants, there were multiple nests (or Hive Clusters, as the changelings called them), and multiple “queens”; this meant that Queen Chrysalis was just one of many, but we were surprised to find that many of the other changelings apparently disagreed with her methods. It turned out that Chrysalis’ hive was starving, and so she attempted to solve her race’s nourishment problems permanently by enslaving the ponies of Equestria. Truthfully, I understood her desperation, but couldn’t condone the enslavement of an entire race of people.

Contrary to what we initially believed of changelings, they were predominantly a peaceful race that thrived more from peace than strife. Also, strange side-note, those holes we had all seen on the changelings of Chrysalis’ swarm were only there as a physical manifestation of starvation; a healthy changeling’s carapace-like hide was solid.

Anyhow, once Twilight took the reigns, things progressed rather quickly.

Twilight set up a meeting between all three Equestrian princesses and a few changeling queens that were brave enough to meet them, and in doing so formed an alliance and pact with them; changelings would be allowed to slowly integrate into Equestrian society with her personal help, and in doing so, the race’s sustenance needs would hopefully be solved. It was slow going and took nearly a decade for the prejudice to die down, but it was now not uncommon to see one or two changelings in a town of ponies, though the younger generations were more friendly than those that were old enough to remember the attack on Canterlot. That being said, it was made clear that any and all prejudicial actions toward changelings -- physical, verbal, or otherwise -- would not be tolerated, and depending on the severity, would be dealt with harshly to the full extend of the law. Luckily, most issues were headed off by Twilight’s charisma as she made frequent visits around the kingdom and preached her teachings of love and friendship to doubting ponies. Twilight succeeded where many others would fail, and the changeling queens and their subjects were eternally grateful to the youngest princess.

Unlike ponies, changelings matured very quickly, often living on their own by their fourth birthday. Lyla, by this rule, was allowed to come and live in Ponyville at only five years old, which put her a good six years younger than me. Twilight had paid for and helped build a home for Ponyville’s first changeling resident, and had asked me to become friends with Lyla. As the years passed, Lyla was readily accepted by the town as much as I was; different, but someone that still belonged.

Another thing that was a misconception for ponies: not all changelings -- even drones -- looked the same. Lyla, for example, had eyes just like a pony’s, and hair as well as a tail. The only thing that marked her as a changeling were her fangs, hairless black carapace and insectoid wings. She acted just like a pony did (though she didn’t need to eat as much physical food), and her close contact with me and Twilight helped her quickly fit in with others. It was a huge step forward for changelings as a whole, and it just worked further to help them live more comfortably in a changing world.

Like the rest of my friends, Lyla’s behavior around me changed a bit when I grew to fit my age, though in a much different way than Pinkie or any of the others. True to her name (which meant “dark beauty” in an ancient changeling language), Lyla was eye-catching with her polished obsidian body and deceptive grace. I say deceptive since even though she had spent so much time around ponies, she was born to be a soldier, which meant she was far more powerful than she appeared. Her personality, however, did not match the fact that she had been born as a soldier-caste changeling, since she was as flirty as Rarity was, and almost as smart as Twilight. Sure there were some ponies that were still a little put off by the fact that she was a changeling, but I just saw a friend who was kind and affectionate...like all my other friends.

Overall though, I ignored it. Ponies as a species were instinctually very physically affectionate towards close friends and family, while dragons typically were not. True that as their respective species both dragons and ponies had evolved beyond mere creatures of instinct, but our base primal instincts remained intact; we could no more escape our innate instinctual behaviors than we could cause time to flow in reverse (the latter of which had been tried before by Twilight...more than once), but that did not mean we had to become slaves to those same base desires and actions. Dragons, for example, felt an instinctive desire to hoard, which was a desire that I had succumbed to once before, and consciously battled nearly every day in small ways.

All that having been said, I found that the friendship and love that ponies readily gave to be something I wish dragons could learn. Be it my childhood surrounded by ponies or another reason I didn’t know of, I had no desire to join any of the dragon clans, even those that were at peace or allied with Equestria; I liked the life I had with my friends, and had long ago decided I belonged with them rather than my own kind. I was blessed to find my place in the world so early in my life, and was secure in my choice.

I was brought out of my brief introspection by the sight of another of my friends, and by far the cutest: Fluttershy.

She was daintily flitting along the path leading from the outskirts of Ponyville toward the Friendship Rainbow Palace (ugh, what a mouthful), offering a smile to anyone and everyone. The years had been kind to her, and a comfortable atmosphere and friends had done wonders for her confidence. While she was still wary of strangers and avoided crowds, she no longer jumped at the slightest movement or sound. She was the second youngest of us all, being only seventeen years old, but her observant eyes and tendency to be a wallflower meant that she was wise in ways many others were not. While she would never outclass Rainbow Dash in confidence or assertiveness, those that assumed Fluttershy was a doormat would be surprised.

Fluttershy and I had always got on well, from the very first moment we met. Her deep connection with nature and animals meant she was always interested in meeting new and exciting creatures, and apparently that included cute baby dragons. Most of the coddling I received when I was younger came from Fluttershy and Rarity, but thankfully they had both stopped such behavior when I stopped looking like a baby. Still, that didn’t stop Fluttershy from fawning over me from time to time.

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up with happiness when she spied me on the front steps of Ponyville’s castle, and she gave her wings a powerful flap, landing in front of me only a second later.

“Good morning, Spike.” she greeted warmly, aquamarine eyes following me as I stood. “How are you doing today?”

I stretched and shrugged, gesturing behind me. “I’m alright; just getting everything ready for you girls.” I then motioned to her. “What about you; everything alright with your chores? I can help if you need it, since I don’t have anything to do today.”

Fluttershy seemed to consider my words for a moment before shaking her head. “No thank you, I have things handled. Angel has become a big help in his old age, so things are going quite smoothly this year.” Her smile then fell as she sighed sadly. “I’m going to miss him when he’s gone.”

For someone with Fluttershy’s personality, most would assume she would break down in tears at the mere thought of one of her animal friends dying. That, however, was sadly untrue, since animals didn’t live anywhere near as long as ponies did. Fluttershy had become desensitized to loss at a young age because of her work with animals both wild and domestic, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still feel sad from said losses.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed firmly, smiling gently. “We’re all here for you, ‘Shy; never forget that.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath before looking up at me again, smiling softly. “Thank you, Spike. I appreciate that. So, what are you going to do tonight then?”

I shrugged. “I don’t really know. A single guy hanging around six pretty mares sounds great, but it might send the wrong message to the town.”

Fluttershy shook her head with a smile. “You’re always welcome around us, Spike; you know that. You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.”

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. “Twi doesn’t get much girl-time with me around, and that’s besides the fact that you all don’t hang out as much as you used to. You all need this to make sure your friendships don’t fall apart as the years go on.” I smiled and rubbed her shoulder gently. “I’ll find something to do tonight; don’t you worry.”

Fluttershy looked unsure, nodding hesitantly. “If you’re sure…”

I nodded. “I am.” I then leaned in close and whispered, “Besides, I don’t think Rarity’s forgiven herself for Canterlot yet.”

She giggled softly and shook her head, playfully smacking my arm. “Silly Spike. Equestria’s never been around dragons before as much as we have you; how was she supposed to know you were allergic to blackberries?”

We were of course referring to a nasty oversight on the parts of Rarity and I, brought about by our ignorance of my race. It seemed that much in the same way that dogs and many other animals were violently allergic to chocolate, dragons were similarly upset by blackberries and raspberries. While I ended up being fine in the end, my throat had closed up from a cake Rarity had bought for me during a short jaunt we took together to the capital, and she blamed herself for it all. For the first week after we returned to Ponyville, she couldn’t even look at me without breaking into tears, often wailing about how she’d “nearly killed Equestria’s greatest treasure”...

Whatever that meant.

“I don’t blame her,” I answered in annoyance, “and I’ve told her that multiple times. For a businesspony who makes her living off of creating unique dresses and suits, you’d think she’d be a little better at listening.”

“One of her closest friends almost died, Spike.” Fluttershy admonished gently. “I know that you’re grown now, but she took you on as her responsibility that day. Be a little more sensitive to that fact; you know how she can get.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I know how she can get. I’ve only known her for like ten years, after all.”

Fluttershy stared at me for a moment before asking, “Have the two of you ever actually talked about it at length?”

Just as I was about to answer with an immediate affirmative, I realized that, “...No, I don’t think we have.”

She smiled again, grasping my hand in both of hers this time. “Then I know what you’re doing tonight: you’re spending time with us. I know you think that tonight is supposed to be just us girls, but it’s a night meant for our closest friends to spend time together all at once;” Fluttershy punctuated her statement by poking me in the chest with a finger, “that includes you, Spike.”

I raised my eyebrow as the small pegasus began pulling me toward the marketplace. “B-but it’s girl time-”

“It’s friend time, Spike.” she corrected.

