The First Hearts and Hooves Day: A Legend of Spike Story

by DiabloGuapo

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Other, Romance, Drama, Original Character, Spike, Rarity, Sex
Length: 36232

When his mentor becomes deathly ill, Spike, along with Rarity and their daughter, go to visit him. During their visit, the ancient dragon, Aurum, tells them the full story of the first Hearts and Hooves Day.

Part five of "the Legend of Spike Series."

"Well, there's something here about a dragon, the kingdom falling, chaos reigning..."
~Sweetie Belle from Hearts and Hooves Day

When his mentor becomes deathly ill, Spike, along with Rarity and their daughter, go to visit him. During their visit, the ancient dragon, Aurum, tells them the full story of the first Hearts and Hooves Day and how he was a part of it.

Published 2015-03-03 04:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-28 07:42:13 UTC

The Story Begins

Off the coast of the zebra homeland, there exists a tropical paradise where prehistoric beasts still dwell known as Krazoa Island. Protected by a powerful magic, the ancient inhabitants have survived the great extinction that had claimed the rest of their kin and have lived in relative peace for eons. The varieties of dinosaurs and other mighty beasts lived in packs and herds and roamed the wild as animals until pony colonists came to the island thousands of years ago. Though the equine settlers are long gone, they had brought civilization to the island, built vast cities, and introduced magic to the dinosaurs. Adopting a tribal structure, the packs and herds organized themselves and took up residence in the abandoned cities.

In the center of the island, there was a valley that served as the crossroads between the different tribes’ cities called ThornTail Hollow. Named for the indigenous species, the Hollow was home to a gentler bred of dinosaur. The ThornTails had bulky quadruped bodies with beaked faces. Their backs and tails were protected by bony plates and spiked protrusions, hence the name ThornTail. With their docile disposition and by the way the chewed the grass, it would be easy to compare them to large, scaly cows.

One of the gentle giants was grazing by the river when it noticed a shadow swoop across the field. Lowing in confusion, it looked up to the cerulean sky while it continued to chew its mouthful of grass. High above it, it spotted the winged silhouette of some creature as it passed over Celestia’s golden sun. At first, the dinosaur thought it was a pterosaur for it had bat-like wings, but then noticed the long neck and tail. As the flying creature drew closer as it circled dowards to the valley, the ThornTail recognized the familiar shape of the being and lowed in contentment as it went back to its grazing.

As the winged being approached the ground, it flapped its green, webbed wings to hover above the valley floor before gently touching down on four clawed feet. The visitor’s body was covered in scales of a deep purple color and had sharp, green spikes running down the length of spine from his head to the spaded tip of his tail. His emerald eyes scanned the valley, taking in the nostalgic sight. Some of the ThornTails hooted and bellowed a welcome to the arriving dragon to which he nodded in greeting back to them.

“Spike darling, could you let us down now?” a melodious voice asked from his back.

“Of course, Rarity,” the dragon replied to his wife, and then lowered his chest to the ground and stretched out an arm. A whited coated Unicorn trotted down the impromptu ramp and walked onto the green grass. She admiringly took in the sights of the lush valley; the palm trees, the crystal clear river, the stone ruins, and the exotic natives. The only things she didn’t care for were the buzzing bugs and the humidity. She spent a lot of time each morning making sure her coiffure was picture perfect, and the humidity was threatening to make friz out of control. Speaking of which, the Unicorn mare trotted over to the river and gazed upon her reflection.

“Oh dear,” she fretted as she saw that her mane had been slightly disheveled from the flight. Using her light blue magic, she pulled a comb and brush out of her traveling saddle to do a few touch ups on her violet mane. In her younger days, her mane and tail were a solid color, but now had a large streak of silvery-white running through both of them. Her friend, Twilight Sparkle, speculated that it was something left over from the time she was possessed by the Nightmare Forces.

While Rarity tended to her hair, another voiced called to Spike. “Hey Dad, flip me!”

Spike smirked and obliged as he arched his back, sending his other passenger sliding down his tail and flicking the tip like a springboard when they reached the end. The rider spun in the air before sticking the landing while cheering, “Ta-da!”

“Amethyst Opal Jade, I wished you wouldn’t do that,” Rarity slightly scolded her daughter as she finished grooming herself. “It makes me nervous.”

“Oh relax, Mom,” her daughter said as she rolled her green, reptilian eyes. “I’ve done it a thousand times. Besides, Dad knows what he’s doing.”

“I just don’t want my precious, little jewel getting hurt,” Rarity pouted coyly as she walked up to Amethyst and nuzzled her.

“Come on, Mom. I’m not five anymore. I’m almost eighteen,” the teenager whined as her affectionate mother continued to hug her, cooing as she brushed Amethyst’s purple mane. Spike snickered as his daughter fumed while Rarity continued to embarrass her. Eventually, Amethyst had enough and tried to push herself free from Rarity’s embrace. “Mom, cut it out! Dad, do something about your wife!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you there,” the dragon chuckled. He then lowered his head down to Amethyst, which was about the size she was, and nuzzled against the other side of his daughter. “You’re just so cuddlesome.”

Though she tried, Amethyst couldn’t escape the double team nuzzle attack and gave up, muttering disgruntledly, “Parents.”

“Alright, I think we’ve embarrassed you enough... for now,” Rarity giggled as she and Spike relented their assault on their hybrid daughter and started to walk towards the mountains on the northern end of the valley. Amethyst was unlike any other creature in the world, being the offspring of a pony and a dragon. She was something the world hadn’t seen in thousands of years; a Kirin. Due to their magical nature, dragons could bred with almost any other creature, though it was hard to so. Since Rarity was a Unicorn, she and Spike had a better chance of producing a child because her race’s affinity towards magic.

Both races’ traits could be seen in Amethyst. Her body, for the most part, was equine. Her head, body, and hind legs were that of a pony’s, but her body was covered in white scales that shone like polished stones. Unlike her father’s sharp, hard, purple scales, hers were smooth and soft. The white, segmented scales of her underbelly were leathery and padded like a plush cushion compared the armored, lime green scales on Spike’s belly. Her rounded, purple spines on her back were flexible, barely harder than the rest of her scales. Though her hind legs were hooved like a pony’s, her front ones were dragon legs, completed with claws. Her tail was long like a dragon’s, but ended a stylish tuft a purple hair that matched her flowing mane. Another thing she inherited from her Unicorn genes was her horn. Though it was curved and more rugged than a normal Unicorn’s, it more or less worked the same. On the scales of her flanks was a cutie mark of a red, crystal heart with six smaller, round, purple gems circling it.

As the family of three made their way across ThornTail Hollow, Spike recalled his adventures on the island twenty-one years ago. Spike had joined up with a mercenary team known as “Star Fox” after he had fled Equestria when he was framed for murder by the Vampire King, Dracula. Though his friends and family ultimately had proven his innocence, Spike had already left for Krazoa Island to save it when it mysteriously started to fall apart. Rarity tracked him down to the island, but ended up as a hostage in a revived King Sombra’s scheme to regain his power. Spike and his friends, the Elements of Harmony, were able to stop Sombra, save the island, and rescue Rarity. After they had returned to Equestria, Spike was crowned a prince by the Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle, his mother. A few months later, he and Rarity were married.

As they reached the northern end of the valley, the three came upon an entrance to a cave. It was the same cave that Spike had discovered upon his arrival to Krazoa Island all those years ago. Inside, he found a fissure which led to a vital source of help that gave him the power to complete his mission.

Following the tunnel into the mountain, Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst descended into the heart of the mountain far beneath the island. The tunnel opened up to a vast subterranean chamber that was filled with an incredible wealth of treasure. Coins of gold, silver, and platinum were gathered into great mounds along with an assortment of jewels and precious stones. The light that trickled in from cracks and fissure reflected off the surfaces of the coins and multifaceted gems, illuminating the chamber with a dazzling, rainbow glow.

Upon seeing the mesmerizing sight, Rarity and Amethyst gasped as they beheld the treasure. This was Amethyst’s first time visiting the island, but Rarity had come with Spike and their friends many times since their adventure. No matter how many times she had seen the stockpile of treasure, it always took her breath away.

Spike looked upon the treasure with wonder as well, though he couldn’t help but to feel a little envious. He had accumulated his own hoard of treasure, but it was tiny compared to this. It would take centuries of gathering and collecting to build a hoard of this magnitude.

As the family stared at the treasure, a rumble reverberated off of the cavern walls as something big started to move. The mountains of wealth began to move like waves of the sea as something stirred beneath them. Like sharkfins, large, curved, golden spines arose from the depths of the gilded sea. Coins and gems dripped off a massive head, filling the chamber with the musical tinkling of treasure. Large eyelids opened, causing an eerie green to bathe the cave. The glowing eyes fell upon the trio, and a smile formed upon the lips of an elder, dark gold dragon.

“Spike, it is good to see you once again,” the old dragon rasped.

“Like wise, Master Aurum,” Spike greeted as he bowed his head in respect. The older dragon raised himself up on his front legs out of the treasure hoard, his colossal body towering over his guests. Like many reptiles, dragons continued to grow throughout their lives, reaching incredible sizes in their later years. Though Spike had grown considerably since he and Twilight Sparkle first moved to Ponyville when he was still a baby dragon, he was nowhere near the size of his mentor. Spike was between forty and fifty feet long while Aurum was larger than an Ursa Major.

A sound like thunder boomed throughout the cave causing Spike and his family to flinch, Rarity and Amethyst covering their ears. They then realized the noise was Aurum coughing and watched as the gold dragon’s legs wobbled before he crashed back down into his hoard, the impact nearly knocking them off their feet. After their shock had subsided, they looked to Aurum with concern. They noticed that the eyes of great wyrm that once burned like a green furnace had dimmed, their inner light now only softly glowing.

“Aurum, are you alright?” Spike asked the dragon that had trained him in the ways of dragon magic.

“My good sir, you look positively drained,” Rarity commented on Aurum’s state.

“How very astute of you, my dear,” Aurum dryly chuckled before coughing slightly. “I am not at my best.” His large eyes rolled over to look upon the Kirin. “You must be Amethyst Opal Jade. I have heard so much about you. I am glad to finally make your acquaintance.”

“Are you feeling okay, Mr. Aurum?” Amethyst asked with concern, repeating her father’s question.

“I fear that I have fallen ill,” explained Aurum. “Fear not, it is not contagious.”

“The letter you sent me said that you wanted to see us as soon as possible,” Spike said to the aging dragon. Just the other day, Spike received a surprise when he belched up a letter from his old teacher that came to him through his magical, green firebreath. The letter was brief and only stated that Aurum wished to see Spike and Rarity immediately. Amethyst, who had never met Aurum nor visited Krazoa Island requested to come along as well. “Is everything alright?”

“I am afraid not, my young friend,” Aurum gravely told them. “This illness… it will be the end of me.”

“What!?” Spike exclaimed upon hearing the dreadful news.

“Oh, Aurum,” Rarity sympathetically cried.

“Mourn not, there is nothing to be done,” Aurum told them, shaking his massive head.

“But there has to be something we can do!” Spike protested. “There has to be a cure or a remedy of some kind!”

“There is not. As I said, there is nothing to be done. This illness is not uncommon amongst dragons. Younger dragons almost always recover, but I am too old. My death is certain.”

“But there might be a chance that you’ll pull through,” Rarity hopefully suggested.

“I appreciate your concern, but I am afraid not,” Aurum sadly smiled at her. “Even now, I can feel my inner fire dwindle. It will soon go out. I just wanted you to come so that I may say goodbye.”

Amethyst was at a loss. She had been raised on the stories of how her parents and their friends went on many adventures, facing many dangers and saving the world from evil. She would go to bed listening to fantastic stories of daring acts of heroism and frightful tales of scary monsters. To her, Aurum was a living legend, and she was excited to finally be meeting him. Now that she finally had the opportunity to see him, he was dying.

“Aurum...no…” Spike quietly said, his voice cracking with emotion.

“All is well, my friend. It is just my time. True, I should have had many centuries of life left, yet I do not fear death. I have long desired to be reunited with my beloved.” The gold dragon paused to look upon the unusual family; a dragon, a pony, and their hybrid daughter. Turning his gaze to Rarity, he said, “I see much of her in you. She too had a generous spirit. She saw past my appearance and found something within me that I could not see.”

“You’re talking about the princess from the Hearts and Hooves Day legend, aren’t you?” Amethyst asked.

Looking to the white-scaled Kirin, Aurum nodded. “Yes, my little Kirin. How much do you know of the story?”

“Only what all little foals are taught in schools and what my dad has told me. I know that you’re the dragon from the legend and that you married the princess. Apparently, the two of you had a child that was like me. According to my dad, I’m the first Kirin born in thousands of years.”

“That is correct. I am glad that relations between ponykind and the dragons have improved enough so that another such union is possible. Back then, ponies were not so tolerant of others, not even of the other tribes of ponies. Perhaps you would like to hear the tale?”

“We would be honored to hear your story, Aurum,” Rarity graciously responded, Spike and Amethyst nodding in agreement.

Aurum smiled and said, “My children, gather around and hear my words. Spike, I may have told you of these events before, but I have not told you everything. What transpired happened long before the founding of the Kingdom of Equestria and the births of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Aside from me, there are none who now live that remember it, and soon, there will be none.

“It began with the death of the King of the Pegasi…”

The Grand Summit

Prince Zephyr stood at the head of the pyre, his elite guard flanking the sides. His gray eyes stared unblinking at the unmoving body on the altar. The deceased stallion’s coat was a sky blue and his mane was a cloudy white. Zephyr, while maintaining his stoic expression, nodded to two torch bearing guards at the other end of the altar. At his command, the two set the pyre ablaze, the flames consuming the body of the late king.

“Why were they cremating the body?” asked Amethyst.

