The Dragon Sage

Chapters

Chapter 1: Fear and Dreams
Chapter 2: Decision
Chapter 3: Knight Wing
Chapter 5: Letters
Chapter 6: Visitors
Chapter 7: Miasma
Chapter 8: Warmonger
Chapter 9: Beautiful
Chapter 10: Trap
Chapter 11: Fashion Thing
Chapter 12: Assistant
Chapter 13: Assault on Twilight's Kingdom pt. 1
Chapter 14: Assault on Twilight's Kingdom pt. 2
Chapter 15: Comfort
Chapter 16: Fireproof
Chapter 17: Home
Deleted Scene: Shot Down
Prologue
Chapter 4: The Sage's Lyric

Chapter 1: Fear and Dreams

Dear Spike the Dragon,

We write to you requesting your assistance. We’ve decided that you are ready to begin your training here in Canterlot, and ask that you begin at once. We believe you to be of strong enough character and mind to begin your journey in becoming a Dragon Sage and we request your immediate relocation. Your training will likely take place over many months, depending on how well you perform and how quickly you mature. Please write back to me with your arrival date and time and we will escort you to your new home.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

It just did not make any sense! Twilight read and re-read the letter a dozen times before shooting Spike a confused look. His face began to twist and frown. His eyes filled with a heartbreaking fear and rising sense of panic. He looked up at Twilight and began slowly back-pacing.

“I . . . I don’t want to go away,” he said with trembling lips. “Please don’t send me away Twilight. Tell me I don’t have to leave!” tears began welling up in his eyes as he continued to step away from the letter. Twilight’s heart sank, remembering how he looked when he looked into King Sombra’s door during her exam. His little claws covered his face and he looked up at her beginning to cry. Twilight was not going to let his panic continue any longer. She threw the letter to the side and took his face in her hooves carefully.

“Listen to me Spike. As long as I have something to say about it, you are not going anywhere, ok?” She stared at him right in the eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. “I told you that nightmare you saw in Sombra’s lair would never come to pass, right? You’re my assistant, and I keep my promise to my assistant. I’m not sending you away,” she said and smiled brightly at the weepy dragon. He smiled back and wiped his eyes before clinging to Twilight’s leg and sniffling lightly. Behind them, Applejack had the letter in her hoof.

“What in the world does ‘Dragon Sage’ mean? The way she talks about this ‘journey’ or whatever makes it sound like we should know what the devil she’s talkin’ about.” Applejack’s observation sounded right to Twilight, but so many other things confused her about the letter. The words ‘training’ and ‘journey’ were odd, but ‘Dragon Sage’ was completely new to her and she was even more confused by how Spike was supposed to ‘mature’. She decided some research was in order, but she needed to deal with first things first.

“Spike, take a note please,” she said proudly like nothing was wrong.

“I . . uh . . . ok,” he fumbled in response and pulled out a quill and parchment as Twilight began.

“Dear Princess Luna, we are sorry to disappoint you, but Spike is unable to relocate right now. Your letter confuses us because we have never heard about this training or 'Dragon Sage' previously. If we could speak about this more, we’d be very grateful. Your loyal subjects, Spike and Twilight Sparkle,” she finished.

“Just send it to Princess Celestia and she will get it to Princess Luna. Now Spike, I don’t want to hear you worrying anymore about this ok? I don’t care what she’s talking about because I’m not going to trade my favorite assistant for anything.” She smiled at him and rubbed her cheek against his affectionately. He smiled weakly and thanked her before blowing the letter into a trail of smoke. Twilight then turned to Pinkie Pie.

“Sorry Pinkie, but do you think we could postpone this party to another night? I have a feeling that I’m going to be studying for a while about this Dragon Sage thing,” she asked with a frown.

“No problemo, silly filly! Do you want us to help you dig through books?” she asked enthusiastically.

“No thanks. Instead, could you please ask the others about the Dragon Sage? Perhaps Fluttershy knows something since she has studied dragons before.”

“Okey-Dokey!” she said and bounced back out the door of the castle. Applejack soon followed and the princess and assistant were left alone once more. Twilight rolled the letter up again and carried it with her to the library. Spike followed her and immediately began climbing the bookcase ladders heading straight for the books he knew she'd ask for. The two of them dove into their routine, and having time to study with Twilight started to make Spike feel a little better.

That night, Twilight continued to search through her books for anything that could help. She spent hours pouring over her books and looking through stories of sages, dragons, and anything relating to dragon maturity. But the unfortunate truth was that Twilight did not know very much about dragons despite having lived with one most of her life. Spike hatched during her entrance exam to magic school, and the princess told her to look after him. She learned basic things about how to raise a dragon such as diet and variety of breeds, but beyond that, all she knew about dragons was what she learned from seeing them with her friends. Of course, there was that one incident when Spike’s greed took him over and he almost destroyed ponyville, but since then nothing new has happened to him.

She peered over the pages on one of her oldest books when her last candle sputtered out at the end of its wick. She sighed and decided it best to try again tomorrow before trotting off to bed. Her new bedroom, or bedchamber really, was much like the one she stayed in at the crystal empire. The windows were tall and the bed rested right in the center of the room surrounded by a few bookcases containing some of her old favorites. The baby dragon’s bed lay right next to hers as always. As she slid under the covers, she heard a small whimper from the basket followed by a sniff.

“Spike, are you ok?” she asked with concern.

“Yeah, it’s just . . . I can’t get to sleep. I know you said I’m not going anywhere, but I’m still worried because Luna’s a princess too and . . . I don’t want to be alone.” The little dragon rolled over in his basket and looked up at Twilight who sat upright in her bed.

“Spike, come here,” she said and motioned with her hoof. Spike got up and stood at the edge of her bed. He looked so pitiful and sad that she wanted only to make him feel safe. “Do you remember back in Canterlot, before we moved to Ponyville?” The dragon nodded weakly in reply. “When you were still a little hatchling, you would stumble around and accidentally light a few of my books on fire. Sometimes you got scared at night and we cuddled together under the blankets till you felt better. I was still only a little filly at the time, so we were both very young. Ever since then, you’ve been my closest companion. I didn’t make any real pony friends until we came here, but I was always content because I always had you. You’ve been my assistant and my friend since I was a filly and that hasn’t changed since.”

Spike felt a deep sigh of relief at her words. She and him had more history then anyone else they knew, so he always felt like he would be around her for years and years. The thought of leaving was just too scary. He still felt a little anxious about it, and Twilight seemed to pick up on it.

“Would you fall asleep easier if you slept in here with me?” She asked sweetly. Spikes eyes shot open in excitement, because he was just thinking the same thing. But he was so embarrassed about it that all he could do in response was give a timid nod. Twilight smiled and patted the mattress next to her. Spike dug his claws into the blanket and climbed up clumsily to her and nestled in next to her.
His warm little body radiated the whole bed with a comforting softness. It had been years since they had spent the night together like this. The truth was that when she was a filly, she depended on him to get her through tough nights as well, like a scaly teddy bear. The princess watched as Spike drifted off slowly to sleep, and before long she followed.

Eyes were peering at him from all directions. They appeared in the darkness conjured out of green flame and the unmistakable maniacal laughter of King Sombra echoed through his head. Spike curled on the floor and cried out.

“Go away. No, I don’t want to leave,” he said, but the laughter became louder and louder. He clutched his head and cried out in fear.
“Please!”

“Begone!” he heard a voice bellow from beside him, and that instant the eyes of Sombra vanished and the darkness followed. The room became silent and Spike peered around frantically. He was in their old bedroom from the Ponyville library, Golden Oaks.

“Spike,” he heard someone say softly. Princess Luna walked slowly over towards him with a comforting smile. “Fear not, for your dreams are safe with me.”

“Princess!” he jumped. “This is a dream? Are you in my dream?”

“Yes, young dragon. I felt that this was the best way to explain things to you,” she said and gestured to their surroundings. “I know you fear leaving Princess Twilight, but you are ready to become the next Dragon Sage.”

“But princess, I don't even know what that means. I’ve never heard of that or anything like that before,” he said with a shrug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t explain things earlier. I thought that my sister had informed you and young Twilight about it when you came of age. It appears I was mistaken, and I apologize,” she said and bowed her head. Spike thanked her, but he was still plenty confused.

“What do you mean ‘of age’? I’m still a baby dragon!”

“Odd isn’t it? Doesn’t it seem strange to you that you were born only a few years after most of your friends here, yet you remain a babe in physical form?” She put her hoof to her chin as if wondering aloud.

“I guess? I just thought dragons age differently,” he suggested.

“You are correct. Dragons do not age with time, but rather with the mind. Tell me, do you remember meeting any others of your kind?” she asked.

“Yeah! I met some teenagers and they all had hoards and I also met this really big dragon who nearly burned me to a crisp!” he said.

“Those dragons all aged because of their greed. The larger the hoard, the larger the dragon. The truth is, those teenagers might well have been younger than you,” she said very matter-of-factly.

Spike remembered when he began wanting to take things from everyone and how fast he grew. He also remembered nearly destroying Ponyville and almost getting himself and Rarity killed.

“When you succumbed to greed, that was the time when most dragons become large and angry. They live in their hoards and live for thousands of years sleeping and collecting treasures for themselves. That would have been your fate from that day on.” She motioned to Spike with her hoof as she spoke.

“But I stopped it,” he cued in.

“Exactly, young Spike! You, unlike other dragons, are able to defeat your greed. You grew back to being a baby because that was where your mind truly was.”

“But I’ve been a baby ever since!” he protested. “So am I stuck being a baby for the rest of my life?”

“That is why I am here, little dragon,” Luna said with another smile. “Since you are able to defeat your greed, you cannot grow unless you train your mind and body in the ancient way. But you will not become a giant monster like the previous dragons you have encountered. Instead, you will become what we call a Dragon Sage.”

Spike pondered her words carefully and paced around the library. “So a Dragon Sage is just a dragon who isn’t greedy? But I thought sages were old wise unicorns who were really good at magic.”

“There is magic in dragons, young Spike,” she said and her horn began to glow a brilliant shade of cerulean. A piece of parchment appeared before her, which she rolled up and made it vanish again. Spike then belched loudly and the parchment roll spat out into his claws. He looked down at it, then back to Princess Luna.

“Each dragon is capable of much more than receiving letters. However, most cannot see past their hunger for gold and jewels. Only once every few millennia do we see a dragon that is capable of doing so. These Dragon Sages often become personal advisors and companions for the princesses, much like you and Princess Twilight.”

“Wait, so does that mean that you had a dragon assistant too?” He asked in astonishment. The princess nodded in return.

“The last Dragon Sage was my assistant, companion, and very dear friend. Her name was Aurora, and she, like you, was able to suppress her greed and became one of my most valuable allies. In fact, I was still quite young when she became my assistant. We grew so close over the years and soon I came to depend on her help. She was wise and strong and loyal to me beyond any of my other subjects. She helped me grow into the princess I am now. Were it not for her, I would likely never have become a princess at all.”

“So wait, you said dragons age with their mind. So do dragons die? Or is Aurora alive somewhere?” At this, Luna closed her eyes and walked towards the fireplace which lit up upon her arrival. Idiot, Spike! He thought to himself. Clearly he hit a sore subject. “I’m sorry, princess,” he began.

“Not at all, Spike. Sadly, even dragons cannot live forever. I lived along side Aurora for many centuries, but she grew old just like anypony else because the longer one lives, the more one learns. This ages the mind and hence, ages the dragon. But fear not, for that was thousands of years ago. You have the fortunate opportunity to live a long life as Twilight’s sage, if you wish to.”

Spike thought about what he was hearing. It certainly explained why he was still a baby. But if Dragon Sages were assistants to royalty, then what’s wrong with the way he is now? He walked over to the fireplace and sat next to the blue princess. They both stared at the fire as they spoke.

"Why now?" he asked. "I mean, I grew back into a baby after getting all greedy a long time ago. What is so different now?"

"Because your friend Twilight has become a Princess, and she will need your help now more than ever," she answered calmly. Spike twidled his thumbs together for a moment as the fire crackled before the both of them. Its warm glow felt comforting to him, but he still felt uneasy.

“Princess, I know you want me to become this new sage thing, but why do I need to leave Twilight? Can’t I just stay the way I am?” The blue Alicorn sat quietly for a moment, then picked her head up and gazed around at their surroundings.

“Do you see this library, Spike?” she said and gestured to the walls.

“Yes?” he responded.

“Where is it now?”

“It was destroyed in the battle with Tirek,” he said and wondered at where she was going with that.

“I know you did all you could to help, but a baby dragon is no match for Tirek. At his strongest he matched our power of the princesses. In times like this, do you not wish that you could help her more?”

Spike remained silent at this. It’s true that he was the best assistant in the world for Twilight when she was studying. But now that she was a princess, she had real problems to deal with and real magic to wield. Naturally, she had some real enemies as a result. Anytime she fought with someone like Tirek or Discord, Spike was always watching from afar, unable to help very much. Sure he helped defeat King Sombra, but if he was stronger or more powerful, maybe the Crystal Empire wouldn’t have been in danger at all.

“The strength and power that you gain will be useful to Princess Twilight in rare occasions, sure enough. But a Dragon Sage’s wisdom, character, and heart can help her in every way,” Luna said and turned away from the fireplace. She began walking towards the door. “I know that this is all sudden for you, Spike, but please think about it. I will not force you to do something you are not ready for. But I believe you are ready.” She opened the door to the stairs. Before leaving, she looked back at Spike one more time.

“Princess,” he said, “was Aurora different when she became a Dragon Sage?” She smirked and gave him a comforting smile.

“She certainly was not a baby anymore, but she was always my friend. You have a choice, young dragon, and I will not force you out of your home, if that is what you wish. But please, think on it. Both Princess Twilight and by extension Equestria will be greatly aided by your efforts should you choose to grow and become the next Dragon Sage. Choose wisely, and write a letter to me with your response. Until then, goodnight young Spike.”

She closed the door behind her. The room felt so real and so familiar that he almost forgot he was dreaming. He thought back to his time there in Ponyville. He had his friends and he was cared for greatly, so why would he want to change? But then again, he was older than he looked. In fact, he was nearly twice the age of the cutie-mark crusaders, yet he looked younger to everypony else. Then he recalled how Rainbow Dash teased him by flying around him with a gem in her hoof. Fluttershy always seemed to treat him like one of her baby animals because of his age as well. And then of course there was Rarity, who might never see him for more than a child. Spike rolled the idea in his head around a lot. He wanted nothing more than to be useful to Twilight and his friends. But he was so afraid of leaving. He’s never been apart from Twilight for very long, and the thought of leaving filled him with dread.

The dream slowly began to dissipate as the morning sunlight began to creep through his eyelids. He was pushed out of his entrancing sleep and into the world of the living. When he came to his senses, he shot up and looked around. He was back in their new bedroom with the big halls and the tall ceilings. Twilight still lay sleeping beside him and he gazed at her lovingly. She deserved the best, he thought.

He made his decision right then and there.

Chapter 2: Decision

That morning, Spike spent all of breakfast explaining to Twilight what Princess Luna had told him the night before. She sat quietly digesting the information eagerly while he flipped pancakes for the two of them. Once he was done telling his story, he hesitated to tell her his decision.

“So they want you to become a Dragon Sage?” Twilight asked. “It’s so strange to hear how dragons get older. But I don’t need more help. You’re already the best assistant I could have asked for.”

“Yes, but . . . what if you need me to do more than collect books? If I was stronger or older, then maybe I could have helped more when you were saving Canterlot from the changelings or fighting Tirek?” Spike shuffled the steaming cakes onto two plates and began walking them over to Twilight.

“We’ve always found a way to beat those challenges before,” she said.

“Yes but what if we can’t next time?” he retorted. “Don’t you think I could be more helpful if I was a real dragon?”

“You are a real dragon. You don’t need to . . . wait a minute Spike,” Twilight said placing her fork down on the table. “Are you actually considering going?”

Spike rubbed his shoulder and looked down at the floor in response. He received a long quiet stare from his friend. The silence stretched out between them as she realized he was serious. But why change his mind so quickly? He’s always been happy to help the way he does, so why feel the need for change? Something more was at work here. She quietly resumed eating her delicious breakfast while shooting a few glances over toward Spike.

“I guess . . . I don’t . . . well you know!” he gestured as if something was obvious. “It might be nice is all.”

“Spike, you know perfectly well that you’re the best help I could ever get. Why do you really want to go?” she said and eyed her companion sweetly.

“I just . . . I’m only a few years younger than you right? You were still a filly when I hatched?” he said, and Twilight nodded. “But I’m still a baby! I feel older, I act older, but I’m still tiny on the outside. Maybe . . .” he said softly. Twilight could tell he was having a hard time saying what was on his mind. “Maybe I don’t want to stay a baby forever. I need to be helpful to you, and if I can grow a little on the outside, maybe ponies would see me for how old I really am.”

Twilight wanted to refute his claims once more, telling him that everyone loves him the way he is. But then she placed herself in his scales. How would people treat her if she were still a filly? Chances are her best friends would be fillies her own age, and that means that Rainbow Dash, Rarity and the rest would probably treat her like a child rather than an equal. She quietly cursed at herself for never seeing this about Spike before. She thought about how frustrating it must be for him to be a young adult trapped in a child’s body. Then another thought occurred to her.

“You’re not doing this so that Rarity will fall for you, are you?” she asked flatly.

“No! I mean, yeah that might be cool and all, but it’s everyone else too! They are all going to get bigger and older while I’m going to stay a little squirt,” he said and chomped down a huge mouthful of pancake. “Ish nawt faar” he said, loosing a few crumbs.

“Spike, is that really what you want? Do you want to train for months and grow up away from all of us like that?” she asked. Spike sighed.

“No, I don’t want to go away, but I think I might be more scared of staying tiny forever than I fear leaving. Remember the pony you were when you first came to Ponyville? I've watched you learn so much and grow wiser and stronger because of it. You're an amazing magic student, a wonderful princess, and a strong friend to so many ponies. But, while I might have learned a thing or two along the way, I still feel like a . . . I don't know, a novice? Maybe I could . . . take some time to catch up,” he said and looked down at the floor again.

Twilight floated her fork down and got up from the crystal table. She lightly walked over to Spike, who refused to look her in the eye. She used her magic to wipe some syrup from his mouth and smiled at him.

“Spike,” she began, “I promised you I would never send you away, so I won’t. But if this is your decision, then I can’t keep you from leaving on your own. But I just want to make sure you don't feel inferior. This has everything to do with you being a dragon, but nothing to do with being my friend. If you feel like you want to study and train under Princess Luna, then you can. Its just that I'm . . . I’m really going to miss you,” she said. Out of nowhere, a tear began to well up in her eye as she spoke. Spike saw this and fought back the urge to join her.

“I’ll miss you too,” he choked and leapt into her mane, hugging her closely. She unfurled her wings and hugged him back as he rubbed his cheeks into her soft fur with a sob. She told herself to remember how he feels now, because he’ll be different when he comes back.

“Alright everypony, raise your ciders up!” Rainbow dash shouted as she flew around the throne room with a cider in her hand. The other ponies all smiled and raised there drinks up for a toast. “Here is to Spike,” she started, “our favorite dragon. May he come back soon with some awesome powers and stuff!” she said and took a great big swig.

“To Spike!” everypony else cheered.

Twilight’s house warming party was hastily converted into Spike's going away party. Pinkie still did a bang up job with decorating the place with little banners with Spike drawn on them. His closest 6 friends, the cutiemark crusaders, and a few others were there to wish Spike well. He couldn’t help but smile at all the love that surrounded him.

“So, um, how long will you be gone?” Fluttershy asked him.

“Months, according to Princess Luna. It all kinda depends on how it goes I guess. And I won’t be a baby anymore when I come back.” He said chomping down on a large emerald.

“So wait, you’re gonna be a giant green and purple monster again?” Pinkie asked loudly.

“I don’t think so. She made it sound like I’ll grow somewhere between that size and where I am right now.”

Spike continued to chat amongst his friends happily eating up gemstones while Twilight observed from her throne. She didn’t know how to feel about him growing bigger, but it was true that she had forgotten just how old he really was. She still saw him as her little baby dragon all this time while she grew older and taller. How did that affect his image of her?

“Worried about him?” Rarity asked her. She snapped out of her trance and bumbled in response.

“It’s ok, Twilight, I am too. He always seemed so attached to you and this place, but now he’s grown up enough to go out on his own. Our little Spiky Wikey is going on his own adventure.”

“That’s just it, Rarity. He’s not little. Not on the inside. While I’ve grown up all these years, I’ve completely forgotten how little he’s changed. We all treat him like he’s a child when actually, in a few years he’ll be the same age I was when I came to Ponyville!” Twilight said gesturing to the dragon. Rarity frowned and looked down at her punch glass she swirled around using her magic.

“I suppose I have treated him a little . . . unfairly,” she said with a sigh. “But Twilight, I need to ask you something very important.”

“What is it?” she asked and looked right at Rarity’s timid gaze.

“Do you . . . do you think he’s doing this for me?” She asked quietly. Twilight glared back at her, being very careful to phrase her words without assuming anything.

“Why do you ask that?” she pondered.

“Oh come now Twilight! We all know he has an unhealthy infatuation with me! I’ve been indulging him for a while, but I worry that if he comes back he’ll want to pursue something more . . . well more than just a childish crush,” she said and sipped her punch lightly.

“I didn’t think you knew about that,” Twilight said in response. “But I thought the same thing, so I asked him about it.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he was doing it for himself, not to try and win you over. And I think I believe him. I worry about something else,” Twilight said and peered back over to Spike, who was flexing his muscles to a bunch of rolling eyes.

“What’s that, dear?” Rarity asked sincerely.

“I’m worried . . . maybe he won’t be Spike anymore when he comes back? I mean, this training sounds tough and ‘aging his mind’ might . . . I don’t know. I’m just afraid that he won’t be my Spike anymore when he returns,” Twilight confessed. Rarity offered a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and smiled.

“No matter what he does or how he grows, Spike will always be your friend, Twilight. But we need to let our friends grow.”

"Thanks, Rarity,” she said softly. Twilight smiled at her assistant and silently prayed that Rarity was telling the truth.

The train station the next day was nearly empty. Spike had his bags packed to the brim with gifts from the previous day’s festivities. Twilight gave him some study materials, but everyone else seemed to give him some gemstones of some kind to munch on. She helped him load up his luggage with the help of a little magic.

“Make sure to re-organize the library’s booklist whenever you get a new book,” Spike reminded her. “And the parchment store usually runs out of black ink by the weekend, so always keep a little extra with you.”

“Spike, I know, I’ll be fine!” Twilight said with a giggle.

“Remember how the letter spell works, and if you get hungry, you can always go to Sugarcube Corner if you can’t make breakfast,” he said counting things off on his claws.

“I can cook a stupid breakfast,” she lied. “Have you got everything?”

Spike looked back at his pile of luggage in the train car. He eyed the whole contraption up and down. The conductor shouted from one end ‘All Aboard!’

“Not yet,” he said and turned. He jumped up into Twilight’s shoulders and wrapped his arms around her neck, squeezing her closely. Twilight couldn’t stop a small tear from forming as she hugged her dragon back. She felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach as she nuzzled his scales feeling how warm his fire-filled form was.

“Don’t . . .” Twilight mumbled in his ear. “ . . . don’t change too much Spike.”

“Don’t worry Twilight,” he said, feathering her mane in his claws. “I might get smarter or bigger, but I will always be your assistant. That’s a promise.” The dragon let go of his closest friend and stepped into the train car. As the train began to pull away, Twilight saw a little purple hand waving out the rear window. She waved back faintly, and just like that her assistant was gone.

Chapter 3: Knight Wing

The train crackled onward up the mountainside for a few hours, which felt like days to Spike. He watched as Ponyville faded out of sight many hours ago, and sat quietly kicking his feet since then. He pondered his decision for a while. It would be easy to think it was a mistake now, because he was so scared. But he knew that things would start changing for the better soon. He also trusted Princess Luna when she said that it would be better for Twilight. But what exactly was he in for? Was it physical like push-ups or sit-ups? or was it studying books like how Twilight studied under Princess Celestia? Where were they going to have him live?

He remembered back in the days when he lived in Canterlot, spending his days helping Twilight with her studies at their old place. He hadn’t seen many of his older friends in ages, and Canterlot was the place he was born in, so it might be good to live around there again.

The train sputtered to a stop and he gathered his bags. Princess Luna said she would send someone for him at the station, so he peered out the window to see if there was anypony waiting. He saw one or two wayward ponies, but decided that somepony the princess sent would know to look for a small purple dragon. The doors opened up with a hiss and Spike dragged his bags outside with a grunt.

“Ok so . . .” he muttered to himself looking around for somepony important. No one on the platform sought him out, so he decided to grab a late lunch snack at the station food vendor while he waited.

“Keep the change,” Spike flatly as he flipped the red gentlecolt a few bits. He was just about to dig into his cherry custard pie when he turned and nearly squeaked in surprise. Right in front of him stood a dark grey pegasus cloaked in dark blue armor. The strange pony bowed his head downward to look Spike dead in the eye with a harsh glare. From the corners of its mouth, Spike could see fangs. The eyes were slit down the middle just like a

“Dragon,” the pony said with a scowl. His voice was hoarse and low, and he breathed rather heavily. Spike guessed that whatever he was, he was an old one.

“Uh . . . yes that’s, um, me. I’m Spike,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“Good. I was making sure you weren’t some lizard that snuck on the train from Appleloosa,” he said and turned.

“Hey!” Spike barked. “Do I look like a salamander to you?”

“Your size could have fooled me. Let’s go. The princess will meet with us soon,” he said and began trotting. Spike picked up his bags and shot the old pegasus a nasty look, right before gasping again. The wings weren’t feathered, they were scaled! They looked more like a bat’s wings than a birds. Spike was about to ask the rude pegasus what the deal was, but he decided it best not to aggravate him.

“So where are we going anyway?” he said and heaved his bags in his hands again. “Can’t you wait for me to finish my food?”

“You have claws right? The fact that you can walk and eat at the same time is a gift compared to ponies like me,” he said in a low, sarcastic tone.

“Well could you help with my stuff then?” he said dragging his bags along. The pegasus shot him a cocked eyebrow.

“If you’ve only got two hands, then you’ll have to choose what stays and what goes. Either way I’m moving along. The princess will be waiting if we take too long.” With that, the grey pega-something began trotting up the stairs and into town. Spike gave an angry growl as he tossed his treat and picked his bags back up.

The walk up to the castle was long and silent. Spike begrudgingly walked his little legs trying to keep up with the gray colt. They eventually began walking up a spiral staircase coiling around a tall white tower. Spike was so bitter that he forgot where he was for a moment. He looked around in surprise.

“Hey! This is my old place!” Spike said gesturing to the top. Sure enough, the old lab and study was still up there just like it used to be. It was where Twilight and Spike first spent their years living as Celestia’s pupil.

“Correction: It’s Princess Celestia’s pupil quarters. You could sooner own the train you rode in on,” he said dryly without stopping his stride. “Although now I believe it should be called ‘Princess Luna’s exotic animal enclosure'.”

“Why’s that?” Spike said with another heave of his bags.

“That is where you will be staying,” he said with a smirk.

“Why you . . .” Spike’s anger was getting the best of him. “At least I don’t look like a vampire pegasus!”

The colt gave a full hearty laugh at Spike's jab.

“I’d rather the wings to the claws anyway,” he retorted. “Come along now dragon, the princess will be here shortly.”

“But the sun is only now just setting. She’ll be raising the moon right now,” Spike asked as he heaved his bags up the final step.

“Leave your bags in there,” the pony said and pointed to the old study. “The princess will meet us this way,” he said and gestured to the balcony. Spike pushed open the doors and tossed his bags in with a grunt. The pony was then walking to the edge of the balcony at the top of the stairs, putting his hooves up against the wall.

“Where are you going?” Spike asked, but the pegasus just ignored him and climbed up to the ledge of the balcony. “Wait, in case you forgot, I can’t fly,” Spike protested, but the pony climbed up and leered over the edge of the tower. They were nearly 60 feet up and the gray beast did not unfurl his wings. The pony then took one step over the ledge.

“Wait!” Spike called out, then heard the unmistakable sound of hooves meeting stone. The pegasus walked on the air like it was solid ground, each one of his strides landing with an audible clop.

“Are you coming along or what?” he called out to Spike. The dragon shuffled over to the spot where he began walking on air. He reached his claws over the edge and patted his hand down on what certainly looked like air but felt just like ground. Hesitantly, the dragon climbed up to the edge of the wall and gulped. What a drop that would be. He stuck his foot as if he were checking a pond’s temperature before diving in. He felt his feet suspend in mid air and he stepped forward.

“How is this happening?” Spike asked bewildered. The pony continued to walk on the invisible path that headed towards the mountainside a few yards away.

“Princess Luna worked it up to keep this place secret,” he said and gestured towards the cliff wall in front of him. As the pony stepped forward and collided with the wall, the rock’s began to dissipate like smoke from a fire before re-solidifying behind him. The cliff face rippled and distorted for a moment before retaking its original form. Spike watched, first in awe, then again in mild panic as he found himself floating 60 feet above the ground near a sheer cliff.

“Hold on a sec!” Spike cried out and scuttled down the invisible path and walked through the rock wall being very careful to stick his arms out before him in case it decided to turn solid again. Spike’s vision went black as he stumbled through the smoke and finally re-emerged from a doorway made of similar smokescreen. The next site had Spike wide-eyed.

He was in a vast library with dark blue walls and bookshelves lining them. below him were three more floors worth of books emptying out into a large tiled floor that featured a large winged statue in the center. Two spiral staircases impaled the floors of books beneath him. In front of him was a platform suspended high above the tiled floor that was well lit by the now darkening sky. A massive telescope stood on the platform pointing straight out of the ceiling. The sky was fully-visible through the ceiling that was made from one giant dome window.

“Wow” Spike whispered, letting his jaw hang open in awe of the sight before him.