I sighed and answered, “Alright fine, so why are you leading me to the market?”

“Because I still have some things to do, and since you don’t have anything to do, you’re going to help me.” she answered firmly.

Did I mention that Fluttershy became more confident over the years?

I just nodded dumbly and followed the normally-shy mare into town.

After nearly an hour of shopping, hauling, and distributing, all of Fluttershy’s animals were fed and taken care of, just as the sun began to fall from the sky. I was amazed at just how much work went into Fluttershy’s daily life, and though I knew her to be hardworking, I often forgot just how in shape she must be to get everything done and still have time for her friends.

While this wasn’t my first and probably not the last time I’d help her with her chores, I had a strong appreciation for just how much she did every day.

“Aaaand done!” she announced clearly, flitting down from a tall tree after tending to the birds and squirrels within. “How are things on your end, Spike?”

I stood and stretched from my place beside her small garden. “Everything’s all set; nocturnals have been provided for, as have the carnivores. I think they’re good for another day.”

Fluttershy landed quietly beside me and glanced around, nodding approvingly. “Good job, Spike.”

I nodded just before scrutinizing my shy friend. “I thought you said you didn’t need my help when I first asked you.”

She giggled softly and nudged me with her shoulder. “I didn’t, but it gave the girls time to prepare for another guest tonight.”

I raised my brow skeptically. “How would they know? You’ve been with me the whole time and-”

I was interrupted by a bluebird flying over and landing on her shoulder, holding a small scroll in its mouth. Fluttershy simply smirked at me and unrolled the scroll. “They said it’s fine, and they’re happy to have you.”

Thank Celestia someone like Fluttershy is a friend to animals and not someone like...well, anyone else.

“That’s...borderline awesome and creepy.” I replied after a few seconds of silence, then added, “Although for you, we’ll go with awesome.”

She smiled gently before turning away and picking up her satchel. “I think Rainbow Dash said the exact same thing when she first realized I could speak to animals.” After turning toward me again and placing her finger on her chin she added, “I think most ponies are under the assumption that I’m some crazy pony when they first hear about my skill with animals.”

I shrugged. “I thought it was cool. Besides that fact, it made you want to talk to me, and you were the first real friend I made outside of Twi and Princess Celestia. I don’t know if you noticed it at the time, but Twi and I were pretty sheltered when we came to Ponyville.”

“And I wasn’t?” Fluttershy questioned rhetorically, looping her arm in mine and beginning to lead us back toward town. “Before we all became friends, I only left my cottage to get groceries, and then, only early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid other ponies. Applejack and I lived in the same town and even saw each other now and then, but I never spoke to her.” She pointed to me and said, “If it weren’t for you and Twilight coming to Ponyville, I don’t know if we would ever have been as close as we are now. So,” she began, only to glance out of the curtain of her pink mane at me, “you’re more important to us than you know.”

“How so?” I asked, my interest piqued. While I knew Fluttershy and the others considered me a close friend, I wouldn’t have said I was that important to them.

As we continued our walk, she began to explain her words to me. “There might be only six Element-bearers Spike, but the group includes seven of us. Twilight’s the leader, and makes sure to organize us and give us courage. Applejack keeps us honest and true to ourselves.” She stopped for a moment as we both spied a familiar rainbow contrail in the sky. “Rainbow Dash gives us the strength to be loyal -- to each other, and to ourselves. Pinkie Pie reminds us that even when we’re afraid or sad, there’s always a reason to smile.” She then pointed to the Carousel Boutique, which could just be spotted in the distance. “Rarity reminds us to be generous and welcoming, even to strangers. And me…” she paused, and offered me a shy smile, “I urge the others to be kind, even when sometimes we don’t want to be.”

“I don’t think I have to ask who number seven is,” I mused aloud, “but all the bases seem to be covered. What do I offer all of you?”

The arm curled around my own tightened its grip ever so slightly, and I felt as one feathered wing brushed underneath my own to lay against my back. “You Spike…” she started, trailing off and taking a slow breath, “you’re the heart of the whole group. You’re the peacemaker, and you’re the glue that holds us together when things get rough.” My confusion must have been clear on my face, since Fluttershy elaborated on what she meant. “Loyalty, honesty, and kindness are all well and good for keeping friends together, but sometimes things can happen that make us act and think unlike ourselves.” A small finger pressed just over my sternum as Fluttershy focused her teal eyes on mine. “You remind us of who we are -- both to ourselves, and to each other. You remind us of what’s really important when we lose our heads, and you make sure that no matter what happens, we remember to take time out of our daily lives to just be friends.”

When I really thought back to everything that had happened over the years, I realized she was right.

Calling in all the girls to help Applejack with the Annual Apple Family Hoedown; my idea. Having Rarity model her new designs on me and Twilight; also my idea. Convincing Rainbow Dash that joining a flight team that would throw aside one of their own if they found something better was a bad idea; me, me, me. While it’s true that Rainbow Dash had been more than a little reluctant to let go of her fillyhood dream, she had found in the years that followed that passing on her phenomenal skills to future generations would ensure her name lived on much longer than if she had been a stunt flier.

The point was, it had mostly been me making sure we all stayed close over the years. Growing up, they had become my family, and it terrified me to imagine them drifting away. It was because of that fear I made it a personal mission to make sure such a thing never happened. I made it a point to get them together in a comfortable setting whenever I could, ensuring the bonds that had been made remained strong as the years progressed.

“Do you see now, Spike?” she prodded gently. “It’s because of you that we stayed together all these years, and if anything, we’ve become even closer because of it. Without you, we all might have fallen apart.”

I frowned and shook my head slowly. “Now I don’t know about that-”

“Did Rarity ever tell you she received an offer from Hoity Toity to open shops in Canterlot and Manehattan?” Fluttershy interrupted swiftly. “I bet not, and I also assume Pinkie never said anything about being offered by the cakes to move to Bridleridge to open her own branch of Sugarcube Corner there.”

The breath seemed to leave my lungs for a moment as I became unable to respond. After a few moments of shock, I croaked out, “N-no, neither of them said anything about that.”

Fluttershy sighed softly before continuing. “You deserve to know, so I’ll tell you myself: both of them said in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t leave Ponyville, since it is and always will be home for them. Both of them also mentioned you in particular among the reasons they decided to stay.”

This time, I couldn’t respond for a very different reason than before: shame. I felt ashamed that these two wonderful mares had felt obligated to stay because of me. Granted that you couldn’t tell now just by looking at me, but I was only a few years older than Fluttershy and Pinkie; until my body grew, however, I was always seen as "little Spike", so that had always made me a bit of the kid-brother. It was things like this that made me feel like a burden instead of a constructive force, since I had just come to find that two of my closest friends had given up wonderful opportunities for me.

“Stop that, Spike.” Fluttershy scolded, gently slapping my upper arm with the palm of her hand. “I know what your face looks like when you feel guilty, so stop blaming yourself; it was their choice to stay here instead of leaving, so you’re not at fault.”

“But I kinda am, ‘Shy.” I retorted forcefully, pulling away to look at her directly. We stood for a few moments in silence in the middle of an emptying marketplace, just looking at each other before I added, “If I had been more responsible earlier on, you all wouldn’t have felt like you had to keep an eye on me so much, and you all could have gone off and done your own things. I mean...Celestia, I don’t want any of you to leave, but I also don’t want to be the reason you all feel like you have to stay.”

Fluttershy just stared right back at me, and her expression shifted from concern to...well, deeper concern. “You really don’t understand, do you?” Before I could ask what she meant, she again looped her arm in mine and continued leading me the rest of the short journey to Twilight’s castle-tree-thing. “I’ll let them explain for themselves, Spike; it isn’t my place to tell their stories in this matter. Just know that their desire to stay wasn’t done out of obligation. Instead, it was done for a very different reason.” She motioned to what had been my home ever since the battle with Tirek had destroyed Golden Oaks. “Now come on, our friends are waiting for us.”

I still didn’t think it was proper for me to be around a bunch of mares for a sleepover -- even if it was my home -- but I’d trust Fluttershy’s judgement for now. Besides, if they already knew I was coming and said it was okay, they wanted me there, right?

I breathed deeply of the late afternoon air and pushed open the crystalline wood doors and stepped inside with Fluttershy’s warm body by my side, having a bad feeling that I was woefully unprepared for whatever was to come, as innocent as it seemed.

Oh well; go with the flow, as always.

Chapter 13

The following month was comfortingly monotonous. The first snow blew through Equestria, turning Ponyville into a winter wonderland. Fall clothes gave way to winter wear, and ponies everywhere began to enjoy warm hearths with hot cocoa and loved ones. It was because of the close, loving atmosphere that winter was my second favorite time of year, and it would be the favorite if not for the tendency for ice crystals to form under my scales. Nevertheless, even with the cold season in full-swing, work did not stop for Twilight and I, and Rarity in particular became quite busy due to the influx of winter clothing commissions. Rainbow Dash, too, was occupied, since she spent most of the winter training younger fliers due to their winter break, and she also spent time with her parents in Cloudsdale. As for the other girls, they were moderately busy with their own work, especially Pinkie, since Sugar Cube Corner became increasingly popular during the cold months.