“Hush, darling,” Rarity mildly scolded. “It isn’t polite to interrupt.”

“No, no. It is quite alright,” Aurum reassured them. “How else are we to learn unless we ask questions?”

The Pegasi that had gathered for the funeral of their king stood back as they watched the smoke and ashes rise up to the sky where it was then carried away by the wind. While the prince and the soldiers wore black armor, the mourning civilians wore black robes to show their sorrow for their fallen king. Before the founding of Equestria and even well after then, each of the three tribes of ponies had their own way of tending to their dead. Burying the dead was the Earth Pony way. They believed their bodies were made from the earth and they had to be returned to the earth from which they came. The Unicorns interned their dead in stone vaults carved beneath their mountain homes, the rich placed in their family tombs and the poor were placed in the catacombs. The Pegasi rejected the idea of having their bodies surrendered to the earth. They were the masters of the sky and lived free above the earth dwellers. To them, the only honorable way was to be cremated and have their ashes blown away by the wind, forever being carried by the breeze across the sky.

After the funeral, Prince Zephyr and his escort made their way back inside the cloud fortress as the civilians returned to their homes. A lot weighed upon the prince’s mind as he made his way through the halls, his council of generals and officers flanking him. Each of them were reminding him of the important upcoming events. With the passing of his father, he was next in line for the throne and the coronation was set to take place in one week. However, the annual meeting of the leaders of the three pony tribes took place before then. In fact, the meeting was tomorrow! The untimely death of the king happened a few days before the appointed time of the summit, and the Earth Ponies and Unicorns were gracious enough to postpone it until after the funeral.

The follow morning, Zephyr stood before the mirror in his chambers as his attendants groomed him. He studied his reflection, noting the resemblance between him and his father. They had the same build, strong and athletic. He would had to be in order to command the respect of his subjects. The Pegasi were a race of warriors. Out of the three tribes, they had the strongest and most organized military force. The kings of old only became kings because they led their forces into battle themselves, and each subsequent king had to prove their worthiness to keep their crown. If a king was seen as weak or unfit to rule, they were cast down and another took their place.

“That sounds very chaotic,” commented the Kirin.

“Indeed, I’d imagine there would have been quite the number of coups d’etat,” Rarity added.

“It was not as unstable as you might think,” clarified Aurum. “The Pegasi were militaristic and firmly believed in structure. If a leader was no longer qualified, they were simply removed and the next in line would ascend to that position.”

“You’re right about them being militaristic,” Spike spoke up. “Even though it’s called the E.U.P. Guard, most of them are Pegasi. They even have their own special squadron, the Wonderbolts.”

“I don’t get it,” Amethyst stated. “All of the history books I’ve read only mention them having commanders and generals before the founding of Equestria. They have nothing on their kings.”

“Patience, young one,” Aurum told her. “I will get there in time.”

Prince Zephyr took one last look in the mirror; he was wearing the dark gray armor common amongst the Pegasi soldiers. It had recently been polished and the gold thunderbolt emblem on the front shined like a mirror. His mane and coat colors were the same as his father’s, but inverted. An aid-de-camp approached and placed a princely crown on his head. He had to look impressive. Not only had he to command the respect of his soldiers, but also of the leaders of the other ponies that will be at the summit.

Satisfied with his appearance, Zephyr exited his chambers and marched down the halls towards a balcony that overlooked his kingdom. Awaiting him on the balcony was a squadron of his finest soldiers. They stood at attention and saluted him as he made his way across the balcony. Stopping at the ledge, he looked down at the cloud buildings and houses that laid before him. Beyond them, he could see the edge of the floating city, where the clouds were sparse. Below them would be the ground, the home of the earth dwellers.

Zephyr spread his wings, the guards spreading theirs as well in preparation. Following the prince’s lead, the Pegasi got into position and then took off from the balcony. Flying in formation, the winged ponies flew over the city, other flights of Pegasi officers and nobles joining them, and then swooped downward below the cloud line. The world the Pegasi knew was one of shades of blue and white, and now they had entered one of greens and browns. Before him were the rolling hills and farmlands of the Earth Ponies.

They flew over the trees and rivers as they headed towards the meeting place on the edge of the Earth Pony domain. In the distance, the mountains of the Unicorn lands could be seen. Below him, Zephyr saw a large stone building with a thatched roof with a crowd of Earth Ponies and Unicorns already filing in.

Stone and straw, how very Mud Pony-ish, he thought condescendingly. He had never before gone to a Grand Summit, but he had heard plenty of stories from his father. According to him, the Earth Ponies were filthy, flea ridden peasants that wallowed in dirt and mud and the Unicorns were prim and prissy weaklings and cowards.

Zephyr and his followers landed and entered the building. As the nobles and officials took their seats in the interior balcony, the prince ready himself to make his grand entrance into the conference room. On the other side of the double doors, he could hear the Earth Pony herald announce, “Presenting the Honorable Chancellor, Fertile Soil!”

“Presenting his Royal Highness, Prince Zephyr!” On his herald’s queue, the doors opened and the white coated prince entered the hall. Maintaining a stern scowl, his eyes panned the room. He could see the three tribes seating in their own sections on the balcony, their nations’ flags hanging from the balustrade. Since the Earth Ponies worked in fields all day, they normally didn’t wear clothes, but today, they wore their “finest,” which was no more than simple tunics, vests, and cloaks of earthy colors. Unsurprisingly, the Unicorns wore their fancy robes, frocks, and dresses of blues, reds, and purples along with the gold and jewels they mined from their mountains. The Pegasi either wore their military armor or senatorial togas.

With his subjects in the balcony behind him and his guards at his side, Zephyr took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. He looked over to the Earth Pony Chancellor. She was a middle aged mare with a dirt brown coat and a moss green mane that reminded him of the colors of the earth that the mare lived on. Zephyr despised those shades of the colors; they looked so… dirty. She offered a polite smile and said, “Welcome, Your Highness.”

Out of courtesy, Zephyr gave a slight nod but didn’t say anything in return. The peace between the tribes was strained at best and it would be unwise to cause any unnecessary tension. Resources were scarce and each of the three tribes had something that the other two desperately needed; the Earth Ponies grew the food, the Pegasi provided rain, and the Unicorns moved the sun and moon. It was at this meeting that the pony tribes discussed the terms and conditions of the trade between their nations.

“They also provided the gold and gems from the mountains,” Amethyst added. “It’s because of the Unicorns that the other tribes had their wealth and jewelry. Also, they were the leading providers of technology and magic.”

“How well versed in economics you are,” Aurum complimented. “Yes, after the coming of the Royal Alicorn Sisters, the Unicorns lost their control over the sun and moon, but were still able to contribute to pony society.

“Now, where was I?” the old dragon asked as he paused to gather his thoughts. He smiled and continued. “Ah, yes. The introduction of my beloved Rose.”

“Presenting her Royal Highness, Princess Fiore Rossa,” the Unicorn herald announced. Hearing the name surprised Zephyr, for he expected the Unicorn King to come.

Oh great. Just what I need, to sit and listen to a spoiled, stuck up, whinny...uh...uh… The prince’s sarcastic thoughts came to a stuttering halt when the doors on the opposing side of the room opened and the most beautiful mare he had ever seen walked in. The outside light bathed her in a heavenly glow, and Zephyr’s eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly open as he beheld the beauty. Her smooth coat was like red velvet, her silky hair was like golden strands of sunlight, and her eyes sparkled like two flawless emeralds.

“Welcome, Princess Fiore Rossa,” Fertile Soil pleasantly greeted.

“Thank you, Madam Chancellor. It’s nice to meet you,” the princess politely said in return. She then turned to Zephyr and said, “Hello, Your Highness. My condolences, I’m sorry to hear about your father. ”

“Uh-huh,” Zephyr muttered in a daze, barely recognizing the words she spoke to him.

“How’s your father, by the way? I thought he would be here today,” Fertile Soil questioned.

“I’m afraid he is preoccupied. There have been reports of a dragon sighting within our borders. He and my brother are investing the matter and have asked me to come in their stead and to offer their apologies.”

“No offense taken,” Fertile Soil dismissed. “Right, Prince Zephyr?”

“Uh-huh,” the prince repeated.

“Very well, shall we get started?” Fertile Soiled asked. Fiore Rossa agreed and took her place at the table. As she walked to her place adjacent to Zephyr, he drank in the sight of her body. Her coat was meticulously groomed and her mane was carefully styled. Her waist was slim, and he couldn’t stop staring at her flanks. They had the image of a pinkish-red rose for a cutie mark and were nicely toned. “Prince Zephyr?”

“Huh?” He snapped out of his trance and looked to the Earth Pony leader.

“Your wings.” Zephyr looked to either side of him and saw that his wings were flared out like he was about to take flight. He cleared his throat and folded them firmly against his side. Fiore Rossa’s face was flushed, making her face a deep crimson, and she suppressed a giggle.

The meeting proceeded fairly enough, though Zephyr wouldn’t be able to recall exactly what was said. He would alternate from nodding his head in agreement whenever somepony would say something to him to stealing glances at the Unicorn Princess and her amazing body.

“Well, I do believe that covers everything,” announced Fertile Soil. “Shall we adjourn?”

“Yes, I think so,” Fiore Rossa agreed. With the meeting at an end, the three clans started to exit the building and return to their homes.

As Fertile Soil walked past Zephyr, she smirked and whispered, “Try not to drool next time.”
The young Pegasus glowered at her, but then looked back to see Fiore Rossa walking away. As he watched her leave, he caught a good view of her backside. With each step, her hips would sway side to side and her tail would swing hypnotically behind her. His breathing quickened and pulse increased. He had to have her.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” a gruff voice said from behind him. It was General Tempest, a storm cloud gray stallion and his father’s top ranking commander. “Next time, pay attention. These meetings are important. You have to be careful or those land walkers might try to cheat us out of...Your Highness, where are you going?”

The amorous prince sped after the departing princess, flying past a bunch of Unicorns in pursuit of the mare. The Unicorns huffed and grumbled indignity as they were shoved aside, but Zephyr paid no heed to them. He was a hunter searching for his prey, which he spotted walking down the trail that would lead her back to her kingdom.

“Princess!” he called after her. She and her attendants stopped and turned to face the Pegasus as he landed before her. The royal mages that surrounded her eyed him suspiciously, but she kept a calm demeanor.

“Yes, Prince Zephyr?” she patiently asked.

“Do you have a moment to spare?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered, her six mages standing protectively at her side, each wearing a robe that was one of the colors of the rainbow.

“Um...That is…” He then cleared his throat and stood up straight like the prince he was, showing that he wasn’t intimidated by the hooded Unicorns. “May I speak to you in private?”

The royal mages looked to their princess and shook their heads in disapproval, but she waved a hoof to them calmingly before answering, “Of course.”

The Unicorns shot burning glares at the prince, but retreated out of earshot of the two royals. Now that they were alone, the prince spoke. “I must confess. You are very beautiful.”

The princess laughed merrily and responded by saying, “You’re too kind. You’re very handsome yourself.”

Hearing her laugh and her returned compliment strengthened his resolve and he continued. “Are you heading back to your kingdom immediately?”

“Yes. It’s a long trek to and from here, and I want to get back by nightfall.”

“Perhaps you could indulge me and spare an hour or two for me.” he suggested. “After such a long walk and a long meeting, I would think a glass of wine would be in order.”

“I really must be getting back to my own kingdom,” she politely declined. “Besides, I usually enjoy a glass as I retire for the day.”

“...And how about some lunch before you leave?” he added, trying to convince her to stay. “The Earth Ponies may supply your castle with decent food, but I wager you never had food fresh from the fields before.”

The Unicorn Princess thought about his words carefully. She knew she had to leave, but his offer was just too tempting. “I suppose a little snack wouldn’t hurt.”

“Excellent,” he cheered as he took one of her front hooves in his and led her back to the conference building. By the doors, Tempest and his guards were waiting for him, looking surprised and confused that their prince was escorting the princess. “Tempest, see if you could round up some food for the lady.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the older stallion said while eyeing the red mare carefully.

Zephyr and Fiore Rossa sat the long table as his Pegasi soldiers and her Unicorn Mages stood guard outside, each side glaring at the other distrustfully. Earth Pony peasants carried trays of apples, grapes, and grain and laid them on the table before the royalty. Fiore Rossa’s horn glowed green and an apple was raised of the platter in her magical aura. As she bit into the apple, she hummed with delight. The prince was right; the fruit tasted better fresh from the garden.

As she ate, delicately chewing her food quietly, the blue maned stallion watched her admiringly. She was stunning even as she ate. His eyes once again traveled up and down her body, however, she didn’t notice.

“Will you marry me?” he suddenly asked, causing her choke on the wine she was sipping.

“...I beg your pardon? I-I think you just said…” She once again blushed from what she thought she heard.

“Will you marry me?” he repeated.

“M-Marry you? Surely, you jest.” She started to laugh, figuring the prince was only kidding. She stopped laughing when she saw the hungry look in his eye. “You’re serious.”

“I’m in love with you. You must be my bride,” he desperately declared. He moved across the table and sat on his haunches at her side, taking one of her front hooves in his. “I can give you anything your heart desires. Our marriage will bring harmony to our nations. I can make you the happiest mare in the world.”

“I-I don’t know what to say…” she stammered from the shock.

“Say yes and I’ll make all of your dreams come true,” he vowed.

As she sat with her hoof in his, she noticed that his eyes were once again moving up and down her body and his wings had flared out again. A hard look came across her sweet face and she narrowed her eyes as she pulled her hoof away. “Are you? Are you really in love with me?”

“Yes, I am!”

“We’ve just met and you love me,” she said incredulously. “What is it that you love about me, hm?”

“You’re the most beautiful mare I have ever seen!”