“Come on dragon,” the old pony spat again. He led Spike out onto the platform and Spike gazed out of the giant skylight above him. The first of the stars of the night were beginning to sparkle. It was a beautiful night and Spike could see every bit of it from where he stood.

“Quit your gawking, it’s rude,” the pony said and prodded Spike’s belly with his hoof. Spike brought his gaze back down and glared at the insufferable stallion.

“Ok, you’re officially getting on my nerves you old colt!” Spike spat. “Is it too much to ask for a little decent respect?” The colt bowed in response.

“Forgive me your majesty,” he said gracefully.

“Don’t give me that,” he replied with his arms crossed.

The colt gave Spike a coy grin.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” he said softly and continued bowing. Just then Spike heard hooves walking from behind him. He wheeled around in shock and stared right at the warm inviting smile of the princess of the night.

“P-P-Princess Luna!” Spike babbled and quickly bowed his head to the ground as well and stumbling forward with an audible clunk.

“I see you’ve been putting your best hoof forward again, is that right Knight Wing?” the princess said with a smile in her guard’s direction.

“Knight Wing?” Spike said and gazed back at the pony behind him.

“Just testing the waters, your grace,” he said and rose to his feet.

“And? What do you think?” she asked and stood proudly before the two of them. Her mane danced and glimmered in the moonlight. Knight Wing raised a hoof to his chin and pondered with a loud ‘hmmmmmm’.

“Well, he doesn’t respond too well to insults, but I doubt it’s because of any self-consciousness or vanity. He’s a capable spirit, but he needs work on physical ability. He does have plenty of patience. His courage certainly checks out too.” Knight Wing spoke in a much more clear and annunciated tone. He gestured with his hoof as if teaching a class. “From what you told me about him already, I’d say he checks out nicely,” he finished with a nod.

“Wait,” Spike said in a confused tone. “So all of that . . . at the station . . . and on the stairs . . . you were sizing me up?” Spike’s eyes dashed between Knight Wing and Luna’s. She was the next to speak. She bowed her head lower to get closer to Spike’s eye-level.

“Allow me to introduce you to your teacher. This is the former captain of the Night Watch and my long-time friend, Knight Wing,” she said and gestured to him. The colt wore a smile that could only be seen as mischievous. “Since you’re here to train your mind, he needed to know where you stand on potential pitfalls for you, such as fearfulness, anger, and self-depreciation.”

“But apparently you've already championed your greed,” Knight Wing chimed in. “To be honest, I’ve never seen a dragon do such a thing. You’ve got potential kiddo. Just don’t mess it up,” he said and bowed again in Princess Luna's direction before turning and leaving them. Spike watched as he walked back out the hidden doorway, leaving the two of them alone.

“Shall we walk, young Spike?” the princess asked politely. They began walking towards the stairs and the princess politely walked slowly so Spike could walk at a comfortable pace. “I’m certain you have a few more questions about what you’ve seen.”

“Well, I guess . . .” Spike said and wondered where to start. “When he said potential, did he mean I could become a Dragon Sage?”

Princess Luna smirked. “I stopped trying to guess what Knight Wing was thinking years ago. He was the first of the Night Watch to welcome me back after I returned from my banishment to the moon.”

“What’s the night watch?” Spike asked as they walked down the stairs.

“The Night Watch is my personal platoon of guards who keep their eyes open for me during the night. See, during the day, most ponies are awake so if a disaster were to occur, many ponyfolk would be there to witness it and to warn us about it. But there are far fewer eyes open at night. The Night Watch were my eyes during the night when I was banished. They’ve done great deeds for Equestria from catching thieves to preventing an Ursa Major from walking straight into a sleeping village. Now they all report directly to me in Canterlot. After all, my telescope cannot see everything.”

“But what . . . what kind of pony is he?” Spike asked, trying to be polite.

“Perhaps I’ll answer that another time. Let’s talk about why you are here,” The princess suggested. As they reached the bottom of the stairs she began walking them to the center of the large open conservatory. The statue in the middle was a figure proudly displaying its regal head and sharp features. A pair of wings were splayed outwards and the stone face was long and cunning. Spike then noticed that in place of hooves, a set of claws gripped around the edge of the statue pedestal. Looking closer, the carved stone clearly displayed not fur or feathers but scales. Spike assumed the statue was of a Griffon at first, but he came to realize it was a dragon.

“Is that her?” Spike asked in wonder.

“Very perceptive of you, young dragon. Indeed, this is the last Dragon Sage, Aurora.” Princess Luna stood tall and beamed at the statue of her old friend.

“She’s . . .” Spike searched for words, “She’s amazing.” The figure before him looked like a hero from one of his comics, only much more proud. He looked at all the different features of the magnificent creature before him. Her wings were wide and spines were straight and sharp. She stood on all fours and proudly gazed down upon him with wise and powerful eyes. He then stared down at his own hands and sighed.

“I guess this is why I’m here right?” Spike suggested. The princess blinked.

“What do you mean by that, young Spike?” She asked.

“I’m here so you can turn me into that, right?” he said pointing up at the now-daunting figure. Luna looked back and forth between the statue and the little dragon observing Spike’s expression. She gave a soft sigh, and then slowly got down to her knees. She sat neatly on the floor looking at Spike directly in the eyes. "I'm afraid you are mistaken, dear dragon."

“But you said before that I need to become the next Dragon Sage,” Spike said.

“Who you are, Spike, is entirely up to you. I didn’t bring you here to transform you into Aurora. She was a Dragon Sage, yes, but not because she was chosen for it, or because she was told to. She chose to learn and grow. She carved out her own path for herself, like the other Sages before her.” The brilliant blue alicorn spoke softly and caringly to the young reptile, who listened intently and closely.

“You are here, Spike, because I wanted to give you the chance to grow, if you wanted to. In here, you can learn and practice and train to your hearts desire, and Knight Wing can help you grow too. But who you grow into is in your hands. You are here because I have faith in you,” she finished and offered a smile. Spike was astonished by her endearing words. He couldn’t really think of what to say in response, so he decided to smile in return.

“Thank you princess.”

“Now,” Luna said getting up on her legs again, “You must be tired. I must return to the palace for the night. Remember, take care and think about what kind of dragon you are. What is important to you?” she asked vaguely. She looked down at Spike as he sorted through what was important. He thought back to his time in Ponyville, his adventures, his mistakes, and Twilight of course. He looked back up at Luna and responded.

“My friends,” he said confidently. Luna smiled and bid the dragon good night, walking out the smoke-doorway and leaving him alone in the observatory. He peered around at the walls upon walls of books, and thought about how much Twilight would enjoy seeing such a beautiful secret place. Then, an idea popped in to his head. He scuttled to the nearest desk beside the bookshelves and began searching through the drawers. He found a quill, ink, and plenty of parchment, and immediately began jotting down a note on the page.

“Dear Twilight . . .”

Twilight flipped another page next to her candle that flickered in the night air. Say for Owlicious’s occasional ‘whoo’s, her room was dead silent. She had read nearly 3 books that day, all on dull subjects like diversity in Appleloosa, or economic trends as bit values rise and fall. She was happy for the distraction though. The occasional snore from Spike’s basket use to offer a strange comfort in familiarity. But now that comfort was replaced with silence that nearly deafened her ears.

“huuhhh,” she sighed and looked out the window. She was better off getting sleep rather than burying her face in books all night. She wondered how Spike was getting along in Canterlot. She stared out the window and up at the shining white metropolis that hung on the mountainside so many miles away. The first few nights she spent in Ponyville, that sight was like looking at home from a distance. Strangely, it began to feel the same way again.

Just as she decided to head to bed, a slight shimmer in the night caught her eye from a distance. It grew and danced across the sky like leaves in the autumn breeze. She smiled as a series of green flames flew threw the window and right to her horn. A letter appeared out of the flames and she flew into bed holding the note above her head with her magic.

Dear Twilight,

Canterlot is just like I remember it. You’ll never guess where I’m living. The old study where we used to live! Princess Luna showed me this secret library that I think you would totally flip out for. There’s also this old pegasus named ‘Knight Wing’ who is apparently going to teach me about being a dragon. He’s a sneaky and snarky pony, but I can’t wait to “accidentally” set his tail on fire during training. I’m excited to start tomorrow, but I miss you and Ponyville a bunch already. Tell everyone I say hello, especially Rarity.

Your number one assistant,

Spike

Author's Note

Thanks so much for reading! Any and all comments welcome.

Chapter 5: Letters

Dear Spike,

It is good to hear that you are enjoying your lessons with Princess Luna. It sounds like you are learning some fascinating things! I’m a little envious. The first thing I’m going to do next time I’m in Canterlot is go straight to that observatory you told me about. It sounds like a dream come true.

All is well in Ponyville. We enjoyed Nightmare Night celebrations in town square. Rainbow Dash was at her usual pranks again by spooking people with a thundercloud. I went as Scorpan this year since I had a pair of wings to complete the costume. I looked a little silly, I’ll admit, but it was nice to see everypony else laugh with me about it instead of bowing. I hope Nightmare Night was fun for you as well.

The Cutiemark Crusaders are each helping me out in the library these days. They could never replace you of course, but it’s nice to have somepony around. Most days I’ll venture out of the castle and meet with some friends. We hold official meetings in the throne room twice a week and discuss our role and our next plan of action. We’re working on spreading the magic of friendship all across equestria, but that is easier said than done for the 6 of us. I’ve decided to chronicle my experiences with my friends in a book so that I can teach others about what I’ve discovered. Perhaps I’ll make some copies and send them out to places I can’t reach right now, like Las Pegasus or Baltimare.

We all miss you Spike. Your chair is always sadly empty during our meetings. We wish you well and hope that you’re happy.

Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle

Dear Twilight,

I would have paid 10 bits to see you in that Scorpan costume. That sounds hilarious. I personally went as a Hydra and fashioned a few extra heads out of some molts I painted purple and green. It grossed people out instead of scaring them, which was close enough for me. Princess Luna gave me the night off so I hung out at Moondancer’s party and got to see some old friends. I think she went off to scare some town that night just like she did in Ponyville. She’s been flying off some nights in the middle of our lessons, just like before. Some Night Watcher will come in with urgent news, and she will disappear. I asked her about it, but she told me that it was none of my concern.

I’ve been growing pretty steadily recently. My tail is almost half a foot longer now and the spines on my head are starting to form sharp points on the end instead of being rounded. I woke up one morning with the biggest one stuck in the headboard of my bed and I had to wrestle it out. I’m also constantly sore from growing pains, mostly in my shoulders for some reason. I’m not sure if this is all from the studying or the physical training or both, but the books I’ve been reading say that I’m probably going to grow much more. Aurora sounds like she was a great dragon. I read about how she lit the entire night sky over Cloudsdale with nothing but her bright fire breath! She called it a ‘flare,’ and I’m going to try it soon!

I miss Ponyville everyday, but I know I’ll be back soon enough. Maybe you guys could all come visit for some of the holidays? I don’t get much time off but I could find some excuse if I could see you all. The snow is starting to fall here, so I assume the Ponyville pegasi are getting ready for another winter. As usual, wish everypony my best and take care of yourself.

your favorite assistant,

Spike

Dear Spike,

I’m so sorry we weren’t able to visit you this Hearth’s Warming Eve. All of the Princesses had to be present in the Crystal Empire, again. Can you believe how much royal presence that one city gets? The girls came along as well, though they wanted to see you. You can expect some fun things in the mail soon (we’re sorry they are late).

The snow is nearly 3 feet thick at this point. Rainbow Dash says Cloudsdale has been holding on to a bunch of it for way too long so we had a thicker winter. But thankfully Winter Wrap-Up is on its way next weekend. I’m very excited to have the same role I had last year as organizer. The mayor tried to keep me out of it, saying that royals shouldn’t dirty their hooves with commonpony work. I wasn’t having it. It’s exciting to hear about how much you’re growing. You’re probably going to be as tall as me pretty soon.

I find it worrying that Princess Luna is concerned about something that doesn’t seem to be going away. After that letter I received from you describing how someone was “on the move” in Manehattan, I did some research looking for anything odd going on there. But I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It’s not exactly Ponyville when it comes to crime rates, and anything interesting that does happen there gets reported regularly. I wanted to write to Princess Celestia about it, but then I realized my assistant is gone and I’d have to send it via mailmare, and ours isn’t exactly dependable.

I hope you had a wonderful Hearth’s Warming Eve. Study hard and don’t forget about your pony friends here who miss you.

With love and care,
Twilight Sparkle

Dear Twilight,

I got all the presents from the gang, so tell them I say thank you. Fluttershy sent me some tea, RD got me a squirt gun, and Applejack sent me her recipe for spiced potatoes suggesting that I try it on some gems to make them even tastier. Rarity got me a big green emerald, so I tried it on that and it was delicious! I finished it up gorging on the cupcakes Pinkie sent.

Thanks so much for the photo of all of us! It’s sitting right next to my basket so I see it every day. Speaking of basket, I’ve out-grown the one we kept here. I’ve gotten so long now that Knight Wing is training me to walk on all fours. My claws are a little weak still, but my scales are tough so that it never feels uncomfortable. Plus, I can run much faster than I used to. But that’s not the coolest news of all.

I have wings!! A few weeks ago I started this crazy molting and shed off like 3 layers, and after the third one I noticed two little bumps on my shoulders. I was worried I was deforming, but I read about it in the Sage’s Lyric and apparently these are what wings feel like when they grow in! They’re super tiny now, but they started to fill out a little and I can flap them around kinda like Scootalo does. I could be flying by the time I see you next!

I’ve got a ‘test’ coming up soon, according to Knight Wing. He’s not telling me anything specific, just that I’ll have to try hard to remember what it was like to overcome greed. That was hard, and I nearly destroyed Ponyville in the process, so I’m not too excited about this test.

I don’t have any news about Princess Luna’s concerns. She hasn’t vanished in the middle of a lesson for almost a month now so I bet we’re just freaking out over nothing. According to Rune Reader, ‘Our decisions are always half-chance, as are everyone else’s. Worrying about that half can only distract us from the other part we can control.’

I hope you had a great winter wrap-up!

Your favorite assistant,

Spike

Dear Spike,

Twilight went absolutely insane yester-----------------

What Rainbow Dash is trying to say is that we had a bit of an issue yesterday, and I may or may not have had another minor anxiety attack. Princess Celestia sent me a letter about updating her on my successes as princess and I didn’t really know what to say because I’ve only been princess for so little. But it was totally not a complete mental breakdown like when I thought Princess Celestia was going to send me back to filly-kindergarten. I didn’t even use the want it need it spell. Granted I may have set the new castle on fire while trying to synthesize a friendship potion, but I put it all out!

The truth is, you are always the one who can pull me back to reality when I get like that. Everyone else tried, but you would have stopped it so much sooner because you know me too well. I should have listened to your advice. You sound like you’ve gotten very wise in your studies, and I’m very proud of you. I’m sure you can pass this test of yours. From what you’ve been telling me, you have studied very well and I know you can get past it. I have faith in my number one assistant.

With love and care,

Twilight

p.s. Rainbow Dash wants to know when your flying lessons start with her.

Dear Twilight,

Happy Hearts and Hooves day.

I passed my test, but it was pretty scary. Luna had this gemstone in a box, and she said that when I looked at it, I’d be shown true Envy. I looked at it, and at first it was nothing. But then everything started changing around me. I was seeing things that made me furious and hateful and envious beyond belief. It was kind of like King Sombra’s door that showed you your worst fear. I don’t really want to say what I saw, but the only reason I passed was by thinking about you. I mean, all of you and my ponyville friends. When I snapped back to reality, I was nearly another foot taller! I grew too much too fast and I fainted right away and Knight Wing had to carry me to bed.

I woke up this morning feeling loopy, but now I’m probably only a little shorter than you. My wings are big enough to do small glides too! I’ve never had so much fun before. Aurora described the feeling to me in the 'Lyric', but it didn’t do any justice. Now every chance I get, I glide to where I’m going. I can’t wait to show them to you. Now two of us have sprouted wings in the group, and I bet the others will be excited too. Tell Rainbow Dash that I’ll be flying circles around her in no time.

I got a little chocolate from Moondancer for Hearts and Hooves day, but so did everypony else so I don’t think she was asking me to be her special somepony. Gotta say, I’m a little relieved. As we both know, I don’t care much for chocolate anyway, so I thought you’d better have them instead. I tried rolling the box up in the letter and then sending it to you, but I nearly set the box on fire so I sent them via mailmare. Enjoy!

My studies are very interesting right now and all I can think most days is that you need to come and see this observatory someday. Better yet, we’ll build you one just like it in the new castle. We’ll dig a great big hole in the roof and line it with glass and build you a massive telescope surrounded with books. It sounds like a good place to me.

I’ll likely be returning home soon, according to Princess Luna. She tells me that I’m forging my own path, which means I can leave whenever I feel I need to. I think I’m going to stay a little longer, because there is still a little more I want to know. As soon as that’s done, I’ll be back fetching books before you know it.

Yours,

Spike

p.s. We’re going to need a bigger bed for me when I get back.

Dear Spike,

It’s nearly been 8 months since you’ve left. It feels like a lifetime ago, but we can’t wait to see you again, and I can’t wait to have you back home.

I finished my book on the magic of friendship and I’m ready to send out some copies to some libraries across Equestria, but I’m thinking that it might be better to have each one of our friends deliver a copy to a different city personally. After all, my friends are the greatest example of the magic of friendship at work, so maybe this will make a bigger impact.

I got a letter yesterday from the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadence is coming to visit again next week, so it will be good to catch up with her. It sounds like she has something she wants to discuss with me. I’ve asked Fluttershy to keep discord busy and as far away as possible to avoid any repeats of last time.

Please take as much time as you feel you need. I miss you and can’t wait to see you, but I will always support whatever it is that you do. I’m happy to hear that you are doing so well. Please take care and return safely. I’ve made arrangements to turn the second floor of the study into your new bed-chamber. You’ll never guess who’s designing it: little Applebloom. She’s doing a great job so far and I think you’re going to like it.

With Love,

Twilight

Chapter 6: Visitors

. . . and so it went, my life with the Princess of night. I have come to trust her more closely than any other living creature anywhere. I encourage you to find somepony to do the same. While It can be hard to live as the only dragon living in a pony’s world, what I can reassure you is this: Friendship, love, and purpose can be found for you because these rare treasures transcend our species. Find them, and you will know what it is to be a Dragon Sage.

And so I write to you.

“Hey Kiddo!” Knight Wing hollered from behind him. Spike jumped and closed The Sage’s Lyric with a thud before gazing at the door to his study. The pegasus stood in the doorway looking his usual uninterested self. “You have somepony asking for you down at the palace gates."

“Really?! Was it a mare with a purple mane? or perhaps a pink one? or a Rainbow--”

“--No, you dunce, it’s a stallion,” he interrupted with a scoff.

“Huh?” Spike said and trotted to the balcony at the top of the stairs. He gazed down to where he could faintly see the palace gates. He took a thick breath through his nose and caught his breath in his throat with a ‘hurk’. His eyes dilated quickly until his pupils shrank to tiny slits in his brilliant green eyes. Suddenly his vision zoomed inward and he could see the pony all the way at the palace gates as if he were standing right next to him.

Shining Armor? What’s Twilight’s brother doing here? he thought and released his breath quickly, returning his eyesight to normal.

“Why is he here?” Spike said with his eyebrow cocked towards his teacher. Knight Wing was already halfway across the invisible bridge toward the observatory, flicking his tail with each stride as if to say ‘I stopped caring before you even asked.’ Spike groaned at his inability to see that coming. He then prowled low to the ground, looking up at the top of his tower, and lept into the air with a heavy flap of his wings. He caught the edges of the roof and climbed up using his claws to keep his grip. He sauntered over to the very edge of the roof and looked out towards the palace gates, judging the distance. He gave one more look at whether he could make the distance from where he was and decided to sink or swim.

He pushed off the roof with another leap and spread his wings as wide as he could as he gently began to glide forward. The breeze felt cool and crisp as it whipped past his ears filling his head with the loud noise of air rushing by. He skillfully used his pointed tail to guide his direction from left to right as he curved around one more tower. In another moment, he began trotting his legs just before touching down on the stone road. He galloped on his hands and feet, slowing down to a brisk canter towards the unsuspecting colt. Shining Armor didn’t seem to notice him approaching until Spike called out to him.

“Hey Shining Armor!” Spike hollered. The stallion poked his head up towards the sound of his name and gave a jump and turn with an audible startle. His legs instinctively spread wide and low, as if getting into a fighting stance, before he cocked his head to the side.

“Woah!” he said with his eyes wide.

“Woops. Sorry about that, I forgot you wouldn’t recognize me,” Spike said with with a nervous smile.

“Spike?! Is that you?” Shining Armor asked in astonishment.

“Yeah,” Spike responded with a light chuckle. “I’m a little bigger now.”

“Well yeah! How long has it been since we saw each other? A decade?!” he said and went back to his casual non-threatened stance.

“Nah we saw each other at the Equestria games remember?”

“But that was not even a year ago!” He said in continued amazement.

“It’s a long story,” Spike said. “Suffice it to say, I’ve been training with Princess Luna and I’ve been growing as a result.”

“Well sign me up as her next trainee!” Armor said with a smile and walked over to spike putting a hearty hoof around his shoulders. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You too. So, uh, what brings to Canterlot?” Spike asked as the two of them began walking towards town.

“I was here for a meeting with Princess Celestia actually. Real important royal stuff, ya’know?”

“Sure, but, why didn’t Cadence come?” Spike asked.

“She’s visiting Twilight this weekend for the same reason, so she had me come here. The princess mentioned that you were in the city, so I thought I’d pal around with you before I get on the train back home! If you’re not too busy of course. I wouldn’t want you to stop whatever you’re doing to make this happen,” Shining Armor finished and prodded a hoof at Spike’s wing.

“I’m not busy, sure! How about we go get something at Pony Joe’s place? Do you like donuts?” Spike asked.

“You’re forgetting I used to live here, Spike. And that’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say. I’ve been dying for some of his donuts since I first moved to the Crystal Empire,” Shining Armor said.

The two made their way into Pony Joe’s discussing their lives and the various things they’ve been up to. Shining Armor was in charge of re-designing the defences since King’s Sombra’s attack. His new method of compartmentalized barrier zones was so effective that he was asked to write a book about it. Spike caught him up with all the various nuances of his training and told him about the Dragon Sages in a hushed tone. The two of them dug into their donuts exchanging quips and jabs as the evening went on.

“So how was your Hearts and Hooves day?” Shining Armor asked with a coy smile.

“Uh, fine? That was almost a month ago. Why do you ask?” Spike said shyly.

“Cause you totally dropped the ball on my bachelor party, so I need to throw you one crazy enough for the both of us,” Shining Armor said with a hearty laugh. Spike covered his face and laughed at his embarrassment.

“Nopony told me what a bachelor was!” Spike said shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, we’re going to have to get you a special somepony, unless you’re ahead of me on that one,” he said and took another bite of his strawberry frosted masterpiece.

“No way man. You see any other dragons around here? Preferably one that doesn’t want to burn everything,” Spike jabbed.

“Why not just a mare?” Shining said.

“Do you really think that could work?” Spike said in a suddenly quiet tone.

“Why not?” Shining said. “From what Cadence has told me, there are griffon and pegasus couples getting married in Cloudsdale. It’s the new big thing everypony is talking about. She loves hearing about that kind of thing. She is the princess of love after all,” he finished before chomping down on his donut again. “Oh I’ve missed these.”

“But. . . how do they . . .” Spike started.

“They adopt,” the colt responded flatly.

“And everypony is ok with that?”

“Well, at first there were the usual weird looks, but after Cadence went up there and personally married a few of those couples, everyone began giving them their stomp of approval. If you wanted a mare, and she wanted you, I can’t imagine why it couldn’t work.”

Spike was taken by surprise at his comments. He always assumed that such a thing would be strange or perhaps forbidden. But if what his friend said was true, then there could be hope yet.

“You have your eye on anypony so far?” Shining Armor said sincerely.

“Well, I uh . . .” Spike’s face turned a brighter shade of purple. “I don’t know. I’ve never been in love before. You know, with somepony who loves me . . .” Spike said and dropped his ears in embarrassment.

“Doesn’t surprise me too much. I mean, I was still expecting you to be a baby dragon today, then bam! Here’s this awesome mare-killer.” Spike was turning even more pink.

“Can I ask you something?” Spike said carefully. A thought had been on his mind for some time now, and he was not getting any satisfying answers from books. He took a deep breath and looked up at Shining Armor intently. “What is being in love like?”

The stallion gave a soft ‘hmmm’ at his question and stared out the window as if the answer was out there somewhere.

“You know how, if you like somepony, and you start to freeze up around them? You start to look for reasons to go see that pony, and when you do your heart starts beating like crazy and every word that pony says is the greatest word ever spoken?” he started gesturing with his hooves how grand the feelings were. Spike gave a silent nod in return.

“Yeah, love is not like that at all,” he said flatly. Spike cocked an eyebrow in response.

“Really?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. That’s just the part of love people write about in books, or talk about with each other. That happens to everypony, but it doesn’t even get close to what the real thing is like.”

“So . . . what’s the real thing like?” Spike repeated his question and waited anxiously for a response.

“Love is like . . . seeing somepony at their absolute worst, and still wanting to be nowhere else but by their side. It’s like being completely comfortable in every way, even though your crush is right next to you. It’s like . . .” Shining Armor searched for words for a moment, before popping his head up and smiling. “Love is just like friendship.”

“Really?” Spike asked in confusion.

“Well, more like . . . it’s friendship set on fire. When you first love each other, that flame is burning bright and hot. But the more friendship you had to start with, the longer and brighter it will burn. Cadence is my wife, of course, and my great love, but none of that would matter nearly enough if she was not also my best friend.” Shining Armor finished his donut and swiveled his head around to look for the clock.

“Uh oh,” he said shuffling out of his seat. “My train leaves in 6 minutes. I gotta run. It was good meeting up with you here!”

“Yeah . . . you too,” Spike said still lost in thought. He watched as the colt briskly cantered over to the door. Before reaching it, he stopped and turned back to Spike.

“Oh, and Spike.”

“Huh?”

“I’m glad my sis has got someone like you helping her out,” he said with a smile and turned back to the door and disappeared.

“Thanks,” Spike said softly. Spike was left alone with his donut and his thoughts assaulting his senses. He thought about everything that Shining Armor said and replayed the conversation in his head a dozen times. Out of all of it, a few words rang in his mind the loudest.

“Friendship . . . on fire.”

Twilight and Cadence giggled loudly at their table as the two of them began to dig into their desert at Sugarcube Corner. The two of them spent the entire day together from the moment Cadence got off the train. No Discord this time as well, to Twilight’s relief. Other ponies in the shop filled the air with various conversations in lovely ambience.

“Does he still have his copy of the ‘Monstrous Manual’?” Twilight asked with a smile.

“Oh he hides all 4 volumes in the space behind the dresser, but he thinks I have no idea!” Cadence said with another chuckle. “He completely denies it every time I mention it too. Still such a nerd, that colt.” Cadence rested her head on her hoof and shook her head with a soft smile at the thought of her husband’s antics. “And I love him to death for it.”

“Awww I’m glad he’s got somepony like you looking after him,” Twilight said.

“He’s a bit of an an oaf sometimes, but I can’t imagine myself with anypony else,” Cadence said wiping her mouth with a napkin. Her gaze drifted upward to the table behind Twilight and the two ponies occupying it. A caramel colored colt was resting on his elbows staring lovingly in the eyes of his marefriend who did the same. The two sat silently smiling at each other, sharing the occasional blushing giggle. Twilight followed her gaze to the couple sitting behind her.

“Oh yes, they’ve been like that since Hearts and Hooves day. You never see one pony without the other these days,” Twilight said and sighed. “I’m glad you and Shining have found each other, Cadence. It’s so great to see love in so many places,” Twilight said as Mrs. Cake came by and took their orders again.

“Just tea for me please,” Twilight said pushing her cupcake wrapper to the edge of the table.

“I’ll definitely have another one of these,” Cadence said lifting her wrapper up with her magic.

“Going for thirds? You must be hungry!” Twilight said.

“Of course, your highness, right away! It’s so lovely to have a pair of Princesses join our little sweet spot. One more for Princess Cadence, honey!” Mrs. Cake called out to her husband with a grin, then trotted off to fetch their food.

“We don’t get any cupcakes like this back home, so I’m going to gorge while I can,” Cadence said and then looked down at her wrapper, seemingly lost in thought.

“Everything ok?” Twilight offered.

“Of course. This actually brings me to why I’m here, Twilight. It’s actually official princess business,” Cadence said in a hushed tone. She leaned in closer to Twilight and spoke loudly enough to avoid suspicion but quietly enough so nopony could hear.

“Really? Is there something wrong? It thought you were here to visit,” Twilight said, leaning in as well and hushing her voice.

“Nothing is wrong, I just need to tell you something,” Cadence said and quickly looked around to make sure nopony was in earshot before continuing.

“The truth is I’m . . . I’m eating for two now,” Cadence said and smiled very faintly. Twilight took a moment to process the information presented to her. Cadence could almost hear her mind at work like a printer spitting ink on a page. Twilight’s eyes went wide as her mind clicked to the inevitable conclusion she arrived at. She gave a loud gasp and her smile grew 10 times in size.

“Cadence!” she nearly shouted.

“Shhhhhh!” Cadence hushed with a wave of her hoof, “We can’t let anypony else know right now. Royal foals are a big announcement and we want to do it when we're both safe at home.”

“Oh my Celestia that’s so exciting!” Twilight said in an ecstatic whisper. “But why so secretive? Are you worried about something?”

“Well, we both wanted to seek out the other princess’s advice because, well, this kind of thing hasn’t happened for a while. Not since I was born anyway.”

“You’re right. We’ve got to research this immediately! I’ve got books on foal rearing and royal lineage and--” Twilight began speaking at a mile a minute.

“For now, let’s just finish desert. Make sure you take me back here before I get on the train home tomorrow. I’m going to want a box of these cupcakes for the road,” Cadence said and quickly turned the conversation back to Shining Armor.