Lyla, however, had plenty of free time, and spent most of it with me. Since the close call with the dragon, she had been practically glued to my side. I suppose it worked to my advantage that changelings were so bad at hiding their feelings, because it allowed me to know exactly how worried and mildly traumatized she was due to her injuries. I assured her repeatedly that everything was okay now -- and, I’ll admit, I even asked Luna to watch over her dreams -- but all in all, she was still adamant on spending as much time with me as possible. I didn’t mind it at all, but I wished there was more I could do for her than simply being with her...but maybe that would be enough.

True to her word, the week following my return to Ponyville and every week after, Ember began to send letters once again, and I was happy to have reconnected with a fellow friendly dragon. She caught me up with everything that had happened in her home since the last time we had spoken, including how Smolder was doing. It was nice to hear about them all, and surprising to hear that the dragons were sending envoys to other nations for peace. The dragon lands were thriving under Ember’s leadership, and it was impressive to hear all that had been done in such a short time.

I kept my promise and helped out around the farm, spending time with Applejack and ensuring her injuries wouldn’t cause her home and business to languish. Luckily for me, with the workload being lighter than other times during the year, I was able to efficiently balance my duties with Twilight and Starlight with work on the farm, so while I didn’t have as much free time as, say, Fluttershy, I was still able to do everything I needed to do and still get a good rest at night.

Again, the monotony was comforting and familiar, but life was unpredictable, and I knew it was just a matter of time before the next big thing came along to shake up life. Because of that well-learned lesson, I made sure to enjoy the momentary calm.

It was another snowy day in Ponyville, and with Hearth's Warming being only a month away, everyone was preparing for the holiday. Wreaths were being hung up, pine trees were getting decorated, and warm, stick-to-your-bones food was being prepared for family and friends. While the work of royals never ended, it was less intensive, which meant a small measure of more free time for us, helped in no small part by Starlight being home. With the lighter workload and an extra pony to share the burden with, we were all able to spend time with our friends nearly every day; that meant I could be sure to help Applejack with her farm’s paperwork, I could spend time with Lyla to be sure she knew all was well, and I still had time to relax at home with Twilight and Starlight before the day ended. Unfortunately, this also meant we had a frequent visitor to the castle…

“...and then Trixie was heckled by an earth pony! The nerve! Minus the fact she could not even do magic, the mare had the audacity to call Trixie a fraud in front of her adoring masses! Well, Trixie certainly could not let such disrespect stand, so she set off a small series of flashbang spells in her face to scare her off, and suddenly, the mare drops to the ground in convulsions! How was Trixie supposed to know she was epileptic? The townsfolk all shouted at Trixie as if it were her fault!”

I don’t hate Trixie -- truly, I don’t -- but the arrogant, haughty, self-assured attitude she exuded day in, day out, was...grating. I became friends with others that weren’t exactly easy to deal with (Discord came to mind), but Trixie didn’t listen when others would tell her she was being mean, or abrasive. Or, at least she hadn’t before. Ever since her friendship with Starlight had taken off, Starlight became the only pony Trixie would accept criticism from, and I knew that while it was only one pony, it was a good thing; at least there was somepony that was able to humble the proud showmare, even if just a little bit.

Starlight sighed through her nose and shook her head slowly. “To be fair to all parties involved, it was your fault.”

I shouldn't be so amused by the shocked, outraged expression on Trixie’s face.

“E-excuse Trixie, but how is this her fault?” the unicorn stammered, clearly offended. “She did not intend to-"

“Do those ponies know you, Trixie?” Starlight interjected, leveling her friend with an intense stare. “You call them your ‘adoring masses,’ but do they actually know anything about you, other than your shows and stories? Do you make any friends among the patrons, or do you keep them at a distance?” Before Trixie could try and rationalize her actions again, Starlight reached across the table and grasped her friend's hand, smiling gently at her. “I know you didn't mean to cause any harm, Trixie -- I know you're a different mare nowadays. However, patrons and acquaintances don't know your intentions, so they can only judge your actions…and your actions hurt a pony.”

Trixie’s face scrunched up as if she'd sucked on a lemon, but she let loose a sigh and nodded. “Trixie understands. She...I have ponies to apologize to, don't I?”

“Only if you mean it.” I answered, causing the mare to turn to me. Her expression was curious, but guarded, so I ventured, “Without actually meaning it, an apology is just words. Don't apologize just because you should, especially if you're not actually sorry. An apology should come from the heart, meaning you would understand why what you did was wrong, and you truly feel remorse for it.”

“He’s right.” Starlight added, sending a nod my way. “Honesty is more important than placation, and ponies will respect you more if you’re honest with them, even if it’s not what they want to hear. Sometimes, that might mean refusing to apologize because you’re not actually sorry for what you said or did. Being kind and considerate to others is important, but showing you respect somepony enough to tell them the truth, even if it doesn’t make them feel better, shows integrity.”

Trixie stared down at the table between them for a few moments before looking up at Starlight and nodding. “That makes sense. Thank you, Starlight. Tr- I am still learning, so I am grateful for your help.”

“I’ve not exactly got the brightest past either, Trixie.” Starlight reminded gently. She motioned to Twilight and I, who were signing off mundane reports and such from the desk in the corner of the office. “If it weren’t for these two, I would have been a very different pony -- a worse pony. You know my story, so you know I understand what it’s like to walk a different path than the one you’ve walked nearly your entire life. It’s not easy, and I know that, so I’ll always be here to offer a supportive ear, when you need it.”

Trixie wasn’t one to allow herself to appear vulnerable in front of others -- least of all to those she didn’t know or trust much -- so she didn’t show much outward emotion. The slightly glassy eyes and quiet “thank you” conveyed her gratitude quite well, though, and I couldn’t help but smile. Sure, she was annoying sometimes, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want her to better herself and make friends. I could admit that she’d come a long way, in no small part to Twilight’s forgiveness and Starlight’s friendship.

“Almost done there, Spike?” Twilight’s voice floated over.

I blinked and looked down to the stack of paperwork, and nodded. “Yeah. A few more forms to look over, and I’ll be done.” Moving onto the next group, I read over it and frowned. “What’s this about the ‘Coming Dawn’ I keep reading about? This is the fourth bill in a month regarding them, and it’s for…” I kept reading, frowning deeper, “giving a few key members of the citizenry privatization over agricultural research. I see a few names here I recognize -- Granny Smith, Fancy Pants, Fleur de Lis, and Time Turner -- but Jet Set I don’t know, nor most of these other names.”

“Let me see that.” Twilight urged, holding out her hand. I handed the form to her, and she brought it to her eyes, quickly scanning the page. After a few silent moments, she hummed as her brow furrowed. “Hmm...I don’t like this. I’ve also seen this group come up more than a few times in the past few months, and it sounds like a private interest group. Giving power over agricultural advancements to just a few ponies doesn’t sound like a good idea even in theory, and the only pony I see here who would actually bring those advancements would be Granny Smith. And…” she continued looking over the bill, her frown growing, “the incentives for this new law would be tax write-offs and investment in the farms, which would make things easier for farming families that would be under their jurisdiction. However, from the wording of this bill, agricultural technology and practices would be the property of the group, not the individual, to be shared and distributed as necessary so that all can benefit from it. They’re trying to consolidate select Equestrian farms under one entity, essentially commercializing it, and putting an end to individual identity. Ideally, all would benefit from this, but I don’t like that it puts the power over decisions in these few ponies, most of whom aren’t the land owners, and it appears to vote on a ‘majority rules’ system. While I don’t want to assume the worst, the majority leaders could, by law, force ponies like the Apples to give up their trade secrets -- such as zap apple harvesting and their cider recipe -- while cutting them out of most of the profit.” She continued eyeing the bill, her eyes never wavering, and sighed heavily through her nose. “This will have to go through parliament, and it can pass with a two-thirds vote. Any three of the Equestrian princesses can strike down the bill anywhere in the process, but doing so would imply favoritism, since we know the Apples personally. This is unnervingly clever, since most farmers -- I hate myself for saying this -- are ignorant when it comes to the law and politics. A smooth-talking representative could get one of these landowners to sign their bill as a co-signer, making it seem like this is a great idea for everypony, only for them to then…” Twilight set down the bill and closed her eyes, doing the breathing exercise Cadence taught her before opening her eyes and looking to me. “That’s not fair. I know very little about most of these ponies, and I’m assuming the worst of them. That’s clearly a biased opinion on my part.”