“Right… Anything else?” she asked doubtfully.

“Yes… well… um… Our marriage will strengthen the relationship between our two nations!” he repeated.

“Perhaps it would, but I have a question for you.” She paused and he eagerly awaited her question. “What’s my name?”

“What?” he asked, taken aback by the simple question. “That’s easy. It’s um...uuummm…”

“‘Um’ is not my name,” she dryly stated. He opened his mouth to offer a retort, but he couldn’t think of one. “What’s my name?”

Zephyr racked his mind as he searched his memory for her blasted name, but couldn’t remember what it was for the life of him. I think it started with…“F”...Yeah, that sounds right. It was a fancy name that started with an “F.”

“Fi…” He started to say, the princess nodding and gesturing with her hoof in effort to draw the rest of her name out of him. “Fi...Fiona?”

She gave him a deadpan look and said, “You don’t even know my name. If you had paid any attention at the summit, you would have known it.”

“That’s not true! I was paying attention to you!” Zephyr claimed.

“Oh yes, you sure were paying a lot of attention to me by ogling me the entire time,” she muttered. Closing her eyes, she wiped her lips with a napkin and rose from her seat. “We’re done here. I’m sorry, but I won’t marry you.”

“But you’re the most beautiful mare in the world! I must have you!” he desperately shouted after her as he rose back up when she started to head towards the door. Hearing this, she spun around and angrily marched up to him.

“‘Have me?’ What do you think I am!?” Her outburst caused Zephyr to backpedal as she approached him while she continued her rant. “A prize to be won!? An item to possess!? A cheap harlot!? You’re not in love with me! You just want to get into my saddle and have a ride! You come here and saw a pretty face and thought she would just give herself to you! Have you forgotten that your father just died!? When I brought him up before the meeting, you just brushed it off like you didn’t even cared! You don’t care about him! You don’t care about me! You only care about yourself and your own desires.”

Left panting from outburst, she closed her eyes and took a breath, calming herself. Hearing her raise her voice, her attendants wearing the colorful robes came rushing in as did Tempest and the guards. The mage in the red robe asked, “Is everything alright, Your Highness?”

“I’m fine,” she reassured them.

“Your Highness, perhaps it’s time to go,” the mage in the blue robe urged.

“I agree,” she said as she turned to follow the Unicorn mages out the door. However, she stopped and turned to look at Zephyr. “You’re not in love with me.”

“But…” he started to say.

“Go home, Prince Zephyr,” she cut him off. “You don’t love me, and I don’t love you. And there is nothing you can do to change that.”

As he watched her and her company leave, General Tempest and the rest of his soldiers walked up to him. The hardened stallion watched Fiore Rossa as she exited the building and turned to his prince. Having heard the entire conversation, he said, “Come, my prince. Let’s return to our kingdom.” When Zephyr didn’t move, Tempest said, “Forget about her. She’s just a Unicorn. You wouldn’t want a namby-pamby spoiled brat like her anyway. Bad breeding stock.”

Zephyr said nothing, but turned to follow his adviser out the other door and took off towards his own city. As he flew, his thoughts still dwelt on the mare. Her words stung at his pride, yet he felt a fire of lustful desire burning inside of him. She’s wrong. I am in love with her, and she will be mine! “Nothing I can do to change it,” huh? Well, let’s see about that!

The Potion

Under the light of the moon, a lone figured walked down a path in an old forest. Every so often, the cloaked pony would pause to look over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. However, the only thing to be seen was the shroud of darkness that laid beyond the trees. Owls hooted from the trees above and the wind rustled the leaves. The pony eyed his surroundings for a moment longer before cautiously continuing on his path.

In the distance, the mysterious pony saw the glow of a cabin. Unlike the welcoming glow of a warm hearth, an eerie green light radiated from the cracks of the window’s shutters. The pony gulped, knowing all too well the risks of coming here. If anypony knew of what he sought from this location, it would ruin him. However, the risk was well worth it his eyes.

As he approached the hovel, he saw a purplish smoke rise from the chimney, green sparks periodically bursting within the plume. Gathering his courage, the pony rapped his hoof against the door. A moment later, it creaked open to reveal a mare that looked to be as old as time itself. Her smokey purple coat sagged and her frizzy mess of a mane shoot out in all directions. She wore a gray shawl and her one good green eye bulged out, rapidly scanning up and the down the form of her visitor. Her droopy jowls curled upwards into a smile, her single snaggletooth protruding from her bottom lip.

“Well…” the elderly Earth Pony mare wheezed. “What brings a handsome young prince to my door at this hour, I wonder…”

The hooded prince blanched and looked around nervously before asking, “H-How… How do you know who I am?”

The crone cackled and then pointed a wobbly hoof to the clasp on his cloak. “That’s the Royal Crest of the Pegasi, is it not? Here’s a piece of free advice, sonny; if you want to be incognito, don’t wear your crest for everypony to see.”

Prince Zephyr looked down and placed a hoof on the lightning bolt seal. The old mare continued to laugh and he groaned at his own carelessness. Aggravated, he shouted, “Alright, I get it! Stop laughing!”

“I’m only teasing,” she reassured him and then stepped aside, welcoming him into her humble abode. Zephyr unclasped his cloak and hung it on a peg on the wall. Following the Earth Pony, he approached a large cauldron that emanated the green light as it bubbled and fumed. The old mare grabbed a large spoon and started to stir the pot as the Pegasus looked on. The old pony hummed to herself while Zephyr waited for her to saying something. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, the prince cleared his throat. “Oh, did you want something, dearie?”

“Yes,” he confirmed, looking down at the glowing brew. “I understand that you’re a… a… ahem, a witch.”

He blushed, embarrassed from saying the word, but the old mare’s head snapped up suddenly, her good eye staring piercingly at him. She banged her spoon angrily against the side of the cauldron and she shouted, “I’m not a witch! I’m an apothecary!”

She smacked the wooden spoon again against the rim of the cauldron, snapping it. She looked down at the broken utensil and sighed in frustration. She got off of her stirring stool and waddled over to a shelf, on which there was a collection of jars. Inside them, Zephyr could see an assortment of herbs, roots, and various animal parts. The mare pushed the jars aside in search of something, and Zephyr grimaced when he saw an eyeball bob up and down in the viscous material inside one of the containers. Finding a replacement spoon, the old mare went back to her cauldron.

“Just because I brew a few homemade remedies doesn’t make me a witch,” she muttered to herself as she started her stirring again. “I mean, I didn’t mean to turn that filly into a newt. How was supposed to know she was allergic to amphibians? At least she got better. Those stuck up Unicorns… saying that I shouldn’t be practicing magic. Bah! Just because they have those horns and can cast spells doesn’t mean they’re the only ones with magic! Ha! Can they help plants grow like Earth Ponies can? Can they manipulated the weather like Pegasi can? Well… they could, but not as good! I mess up that one time… and that one other time… and a few others… and the Chancellor calls me a witch and has me banished!”

“Um, madam?” The mare looked up to see Zephyr hesitantly approaching her. “I’m sorry to interrupt your rant, but the reason I’m here…”

“Oh, right right right…” she mumbled, recomposing herself. “I’m guess you want me to make you a potion of some kind, am I right?” He nodded and she continued. “You know, it’s ponies like you that perpetuate the image of me being a witch. They all come during the dead of night, knock on my door, and ask for a spell. If they want magic, go ask a Unicorn! I’m sure they’d be glad to wave their little horns and make everything alright!”

“But spells aren’t discreet,” Zephyr pointed out.

“Ah, yes,” the crone crooned. “Discretion. Can’t be very discreet having a Unicorn hex an enemy or enchant somepony to win or lose a competition. So tell me, who are you trying to curse, hm? Trying to turn an enemy into a toad, or perhaps you want a potion that would make you invulnerable to pain during battle? Whatever it is, you’ve come to the wrong pony.”

“I have money,” he told her.

“I bet you do, but I can’t have…” She stopped mid sentence when she heard the jingle of gold and looked down at her table to see a small pouch of coins. She licked her lips, but shook her head. “No, I will not be bought for…” There was another clatter of gold, louder than the first, and she looked again to see a bag alongside the pouch. “...My integrity as an apothecary will not be compromise! I refuse to shame to the practice of….” There was a thud and a sack of gold was placed onto the table, its precious contents spilling out. “...You say need a witch?”

Moments later, the elderly mare and the prince were sitting at the table. The mare excitedly counted the coins, chuckling to herself at the generous bounty. Satisfied with her payment, she looked up and asked, “So, what can I do for you?”

“Um, there is this mare…” Zephyr shyly admitted, blushing fiercely when the purple coated mare laughed.

“Isn’t that always the case! Oh, you young ponies. So, I’m guessing you want a little something to spice up your relationship, am I right? Or maybe somepony is having trouble in bed? Hehehe! What’s the matter, sonny? Do you measure up or do you fall short where it really counts? Hahaha!”

“It’s nothing like that!” Zephyr adamantly declared. “There’s a mare I’m in love with, but…”

“But she doesn’t like you, is that it?” the crone finished for him. He nodded and she hummed pensively as she tapped a hoof to her chin. “Love potions are tricky, sonny.”

“Are you saying you can’t make me a love potion?” he questioned.

“Oh, I can make love potions of all sorts!” she claimed. “The problem is the strength of the potion you need. You see, the best love potions are the weak ones; ones that you use to rekindle a relationship that is having problems or to add an extra ‘spark’ in an existing relationship. Aphrodisiacs, if you will. Those potions are harmless because both parties involved agree to using the potion. They want the relationship to work. They want to love each other.

“What you’re asking from me is a love poison. When the pony of of other pony’s dreams turn them down or are completely unaware of their existence, they come to me asking for something that will force that pony to love them. Dreadful things; they almost always backfire in the end. Not worthy the trouble they cause.”

“But that’s what I need!” Zephyr urgently told her. “I’m in love with her, but she says that I’m not!”

“Maybe you could just respect her opinion,” the crone suggested, earning her the glare from the prince.

“Or maybe I could take my money and leave!” he threatened and reached for the stack of coins.

“Wait! Let’s not be too hasty!” she cried as she placed a wrinkly hoof on his to stop him. After the prince had calmed down, she continued. “If you do this, you must understand the consequences. No matter how much potion you give her, she won’t truly love you. It will all be a facade created by its effects. As soon as it wears off, she’ll go back to the way she was, and I doubt she’ll be happy when she finds out that you drugged her. Do you understand? Despite their name, love potions do not create lasting love, only temporary infatuation.”

“I don’t care. As long as she is mine,” he told her coldly. The old pony was having doubts about doing this to an innocent mare, but the money on the table convinced her otherwise.

“Just as long as you remember that. Now, how long do you need it to last? Just enough for one night or…”

“Forever,” he firmly told her.

“Forever!?” she exclaimed.

“Yes, I intend on making her my bride.”

“There’s no potion that last forever. Long lasting, yes, but even those have antidotes. In order to be permanent, you would have to be constantly drugging her!”

“Then you would have a steady customer,” he pointed out. Again, her conscience gnawed at the back for her mind, but she tried to forced it to be quite.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked one last time, compelled by the voice in her head.

“I’m sure, now make me my potion!” he impatiently ordered. She sighed and hopped off her stool. She headed over to a bookshelf and pulled out a musty, old tome. Placing it onto the table, she flipped through the pages of her recipe book until she found the section on love potions. Her good eye scanned over her notes and then she pulled an anatomy book off the shelf. After cross referencing the books, she grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled down of few notes.

“There, I think that’ll do it,” she stated as she read over her notes.

“What do you mean ‘you think it will work?’ Haven’t you done this before?”

“I have, but never for a Pegasus. Most of my clients are Earth Ponies,” she explained.

“Why would that make a difference?”

“Because you need the right ingredients for the right type of ponies, otherwise you won’t get the desired effect. I can’t give a potion meant for an Earth Pony to a Pegasus or a Unicorn. The results might be disastrous!”

“Fine, just make the potion,” ordered the prince.

“I can’t,” she blatantly told him.

“And why not!?”

“I don’t have the ingredients. You’ll have to get them yourself,” she told him, handing him the parchment. “Remember, follow the instructions precisely! One mistake could ruin it!”

Zephyr looked over the recipe and then back to the witch with a scowl. “This had better work, or I’ll be coming back for my gold and your head!”

“Follow the instructions and everything will go right,” she reassured him. He gave her one last questioning glance before stowing the note in his cloak and left. After he had left, the old Earth Pony mare continued to stare at the door from which he exited. “Why do I have the feeling I’m going to Tartarus for this?”

“So where did his plan go wrong?” Aurum questioned his listeners.

“I’m assuming that he didn’t follow the instructions exactly,” Amethyst responded.

“That is correct,” the golden wyrm confirmed. He stopped to let out a thunderous cough. Though he covered his mouth with a claw, the cavern rumbled from the mighty sound. Afterwards, he took a few raspy, panting breaths. His front legs, which he had been using to raise himself up with, trembled and he lowered him onto his belly. He still held his head up, which craned over Spike, Rarity, and their daughter. “Also, the witch assumed the mare he desired was a Pegasus like he was.”

“So the love potion she came up with was for Pegasi consumption only?” Rarity asked.

“Indeed.”

“No wonder why Big MacIntosh and Cheerilee reacted to it so negatively,” Rarity mused.

The next morning, Prince Zephyr had locked himself away in his chambers. On his desk was the parchment, a bowl, and the ingredients he required. To his surprise, they were fairly simple for a Pegasus to obtain. Perhaps that was why this particular potion was tailored specifically for the winged race of ponies.

There was a knock on the door and General Tempest’s voice could be heard on the other side. “My Prince, we need to go over the preparations for your coronation ceremony.”

“Not now, Tempest. I’m preoccupied,” Zephyr called over his shoulder and focusing back on his work.