Later that evening, the two princesses continued their conversation while walking back to Twilight’s castle. As the sun began to set, they walked calmly away from town and exchanged updates in idle chit chat. Twilight explained how Spike was in Canterlot for training and that he’ll be bigger when he returns, which should be soon. She also told Cadence about her plans to have each of her 5 friends and deliver a copy of her book on the magic of friendship to a library across Equestria. Cadence talked about how she was in Cloudsdale marrying couples of griffons and pegasi, and how that gesture started a trend of finding love in new places.

“Even when you live all the way in the Crystal Empire, you’re still spreading love in all corners of Equestria,” Twilight said, gesturing to the world with her hoof.

“Well, someday I’ll have to spread it over here too,” Cadence said with a wink.

“Don’t be silly, Cadence. I mean, can you really see me going all googly-eyed like those lovers back at Sugarcube Corner?” Twilight said with a scoff.

“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure you had an eye that went a little googly for a certain guardpony in the Crystal Palace,” Cadence said nudging her shoulder. Twilight blushed and looked down at the ground, shuffling her hooves.

“The truth is, Cadence, I’m not exactly sure I know what love is! I mean, I’ve read about it in novels and have given it some concise analyzing, but I’m not sure how it feels,” Twilight confessed. Cadence looked forward onto the setting sun and smiled.

“Twilight, there was a couple at the bake shop that was madly in love with each other. Did you see them?” Cadence asked with a smile.

“Of course. I pointed them out to you remember? They’ve been all lovey-dovey for weeks now,” Twilight said.

“Nope, wrong answer,” Cadence said sternly.

“Wait what do you mean?”

“I mean that wasn’t the couple that was in love. While it’s true they were infatuated with each other, and may very well fall in love someday, that hasn’t happened yet for the two of them.”

“How can you tell?” Twilight asked, her eyes squinting in suspicion.

“I’m the princess of love, silly filly,” she answered. “Do you know how my magic works? I spread love not by making ponies fall in love with each other with magic, that would be wrong. My magic simply reminds the ponies of the love that already exists between the two of them. Had I tried it with those two, it would have had no effect at all,” Cadence stated matter-of-factly.

“So who were you talking about?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake, of course,” Cadence said sweetly. “In fact, they might be the best example of true love in all of Equestria.”

“Really?!” Twilight said quite shocked. “That certainly means something coming from you. But why them?”

“You see, Twilight, everypony expects true love to be like that couple who sat behind us. But being in love is not about admiring someone else, it’s about being yourself with someone else. Take the Cakes for example. They probably were pretty doughy-eyed over each other in the beginning, but their love is strong because they make a great team. They depend on each other and support each other, not because they feel they have to, but because it simply comes naturally to them.” Twilight pondered what she was saying, listening very closely to her sister in-law.

“They’re friends, Twilight. That is what makes their love so strong. They’re the best of friends and the fact that they are attracted to each other is just a happy coincidence,” Cadence finished with a nod at Twilight.

Of course! That’s what she was missing. The concept of love and romance always confused Twilight since she was a filly. She always considered love to be separated from friendship. She never thought to look at love in the same way. Here she was, the princess of friendship, and never once did she consider the possibility.

“So you and Shining Armor are friends?” Twilight clarified.

“He is my best friend in the world. That’s why I married him. Not because he’s a captain, or because he’s kind to me, or because he’s handsome. Those are all nice, but that is not how true love works. I married him because he is my closest friend, and I decided I wanted to spend my life with him.” The two of them reached the doorstep of Twilight’s new castle. The rooftop glistened in the sunset, which casted an orange and rose glow underneath the clouds. It was truly a beautiful evening.

“Huh,” Twilight thought aloud. “I guess you being the princess of love and me being the princess of friendship means that our jobs are very similar.”

“Yours is even more important, I’d say,” Cadence said enthusiastically. “If there was no friendship, how could there be love?” she said and stepped inside the castle. “Wow, this place is amazing! This all came from the Tree of Harmony?” she exclaimed.

“Yup. Came complete with a library. You can take my bedroom, it’s down this way.”

“But where will you sleep?” Cadence asked.

“I’ll take the new bedroom above the Library. I had the second level converted into a bedroom for Spike, since he won’t be able to fit in his basket when he gets back,” she answered gesturing to the door down the hall.

“Sounds like you guys are going to have tons of catching up to do,” Cadence said.

Twilight took her on a tour of her new home and showed her all the new places that she was still discovering. The throne room had a chamber beneath it that led to a secret exit. The library still needed plenty of books since most of them were destroyed in the battle with Tirek. Finally, her royal chamber with dark curtains lining the walls and glowing gemstones that lit the ceiling. Cadence commented on how beautiful it was, and how much it reminded her of her own palace. After some more catching up, Cadence gave out a heavy yawn.

“I guess you had a long day?” Twilight offered.

“Not at all! It’s been a lovely day, I’m not tired at all!” Cadence said, clearly embellishing the truth.

“Well I should get some sleep anyway. I need to start copying the book, so I’ll work on that early in the morning. Then, when you wake up, I’ll take you to Sweet Apple Acres for breakfast. It’s a walk, but it’s definitely worth it,” Twilight said and began walking to the door.

“In that case, sweet dreams Twilight,” Cadence offered and began walking to the bed. She noticed the little basket with a pillow and blanket and giggled a little. “I guess he won’t be needing that anymore huh?”

“No,” Twilight said with a sigh, “I guess not.”

“Hey Twilight?”

“Yes?” She said before closing the door.

“You’re very lucky to have someone like Spike. He’s the best kind of friend there is,” Cadence said with a smile and a nod. Twilight nodded and bid her sister in-law goodnight.

For whatever reason, those final words that Cadence said were bouncing around in Twilight’s head the entire trip back to the library. She began to review everything that Cadence had told her about friends, love, and her foal-to-be. It was a lot to digest, even for her, but a few things made sense to her. Love based on friendship seemed to be the strongest there is. She stopped dead in her tracks and opened her eyes wide as Cadences voice rang out in her head one more time.

He’s the best kind of friend there is.

“ . . . I guess he is,” Twilight said and pondered her assistant. She opened the door to the library and walked slowly up the stairs to the loft above the bookshelves. Her eyes remained glued to the floor. By the time she reached Spike’s bed, she had forgotten where she was. She looked up and smiled at Applebloom’s handy work. She did all of the designing, but of course she was too young to help out with building and constructing the new area. The filly had a keen eye, though.

The bed was simply a much larger version of Spike’s older basket. The frame was woven reed thread in a large circle nearly 4 yards in diameter. The bed itself, instead of a mattress, was an enormous pillow that was padded down and blanketed with a very thick cover. Candles lined the walls with sapphire and emerald gems hanging beneath them. Spike would have to avoid eating those like candy on a string. Twilight suspected that when the candles were lit, the entire floor would look simply ravishing. Applebloom had the idea of a giant basket-bed when she observed Spikes old basket. She laid down on it and noticed it’s features, noting that Spike would want to feel at home. The best way to make him feel at home would be to keep parts of his old bed the same. What a thoughtful little filly, she thought.

As Twilight crawled upon the giant pillow-bed, she felt some kind of comfort in familiarity as well. She laid her head back and fell asleep rather quickly, having the safe return of her dragon friend as the only thing on her mind.

Author's Note

As always, comments and thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

Chapter 7: Miasma

Twilight’s eye was on the clock tower above town hall as she looked around the crowded streets of Ponyville. Her train did not depart for another 2 hours, so she had plenty of time. She already bid each of her friends goodbye as each one of them set out to deliver her book to the libraries across Equestria. They each had picked out their own destinations. Fluttershy took a chariot bus to Baltimare, while Rainbow Dash flew to Cloudsdale. Rarity picked Manehattan to visit her recent pupil, and Applejack was on her way to Appleoosa to visit her cousin. Pinkie Pie said she always wanted to see Las Pegasus because “they’re all party ponies,” according to her. Though something told Twilight that her bouncy pink friend was going to teach them a thing or two about partying. As for Twilight, she decided on the Crystal Empire so she could see her brother and congratulate him on his foal-to-be.

She, of course, planned everything out so libraries would be expecting them in each town. What she didn’t plan on was leaving the new castle empty in her absence. She would usually trust Spike as caretaker while she was gone, but since he hadn’t returned yet, she needed to find some trustworthy ponies that would be willing to house-sit a castle for 2 days. Who were the most dependable ponies in town that weren’t her 5 closest friends? She needed to find somepony soon, so she could go back to

“Hi Princess Twilight!” three little fillies cried out in unison behind her.

“Miss Twilight,” she heard as well in a deep voice. She turned and saw the three cutiemark crusaders wearing their proudest faces, with Big Macintosh standing behind them trailing a carriage of lumber. Hmmmm she thought. She didn’t really want to trust a castle in the care of three children, but with Big Macintosh supervising, this might just be the job they needed. It was hardly likely that anything would happen in her absence, and the Apple family were the most honest and trustworthy ponies she knew, so she felt safe enough to ask.

“Hello everypony,” she said brightly. “I was just looking for some dependable ponies for a very important job.” Their eyes immediately lit up in childish excitement. Twilight probably could have asked for anything and they’d likely accept whatever challenge she threw at them. It was inspiring to see such enthusiasm.

“Anything you need, princess!” Sweetie Bell called out.

“We’re dependable!” Scootaloo echoed.

“Well, I’m going to be gone for the next few days. I need some trustworthy friends to take care of the castle while I’m gone. That means checking the halls, watering the flowers, feeding Owliscious, and locking the doors. Do you think you can handle that?” she asked with an artificially concerned look on her face.

The fillies nearly exploded from excitement. They immediately began bouncing up and down and running in circles, chanting their new job in time. They squealed and laughed and ran around with energy. Twilight took the opportunity to ask Big Mac more sincerely to keep an eye on them.

“Would you mind looking after them for me?” Twilight asked.

“Nope!” the big red stallion replied with a smile.

“You’re sure it’s not too much trouble?” she clarified.

“Eeyup,” he echoed and nodded his head in reassurance. Twilight smiled and looked back at the crazed children before her.

“My little ponies!” she called out, and they immediately fell in line. “I’m going to go back to the castle now and pick up my things before my train. Can you please meet me outside the castle in one hour?”

“Yes Ma’am!” they all said in perfect time and saluted their little hooves to their foreheads.

“Thank you so much, girls. I’ll meet you then,” she said and gave Big Mac another smile. He nodded again, and she turned back to her castle, leaving the four of them to finish their shopping in town.

She trotted off, feeling comfortable with her decision to trust the fillies with a little more responsibility, and began going over her mental checklist one more time. Her mental checklists were never as reliable as the one’s Spike wrote for her, but she had to make due while he was away somehow. The thought made her miss him even more. Just before she got to the edge of town, she spotted a florist stand with fresh bouquets of flowers on display. I did tell them to water the flowers, she thought. She cantered over to the stand and asked for the prices.

“Oh no, your excellency, free of charge for the princess,” the yellow colt offered politely.

“Oh nonsense,” she said and tossed over a few bits to the gentlecolt. “Which one will that get me?” she said and gestured to the display. The unicorn lifted up a beautiful bouquet of lilies and tulips and presented it to Twilight. She gladly took the bouquet with her magic and thanked the colt for his kindness. His eyes seemed to glow in response.

She trotted away back towards the castle and began to re-do her checklist, before giving up and calling herself hopeless without Spike. She was bound to forget something, so as long as she made sure the important things, like the books and castle key, she knew she could handle anything else that happened. The flowers were quite nice, and it would be good to give the fillies something to remember. She secretly hoped that Spike would be home soon enough to see them before they wilted. They smelled absolutely . . .

odd, she thought. She couldn’t remember what she was thinking about a few moments ago. Her eyes felt heavy and her hooves were wobbly. What in Equestria is wrong with . . .

Her legs became week, and she toppled to the ground with a thud. Strange thing was that she hardly felt her body hit the ground. The flowers gently fell beside her as she began to slip in and out of consciousness. She felt dizzy and the world began to spin, before going completely dark. The last thing she could sense was the sound of hoofsteps from beside her.

Twilight . . .

Twilight Sparkle . . .

Princess Twilight! . . .

Twilight looked around the hilltop for the pony calling out her name, but did not see anypony. It was a beautiful evening and she was resting on top of her favorite stargazing spot on a picnic towel. She was quietly enjoying the dark sky above her when her name was called again. As if from nowhere, two bright eyes appeared in the place the moon use to be. She shook her head and gazed at them as the rest of Princess Luna’s face formed out of the sky.

“Princess Luna?” She asked in amazement. “What’s happening?”

“This is a dream, Princess Twilight,” Luna said with a hint of urgency in her voice.

“A dream?” she asked and looked around her. Things didn’t look any different, but she couldn’t remember what she was doing before she was stargazing. “What happened? I don’t remember falling asleep,” she began, and then the memories started flooding back. She was on the road carrying flowers on her way home.

“Can you remember what happened before you started dreaming, Princess Twilight?” Luna said. The urgency in her voice was starting to become more apparent.

“I, um, not really. I remember asking the fillies to watch the castle, then heading back to there to get my things. I bought some flowers and then, I just . . . I can’t remember. What is going on Princess Luna!” Twilight asked, starting to panic.

“You have been abducted, princess,” Luna said very seriously.

“I’ve been foal-napped? I’m . . . how do you know?” she asked frantically.

“We were alerted to your disappearance from Ponyville an hour ago. Three fillies alerted the whole town and word reached my sister and me quickly. We dispatched guards to investigate, and they found a bouquet laced with nightshade lilies on the side of the road near your castle,” Luna explained.

“But, if I’ve been abducted, then how can you speak to me?” Twilight asked.

“I can enter the dreams of a subject wherever they may be. It is my strict policy never to invade the dreams of ponies unless it is important,” Luna continued explaining.

“Those flowers,” Twilight said raising her hoof. “The unicorn who sold them to me must have sedated me with them!” her voice was loud and frightened.

“Be still, princess, for we will find you. Can you tell me about this unicorn?”

“I, uh . . . it was a stallion. He was a dark shade of yellow, with a red mane. I couldn’t see his cutiemark.” Twilight thought hard to remember his face. All she could really recall was that the pony was kind to her.

“Can you remember speaking with him?” Luna asked.

“He said . . . he offered me the flowers for free. I paid him a few bits. He just smiled, he didn’t say much.” Twilight’s heart began to race when she thought about what would happen when she woke up.

"Calm thyself, princess. This is important. Can you recall anything about his eyes?"

Twilight thought for a moment. Why in Equestria would that matter? She remembered they were blue but beyond that, there was nothing too strange. Then she remembered his face when she accepted the flowers. There was something odd about them.

"When I accepted the flowers, his eyes seemed to shimmer a little. Like a faint green cloud in his pupils," Twilight remembered. Luna's gaze focused on Twilight.

“Listen, Twilight Sparkle, I believe you have been abducted by ponies affected by the Miasma. Have you heard of this?” Luna asked slowly.

“Miasma. No, I’ve never heard of it,” Twilight confessed.

“A Miasma is a virus of the heart. It affects a vice within us, such as jealousy or anger, and feeds off of it. The emotion will grow within until the soul is completely consumed by it. A pony infected with the Miasma is no longer himself, but rather a slave to its will. It also grant’s the infected pony with dangerous power. When that power is fueled by anger or hatred, terrible things can happen,” Luna said and looked down at the ground.

“How do you defeat it, then?” Twilight asked.

“You’ve done it once before, Twilight Sparkle, when you defeated me as Nightmare Moon,” Luna said coldly. Twilight turned her head in confusion.

“You mean . . . you were affected by the Miasma?” Twilight asked carefully.

“Indeed. I am ashamed to say that the Miasma connected with me when I was filled with envy for my sister and her daylight worshipers. It was attracted to my rage and envy. When it consumed me, I was no longer thinking for myself as Luna, but rather as a slave to my own envy as Nightmare Moon. Only you were able to free me from it,” Luna said and waited for Twilight to finish her story.

“With the elements of harmony,” she realized.

“Correct. But what I soon learned is that the elements of harmony cannot destroy the Miasma. Rather, they can only free the soul it is bound to. After you liberated me from it, the Miasma floated through space in search of a new source of envy. I was able to track it down, capture it, and bind it to a gemstone. Now the Miasma rests within that gemstone, which can act as a window to your deepest and most envious dreams,” Luna explained. Twilight remembered reading about something similar in one of her letters from Canterlot.

“Is that the gemstone Spike told me about? The one you showed him during his test?” Twilight wondered.

“Correct again. I showed the gemstone to Spike to test his resilience to his own envy. He was able to defeat his most envious thoughts, which makes him stronger than I,” Luna said with a bow.

“So if the Miasma is in that gem, why do you think I’ve been foal-napped by ponies affected by it?”

“The Night Watch discovered the presence of a separate Miasma cloud moving through Equestria nearly a year ago. We’ve been tracking it, but we’ve been unable to bind it to a gemstone. It seems that these new Miasmas have found new hosts, and have taken over their bodies completely. But they are just ordinary pony-folk, which makes them very difficult to track. We’ve been following their movements for months now, but we’ve always been two steps behind.”

Twilight thought carefully about what she was hearing. If the Miasma were clouds of vice’s, like envy and anger, then the ponies affected by it would be fueled by those emotions. But who would want to foal-nap Twilight?

“Do you know which emotions these new clouds feed on?” Twilight asked.

“I’m not sure. It could be anger, fear, contempt, greed, or even loneliness. But since these new host ponies are working so closely together, it is possible that they are not separate clouds, but rather one cloud affecting all of them,” Luna said.

“What do they want with me?” Twilight asked, rather frantically. If these ponies were dangerous and powerful, then there was no telling what she would wake up to find.

“I’m not sure, but fear not. My sister and I have sent our finest to find you. We dare not leave Canterlot ourselves, lest it be a ploy for us to leave the royal palace vulnerable to them. You must be very careful when you wake. If you can find which emotion they are fueled by, you may be able to predict their actions. The Miasma enhances magic, so be careful,” Luna warned.

The world shook beneath her hooves. Twilight felt the ground start to crumble.

“You are waking up, Princess Twilight! Remember, they are regular ponies who cannot control themselves. If you could save me from the Miasma, you can save them too!”

The image of Princess Luna before her began to dissipate. Twilight reached out, as if to hold on to her subconsciousness, but was thrown backwards and away from Princess Luna’s image. She cried out and felt her dream collapse on top of itself. Her heart beat faster and faster until her eyes shot open and she began to gasp for her breath.

“Your highness!” a light voice called out. “Thank goodness you are awake.” She looked around at her surroundings searching for the source of the voice that called out to her.

She was in a gemstone-lit room, sitting up on a comfortable bed with red velvet covers. The walls were made of carved stone and the floor was lined with luxurious carpet. She looked to her left and saw the source of the voice. It was the very same yellow unicorn who sold her the flowers in Ponyville. His mane was short but his smile was wide. His cutiemark featured a quill and a sheet of parchment. His eyes were very blue and somehow very sincere, but the cloud in his eyes was much more noticeable than before. He spoke with a softness that she remembered when he offered her flowers.

“Welcome home” he said, and smiled.

Author's Note

For those of you who might see it, I'm paying tribute to one of my favorite fictions out there. The "Miasma" I mentioned here is very similar to the one Deviant artist Nimaru created for his (or her?) comic "The Real Story".

found here: http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/The-Real-Story-P1-quot-Miasma-quot-254006923

This story is wonderful, and I thought I'd pay tribute to some of the older fanfiction greats from the world of Friendship is Magic. The word 'Miasma' means an unhealthy or toxic smell. I found it too fitting for what I was trying to do.

Comments or thoughts, please! I want to make this the best story I can, and you can help.

As always, Thanks for reading.

Chapter 8: Warmonger

Twilight gazed over the face of her kidnapper, looking closely at his features. His snout was short and his mane was curly. His horn glowed with a brilliant green light that seemed to reflect in his eyes. He was tall, and relatively thin, but his face was strangely inviting.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked as calmly as she could.

“Oh forgive me, your highness, how could I not introduce myself!” the colt said with a laugh. “My name is Dawn Treader,” he said and courteously bowed.

“Where am I, Dawn Treader?” she asked, trying to remain composed, but partly wanting to teleport her way to escape. She wouldn’t try that until she knew enough about her situation.

“Oh no please, call me Dawn,” he said and resumed smiling at her in a hearty grin.

“Ok, Dawn, Where are we?” she asked a little confused.

“You’re home, your highness!” he said and gestured to the walls. “Do you like the room I prepared for you?”

His voice echoed off of the stone walls in an unsettling way. The glowing opal gems that hung from the ceiling in a chandelier cast an orange light over the furniture, which was all made with finely crafted wood. The rug that lined the floor looked very intricate as well. Twilight guessed it to be from very far away, and enormously expensive.

“Look, Dawn,” Twilight started carefully, “I need to return to my castle in Ponyville. Can you let me go?”

“I’m afraid this is your home now, Princess. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen to you here,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Now, could you say my name one more time?”

“DAWN TREADER!” a shrill voice called from outside the door. A second later, the door flew open with a loud bang and a tall red-feathered griffon stomped into the room. Twilight immediately noticed the cloud behind the griffon’s eyes, just like in Dawn Treader’s. Twilight came to the conclusion that this griffon must be one of the hosts of the Miasma like Princess Luna said. So there were at least two of them, and they were both in the room with her.

“What the hay did you do! There are royal guards and Night Watchers all over the area on high alert. We just start getting comfortable in our new place and you just had to ruin it, didn’t you!” the griffon shouted.

“Don’t you talk like that around my Princess, Milla!” the yellow stallion shouted back and pointed an accusing hoof at the large beaked beast.

“And just who is this?” the griffon asked shooting Twilight a glance.

“That is my new marefriend, Princess Twilight,” Dawn said with a smirk.

“Marefriend?!” Twilight said in shock. “That’s it!” she said and teleported herself to the other side of the door.

Or, at least she tried. She focused and struggled to light up her horn with magic, but nothing happened. She gasped as her efforts to use her magic failed her. She put a hoof to her horn and felt it sag like a deflated balloon. There were blue spots down the entire length of it, and her magic would not work at all.

“Oh, sorry Twilight. I had to make sure you wouldn’t get into trouble, so I added a little poison joke to the flowers I gave you,” he said with another simple smile.

“How did you know what poison joke does to me?” she said reeling back off of the bed. She continued backing away slowly from her foalnappers.

“I did my research. I was looking for the fairest pony in all of Equestria, and you were by far the most beautiful, kind, and most beloved of all. And now you’re mine, dearest,” Dawn snickered. The green in his eyes began to glow a little brighter as he spoke. Twilight backed away from the glare as the stallion’s face leered at her. Soon her flank reached the wall and she had no retreat, no magic, and no idea where she was.

“You stole the princess of friendship?!” the griffon barked. “How the hay is this supposed to make us rich? Is she made of diamonds? Can we ransom her?”

“No one is stealing my marefriend from me, Milla!” Dawn barked back.

Twilight’s mind started racing at how she could escape. She couldn’t use her magic, and this stone decor in the walls appeared to be carved into the room, meaning they were likely in a cave. No windows meant she couldn’t fly, and escaping on foot would be extremely risky with 2 powerful criminals.

“Who told you that stealing a princess would be a good idea!” the griffon shouted.

“That would be me, Milla Nare,” a voice called from the doorway again. The three of them all gazed at the figure that emerged from the dark, stepping into the amber light with a satisfied smile. A unicorn stallion with white fur and a pitch black mane walked towards Twilight slowly. He had excellent posture and his stride carried an air of pride with it. His cutiemark featured a coat of arms that was green and gold. He stepped towards Twilight and eyed her up and down.

“Good evening, princess,” the stallion said softly and kept his head high. “My name is Warmonger. You’ve met my associate, Dawn Treader. The loud-mouthed feathered female to his left is Milla Nare.” He gestured to his compatriots and waited for Twilight to speak. There was a chance this pony would respond to royalty. He seemed so much more proper than the others.

“Why are you keeping me here? You must let me go at once,” she said putting a brave hoof down. Warmonger laughed eerily at her show of authority.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Princess, but you have no power here,” he said and flicked her horn with the tip of his hoof.

“Why is she here?” Milla Nare asked the stallion.

“Well, Milla, the opportunity presented itself and we’d be fools not to take it. All of her friends were gone, she was left completely unguarded, and we could vanish without a trace before anypony was the wiser,” he answered.

“I meant why her, you condescending psycho,” she spat back. “I fail to see gold in my claws coming from this.”

“Patience, my fiery friend. Once she has given me what I need, we can use it to steal every bit in the Canterlot vaults. That way you get your gold, Dawn Treader gets his mare, and I get what I want as well. Everybody wins,” The stallion finished with another glance back at Twilight. She gulped and kept her chin as high as she could.

“And what exactly do you want?” Twilight asked carefully. Warmonger’s smile grew wide and wicked as he stepped closer to her. He gritted his teeth and growled out his answer.

“The Elements of Harmony. You’re going to give them to me,” he said. Twilight saw his eyes shine green just like the other’s did. He had the Miasma as well.

"What?" she nearly whispered in shock.

"Goodness, princess, surely you did not think that word has not spread about your triumphs using the legendary Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon? The God of Chaos? I heard that the only reason you failed during the marriage of Princess Cadence was because the changelings wisely kept you from reaching them. With that kind of power, there is no foe I could not overcome. Not even the princesses could stop us," he finished.

"But only those who represent the 6 elements can harness their power,” she said.

"If that is true, then how is it possible that Princess Celestia was able to use them all on her own to defeat Nightmare Moon?" he retorted. "I believe that a unicorn with enough power could wield them just as easily, and when I do I'll take this entire country, one small town at a time, starting with yours," he finished. He spoke calmly, as if he were discussing a trivial matter. It unsettled Twilight deeply. She felt her heart beat in her chest as she debated her next move. If she struck him hard enough, she could catch him off guard and knock him out long enough to get to the door. She’d have to dodge the other two, but with her wings, she was willing to bet she could make it.

“You’re not escaping here, princess,” he said and turned. “This cavern is deep and twisted, and you will not find your way out without help. Besides,” he started, and his horn flashed a bright green and the colt vanished in a giant spark of light before her. Another crack of light appeared at the door where Warmonger emerged again.

“You are not the only one here with that little trick,” he finished and walked back over to his two companions and began eyeing her carefully. “Now, since we’ve caught the Night Watch’s attention sooner than expected, we are pressed for time. So please princess, the Elements of Harmony, where are they and how do I use them?” he said and began advancing toward her again.

“You . . . you can’t!” she said looking around and preparing to strike if she needed too. “They won't work for you!"

“That’s one time you didn’t answer my question, filly,” he said maintaining his advance. “Would you like to see what happens when you do that twice?”

This pony was not going to listen to reason. She could tell that anything that did not respond to his requests would be met with violence. She decided it was time to give her escape a try before he could react. She held her breath and waited for the perfect time to strike.

“Now I’ll ask you one more time. Where are the Elements?” he asked menacingly.

Now or never.

Just then, a trail of green fire and smoke slithered through the open door and through the air. The three captors followed its trail with dumbfounded looks on their faces. The sparks and smoke found its way to Twilight, and a rolled up piece of parchment appeared before her in a flash. It fell to the floor with a tap and rolled towards Twilight’s hooves.

“How did that happen?” Milla Nare asked frantically. “You said her magic wasn’t working!”

“It isn’t!” Dawn Treader responded with his hooves in the air.

Twilight quickly scooped up the parchment and tore it open. Milla Nare growled and lunged for her. She spread her wings and flew over the charging Griffon, looking over the page as quickly as she could. There was only one phrase written on it.

Cover your ears.

She knew that handwriting. She landed in the center of the room between her three captors and looked in all directions. The door was open, but it was blocked by Warmonger. The other two began to advance on her. She ducked her head down and raised her hooves up to her ears and covered them as tightly as she could.

A loud piercing noise cut through the air and reverberated through the stone room like a whistle in a bell tower. Her captors all groaned and winced in pain as the high-pitched tone rang out and lashed at their eardrums. Twilight saw the glowing gemstones that lit the room began to crack and then pop one by one like fireworks. The room darkened quickly and Twilight kept her ears covered as best she could. A moment later, the room was completely black. The piercing noise stopped and she put her hooves down, trying to remember who was where.

“Oomph!” she heard Milla Nare cry out in one direction, followed closely by the sound of her falling to the floor. She heard frantic footsteps approaching her quickly. She prepared herself to fight off whoever was coming. Then she heard a strangely familiar voice.

“Let’s go!” it cried out, and she felt a set of claws clasp firmly at her front hoof. She kicked off the ground and followed as fast as she could on three hooves. The voice led her through the door and into a black hallway that curved and turned in all directions.

“This way!” the voice called out and rushed to one side. Twilight followed her guide as best as she could, but she needed to see. Her captors would no doubt use magic to find their way through the darkness and would be coming for them soon.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked.

“Aw come on, Twilight! Years of fetching books and you always remember my name, but I come to save your flank just once and suddenly I’m a stranger?” the voice said with a groan as it continued to guide her forward.

“Spike?!” she said with a gasp and nearly shook her hoof free from his claws in surprise. “How did you find me?”

“Escape now, catch up later!” he shouted. As his voice reverberated in the cave’s walls, she noticed how familiar it sounded. It was really Spike’s voice, only a little deeper than she remembered. His hand continued to guide her forward despite not a shred of light coming from anywhere.

“ It's pitch black in here! How can you see where you are going?” She asked.

“Dragon’s magic does more than burn stuff,” he responded and turned them quickly to the right before letting go of her hoof.

“The exit!” she called out. Sure enough, Luna’s starry sky was visible through an opening to the cavern in front of them. She still could only see shadows of the dragon in front of her, but she was more concerned with escaping first.

“You can still fly, right?” Spike called out.

“Yes. Just keep go--watch out!” she called out as she saw a familiar spark of light crack out before them, blocking their exit. They both stopped and gazed as Warmonger lit them both up with a bright white light emitting from his horn. Twilight’s eyes strained under the stress of the bright spotlight in her face. She focused on Spike’s form, but she could only see his silhouette.