“If you think Celestia and Luna don’t have personal biases, you’re nuts.” I countered, smiling supportively to Twilight. I stood and stepped to Twilight’s side, kneeling and wrapping my arms around her waist as I gave her a comforting squeeze. I gazed into her eyes and nodded to her. “We all have personal biases, Twilight. As long as you don’t let them affect your decisions when it comes to things like this, it’s okay. Although,” I jerked my head toward the bill in front of her, “in this case, it helps to be able to identify and understand how things could go horribly wrong. A big part of the law is ensuring the negative effects are accounted for, so if you’re able to recognize the possible pitfalls and loopholes in a bill, that’s a strength, not a weakness. You’re allowed to voice how a bill or current law can be exploited, and as long as you keep your concerns focused on the bill instead of the ponies pushing for it, they can’t say anything about it without confirming the possibility that it could be used for their benefit at the expense of others. Even if no one could prove that’s what they had in mind, the possibility alone is enough for ponies to withdraw their support due to bad press, possible sanctions, and a visit from the inquisitors. Sometimes a few words, even if they don’t actually accuse anyone of anything, are enough to put a stop to something like this.”

Twilight eyed me skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you hated politics.”

I sighed heavily, nodding up at her. “I do, but being friends with Discord has helped me learn to see beyond my own nose, and how to do things with subtlety. Well…the latter was more thanks to Lyla and Thorax, but still.” I snapped my fingers as a memory popped up. “Oh, speaking of, Thorax wanted to visit this Hearth's Warming to experience the Equestrian celebration. He said Ocellus wanted to visit too, and if things go the way I think they will, this castle might be full of visitors for the first time.”

Twilight continued staring at me, her eyebrow climbing even higher. “How do you figure that?”

I held up a hand and began counting off. “Well, there’s Thorax, Ocellus, probably all the friends Ocellus made at the school, Silverstream’s guardian, Scootaloo, Fluttershy if she accepts my invitation, Lyla, Celestia and Luna if they can get away, your parents,” I glanced to the powder-blue unicorn, “Trixie if she wants to,” she blushed and looked away, but didn’t decline, “Starlight, plus Cadence and Shining, which means Flurry as well. In addition to all of them, we’ll have the place packed the night of the Lighting of the Hearth, since most of the town will show up. We definitely have the room and can get plenty of food and amenities, but this place is going to be more lively than it’s ever been. The rooms will actually be put to use for once.”

Twilight had closed her eyes by this point, and from the twitching under her eyelids, I knew her eyes were doing the “book-scanning” motion they did whenever she was thinking very hard or doing calculations. We allowed her some quiet as she thought, when she suddenly opened her eyes and locked her eyes on me. “Do you think Applejack and Pinkie might be up for catering?”

I shrugged. “Only one way to know for sure. Applejack might not be able to do farm work, but she’s proven she can still cook up a storm. I think we can use some of the budget for ‘public events’ to cover expenses.” I pulled away from the princess and straightened my hoodie as I stood. “I don’t know when Pinkie will be leaving to visit her family though, so I should probably go ask. Write up a plan for the gathering, and I’ll make sure we get Pinkie and Applejack on board.”

“On it.” Twilight answered, already pulling out a fresh scroll as she began to draft some plans. “Let me know what happens as soon as you can so I can have an accurate idea of how this needs to go.”

I nodded and opened the window, diving out of it and into the open air. I quickly shut the window behind me before darting off toward Sweet Apple Acres first, since I knew Applejack was not going to be busy. Luckily for me, with the cold air and steady snow, the skies were relatively clear, which meant I could really open up and speed my way to the farm -- while it was true it took more physical effort to move faster, the exertion meant I spent less time in the cold air, which meant less of a chance of ice forming underneath the scales. I can’t emphasize how much that hurts.

Anyhow, it only took a minute or two for the snowy fields of the farm to come into view. Tilting my wings, I angled myself toward the quaint farmhouse, only to have to flare my wings strongly as Sugar Belle walked out of the front door with a covered tray in hand. I could only smile apologetically as she glared at me, having been covered with a fine dusting of snow from my rapid stop.

After a moment though, she smiled as well, and offered a friendly wave as she greeted me. “Hiya Spike, it’s good to see you. How’ve you been?”

I shrugged as I reached around and held her hood as I punched it inside out, throwing out the snow in the process. “Eh, things have calmed down. Lyla’s back from her medical leave, and everypony else is preparing for the holiday, so life’s become pretty mundane compared to the last few months.” Stepping back around to her front, I motioned to the tray. “What’cha got there?”

Sugar Belle smiled brightly and removed the lid, the smell of fresh-baked apple pastries wafting out. “Just trying out a new recipe. Here,” she held the tray closer to me, “try one and let me know what you think. I tried some different ingredients for a more festive taste. Mac says they taste amazing, but you know that big softie: he claims everything I make is perfect. I need an unbiased opinion.”

I shrugged again and picked up one of the pastries. The first thing I noticed was that it was made with a flaky pastry crust dusted with what could only be sugar and cinnamon. My nose told me there were hints of nutmeg and pimenta in addition to the cinnamon, and I also detected a note of vanilla. The smell of apples, of course, was prevalent, but without tasting it, I wasn’t going to be able to discern anything else; so, with a mental shrug, I opened the hatch and took a bite. The buttery, flaky pastry gave way to a subtle spiced sweetness, followed immediately by the taste of potent apples with a heck of a zing to them. It only took looking at the rainbow-shimmering mixture to figure out what kind of apples were used.

Even though my wide eyes and unhinged jaw probably told her all she needed to know, I still looked directly at her and answered, “Oh yeah, he wasn’t just blowing smoke; this is incredible. The spices add a more festive flavor to it, and the zing of the zap apples really ties it all together. I imagine this would go really well with some hot cider or tea in front of the fireplace.”

She beamed at me and nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes! That’s just what I was thinking! Zap apples aren’t exactly easy to come by, and I have a feeling this recipe will go over very well back at the town.”

At the mention of the town she came from, I couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward about it. While Starlight was a friend and we had all forgiven her for what she had done, the fact that ponies still lived in that town just seemed...odd, to me at least.

“I don’t understand why you don’t just move to Ponyville.” I commented, gesturing to the farmhouse behind her. “You and Big Mac are together, so it would be much easier for you to be with your herd. I’m sure the Apples would be happy to have you.”

At the mention of her coltfriend, Sugar Belle blushed slightly and smiled sheepishly. “Y-yes, I know they would welcome me, but I feel like there’s still something I need to do there.” She frowned briefly before shaking her head. “I can’t really explain it, but it’s like there’s something telling me I’m still needed there. With the train line running again, it isn’t far to visit -- a day trip, at the longest -- and Big Mac is quite happy to come and go to my shop for the business opportunity.”

“You and I both know that’s not why he visits.” I quipped with a smirk.

Sugar Belle’s blush intensified, but she smiled more radiantly. “N-no, I suppose not. Still, it’s a good business opportunity for us both, and the ponies in the town love my creations. We’re happy together, and we’re both fine travelling. Maybe sometime in the future I’ll move on, but for now, it works for us.”

I shrugged and nodded to her. “Well, I can’t fault that. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” I inclined my head to the farmhouse. “Anyhow, I gotta go talk to AJ, so I’ll see you later. Stay warm, Sugar Belle.”

“You too, Spike! Bye now!” she returned, trotting off with a happy bounce in her step. I just smiled as I watched the adorable older mare leave.

Still smiling, I turned and walked the few steps up to the front door and gave a loud trio of knocks. It only took a moment for the door to be answered, and I only had a moment to say “hello” before Applejack practically yanked me inside and shut the door behind me. I was immediately wrapped in a strong one-armed embrace, and it took a moment for me to shake off my surprise to return it. I’ll admit that I was tempted to bury my nose into Applejack’s golden hair and inhale the sweet scent of apples and spice from a combination of the shampoo she used, as well as some other thing I didn’t know about. I restrained myself, if barely, but was unable to keep from smiling at the warm greeting I was receiving.

“It’s good t’see ya, Spike.” she murmured after a few moments, pulling away to look up at me with a bright smile. “This visit fer business or pleasure?”

I had to fight to keep from giggling like an idiot at the unintentional innuendo, instead riposting with, “Who says it can’t be both -- business, and then pleasure?”

Applejack chuckled heartily as she pushed me away playfully, shaking her head. “Yer gonna get in trouble talkin’ like that, Spike. Now, really, what can Ah do for ya?”

While I wanted to tease her a bit more, she was right: I was here for a reason. “How do you feel about catering at the castle for Hearth's Warming? If things go the way it’s looking like they will, we’re going to have a lot of company, and while I’m quite capable in the kitchen, I could use help from someone else who knows what they’re doing.”

Applejack furrowed her brow as she looked to the kitchen. “How many r’we talkin’?”

“Around twenty,” I answered, waving her off as her eyes widened, “and we’ll be covering the cost of supplies. While Starlight can follow directions well enough, we’re going to need at least four or five others to help make the food, as well as volunteers to set everything up. Twilight can cover the volunteers -- her magic can take care of most of it, after all -- but I’m going to need more to help me actually make the food. Are you in?”