“Are you still sulking over that Unicorn?” the older stallion asked in deadpan tone. “I told you, just forget about her. You have more important things to worry about, like this coronation.”

“All I’m doing is trading one crown for a bigger one. I say a few words, I get crowned, and then everypony cheers. How much more planning this there to do?” Zephyr dismissively asked.

“It’s not only that, but the entire procession! You have to know when to stand, when to move, where the soldiers have to…”

“That’s why I have you. You handle the preparations and just tell me what to do,” Zephyr interrupted.

“Your Highness, I strongly urge you to…”

“Just make it happen! I have something important to do!” he again cut off the general.

“I… Yes, Your Highness.” With no further delays, the prince looked at the parchment.

“Let’s see… Take a tuft of cloud.” He picked up a gray piece of fluff that drizzled rain onto the parchment and sparked with miniature lightning bolts. He shook the storm out of it until it turned white and placed it in the bowl before grabbing a flask of multicolored liquid he obtained from the rainbow making facility. “A bright rainbow’s glow.” He poured the liquid prism onto the cloud and then reach to one of his wings, pulling a white feather from its place with his teeth. Using the feather, he began to mix the cloud and rainbow together until it made a purplish brew. “Stir with a Pegasus feather. Fast, not slow. Serve to two ponies who aren't in the know.”

Zephyr then took a bottle of wine that was on his desk and uncorked it, pouring the love potion into it. After swirling the bottle so that the potion would mix with the wine, he stoppered it and placed it in his saddle bag. He placed his royal armor on his body along with his crown and bag and headed to the door. On the desk laid the parchment. In his haste, he had failed to notice that the rain from the cloud had smudged the last line.

“Before serving, whether to stallion or mare, add one strand of your own hair.”

The door to Zephyr’s chamber opened and the prince made his way out into the corridor. Walking away was General Tempest, who turned around when he heard the door open.

“Ah, I’m glad you changed your mind,” the gray Pegasus happily said. “Now, as I was saying…”

“I’m going out, Tempest. Take care of things while I’m gone,” Zephyr told his general.

“Out? What do you mean, ‘out?’” an utterly confused Tempest questioned. “Is there some important mission that I was not made aware of? If that is the case, then I insist you take the elite guard.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m going to pay a visit to the Unicorn Princess.”

“Oh, by the sky above! What can I say to make you forget her!?” Tempest shouted as he blocked the hallway, his patience worn thin. “You are going to be a king! You can’t waste time by chasing after some earth dwelling mare, even if she’s a princess!”

“Remember your place, General!” Zephyr snarled at the older stallion. He puffed out his chest, held his head up high, and flared his wings challengingly to make himself look bigger. “I am the Prince and will do as I please! You will do as you are told! Understood?”

General Tempest scowled at the young stallion that was trying to intimidate him. Tempest was seasoned warrior while this colt had hardly any combat experience. If he wanted to, he could easily take the prince in a fight. Nevertheless, the older Pegasus backed down and begrudgingly muttered, “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Good, now out of my way!” The gray Pegasus cleared the path and the white coated prince flew away in a huff. As he left, Tempest glared at the departing brat.

The prince flew once again to the world below the clouds. Flying past the lowlands and fields that Earth Ponies inhabited, he soon found himself in the domain of the Unicorns; a land of towering mountains. The homes of the Unicorns were more impressive than the Earth Ponies, for they could use their magical telekinesis to carve and place the stone masonry with better precision than their hornless counterparts. Since they had a greater appreciation for the fine arts, their homes were decorated with elaborate ornaments, and finely polished, wooden furniture with plush cushions. Not as majestic as the cloud architecture of the Pegasi but far better than the shacks the Earth Ponies lived in, or so Zephyr thought.

Rising from the side of a rocky mountain was the Castle of the Unicorn King. He could see the battlements lining the roof of the keep and there was a tower that rose over the rest over building, overlooking the valley below. Atop of the tower flew a violet flag that depicted a white Unicorn surrounded by golden stars; the Unicorns’ tribal flag.

Landing at the front gate, Zephyr saw two surprised Unicorn sentries standing guard. Unlike his own soldiers, these stallions bore no weapons other than their horns. One of them shouted, “Halt! Who goes there!?”

“I am Zephyr, Prince of the Pegasi!” the white stallion announced. “Tell the princess that I have come to make amends.”

The tower guards shared a confused look before one said to him, “Wait here, I’ll go announce you.”

Princess Fiore Rossa was reclining on a green floor pillow that complimented her red fur, reading a book by the hearth in her chambers. Hearing a knock on her door, she set down her book and calmly called, “Yes?”

“Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness,” the guard apologized as he entered. “But there is a Prince Zephyr here to see you. He says he wishes to make amends.”

Initially, Fiore Rossa was wary at the mention of the prince’s unexpected arrival, but hearing that he was there to make peace caught her attention. She rose off her pillow and stepped towards the guard. “Is that so? Well, let’s see what he has to say.”

Following the guard through the torch lit halls of the castle, she made her way to the great hall where Zephyr was awaiting her. On the way, she passed by the tapestries that were woven from costly threads and suits of armor that lined the corridors. Upon entering the large hall, she could see the prince in gray armor standing on the long rug that ran down the length of the room. Seeing her enter, Zephyr smiled and politely bowed. Although still suspicious of the Pegasus, Fiore Rossa curtsied in return.

“Prince Zephyr, what a surprise,” she stated as she flicked her golden mane out of her eyes. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I simply wish to offer an apology for my previous behavior,” he claimed. “I was not at my best during the Grand Summit and fear that I gave off the wrong impression.”

“I would say so,” she replied with a raise of a brow.

“I was hoping you would give me another chance,” he said while meekly smiling. Fiore Rossa’s instincts told her to turn the prince away, but that wouldn’t have been charitable.

Conceding to good form, she sighed and answered, “I supposed everypony deserves a second chance. Come, let us retire to the study.”

She led the prince to a spacious room that had numerous bookshelves lining the walls along with sitting pillows and desks. The maids moved two of the cushions so that they sat across a small table from each other. Fiore Rossa and Zephyr had a seat as the servants placed gilded platters of fruit and gem incrusted goblets before them. Before the servers could pour the wine, Zephyr procured the bottle of tainted wine from his bag.

“I brought more of the Earth Pony wine that we had at the summit,” he announced, holding up the bottle temptingly. The princess smiled, remembering how delicious it was.

“How thoughtful of you,” she complimented. She nodded to a servant, who then took the bottle and pour the wine into goblets instead. Zephyr eagerly smiled as the servants placed both goblets on the table in front of them before leaving the royals, and watched with bated breath as the princess’s horn glowed green, only to be disappointed when she levitated a raspberry to her lips.

Suppressing his disappointment, he asked, “How is your father?”

After swallowing the raspberry, she answered by saying, “He is still searching for the dragon with my brother.”

“The dragon?” he asked confusedly, but then recalled what she had said at the meeting a few days ago. “Oh, yes! I remember you saying that a dragon had been spotted within your borders.”

“So you actually remembered something from the summit other than how my flanks look?” she asked facetiously, smirking at him. He blushed furiously, causing her to laugh. “I only jest.” He forced a laugh, trying to uphold appearances. “The dragon hasn’t attack anyone nor has it raided any settlements, but we want to be prepared. My father and brother, along with their knights, are seeking the dragon to encourage it to leave peacefully.”

“And if not, will they use force?” Fiore Rossa’s horn glowed once more, and Zephyr once again watched anxiously. This time, she took a slice of an apple off the platter and dainty chewed it.

“I certainly hope it doesn’t come to that,” she responded. “In my opinion, violence should only ever been used as a last resort.”

“I agree,” he claimed.

“Do you?” she pointedly question as she plucked a few grapes off of the platter.

“Of course.”

“That is interesting. Most Pegasi would answer differently,” she stated as she ate the grapes, doubting his sincerity.

Clearing his throat, he replied, “Well, perhaps it is time for in a change in how ponies treated each other.”

“I suppose so,” she said, thoughtfully nodding along.

“Wouldn’t it be better if the three tribes worked together instead of constantly bartering and haggling over the exchange of goods?”

“Well, that’s the point of the Grand Summit,” she pointed out. “It’s there so we can come together and peacefully discuss such matters. If only the tribes could look past their differences and put their pride aside, they would see that their destinies are intertwined. Each tribe thinks they are owed special compensation for the service they provide. The Earth Ponies grow the food, but only can do so because the Pegasi provide the rain necessary to water them and the Unicorns provide the cycle of day and night which keeps the world in harmony. Does this make the Pegasi and the Unicorns more important? No. Without the hard work of the Earth Ponies, they would starve. To ask which tribe is more important is to ask which leg of three-legged stool is the most important. If one of them is missing, then the whole falls.”

“I’d say that calls for a toast,” Zephyr claimed as he reached for his goblet, moving his plan along. His heart started to race when he saw her reach for her own. “Here is to the ongoing balance between the three tribes of ponies. May the movement towards peace never cease.”

After touching glasses, both ponies brought their drinks to their lips and sipped the wine. Fiore Rossa hummed, pleased by the pleasant taste of the wine while Zephyr watched her with a triumphant grin on his lips. After downing both of their drinks, Zephyr waited for some sort of sign that the potion had work. As he watched the princess sitting across from him wiping her lips with a napkin, a hiccup escaped his lips. At the same time, Fiore Rossa also hiccuped and a small purple bubble floated out of their mouths.

“Oh, excuse me,” she apologized, holding a hoof to her mouth. Before she could say anything else or for Zephyr to question why the potion didn’t work, the two bubbles connected to form a purple heart. As the bubble heart started to float away, Fiore Rossa and Zephyr immediately became transfixed by each others eyes, which pulsated with colored rings of pink and purple.

Though Fiore Rossa couldn’t understand it, she suddenly saw Zephyr for the handsome stallion that he was. She thought him reasonably attractive before, but now she saw how irresistible he was! His rugged good looks, his athletic body, and his chiseled face was every mare’s dream. She couldn’t believe that she failed to see it before. Maybe it was because the long walk to the meeting house had put her in a bad mood.

Meanwhile, the image of the breathtaking mare before Zephyr encompassed all of his thoughts. The way her mane caught the sunlight was dazzling, and he could stare into her emerald eyes all day and watch them sparkle. She had all the right curves in all the right places and she smelled of the sweetest flowers.

“Prince Zephyr,” she said while flirtatiously batting her eyelashes at him.

“Yes, Princess?” he contently sighed, causing her to giggle and shyly turn her head.

“I was so wrong in turning you away earlier,” she pouted coyly. “It would make me so happy to be your bride. Can you ever forgive me?”

“How could I possibly stay mad at you?” he replied in an overly sweet voice. “I would be honored to have a such a beauty as my wife.”

“I’m going to be a pretty-witty pony princess wifey-difey!” she giggled like a little foal.

“And I’m going to be your chubby-wubby-hubby-dubby!” he joined her in the baby talk.

“You’re my honey-doney lovey-dovey!”

“You’re my kissy-wissy cutie-patootie!”

After some time had passed, the servants return to collect the dishes only to find the prince and princess sitting face to face, cooing at each other while pecking each other on the lips between exchanging foalish nicknames. One retainer looked to his companions and muttered, “I am NOT explaining this to the king.”

The King and the General

Two days had passed and Prince Zephyr had failed to return to the palace in the sky. A certain general was pacing the floor of the council room, his officers watching on anxiously. It was the eve of the coronation and they hadn’t received any word from their Prince. They knew he had gone to the Unicorn Kingdom, but he never specified on how long he would be there. Also, he went alone, causing Tempest to worry to no end.

That foal, Tempest thought angrily to himself. Who knows what sort of mischief he got himself into! Two days is too long just to be a simple visit. Something must have happened to him. Paranoid thoughts filled his head as he continued his pacing. He berated himself for allowing Zephyr to go off by himself, but he was given a direct order from his superior. On the other hoof, if it was something that could jeopardize his or the kingdom’s security, he had a responsibility to intervene. Then again, if his prince wanted to go chasing after some mare, who was he to stop him? What’s the worst that could happen? Chances are they had really fallen for each other and so are so enraptured that they had lost track of time.

Doubtful, Tempest dismissed the idea. He had heard what she had said to Zephyr at the council. There would be no way that she would suddenly fall head over hooves for him. That left the other option; something bad must have happened to him. Maybe he was too pushy or came on too strongly. They would have kicked him out of their castle. If so, then why hadn’t he return yet with his tail tucked between his legs? What if he had somehow offended her greatly? What if her father, the Unicorn King, took offense as well?

If that was the case, he would have surely thrown him in the- General Tempest stopped dead in tracks. Suddenly spinning around, he marched out of the council room, barking orders to his soldiers. “Rally the troops immediately!”

“Sir, what’s going on?” an officer asked urgently as he and the others filed in behind him.

“I don’t know, and that’s the point!” responded Tempest, his march turning into a gallop as they raced down the halls to the landing fields. “Anything could have happened, so there is no time to waste!”

“Sir, couldn’t we send a messenger or a scout to gain intel?” asked another officer.

“There is no time for that! If it turns out to be nothing but a simple misunderstanding, then there is no harm done. But if something has happened to him, then we must be prepared to fight!”

In no time at all, an entire battalion had been assembled and was preparing to take flight. General Tempest stood at the head of the gathered Pegasi warriors and loudly said, “Stallions! Our Prince is missing in action in the Unicorn Kingdom! His situation is unknown! All we know is that he went to visit the Unicorn Princess and has failed to return! If they are holding him, we must be prepared to rescue him at all costs! Now, let’s fly!”

At their commander’s word, the winged warriors took off and flew in formation down below the cloud city in the direction of the Unicorn Kingdom. As he led his troops, Tempest thought to himself, If this turns out to be a false alarm, I’m going to kill him! If this turns into a situation, I’m going to KILL HIM!