He was on all fours between her and Warmonger. His tail was long and thin and she saw it pointing directly at the unicorn blocking their exit. His wings were spread wide, sheltering her from the bright light in front of them.

“You are not allowed to leave just yet,” Warmonger said with a sneer. Twilight took a stance behind Spike while he continued to block the light from her. She could only barely see the outline of his face when Spike turned to look at her. He stared back at her for a moment, and in his shadow she saw him smile.

“Knight Wing!” he called out towards the cavern exit.

Twilight saw another shadow drop from the top of the cave’s opening and land right beside Warmonger with a loud clop of hooves meeting stone. The shadow reared its hind legs up and bucked a mighty kick at Warmonger’s flanks. He flew to the wall and collided with a loud 'oomf'. The shadow was then joined by a number of similar shadows that flew in and began lighting the cave up with torches.

Warmonger groaned in pain and looked at the number of Pegasi approaching him. He looked back at Twilight one more time and met her eye. She glared at him, wishing it were her that bucked him into the wall. He scoffed, as if expressing simple disapproval, and disappeared in another flash of magic.

“Where is he?” One of the pegasus said frantically. Twilight ran up to the pegasus holding a torch and explained.

“The cave goes in deeper. There are two others with him, a griffon and another unicorn. He can teleport,” she said and gestured to the corridor that Spike just led her though. She noticed the pegasus looked odd with fangs and scaled wings. He was followed by 3 others who began to pursue Warmonger down the hall. She then turned to look at the pegasus who had bucked her captor.

“Thank you sir,” she said and looked around for Spike.

“Could have told me he could teleport, I would have kicked his head,” he said and rolled his eyes. Twilight scoffed at his rude demeanor and walked towards the edge of the cave where the night sky lit her surroundings well. She must have been near the peak of a mountain because she could see half of Equestria from where she stood. The air was cold and the breeze picked up snow from the mountaintops and dusted the sky with it. The stars and moon both shined brightly over the valley and forests beneath her. She looked around for her dragon companion, but could not find him.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” she heard him ask timidly from behind her, and she turned to face him.

He was magnificent. His face was longer and wore a shy expression. His scales were dark violet and shimmered in the light of the night sky. The spines on his back and tail were now sharper and pointed backward as if it were a short green mane. His tail stretched out longer and featured a flat blade-like point at the end. He walked on his four feet and seemed to trot much like a pony. He was about as tall as a standard griffon, so she had to look slightly upwards to see his face. His fangs protruded slightly from the top of his mouth, and his ears were longer and sharper as well. His eyes, however, had not changed at all. They were the same loving and naive eyes that she knew since she was a filly.

“Spike!” she said and lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around her dragon’s neck. Spike jumped a little in surprise and wrapped a free hand around Twilight’s mane returning the embrace. His scales felt warm against her fur and she could hear the sounds of fire swirling in his chest. She was so comfortable that she almost forgot that they had narrowly escaped her foalnappers not moments before.

“You look incredible!” she said pulling away and eyeing him up and down again.

“You’re not . . . I don’t know, frightened or something?” Spike asked bowing his head downwards a little.

“What? Don’t be silly Spike. You just saved me from some crazed ponies after all. Why would I be afraid of my favorite assistant and oldest friend?” she said with a smile. Spike’s face beamed and he stood a little taller at her reply. Just then, a Night Watcher called out from the bowels of the cavern.

“They’re gone!” the soldier called out.

“Spread out and find them. I want 4 pegasi scouting the mountainside. The rest of you, continue to investigate the cave. We’re looking for 2 unicorns and a griffon,” Knight Wing barked and put a hoof to his face in disappointment.

“Let’s get you home,” Spike said looking back to Twilight. “The girls are already alerted and on their way back. We should . . . hehehe,” Spike giggled as he noticed Twilight’s flabby horn. “Should we stop by Zecora’s for some antidote for this?”

“I always keep a little near the bath at home,” she said smiling at him. His laugh was still the same as well. “So how did you find me?”

“Well, you know how I send you letters right?” Spike began. She nodded. “I focused on you the same way I do then, and then I just breathed a little fire like this,” he said and took a heavy breath through his mouth. He faintly pursed his lips as if he was whistling and began blowing steadily. A small trail of green fire emitted from his mouth. The flame pointed right at her and continued to do so as he tilted his head from side to side.

“It’s like a compass,” Twilight observed.

“Yup, and it led me straight to you. The Night Watch followed but I flew as fast as I could so I got here a little sooner. I saw that black and white jerk threatening you through the door and I couldn’t wait for backup any longer,” he said and rubbed his spines with his hand.

"You sent me a letter. How did you do that when my magic wasn't working?" she pondered.

"Sending letters isn't your magic, Twilight, it's mine. I wanted to warn you so that you wouldn't be deaf for the next few days," he said.

“So that loud noise that blew the lights . . . that was you?” Twilight asked.

“The ‘Dragon’s Siren.’ Yeah that was me. It’s a good way to stun your enemies without hurting anypony. I learned how to focus my breath and do all kinds of cool stuff like that.” Spike smiled as he began to describe his training with enthusiasm. Twilight smiled and sighed. After what she was just through, having Spike around made her feel like she was going home after months away. He continued rambling while she sat and smiled at her friend.

“Spike,” she interrupted.

“Yeah?” he said, maintaining his wide smile.

“Let’s talk about this more on the way home,” she said and opened her wings up gesturing to the cliffside. “Show me how you fly.”

“Okay!” he said and spread his wings as well. His wings were wider then her own, and they were lined with a thin layer of green scales and pointed on the edges. She held in a gasp as she observed their brilliant color and size. She smiled and got her legs ready to kick off from the ground.The two of them looked at each other with content faces before pushing off and flapping their wings and flying into the night sky, homeward bound.

Author's Note

As usual, comments or thoughts are welcome. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 9: Beautiful

Twilight and Spike arrived in Ponyville after about an hour's flight. The two continued to catch up on the past few months of happenings as they approached the castle. Spike occasionally looped around and somersaulted a few times to demonstrate his new wings. They were talking about their visits from Cadence and Shining Armor when they finally touched down.

“. . . and then he said that he needed to throw me a bachelor party twice as crazy to make up for it,” Spike said with a laugh.

“Oh please, Spike. My brother’s idea of a crazy bachelor party would include board games and comic books,” she said rolling her eyes.

“Well that sounds pretty good to me!” he said and began walking up their stoop.

“Hey Spike, do you think we should do something about the Miasmic ponies tonight? I mean, they were after the Elements of Harmony, and this would be the first place they’d look,” she said and gestured to the castle.

“Hmmm. Well, the Night Watch will have them on the run for a little while, and Princess Luna said she’s going to increase guard presence in Ponyville too. I don’t think we can do much about it right now,” he said scratching his chin.

“But they could be anywhere now,” she retorted.

“We won’t be able to free them from the Miasma until we have everypony here, and the girls won’t get back until tomorrow. Besides, you’ve had a rough day. Do you think you could cast a barrier over the castle like Shining Armor does?” he asked.

“I certainly cannot do it as big as he can. He protected all of Canterlot himself. But I think I can manage the castle well enough. Plus, I feel better having you nearby anyway,” Twilight said and began walking through the door. “I’ll need to wash up with the antidote first.”

Spike followed her inside and looked around at his old home. The tall ceiling and beautiful stained glass felt foreign to him. He only lived there for a few weeks before moving back to Canterlot, so his sense of awe was not lost in the time he spent away. He watched Twilight walk down the hall and followed slowly.

“Hey Twilight. Do you know why Shining Armor was in Canterlot? I mean, I know he was talking to the Princess, but what were they talking about?” he asked.

“Oh! He didn’t tell you?” she said a little surprised. “He and Cadence are going to be parents!” she said and her wings gave an excited flutter.

Spike’s eyes widened as he thought back to Shining Armor’s visit. He did seem especially bubbly, but Spike couldn’t figure out why.

“Wow. A royal foal? Thats pretty big news,” Spike stammered.

“Isn’t it exciting!” Twilight said with another flap. She pushed open the doors to the bed chambers and Spike shortly followed. Spike noticed how everything, down to the books on her bedside table, looked just as it had when he left. His basket and pillow still rested beside Twilight’s bed. He walked over and chuckled at how small it seemed to him now.

“You’ll find your new one fits you much better,” Twilight said. “It’s on the second level of the library.”

“Oh, so you’re kicking me out?” he jested.

“You’re a big boy now Spike. You deserve your own space,” she said and turned towards the bathroom. She stopped for a moment and looked back at her assistant. She never thought about how the sight of him looking down at his old bed would make her heart begin to bleed.

“Spike?” Twilight asked softly.

“What’s up?” he asked and trotted over to her.

“I . . . I just,” she fumbled with her words. She gave up and wrapped the her friend in her hooves again, holding him close. “I’m really glad you’re here. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come for me.” Spike, surprised, brought his own arms around her and patted the back of her head gently.

“What kind of assistant would I be if I couldn’t help when you need it most?” he said and pulled her a little closer. She sighed and once again felt the fire in his chest warm her up a little. The soothing sensation of his breath falling over her mane made her fall a little more closely into him. She lingered there for one or two moments too long.

“Uh, Twilight?” Spike said letting his arms fall awkwardly to his side.

“Oh! Right, sorry,” she said and covered an embarrassed blush by turning to the bathroom door again. “Could you light the lanterns for me while I hop in the bath? I’m not very helpful without magic,” she said and headed into the bathroom.

“Sure!” he said and grew a sly smile. Twilight walked into the dark bathroom that would normally be lit by lanterns along the wall. She shuffled around in the dark looking for her towel when a thin shot of green fire flew past her nose. It fizzled in the air with a hiss and found its way to the lantern opposite her. The light began to illuminate the room around her. More thin spears of fire flew through the air as Spike spat flames from his snout.

“How’s that?” he said with a self-satisfied grin. She gave him a scowl and furled her brow at him.

“You nearly singed my nose, show-off,” she said challengingly.

“Oh, so that's how it is? I guess you won’t be needing my help getting the water warm without magic then,” he said with another sly grin. She looked back at her bath tub. The old-fashioned design did not have a warm water knob, only one for ice cold. She always heated up the water to a comfortable level with magic before.

“Ugh,” she groaned. “You’d think a magic tree-castle appearing out of a rainbow of friendship would come with a water-heater,” she said and began the water flow by turning the knob with her teeth.

“Is that your way of asking for help?” Spike said, his stupid smile lingering. Twilighted sighed.

“Would you mind helping heat the water Spike? I’d also prefer if you could do it without setting me on fire as well,” she said and smiled at him. She missed the way he poked at her like this.

“Right away,” he chirped and walked over to the tub. He waited for the water to reach an appropriate height, took a deep breath, and plunged his head in the water face-first. Twilight saw another faint green light emit from where his head was submerged. In about a half minute, the water began to emit steam on the surface and Spike pulled his head out of the water gasping for air.

“Wow. You can breath fire continuously for that long? That’s impressive,” she said and dipped her hoof into the bath. It was a little warmer than she was used to, but she carefully shifted in and the heat felt unbelievably relaxing after the day she had.

“Knight Wing had me practice breathing exercises at high altitudes. He said . . . oh um, sorry. I’ll leave you to your bath,” Spike said and politely turned his head from the bathing Princess.

“Actually Spike,” she stopped him. “You can stay. I can’t reach my back too well without magic, so would it be alright if you helped me out?” she said and the Dragon sighed again.

“Ok, Sure thing,” he said and picked up the loofa next to her. She sorted through her soaps and shampoos and found the one labeled ‘Poison Joke.’ She picked it up with her teeth and poured it in the bath, which began to bubble and sud in the heat Spike created. She placed a few drops on the loofa and placed the vial back down before dunking her head under.

“Ahhh, this feels good,” Twilight sighed as Spike began working on her back with the soapy brush. The silence that followed between them was not uncomfortable, more like an unspoken agreement that this particular moment was a good one.

“So,” she began while Spike started scrubbing her sides, “That rude pegasus that kicked Warmonger, that was Knight Wing?"

"Yeah, he's not good at first impressions. But he's a good teacher, and very loyal to Princess Luna," Spike explained.

"I see. I never heard of the Night Watchers until I read about them in one of your letters. I'm surprised that my brother never mentioned them before," She said and tilted her head to the side to allow Spike to scrub her neck.

"I don't think he knew about them either. My guess is that they work separately from the royal guard," he explained.

"It was sure nice of him to visit you in Canterlot. What did you and Shining Armor talk about?” she asked.

“Well, uh, he seemed very interested in whether I found a special somepony. Or, special somedragon? I told him I’ve never met one that didn’t try and burn me and my friends to a crisp,” he said and continued scrubbing. She laughed at his use of words.

“Did you tell him about Rarity?” she asked with a teasing smirk.

“What? No no of course not,” he babbled and lightly tapped her forehead with the loofa as if scolding her. “We did talk about love though. Not anypony specific, just, you know, the abstract sense of it all.”

“Funny. Cadence and I talked about the same thing. She pointed out to me that love is actually just another form of friendship, and that way it would become much less confusing for me,” she said and wiped her mane out of her eyes with her hoof.

“Yeah. Shining Armor said that love is friendship set on fire. So the more friendship you have, the longer the flame will last. Now look up here, I gotta get your horn,” he said and used his claw to lift up her chin. He carefully began scrubbing her horn with the sud-filled loofa. Pretty soon, the blue spots began to dissipate and the horn began naturally straightening.

“Hmmm, that’s an interesting way of putting it,” Twilight pondered.

“Yeah. According to him, the jitters and the nervousness that come with a crush aren’t what loves about. It’s more like the little things that make you want to be around each other, even on bad days,” he said and continued to scrub. “Almost done.”

“So you’re saying that true love is about being comfortable around somepony?” she clarified as she rubbed a hoof on her newly clean horn. Spike placed the loofa down and began to dry his hands.

“I guess so. I mean, marriage is forever right? We’re not going to be pretty forever. So you should spend your life with somepony that you want to be around, even if you don’t think that they’re . . .” Spike stopped. He turned to look over his handy work on a soaked Twilight Sparkle, when something caught him off guard. Her mane shined beautifully in the glow of the lanterns around them. Her gaze was soft and comforting, and he found himself thinking that no other pony could ever make him feel more at home.

“. . . beautiful,” he finished and froze where he stood. Her gaze pierced right through him. His heart began to beat harder and his mind started racing. The towel in his hand fell from his grip and a purple aura of magic caught it just before it hit the floor.

“Great! My magic’s back!” she said with wide smile. “Let’s see if I can get this barrier up.”

With that, she stood in the tub and pointed her horn skyward. She closed her eyes and began focusing on the protection spell her brother taught her. Her horn glowed and shimmered as a bright purple beam of light emitted from the tip and soared upwards. The whole bathroom glowed in the light of her magic and the cascading sounds of her spell echoed through the entire castle. A veil of purple shrouded the castle in a faint light from the top of the tallest tower down to the ground.

“Alright! That should hold until morning,” she said and smiled at her assistant. Spike was still dumbstruck and his mouth hung slightly open.

Twilight looked over Spike as he stared at her. He looked puzzled, or perhaps surprised. She had to admit, even though he was bigger, she felt better having someone familiar around her for the night. She began to ask what’s wrong, when Cadences voice began echoing in her head.

He’s the best kind of friend there is.

A sick plummeting feeling filled her insides as she realized how Spike was observing her. Her face immediately turned beat red and sat down a little lower in the tub, returning Spike’s gaze in shock. Spike shook his head and stood up tall, fumbling to get words together.

“Well, wow, good job with the magic shield thing. Looks great, so, I’m just going to go to bed. Lots of flying today, right?” he said and nervously chuckled. She practically mimicked his chuckle from the bathtub.

“Yes, tons of flying. So, okay then! Goodnight,” she said and watched him shuffle to the door.

“Goodni--” he said before the slamming of the bathroom door cut him off.

She kept her eyes locked on the door where Spike had just been and began tearing through her mind to find a logical explanation for what just happened. She had agreed with everything Cadence told her because it made sense, but it was also true that everything she said applied to Spike. She quietly cursed herself and Cadence for opening her eyes this way. The only feeling that made any sense to her was the warm embrace of the bath water that enveloped her entire body.

Meanwhile, Spike was having a separate collapse of senses.

What the hay was that all about! he cursed at himself.

One second they were carrying on like he had never left for Canterlot at all, then the very next she looked completely different. The way her magic cast a radiant light over her face seemed to make it new and amazing and . . . not what he was used to at all. He loved Twilight, sure enough, and he never saw her as anything less than his closest friend. She probably saw him as . . .

Well, what was he to her anyway? She always considered him a faithful assistant, and a good friend, but how long can two friends live with each other? He always thought that he’d spend his life working with Twilight, but perhaps pursuing love elsewhere. Not to mention that she was a pony and he was a dragon. Of course that never stopped him from crushing on Rarity before, but for some reason this possibility seemed so much more real now that he was grown. And what about Rarity in all this?

His mind was racing and spinning as he threw open the doors to the library. His legs carried him up the steps, but his mind carried him up the wall, while his chest screamed at him to go back. He climbed into the extra large pillow-bed that lay before him and tucked himself in like he used to. Sleeping apart from her still felt a little odd, even though it was his first night home in nearly 9 months. He groaned and turned as his mind refused to simmer down for the night. But just before he gave up on sleep for the night, he noticed something.

The pillow he was resting on smelled just like Twilight’s mane. He knew the scent perfectly well from when she hugged him earlier. He then remembered how she felt in his claws, holding her closely and gently as she did the same. The image did little to calm the storm in his mind, but the familiar sent was able to relax him enough to enjoy the feeling of being home again. He missed Ponyville and his friends, and the thought of finally returning home was the last thought on his mind before sleep swept over him like water on rock.

Chapter 10: Trap

Spike woke up to the sound of hooves walking through the main corridor of the castle. It sounded like a group of ponies were making their way inside. Spike rolled out of bed and carefully glided down to the door of library without making a sound. It was likely that the hooves he heard were just his friends coming to see Twilight, but there was still a slight chance they were somepony else. Spike wanted to make sure. He pressed his ear against the door and listened closely. He could make out quiet chatter, but nothing familiar yet.

“Twilight!” a squeaky voice chirped and the hooves all began hurrying to the other end of the hall, where Twilight’s room was.

“Aw, thank goodness y’all are alright, sugarcube,” he heard.

Spike gave a sigh of relief and pushed open the door to join his friends. He could see Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, who were all corralled around Twilight expressing their relief of her safety.

“How did you all get here so fast?” Twilight asked returning a few hugs.

“Pinkie pie got the news on the train so she just stayed on it for the return journey, Applejack got some train-runners to help her out, and I flew here as fast as lightning,” Rainbow Dash smirked with a proud hoof on her chest.

“The others are probably on their way as fast as they can too,” Applejack said with a nod. “We all heard that Spike came and got’ya outta that mess. Where is the little hero anyway?”

“Hi guys.” Spike choose this moment to reveal himself from behind the three startled ponies. They shared a mixture of gasps and shouts as they greeted him.

“Woah! You look totally awesome! These wings are bigger than mine!” Rainbow Dash said.

“You’re the biggest most amazing most awesome most incredible most bravest most . . .” Pinkie Pie started to rant. Applejack smiled and let her continue while offering her friend a hug.

“You look as new as a freshly picked zap-apple. We’re so glad you helped Twilight when none of us could. You're a real livin' hero.” she said with a proud smile. Spike smiled and turned back to the still-jabbering Pinkie Pie.

“. . . most regal most fiscally responsible most punctual and most amazing dragon ever!!” she finished and started catching her breath.

“You said most amazing twice,” Spike jested and smiled at his friends. “I’m glad you guys could make it here. I missed you all like crazy.” he said and his eyes fell on Twilight. Her gaze was on him as well, and she had a sorry look in her eyes as if she was reluctant about something.

“So what’s the deal with these ponies? What do they have against Twilight anyway,” Rainbow Dash said menacingly.

“They’re after the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight stated. The other three looked back at her in surprise.

“Let’s wait for the others to get here before we fill them in Twilight. I don’t really feel like explaining this whole mess twice.” Just as he finished speaking, the door opened up from behind him again and he heard a squeal of fright echo in the halls. At the door, cowering on the floor, was Fluttershy. She shook and closed her eyes with her hooves over her head. Spike wondered if there was someone he didn’t see threatening her.

“It’s okay, Fluttershy!” Twilight beckoned. “It’s only Spike!”

Spike reared his head around again at the frightened mare and dropped his head down low. He was the one scaring her. The thought had entered his mind before that he might scare some unexpecting ponies with his new appearance. He did manage to make Shining Armor jump when he saw him in Canterlot. But he never thought it would be that way for his closest friends. He frowned and bowed his head down in shame as the pony who once excitedly greeted him to Ponyville now shook at his sight.

“Aw come on now sugarc--”

“It’s okay, Applejack. Let me talk to her,” he said and slowly began walking towards Fluttershy. She continued to shake on the ground as he approached her slowly. He gave a weak hush and crawled next to her on the floor, trying as best he could to get his face below hers. He spoke softly and sweetly to his friend.

“Fluttershy, it’s me.” She continued to shiver, but slipped one eye open to peek at him. he offered her a weak but friendly smile as he tried to comfort her.

“Remember when we first met and you wanted to hear all about my life? How we spent nearly an hour talking and nearly driving Twilight insane?”

She sniffled, and opened both eyes to observe him more closely. She put a hoof on the end of his snout and carefully prodded and observed his features. So much of him was different, but his eyes were still exactly the same.

“Spike?” she said and stood on her hooves. He smiled at her wider as she stopped shaking and began grinning at him. “You’re so big! Oh my, I’m so sorry for being frightened. I'm still a little nervous of dragons, and I didn’t know it was you.”

“Well who did you think he was, just some random purple dragon that hangs out with ponies?” Rainbow Dash said, fluttering down beside him.

“I guess I’m not as ‘cute’ as I used to be,” he replied, scratching his spines.

“Are you kidding? You look awesome!” she said and gave his shoulder a shove.

“I’ll say!” said a voice from the door behind Fluttershy. Spike looked up and saw his purple-maned crush standing right in front of him.

“Rarity!” he squeaked and immediately began blushing. Her radiant purple mane and sparkling eyes were just how he remembered them. She trotted over to him and eyed him closely.

“My goodness, you look simply ravishing!” she complimented.

“I, uh, thanks!” Spike said standing as tall as he could muster. He tried to compliment her as well but she immediately cantered towards Twilight and began comforting her. Twilight smiled and reassured her that everything was fine and that she was not hurt. Spike sighed as his great welcoming from all of his friends was over much sooner than he anticipated.

“Thank you all for coming back here so quickly. I’m sure you’re all wondering about what happened last night. Let’s all go to the throne room and Spike and I will explain everything.”

The chair that was made for Spike was much too small for him now, so he took a seat on the floor on Twilight’s left side instead. The 5 mares sat quietly listning to Twilight explain all about the Miasma, her three foal-nappers, and their escape in the dark. Occasionally, there were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at Spike’s newfound abilities, which made him feel rather tall indeed. But the ponies were left with more questions than answers.

“So if these three ponies are infected with something that could make Princess Luna go nuts, then how do we fight them?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“It’s unlikely that they are as powerful as Princess Luna. She was still an Alicorn after all. But that does not mean they aren’t dangerous,” Twilight replied.

“But if we used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, then what can we do now? The Elements are still resting in the Tree of Harmony now,” Rarity objected.

“I thought about that already,” she said, to which Spike turned his head in surprise. She didn’t share this with him yet. Then again, she might not have had the chance to last night since he slammed the door on her.

“The Tree of Harmony uses the elements to survive, so we cannot rely on their power anymore to solve our problems. But the power of friendship that we used to defeat Tirek is the same power that built this very castle. So in other words, the power of the elements lives in this castle,” she explained and gestured to the walls around them.

“So, you’re saying if we bring them here, we can use the elements without our necklaces?” Applejack asked.

“I believe so. After all, this whole place is made from the magic of friendship,” Twilight clarified.

“Wait, hold on,” Spike interrupted. “You want to bring those three creeps here?”

“Yes. We’ll need to lure them here and trap them so we can use our magic to purge the Miasma from their bodies all at once.”

Spike pondered what she was saying. As long as they could use their elemental power in the castle, then fighting them on the home field should be simple enough. But how do they set a trap without them getting suspicious?

“Um, excuse me. Did she, I mean, Princess Luna say that all three of them had the same kind of Miasma? I was just wondering what kind it was,” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight thought hard for a moment about which vice it could be. The glow in each of their eyes was exactly the same, which meant that Miasma was probably just one cloud that affected all 3 ponies. But they seemed to want such different things. Dawn was likely affected by loneliness or desire, from the way he treated her. Milla looked like she was affected by greed or envy the way she desired wealth. But Warmonger’s eyes did not start glowing until he mentioned the Element of Harmony, which made no sense to her. She turned to Spike.

“What do you think?” she asked, and Spike thought for a moment. He scratched his chin in thought for a moment, thinking back to his readings about vices at the observatory.

“I think they’re all affected by greed,” he said flatly.

“Why? From what you told us, only one of ‘em was hungry for gold,” Applejack said.

“Call it dragon’s intuition, but I think they are all influenced by greed. Milla Nare was clearly only interested in becoming rich, so she’s obvious, but the other two are a little more unique. Greed comes in many forms, and it can damage our minds in surprising ways. After all, we all want something. Perhaps we want our friends to be safe, or we want to achieve our wildest dreams and ambitions. If we let those aspirations consume us, it can become even more violent than greed for material wealth.”

Twilight noticed how he spoke with such excellent composure, as if he were reciting a speech written in a manuscript.

“So what are those other two greedy for?” Applejack countered.

“I’d say that Dawn Treader wants Twilight, but not really as a marefriend, but as an accessory. Greed driven by the heart is powerful, so be careful of that one. As for Warmonger, I’d guess that he’s greedy for power,” he suggested.

Twilight silently cursed herself for not seeing that sooner. The news of her achievements and the Elements of Harmony's feats of magic must have spread through Equestria. He likely heard about their power and assumed he could use it for himself. His cutiemark was a coat of arms, a symbol of nobility. Perhaps he was so power-hungry that the Miasma was drawn to him.

“Why does this even matter?” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “If we can smash their Miasma-power or whatever, then it won’t make a difference.”

“It matters because the Miasma won’t be destroyed. Once we separate them from it, the cloud will re-emerge and seek another host elsewhere. We cannot let it escape, so we’re going to need a gemstone that can bind the Miasma and keep it contained.” Twilight looked over at Spike and remembered how he had seen the gemstone that contained the Miasma of envy. In his letter, he described the sensation as horrific, which made her wonder more about what he saw.

“Knowing their motivations will help us spring a better trap. But how do we proceed?” Rarity asked looking over to Twilight from her throne.

“I have an idea, but I’m going to need all of your help to pull it off,” Twilight proposed.

“We’re with you, Twilight,” Applejack confirmed.

“I’ll help however I can,” Fluttershy added.

“Whatchya got for us, Princess?” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk.

“Ok, here’s the plan. We lure them here with replicas of the old elements of harmony. Then once we’ve got them all in the same spot, I’ll catalyze the same magic we used to defeat Nightmare Moon. Once the Miasma is free, I’ll bind it to a gemstone that can contain it,” Twilight said, looking at each of her friends who nodded in approval.

“We’re going to need a good trap,” Rarity said.

“That’s where all of you come in. Applejack? Pinkie? I’m going to need you to work on the actual trap. We’ll need them to stay in the same spot for long enough for the spell to work,” she said shooting her earth pony friends a glance.

“Alright! This will be fun!” Pinkie said with a wink.

“Great. Rainbow Dash? I’m going to need Princess Luna’s help getting a gemstone, so I’ll need you to fly to Canterlot as fast as you can and get one from her.”

“You got it, boss!” she responded proudly.

“Thanks. I’ll send her a letter to let her know you’re coming. Rarity? I’m going to need some convincing replicas of the Elements of Harmony. Do you think you could rush order a few necklaces and a tiara?”

“Why of course, dear! They’ll never suspect a thing,” Rarity answered.

“Fantastic. I’ll work on mastering the spell that will bind the Miasma. Spike? We’re going to need the Night Watch’s help corralling them back to Ponyville. They need to chase them here, but we can’t risk any word about this plan getting out. Do you think you could talk to Knight Wing?” She asked the dragon.

“He’ll probably think it's a ridiculous idea, but I’ll get him on board,” Spike affirmed.

“Um, what about me?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“I’ll talk to you about your part soon. Is everyone else ready?” she asked her friends. They all cheered and shouted their support of Twilight’s plan. Spike smiled at the sight of all his friends in the same place, as if nothing had changed. He worried himself sick during the nights he spent in Canterlot that he would be too different for things to ever feel the same anymore. But his friends were all spirited and caring as always.

“Well then let’s get to work, everypony,” Twilight cheered, and the rest of the ponies left their thrones and began splitting up to accomplish their various tasks. Spike headed for the door when he was stopped by a hoof at his shoulder.

“Do you think we could talk for a second in the library?” Twilight asked. Spike was a little confused as to why, but he nodded and followed her down the hall and into the library. She made her way over to the desk near the window and used her magic to lift a quill and ink out of the drawer. She began scribbling down something on a scroll with her magic while Spike observed the bookshelves. She quickly finished writing her note and looked over at her assistant.

The light through the window behind her seemed to bounce playfully off of Spike’s vibrant scales. His wings were tucked neatly into his sides while his tail curled around his feet where he sat. He was still her assistant, and a good friend, but she could not deny that something was different about him. It wasn’t just his new size and abilities either. He was wiser as well. She could see it in his eyes. He had a thoughtfulness and capacity for analysis that rested in his head, and she found herself oddly drawn to the way he deduced which emotion they were up against. It was a strange sensation for her, and she decided it best to dash it from her mind.

“Is that for Princess Luna?” he said pointing at the scroll in her hoof. She didn’t even notice he was looking at her.