Applejack placed the hand of her good arm on her chin, humming to herself. “Okay, and who else ya thinkin’ of askin’?”

“I’m heading to Pinkie next, and I’ll ask the Cakes while I’m there. I know Lyla’s a good cook, so I can get her on board, and with me, that’s enough for a good kitchen staff. What I really want, though, is somepony who knows how to make some good, traditional Ponyville food.” I explained, reaching out and poking her on the sternum. “That’s what I need you for. You can’t get much more ‘traditional Ponyville’ than an Apple.”

Applejack rolled her eyes at my good-natured jab, and nodded. “Sounds good, and Ah’m free. Other’n openin’ presents and eatin’ food, we don’t do much else f’r Hearth's Warmin’. Granny’ll tell ‘er stories to tha foals, so that’ll leave me free ta help y’all out.”

I motioned to her arm, which was still in a sling. “That’s not gonna slow you down, is it? I don’t want to-” A strong glare thrown my way shut me up pretty quick, and I raised my hands placatingly. “All right, no need to get testy. I just don’t want you overexerting yourself; you do have a habit of doing that, AJ.”

She crossed her arms the best she could, sticking her lip out in a pout. “Ah wish ev’rybody would stop coddlin’ me. Ah ain’t made’a glass, and mah leg works just fine. S’long as Ah don’t need both arms t’do it, Ah can manage.”

Realizing she had likely been treated like she was some fragile mare since the accident, I nodded to her with an understanding smile. “I get it -- really, I do -- but not listening to your body is just going to make it take longer for you to heal. We don’t do it because we think you’re weak or anything, we do it because we care about you. If you say you’re fine, I’ll believe you, but please: for your sake and the sake of those that worry about you, try and take it easy at least until you get that arm out of the sling.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, accepting the concern, “but Ah can cook just fine. Ah’ll get together a good menu for vittles, and we’ll have a good time.” She smiled and nudged me. “B’sides, Ah ain’t celebrated at tha castle in years. It’ll be nice ta see it full, f’r once.”

I clapped a hand on her shoulder and nodded with a grateful smile. “Cool, I knew I could count on you. Anyway, was there anything you needed before I go?”

Applejack seemed to think for a moment before shaking her head. “Not f’r now, but Ah’d appreciate it if you could stop by after gettin’ tha plans in order. It’s a might bit quiet ‘round here with Mac busy ‘n Granny out, so Ah was hopin’ maybe you’d want ta…” she trailed off, shrugging her unrestrained shoulder.

I favored her with a slow nod, my smile widening. “Sure, sounds nice. I’ll be back sometime later in the afternoon, after I’ve put things together with Pinkie, the Cakes, and Twilight. Do you mind if Lyla joins us?”

She smiled wryly. “Poor girl is still a bit rattled, hm?” I only nodded, and Applejack shrugged again. “Ah don’t mind. Been awhile since we spent more than a few minutes together, so Ah think it’d be nice t’see ‘er. Sure, bring ‘er by, and we’ll find somethin’ ta do.”

I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “Thanks, AJ. All right, I’m heading off to Sugarcube Corner to do some more recruiting, and I’ll stop by in a few hours. Take care until then.”

She offered me a warm smile with a nod. “Ah’ll be waitin’. Take care until then, Spike.”

As had become habit by now, I gave her another hug before I left. After pulling away, I quickly left the house and blasted into the air, with only the wind to accompany my thoughts.

Basically, any time I didn’t already have devoted to other work or spending time with my small herd, I spent with her, helping around the farm or sometimes -- as was going to be the case later in the day -- just to spend time with Applejack. I had known Applejack for quite a few years -- most of my life, if you wanted to be specific -- so I would like to think I knew her rather well by this point. Still, before fairly recently, I had been seen as “Twilight’s little dragon assistant,” so there were quite a few things I wasn’t privy to, or things Applejack and the other girls didn’t talk to me about. They all had similar excuses, somewhere in the realm of not wanting to burden a younger child with the stresses and rigors of adult life.

I had spent quite a bit of time with Applejack since the confrontation with the dragon, and I had noticed changes in the dynamic between us -- not in a bad way really, just...different. Much like Rarity, flirting was simply a part of the way I bantered with the many ponies of the opposite sex I knew, and most times, it didn’t really mean anything beyond being playful and mildly affectionate to a good friend or acquaintance. Applejack had always taken said banter and playful ribbing well, except for when I cut it off completely once she became involved with Thunderlane. During that time, I felt more awkward around her than before, since there was a part of who I was that I wasn’t allowed to share with her anymore. That had changed since her breakup, and even though I hadn’t wished she had to go through the pain of a breakup, her and I had picked up our old friendship like Thunderlane had never happened. My personal feelings for her ex-coltfriend aside, Applejack being single again had been good for our friendship, from an objective standpoint. What was different now was the fact that she would lean on me if we were sitting next to each other, or give me a hug both as a greeting, and as a farewell. She made it a point to be close to me whenever we were in the same room, and even though I wasn’t the most observant guy, I noticed she had been brushing her fur and hair more often, and had transitioned from using practical, scentless soaps to scented soaps and shampoos that featured smells she knew I liked. I mean, if I didn’t know better, I would think…

‘Don’t even think about it, drake,’ I told myself with an internal growl. ‘Yes, Applejack is cute, single, and a close friend, but that doesn’t mean you have a shot at all. Shame on you for even thinking about her like that, especially so soon after she broke up with her coltfriend. You’re spending time to help her and lend your support, not to try and get in her pants.’ It was a little concerning that I was nowadays finding it so easy to mentally add other mares to my herd, even if just by passing thought. I needed to talk to Twilight and Rarity about that at some point, but for now, I had other things I had to take care of.

Sugarcube Corner came into view as I entered town, and I was happy to have something else for my mind to focus on. With it only being midday, I had assumed they would be busy, but the line of ponies leading in the door caught me off-guard, and I grumbled to myself as I resigned myself to waiting for things to calm down. I took my place at the back of the line, a few familiar faces offering me greetings that I returned, but I otherwise just settled myself in for a long wait.

Some twenty minutes later, I was finally standing in front of the counter, and Pumpkin cake smiled warmly at me. She was tall like her father, if a bit lanky for a mare, but her bright smile and bubbly demeanor made her quite the likable young mare. Similar to her brother, her and I were very close as a result of many hours spent entertaining them with Pinkie when they were younger, and she was practically another younger sister to me.

“Hi uncle Spike!” she practically squealed, bouncing happily on her hooves to accentuate her greeting. “Do you want something sweet, something warm, or maybe both?”

I glanced over the display case, looking at the many baked treats set out for customers to see. “What do you have that’s both?”

“We have cherry cheese tarts, blueberry brownies, regular brownies, orange cream cheese danishes, and all of our muffins.” she explained, holding up a covered tray of the muffins in question. “Pinkie and mom are in the back though, so if you don’t mind waiting a bit, I’m sure they can make a fresh batch of pretty much whatever you’d like.”

I shook my head with a grateful smile. “That won’t be necessary, Pumpkin. I’ll have one of those blueberry brownies and a cherry cheese tart, please. Oh, and medium hot spiced cider.”

Pumpkin nodded, punching the buttons on the antique register before smiling at me again. “All right, that’ll be eight bits.”

I fished a ten-bit piece out of my pocket and handed it to her. “Keep the change, Pumpkin.” She nodded with that same bright smile, quickly getting my order and finishing by pouring my drink from the magically-heated keg behind the counter.

Once she handed all three to me, she offered me a much warmer, more personal smile than she gave to all the other customers. “Thanks for coming, uncle Spike. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

I shook my head. “Not at the moment. I need to see Pinkie and your folks when things slow down, but for now, I’m going to take a seat at the table and let you all keep things moving. Just let them know I’m here when the rush ends.”

“Okay then. We'll be busy for about another hour, but I'll let them know when things calm down.” she assured. With that, I made my way to one of the few open tables and took a seat, settling myself in for a bit of a wait.

As I munched on my sweets and sipped my piping hot drink, I was aware of a few new faces in the crowd, and this became all the more apparent when they continued glancing at me. As a growing town with national heroines, a resident chaos lord, and a princess, Ponyville had become a more popular tourist destination over the years. The odd stares and outright gawking was something I had become used to, and by this time, I knew that there were three ways newcomers would react to my presence: with curiosity, with interest, or with fear. Thankfully, the latter was pretty rare, but it still happened, so I did my best to look the part of a regular citizen, and kept calm and polite with everyone I met. Obviously, I was well-known in Ponyville and Canterlot, but seeing as how dragons were still rare in Equestria, ponies from anywhere but those two places tended to see me as a novelty. Well, except the Crystal City, but that was an exception to the rule. And so, I mostly just kept to myself, which was exactly what I did at that moment.