“Two days?” Amethyst asked, astounded by what she heard. “He was gone for two days? What in the world could he have been doing?”

“Don’t tell me he and Rose where… you know,” Rarity asked, blushing a bit at the thought.

“Thankfully, no,” answered Aurum. “Due to his incompetence by neglecting to add the key ingredient, he had poisoned himself as well with potion. His hair would have made him immune to its effects, and since Rose was a Unicorn and not a Pegasus, the potion had an adverse effect on them; it worked too well.”

Aurum paused and let out another mighty cough, forcing Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst to cover their ears from the deafening noise. After he had finished, Aurum gasped for air, his breath coming through as laboured pants. Rarity’s face furrowed with concern and she lifted a large shield from the treasure hoard with her blue magic. After dumping the coins and gems that rested inside the hollow of the shield, she ran with it to a grotto on the side of the cavern. Water from a spring that rested above the cave trickled down the rock wall so that it formed a crystal clear pool. Rarity dipped the shield in the water and carried the impromptu goblet back to Aurum. Seeing the alabaster mare had brought him a drink, he thankfully smiled at her. Due to his enormous size, it was no more than a thimble's worth to him, but he graciously accepted the kind gesture. He took the shield carefully with two claws and drank the sip of water.

After Aurum’s breathing had returned to normal, or as much as it could, Amethyst asked, “So what did happen to the prince and princess?”

“Make way for the King!” cried a herald. The doors of the great hall opened and an armored stallion entered, followed by his entourage of knights. Upon their lord’s entrance, the servants immediately went to work and started to remove the king’s equipment. They undid the clasps on the breastplate, loosened the straps on the greaves, and took the lance that was at his side, replacing them with the royal regalia of gilded horseshoes, a purple cape, and a diamond studded collar. After replacing his helmet with a crown, the servants moved away as King Adamant walked across the rug that spanned the length of the hall.

Fiore Rossa’s father was slate-gray stallion with an iron colored mane. His mouth was covered by a large mustache and his hard eyes were just as colorless as the rest of him. At his side, his chief knight and eldest child kept pace with him. In contrast with his father, Prince Orichalum had a golden coat, a coppery mane, and ruby red eyes. Both father and son bore scowls of disappointment, the father’s leaning more towards frustration.

As the king and prince made their way across the hall, two maids, one peach with a purple mane and the other yellow with a green mane, and a brown butler with a blue mane approached them. The three looked nervous, for they saw that King Adamant’s patience was already worn thin, yet they knew that one of them had to report the sure to be upsetting news to him. When his two companions failed to speak up, the brown coated butler cleared his throat, gaining him the cold, sideways glance of the king.

“Your Majesty,” the sweating butler slowly started, gauging the king’s reaction. “How fared your search for the dragon?”

It was a rhetorical question, for it wasn’t hard to see that the hunting party had returned empty hoofed. To the butler’s relief, the king didn’t explode with anger at him, but huffed, “We lost sight of it.”

“We searched the sites where it had been spotted,” Prince Orichalum elaborated. “By chance, we managed to spot it, but it disappeared in Blind Chasm.” The treacherous Blind Chasm was infamous for its rugged terrain and for the dense fog that blanketed the network of canyons and interconnecting tunnels, making it a veritable labyrinth. Many a traveler have been lost to the Chasm and all attempts to map it have proven futile.

“Did you go in after it?” the peach maid asked, horrified by the idea.

“We did, and we lost an entire day just trying to find our way out!” shouted the king.

“We’re all glad that you managed to return to us, Your Majesty,” the yellow mare stated. “It would have been awful if you never returned!”

“Your concern is appreciated, but that doesn’t change the fact that one of those firebreathers is loose in my kingdom,” grumbled King Adamant. “Thankfully, it hasn’t pillaged a village or snatched up some poor, defenseless foal yet. Every second that demon roams free is a second closer we come to disaster. I’m surprise that something bad hasn’t happened yet!”

“Uuummm…” The three servants cringed together, sharing a panicked look. Adamant and Orichalum, hearing this, looked to the three with questioning stares.

“What? What is it?” the prince asked. The maids looked to the butler, who was hesitantly pawing at the ground with a hoof, and nudged him to continue.

“We… have a situation…”

“Go on,” Adamant commanded impatiently.

“There’s a problem with the Princess,” the brown butler explained, bracing himself for the king’s inevitable wrath. “She… You might want to see for yourself…”

Adamant was led to a door, which opened to reveal to shocking sight; the king’s daughter was sitting in front of a Pegasus stallion, nuzzling and cooing baby talk to each other.

“Lovey-dovey,” Fiore Rossa sighed contently as her eyes fluttered.

“Baby-waby,” Zephyr hummed before pecking a kiss on the princess’s lips. Seeing that the foreign prince dared to touch his daughter’s lips caused Adamant’s blood boil as his cold eyes heated with unbridled fury, servants and soldiers alike cowering away from him. After staring wide eyed at the pair for a solid minute in disbelief, the king sharply turned to the unfortunate three that were tasked with bearing the bad news to him.

“What is the meaning of this!?” the gray Unicorn roared, his rage finally reaching the bursting point. “What is that Pegasus doing here!? And why is my daughter snogging him!?”

“Y-Your Majesty, that’s Prince Zephyr...of the Pegasi,” the peach colored maid whimpered as she and the other servants huddled together.

“I know who he is! What is he doing here!?” the king reiterated.

“He arrived a couple of days ago asking to see the Princess,” the yellow maid tried to explain. “One moment they were talking, having lunch together, and the next they were like this.”

Orichalum looked between his father, the servants, and his sister, bewildered by what was transpiring before him. “I don’t understand. Why are they acting like this? Did they say something or did something happen?”

“We think it’s the wine that Prince Zephyr brought. We think it may have been drugged,” the butler told him.

“What wine? Did anypony check it for poisoning? Bring me the bottle,” Adamant ordered.

“Well, that’s the thing...” the butler continued. He nodded to a palace guard, who then proceeded to walk to another door and opened it. If Adamant and Orichalum were stunned before, what they saw on the other side of the door left them dumbfounded; there was a mass of serving ponies paired off, cuddling with each other while babbling on like idiots in sickeningly sweet voices. Stallions and mares, mares and mares, and even stallions and stallions were lost in their own little worlds, oblivious to their surroundings aside from their sweethearts in front of them. Seeing the palace staff act like lovestruck foals, Orichalum took his hoof and firmly planted his face on it. In the midst of the confusion, the brown butler brought the now empty wine bottle to the king. “After the Princess and Prince Zephyr went off to… cuddle, some of the staff got into the wine. As you can see, they all fell in love with the first pony they saw.”

“Where did the wine come from?” the frustrated king asked.

“Prince Zephyr brought it,” the butler explained.

“Then why in the world did you allow it to be served to my daughter!?”

“Because he was drinking it too!” the frightened stallion explained, pointing a hoof to the Pegasus Prince. Adamant glanced back to the unwelcomed guest and snorted as he conceded. If it was a poison meant to kill his daughter, why would he drink of it as well?

“Very well, Manesworth. You said that they have been like this for a couple days now? What have they been doing? If he has defiled my precious daughter’s purity, I swear I’ll make him and you geldings!” threatened the king.

“N-No Sire! He hasn’t done anything of the sort!” the brown stallion answered, waving his front hooves in terror. “T-They’ve just been like this! Other than kissing and nuzzling, they haven’t done anything for two days! All they do is just sit there and baby talk all day! They don’t sleep, and they barely peck at the food we bring them.”

“Why haven’t you tried to separate them?” asked Orichalum.

“Believe me, Your Highness, that was the first thing we tried to do when we discovered something was wrong,” the peach maid told the gold Unicorn. “When we tried to pull them apart, they flailed about uncontrollably! When we put them in separate rooms, they knocked everypony over as they broke free. The Prince gave poor Sunflower here a black eye!” To emphasize her point, she motioned towards the yellow maid, who in turn pointed to the purplish bruise over her left eye. “And when the others started to act this way, we didn’t know what to do! We knew it must have been some sort of magic potion, and the Royal Mages are working on a remedy as we speak.”

“Have they made any progress, Miss Sugarplum?” the Unicorn Prince asked the peach mare.

She shook her head and said, “So far, no. They say that whatever was in the drink was powerful. And they say that trying to undo its effects with a spell might be dangerous. Their enchantments might react badly with the potion’s and cause even more problems.”

“Alright, alright. I get the point. But something has to be done about them now. If they’re not eating or sleeping, then their health is going to be affected.”

“Manesworth, I want all afflicted ponies separated and quarantined,” ordered King Adamant.

“But Sire, we have already tried that before!” protested the butler. “They broke down doors and plowed through the servants trying to hold them just to get back to each other!”

“Have the guards go to one pair at a time and use restraining spells,” the King firmly continued. “Lock each pony in a separate room and tie them down, shackle them, or even have a guard maintain a holding spell on them if you must, but get them apart! Start with Rose. Take her to her room and make sure she doesn’t escape. As for him...” the King spat in disgust as he looked back to the white Pegasus that was smooching with his daughter. He then turned to the nearby guards and ordered, “throw him in the dungeon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” As the servants and the soldiers carried out their king’s commands, Adamant and Orichalum watched as Fiore Rossa cried and thrashed about when they dragged her away from Zephyr with their magical telekinesis. An afflicted pony may have had unnatural strength under the influence of the love poison, but the red mare now helplessly floated in the air, caught the aura of the guards’ magical grip.

“Sweetums!” sobbed the princess as she was carried out of the room.

“Smoochie!” wailed Zephyr as he was hauled off to the dungeons below the castle.

Hearing his daughter’s distressed cries weighed heavily upon Adamant’s heart. Never had imagine that he would have ordered his own daughter to be carried off and restrained like a dangerous animal. The stressed king rubbed his temples and exhaled deeply, “How could things get any worse?”

At that moment, a panicked sentry ran into the room and reported, “Your Majesty! The Pegasi Army is approaching the castle!”

Outside the Castle of the Unicorn King, the sentries sweated as they fretfully looked up to the clouds above. On each cloud was perched a squad of armored Pegasi, spears,swords, and bows at the ready in their hooves. The clouds they stood on had turned gray and rumbled ominously with thunder, influenced by the flying ponies’ hostility.

King Adamant exited the castle onto the battlements, his soldiers taking defensive positions around him as they fortified the castle. At his side, Orichalum stood ready with his sword drawn and his horn glowing red. They watched as three figures descended from the angry, gray clouds and landed on the road leading up to the front gate of the palace. Adamant recognized the central figure as General Tempest, the late King Boreas’s right hoof stallion.

“I seek an audience with King Adamant,” the general called up to the gray stallion. Moments later, the gate opened and the Unicorn King, his son, and their accompanying bodyguards walked out to meet the envoy. The Unicorns stopped and faced the Pegasi on the doorstep, both sides scrutinizing the other. General Tempest then stepped forward and King Adamant did the same until both gray coated stallions stood face to face. They stood staring at each other as though if they were waiting for the other to attack first. After waiting a moment in uncomfortable tension, Tempest finally broke the silence.

“Your Majesty,” he said with forced respect.

“General,” Adamant managed to say with strained hospitality.

“You have something of ours,” the Pegasus told him. “We are here to take him home.”

“I’m afraid he isn’t going anywhere any time soon.”

“I wasn’t asking, Your Majesty. We have come for Prince Zephyr, and we are not leaving without him.”

“Then you’ll be waiting here for quite a while, I’d imagine.”

Tempest narrowed his eyes at Adamant and said, “You have no right holding him prisoner!”

“I have every right to hold him! He has caused me quite a bit of trouble and must pay for what he has done!”

“If he has gotten himself into trouble, then release him to us and we’ll see to it that he is dealt with!” protested the general.

“Release him!?” the king exclaimed at the outrageous suggestion. A thought then occurred to him and his pale, gray eyes narrowed in suspicion at the pony before him. “Ah, I see your game.”

“What game?” scoffed Tempest, raising a brow at the Unicorn.

“This is all a part of some ill-conceived scheme to sabotage my kingdom,” Adamant venomously accused.

“What!?” the general shouted, insulted by the claim.

“Yes, I can see it clearly now,” the king seethed. “He came here in a false act of peace and delivered a curse upon my house, and now my servants are bewitched! Even my own daughter has been afflicted by your Prince’s deception!”

“How dare you accuse us of such treachery!?” Tempest shouted indignantly. “We would never perform such an underhoofed ploy!”

“Oh, no? Then is it by chance that your army arrived at my doorstep shortly after half of my staff had been incapacitated by a poison that your Prince administered to my daughter!?” Adamant questioned.

“Ridiculous! Don’t you hear yourself? Even if this was part of some scheme your deluded mind has imagined, why would our Prince put himself at risk in such a manner?” retorted Tempest.

“Because who would suspected a prince of such deception?”

“Obviously you,” snarled the gray Pegasus. “If you’re so paranoid and expected such a scheme from us, then why would you even grant him access to your castle?”

“Are you saying that it’s our fault that your Prince poisoned us!?” the king screamed in outrage at the notion.

“How do we even know that your staff has been poisoned? For all we know, you could have made that up as an excuse to hold him. What if the real scheme here is for you to hold our Prince hostage and demand a ransom from us!?” Tempest yelled, turning the accusations back at the Unicorn.

At this, King Adamant’s face burned red with rage and his horn glowed a cold blue. Seeing this threatening display, Tempest and his accompanying guards crouched down in a combative stance, their wings flaring. With their leaders preparing themselves for combat, the opposing armies readied themselves for battle as well. The Unicorns activated their magic and raised their weapons while the Pegasi agitated the storm clouds and held their own blades at the ready.