“What? Oh, yes. Would you mind?” she said and floated it over to him. He clasped the letter in his fingertips and blew the letter into a green trail of smoke and flame.

“Spike?” She asked him after he sent it. “The stone that Luna bound the Miasma of envy to, that was the gem she showed you in your test right?”

“. . . yeah,” he said and frowned at the memory. “Why?”

“Well,” she began, trying to carefully address the subject. “What did you see?”

Spike could tell she needed to know. She was going to bind the Miasma of greed to a stone, so she would need to know what it was like to look at one. He felt a little embarrassed by the subject, especially considering their conversation last night.

“It's ok, you can tell me,” she said and walked over to him putting a reassuring hoof on his hand.

“I saw Rarity. She was in love with somepony. Somepony who was not me. They were married and happy with two foals playing in her studio,” he said and looked down at the floor. Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof thinking about how hard it must have been to see.

“That pony was everything I wanted to be. Tall, handsome, rich, and loved by Rarity. I watched as their entire life went by while mine stayed still, watching from afar.” he said and gripped his hands into a fist. Twilight put her hoof back down on his hand to comfort him. "It was as if she dashed me from her life like scrap fabric. I began to feel angry that she was so happy while I was left alone."

“That must have been terrible, Spike,” she consoled.

“It was not the nicest feeling in the world. But I beat it back,” he said and feigned her a smile.

“That’s right,” she said proudly and remembered what he wrote in his letter. “You thought about the rest of your friends and realized that you are loved, right?”

“Well, actually I made that part up,” he confessed and looked away in embarrassment. Twilight cocked her head in confusion. Why would he feel the need to make something up?

“I felt so terrible seeing her in love with somepony else, but then, for some reason, I pictured your face,” he said and smiled at her. “I remembered that no matter what happens, I’ll always be your assistant. I felt like even if I never find a special somepony, you will always be a part of my life. I know it sounds weird, but being your assistant is like being purple, or having scales. It's just part of who I am. Suddenly I started to care less about what I don’t have and more about what I do.”

Twilight’s hoof went back up to her mouth as she gazed back at Spike in shock. Nopony had ever said anything so nice to her in her entire life. She had no idea that she meant so much to him. But now that she thought about it, of course he felt that way. They were always together since they were both young. Trying to imagine life without each other was painful to even think about. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she began to realize that she felt the sa--

“Excuse me, Twilight?” they heard from the door. Rarity cracked open the door and peaked her head in. Twilight subtly wiped her eye with her hoof and looked back at her friend.

“Yes?” she managed to say calmly.

“Do you think I could borrow Spike for the day? I’ll need help cutting the gems to fit the necklaces for the replicas,” she asked politely.

Twilight looked back at Spike, who was blushing at the white-haired mare sheepishly. She looked back at Rarity, and couldn’t figure out why she had the urge to tell her no. She shook her head and tossed the idea from her mind.

“Of course,” she managed to say with a wave. Spike looked back at Twilight with concern in his eyes, but she waved him off and smiled. “Get to work. As soon as those are done, see if you can track down Knight Wing. Got it?”

The dragon nodded and followed Rarity out of the library. The door closed and just like that, Spike was gone again. Twilight’s head rang with reasons why she shouldn’t feel the way she did. He’ll be back soon, he is only helping her out, and he is his own dragon. Despite all of that, she still felt alone with nothing but her books to comfort her. She swallowed another sob that fought its way into her throat. Spike’s face as he told her about his vision was all she could think about. They were the most genuine and kind words anypony had ever told her, and for some reason, they made her feel more alone than she’s ever been.

Chapter 11: Fashion Thing

Warm sunlight cascaded through the window of Twilight's library as she and Fluttershy spoke. The light bounced off of the marble floor and comfortably lit the room nicely. Above the bookshelves, Spike's loft sat empty with his bed neatly made. Below, Twilight confronted Fluttershy about a bold proposition.

“Do you really think that will work?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t see how else this trap could work,” Twilight shrugged. “We’ll need all the help we can get. Do you think you could do that for me?”

“Oh, I will certainly try,” Fluttershy reassured her. She got up and began walking to the door of the library when Twilight stopped her again.

“Fluttershy? Can I ask you something else?” she said timidly. The yellow mare turned and patiently waited for Twilight to find the right words. It was more difficult than she expected.

“Do you think . . . well, really . . . how much do you know about dragons?” she mumbled.

“Gosh, well, I know they’re scary when they’re big, but I also learned that they respond the same way most other animals do when I give them the ‘stare’,” she said and giggled. Twilight remembered how Fluttershy was the only one who could get the giant red dragon that was threatening Equestria to behave. But that didn’t really teach her anything new.

“But what do you think of Spike?” she said. She tried to speak as simply as she could, as if he were a fascinating academic subject that caught her intrigue.

“Well, I was scared of him at first, but I can tell deep down that he’s still the same baby dragon that he was before he left. He’s a sweety and would never hurt anyone,” she said with a big smile. “But I’m afraid that I don’t know very much else about dragons. In fact, I’d guess you would know more than I do, since you’ve lived with Spike for so long.” Twilight sighed and gave up on the subject, dismissing her thoughts for a second time that day.

“I’m sorry if I’m not being much help,” Fluttershy said and looked down at her hooves.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it really,” Twilight reassured her. “You’re absolutely right anyway. Deep down, he is still the same Spike. Now let’s get busy. We have more important things to worry about right now,” she said and followed Fluttershy out the door.

Spike followed Rarity to her studio where she immediately began tearing through her gemstone collection to look for convincing replacements for the Elements of Harmony. She gave her selection to Spike and immediately began fastening pieces of gold together with her magic. Spike looked at Rarity’s design sketches for how each gem should be cut, and began working his claws over a large opal for Applejack’s apple. The two of them worked for a few hours straight exchanging idle chit chat and occasionally lending each other a hand or hoof.

“How does this look?” Rarity eventually asked and Spike looked her up and down. She was wearing her own necklace replica which shimmered and shined with elegance. Spike fumbled to respond to her question to avoid being caught staring.

“It looks great! Is that real gold?” he asked and pointed to her neck.

“Of course not, Spike. I don’t have enough gold lying around for such a job. I fashioned these out of iron pyrite, otherwise known as ‘fool's gold.’ I think they will have our three friends fooled if they were convincing enough for a dragon,” she said with a satisfied smile in Spike’s direction. Spike laughed and continued cutting a diamond for Rarity’s necklace. His claws were sharp enough to slice diamonds, but that didn't mean the process was not difficult. He slowly and carefully ran his index claw down the sides of each corner to give them an nice smooth finish.

A long silence stretched out between the two of them. Spike searched frantically for something to talk about, but continuously drew a blank. After spending months apart, was idle small talk really all he could do around Rarity? He found himself replaying what Shining Armor told him in Canterlot. Of course Rarity was his friend. So shouldn’t friends be able to talk to each other? His claws began shaking as he nervously shifted his gaze from his hands to Rarity.

“Spike!” Rarity said with a gasp. He looked back down and noticed that he had cut his diamond clean in half. He fumbled with the pieces which flew in opposite directions. Rarity caught them both and floated them up to her face for closer inspection.

“Oh, I suppose I can find a use for these later. Be more careful with this next one will you?” she said and floated another diamond into his hand. He apologized and continued cutting nervously, keeping himself completely focused on finishing the job. After nearly another hour of work, the two of them gathered the replicas together and admired their work.

“These look great!” Spike said with a glint in his eye.

“Indeed, these will work nicely. I’d say the tiara came out the best,” she said putting a hoof on Twilight’s element of magic.

“Yeah. You could even use it again after we’re done with it,” he suggested.

“How do you mean?” she asked.

“You could use them for a . . . you know, a fashion thing,” Spike said before immediately feeling like an idiot. Rarity laughed at his fumbling.

“Oh yes, indeed, I’ve had so many 'fashion things' recently,” she said and gestured to her manikins. They were all wearing magnificent pieces of clothing from dresses to simple saddles.

“Just last week I got a request to do a dressage piece for a haberdashery in Las Pegasus, and they wanted 10 saddles to be laden in felt with garter-stitching. Can you believe them? How bold!” she said and made a grand motion with her hoof to illustrate her point. Spike put on as friendly a face as he could without letting her know that he did not have a clue what she was talking about.

“Since we're done, I could also use your opinion on these suit pieces,” she said and began walking to the other end of the studio. Some taller masculine manikins were dressed in tuxedo-type suits, and Rarity pointed to each one explaining what they were all for.

“Wow,” Spike said, trying to show his enthusiasm.

“So which do you think is best?” she asked and waited for his thoughts on the matter. Spike looked at each one and observed them as closely as he could. After nearly a solid minute of silence between the two of them, Spike nervously looked for words. They all looked exactly the same to him, so he decided to answer simply.

“That one,” he said and pointed to the one in the center.

“Really? I was close to scrapping the design, so why this one?” she asked looking at the suit, clearly perplexed.

“It’s . . . uh. I like the tie?” he said and she scoffed at his answer.

“The tie is the same on all of them, dear,” she said and walked back to their collection of replicas. Spike sighed and looked back at the suits in front of him, honestly unaware of any real differences between them.

“Why don’t you tell me more about your time in Canterlot? I just love the sophisticated air of the royal city,” she said and looked upwards as if she were daydreaming.

“Well, I spent most of my time studying or training with Princess Luna, so I didn’t spend much time around city folk. But I did go in to Pony Joe’s nearly every other day. Maybe that’s what made me grow so fast,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“Where’s that, darling?” she said with cocked eyebrow.

“Remember the place we all went to after the Grand Galloping Gala?” he reminded her.

“Ah yes . . . the donut shop,” she said and looked back down at her table. “I hope you don’t find this offensive, Spike, but you are simply missing the amazing things about Canterlot! The balls, the museums, the culture and class! The last time I was there, I thought I’d never leave,” she said reminiscing about Twilight’s Coronation.

“Well . . .” Spike began to retort, but came up short. He had lived there his entire life before coming to Ponyville, but never really saw the point of the fancier parts of town. It was expensive just to look at stuff in some places, so he would go to where his friends were instead. The only answer he could come up with was truer than he realized.

“I always went were Twilight needed me to,” he said and shrugged.

“Well, dearest, to each their own,” she said and began gathering up the spare gemstone scraps with her magic.

Spike noticed something odd. He was usually giddy whenever Rarity choose to speak to him, but at that moment he found himself at a loss for words and unable to describe his mood. He wasn’t exactly upset at anything, but he wasn’t particularly happy. Was he bored? He tried to justify the word in his mind, but there was nothing else to it. He had no interest in talking fashion with Rarity any more than she had interest in talking with him about Moondancer’s crazy parties or Rune Reader’s philosophies of time.

“Is something wrong, Spike?” she asked caringly. He shook his head out of his funk.

“Not at all. I’m just going to get moving. I need to talk with Knight Wing and convince him to chase but not catch 3 wanted criminals,” he said and gestured to the window.

Rarity patted her purple friend on the shoulder and lit her horn in her blue magic.

“Take these to snack on the way there. These are too small to use in any of my pieces so you should have them for a job well done,” she said and floated the scrap gemstones into his hand. When Spike was smaller, this would have set his heart aflame. But he could chomp down the pile in one bite these days, so the gesture was merely an example of the element of generosity at work. Spike thanked her and made his way to the door. He shot Rarity one more glance before exiting her studio.

That was weird, he thought to himself. It’s not like Rarity had changed at all in the time he spent away, so something must have been new about him that was throwing him off. He flicked a few shards of rubies into his muzzle while pondering the idea. He was certainly taller now, and knew a little more about how to breath fire and such, but he still felt like the same dragon whose heart fluttered into the heavens at the sound of her voice. The advice Shining Armor had given him seemed flawed now, because she was clearly a good friend of his. So what happened back there?

The sun was starting to set. He'd need to get a move on, or else Knight Wing would chase them to Appleloosa before they could execute their trap. He shoved the rest of the shards in his mouth and kicked off the ground, fluttering into the air. Focusing on convincing Knight Wing to cooperate would help ease his mind from these stupid thoughts he was having.

The night carried on with a chilling wind sweeping over the treetops. Deep in the Everfree Forest, Dawn Treader paced back and forth muttering angrily to himself. He and Milla Nare took shelter from any Night Watch scouts underneath a particularly thick brush of trees. Milla sat quietly on the edge of a branch, watching her inconsolable companion walk from left to right like a grandfather clock’s pendulum.

“She was right there. She was mine, I had her. Why couldn’t we keep her?” he mumbled.

“Oh will you just keep your stupid mouth closed? She’s gone because the Night Watch showed up, just like I said they would. Now look at us. Broke and hunted. And since we’re trying to avoid being spotted, your constant whining will be the next thing that gets us caught,” Milla Nare scolded.

“Easy for you to say, Milla!” Dawn protested. “Sure you lost your gold, but there’s tons of it out there for grabs. There is only one Princess Twilight, and she was right in my grasp,” he said and sat down looking pitifully defeated.

“Quiet you two!” Warmonger hissed from the base of the tree. He raised a hoof and held his ear high. The three of them sat quietly listening to the night sky closely.

“Is it the Watch?” Milla whispered.

“No, but I’d say we have a guest. I can hear something odd,” Warmonger said and the other two gathered close. The closer they drew, the more clearly they could hear the odd sound. It was a voice, but it was so tiny and faint, it sounded like a mouse's voice.

“I’ll say you have a guest,” said the voice with a squeak. Warmonger raised his hoof to his ear and moaned in pain. The other two watched as he started to shake and squirm. His ear twitched violently as his groans got louder. Suddenly, a small figure appeared from his ear canal.

“What is that thing?” Milla said in shock.

“I do always love it when they say that,” the figure said as it slithered out of Warmonger’s ear. “By the way, you simply must start cleaning more in there. I’m going to need a serious bath to get all this wax out.”

Warmonger rubbed his ear and angrily growled at the floating serpent in front of him. In a flash, the tiny figure vanished, then reappeared before them in another flash. He was 10 times the size and somehow bathing himself in a bubble bath that appeared along with him. Warmonger’s eyes went narrow as he inspected the creature in front of him.

“I know you,” he said slowly and prepped his legs for a fight. “You’re Discord.”

“The one and only,” Discord said with a valiant salute. Dawn Treader looked up at the grotesque combination of 5 or 6 different creatures in disgust.

“Well, whoever he is, he’s not going to get us caught,” Milla Nare said and opened her wings with a mighty flap and charged him. She growled as she hurled herself claws drawn at the bathing creature.

“Hmmm, I call tails,” Discord scolded and snapped his fingers at the charging griffon. In a flash, the flying predator transformed into a gold bit, which Discord skillfully caught and looked at his palm. “Aha! Tails! I win.”

“What do you want?” Warmonger asked carefully. Discord thought his question over while flipping the Milla Nare bit into the air with his thumb a few times. Her shrieks could be heard as she flipped through the air dizzyingly.

“Would you believe me if I said I wanted to help you?” Discord proposed.

“No,” Dawn Treader said flatly.

“And why not? We have the same goal after all,” he chuckled. Dawn treader raised his hoof and pointed it accusingly at him.

“I’ve read about you. You’re ‘reformed’ now. You’re friends with the princesses, and you helped them defeat Tirek!” Dawn spat.

“And what exactly did this book say, may I ask?” Discord replied. He flipped the squawking griffon-coin in the air one more time and vanished with another snap of his fingers. Milla Nare appeared back to her old self and struggled to stand from the disorientation. Discord reappeared behind them holding a thick leather book flipping through the pages. He donned some reading glasses on and thumbed through a few lines.

“Ah! I see, it says it right here. I joined Tirek and helped him wreak havoc among pony kind. Only after he was defeated did I ‘re-reform’ myself,” he said curling his fingers in quotation marks. “The truth is, ever since they let me out of that stone prison, I’ve been at the mercy of the Elements of Harmony. They are the one power that can contain me, and despite my best efforts, I have always failed to deal with them properly,” he finished and tossed his book behind him, where it turned into a hen upon reaching the ground and scuttling off. “Call me chicken, but I think it’s time I let somepony else handle them for me.”

“So you’re going to help us do what exactly?” Milla Nare asked after regaining her balance.

“Simple, little birdy. You take the elements, and I finally get to dole out some delicious anarchic justice on the ponies who have ruled my life since my release,” he said and bowed to the three of them.

“We don’t need your help, Discord,” Warmonger threatened.

“Oh, but don’t you? Do you know where the elements are right now?” Discord asked with another chuckle. The three of them kept silent long enough for his point to get across.

“Well don’t beat yourself up too much about it. Even if you did find them, you’d also find a stubborn barrier of magic placed around them. And I don’t care how powerful you think you are, you are up against an alicorn princess. Those are nasty, and they never play by the rules. Trust me, I know,” he said and re-enacted his prison by turning himself into a stone statue of himself. But this time, he remained frozen with a cheeky grin on his face.

“So what do you want from us?” Dawn Treader asked him.

“Well, I can agree to help on one condition. I want Ponyville,” he said and re-materialized into his natural self. “I’ll help you disable the barrier surrounding the elements, if in exchange you give me Ponyville. Everywhere beyond that is your business, but Ponyville, and it’s inhabitants, are my playground. Agreed?”

Warmonger squinted at the agent of chaos before him. If he could help them get the elements of harmony, he could always turn him back into stone if he double-crossed them. The white unicorn shot his two associates a glance, and they nodded their approval.

“You can start by telling us where they are.”

Author's Note

This one went through a serious re-write, but I'm glad I made the decision I did. Once the story is done, I'll throw up the original play out of this chapter as a deleted scene, if you all are good.

Comments and thoughts are welcome as always. Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter 12: Assistant

Knight Wing put up a considerable fight against their plan. In order for their trap to work, the Night Watch needed to track the three criminals as closely as they could while leaving Ponyville itself relatively unguarded. Eventually, he agreed to the plan, but stressed that he was still retired as captain of the watch and could only offer council. But he and Spike both knew that whatever he said to the Night Watch, they’d agree to. He was a well respected captain during his time and became personal friends with Princess Luna after all.

Spike flew from Town Hall where he met with Knight Wing and headed back to Twilight’s castle, going over the plan in his head. It was simple enough: lure them to the castle, surprise them and strip Miasma from their bodies using the element magic. Then slap a gemstone over the Miasma cloud then bam, no more problems. He was ready for things to get back to normal for everypony. But then again, when was saving Ponyville out of the ordinary for them? Spike entered the Castle and made his way to the throne room. He pushed opened the doors, not prepared for who he saw on the other side.

“Princess Luna!” he said in surprise and smartly bowed his head down in respect. Twilight stood next to her by the windows looking over the grounds beside the castle.

“Good to see you, young Spike,” she said calmly. “I trust you’ve had a successful meeting with Knight Wing?”

“Yes, your highness. Though I’m sorry I was not expecting to see you here,” he said bashfully.

“I received a visit from your blue pegasus friend who explained the situation briefly. When I learned that you were going to try to seal the Miasma, I wanted to fly down here myself to explain how it worked to Princess Twilight,” she said with a nod in Twilight’s direction. Twilight approached Spike and gave him a look of confidence.

“The spell is pretty simple. It will take a few moments for me to work up the casting power, but I think I can pull it off,” she said. “Plus, Princess Luna will be here to help if we need her.”

“So what kind of gem do we need for the binding thing?” Spike asked her flatly. Twilight trotted over to her throne and floated something up so that he could see it. It was a brilliant blue gem that nearly glowed in the center. The smooth edges were glossy and clear. Spike’s face glowed blue as the sun bounced off of it.

“Oh wow! That’s a Sprite Sapphire. I haven’t seen something so shiny since I gave Rarity that Fire Ruby. These are supposed to be delicious!” Spike said, licking his chops.

“No,” Twilight scolded and bopped his head with the sapphire. “If you eat this, we won’t have anything to bind the Miasma to.”

“Aww darn. I’ll probably never see one of those again,” he said and gave Twilight a pitiful look.

“Ugh, ok Spike. We’ll look for another one of these after we bind the Miasma to this one,” she said. He smiled and celebrated his success. Puppy-dog eyes still worked on Twilight despite him getting bigger. Princess Luna spoke next.

“I believe this plan may work, Twilight Sparkle, but you must beware. A Miasma is more than just a cloud of greed. It has a mind of its own, and will likely seek to escape once it has separated from the hosts. You will need to keep it contained in this room,” she warned.

“How do we do that?” Spike asked. “I mean, it won’t be hard for this thing to fly out a window or through the doors, right?”

Twilight put her hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. Containing the cloud must be a priority, or else they would have to do the whole process over again. But there weren’t any spells that could keep a Miasma specifically nailed down in one place. There was only one option.

“I’ll have to use a one-way magic barrier,” she said.

“A what-now Twilight?” Spike asked.

“If I cast a barrier like that on the walls of this room, anything magical on the inside will be locked in. Entering the room won’t have any affect, but it would be impossible to exit once you’re inside,” she said.

“Well that works out perfectly!” Spike chirped.

“There’s a catch. My unicorn magic won’t let me leave the barrier once we put it up, and the only way it can be disarmed is from the outside,” she said gesturing to the door. “We’ll need somepony to stay out there so they can let us out once we’re done, or should anything go wrong,” she said.

“Rarity?” Spike suggested with a shrug. He knew it needed to be a unicorn, but perhaps she did not know enough about magic barriers to let them out.

“We need her inside. She’s one of the Elements of Harmony,” she retorted. That left them only one option.

“I will do it,” Princess Luna said graciously. “I know you’d like my help fighting the Miasma, and it will be painful to watch and be unable to help, but the Miasma must not be allowed to escape.”

Twilight bowed to show her thanks. She was a little more nervous about the whole encounter if Princess Luna could only spectate, but she felt more confident knowing the Miasma would not be getting away.

“The night is still young, but it will not take them long to reach Ponyville. I shall wait in the shadows for your signal, Twilight Sparkle,” the Princess said and quietly left the two of them alone in the throne room. Once she was gone, Spike grunted in frustration.

“Well, so much for having her as back up,” Spike said with a groan

“I’m not as worried about binding the Miasma to the gem as I am about freeing Warmonger and the others from it. I mean, we don’t have the Elements with us anymore, so how do we know my friendship spell can work? What if something goes wrong?” A look of fear and concern began to grow on her face. Spike kicked into action the second he noticed her doubt.

“Hey, Twilight, look at me,” he said and lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. “You are a capable sorceress, a great leader, and the Princess of Friendship. You can do this. You’ve used this magic plenty of times before, and no one knows more about it than you.” Spike comforted his princess as sincerely as he could, keeping his gazed locked with hers.

"But what if . . ."

"No buts. The last thing you should do right now is freak out. I know you can do this. Besides, all of the girls will be there to help, and so will I. If you need to, you can rely on us," he said and nodded his head confidently. She started to breath a little softer as she began to return to her senses. She smiled at Spike and wondered how she ever got along without him.

“Thank you, Spike,” she said sweetly. “You are by far the best assistant a princess could ask for.”

He smiled at her in reply. She felt his hand linger underneath her chin as he gazed at her. His eyes were brilliant and entrancing, yet these were the same eyes she knew since he was just a hatchling. There was something comforting in the familiarity of his form that drew her nearer. She felt the same warm sensation she did the the previous night, and the desire to hug him again. Before she could, he dropped his hand and turned to the door.

“Where is everyone else?” Spike asked. Her mind took a second to restart itself in order to adequately answer his question.

“What? Oh, they are in the kitchen. Applejack is serving dinner. We’ll need our strength for the night,” she said.

“In that case, I better go get something to eat while there’s food to be had,” he said and walked towards the door. Something inside Twilight wanted to reach out, to ask him to stay, but the thought quickly vanished as the doors closed behind him. She shook her head vigorously, as if the thoughts in her head would fall out if she shook hard enough. Yet after reminding herself that it was Spike, she still felt the same way she did when he left with Rarity earlier that day.

Meanwhile, Spike trudged down the hallway towards the dining room with his head hung low. His mind repeated the same word over and over again. This word used to fill him with pride and joy but now made him feel stuck, small, and alone. The word continued to bounce in his head until it begged to be spoken again.

“Assistant,” he muttered. Being the best assistant Twilight could ever have meant the world to him. After all, he trained for months and grew to the size of a griffon because he wanted to be more helpful. But something about the way she said it made him feel lonely. Was an assistant really all she ever needed from him? She had such wonderful friends, loving community, and likely had all the stallions in the world sending her love letters now that she was a princess. If she ever decided to take on one of those suitors, she would start to need him less and less. Perhaps an assistant was all he could be for her.

Spike shook his head and smiled. This is crazy, he thought. It was selfish of him to want more from what he already had, and what he did have was purpose and love. Living with Twilight was the one thing that made sense to him, so there was no use in over thinking it. Spike decided if being nothing but an assistant was his destiny forever, he’d happily live out his days fetching books and writing letters for that crazy purple pony.

Later, when the night was no longer young, Twilight’s castle stood tall in the dark fields behind Ponyville. The entire town was asleep and the clouds drifted lazily by. Luna's moon lit the castle and the town with a comforting glow. On the outskirts of town stood the Everfree Forest, which lined the base of the mountainside like moss beneath a tree. From the darkness of the forest, 4 sets of eyes peered out over the grass hills, looking hungrily at Twilight’s castle.

Author's Note

Love hearing your comments and thoughts and theories.

As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 13: Assault on Twilight's Kingdom pt. 1

The air can change during the night. It smells a little differently and feels a little heavier as it drifts across the skin. The various creatures and foliage that were active during the day trade places with the nocturnal, and their aromas mix together to provide an invigorating cocktail for the nose and lungs. Warmonger kept his eyes closed and drank in the night air steadily. He cleared his mind and focused on the prize sitting right in front of him. His two companions quietly bickered with their strange accomplice behind him.

“You’re positive they are in there?” Milla Nare clarified quietly.

“Oh certainly,” Discord said. “They used to keep them hidden in the Everfree forest, but I saw a pony named Rarity arrive this afternoon with a chest that had all the Elements in one place. Not a minute after she walked in there did those guards show up,” Discord said pointing across the fields of grass leading to the crystal fortress. Two Night Watchers stood as guards on either side of the path leading to the main door.

“How do you know she had the Elements?” Dawn Treader asked him in a whisper.

“Well, I may or may not have been a partridge on her tree today,” he said, clasping his hands over his mouth and stretching his mouth out into a bird’s beak. He gave a squawk to illustrate his point, before being hushed furiously by his two co-conspirators.

“There must be more than just two guards,” Milla Nare pointed out.

“Indeed, my feathered friend. There is a barrier of magic cast around the entire building. It’s been there since the night Twilight escaped from you three,” Discord said and pushed his beak back into his head, returning to his regular form.

“So how do we get past it? I can pick a lock and subdue a guard, but I’m not strong enough to take down a shield-bubble like that,” Dawn Treader said and pointed with his hoof.

“Silly pony, that is why you have me here! I will take care of the barrier for you. As a special treat, I’ll even take care of those two guards as well. However, once you’re inside, you’re on your own I’m afraid,” Discord said and put his paws on his hips.

“And why’s that?” Milla asked him.

“I need to retain a level of deniability here, my dear. That was my problem when I started aiding Tirek. If I get caught trying to help you three out and you fail, then I’ll be turned into a statue again faster than you can say bird-droppings,” Discord said with a shudder. The thought of returning to stone still haunted him to this day.

“Well some help you are,” she spat.

“Quiet Milla Nare,” Warmonger finally spoke up. He kept his gaze locked on the castle ahead. “If he’s willing to help at all, we’ll take it. We must get those Elements.” He turned to face his three comrades and looked at them confidently. “By sunrise, our efforts will be rewarded with everything we’ve been after.”

“Does that mean I can take back my princess?” Dawn Treader asked pitifully.

“Wait until we can use the Elements of Harmony first. After that, she will be all yours,” he reassured him. Dawn Treader gave a hopeful smile and focused on the fortress where Twilight lay sleeping. After Warmonger got an approving nod from the other two, he looked back at Discord who was clearly bored stiff with his pep-talk.

“Whenever you’re ready, Discord,” Warmonger said politely.

“Oh how fun! Lady and gentlecolts, follow my lead,” Discord said and sprang into action.

The two guards stood tirelessly with their eyes on a swivel as the night passed. Guard duty was by no means exciting, but Night Watchers were proud to keep watch over the princesses under any circumstances. It was truly a chance to prove their metal. The quiet air blew by as they stood, spears in hand, ready to defend their keep.

“You serious types were the reason I fell in love with Chaos, did you know that?” a voice said from behind them. They jumped in shock and wheeled their heads around with their spears in hoof. Before they could call out, a laughing Discord took two hoses attached to a pump and shoved them each into the mouths of the guardponies. They gave a muffled ‘hmmf!’ as discord began pumping the air like like they were balloons. The two ponies began to expand in size with each pump. Their armor flew off and they slowly began to lift into the air. Their limbs became fat and malleable and Discord quickly tied strings around their lips. The ponies rose up and began bobbing and bouncing in the air as he gleefully held on to their strings with a satisfied smile.

“There we go. I hope neither of you have to sneeze, you might just pop!” Discord said and began cackling maniacally.

“That was creative, I’ll give you that,” Dawn Treader commented as the three others approached him. “Now what about the barrier?”

“Ah yes, I almost forgot,” Discord said and put both his hands on the barrier wall. He took a deep breath in and pushed his power into the barrier as hard as he could. Even with his considerable power as the lord of chaos, he still strained to outdo Twilight’s protective magic. Finally, with a grunt, the barrier began to crack. With another push, the barrier shattered like glass and began to evaporate from the bottom up. When Discord was satisfied with his work, he clapped his hands together and gestured to Twilight’s castle.

“There, You see? As easy as . . . oh darn,” he said with a sigh and looked upwards. He let go of the two guardpony-balloons when undoing the barrier and they began drifting into the sky above them. Their muffled cries of disapproval were barely audible, but they still made Discord chuckle.

“Alright, off you go. I’m going to see if I can find a spot to watch and munch on some popcorn. Good luck in there everypony,” he said and in a flash of magic he created a hot air balloon in the form of his face. He waved a handkerchief at the three of them as he sailed upward into the sky. Milla Nare scoffed.