It didn’t take me long to finish my two baked treats, so for the following hour, I slowly nursed my hot spiced cider that Pumpkin had been thoughtful enough to place in a ceramic mug for me. This allowed me to keep it warm with my own fire without destroying the cup, which again caused the scattered new ponies to stare at me. From who I spotted out of the corner of my eye, however, I knew the show was about to get all the more interesting for those watching me.

Lyla was eye-catching no matter what, and her glittering wings and smooth obsidian skin gave her a unique, exotic appeal that ponies just didn’t have. She was taller than most other ponies -- even some of the female earth ponies -- and her athletic body was easily noticeable with the snug clothing she often wore. For whatever reason, she had not yet gone through the change to become a “new changeling” like Thorax and his followers, but even though she never actually said so, I believed it was because she thought I would no longer find her attractive if she did. That was ludicrous of course, but unless she brought it up, I wasn’t going to press her; besides, in a loving place like Ponyville where she was accepted, she was in no danger of starving.

She sauntered over and pulled up a chair to sit next to me, immediately offering me a chaste kiss, which I eagerly returned. We both simultaneously decided to keep things proper for being in public, and pulled away after only a quick moment, but she still sat practically in my lap, which had become the norm since she had gotten back from Hollow Shades. After having tried several times to use words to comfort and reassure her, I learned over the weeks that nothing I said was going to dissuade her, so I just accepted the affection and supported her the best that I could. Luna had told me of a few choice nightmares Lyla had due to the incident, but all in all, Lyla seemed to be healing, mentally and physically, quickly and easily due to the love and support of those in Ponyville.

Slowly, as time passed, the bakery began to calm down as the lunch rush expired, and even the visitors from other areas of Equestria lost interest in Lyla and I and moved on. With the pandemonium ended, the Cakes were able to clean up and restock, which left the establishment mostly quiet save for a few customers trickling in here and there. I had long ago finished my tasty cider, so I just held Lyla close and waited patiently for the Cakes to have a moment to talk.

Some time passed, and I saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake approaching, along with a bouncy Pinkie behind them. Pinkie, of course, glomped me as usual -- bringing a pleasantly surprised Lyla along for the ride -- while the elder two just smiled with a sort of loving exasperation from Pinkie’s antics. Lyla and I both laughed and hugged the pink pony-shaped lump of joy, and enjoyed the mutual affection from a close friend.

Pinkie hopped off of us and pulled us both to our feet with her deceptively strong arms, and smiled brightly at me. “Hi guys! What brings you here?”

I jerked my head to my changeling. “Lyla’s just hanging out, but me, I came here for some help.” I glanced to the two Cakes, “We’re having an event on Hearth’s Warming Eve at the castle, and we’re going to need some goodies. I was hoping you all would be able to help out.”

Mr. Cake looked to his wife, and upon getting a nod, he smiled at me. “Sure can, Spike! How many are we catering for?”

I shrugged. “Not too many, only twenty. I’m going to get with Twilight to hire a larger catering service for the rest of town, but for those that will be staying in the castle with us, I want the best of the best. That’s where you all come in.” I couldn’t help but look directly at Pinkie when I finished, well aware of just how gifted she was as a baker.

Pinkie blushed adorably and imitated a refined southern accent as she replied, “Flatt’ry will get you evr’ywhere, darlin’.” She giggled cutely before turning around to address the Cakes. “Well? I’m in! How about you two?”

Mrs. Cake rolled her eyes at the poofy pink mare. “Of course we are, Pinkie. We’ll put together a menu and come up with some delicious treats for Twilight, Spike, and their guests.” She turned her attention to me next. “Any requests or things I should know about?”

I thought hard, trying to come up with anything in particular. In the end, I couldn’t, simply because it was all good. “Nah, not really. Other than asking that you clearly label anything that has raspberries or blackberries in it, I leave the menu completely up to you. I’ve yet to have anything that you guys sell that I haven’t liked, so I trust you all to make some awesome eats. After you’ve come up with an estimate, let me know and Twilight and I will get you the funds to get this done.”

At this, Mr. Cake’s face soured a bit. “Spike, you should know by now that-”

“And you should know by now that we don’t mix business and our personal lives.” I interrupted, already knowing where he was headed with his line of thought. “If we meet on the street or spend time together for anything, that’s just friends hanging out, but this is your business. So, because you’re our friends, we want you to have the business, because we know how good your food is; because you’re a business, we’re not going to use our friendship to get free stuff. I appreciate it -- truly, I do -- but I can’t accept that. I ask that you respect me enough to allow us to pay you for your fine goods and services, like you deserve.”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake glanced at each other, apparently having a silent conversation, before the former offered me a wry smile. “Very well, Spike. We should have a decent estimate in a few days, so we’ll send Pinkie to get you when we’ve got it all worked out. It’ll be pretty tight with Pinkie spending the holiday with her family, but we can do it.”

I clapped my hands with a bright smile. “Fantastic! I think this is going to be a great Hearth’s Warming, especially with all the visitors. Was there anything you all needed before I head out?”

Rolling his eyes again -- at me, this time -- Mr. Cake shook his head. “Spike, I appreciate the offer, but we’ll be okay. We’re used to this, I promise.”

Offering one more smile, I nodded to the three of them. “Cool, I’ll let you all get to it, then. Let me know if you need me; you know where to find me.” I gave Pinkie a wink as I turned with Lyla and left the bakery, blasting into the sky and making my way back to the castle.

As I assumed, Twilight was making plan after plan after plan when I got back, and she offered me a kiss to the cheek without looking away from her new project, while I made my way to the kitchen with Lyla. We made a quick lunch for the three of us, leaving some in the fridge for Starlight and Trixie, wherever they were. I dropped off a simple daisy sandwich at Twilight’s desk, giving her a better kiss and explaining what had happened in regards to my recruitment, as well as that I was heading to Applejack’s to spend some time with her. Twilight merely nodded and took a too-large bite of her sandwich, continuing her work without saying anything other than “okay”.

Lyla and I took flight from the second floor balcony, quickly making our way through the gentle snowfall to the farm in the distance. Again I landed in front of the farmhouse, this time with Lyla by my side, and knocked firmly on the door.

Almost as if she’d been waiting for me, Applejack nearly immediately opened the door to greet me. She smiled widely at the sight of Lyla and I, quickly inviting us in, away from the cold. With Granny Smith and Big Mac both out running errands and Applebloom with her friends, the house was all but empty save for Applejack and her faithful dog Winona. The collie was older, and a little slower, but she still greeted me happily with licks to my hand and happy yips.

Applejack looked at our exchange fondly. “Y’know, Ah f’rgot how much she likes ya. It’s a shame Peewee ain’t in town no more.”

I gave the wiggly collie a few more pets before standing and smiling at Applejack. “Yeah. He’s still learning to control his powers, so it’s not a good idea for Peewee to be in town. He’s a phoenix though, so I’ll see him again someday.”

Applejack just continued smiling before looking to Lyla next. “So, how ya been, girl? Been awhile since Ah’ve seen ya in a more private settin’.”

Lyla bobbed her head from side to side before taking a seat with me on the sofa, snuggling up to my side. “I’ve been okay. My chitin still itches a bit from time to time,” she rubbed over the scar along her collar, which was hidden by her shirt, “but I’m not in any pain.” She motioned to Applejack’s arm. “What about you? I can only imagine it’s driving you nuts.”

Applejack took a seat on the well-worn chair just to the side of me, letting out a long breath. “Y’all don’t know tha half’a it. Ah had ta re-learn ta wash mahself in tha shower -- hay, doin’ much'a anything with two hands is purdy much impossible. If it weren’t f’r common decency, Ah wouldn’ even get dressed.” Applejack then shot a decidedly evil smirk my way as she commented, “A’course, Spike here prob’ly wouldn’ mind that, Ah reckon.”

I have to admit, I immediately imagined -- vividly -- Applejack walking around wearing nothing but her underwear and a smile.

As it was, I could only blush and mutter, “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t be against it…”

Lyla looked between us before her mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “Ah, this kind of banter between the two of you must be why I always sense lust from him when-”

“Lyla, SHUT. UP!” I hissed immediately, feeling like I was about to die from embarrassment.

Unfortunately, Applejack had caught that, and it didn’t take her much to figure out the rest. She just leveled me with a sultry gaze as she teased, “Ah see. So, tha apples off tha trees ain’t the only ones yer interested in, hm?” She chuckled in that rich, husky way that was so warm and inviting, and just reached out with a hoof to nudge my leg playfully. “S’all right Spike. Ah ain’t blind, and Ah knew ya been lookin’ at all’a us different f’r years, now. We’re still young mares, ‘n we’re all close friends. Ah’d be s’prised if ya didn’ have a wanderin’ mind, fr’m time ta time. That bein’ said,” she turned her eyes to Lyla, “his feelin’s are his business, no matter what they’re about. Try not ta do that to ‘im again, y’hear?”