“Fall back to the castle!” Orichalum ordered the knights that stood behind their king. As they retreated, they kept their weapons fixed on the Pegasi before them, never taking their eyes off of them. Orichalum stood beside his father, who was still squaring off against the Pegasus General, and urged, “Father, we’re exposed here. We need to fall back.”

Adamant acknowledged his son with a nod, but his eyes were still locked with Tempest’s, who himself was being urged to move back by his own guards. Both stallions backed away from each other slowly, waiting for an attack from the other. Adamant walked backwards until he reached the inside of the castle gate, which then was sealed shut, and Tempest had flown back up to the clouds where his army was waiting for him. After Adamant had returned to the battlements atop of the castle, he looked up to the cloud that his adversary was perched upon.

General Tempest peered down at the stronghold that contained his Prince. He then looked to an officer at his side and said, “Storm the castle.”

“What do you think they’re going to do?” Orichalum asked his father as he gazed at the Pegasi that were buzzing around the sky, pushing the dark clouds together.

“I don’t know, but-” Before Adamant could finish his statement, a blinding light flashed and a crashing boom filled the air. The king and prince dropped to the floor and covered their heads. Something wet dripped onto Orichalum’s nose, and opened a cautious eye to see that it had started to rain. The two stood up and looked about to see that their winged opponents had started a downpour.

“Ha! That’s it? Just some rain?” scoffed Adamant. He then cupped a hoof around his mouth and called up to the sky. “You’re going to have to do better than that!”

As though it were an immediate response to Adamant’s challenge, a cold, hard piece of ice pelted against his face. The Unicorn King yelped in pain and so did the rest of the Unicorns as they were bombarded by hail. Above them, the Pegasi were jumping up and down on the clouds, their pounding hooves causing the clouds to drop marble-sized chunks of ice on the Unicorns below. Dropping their weapons and deactivating their magic, they shielded their heads with their hooves and started to run back inside.

“No! Stand your ground!” commanded Adamant, wincing every few seconds from the ice that was hitting him. Heading their King’s order, the guards retook their positions, enduring the onslaught of hail. “Return their fire!”

A multitude of colored beams shot up into the air, forcing the Pegasi to evade the bolts of magic. Without the them, the clouds’ hail production declined. Whenever one of them would try to head back to a cloud, a beam of magic would drive them back. In response, the Pegasi soldiers then charged the clouds, striking them with hard bucks from their hind legs. The storm clouds then shot bolts of lightning which sent the Unicorns scrambling for cover as they struck the castle. Seeing that their attacks were becoming more violent, Adamant signaled for the archers to start firing up at the Pegasi. However, this was proved ineffective as their targets were high above the range of the projectiles. The Unicorns, on the other hoof, were quite in range of the Pegasi archers, which returned their fire with a volley of their own.

The defending army protected themselves with translucent shields of magic, which rippled every time an arrow bounced off their surfaces. Since they couldn’t maintain a shield and attack at same time, the Pegasi increased their offense. Seeing that they were being overwhelmed, Adamant called for every soldier to pair up and for one of them to create the shield while the other fired back.

“Father!” Orichalum grunted as he strained to concentrate on maintaining the red colored barrier over his and Adamant’s heads. “We can’t take much more of this! They...ngh...They have air superiority! Gah!”

A powerful thunderbolt came crashing down on top of Orichalum’s barrier, the force of impact shattering the magical shield and knocking both ponies to the stone floor. Adamant shook his spinning head, his ears ringing from the explosion. Once he reorient himself, he saw his son struggling to stand. He rush to his side and helped the groaning stallion onto his hooves. With his son’s hoof draped across his shoulders, he looked about the castle wall and saw that his soldiers weren’t faring any better.

“Fall back to the castle!” Adamant called out, knowing that defeat was imminent if they remained outside. Though it would mean that the invaders would gain ground on them, the Unicorns would have to defend their castle from the inside, but this would mean that the Pegasi would have to force themselves in. Outside, they could use the elements to their advantage, but inside, they would be forced to use only their melee weapons while the Unicorns had both weapons and magic at their disposal. Tempest knew this and so had his troops hold off on the assault when the Unicorns barricaded themselves inside their stone fortress.

“Sir, shouldn’t we press on with the attack? The longer we wait, the more we risk them harming Prince Zephyr,” a Pegasus officer advised the general.

“No. If we go in now, they would take us out easily as we rush in one by one,” Tempest explained. “Now, we wait them out.”

The Abduction

“Sweetie pie!” a shrill cry sounded through the stone walls of the Castle of the Unicorn King. In her bedchamber, Princess Fiore Rossa squirmed and kicked as she was held down by the magical grip of the palace guard assigned to keep her from escaping. They had tried to tie her down, but they couldn’t hold her long enough for them to bind her. In her attempt to escape their clutches, she had knocked over a table, scattering books, quills, and a vase of flowers on the floor.

Outside, the storm the attacking Pegasi had created raged on. The wind howled outside and a mixture of rain and hail pelted against the window of the room. Periodically, a flash of lightning would illuminate the overcast sky outside. The Pegasi had yet to attempt a direct siege on the castle, but were certainly determined to make the inhabiting Unicorns’ lives as difficult as possible.

“I need my smoochie!” Fiore Rossa wailed as she was forced to sit on her bed, the covers bunched around her from her wriggling. The guards winced at the volume of her voice, the pair of them developing headaches from being subjected to her constant cries. Almost an hour had past and the intensity of her screeches hadn’t diminished at all. It seemed that if she was going to be miserable, she would make everyone around her just as miserable.

“I wonder how the others are holding up,” one of the guards mouthed to his partner under the screams of the princess.

Meanwhile, the guards assigned to the dungeons were dealing with a similar situation. Chains rattled as Prince Zephyr thrashed about while shackled to the wall of his cell. His cries for Princess Fiore Rossa echoed loudly throughout the damp dungeon beneath the palace. The cacophony could drive anypony to madness, but the guards stood firm at their post, knowing they would have to answer to an irate King Adamant if the prince managed to escape.

In the chamber of the Royal Mages, the six hooded ponies that had accompanied Princess Fiore Rossa to the Grand Summit were diligently working on a cure for those afflicted by the love poison. A yellow mare in the purple robe was busy rummaging through a pile of scrolls, a blue mare in the orange robe was helping a green stallion in a red robe search through stacks of ancient tomes, and the other three mages were trying to mix potions of their own. The door opened violently, and the six hooded Unicorns turned to see that their King had entered.

“Your Majesty,” an orange stallion in a blue cloak greeted as he and his fellow mages bowed.

“Have you found a cure yet?” the gray king questioned.

“I’m afraid not, Your Majesty,” the orange coated mage answered. “We have been searching all records and notes we have on hexes, curses, and enchantments, but haven’t found anything that matches the symptoms exhibited by those affected. The closest we’ve found is the Want it, Need it Spell, but we have concluded that it has to be a potion, not a spell. We’ve searched under love potions, but none of them so far list results as strong as seen in this case. Unless we find the origin of the potion, it will be difficult to determine how to counteract it.”

King Adamant frowned in frustration, yet remained calm. Even though he wasn’t a scholar like the six of them were, he understood that administering one potion to cancel out another was dangerous. If one ingredient reacted badly with another, it might kill the pony it was meant to cure.

“What about a Fail-safe Spell?” Adamant asked, but a purple stallion wearing a yellow robe shook his head.

“That would work if it was the Want it, Need it Spell, but we have no idea if it would work on the effects of a potion,” the purple pony explained.

“But if it fails, nothing bad would happen to the subject, am I right?” asked the king. “That’s why it’s called the Fail-safe Spell.”

The mages looked to each other, before the Unicorn in the blue robe hesitantly responded, “Theoretically, yes. But we don’t know how a spell might react with the potion. The cross between the two types of magic might have unforeseen consequences.”

Adamant thought hard about the mages’ words, remembering how he was already warned about trying to fix a potion problem with a spell. However, every second he did nothing, he risked the physical and mental well being of his subjects, including his daughter. On top of it all, there was the matter of an angry Pegasi army at his gates.

A sound of a horn being blown brought the king of his thoughts, and then he heard the clatter of running hooves. A powerful thud of an impact could be heard followed by panicked shouts and Adamant stepped out the mages’ chamber to see guards scrambling about the halls. He immediately assumed that the Pegasi had breached the castle’s defenses and drew the sword at his side. He saw Orichalum giving orders to the knights and raced in their direction.

“Report! Have the Pegasi broken into the castle!?” he shouted as he rushed up to his son.

“Worse! The dragon is here!” Orichalum told Adamant, panicked sweat running down his face. Both father and son ran down the halls headed towards the source of the impact. “The guards noticed that the Pegasi were pulling back, but then spotted the dragon flying straight towards the castle!”

“Curse that Tempest! This is his doing!” Adamant growled. “I’ve should have known that he was in league with the dragon! Where is it now?”

“It landed on the roof, but we don’t know where it is now,” Orichalum told him.

“What do you mean you don’t know!? How do you lose sight of a dragon!?”

Before the Unicorn Prince could answer, a formidable roar sounded nearby. The Unicorns froze as they tried to determine the origin of the noise. They then heard the scraping sound of claws against stone and ran to a window in time to see a scaly tail disappear behind the side of the castle. From what they could see by sticking their heads out the window, the dragon was scaling the tallest tower, heading right towards the princess’s chamber!

Down in the dungeons, the guards tasked with watching Prince Zephyr heard the commotion above them. Looking to the ceiling above their heads, they wondered if the Pegasi had made their way into the castle. Moments later, another guard came running down the stairs and yelled, “Come on! There’s a dragon attacking the castle!”

“What about the prisoner?” one the guards asked.

“He’s not going anywhere! There are more important things to worry about! Now let’s move!” Leaving Prince Zephyr in his cell, the guards sprang into action. They didn’t notice that the chains restraining the white stallion were beginning to stretch from the Prince’s increased strength caused by the love poison. The links snapped and the prince rammed the bars of his cell, bursting them outward.

“Schmoopie do!” he bellowed before charging up the stairs. Hearing something running up behind them, the guards looked back and one of them managed to say, “What in the…” before they were knocked over by the overly amorous stallion. “Schmoopie do!”

He ran down the hall, leaving the semi-conscious guards laying in a heap in his wake. The Pegasus sped down corridor after corridor in search of the princess, knocking down doors and pushing over ponies in his pursuit. Each room led to disappointment, as the only things he would find were soldiers running about or serving ponies cowering behind furniture for safety. He then heard the distressed cry of a mare and ran to a door. He barreled through the door, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere, only to discover a maid running around. Hearing the door shatter, the mare looked to Zephyr, her eyes lit with hope, and asked, “Honey-bunny?” When they realized that the other wasn’t their special somepony, they gave each other looks of disappointment and ran off to continue their search.

Chaos filled the castle as Adamant, Orichalum, and their knights raced to intercept the dragon before it could reach Princess Fiore Rossa. While they ran, they passed guards running after a mare. Then they passed more guards who were chasing after a stallion. Adamant raised a brow, but continued to run towards the tower until something crashed into his side, knocking him over.

“Sire! Are you alright?” a knight asked as he helped the king up.

“I’m fine…” the king grunted as he steadied himself. Looking to see what had knocked him over, he was surprised to see a maid and a butler kissing while surrounded by the madness caused by the dragon attack. That’s when he noticed that there were more couples randomly making out in the middle of the halls while the rest of the staff and soldiers were busy dealing with the situation. Adamant realized that with all of the guards preoccupied with the Pegasi siege and the dragon raid, the lovestruck ponies were free to continue their public displays of affection. Oblivious to the world around them, the ponies had put themselves in harm’s way, making themselves a hindrance to anypony who were actually trying to do something useful. Looking to the guards, he ordered, “Get them out of here!”

Before any of the guards could react, a white blur sped past them while yelling, “Smoochie!” It didn’t take Adamant long to recognize the blur as an escaped Prince Zephyr and that he too was headed in the direction of the tower.

“Oh, for goodness’s sake... After him!” Adamant shouted as he and the others followed the prince to the tower. They climbed the spiral staircase and once again heard the sound of scraping. A shadow swept across the stairwell, prompting the Unicorns to turn their heads as they climb the stairs to see the membrane of a webbed wing blocking the sunlight as the creature on the other side of the wall climbed upward. “Faster!”

Reaching the top of the stairs, the armed ponies entered the more decoratively furnished part of the castle that served as the Royal Family’s living quarters. Rushing pass the tapestries and the portraits of past kings, they came to the bedchamber of Fiore Rossa. The door was already knocked off its hinges and Prince Zephyr was inside making insufferable goo goo eyes with the red Unicorn Princess. Entering his daughter’s room, Adamant glowered at the sight of his daughter being wooed, but he had bigger things to worry about.

“Secure the Princess!” The knights surrounded the couple and started to pull them apart.

“Sweetums!” Fiore Rossa cried as she was held back by the knights, desperately waving her hooves in an effort to reach for Zephyr.

“Honey!” Zephyr yelled as well as each of his limbs were pinned down by another stallion. The knights strained as they did their best to keep the two apart, but that proved difficult due to their manic strength.

“Hurry, get them out of here!” Orichalum told the knights, but a rumbling growl coming from outside caught everpony’s attention. The knights’ grip loosened, allowing the struggling ponies to break free, and took a step back, gaping at what they saw. Through the gossamer curtains, they saw the silhouette of a large figure standing on the balcony of the princess’s room. They saw it rear its head back and heard it take in a deep breath, an ominous green light radiating from the shadow’s mouth. The knights dived out of the way to take cover, but Adamant and Orichalum saw Fiore Rossa and Zephyr sitting in the middle of room, oblivious to the impending disaster. They jumped and tackled the pair, despite their cries of protests, and shielded them as the glass doors exploded in a burst of green dragonfire. They winced at the wave of heat and covered their necks and head with their fore legs as shards of glass was sent flying like tiny missiles through the room. Looking up to the hole that once used to be the balcony doors, the ponies saw a gold-scaled claw step through the smoke. It was followed by a head that was adorned with two thick horns. Its eyes burned green and smoke rising from its nostrils and the gaps between its clenched fangs. With a flap of it’s wings, a strong breeze filled the room, clearing the smoke and the dusty haze of debris.