“First thing I do with those Elements is turn that fool into a statue,” she snickered.

The three carefully made their way to the door, where Dawn Treader began to pick the lock. His horn glowed a vibrant color of green as he silently began to work the lock open. Without a sound, he pushed on the doors and they began to swing open. The three of them looked down the dark and empty corridor looking for any extra guards. Warmonger turned to the griffon and gestured to the ceiling.

“As quietly as you can, fly up there and see if you can see any lookouts. Also see if you can find the throne room,” he whispered to her. She silently pushed off the ground and flew towards the arches that lined the ceiling. She carefully used her claws to cling to the highest corner of the wall and peered over the corridor. The building was magnificent and grand. She decided that she’d build one twice as tall with all the money in Canterlot after this was all over.

The other two quietly closed the door behind them and kept as low as they could, staying in the shadows. They remained absolutely silent and kept their eyes on Milla Nare. She spotted the biggest set of doors in the entire building, which had to lead to the throne room. She waved the ponies towards her and quietly glided down to the floor in front of the massive doors. The other two quickly joined her and waited as the doors began to quietly swing open.

The room was even more grand than the corridor. On the floor was a large golden circle inlayed with a white star. Around this circle were great stone thrones with cutiemarks on each. Milla Nare noticed the beautiful stained-glass windows lining each wall. Dawn Treader was beside himself as he observed Twilight’s throne. Warmonger’s eyes fell on a chest that lay beside her throne on the floor. His eyes went green as he approached the center of the room. The other two followed, keeping their eyes on the chest as well. Warmonger used his magic to snap the metal lock off the hinge and threw it open. The white unicorn smiled as he observed the pieces inside. Inside the chest were 5 crafted necklaces surrounding a tiara, each holding a centerpiece jewel in the form of various shapes. He saw an apple on one of them, a butterfly on another, and eagerly observed the crown piece in the center. That one is mine, he thought, and pulled it out of the chest with his magic.

“Now, Pinkie!” a voice called out.

The three of them wheeled their heads around to see Applejack pulling on a rope and staring them down like an angry timberwolf. A series of cranks and spinning rope sprung into action and the floor rose up around them. The golden circle in the center of the floor rose up like cloth and folded up around them. The rope that lined the outside pulled towards the center and quickly bagged all three perpetrators lifting them up a few feet in the air. The three of them protested and kicked and jabbed at the sack holding them up like a amoebic piñata. From the top of the rope that held them up, Pinkie cried out with joy.

“Weeee!” she cheered as she fell from the ceiling. A large metal cage fell along with her, using the rope as a guide downward. Just as Milla Nare began to claw and tear at the bag holding them up, the massive cage fell to the ground with a loud crash. The cage lodged itself into the marble floor beneath it and a bouncing pink pony sprung up from the top of the cage and smiled at her three foolish playmates.

“Like catchin' a rabbit in the lettuce garden,” Applejack said with a nod.

“Good work AJ and Pinkie,” Twilight called out from the door. She stood proudly by the doors wearing the bright blue sapphire as a pendant on her neck. She was accompanied by the rest of her team behind her, all gazing at the fumbling criminals in their cage. The room was still shrouded in darkness, and it was hard to make out who was where. Twilight looked back through the door to the throne room and nodded at Princess Luna, who stayed in the corridor.

Her horn lit up and a beam of lavender light began emanating from her horn and shooting up to the ceiling. A pale purple veil drifted over the walls, windows, and doors before finally reaching the floor. The spell lit the entire throne room up brighter with a mixture of moonlight and Twilight’s Magic. Just as the spell finished, Milla Nare ripped open the sack with her claws and the flew towards the cage, beating on it angrily. Dawn treader picked himself off the ground and looked around in confusion. Warmonger calmly walked towards the edge of the cage and scowled at the figures in front of him. All 6 ponies gathered near the door and leered at him.

“That traitorous little creaton!” Milla Nare shouted. “I’ll have his antlers in my trophy room!” The ponies that gathered around Twilight cocked their heads in confusion.

“Where is he? Discord!” Dawn Treader shouted as he pounded against the cage wall. Just then, a low voice boomed out over the throne room and reverberated on the walls.

“Oh come now, silly pony. I did everything I promised. If you remember correctly, I said I’d help you get in. Well here you are!” the voice boomed and in a flash, a stained-glass portrait of Discord appeared in the window, looming over the spectacle before him. He gave a hearty laugh and spun around in circles a few times.

“Thank you, Discord,” Twilight said with a gracious bow. The other ponies gasped at the princess.

“Always a pleasure, Princess Twilight,” he said and the glass form bowed in her direction.

“You mean you had Discord in on this the whole time?” Rainbow Dash protested.

“Of course. I had Fluttershy ask him to help out. We needed this trap to be believable, and this way we knew exactly when they were coming,” Twilight explained. “I know it is hard for you all to trust him after that battle with Tirek, but I had faith in him,” she finished. Fluttershy walked over to the window where Discord was and smiled at him.

“Thank you ever so much, Discord,” she said graciously.

“Anything for you, my dear,” he said and smiled back.

“You didn’t hurt the guards outside, did you?” she asked patiently. Discord gave a nervous chuckle.

“Well, perhaps I had a little too much fun. They’re not hurt, but they might be feeling a little deflated in the morning. I promise I’ll apologize to them when I get chance,” Discord said with a smile.

“Discord,” Fluttershy scolded, “Did you turn them into something unnatural?”

“Well, aha you see . . .” he started, then sighed with a frown, “I’ll go turn them back.”

“And make sure you apologize too,” she said and smiled.

“Of course, Fluttershy. I want to hear all about what happens at tea-time tomorrow. Good luck to you all!” he said with a wink, and in another flash the agent of chaos vanished.

“Argh!” Milla Nare said and pounded against the cage once more. Warmonger was surprisingly calm in all of this. He simply walked over to where the Elements had scattered and floated up the crown to his head. He also donned Rarity’s necklace before floating the other necklaces to his cohorts.

“You are all fools to lock us in here with these,” he said coldly. “I hope you have found a magic more powerful than the elements, Princess Twilight,” he said and lit his horn with his magic. A smile grew on his face as he began summoning the power of the Elements of Harmony.

Rainbow Dash could not hold in her giddy laughter.

“Bwahahaha!” she cried out and fell to the floor. Rarity was the next to speak.

“I apologize, but you’ll find those to be quite useless to you. Convincing replicas, are they not?” she said and proudly smirked at her craftsmanship.

Warmonger’s eyes went wide as he peered down to his necklace. He tugged at it with his hoof, and the metal snapped into two pieces before falling to the floor. A rage began to build up inside him as his eyes flew towards Twilight. He angrily shook the crown off his head as it toppled to the floor.

“Alright girls! Let’s finish this. Ready?” she called out.

“Ready!” they all cheered in unison. Twilight raised her head and her horn ignited in a purple aura of magic. She strained and focused on the memory of using the Elements of Harmony the first time. Her horn got brighter and brighter as the sounds of swirling power began to get louder. She looked at the three criminals who stared back at her angrily. One more breath and she pushed hard to throw her spell towards them.

Her horn sputtered and suddenly darkened. The magic aura from around her horn dissipated and the sound of her magic died out.

“What?” she said and looked up at her horn. The rest of them looked at her expectantly. She gave her spell another try and again nothing happened.

“Well, this has been a fun show, but I’d say it’s time for us to get started,” Warmonger said calmly and gestured to the other two in the cage with him.

“The spell isn’t working!” Twilight said frantically.

“Allow us to show you how we continuously escape capture from the Night Watch,” Warmonger said and took Dawn Treader and Milla Nare in his hooves by the neck. In a flash of his magic, they all vanished from inside the cage and reappeared standing on top of it. The three of them gazed down angrily at the 6 ponies below them. Milla Nare growled and gripped the cage in her claws as if preparing to pounce. Twilight’s eyes widened as she feared what would happen next.

“If you please,” Warmonger said to Milla. With that, she leapt from her perch and began charging the 6 ponies, heading directly for Twilight. She roared angrily as she bounded forward. Rainbow Dash and Applejack firmly stood on either side of her, preparing for impact. Just before Twilight was about to throw a blast of her magic at the griffon, another roar was heard from their side.

In a blur, Spike leapt out from the shadows and tackled the charging griffon, taking them both off of their feet. They both snarled and clawed at each other as they rolled and wrestled on the hard ground. She bit down hard on Spike’s shoulder and he groaned in pain loudly. He then took her face in his claws and spun her around wildly before throwing her back towards the other two ponies. He heaved a heavy breath and looked back at his six friends.

“Keep working on the spell!” he called out. “I’ll buy you some time. The rest of you, stick to Twilight!” he said and lept back towards his enemies.

“Spike!” Twilight called out. Applejack and Rainbow Dash cut her off and stood protectively between the fight and her.

“Keep working on the spell, Twilight. We’ll help him out if he needs it,” Rainbow Dash reassured her. She watched as Dawn Treader and Warmonger took positions on either side of Spike as Milla began wrestling with him again. She took a deep breath and continued to focus on her magic.

“I take it you are the one who brought the Night Watch upon us?” Warmonger asked coldly.

“He stole Twilight from me!” Dawn treader shouted.

Spike growled as he pushed Milla off of him once more. She flew back and stood challengingly a few yards from him. Spike was in the center of the circle of thrones as each of them slowly advanced on him. His eyes darted from one side to the other quickly, searching for an opening. He growled wickedly as he curled his wings and bared his fangs.

Chapter 14: Assault on Twilight's Kingdom pt. 2

Spike Smiled.

“Hey bird-brain,” he taunted, “if you’re going to bite dragon scales, you should at least put some effort into it.” Milla Nare growled at him angrily and lunged forward beak-first. Spike dipped low and swiveled around quickly. He whipped his tail up as he turned and struck Milla in her side just as she was about to land another bite. She tumbled to the side and flew right onto an unsuspecting Dawn Treader who rolled back and hit the wall in a ball of fur and feathers.

Spike turned and faced the charging Warmonger who pounced forward with his horn sharpened with his magic. Spike took a quick breath through his nose and opened his mouth wide. An excruciatingly bright green light appeared from his mouth like the flash of a camera. Warmonger groaned as the light burned into his eyes and disoriented him madly. Spike stepped to the side as the lunging stallion tripped and tumbled past him, skidding to a stop beside the other two.

Dawn Treader angrily leapt forward next and blasted bolts of magic from his horn at Spike. The dragon took shelter behind one of the thrones and dodged his blasts. Milla Nare flew up towards the ceiling and swirled down towards Spike with her claws drawn. Spike leapt into the air and began furiously beating his wings. He flew up and veered to one side as Milla narrowly missed his back. She quickly turned around and began chasing him in circles around the throne room wildly.

Twilight watched as Spike evaded the griffon and spun through the air while Dawn Treader began firing more blasts at him from the ground. She didn’t understand why her spell had not worked. She focused as hard as she could, attempting to catalyze the magic of friendship again and again, but continuously failed. She saw Spike loop around in the air avoiding magic and claws that came closer and closer to him.

Spike turned quickly, letting his tail guide him from one direction to another, as he continued to play cat and mouse with them. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of him and Warmonger appeared in the air with his hoof raised. Spike tried to slow down but he was too close to dodge. Warmonger grunted loudly and threw his hoof forward, colliding with Spike’s cheek with a thud.

“Oomf” Spike grunted as the stallion’s hoof met his face. Warmonger teleported again out of the air and back on the ground, watching Spike begin to spin out of control. Dawn Treader blasted again with his horn, which collided with Spike’s back as he tumbled from the air. Spike spun dizzyingly before throwing his wings out and veering upwards just before colliding to the ground. He rolled and tumbled on the ground as he skidded to a stop. Looking up, he could see Milla Nare diving for him yet again. Just before she reached him, a blue set of hooves kicked her side and she flew towards the wall again.

“I call dibs on the griffon!” Rainbow Dash cried out and flying towards Milla.

“I’ll get the creepy fella,” Applejack called and began charging Dawn Treader. Spike smiled as he looked back at Twilight, who kept her eyes closed as her horn began glowing brighter. He stood up and looked around for Warmonger, scanning the ground for him. Another flash sparked beside him and Warmonger appeared rearing his back legs up and striking Spike with painful kick.

“Would you quit that?!” Spike cried out as he regained his balance. Warmonger disappeared again and reappeared in a flash behind him. This time, Spike ducked down low and dodged his kick. He continued to teleport to Spike’s blind spot, but pretty soon Spike got the hang of ducking and jumping when he heard a flash from his backside. When Spike saw a flash from his left, he took a deep breath and roared out a blast of green flame towards the stallion. Warmonger used his magic to shield himself from the flames, then looked at Spike with narrow eyes.

Twilight’s heart was racing. She wanted to jump in and help her three friends, but Pinkie and Rarity held her back.

“It isn't working!" she cried out.

"Remember your friends!" She heard Princess Luna say from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the blue alicorn just outside the magic barrier she placed. "Remember what happened when you defeated me! It was your friends!" she called out.

"The spell, Twilight. You can do it,” Rarity reassured her.

“Yeah Twilight! We’re all here for you!” Pinkie piped in. She looked back hesitantly at her friends fighting off the Miasmic ponies and griffon. Rainbow Dash taunted Milla as she flew circles around her. Applejack bucked at Dawn Treader who skillfully ducked and dodged her blows from side to side. Spike’s fight with Warmonger was a series of bright flashes of teleportation magic mixed with the occasional green light of Spike’s fire. The other three of her friends stood close by, ready in case one of them made a move for Twilight.

That’s it, she thought. She’s been focusing on the Elements of Harmony this whole time, and not on her friends individually. She remembered how the first time she used the magic of friendship to defeat Nightmare Moon, she listed off her friends and their power one at a time.

“Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, I’ll need you to join the fight,” she said.

“What?” Fluttershy gasped.

“We’ll need them all at the center for this to work. When I give the signal, see if you can surprise them,” she said and gestured to the star at the center of the room. Rarity and Fluttershy hesitated, but agreed after they saw that Pinkie had already vanished. They quietly circled the fight, staying near the wall, until they were close to either Spike, Rainbow Dash, or Applejack. Twilight started flaring up her magic once more, this time focusing on each one of her friends.

Honesty

Spike launched himself forward towards Warmonger, who promptly vanished again in a flash and reappeared on top of the cage again. Something was odd. The orange pony that was fighting off Dawn Treader began glowing.

Kindness

Dawn Treader took an apple-orchard buck straight to the chest and flew backwards, landing in one of the thrones with a smack. He looked up at his opponent, who was glowing orange like a firefly. His eyes went wide as he noticed a cowering yellow pegasus behind her, who also started to glow.

Laughter

Warmonger noticed each of the ponies starting to glow brighter. He looked around frantically, then noticed that Twilight was alone near the entrance, chanting something. Her horn was glowing as well, much brighter than before. He realized what was happening and dove off of the cage and rushed towards Twilight. Before he could get close, Spike flew over and dove on top of him, keeping a firm grip around his waist.

“No you don’t!” he said as Warmonger tried to buck him off.

Generosity

Warmonger teleported closer to Twilight, but Spike stayed with him and wrestled him to the ground. The two of them strained and pushed against each other while growling ferociously. Spike eventually pinned the white unicorn by wrapping his tail around his neck. Just before Spike could cover his mouth, Warmonger called out.

“Get the princess!” he cried to Dawn Treader and Milla Nare. They both began rushing Twilight as well. As Milla Nare hurtled towards her, Spike breathed out a blast of fire towards the griffon while struggling to keep Warmonger pinned. The griffon easily dodged the fire blast, but was quickly stopped when Rainbow Dash tackled her as well. The blue pegasus struck hard at her beak while Milla Nare swiped at her with her claws, roaring madly.

Loyalty

As Rainbow Dash began to glow a bright shade of blue, Dawn Treader dodged his opponent’s strikes left and right but was backpedaling towards the wall. Applejack continued to throw jab after jab until he was cut off from any more retreat.

Milla Nare snarled at Rainbow Dash who stood between her and Twilight. She began to step backwards looking for an opening. Rainbow Dash's bright blue aura reflected in Milla’s eyes.

“What is going on!?” Milla Near cried out.

At that moment, Warmonger jabbed upwards with his hoof into Spike’s ribs, catching him off guard. Spike loosened his grip with his tail and the stallion stood up and broke free from Spike’s grip. He began rushing towards Twilight again.

Magic

“Now!” Twilight called out and opened her eyes. She was glowing a brilliant shade of purple, which allowed her to clearly see Warmonger only a few feet from her, charging with the intent to kill. Just then, Rarity jumped in between Twilight and the advancing stallion and reared her legs up, kicking him straight in the chin. He flew backwards into Spike’s grip.

Milla Nare took one more step back from Rainbow Dash, but felt her leg back into something soft. She looked down in surprise and saw a glowing Fluttershy covering her head with her hooves. Rainbow dash used this opportunity to give the griffon one more thick shove, and she fell over Fluttershy with a thud. The two pegasi then kicked the downed griffon hard, sending her sliding into the center of the room.

Applejack had her opponent backed up as far as he could go. Dawn Treader prepared to launch one more blast of magic at his opponent. Suddenly, Applejack smiled and ducked her head as low as she could. Confused, the yellow unicorn turned around to see a glowing Pinkie Pie smiling giddy at him. In front of her was a bright blue cannon aimed point-blank directly at his chest. She giggled once more, then fired the cannon in an explosion of balloons, confetti, and streamers. Dawn Treader was sent flying backwards to the middle of the room where he landed on a dazed Milla Nare.

Spike gripped the white unicorn as hard as he could, then leaned himself backwards and heaved. Warmonger was sent careening backwards towards the thrones. He then teleported one last time and landed safely on his hooves facing the dragon and glowing ponies. He growled at his opponents and prepared to charge them again, when he noticed his two companions in a dazed heap lying just behind him.

“No . . .” he muttered, and turned back to Twilight.

Twilight’s eyes were each emitting a blinding white light as the sounds of swirling magic began to fill the room. The ponies all glowed so brightly that they began to completely illuminate the throne room with their colorful elemental magic.

Twilight took a deep breath, then cast her spell.

Each of the glowing ponies emitted a powerful blast of magic towards the center of the room from all directions. The three would-be burglars were swept up into a spiraling and twisting ribbon in the form of a rainbow. The light was so bright that Spike covered his eyes and kept his head low. The room began to shake with the swirling power at the center. The cries of Dawn Treader, Milla Nare, and Warmonger could be heard as each of them spun madly at the epicenter of the spell.

Finally, a loud crack echoed through the room and the light’s from the room died out all at once. Spike looked around. The room was dark again, except for the moonlight cascading through the windows. The sound of powerful magic was replaced with the heavy breathing of each of his friends. He looked around and saw the same three faces he fought not seconds ago peering around the room in fear.

“What’s going on? Where am I?” Dawn Treader said shakily.

Spike smiled and turned to Twilight. She had a hoof to her head and was staggering to retain her balance. He flew over to her and took her face in his hands.

“Twilight. Hey, you still here?” he said giving her a light shake.

“Spike?” she said in a daze. The image of his face began to come into focus.

“You did it Twilight!” he said and pointed back towards the three figures laying in dazed confusion a few yards away. She took a second to recover her thoughts, then bolted upright. They weren’t done yet.

“The Miasma!” she cried out and pointed to the ceiling. Spike followed her hoof and looked up to see what she was pointing at. A pale green cloud of dust and lights was swirling around slowly at the top of the room. It flowed from side to side as it glowed in the night with a terrible sickening moan following it.

“Use the gem!” he cried and pointed to the sapphire that hung around her neck. Her horn lit up with magic and she fired her spell towards the cloud of greed. The Miasma ducked to the side as her spell hit the ceiling, then swirled around quickly and sporadically. Twilight launched more spells at it as quickly as she could. The cloud dipped and juked back and forth, heading towards the window. As soon as it made contact with the glass, a bright purple barrier sprang up and cast it backwards into the air. The cloud seemed to shriek then rushed the other window, where it was promptly thrown back again.

“Hold still!” She shouted and fired another spell at it. It ducked low and swirled around on the ground.

A second later, the cloud rushed towards them with explosive speed. Twilight tried to cast a spell at it to halt its advance, but there was someone in the way. With a sick panic in her stomach, she realized what was happening.

“Spike!” she called out, but was too late.

The cloud enveloped the dragon and swirled around him like a swarm of angry bees. The room began to shake and shudder as the Miasma took hold of him. Twilight saw the cloud seep into his skin like osmosis and Spike’s eyes immediately started glowing white.

“Aaagh!” Spike howled as the searing pain in his head grew with each passing second. He cringed and clutched at his chest as the green cloud began to swirl around him faster and faster. He cried out and began writhing in agony, tumbling to the ground. The Miasma continued to swirl around him and loud cracks of thunder shook the room.

“Spike!” Twilight called out again. She rushed forward to help him, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash.

“Look out!” she cried as Spike began spouting flames from his mouth, attempting to fight off the enemy in his head. The flames narrowly missed the two of them and continued to burn in short spurts. He continued to growl and shout on the ground while she watched helplessly.

“What can we do?” Rarity called out from behind her.

"Get ready. We'll perform the same spell on him," she said and lit her horn again.

“No!” Luna cried from outside the door. “If you perform the spell on him before it has taken hold, he could be killed!”

“But if it takes him over, he could grow into a giant dragon again and destroy the building! Then we won’t be able to use it at all!” Applejack cried out. Twilight could not bear the thought of either happening. She turned back to her writhing friend and thought about what to do. What could she do?

Just then, she heard a strange voice coming from Spike. It was loud and demonic, like a group of terrible voices instead of just one. The strange terrifying voice was coming from Spike’s mouth. His face was twisted into a devilish smile.

“You are a fool, dragon,” the voice chanted loudly. “You have the power to take what you want, yet you do not use it. Such a fool!” Just then, his face switched back to a fearful agonizing expression.

“Stop it . . .” Spike said in his natural voice. Twilight soon picked up on what was happening.

“Fight it Spike!” she shouted. The demonic voice began speaking for him again.

“You think you are even wanted here?” it spat angrily. “You are a tool to be used and thrown away by that insolent mare.”

“That's not true,” Spike’s voice cut back in. The Miasma then laughed loudly in a low cackle.

“How could she ever love you? Why on earth would she want you?” it taunted.

“Go away!” Spike screamed.

Applejack cheered out Spike’s name in support. The others soon joined in and began shouting at the struggling dragon to beat back the Miasma. Twilight was about to join them when she heard the low voice speak again.

“You are nothing but a servant to her. She will desert you and you will be on your own. Love you? Ha! She will sooner fall in love with her mailbox,” the voice cackled. Twilight raised her hoof to her mouth as tears began to emerge from her eyes.

He means me, she thought.

Spike cried out in pain again and reached out with his arm towards Twilight. His face looked at her and showed nothing but fear. His eyes were broken and streaming with tears. She was frozen where she stood, completely unable to help her suffering friend.

“The only way you’ll ever get what you want . . . is if you TAKE IT!” the voice bellowed and Spike’s body launched towards Twilight with blinding speed. She gasped as he looked down at her menacingly with his eyes glowing bright white. She looked right at him and cried out his name in fear. His claws reached up and clasped the blue gemstone around her neck, and yanked it off of the necklace with a snap.

“No!” Luna called out and began firing up her own spell to take down the magic barrier. She was much too late. Twilight watched as the possessed body of Spike raised the sapphire up to his mouth and licked his chops.

“Delicious,” the voice called out and Spike’s hand raised it above his head with his mouth wide open. If he ate the gem, there would be nothing to stop the Miasma from escaping. Twilight called out his name loudly one more time.

“Spike!” she cried. Then she heard something odd in response. Something that confused her. Something that sounded strangely familiar.

Laughing. But not the Miasma’s voice laughing. It was Spike. She heard Spike’s unmistakable laughter coming from his face as he eyed the sapphire in his hands. Spike's face softened as a faint but lovable smile inched into his cheeks.

“You think because I'm a dragon that I'm a greedy guy, huh?” Spike said with a chuckle.

“What?” the voice called out. Spike brought the sapphire down and held in in both of his palms, looking directly at Twilight again. This time instead of agony, his face was rather comforting. He smiled like he was seeing a friend for the first time in ages.

“Controlling my greed was the first trick I learned, dummy. Want to see the next one?” he said and narrowed his gaze. Spike took a deep breath with his mouth open wide and looked at the sapphire that lay in his hands.

In one smooth motion, he emptied his breath out onto his palms in a rush of steam and blinding light. The voice cried out and began to fade as his breath began to seep into the gemstone. His breath soon turned into the same green foggy color as the Miasma. The cloud swirled in front of him and quickly absorbed into the gem as the last cries of the dark voice faded completely. Spike’s eyes closed as he grasped the gem in his hand tightly and bowed his head down. His body dropped back down on all fours and stood very still.

All was silent. The throne room began to feel very still as the only light visible was the moonlight coming in from the windows. The ponies that surrounded Spike waited quietly for the dragon to say something else. Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked at each other nervously, before looking back at Spike. Applejack and Fluttershy stood near the door with their eyes wide, holding their breath. Rainbow Dash stood near Twilight, ready to jump in should something go wrong. Princess Luna finally finished undoing the barrier and ran inside to stand next to Applejack and Fluttershy. Her wings stood at attention, ready as well to fight if necessary.

Twilight raised her head and looked directly at her assistant, whose head remained low and whose eyes remained closed. She saw him breath calmly as his chest rose and fell softly. After nearly a minute, she put her hoof on his shoulder.

“Spike?” she said softly. He began to raise his head and slowly open his eyes. The white light was gone and his loving eyes looked over Twilight as his head rose up to hers.

“Next time, can we get Luna to do that part?” he said weakly and smiled at her.

"Spike," she gasped and lunged at him. Her heart nearly jumped at the sight of seeing her dragon back to his old self. She threw her arms up around his neck and held him close. She buried her cheek into his neck and let a few stray tears fall onto his shoulders. Spike lightly laughed and brought one arm around Twilight and pulled her closer. She felt that same comforting warmth again, and this time she held on to it as tightly as she could.

“Spike!” the others chanted and wrapped his shaking body into an group embrace. Spike laughed as his friends surrounded him and held him tightly from all directions. He sat with his head just above them all and reached his tail around pulling them in closer. Spike felt each one of his friends hold him close and sighed happily as he held onto Twilight with one hand. The other held the Miasma of greed, forever bound in a beautiful blue stone.

Author's Note

Let me know your thoughts, comments, or favorite parts.

As always, thanks for reading.

Chapter 15: Comfort

The Night Watch soon arrived at Twilight’s castle as the morning approached. A host of pegasi in dark blue armor filled Twilight’s corridors. They helped clear the wreckage of the fight in the throne room and closely interrogated the three captured criminals. Shortly after they arrived, Princess Luna began explaining to the criminals what had happened and how they ended up in Twilight’s castle.

The fake Elements of Harmony lay sprawled out in pieces all over the floor. Parts of some of the thrones were cracked while others were broken. The cage used to trap the intruders was still lodged into the floor next to where the ponies and griffon woke dazed and confused.

The stone containing the Miasma was kept locked in a small box that Princess Luna kept by her side at all times. She floated the box with her magic and carried it wherever she walked. It took some time to explain the situation, but the three criminals eventually understood what had happened.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie left to inform the mayor of what had transpired, so the rest of Ponyville could be informed as well. Fluttershy left to get some rest, as did Rarity. She commented on how horrid Twilight’s throne room looked after the fight, and promised that she’d be there to oversee the reconstruction. Rainbow Dash stood with the Night Watch keeping an eye on the former criminals.

Twilight stood in the corridor gazing out the window as the sun began to rise. It was a long night and her body ached, but she still had no trouble keeping her eyes open. The events of the past few hours replayed in her mind over and over from her initial failure to use the Elements of Harmony magic to Spike’s fight with the Miasma. Her mind was lost in a trance for a moment before being cut short by Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, Twilight. You doing ok?” she asked with concern in her face.

“Oh, yeah I’m alright. I’m just tired and a little dizzy from what’s happened. What’s up?” she said sincerely.

“They want to speak with you,” Rainbow Dash said and gestured behind her. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Warmonger, Dawn Treader, and Milla looking at her sheepishly from the doorway to the throne room.

“Why?” she asked.

“I think they want to apologize. I asked them some goading questions, but last night they responded totally differently when I taunted them, so they might really be different. I still don’t trust ‘em, but if you want to, I’ll stay nearby to make sure they don’t try anything. It’s your call,” Rainbow Dash said and waited for Twilight’s reply.

After thinking it over for a moment, Twilight agreed and nodded her head. The three of them walked towards her single-file and held their heads low. Dawn Treader was the first to face Twilight. The other two held back and waited patiently for their turn. Rainbow Dash stood beside him, keeping close watch with her wings splayed.

“Your highness,” he started with a grand bow, “I’m so sorry for everything I said and did. You have every right to throw me in a dungeon for the rest of my days.” Twilight smiled and shook her head.

“Don’t be silly. I know you weren’t in control of yourself, Dawn Treader,” she said sincerely.

“That’s another thing, your majesty. My name isn’t Dawn. I believe I made that name up to fit you better. You see, I rather . . . admired you from afar for quite a while, but I never meant to hurt anypony,” he said bashfully. Twilight brought her head up in surprise.

“What is your real name?” she asked.

“Book Keeper, your highness. I’m an accountant from Manehattan,” he said with another bow.

“It is very nice to meet you Book Keeper. I’m sorry but . . .” Twilight thought about how to do this gently. “You’ll need to find another special somepony for yourself.”

“I understand, princess,” he said apologetically. “Guess foalnapping isn’t exactly my best foot forward, huh?”

“Don’t worry, Book Keeper. You will find a mare that is right for you. But love is not about having a marefriend that will impress others. I believe that is a kind of greed that the Miasma was drawn to. Instead, find a pony out there who loves you for being you. You'll find that things like status, wealth, and fame will not matter in the slightest,” she said and smiled at him.