Lyla had the good grace to look quite chastised, and nodded with a solemn expression. “Right, s-sorry. Some things about non-changelings still don’t make sense to me.” The changeling then looked to me and nosed my cheek affectionately. “I’m sorry, Spike.”

I had fought down most of my embarrassment by now, and returned the nuzzle with my own as I reached my arm behind and hugged her close to me. “I forgive you. It’s just...keep in mind that other races are more private, so let others tell their own private things. I’m not mad, I promise, it’s just...embarrassing to know you can feel that, and the fact you said it in front of the one it concerns.”

My tone and words were enough to make it clear that she had screwed up, so I knew Lyla was making another mental note not to do something like that in the future. As much as Lyla had learned about pony society (including mine), I had to constantly remind myself that she was still learning every day, and would likely continue learning new things for the rest of her life; hay, even I was still learning, which was why I wasn’t angry with her, only extremely embarrassed.

“Spike.”

I looked back to Applejack, who was still smiling at me, with a more gentle expression. “It’s okay, Ah promise. Ya think Ah ain’t had stray thoughts about mah own extended fam’ly? ‘Magine how mortifyin’ it was f’r a young filly ta learn just why it was wrong ‘t have a crush on an older cousin.” She guffawed at that, likely remembering the embarrassment and awkwardness she felt. Stars, I could only imagine. She continued by pointing to Lyla. “In a lotta ways, she’s like a foal. There’s jus’ gonna be certain things she don’ know’re wrong or indecent, so ya gotta teach ‘er. Foals’re tha same. We ain’t born knowin’ right fr’m wrong: we gotta learn fr’m our elders, or experience. Jus’ be patient with ‘er, ‘n remember we all have ta learn things in life.”

I looked to Lyla, and she gave me that cute sheepish smile she wore whenever she did something silly. I knew her actions were rooted in a good place, and I also knew she didn’t have a truly mean bone in her entire body. She was witty, and innocent in ways most our age weren’t, and as I thought of these things, it was like falling in love with her all over again. I gave in to temptation and locked lips with her, cradling the back of her head as I poured love and affection into the kiss, hoping I could pass on even just a fraction of what I felt for her.

We separated a few moments later, eyes opening simultaneously to gaze at each other with adoration. A throat being cleared to my right reminded me that we were not alone, however, and I could only blush a bit as I looked to a similarly blushing Applejack.

“Y’all know Ah ain’t got a problem with tha two’ve ya bein’ t’gether, but maybe mah house ain’t the place for that kind’a kissin’.” Applejack politely commented, her face flushed a deep red. “A peck on tha lips, sure, but that was a ‘Ah’m ‘bout ta jump yer bones’ kind’a smooch, there.”

I had forgotten that Applejack was rather reserved when it came to PDA, so with that in mind, I gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that. I’m so used to just being open with Lyla that sometimes I forget that not everypony is used to that. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, Applejack.”

Her slightly embarrassed expression melted into a warmer, more affectionate smile. She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Naw, it ain’t yer fault. It’s just…” she sighed wistfully, glancing away from us, “Ah remember what it was like t’be that in love with somepony, ‘n it just stings a little.” Before I could offer further apologies, she waved my concerns away. “It’s all right, Spike. Ah’m still healin’ from it, so don’ take it personal. Ah jus’...” again she trailed off, shaking her head again before going silent.

“You miss it.” I suggested, though I already knew it was true.

Applejack took another deep breath before nodding. “Yeah, Ah do. Goin’ single again was tha right choice f'r both of us, Ah truly b'lieve that...but yeah, Ah miss it sometimes.” Her gaze grew a bit distant as she relived memories only she could see. “Ah miss how it was in tha beginnin’. Ah was still on a high fr'm havin' mah first steady coltfriend, ‘n we were just enjoyin’ life as it came at us. Ah had someone ta give me tha kinda love that ain’t real proper b’tween blood, ‘n someone that Ah thought understood me ‘n mah life. The Apples’ve always been a real close-knit, so that’s a given, but it’s diff’rent t’find that in someone outside tha fam’ly.”

“Family doesn’t really count.” I added, nodding to Applejack when she looked at me. “I know some poor ponies aren’t so lucky, but generally speaking, being part of a family means love and acceptance -- it’s just part of being a member of that particular group. That’s why, I think, it feels more special when you find that in someone outside your family: you didn’t know that person your whole life, and they have no obligation to you whatsoever. When someone falls in love with you, you know it’s due to your own merit and personality, rather than simply ‘because’.”

Applejack returned my nod, smiling gently. “Yeah, and Ah miss that. There’s…” she trailed off as she quietly mumbled, “there’s a whole lot Ah miss ‘bout it, truth be told.” Her cheeks began to darken with a blush, and it didn’t take much thought to deduce some of the things she might be thinking about.

I glanced to Lyla briefly before reaching across the gap and grasping Applejack’s hand in my own. Her eyes immediately shot to me, and I offered her a reassuring grin as I assured, “This isn’t a ‘one and done’ situation, Applejack. I know that right now you probably don’t really want to think about it, but you will get over this, and one day soon, you’ll find someone better suited to who you are as a pony. You’ll find a stallion that understands who and what you are, what your priorities in life consist of, and most of all, that you don’t need to change.” I motioned to me and Lyla. “Your friends love you, Applejack. We may not be your special someponies, but the pony we all care about is a great mare that is dependable, hardworking, loving, and all-around amazing. Any guy would be blessed to catch your eye, and I know your ‘someone’ is out there. You’re too great of a pony to not be loved.”

In addition to the blush on her cheeks, tears had now gathered in the corners of Applejack’s eyes. She closed them and took a deep breath, wiping them away with her hand before grasping mine again, opening her eyes to look at me with a fond smile. “Thanks Spike. Ah...Ah really needed t’hear that.”

“And in the meantime,” I continued, holding her hand firmly in my own, “you’ll have all of us to love and support you, like family should. No matter what, you’ll never be alone; I promise that.”

Applejack held my gaze for a few moments before turning her attention to Lyla. “Ah hope you treasure this ‘ere drake, Lyla. Ah’ve known Spike f’r years, ‘n Ah reckon ya got yerself a great guy. Ah trust you ta take good care’a him.”

Lyla pressed herself more firmly against my side, giving a quick peck to my cheek. “In every way I can, for as long as I can. He's done more for me than I can ever repay, but I'll do everything in my power to be the best me I can, for him, and maybe that will be enough.”

“Just keep being you, Lye.” I lovingly commented, bringing her hand up and brushing my lips across the back of it. Bringing my attention back to Applejack, I pointed to her arm. “So, you’ve seen the doctor; what did he say?”

She shifted her arm a bit, sighing heavily. “Ah get tha sling off next week, but doc said there’ll be no liftin’ more’n five pounds for at least another two months. Lucky f’r me, Ah’ll be all healed up by tha time spring rolls ‘round, but f’r now, it’s a pain in tha tail. Only thing is, ‘cause of tha atrophy, Ah still ain’t gonna be much good with this arm for another four ‘r five months. Ah can start some’a tha physical therapy once tha sling comes off, but until tha bones’re strong again, it ain’t safe to do muscle trainin’.”

“I’m sure Dash would have no problem helping you out with that.” I suggested, nodding to Applejack. “She might be kind of a meathead sometimes, but she knows how to handle the pony body, and she’s been in enough accidents to know how to rehab just about everything.”

Applejack hummed to herself, nodding absently. “...yeah, that might be a good idea.” She then looked to Lyla and I again before catching sight of the window. “Well, weather is pickin’ up again, so Ah think Ah should let y’all get back home b’fore it hits.” I looked out the window to see she was right; the sky was getting darker, and the snow was starting to come down more heavily than it had earlier.

I stood with Lyla and pulled Applejack out of her chair before she was pulled into a hug by both Lyla and I. I felt her momentarily tense before melting into the embrace, and she even offered an affectionate nuzzle to the both of us before resting her head between ours. I was left with the lingering scent of apples and spice, and I relished in the warm fuzzies it brought me.

All too soon, however, we all pulled away from each other, and I gave Applejack a parting smile. “Well, it was nice of you to have us, AJ. Remember though: you’re welcome to visit us at the castle anytime. Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Applejack released us and walked Lyla and I to the front door, offering only another silent smile as a farewell when we exited the warm farmhouse. Lyla and I immediately took to the skies, orienting ourselves toward the castle in the distance. The snow was starting to become much heavier as the sun headed toward the horizon, so Lyla and I picked up the pace to make it back home before the snowfall became dangerous to fly in.

We arrived back at the castle only a dozen minutes later, entering through the front entrance so we wouldn’t track snow into the living areas. We made our way through the winding corridors full of doors, me doing so mostly by memory at this point, and took the long, rounded staircase that led to the private quarters.