The knights gathered themselves off the floor and rushed to block the dragon from the royals, their swords and lances in hoof. The dragon looked down at the ponies that stood before it and snarled. It’s body was easily twice the size of a full grown stallion and its long neck, tail, and fully extended wings made it seem even more imposing. It took in another deep breath and opened it maw to unleash an ear piercing roar. The knights flinched at the noise and covered their ears only to be tossed aside as the dragon spun around, knocking them over with its outstretched wings.

The dragon stepped over the toppled knights and made its way to the royal ponies. In an attempt to stop the dragon’s approach, Orichalum sprung forward and slashed at it with his sword. The beast stepped away from the swinging blade and hissed at the stallion.

“Back! Get back, monster!” Orichalum demanded as he tried to drive the dragon away. It backed up to a wall, holding up a fore leg as to fend off the sword. As the Unicorn Prince drew closer to the dragon to continue to drive it away, he failed to notice that the spaded tail of the dragon had coiled up beside it.

Adamant noticed this and started to yell, “Orichalum! Look out!” It was too late though, and the tail lashed out and swept the legs of the prince. Orichalum tripped over and tried to get back up, but the dragon grabbed him with a clawed hand and rolled him out of its way. A shot of blue magic stung the face of the dragon, and it looked to the older Unicorn stallion and snarled. With his knights and his son incapacitated, only Adamant remained to defend his daughter. The older Unicorn shot another blast, but the dragon barely flinched. Dragons had a natural resistance to magic, so the king’s shots did little other than to cause a stinging sensation.

The golden dragon towered over Adamant, who stood firmly between the invading monster and his daughter. Even though his blasts only slowed the dragon’s advance, he was determined not to let it lay a claw on her. Desperate, he picked up the lance of one of his knights that laid disoriented on the floor with his magic and yelled as he thrust it at the dragon’s heart with all his might, but before he could throw it, the dragon swatted him aside with one of its wings. Adamant groaned as he lifted himself back up, but then a piercing wail caught his attention.

“Sweetie!” Adamant snapped his head up to see that his daughter was in the clutches of the dragon, crying and desperately trying to reach for the Pegasus Prince that was also trying to reach for her.

“Smoochie!” Zephyr whined as he waved his hooves up at the damsel like a small foal trying to get a piece of candy that was on a counter just out of reach. The dragon raised a scaly brow at the pesky pony that was trying to clamber up him to get to the prize it had claimed. With a look of disgust, the dragon stretched a hind leg and pushed the stallion away. It then spread its wings and took off with a powerful downbeat of its gilded wings.

“Rose!” Adamant cried as he watched helplessly as his daughter was carried off into the sky, her cries for Prince Zephyr fading as the dragon flew away towards Blind Chasm.

“Rose! No!” Orichalum shouted as well as he ran to stand beside his father at the crumbling remains of the balcony.

“Schmoopie do!” Zephyr’s insufferable call came from behind them. The recovering knights had to dog pile the crazed Pegasus in order to prevent him from running after the dragon and the princess. With a quick order, the prince was hauled back down to the dungeons and Adamant and Orichalum looked out with woe at the foreboding mountains that the dragon called home. Their precious Rose was a prisoner of that vile beast and now hidden away in the treacherous chasm.

“Wait. So the first time you met your future wife, you kidnapped her?” an astounded Amethyst asked.

“I was… a different dragon… then…” Aurum said between pants. As his story continued, his audience watched as his condition steadily worsened. Every few minutes, he would have to stop to regain his breath or pause due to a coughing fit. They wondered if he would even last to the end of his story.

Rarity felt helpless, for her generous nature compelled her to want to do all that she could to help him, but there was little help she could offer. She would bring him drinks of water, but she knew that they would do little to sate his thirst; it would take an entire pool to accomplish that feat. She would also soak a scarf she had brought with her in the reservoir of water and wiped his forehead with it, but again, this amounted to little. His head was so big, nearly bigger than her husband’s entire body, and the scarf was so small in comparison that she might as well had been sprinkling a few drops of water on him. Though as futile her efforts to soothe him were, Aurum appreciated the kindness of the acts.

Spike too looked on helplessly as his old friend’s health dwindled away. He watched as the ancient wyrm’s chest heaved as he struggled for breath, his massive chest rising up and down. He saw Aurum’s scales and noted how they changed since he had first met him. According to Aurum, his scales were a bright gold with a polished look that made it seem as though they were freshly minted coins. His scales had darkened and cracked with age and took on a burnt look by the time Spike had first met him, but they still retained their metallic luster. Now his scales had become dull and their color resembled rust, some of them missing. It didn’t seem fair to Spike that this once mighty and majestic being had been brought to such a lowly state by a simple sickness. As he understood it, it was as common as a pony catching the ponypox. Of course, some ponies are hospitalized due to it, but it’s rarely fatal. Aurum had lived for millennia and had experienced more in his time than entire generations of ponies put together, and it was now ending all because of some illness.

“So what happened after you took her back to your lair?” Amethyst asked.

Aurum smiled and said, “Now that is a funny story…”

The Treasure

Thunder rumbled from outside as King Adamant and Prince Orichalum marched down the stairs to the dungeon, the sounds of the prisoner’s angry shouts coming from below them. Ever since the effects of the love poison had worn off, Prince Zephyr had been demanding for his release. The noise from outside the castle and the racket from within its walls only served to sour the Unicorn King’s mood.

“Let me out of here!” Adamant heard his prisoner demand. The king entered the dungeon and saw two of his guards salute at his arrival. He ignored them and walked up to the bars of the cell, where he saw the white Pegasus struggling to break free from the chains that bind him. “I am a prince! You can’t treat me like this!”

“Yes, I can,” Adamant coldly retorted. This gain the prince’s attention and he looked to the Unicorns that were glaring at him through the bars. As they were staring each other down, another thunderclap could be heard.

“Ha! You hear that? That’s my army fighting to free me as we speak!” Zephyr boasted. “Once they break in, you’ll pay for this injustice!”

“Not before you pay for poisoning my daughter,” Adamant growled, narrowing eyes at the prince.

“I… I don’t know what you are talking about,” Zephyr stammered as he denied the acquisition.

“Don’t play stupid,” Prince Orichalum ordered. “I take that back. You are stupid, so I suppose that can’t be help, but don’t you dare lie to us!”

“How dare you!” an offended Zephyr shouted. “I’ll see that you’ll pay for that insult!”

“You really must be an idiot. You don’t seem to realize that you’re in no position to make threats,” Orichalum shot back.

“That’ll do, Prince Orichalum,” Adamant silenced his son and then levitated the empty bottle of tainted wine before him. “Recognize this? This the wine that you deceived my daughter into drinking.”

“That doesn’t prove anything! It’s just a bottle of wine!” a sweating Prince Zephyr claimed.

“It’s more than that and you know it.” Hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and a guard approached the king. Adamant turned to him and said, “Speak.”

“Your Majesty, the mages have prepared the tracking spell,” reported the guard.

Adamant triumphantly smirked as he turned back to Prince Zephyr and told him, “It seems your plan has failed. We will soon track the Princess down and slay your dragon conspirator.”

“Conspirator?” Zephyr said in confusion. “No! That dragon wasn’t part of the plan!”

“So you admit there was a plan,” Adamant said, catching the Pegasus’s slip of tongue. Zephyr bit his lip in horror and said nothing else. “No matter. Princess Fiore Rossa will be rescued, the dragon will be slain, and you will pay for your crimes.”

Adamant and Orichalum left the Pegasus Prince in his cell, swearing that he was innocent of all charges against him. As father and son ascended the stairs, another crash of thunder echoed. Orichalum asked his father, “How are we going to do this? If we send the soldiers to rescue Rose, we’ll leave the castle vulnerable to attack. I suggest that the soldiers create a diversion so that a small, elite team can sneak out unseen.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Adamant agreed. “Assemble the knights and have them escort the mage that’ll track Rose. I want you to lead the team. I’ll remain here and deal with the Pegasi.”

“Yes father.”

“How did you and Rose up falling in love?” Spike asked. “Obviously it wasn’t love at first sight like it was for me when I first met Rarity.”

“Ah, I remember that day. It was the day before the Summer Sun Celebration that Princess Luna returned from her banishment on the moon,” Rarity happily reminisced how Spike had arrived in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle. It was the day that she and her friends were brought together by fate and forever bound together by destiny. Back then, her future husband was nothing but a chubby, wingless, baby dragon who was hopelessly head-over-heels in love with the fashionista. She then giggled and crooned, “Oh, you were such the cute little thing.”

“I prefer ‘ruggedly handsome,’” her husband huffed.

“There was… something… about… her…” Aurum explained. “An inner… light… that pierce through… my inner darkness… and softened… my heart…”

Back at the cave, the dragon and the princess sat in silence. Periodically, he would look back down to the mare only to see that she hadn’t moved an inch, remaining in her huddled position with her legs tucked underneath her body. Convinced his “guest” wouldn’t try to run away, he allowed himself to relaxed and eased the tension in his limbs, assuming a more comfortable position by laying on his side but keeping his head raised just in case. Exhaling in contentment, he looked to the outside of his cave, viewing the misty, gray canyon that was his territory.

As time passed, the dragon frowned contemplatively. He had kidnapped a princess, yet where were the knights that were supposed to rescue her? Where was the gold they would pay to have her returned? Perhaps she was right; maybe his plan wasn’t was well thought out as he originally believed.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of someone softly sobbing. Looking to the princess, he saw her body shuddering as she wept, bitter tears running down her muzzle and dripping onto the cold, stone floor of the cave. The dragon disregarded this pathetic display with a smokey huff. What did it matter to him if she cried or not? As long as he got his money and she wasn’t yelling hysterically like she was before, he didn’t care. However, the sounds of her lamentation stirred something within him. There was an uncomfortable weight forming in the pit of his stomach and a pang struck his heart. None of these discomforts were physical, yet they seemed very real nonetheless. The dragon didn’t like this new emotion; it was confusing and it wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sensation, the dragon was compelled to say, “Do not weep. Your cries bother me.”

“I’m sorry,” she sniffled an apology, and tried to hold back her tears. This only caused them to build up until they burst forth with a loud, uncontrollable sob. The princess buried her face in her hooves, and the dragon looked around for anything that could silence her mournful sounds. The only thing he could find was his treasure hoard. It made him happy, maybe it could make her happy as well. He pluck a fire ruby from the pile and presented it to her.

“Do not cry,” he softly and unsurely told her, presenting the jewel to her in his claw. “Here, take a look at this.”

She tentatively peeked over her hooves at the gem and sniffed back her tears. Wiping her eyes, she shakily said as she saw the particularly shiny, red jewel, “Oh. H-how pretty.”

The jewel in question had a unique shape that resemble a sunburst, streaks of fiery orange radiating from the center of the circular ruby. The dragon inwardly grinned, recalling how he discovered, mined, and matured that individual gem. Dragons had an encyclopedic knowledge of their treasure and instinctively knew how they obtained each and every piece. They knew their hoard so well that could tell one was missing or out of place from a mere glance.

“I call this one the ‘Rising Sun.’ I harvested it from a volcano early in the morning one day. Just as I finished removing the surrounding rock, the sun rose and the orange streaks caught the light, reflecting it in a dazzling display.”

“It’s so pretty,” she said, a small smile gracing her lips. She then looked to where he had retrieved the fire ruby and asked, “May I have a look?”

“Um, sure. I suppose,” he hesitantly condoned and then waved a claw, beckoning her to follow him as he arose and led her to the hoard.

Walking over to the back of the cave, she looked at the small piles of treasure in front of him, admiring the sparkling assortment of coins, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. “That’s a lovely collection you have here.”

He gave her a surprised look, for no one had ever paid him a compliment before. In fact, the only words he had ever heard nowadays were the death threats and vows of enmity from his rivals. Her words reminded him of the dragoness that had hatched him. She was gentle and nurturing, but he hadn’t seen her since the time came for him to leave the nest a few years ago. This act of kindness from one that was supposed to be his prisoner confounded him, and in his bewilderment, he muttered the words, “Thank you.”

“Do you mind if I took a closer look?” she asked, pointing to the treasure. His greedy nature and hoarding instincts screamed at him to roast her for even daring to suggest such an idea, but couldn’t find himself able to harm her. Instead, he rose and stood by his fledgling hoard as the Unicorn approached. He watched her diligently, ready to react if she tried something, but she only smiled appreciatively as admired the gems as though as they were priceless pieces of art in a museum.

“And what about this one?” Fiore Rossa asked, pointing a spiraled, cyan jewel.

“That one I call ‘Whirlpool.’ It is an aquamarine that I found by the sea. Since the cave I found it in was over a maelstrom, I carved the stone in that shape as a memento of the occasion.”

“You have such wonderful pieces here. Why must you kidnap me to get more? None of the gems we have are cut or carved in such a marvelous way,” she tried to reason.

“Because I am a dragon. We want more. It is in our nature to desire treasure.”

“But do you have to steal it? Wouldn’t a gem that you obtained yourself be worth more to you than one you took from somepony else?” she asked. “Look at any of these ones you have here, would you trade…”

“Dragons do not trade. We take all that we can and give nothing back,” he boldly declared.