“Thank you princess,” the stallion said softly. With another bow, he turned and made his way back to the throne room. Rainbow Dash gave him a skeptical look as he walked away. Milla Nare was next.

“Hi, Princess Twilight,” the griffon said nervously. “My name is actually Felicia. I’m sorry I trashed your place. And beat up your friends, and threatened you, and wanted to ransom you, and tried to peck your eyes out, and—“

“—Felicia, it is alright,” Twilight silenced her raising her hoof. “I know you weren’t your real self. But the Miasma affects those with greed in their hearts, so I must warn you that letting your desires run your life can ruin it, if you’re not careful.”

“Yeah, heh,” she said and scratched the back of her head nervously. “I like bits a little too much. My friends tell me I should have been born a dragon. You’re lucky to have one that doesn’t go nuts over gold,” she said and turned to follow Book Keeper towards the Night Watch. Finally it was Warmonger’s turn. She noticed right away that there was something much different about him. His posture was still tall and proud, but his eyes were now a light hazel color instead of green.

“My princess,” he said and bowed his head to the floor, “I cannot begin to describe my regret for—“

“—What is your name?” Twilight cut him off. She was expecting the same rhetoric from him that she received from the others. He stood and blinked at her.

“Almanac, your highness’,” he said and smartly bowed again.

“Hello Almanac. Do you know why this all happened?” she asked.

“I . . . I was overtaken by greed, according to Princess Luna. My entire life has been spent in search of great knowledge. I understand now that I was swept away by knowledge that made me powerful. I shall never let myself fall to such a level again,” he confessed. Twilight could tell that he was a colt who took himself very seriously. But it was good to see he took apologies very seriously as well.

“Don’t worry, Almanac. The Miasma is safely put away, but the greed in your heart must be handled yourself,” she consoled.

“But princess,” he said and perked up again. “How can I abandon my knowledge of power without forsaking myself? I am an explorer of knowledge and wisdom, and I cannot be myself without doing so. Yet, I cannot let myself succumb to greed again. What must I do? ” Twilight cocked her head in confusion. She didn’t really understand what he was asking. She remarked how his way with words reminded her of Princess Celestia. She thought about his question for a moment and then remembered what Spike had done to defeat his own greed.

“Remember the ponies that are important to you. Keep your family and friends close. They will be the ones that can pull you back, should you stray. If you can do that, you will be just fine,” she reassured him and smiled. He bowed for a third time, thanked her for her wisdom, and turned back towards the others. Twilight smiled and told herself to remember the encounter. She truly felt like a princess and was still herself as well. That was rare for her, and moments like that were worth remembering.

“Well, that was boring,” Rainbow Dash remarked. She turned and followed the three of them back into the thrown room, passing by Princess Luna on the way. Twilight saw the princess of the night walking towards her. Her face was lit brightly by the orange sunrise that draped over their faces.

“You did very well, Princess Twilight,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you, Princess Luna, for all of your guidance tonight,” she said looking up to the blue Alicorn.

“I only wish I could have helped more,” she said with a frown. “You are very lucky to have such good friends, and an assistant as capable as Spike.” Twilight agreed. At the thought of Spike, she realized that she had not seen him for some time.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“I believe he has flown back to Canterlot with Knight Wing to inform my sister of tonight’s events,” she said gesturing towards Canterlot with her hoof.

“Really? Did he say when he’d be coming back?” she asked, worried that Spike was too fatigued to fly that far without sleep.

“He did not say. They left without much word,” Luna replied with a hoof to her chin. Twilight frowned and stared back out the window thinking of Spike and worrying about him feverishly. She nearly lost him during the battle, yet he still smiled when it was all over. “Princess,” Luna spoke up after a moment. “I heard what the Miasma said through him.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she remembered the demonic voice and the way it taunted Spike. She remembered his face as he reached out for her, and the thought alone was enough to nearly bring her back to tears. She could only look down to avoid looking her in the eye.

“What Spike feels towards you or vise versa is not my concern. But I will say this, princess. A dragon of his caliber is rare, and a friend like him is even more so. To lose him for any reason would be a crime and a tragedy,” she said slowly. With that, the princess turned and began walking back towards the door. Twilight thought about what she said, then raised her hoof to stop her.

“Princess?” she called out.

“Yes?”

“Is . . . is such a thing possible?” she asked quietly. She was afraid to describe what she meant any further than that. She trembled as she anticipated her reply. Luna simply smiled. Her expression went from being very serious to caring and understanding.

“Twilight Sparkle, you of all ponies should know by now. Anything is possible with the love of your friends,” she said. After another moment, Princess Luna turned and walked out the door towards her chariot. The two Night Watchers that stood at the ready nodded at her and took off towards Canterlot. Twilight watched her sail up into the sky and gradually vanish from view.

Knight Wing knocked three times on Spike’s quarters near the observatory. The dragon had accompanied him to inform Princess Celestia of the night’s events and flew all the way to Canterlot to do it. Yet Spike hardly spent a minute speaking with the princess before flying off in a hurry. Knight Wing was on his way to scold him for being so rude to a Princess, but could not seem to track him down.

“Hey kiddo! You asleep in there?” he said with another knock. The door was still locked, so he moved to the window and peered inside. There was no sign that Spike was there or that he even returned at all. Knight wing turned and decided to check the observatory. He made his way inside the secret entrance and looked for any sign of his purple-scaled pupil.

The observatory was extremely bright during the day. The sun beamed through the dome glass ceiling and lit the entire library from the top to the bottom. The third floor felt warm with the sunlight radiating the floors and walls as the morning progressed. Knight Wing walked to the edge of the platform overlooking the rest of the library and searched for Spike.

Sure enough, sitting at one of the desks on the bottom floor was Spike quickly flipping through pages of an old book. His head darted back and forth as he searched for something. Knight Wing rolled his eyes and leapt over the side of the platform, gliding down to the bottom floor where Spike sat and studied.

“Kiddo,” he called out after landing. Spike didn’t turn or acknowledge him at all. Knight Wing furrowed his brow and stood right beside him.

“Hey, salamander!” he said loudly. Spike finally came to his senses and perked his head up. “Ignoring your teacher is rude on one level, but leaving an audience with the Princess before being excused is especially bone-headed, even for you.”

“Sorry,” Spike said quickly. “I’ll write her a letter in apology. But I wasn’t ignoring you. I just didn’t hear you come in,” he said and looked back at the book on the desk.

“You’re lucky you’re on good terms with all four princesses. What’s got you in such a funk anyway?” he asked and looked over his shoulder. Spike was diving through pages of The Sage’s Lyric.

“I’ve just been curious about something and I’m hoping Aurora has the answers,” Spike said trying to brush him off.

“You must have read that book three times by now. What’re you looking for?”

“It’s just . . . dragon stuff, you know?” Spike said with a sigh.

“Dragon stuff,” Knight Wing echoed. Spike stared at the page in front of him, but his eyes weren’t reading. Something distracted him and seemed to take his mind back away from any shambles of a conversation he was having with Knight Wing. The colt decided he had enough of Spike’s sulking.

“Spit it out, kiddo. What’s going on?” he commanded. Spike looked up at him and reluctantly babbled out in response.

“It’s just . . . well, I don’t know if Aurora ever found a special somepony,” he began. Knight Wing began laughing right away and clopped a hoof down on the ground.

“So it’s mare trouble?” he said bewildered. The stallion brought up one of his wings and closed the book with a clap. “Trust me, you won’t find anything in there that’ll help you.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do? It’s not like there are any other dragons around I can ask,” Spike argued.

“Okay, okay, take it easy. Who’s this mare you’re after?” he said and smiled. Spike looked back at his desk and thought for a moment.

“Well, for the longest time I’ve had this crush on somepony in Ponyville,” Spike began.

“And did she turn you down?” he asked.

“No, I just . . . I don’t know. I guess I realized that the only reason I ever had that crush was because I thought she was pretty. Don’t get me wrong; she’s generous and kind. But I realized that we had little in common and that I was not really myself around her. I only ever did what she wanted, not what I would normally do, and I’m not sure love is supposed to work that way,” he confessed and rubbed his scales sheepishly.

“Well it sounds to me like you got that all figured out,” Knight Wing pointed out.

“Well . . . there’s another mare,” he said bashfully. Knight Wing resisted the urge to poke fun at him for two-timing his crush. Instead he patiently waited for the dragon to continue.

“But I don’t even know if it’s even possible! Can dragons even have marefriends? Plus, she’s one of my closest friends. I would never ruin that for anything. If all I can do is hide it, than I’d rather do that than lose her as a friend. But even so, I’m still curious,” Spike finished and gestured back to The Sage’s Lyric. He looked defeated and gazed back at the floor. Knight Wing sighed and shook his head at the whelp.

“I can’t help you with that last part, champ. You’ll have to figure that out on your own. But I can answer one question for you,” he said and turned back towards the center of the room. The colt trotted over towards the statue of Aurora in the center of the observatory and beckoned Spike to follow.

Spike walked over and joined him beside the statue, gazing up at it. Aurora’s figure proudly watched over the observatory, displaying her wings and tail with grace. Spike noticed how she was still larger than he was now, so there was a chance he could grow even bigger still. Her stone figure used to seem daunting, but after reading about her life in her own words in the Lyric, Spike had come to respect her as much as the princesses.

“You can love a pony, kiddo,” Knight Wing reassured him. Spike turned to him and shook his head.

“But how can you know for sure? There’s nothing in the books about it at all,” he said.

“Because I’m a pony, and I am also one of Aurora's descendants,” he said and smiled proudly. Spike’s eyes shot open as he gawked at his teacher. Spike noticed his fangs, scaled wings, and slit eyes more prominently now than he ever had before.

“What?” Spike gasped.

“She’s something like my great great great grandmother, with about a hundred more ‘greats’ in there. All of the Night Watchers are directly descended from her and her husband,” he said and pointed up to Aurora’s statue.

“And her husband was . . .”

“A pony, yes,” he finished for him. “At first, their children had horns and tails and some even had dragon’s breath magic. But over the generations, we became more and more like our pony ancestors. Now all we have left our these wings and eyes, but they are a proud reminder of who we are and who we came from.”

Spike blinked at him.

“That’s why you know so much about her and dragons and magic, isn’t it?”

“Exactly,” he said. Knight Wing stopped gazing at his ancestor and turned his head to face Spike. He walked towards him and put a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. Spike gave him his devoted attention at the gesture, for it was never something he’d expect from Knight Wing.

“Whoever this mare is, I can tell she’s important to you. But everyone deserves a shot at finding somepony, even you. I’m sorry I can’t help much more than that. I can teach you about magic, philosophy, and how to properly use those wings,” he said pointing at Spike’s back. “But this is something you’ll have to figure out yourself.”

Spike smiled as his teacher finished speaking. He brought his hoof back down and began walking towards the stairs of the observatory. He still did not know what he was going to do, but he was grateful to have Knight Wing as his mentor. As he left, Spike looked back at Aurora. For the first time, her figure seemed to comfort him. He bowed his head again and silently thanked her as well.

Spike spent the rest of the day in the observatory reading as many books about dragons as he could get his hands on. His eyelids were heavy as the day went on. At a certain point, he found it difficult to read in what little light there was. He looked up and noticed the sun was setting. He decided it best to sleep in his study quarters and made his way back up the stairs. He trudged across the invisible pathway leading back to his study, nearly stumbling off with fatigue.

It had certainly been a long two days for Spike, and he did not get a wink of sleep in the previous night’s events. He did not even bother lighting the candles to find his way through the hall when he walked in. He simply used his memory to trudge through the halls into the bedroom, stumbling a few times.

As he reached the bed, he put his hand on the covers to feel around for the pillow and climb in. His hand landed on something warm that made him jump and muffle a surprised squeak. His eyes shot open and he began to listen very carefully with his ears perked up high. He used his breath magic to heighten his vision in the dark, just as he had in Warmonger’s cave, and the outline of the sleeping figure came into focus.

It was Twilight. She peacefully slept with her head gently lying on Spike’s pillow. Though, at second thought, it was originally her pillow. He only started sleeping in that bed when he out grew his basket, and Twilight was not around so he got used to sleeping there. She looked so peaceful where she was. Spike was certainly not going to disturb her. After all, she had just as long of a day as he did.

Spike smiled and sighed. He was still too big for his blanket, but he was tired enough that a night on the carpet did not seem all that unpleasant. As he made his way to the closet to fetch an extra blanket for himself, he wondered why she was here in Canterlot. Perhaps she came to see Princess Celestia, or to help put away the Miasma stone somewhere no pony would find it. In any case, she was there and he was happy about it. He laid out a pillow for himself beside the bed and lay down on the soft carpet. His eyelids were heavy and his mind began to wander comfortably as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

And so Spike slept, beside Twilight’s bed, as he had done every night of his life before growing up. Despite being on the floor, he felt more comfortable than he had been in months. Comfort, after all, does not come from relaxation, but from a sense of home.

Chapter 16: Fireproof

Spike’s eyelids began to waver as the sunlight beat down on them. He let out a groan as he raised his wing up to his head to shelter his face from the burning inferno. The warm embrace of sleep began to slip from his grip as he tried desperately to cling to it. His mind began to fire up as he slowly became more aware of his surroundings. His bed was the floor, which was odd. He remembered collecting a blanket and pillow, but not why. Then more thoughts began to come to him as he opened his eyes a little wider. He saw Twilight, who smiled at him happily.

“Good morning, Spike,” Twilight said cheerfully. Spike shot up and stumbled about on the floor.

“I . . . uh. Goodmorning?” he said after finding his balance.

“I hope you’re ready to get to work, because we have lots to do,” she said and began walking towards the library.

“What work?” Spike groaned and followed her.

“What do you mean ‘what work?’ Obviously we need to start with observing the Miasma crystals to learn more about them. I couldn’t find anything in the library about them this morning, so we’ll just have to start documenting our experience with them as well.” Twilight’s expression began to get more and more frantic as she spoke. Spike, the ever faithful assistant, took notice.

“Twilight?” he started. She didn’t hear him.

“But we’ll need to meet with the princesses on whether that kind of information could be dangerous to put into a book. Who knows if they have the time. Not to mention that this all happened while I was trying to send out copies of my book to libraries across Equestria! I’ll need to write to all of those librarians to explain what happened, which is even more writing. Maybe I should just forget about that and devote all my time to studying the Miasma?” She was speaking at lightening pace, and Spike had trouble keeping up.

“Twilight!” he called out. She turned and stopped ranting for a moment, looking up at him worryingly.

“Relax, ok? We have all the time in the world for that. Can we just start with a little breakfast?” he offered. It really was too early to get started with panicking. He had just woken up after all. She smiled and lit her horn with magic.

“Oh, I thought of that already. I picked this up from Pony Joe’s while you were still asleep,” she said, and from the table beside her, a chocolate-frosted donut flew up and straight into his open mouth. Extra-sprinkles, just the way he liked it.

“Thanks,” he mumbled with a mouthful of delight.

“You’re right though, Spike. We have plenty of time. Besides, I know exactly what I want to do first,” she said and shot him a sly smile. She walked up to him and cocked an eyebrow, as if she knew a secret and playfully kept it from him. Spike’s eyes went wide as she glared at him. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was hinting at, and his imagination was not co-operating.

“What’s that?” he said nervously.

“You are showing me the observatory, mister,” she said and prodded his chest with her hoof. Spike gave a sigh of relief and finished his donut.

“Okay, Twilight. This way,” he said and gestured to the door. He led her outside and propped himself up on the invisible bridge to the cliffside. Twilight marveled at the spectacle before her as he suspended in mid air seemingly on hard ground. She poked at the path with her hoof and peered over the balcony, observing it closely.

“This is so interesting! Do you think it’s a concealment spell?” she asked him.

“I don’t think so,” Spike replied and playfully bounced up and down on the invisible path. “If you look below, you can see my shadow on the ground but no shadow from the bridge. That means that the light is going all the way through it, so there is no stone path hidden here.”

“Wow, you’re right!” she said with awe in her eyes. “I bet it’s some kind of particle condensing spell that lets you walk on air when you come into contact with it. How fascinating!”

“If you think that’s cool, come see this!” he said and held out his hand. She gave him her hoof and he pulled her up, guiding her along the bridge towards the cliffside. She gladly held onto him as she looked down towards the ground, which was nearly 20 meters below her. Despite the height, she felt safe enough with him guiding her that she did not even ready her wings in case she fell.

“Check this out!” he said and stretched his head out into the smoke-screen disguised entrance.

“Wow!” she remarked. “It look so real!”

He smiled and guided her by the hoof inside slowly. She held her breath, in case the wall of stone was somehow breathable. Her vision went dark for a moment until her hoof emerged on the other side of the entrance. Her face beamed with excitement as she drank in the sight of the wonderful observatory. Her gaze darted from the books to the other levels and back up towards the glass dome above them. Her excitement bubbled into laughter as she let go of Spike’s hand and galloped from shelf to shelf.

“This is amazing,” she called out as he trailed behind her. "There are so many!"

“They’re all first-editions too,” he said, stoking her giddy fire.

“Wow, this is so great. Where should we start?” she said with another jump. Her smile was wider than he had seen it in ages. She looked up at him with all the enthusiasm and joy that he had come to adore. Her wings were splayed and her grin filled her cheeks to the brim. The sight made him feel totally and incandescently happy.

“Let’s start from the ground floor and work our way up,” Spike suggested and pointed at the spiral staircase behind her. She agreed and they quickly made their way down to the bottom floor. She continued to survey the bookshelves and looked up towards the glorious ceiling where the sun came streaming in at an angle.

“This one over here!” he called out to her from on top of a bookcase ladder. He waved around a book in his claws excitedly. She trotted over to him and lifted the book out of his hand with her magic.

“A spell tome?” she asked.

“Yeah! Almost of my breath magic was derived from spells that unicorns invented first. That one’s a Rune Reader original, and it’s got the same spell I use to see in the dark!” he said excitedly. Twilight immediately began tearing through the pages and skimming over the passages about light and casting charms on oneself instead of somepony else. She looked back up at Spike with another smile.

“Are there more of these?” she asked.

“Yeah!” He answered.

“I’m going to want five more of these spellbooks. Anything you think I can pull off,” she instructed and walked over to the nearest desk. “Oh this is so exciting! I don’t suppose I can take these back to Ponyville with me. Do you think I could take some notes?”

“We’ll ask Princess Luna later. Let me go get you a quill and paper, then I’ll get back to the spellbooks,” he said, waving off her concerns.

“Well as soon as you’re done with that, I’m going to want to try some of these spells out. Do you think you could show me a few?” she said while flipping to the first page of the book.

“You got it” he said and went to work.

The two of them eagerly worked on studying and practicing magic for hours. Spike would coach her on a spell and then become a test subject for her first attempt. He ran back and forth from Twilight’s desk to replace the books into their proper spot when she was finished with them. The two laughed as her first attempt at a shouting spell came out as a squeak. Twilight was able to learn it after a few attempts.

“HOWS THIS?” her voice bellowed and Spike flew backwards into the statue of Aurora. He tumbled and rolled before propping his head up and looking back at her in shock.

“I think it worked,” he said and rubbed his tender ears.

“That must be how Princess Luna used to speak. Remember when she scared everypony at Nightmare Night?” Twilight said.

“I guess so,” Spike said and looked up at the stone figure looming over him. “I wonder if she taught her how to do that,” he said and pointed up to Aurora. Twilight looked up and observed the stone figure in the center of the room.

“Maybe so,” Twilight said softly. Her gaze drifted higher as she looked up towards the ceiling. The light was already coming from the west and beginning to get dim.

“Wow, how long have we been here?” she said and looked over towards a tall clock on the wall.

“Hours,” Spike shrugged. “It’s almost--”

Spike was interrupted as a low grumble filled his ears. The sound was nearly like a toad croaking, which sounded odd. He looked at Twilight, who blushed and held a hoof on her torso. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

“You hungry?” he offered. She didn’t respond and continued looking at the ground bashfully.

“Hayburgers,” he decided and picked himself up off the floor. She smiled at him and followed as he led them both up the stairs and out the door.

The evening was beautiful in Canterlot as the shadows of the tall city towers began to cover the streets. Some stores had a few lanterns lit already. Every sidewalk was filled with the hustle and bustle of ponies making their way home from work. The restaurant they arrived at was a simple diner not too far from Luna’s observatory. The two walked inside and were seated by a gracious young colt who eagerly found them a booth near the window.

“Your highness, is there anything we can do to make your visit more comfortable?” he said with grandeur.

“Just two waters to start, please,” she said simply and the waiter trotted off towards the kitchen. She gave a sigh and lifted the menu up to her head. Spike muffled a chuckle at her.

“Still not used to the royal treatment yet?” he said pointing to the waiter.

“I know I’m a princess and all, but this is just a diner, not the royal Canterlot dining halls,” she said with a wave of her hoof.

“Well let's see if we could have some fun with him,” Spike suggested.

“How?” Twilight asked.

“When they bring out your water, you could do a spit take and start shouting at the waiter. Use the shouting spell and terrify them, like, ‘This water is far too wet for a princess, fool! I’ll see everyone in this establishment banished for high treason!’” Spike mocked as he sat tall and threw his finger in the air threateningly. Twilight laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth with her hoof.

“Spike! That’s terrible,” she said with another laugh.

“I bet we get this meal for free,” he said with another grin.

“Spike, you know we’re paying just like everypony else.” At that moment, the waiter re-emerged holding two glasses of water on a saddle-tray and handed them out to Spike and Twilight. He smiled and began to make another grand show of gratitude before asking for their order.

“Two hayburgers with everything on them. Extra ketchup for the princess,” Spike said and pointed his thumb at Twilight sitting across from him.

“Right away, sir,” he said and bowed before hurrying back into the kitchen.

“You know just what I like,” she said and placed her menu back on the table.

“Well it isn’t exactly the first time I’ve had a meal with you,” Spike said sarcastically.

“It’s the first one in a long time, though,” she retorted, to which Spike nodded. Twilight gazed out the window towards the evening sky as the stars began to appear one by one. She let out another sigh, this time feeling much more comfortable rather than exhausted.

“Thanks for today, Spike,” she said sincerely. “After all that happened yesterday, I was beginning to fear that things would not feel the same. But, as it turns out, a nice day of study was just what I needed to ease my mind. So thanks,” she said again.

“Well, yeah,” Spike said as if the point was moot. “I’m your assistant after all. That’s my job.”

“You’re job only entails helping me when I ask. But you’ve always gone above and beyond the call of duty. It’s like you can tell what I’ll need before I even know,” she said and took a sip from her glass.

“True,” he said confidently. “I bet you a ruby that I can guess what you want to do next,” he said with a smile. She looked back at him and thought for a moment about what he could mean. She decided to see what he was getting at and held up her hoof.

“A ruby it is,” she said and Spike shook her hoof confirming the bet. “What do I want to do next?”

“You . . .” he started and bowed his head down over the table, getting closer to her face. The sudden proximity caused her eyes to go a little wider. His eyes peered into hers closely and she felt her hooves freeze. Her heart began racing as her own body began to lean over the table without thinking. Her breathing began to get shaky, so she held it in, waiting for whatever he would do next.

“You want to go use the telescope at the observatory, don’t you?” he said and cocked an eyebrow. She heaved a breath and stumbled around as she sat back down in her seat.

“Oh . . . um, wow, yeah that’s it,” she said quickly and nervously laughed. Spike went from looking sly and confident to looking confused for a moment. “Guess I owe you a ruby, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said. “The sun is going down now, so we can head back there after the--”

“Hayburgers for the princess and the, uh, dragon,” the waiter said as politely as he could muster.

“Wow, that was fast,” Spike observed and looked back up to Twilight. She was already halfway done with her burger. She chomped down eagerly at it, forsaking her magic and shoving it into her mouth with her hooves. In seconds, her cheeks were covered with ketchup. The waiter gave them a surprised and slightly disgusted look before quietly walking away towards another table. Once she saw that he was gone, she politely swallowed and wiped her mouth.

“Take it easy, Twilight. The burger isn’t trying to destroy Equestria.”

She laughed and nodded towards the waiter who was still walking away from them. He looked back between her and the waiter for a moment, noticing how she began to slow down on her burger when he was gone. Then he realized that she was only putting on a show.

“I bet he’ll quit the whole royal treatment thing now,” she said and winked at him.

“You were messing with him,” Spike said and a proud smile grew on his face. Despite all the power of an Alicorn and the title of a princess, Twilight was still very much her same old self. Unbeknownst to Spike, she was thinking the same thing about him.

The two made their way back into the observatory after finishing their dinner. Spike gave off a satisfied moan as he felt full after having nothing but a donut all day. Twilight smirked at him and followed him into the observatory once more. The sight was still amazing to her, but she decided to hold onto her excitement this time. He led her over to the massive telescope that hung from the ceiling and pointed out through the massive glass window. The starlight gently lit the floor beneath the dome with just enough light to see where they were stepping. Twilight gazed upwards at the magnificent sight.

“Over here,” Spike said and stood near the eyepiece of the great telescope. She walked over and carefully placed her right eye on the scope. It took a moment for her to adjust her sight, but soon the sky lit up as she gazed out into the beautiful abyss. Past the moon she could see the glimmering lights of the galaxy as it swirled around them. She zoomed in farther and caught a glimpse of the Carina Neighbula. The telescope she had on the Golden Oaks library balcony was nothing by comparison. She gasped and marveled at the peaceful yet dazzling display in the night's sky.

“It’s so beautiful,” she gasped.

Spike’s eyes were down towards the mare sitting in front of him with a warm smile on his face.

“Yeah,” he sighed, and let his eyes linger on her. Her mane cascaded down her neck in vibrant colors. Her voice seemed to fall over his shoulders like a blanket, soothing him to sleep. Her smile was comforting and warm, even though he had seen it a thousand times before. Her eyes were kind and welcoming and he could look at them for . . .

He realized that she had gone from looking through the telescope to looking right at him, softly returning his gaze. He was so lost in thought that he did not even notice she was staring back at him. She had the faintest smile on her face, and all Spike could do was look back at her with trembling hands. He began to panic. He had to move before he did something he’d regret. In a quick motion, he turned and walked a few steps away from her and took a seat in the center of the observatory platform. He looked down at the ground shamefully as she began walking towards him.

“Spike . . .” she started. He avoided looking at her as best he could, but was unable to muster any words in response. She stopped, her hoof stretched out towards him, and hesitated again.

“Spike, I need to tell you something,” she said softly. He continued to look down at the floor, but he gripped his claws tightly into a fist as if bracing for impact. “I heard what the Miasma said to you.”

Spike perked up and wheeled his head around, looking at Twilight fearfully. This time she looked at the ground. She took a moment, searching for words, but all the books in the world seemed to have escaped her mind. She looked back up and put a hoof on his hand gently.

“I--”

“--Twilight. Don’t,” he cut her off.

“You don't even know what I was going to say," she protested.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sorry you heard those things, but I do not want talk about it," he said and looked away again.

"Why not?"

"Because it will only make things worse," he countered with nearly a whisper.

"What do you mean?” she said and removed her hoof from his hand.

“This . . . I don’t want to risk . . . This.” He trembled. His eyes were fighting with all their might to stay dry. Despite his best efforts, they began to glisten. His mind began racing for a way to get out. Part of him wished that he could go back to wrestling griffons rather than this. He looked around in a panic and began walking back towards the entrance to the observatory.

“Wait!” she called out and began to follow him. “What do you mean ‘risk’?”

“It’s nothing,” he said as they got to the exit.

“Well it’s obviously not ‘nothing’,” she protested.

“Please, Twilight, it’s not worth it,” he said and stepped outside onto the invisible path. Twilight had enough of his running and called out to him loudly.

“Why are you so afraid?” she said and her voice echoed off the cliff face beside them. Spike stopped retreating and quickly turned around on the invisible path and looked at her square in the eyes with a fiery glare.

“Because I think I might be falling madly in love with you, Twilight!” he shouted. "There! You happy? Ever since that first night home I can't stop thinking about you. I've been with you my entire life and it's as if I've never seen you before! I look at you, and I'm home. But I know it's not possible, and it hurts so much but I'd rather hurt like this forever than lose you entirely!"

This time his voice was the one echoing off the side of the mountain. The words seemed to ring in Twilight’s head as her eyes shot open and she froze in her place. His breath was labored and his wings were splayed, shaking nervously. Her heart began to fly as she looked back at him, unable to say anything in response. Spike closed his eyes, took another breath, and slowly began to speak again. This time he was calm and quiet, but still trembling a little.

“You are the most important thing in my life,” he said softly. “It's been that way ever since we were little. I would never risk losing your friendship for anything.” Twilight thought carefully about what he said, and turned to look at the ground far beneath them.

“You won’t lose me,” she said weakly.

“Friendship set on fire, remember?” he said back to her. “What happens if it goes out? I can’t . . . I won’t,” he said and turned once more.

He began walking back towards the study balcony, when his front foot took a step too far on the side. Instead of a solid path, his hand met with thin air and plunged downward. There was a sick tumbling feeling as he lost his balance and pitched forward. Before he could bring his other hand up to catch himself, his head collided with a smack against the invisible path. He let out a grunt of pain and felt dizzy as he began to fall to the side off of the path.

“Spike!” Twilight called out and leapt after him. She grabbed onto his hand with her hoof and struggled to keep his weight from falling over the side. His face looked dazed and his eyes squinted and closed a few times. She was too late to keep his body on the ledge and soon he was dangling from the side of the bridge. In the darkness, she could not see where the ground was, but she knew it was far. His weight was too much for her to handle, and they both began slipping outwards.

“Hang on!” she called out and spread her wings as widely as she could. Another moment later and they were both falling. She kicked off the bridge and threw her hooves around him, getting as tight a grip as she could. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, but Spike’s weight began carrying them downwards towards the ground. Her balance began to shift as Spike turned. The ground was nearly upon them. She closed her eyes and braced for impact.