As we entered the private quarters of the castle, I took notice of a familiar aqua-blue butterfly-printed scarf hanging next to a knitted woolen scarf of rainbow colors. “Ah, it looks like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy decided to visit.” I couldn’t help but smile at the thought; it had been some time since I had seen either of them for longer than a few minutes. As we continued our journey, the familiar scent of jasmine chamomile tea teased my nose, and I knew the girls were enjoying Fluttershy’s favorite blend, likely in the commons area.

As I rounded the final bend, however, I picked up the distinct sound of sniffles, and whimpering.

I felt Lyla’s hand grab my shoulder to stop me, and she looked directly in my eyes as she advised, “Something’s happened, Spike. I don’t know what, but I can feel a great deal of sorrow coming from the direction we’re headed. Prepare yourself.” I took a steadying breath and nodded firmly, continuing the walk to the commons room.

The room came into view, and I could see Starlight, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Trixie all sitting in the commons room, gathered around a certain gentle pegasus, with a warm fire crackling merrily in the hearth. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were both sat on either side of Fluttershy, while Starlight was sitting across from them, facing me. Trixie was next to Starlight, looking lost and saddened, seemingly unsure if she should try and comfort the crying pony or not. The pony who was whimpering and sniffling was, of course, Fluttershy, which instantly put me on edge as concern bubbled up in me.

Starlight caught my eye as I approached, and she only looked at me with glassy eyes as she shook her head solemnly. Her movement caught the attention of Twilight and Rainbow Dash, the former of who turned and spotted me, standing and rounding the long sofa to meet me before I stepped over to them.

She stepped over and came in close, bringing me into an embrace as she whispered the simple explanation into my ear: “Angel passed away this morning, Spike.”

A lump of ice dropped into my stomach, and I swallowed hard to keep from making any noise. Twilight pulled her head back to look at me, and I could see the bloodshot sclera of her eyes, as well as a good deal of wetness along her cheeks, signifying she had been crying with Fluttershy for some time, now. I held her gaze for a few moments before nodding firmly, girding myself for a very emotional rest of the day. Considering how the earlier parts of the day had gone, I couldn’t help but repeatedly think, “This isn’t how I thought today was going to end.”

My mind was now completely focused on Fluttershy, and I decided I was going to do whatever it took to help her through this. I followed Twilight back around the sofa, and I was only slightly aware of the sound of what sounded like thread straining and snapping as I made my way closer to the other four mares. By the time I had come around the sofa and approached the sitting area, I could feel something falling around my shoulders as something around my waist snapped. Starlight glanced back to me, along with Trixie, and the eyes of both mares widened almost comically, while Trixie stood up and backed around behind the seat her and Starlight had been sharing. Rainbow Dash, also, was staring at me with wide eyes and a slackened jaw, but none of that was important: I only had eyes for Fluttershy, and only she mattered.

Fluttershy, the poor mare, was hunched over with her face buried in her hands, quietly whimpering and sniffling to herself as her dainty, soft wings lay slack against her back and her hair resembled a tangled mess far removed from the normal pink, silky waterfall it normally was. Sensing that I was standing in front of her now, Fluttershy slowly removed her face from her hands and looked up at me. She was the only one that didn’t react with surprise at the sight of me, and seeing as how I was somehow very high above her now, I took a knee so that I could more easily look her in the eye -- even so, the pegasus still had to crane her neck quite a bit to look up at me. I reached out with a hand, nearly encapsulating her entire head, and it was at that point I realized what had happened: I had grown again, and not due to greed. That could wait until later, though; I had a pegasus that needed me, and the questions I had for myself were less important than she was.

Fluttershy continued holding my gaze as she slowly stood, bringing her eye-level with me, finally. She just stared for a few moments before holding her arms up to me with tears streaming down her face, and I wasted no time in scooping the small pegasus up in my arms, cradling her against my chest as she began sobbing for what I imagined was just one of many times today. I stood and effortlessly held her in my large arms, imagining that this must be similar to what it’s like for a father to comfort a distraught child. I gave in to instinct and extended my massive wings around her, forming a warm, leathery cocoon around Fluttershy, hoping that the small, warm, safe area might help her, if even just a little bit. I knew this was going to be a long night for all of us, so I continued to hold Fluttershy close as she wept, hoping that I might be able to ease her pain by even just the smallest percentage.

I pulled the quilt up over Fluttershy as she finally drifted off to dreamland, knowing that it was going to be a few days before she would even be able to pull herself out of bed for much more than to take care of the few animal friends that hadn’t hibernated or flown south for winter. I rubbed my thumb along her cheek, removing some of the dampness there and wishing there was more I could do for her.

A thought came to mind, and I quickly made my way to the nearby writing desk to pull out a piece of parchment and a pen. I quickly drafted a letter to a certain night princess, asking her to watch over Fluttershy, before I wrapped it with one of the enchanted ribbons we had. I exhaled a modest flame over the letter, and watched as it turned into smoke, whisking away toward the commons room, presumably to exit via the chimney. It wasn’t much, but I hoped that perhaps Luna could spare her from nightmares, and that would hopefully make the grieving process a little easier for Fluttershy.

The subtle sound of hooves upon crystal flooring brought my attention to the open doorway, where Twilight was waiting for me with an obvious expression of concern visible on her face. I sighed through my nose before grabbing my noticeably-loose pants and making my way out of the room.

I followed Twilight back to the commons room, stopping only as I came upon Rainbow Dash to ask, “Dash, do you think you could…?” I jerked my head toward the room Fluttershy was in.

Rainbow Dash clearly wanted to talk with me about what had happened, but we both knew Fluttershy was far more important right now, and she was going to need a friend in there with her. With that in mind, she sighed heavily and nodded, giving me an affectionate punch to the arm. “Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on her. But we are getting an explanation tomorrow, got it?” I nodded to her, and that seemed to satisfy her enough to make her way without any further protest to Fluttershy’s room.

Twilight and I then continued to the commons room, reentering a moment later to Trixie, Starlight, and Lyla waiting for us, along with the shredded remains of my undershirt, my hoodie, and my belt. I groaned at the sight of the ruined clothes; Rarity was gonna kill me. Still, that could wait, and we had something new to discuss.

“What the hay happened, Spike?” Trixie wasted no time saying what everyone was thinking right then. I had to admit, I was pleased with her direct approach, as well as the fact she used my name, for once.

I could only shrug helplessly. I took a seat on the sofa, since I had shrunk back to normal size, and took a long moment trying to come up with anything. I simply shrugged again, having nothing to explain what happened. “Short version: I don’t know. Long version? I really don’t know. The only other times I’ve grown were due to a time spell, and growth by greed. But this time…” I paused and shook my head with a huff of frustration. “I have no idea. During greed growth, I lose my ability to think rationally, but I was fully aware the entire time. Furthermore, I wasn’t feeling at all greedy, so that can’t be it. This...this was something else.”

“How do you feel?” Twilight asked, bringing up another obvious question.

I silently took stock of how my body felt, noticing a slight soreness in my muscles that was familiar with the growth. “I feel a bit sore, but nowhere near as much as I did after fighting the dragon. I don’t know whether it’s because I wasn’t in a fight or because I didn’t grow as large, but it’s not too bad. Other than that, I’m just hungry and tired.”

Twilight silently held out a star sapphire the size of my fist, and I nodded to her in thanks as I took it and immediately began chowing down. The fruity, earthy taste of the gem pleased my palate quite well, and while it wasn’t good for a full meal, it would tide me over until breakfast.

After silently eating and finishing my treat, I licked my fingers before speaking again. “While we know quite a bit more about dragons than we used to, there’s still plenty about my own kind that is a mystery to us. Thinking about it, I never actually asked Ember if greed was the only way dragons could quickly grow. I’m sure there’s an explanation for this, so I’m going to write her a letter tomorrow with all the details. Hopefully she’ll be able to explain just what the hay happened, so we can put this to rest.”

Twilight nodded to me, looking out at the snowstorm that was blowing against the windows of the castle. Frowning gently, she turned her attention to Trixie. “Come with me and we’ll set up a room for you for tonight, Trixie. It’s too late and too dangerous for you to go outside right now, and your trailer will be fine for tonight. I’ll help you dig it out tomorrow morning, but for now, I think we should all get some rest.”

Trixie looked to Twilight with subtle gratitude, and quitely muttered a “thank you” before standing and following Twilight down the hallway to another of the guest rooms. This left Starlight, Lyla and I in the commons room, so I stood next and jerked my head toward the rooms. “C’mon, let’s get to sleep. There’s plenty to be done tomorrow, and I think we could all use the rest.”

As the three of us headed to our respective rooms for the night -- Lyla heading to mine, obviously -- I couldn’t help but mentally groan at the latter part of this day. Not only was it going to be a tough time in the near future, helping Fluttershy recover from her loss, but now we had whatever this new thing was, going on with me. I could only hope it was something simple and benign, because I wasn’t sure if I could handle anymore world-shattering events this year.

Seriously, can I never just have a normal year?