Spike’s wings opened up at the last moment, spinning them around and slowing their descent into a glide. For a moment they coasted through the air, both of their wings straining to find balance, before Spike’s tail caught the ground and they began rolling. The ground hit his back with a crash and she pounded against his chest as the two of them tumbled and skidded on the grass. Finally, they rolled one last time before leaning backwards and skidding to a stop.

Twilight’s eyes opened slowly. She looked around in the darkness of night to assess her surroundings. They were on the grounds surrounding Canterlot between the cliffside and their tower. Instead of grass beneath her, she felt the warm sensation of Spike’s chest rise and fall against her own. His wings were wrapped around her tightly, holding her close and blanketing her gently. She looked down at him. His eyes were still closed and he looked disoriented and dazed from the impact. He breathed normally, and did not show any signs that he was in pain.

Spike’s head was still spinning. His back was buried into the grass, which was soft enough to cushion their fall thankfully. He kept his eyes closed until the world would quit tumbling around him. He felt the strange sensation of vertigo leaving his head while the soft fur of Twilight’s chest caressed his. He breathed lightly as he felt the night air sweep over his scales. A second later, another strange sensation filled his head.

Lips touching his.

He opened his eyes slightly and stared up at Twilight, who was pressing herself down onto his head and gently kissing him. His heart began to beat faster as he absorbed the sight in front of him. She lingered there for a moment pressing her lips down onto his softly, before picking her head up and smiling at him. Spike’s eyes were now wide open and staring at her loving gaze like he had just seen a ghost.

“Twilight . . .” he nearly gasped. She continued to smile at him and laid her weight on top of him.

“I know, love is friendship set on fire. But Spike, aren’t dragons fireproof?” she said sweetly.

“Well, what does this me--”

She cut him off with another quick kiss. Her lips only teased his this time, coming back up again after she was satisfied that he shut up.

“It means Spike, I don’t want to spend anymore time without you in my life,” she began. She let a hoof rest beside his head and rubbed it gently. He stared back up at her with timid eyes. “We’ve loved each other since we were both very small. I know this is a little different, but I have no intention of letting us drift apart for any reason. You are my best friend, and I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather be with than you, Spike.” She looked down at him, her mane falling to her side and her eyes glinting in the moonlight.

A spark lit behind Spike’s eyes. He looked up at her with a newfound confidence and brought his hands up to cradle her face. She rubbed her head against them affectionately as he held her.

“Okay,” he said softly.

"Okay?"

"Okay," he repeated and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I love you."

“I love you too,” she quickly responded. His smile lit up the stars.

He used his hand caressing her cheek to pull her down onto him and began kissing her fervently. She locked her lips with his as he ran his hands around her neck and pulled her tightly against him. She did the same with her hooves and began returning the kiss with equal vigor. His wings squeezed against her from a little tighter, radiating her whole body in that same sublime warmth that was burning hotter and hotter.

The two quietly embraced in the grass beneath the towers of Canterlot. They weren’t sure if time was moving quickly or not at all. To them, it did not matter. All that mattered was each other. Though it took some time for them to realize, that’s all that ever mattered.

Author's Note

As always, thanks for reading.

Chapter 17: Home

One week later

Dear Princess Luna,

I want to thank you for your guidance and your teachings over the past few seasons. I feel stronger and more useful than ever. Your wisdom has really meant a world of difference to me, and I am very grateful.

However, I’m sorry to say that I won’t be returning to continue my training. At least, not for some time. I feel like my age and my body match now, and I want it to stay this way. In all honesty, I want everything to stay this way. I’ve found more happiness than I ever thought possible, and I’m afraid of too much change too quickly. Someday, far in the future, I hope to return and continue to study. But until that day, I want to remain here in Ponyville. This is my home after all.

If you are ever in need of my help, I will be there as fast as these new wings can carry me. You need only write.

Your faithful student,
Spike

P.S. Tell Knight Wing that “Kiddo says thanks.”

Spike looked over the page and read through it once more. Satisfied, he rolled up the page and tied a ribbon around it securely. He then made his way over to the window in Twilight’s room and opened it up. The hinges squeaked and the cool evening air wafted into the room as he held up his hand. With a full breath, Spike blew the note into the wind and it sailed off into the distance towards Canterlot.

“Who was that too?” he heard from behind him. Twilight walked in carrying with her a saddlebag full of books.

“Princess Luna,” he answered. “I just want to keep her up to date on things, you know?”

Twilight dropped the book she was holding and gasped at Spike.

“You didn’t tell her about us, did you?!” she said slightly frantically. Spike laughed and waved his hands as if surrendering.

“No, but what’s the big deal? I mean, you told me that she said ‘anything is possible’ with friends or something, right?” he remembered.

“I just don’t think we should tell other ponies just yet,” she said picking her book back up again. “I’m still getting used to it myself. I mean, I don’t feel any different around you, but the thought of other ponies seeing us together just feels odd still.”

“I get it,” Spike said and walked over to her. “We have all the time in the world, so let’s just worry about everyday things for a change. No monsters, Miasmas, malicious villains or anything for a while, ok?”

“No promises,” she said rolling her eyes, “I am a princess still. But that does sound nice.” Spike came over to her and sat beside her. He extended a wing and wrapped it around her. She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

“Applejack is having everypony over for dinner at the orchard. How’s that for an everyday thing?” Twilight suggested. Spike looked down at her and smiled.

“Perfect,” he chirped and held her a little closer. “But if we’re going to be hiding this from our friends--”

“--just for now,” she interrupted. “They deserve to know. But we need to figure out how to tell them.”

“Okay,” Spike nodded. “But if we’re going to stay princess-assistant for the rest of the night, you’re going to have to give me a kiss good enough to last the night,” he said and shot her a sly smile. She giggled and put a hoof up to his shoulder. She smiled up at him, leaned forward, and closed her eyes. Spike leaned downward and slowly approached her face. Then his eyes shot open as his stomach began to churn.

uh oh, the thought.

“EEEUUURRPP” he belched loudly as green flames spouted out of his mouth. A second later, a scroll of paper flew out and bounced right off the end of Twilight’s nose. Spike looked down at her with a mixture of concern and terror.

Her eyes were wide and her entire face was scorched black. Her mane was singed and arrow-straight pointed backwards. One strand of hair on her mane was lit like a match which quickly fizzled out. Her wings were splayed in shock and her hoof slowly let go of his shoulder. Her gaze went from shock and slowly morphed into anger and frustration. Spike gave a sheepish smile and laughed nervously.

“Eh, sorry?” he offered weakly. She continued to stare at him with contempt and he lowered his head as he cowered away from her. She groaned and lit her horn with magic, lifting a towel out of the bathroom and floating it through the door towards her.

“Well, at least it’s not a book this time,” she said and began wiping her face off.

“You’re not mad?” Spike asked.

“I’ve been living with a dragon for years, Spike. I’m hardly a stranger to fire-breath mishaps. But you are cleaning this up,” she said and tossed the dirty towel at him. He sighed as he looked at her again. She cleaned up nicely considering he could have burned her into baldness.

“Alright. I'm sorry, Twilight. Guess I blew my chance at getting a k--”

Twilight cut him off by springing up next to him and giving him a peck on his cheek. He looked back at her with a surprised look and smiled. She smiled back at him and sweetly turned towards the door.

“We should get going or we’ll be late,” she said and walked out the door into the corridor. Spike shook his head rubbed his face where she had kissed him. The sensation was still a little new, but she was still the same Twilight, and deep down, he still felt like the same Spike. He made his way towards the door to follow her when something crunched underneath his foot. He looked down and saw the scroll that had flown out his mouth at the worst possible time. He picked up and tore it open.

The letter was short, but it still made him smile. He placed it down on Twilight’s desk carefully and looked out her window towards Canterlot.

“You coming?” she called out from the hallway.

“Right behind you,” he called and walked out the door.

The room was left still and quiet as the two walked away. The air was warm and comfortable as the last of the day’s sun lingered on the walls. Twilight’s room had not changed much at all since the day the castle was made. Her bed was made nicely, her window was tall and majestic, and her desk was littered with pages of parchment. Of all these pages, however, only one was unique. The letter bore a simple message to the purple dragon that had left it there.

Best of luck, Dragon Sage

Fin

Author's Note

What a ride this has been. I started watching this show in January, and I've been swept away into it like nothing I've ever seen before. This story is my debut into the fandom, and I thank you all for reading.

Will there be more? I may do a few Slice of Life one shots as an epilogue of this story. But as for "The Dragon Sage", this is all there is. Please let me know what you liked and perhaps how I can do better.

As always, thanks for reading.

Go ahead and play this song and roll the credits

Deleted Scene: Shot Down

Author's Note

As a reward for reaching 1000+ views, I present to you some scene that pulled on my heartstrings to write, but I had to redo it because it really wouldn't have fit in with the story.

This takes place in chapter 11: fashion thing. I wanted it to be dramatic, but It would be hard to make the twilight and spike story believable if he got shot down by rarity first. I found it better for him to simply realize the truth for himself. I find their relationship not to be very compatible or healthy for that matter. That said, I used to ship them too.

Thanks so much to all my readers for making this story so great.

As always, Thanks for reading.

Deleted Scene: Shot Down

Spike remembered the conversation he had with Twilight before helping Rarity. The vision he saw during his test was surely difficult to endure, but he took comfort knowing that Twilight would be there for him. But if he truly wanted Rarity, he knew he’d have to make a move before somepony else does. He continued to blush as his heart jumped up into his throat, cough nervously.

“Is everything alright?” Rarity asked looking concerned.

“I . . . uh, I was just wondering . . .” Spike said and gave another nervous cough.

“Yes?” Rarity asked. She looked up at him with such beautiful eyes, he couldn’t help his heart from pounding. Now or never, he told himself and took a deep breath.

“Well, I . . . I’m bigger now so . . . is there a chance you would want to . . . go out with me sometime?” he asked quickly and nearly shut his eyes. Rarity blinked and cocked her head to the side. Her surprise did not last long as she sighed and looked up at the blushing dragon.

“Is this really the best time?” she said flatly.

“Well, not now! I meant after this mess is all over. I just thought, well . . . I really like you and--”

“--Spike,” she cut him off. “I’m so sorry dear, but you’re not the right one for me.”

Those words hung in the air and slowly circled his mind before wrapping around his chest and squeezing tightly.

“. . . and I’m not the right mare for you, either,” she added and offered a reassuring smile.

“What do you mean? You’re nice, you’re the most beautiful pony in Equestria, and you’re an element of harmony!” he said fighting back the squeezing sensation in his chest.

“Spike, let me ask you something. Do you like fashion?” she asked and gestured to her manikins with her hoof.

“What? Well, yeah. I’ve helped you out here loads of times,” he replied.

“Yes but do you really like it? Do you want to live in high society someday?”

“Well, if that’s . . .” he stopped. He already knew where she was going to take this next, and it hurt to hear.

“Spike, you’re only interested in those things because of me. If we were together, I’d drag you back and forth between ballrooms and manors and I know that isn’t where you want to be,” she said putting her hoof down.

“How do you know that?” he asked challengingly.

“Remember the Grand Galloping Gala? Where did you go then?” she countered.

“. . . to Pony Joe’s,” he reluctantly replied.

“Spike, your world and my world are different. That doesn’t mean we cannot get along well, but we both deserve people that love us not for what we are, but for who we are,” she said sweetly. The pressure in his chest continued to build as his hope slowly began to fade.

“But . . . I do love you for who you are. I have since the first moment I saw you” he said, his voice breaking slightly.

“And why is that?” she asked.

“Because . . . I thought you were the most beautiful mare I had ever seen,” he replied softly. He began breathing a little harder.

“That’s it then. You fell for me because of how I looked before you even knew my name. I’m so sorry, my dear Spike, but someday you’ll understand that what you felt was not love. I used to feel the same way about a number of colts in the past. Every time I got to know more about them, I realized that in order to win their affections, I had to become somepony I wasn’t. I will not allow myself to do something so reckless, and I’ll be dashed if I let you do it for me.” She put a hoof up to his face and caressed it gently. He fought to find comfort in her touch, but it only made him feel worse. Rarity frowned as she noticed how her words tormented him.

“I have to confess something as well, Spike,” she said and took a careful step back. “When you were young . . . well, before you went to Canterlot, I may have taken advantage of your feelings,” she said and looked down at the ground.

“So you did know?” Spike said softly.

“I thought that you had a silly crush on me, and I will not lie to you. It felt good to be admired. But I was reckless with your heart, and I’m so sorry for that,” she said and shied away from his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose and let his lungs fill up completely before calmly letting himself settle and exhaling.

“That’s alright, Rarity,” he said softly. “I couldn’t hold a grudge against anypony.”

“So . . . you’ll forgive me?” she asked.

“Of course. And I’m sorry I brought this up while we are about to go fight off some possessed ponies. I just thought that it would be better to say something before doing something dangerous, because who knows if I’ll be able to afterwards?” he said and gave a weak smile.

“Well, you are very brave, Spike, and very wise indeed. You’re a very good friend to me, and you deserve a marefriend who can truly let you be yourself,” she said and patted his shoulders.

“Thanks Rarity. I guess I’ll meet you at the castle. I need to go speak to Knight Wing anyway,” he said and walked to the door. She thanked him again for his work and watched him walk slowly into the street, before taking off and soaring into the sky.

Prologue

The ceilings were certainly higher in Twilight’s new home. Every sound bounced around on the walls in echo unlike the Golden Oaks Library. Often there was the sound of chatter amongst friends filling up the halls. Other times, it was the sound of music from a party. Occasionally one could hear the clatter of cooking bleeding out from the kitchen into the main corridor. On this particular morning, the patter of little feet was bouncing around the halls from the main entrance to the throne room. A little purple dragon bumbled across the floor in an excited run before stopping and turning to face the other end of the hall.

“Is this far enough?” he called out. The crystal walls reverberated with his bellowing for a few moments before becoming silent again.

“I think so!” he heard in response.

“Alright, here it comes!” he called again before lifting a roll of parchment up to his lips. It was sealed and neatly tied with a ribbon like all of his pervious letters to Princess Celestia. The small reptile took a big breath and blew the parchment out of his fingers. It vanished in a green flash of flame and magic and the trail of smoke left behind flew up into the air and down the hall. He ran after the smoke trail excitedly before reaching the other end a few moments later, where a familiar lavender Alicorn waited for him.

“It worked, Spike!” Twilight said to him with a giddy smile. “It appeared right in front of me and opened right up. It’s still got the same message written on it this time.” She waved the open letter to and fro with magic that was emanating from her horn.

“Perfect!” Spike responded with a heave as he resumed catching his breath. “Now we just need to get your letters to me without making me hurl.” She rolled her eyes at him. Their previous attempt was unsuccessful and a bit of a mess to clean up.

“Ok now go stand by the door and we’ll give this another shot,” Twilight said and gestured to the other end of the hall. The dragon turned and bounded down the hall once more. The princess smiled as her most faithful and beloved assistant ran. No matter what they did, he always seems to be perfectly happy helping her out. Just before he reached the massive doors at the entrance, they creaked open and two familiar faces peered through. One of them walked, the other bounced.

“Howdy Spiky!” Pinkie Pie squeaked at him. The yellow-maned mare beside her gave him a short wave.

“Where’ya running to?” she said.

“Hi Pinkie, Hi Applejack. We’re experimenting!” He said as he stopped and turned to face Twilight again. “You guys know how I send our letters to Princess Celestia, right? Well, since she became an Alicorn, Twilight and I thought we should try the same thing. It’s taken a bit of practice. Our first letter just went to Celestia by mistake. Our second just burned up in the air. The third one got caught in my throat and I ended up hurling it out,” he said and gave them a grimace. “Fourth times a charm!”

“Hold on there partner. Are we about to see you spew your lunch all over the floor?” Applejack asked with a worried expression on her face.

“Oooohhhh I wanna watch!” Pinkie Pie called out.

Spike turned and called out again to Twilight. “Ready!”

“Ok here we go!” she called out and the parchment snapped out of existence with a purple flash of magic. She then lifted her wings and flew over to where her three friends where standing. Spike looked frantically around, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

“Hi girls,” Twilight greeted her friends. “Nothing yet?” she asked Spike. He simply shrugged and shook his head.

“So how’s this letter different from the ones you send to Princess Celestia?” Applejack asked.

“Good question. See, when Spike was a baby, Princess Celestia left a mark of her magic on him. Kinda like a postage stamp, only made of magic. That allowed her to send letters directly to him, and vice versa. Now that I’m a princess, we thought we’d try the same trick, but she made it look so easy,” She said gesturing to Spike who scratched his head in confusion.

“It’s not hard for me to send letters to her. Once she marked me with her magic, all I need to do is picture her face while I send it and poof! There it goes,” Spike said gesturing with his hands.

“Poof!” Pinkie echoed with a smile.

“But for some reason, getting the darn thing back to me has been ha—AAEEERRRP!” Spike belched loudly and a green flame sprang out from his mouth. The others ducked away from the embers as the flames died quickly and the letter fell to the ground.

“It worked! Good work Spike," she said and turned to the two mares. " So what are you guys doing here?” she asked, rolling the paper back up.

“Wellllll,” Pinkie started. “The Cakes wanted me to explore your kitchen and take stock of what you have and don’t have so they can bake deserts for your big housewarming party!” She said with a jump.

“I’m here to help out seein' as I’m on dinner duty that night,” Applejack said, then pointed to Spike with a raised eyebrow. “So why do y’all need to send letters to each other anyway? You two have been joined at the hip since you first arrived in Ponyville.”

“True, but it’s still a good idea to be ready in case it might come in handy,” the purple princess responded. Spike smirked.

“Yeah because a flying teleporting magical princess needs more ways to—AAEERRRRP!” Spike burped again and another note flew out landing in front of him. The four of them looked down curiously at the new note. Twilight shot Spike a quick glance and then picked it up.

“Hmm. Is this from Celestia?” She said as she opened it up. She glanced at the page for a moment, then looked at her companion in surprise. “Spike, it’s for you,” she stated, then floated the page over towards him.

“Wait what?” he said and took the page in his hand and began reading quickly. “It’s from Princess Luna,” he said before continuing reading. His eyes darted back and forth on the page and he held it closer to his face. The three ponies waited in anticipation.

“Well come on! Whatshesay?” Pinkie asked loudly.

Spike’s expression grew somber as he read over the letter. Twilight did not like the face her assistant was wearing and for a moment, she worried that something was terribly wrong.

"Spike?” she asked softly.

He looked up at her with a sad look on his face and spoke. “She wants me to leave Ponyville.”

Chapter 4: The Sage's Lyric

Princess Twilight could not stand the silence of her new home. It had been many weeks since Spike left for Canterlot, almost two months in fact, but she still never got used to the big empty space. Not too long ago, the cutie-mark crusaders came to her asking to lend a hand. It was something about finding their cutie mark in ‘Royalty Assistance’. After convincing Twilight that they weren’t trying to repeat ‘Twilight-Time’, she agreed. They all fumbled about of course, but Twilight enjoyed having them around. Eventually, she asked if they could each help her once a week individually in the library while she studied. They were happy to help out, and Twilight gave them a few bits for their trouble.

Today was Applebloom’s turn, and she was a little hopeless compared to Spike. Twilight flipped quietly through her book about pony psychology while the little golden filly bravely clammered up the book ladder. She rolled the ladder to the right with a push and let out a soft ‘weee’. After sorting through a few titles, she turned and hollered down to the reading princess.

“Is this the one? ‘Guilds and Cov-nants’?” Applebloom asked.

“‘’Guilds and Covenants’, yes that’s the one!” Twilight said and smiled, watching the young pony try and pick it out of the shelf with her hoof.

“Commin' right up, ma’am. Just give me--Woaaah!” The filly tripped as the ladder fell away from her feet and she tumbled downward. Just before she collided with the crystal floor, a purple aura of magic scooped her up and held her in the air upside down. Twilight floated the Applebloom over to her and gave her a smile and a shake of her head.

“Sorry, your highness,” she said with a nervous giggle.

“Be a little more careful next time, ok? And call me Twilight, Applebloom! We’ve been over that before.” she said and put the filly down before floating the book over to her pile. She let off a loud sigh as she closed her current book and opened up another one.

“Anythin’ wrong, ma’am?” Applebloom said with a concerned look. “Uh . . . I mean Twilight?”

“It’s nothing. I was just wondering if Spike was doing well in Canterlot,” Twilight said.

“Oh . . . I'm sorry,” she said and looked down at her hooves. Twilight realized how she sounded and immediately apologized.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that Applebloom. You’ve really done a great job and you’ve been an absolute joy to have around. I mean it,” she said and gave the filly a reassuring smile. “I’m just concerned about my friend, really.”

“Well, whatchya worried about? He’s lived there before, right?” She asked.

“Yes, before we came here to Ponyville. I’m just . . . I don’t know, I’m worried that he might be trying too hard to be somepony else.” Twilight said. She wondered why she was discussing the subject with a filly when it was really a private issue.

“I don’t think that’s a problem with ole’ Spike,” she replied with a smile. “He told me all about what he was leavin’ for at that party y’all threw for him. He said he’d be workin’ and learnin’ and tryin’ out new things, it sounded great to me. Ah do that all the time.”

“You do?” Twilight asked with her eyes wide.

“A’course! I’m one of the Cutiemark Crusaders after all. That’s what we do is try to find new things to do. Sure we mess up from time to time, but we always learn somethin'. That’s what Spike is doin' up there, I think. He’s just lookin’ for his cutie mark!” she said with a little jump, before pausing. “. . . do dragons have cutiemarks?”

Twilight chuckled. “I don’t think so, my little pony. Now go on home. You’ve done enough for the day, and I don’t want Applejack thinking I’m stealing her sister.”

“Ok Twilight, hope I was helpful today,” she said and began to canter away.

“Oh you were!” Twilight called out as she watched her leave. She turned and looked out the window to that shining city on the mountain.

Looking for his cutiemark . . .

“One minute down, keep holding it in,” Knight Wing said glancing at a stopwatch in his hoof. Spike stood across from him with his chest puffed out and sweat starting to form on his forehead.

“Hnnnnnmmmm,” he grunted as time ticked by agonizingly slow. Spike’s lungs were filled to the brim and stretched out uncomfortably.

“Look at you, kiddo. You’re not even at a minute-thirty and your face is already purple,” the pegasus said and chuckled at himself, exposing his sharp fangs in a cheeky smile. Spike bet that he probably considered himself clever for that one.

“Ok . . . ten seconds left, so get ready. Nice and controlled exhale out through the nose. . . three, two, one, time.” Knight Wing clicked his watch and watched Spike exhale. The tension in his chest eased as he let his hot breath seep out of his nose. Long and hot trails of steam pushed out of his nostrils and covered the grass beneath him. His lungs emptied out slowly before squeezing completely shut and Spike muffled a cough as the last of the air left his chest.

“Alright kiddo, that’s enough for now. Take a breather,” Knight Wing said and stuffed his watch into his armor pocket. Spike groaned and collapsed backwards onto the grass.

“Why are we even up here?” Spike asked with another groan. “We climb up here every day to the top of this mountain, do some breathing, and then walk down.”

“Weren’t you paying attention to Princess Luna in your last lesson? A unicorn’s magic comes from their horn, but a dragon's power comes from their breath. Exercising your lungs should make sense to you after that. As for why we're on top of a mountain, the altitude means the air is thinner up here, so your lungs need to work even harder.”

“But last week you took me into the palace just to repeatedly open and close a giant set of stupid doors. Where’s the sense in that? The guards thought I was insane!” Spike said, propping himself up and pointing at his teacher with an accusing finger.

“Those doors are hoof-crafted masterpieces forged from solid brass over 2 millennia ago. I have more respect for those doors than I have for you, kiddo, so don’t call ’em stupid. And if you must know, that was to exercise your shoulders. You’ll thank me for that one day. Come on now, let’s head back. You’ll be late for the moonrise,” he said and headed back down the mountain path towards Canterlot. Spike gave another grunt before following reluctantly.

The nightly lessons with Princess Luna were the best part of his day. Every morning he’d wake up and begin studying whatever books or manuscripts she assigned to him, then Knight Wing would put him through some odd and usually embarrassing physical routine while drilling him on the things he was learning. But after every moonrise, Princess Luna would spend the first hour of the night walking the halls of the observatory and teaching him about dragons, emotions, controlling power, and Aurora. He learned more about himself than Twilight or even Celestia had ever told him.

For example: apparently his egg was used during Twilight’s entrance exam as a sort of trick question. The judges were simply observing how fillies and foals tried to hatch his egg. There was a great deal they could learn about a pony’s magic when they were attempting something they’ve never done. According to her, this was common practice even before she was banished, and only in very rare cases could a pony actually hatch one. His case was even rarer because most of those dragons would be re-introduced to other dragons and kept away from pony-kind. Twilight kept him because the Princess saw extra potential in Twilight.

Spike and Knight Wing made their way back to Canterlot and walked back up the stairs towards the study and the invisible bridge to the secret observatory. Over the past few weeks, Spike did notice a little change. He was a few inches taller now, and his legs were a little longer too. He could know climb the steps to his quarters without needing to leap from step to step. He still had a hard time keeping up though. He really missed riding on Twilight’s back everywhere they went.

“Hey Knight Wing,” Spike began, “why is this observatory secret anyway? I mean, why doesn’t anypony else know about the Dragon Sages and stuff?” he asked as they trotted up the stairs.

“Nearly two months and you’re only asking now?” he responded dryly. “There’s a lot of information in there about raising dragons and back when that information was public, a bunch of ponies started stealing dragon eggs. Every now and again another town would get demolished by a dragon who couldn’t control his greed and went berserk.”

“Wait, so the princess knew I might destroy ponyville the whole time?” Spike asked angrily.

"Honestly, didn't they ever tell you anything?" he replied with a scoff.

“No! They hardly ever tell us about important stuff, really. Discord, King Sombra, Tirek, they leave out a lot of stuff,” Spike said counting the disparities on his fingers.

“Well be grateful then that her majesty has taken you under her wing,” he said and walked into the observatory. Spike did like the time he spent with Luna, and she was a busy princess, so Knight Wing certainly had a point.

“Good evening Knight Wing and Spike,” Princess Luna greeted them while standing beneath her massive telescope.

“Your majesty,” they both said in unison and respectfully bowed. “He’s coming along slowly but surely,” Knight Wing added and Spike rolled his eyes.

“Very good. I trust you enjoyed reading about the philosophy of Rune Reader the Wise?” she asked Spike.

“Yes, um, it was . . . well I’m having trouble seeing what it has to do with me,” he said sheepishly.

“You must understand, Spike, that while it is wise to follow our hearts, it is also true that logic and reason have their role to play in each of the decisions we make. It is beneficial to observe the elder's philosophies if we are to fashion our own. Thank you Knight Wing, you are free to go,” she said with a nod in his instructor’s direction. He bowed again and bid the two of them good evening before seeing himself out as usual.

“Your next book will be . . . now where is it?” the princess said with a hoof to her chin. “Ah yes, downstairs. This way.”

“Princess, may I ask you something?” Spike said following her down the stairs again. “How does Knight Wing know so much about dragons and breath power? He probably didn’t learn them from a wild dragon, and you said that Aurora died thousands of years ago.”

“Excellent question. He knows because he has read the same books you will be reading next. Ah here we are,” she said and used her magic to pick a book out of the top shelf of one of the nearest bookshelves. She floated it down to spike who dusted off its cover.

“The Sage’s Lyric,” Spike read aloud as he thumbed through the pages. The book felt like it was falling apart and smelled of dust and age.

“This book is actually a letter to you, young dragon,” Luna said gesturing to the crumbling pile of pages in his claws.

“What do you mean? It looks ancient. It’s a big letter,” Spike observed. “Who wrote it?”

“This journal is from Aurora herself, and she left it here so that the next Dragon Sage could learn from her,” she said and Spike gasped at the book in his hands. The book must have been actually ancient. If it was written by Aurora herself, that means that he might answers to questions not even the princesses had, like what’s it like to be a grown dragon in a pony’s world? He flipped it open to the chapter titles and immediately found something that astonished him. ‘The Love of My Life’ was the name of the 4th chapter. Does this mean she fell in love with somepony? Was it actually a pony?

“Wow,” was all he could say to the princess.

“Now before we get to that . . .” Luna began, “let us review what you learned about jealousy," she said and left her statement in the air for Spike to respond to.

"Jealousy, while extremely common, can ensnare the mind and control emotions just as powerfully as greed can," Spike recieted from memory.

"Very good," Princess Luna praised him. "Now, let us talk about envy. There is actually a difference between envy and jealousy. See, envy is--"

“--Your highness!” somepony shouted from above them. Spike looked up and saw another grey pony who looked just like Knight Wing, only younger. His fangs and eyes were all the same, with scaled wings as well. The Pony lept from the top floor and quickly glided down and landed before the princess with a bow. Spike guessed that he was likely a member of the Night Watch.

“Are they on the move again?” Luna said with a very serious tone.

“Yes your highness. It is Manehattan this time,” he said with a frown on his face. The Princess opened up her wings and stepped forward.

“My apologies, Spike, but we will have to continue this another night,” and with that she took off and flew to the exit on the top floor followed quickly by the Night Watcher. Spike clutched the ancient book in his hands as he watched them fly away. He made a mental note to mention what he saw in his next letter to Twilight. But at that moment, his curiosity poked him more strongly from somewhere else. He opened Sage’s Lyric and looked for chapter 4. Once he found it, he began reading closely with his heart beating quickly.

As Dragon Sage, my own personal growth brought with it many new things into my life. It was then that I discovered my lifelong love for flying. My wings became big enough to support my weight after . . .

“Darn,” Spike said with a sigh. There was probably nothing in this book about love and whether or not a dragon and pony could be together. It was a question that irked for some time now, and he was far too nervous to ask anypony about it directly. Spike closed the book and walked back up the stairs to his study. He decided it best to dive into the Sage's Lyric, despite the princess cutting their lesson short. He made his way up the stairs heaving the book with a groan. His sore legs ached and begged for a ride on Twilight’s back.

Author's Note

Jealousy = Fear that someone will take what you have.

Envy = Wanting what someone else has.