“Okay, fair enough. How about this? Let’s say that a major catastrophe suddenly happened and you were forced to evacuate. You only have time to save one of two gems; one of them is a special gem that you found, polished, and shaped yourself and the other is a gem with a standard cut that you got from the ransom. Which one would you save?”

The dragon pondered her hypothetical question and weighed each option carefully. The ransom payment would symbolize his might and victory over the ponies. However, the hypothetical gems would be ordinary and would be nowhere near the monetary worth of an expertly crafted piece of art that were the gems of his hoard, and the sentimental value of each was beyond measure to him. He clearly remembered the feeling of excitement he felt when he first uncovered the ruby and the anticipation he felt as he meticulous shaped the aquamarine.

“I concede. I would save the gem that I found myself,” he answered honestly.

“Wouldn’t having a treasure comprised completely of gems that you’ve earned yourself be worth greater than any other treasure in the world?”

“But… It takes so much time!” he tried to counter. “It is easier to pillage and raid treasure that is already uncovered.”

“Easier? What about all the fighting and destruction that is caused in the process? What about the lives of those you affect? Did you ever think how my father and brother must have felt when I was taken away from them?” she lectured. He could scarcely believe that a little pony such as she had the nerve to stand up to a dragon and could feel his inner fire start to rise within him. It was ridiculous! He was a wyrm, the apex predator! He took what he wished, when he wished, and none dared oppose him! A rabbit does not scold a wolf for being a wolf. Who was she to challenge his methods? This was the same mare who was crying like a foal mere minutes ago! Her words should mean nothing to him, yet why did they pierce him so?

“That is what dragons do,” he repeated his previous justification, but his words had little strength behind them.

“That may be what dragons do, but what do you want?” she questioned. “Why do you, not other dragons, but why do you want to hold me for ransom? Why is having a hoard so important to you?”

“Because all dragons have hoards. They are the standard by which we compare ourselves. The larger the hoard, the more successful we are, and the more we are respected by our rivals,” he explained.

“So all of this is to fuel your ego,” she said, almost unbelieving that centuries worth of legends of castles destroyed and cities razed were all due to a race’s need to pacify their insecurities. “Forgive me, but that sounds rather petty.”

“That is the way of the wyrm. Do not judge me when your kind is also flawed,” he retorted defensively. The Unicorn mare backed away as he faced her and advanced as he continued. “I have seen the hypocrisy of ponies. You declare peace one day, yet go to war the next. You toil for your wages during day, yet you steal at night. You declare your love for one, yet fornicate with another. That is why dragons are solitary; you can never trust anyone.”

As he finished his impassioned rant, he panted, agitated by sensitive topic. Fiore Rossa stood silent as she took in his words, astounded by his declarations. She wanted to counter his claim in the defense of her kind, but she knew his words contained some elements of truth.

“You are right,” she gently admitted, catching him off guard by this statement. He had expected her to jump to the defense of her race’s challenged honor, not her agreeing with him. “Ponies are not perfect. No one race is. But you are only looking at the flaws. If that is all you’re looking for, that’s what you’ll only find. But if you truly looked, you would also see the great amount of good that us ponies are capable of. We may have our problems and there are those that lie, steal, and hurt others, but they don’t represent us as a whole. Look to the soldiers who loyally serve and protect our citizens. Look to the kindness and gentleness with which a parent raise their foals. Hear the laughter we share during the best of times to celebrate our accomplishments as well as the laughter we share during the hard times to give each other comfort. Look to the generosity that a community rushes to give when misfortune befalls somepony by. Look to the honesty and integrity that supports our laws and how my father rules in fairness. All of these virtues is what we ponies strive for, and that is something truly magical.”

The gold dragon carefully regarded her words and reflected upon his own race. There was little trust amongst dragons, for each one envied the other’s wealth. They would gladly beguile and deceive to attained that which they desired. They jealously guarded their ill gotten gain and viciously and relentlessly pursued all that would threaten it. For every virtue that the ponies held dear, it seemed that dragons cherished its opposite.

“I have a question for you,” Fiore Rossa asked him. “Are you happy?”

“Am I happy?” he repeated, confused by the question.

“Are you happy being all alone in this cave with a beautiful treasure that you can never share with anyone, never trusting anyone and not having anyone to talk to?”

One cannot miss that which they never had, but the dragon once again was reminded by this pony of the dragoness that laid his egg. For those few years, he did experience those things which the mare told him that her kind enjoyed. His mother generously fed and sheltered him, loyally protected him from predators, kindly silenced all of his fears, raised his spirits when he was sad, and he could always trust her. But then the day came for her to drive him away from the nest and he suddenly lost all of those wonderful things. It wounded him to his core and left a void in his heart that he sought to fill with treasure. He wondered if all dragons hoarded treasure to mask the pain of loneliness.

“I am… lonely,” he said ruefully confessed, and saw the red mare looking up at him with pity. Pity? She pitied him? She was his prisoner, and yet she acted like he was some fragile whelp. He didn’t need her sympathy! Pity was for the weak, and he was a dragon, the living embodiment of might! Despite of this, her words and her soft gaze had him at her mercy. Uncomfortable with this conversation, he turned away from his hostage and laid upon his treasure, coiling around it. He hoped it would give him comfort and a sense of security like it always did in the past, but now it only felt cold and uncaring.

Fiore Rossa looked to the dragon atop of the treasure and then back to the entrance of the cave. If she wanted to, she could make a run for it and he wouldn’t even notice or care in this state. The thought was tempting, but seeing the miserable creature upon his bed of gems, she dismissed the idea. How could she on her own good conscious leave a crushed spirit when she had just spoken of the merits of kindness and mercy?

The dragon had closed his eyes, but they shot open in surprise when he felt something soothingly stoke the top of his head. He rolled his green eyes upward to see the Unicorn gently offering him a smile while she petted his head. At first, he felt humiliated and wanted to roar at her to make her stop, but the soft brushes of her hoof against his scales felt so good and it eased the pain in his heart.

“My name is Fiore Rossa, but please, call me Rose,” she introduced herself. He didn’t say anything, but allowed her to continue to stroke his scales. “What’s your name?”

“I do not have one,” he told her.

“Oh my,” she gasped. “Your mother didn’t give you a name?”

“Dragoness do give their offspring simple names, usually a description of their appearance or behavior,” he explained. “Dragons earn their names later from their peers or from their victims by their victories and their reputation. The more fearsome we are, the more impressive the name we receive.”

“You depend on your enemies to name you?” she asked, surprised by this fact.

“It is a great honor to hear your enemies to cry out in terror and scream your name in despair. A great wyrm of old was named Trogdor the Burninator for he had completely burned down the first village he raided. He was feared by the ponies of that land and his fellow dragons respected his might. Another was named Vermithrax Pejorative. She demanded that a kingdom offer her a virgin sacrifice twice a year, so the king would hold a lottery and the maiden chosen would be fed to her.”

“I don’t think that is a pleasant way to receive a name,” she told the dragon.

“You are a pony. Of course you would not think so,” he snorted, rolling his eyes.

“I was named Fiore Rossa because my coat is red like the flower and my late mother loved roses,” Rose explained. “What was the name your mother gave you?”

The dragon cut his eyes towards Rose from being asked such a odd question. A dragon’s “nest name” wouldn’t be impressive nor would it intimidate anyone, and was cast aside once the dragon received its “true name.” He then thought about his mother once more and the happiness he had in those days. “She called me Aurum, the Golden One.”

“I think Aurum is a lovely name,” Rose complimented. “You should keep it.”

“Perhaps I will,” he said pensively. The name was associated with a happy chapter of his life. Perhaps his old name could help him remember those better days.

“Well, despite the circumstances, I’m glad to make your acquaintance, Aurum,” she told him. “I wished we had met in a different way.

“I as well,” he returned the sentiment. He then thought of his plan to hold her for ransom and that uncomfortable feeling returned once again. He knew what he had to do to make it go away, but it would require him to swallow a lot of pride in order to do so. He gulped and then slowly started to say, “I… apologize.”

“I’m sorry. What was that?” she asked, hardly believing what she had heard.

“I apologize for kidnapping you,” he said a little louder, forcing a huge amount of ego down his throat. “You are no longer my prisoner.”

“You’re not going to eat me?” she gently asked, seeing pass his defensiveness and spotting the vulnerability and uncertainty that laid within his heart.

After waiting a few seconds, he finally whispered, “No. I… I cannot even dare to think of harming you. You are too… nice.”

“Why, thank you,” she graciously accepted his compliment.

“You are welcome.” He then coiled around his treasure tighter as he told her, “You are free to go.”

Rose’s heart leaped within her chest at the return of her freedom. She would like nothing more to return home to her family, but I thought came to her.

“How do I make it out of the valley?” she asked Aurum. “I’ll get lost in the mist.”

She half expected him to say that he didn’t care, but he said instead, “I will return you to your castle.”

He raised himself up and started to head to the entrance of the cave. She followed him, but then noticed that the gray haze coming from outside had darkened, indicating nightfall was quickly approaching.

“It’s getting late,” she observed.

“So?”

“Maybe we should wait until morning,” she suggested. “And this way, we can talk longer.”

“As you wish,” he shrugged as he returned to his pile of treasure. As he settled down onto his expensive bed, Rose walked up and laid down beside him, smiling pleasantly up at him. Aurum snorted in mild amusement at the bizarre turn of events. How did the pony that he planned on ransoming and then eating become the first friend he ever had?

The Return of the Princess

The Return of the Princess

The dawn broke over Blind Chasm, the sunlight weakly filtering through the thick haze that constantly shrouded the canyon. Prince Orichalum and his team of knights had already broken camp and were making their way through the treacherous pass, led by one of King Adamant’s mages. The orange Unicorn in the blue cloak levitated a hairbrush that belonged to Princess Fiore Rossa in his magical blue aura, strands of the princess’s golden hair caught in the bristles. As they walked, the handle of the brush would point like a compass in the direction they needed to go. Using the hair on the brush, the Royal Mage was able to cast a spell on it that would lead them to the missing princess.

A noise caught their attention and they all froze mid step to search the gray sky. It was the sound of leathery wings flapping, and Orichalum knew immediately it was the dragon that had taken his sister. Preparing for a confrontation, the prince and his knights drew their swords and lances while circling about in hopes to spot the fiend.

“There!” a knight urgently whispered, causing all eyes to turn in the direction he was pointing. In the distance, they saw the outline of a large figure swoop through the fog. The group reformed and the mage stepped forward, holding the enchanted brush before him. The handle spun until it was pointed in the direction the dragon had went. They looked to each other and nodded as they followed the dragon to its lair.

*****

Fiore Rossa awoke with a jolt, blinking her eyes as they adjusted to the morning light. To her surprise, she wasn’t in her lavish bedroom in the palace, but instead was in a dank cave. Then the memory of the past few days returned to her and she remembered that she was in the home of Aurum the Gold Dragon. She and her host had spent the evening talking to each other, Rose explaining the intricacies of pony society and Aurum shared tales of the ancient wyrms. It was quite the experience to learn about the elusive dragons, for hardly anypony knew anything about the mighty beasts. They were too rare (and too scary) for anypony to study. He also went through the hoard of treasure and explained where each piece came from.

They had talked well into the night and Rose had fallen asleep at the dragon’s side beside the pile of treasure. Speaking of which, there was an uncomfortable sensation in her side. She hissed with pain as she pulled the offending object from her coat to see she had rolled onto an emerald in her sleep. She slid the stray gem back into the pile and then noticed that Aurum was missing. Alarmed, the mare raised herself up and looked around the cave to find it devoid of any draconic presence.

Just as Rose began to wonder where the dragon went, she heard the whooshing sound of something large flying just outside the cave and a heavy thud shook the ground as a shadow filled the entrance of the cave, partially blocking the light. As the shadow entered, its gold scales came into view and the princess realized it was the dragon. To her surprise, Aurum held a large clump of dirt in his mouth. Before she could ask why he was carrying it, he dropped it onto the cave’s floor before and spat out any residual specks of dirt from his mouth.

“I have brought you breakfast,” he announced. Fiore Rossa looked at the pile of soil at her hooves, hiding a look of repulsion as she saw lines of dragon saliva running across the dirt. Out of the dirt, blades of green grass stuck out. Seeing her hesitation, Aurum asked, “Is something wrong? Is this not to your liking?”

“No, no. It’s fine!” she hastily reassured him, trying to spare his feelings. Aurum smiled expectantly at the red Unicorn, waiting for her to try the food that he had gone out of the way to provide for her. She smiled wearily back at him and reluctantly stuck her head forward. She carefully pulled a blade out of the pile and chewed on it, the earthy flavor of the dirt filling her mouth. It wasn’t the typical cuisine she was accustomed to, but she didn’t want to offend her new found friend. Besides, she was rather hungry. During the time she and Prince Zephyr were under the influence of the love poison, they were too distracted to eat more than a few bites at a time.

“Mmm.” Fiore Rossa forced a smile and nodded while she forced down the dirty food. “Thank you.”

“I know it was not much, but it was all that I could find nearby,” Aurum explained. “Not much grows here in the chasm.”

“Trust me, it’s fine,” she again assured him. Being a pony, she was a herbivore by nature, however, grass was seen as a commoner’s meal. At the palace, she was served fresh fruit and vegetables and enjoyed rich desserts that the chefs diligently prepared for her. In this case, desperate times called for desperate measures and she gladly accept the meal.

After picking out as much grass as she could, Rose looked outside at the dim light that was the rising sun. A frown of disappointment formed on her graceful face and looked regretfully at the ground. As pleasant of a host as Aurum turned out to be, she knew it was time for her to leave.

“Aurum, I’m afraid that I must be getting back to my family,” Rose sighed. “Would you please fly me back to the castle?”

“There is no need,” Aurum told her, earning himself a confused look from the princess. “I saw ponies in the canyon while I was gathering food for you. I made sure to do a flyby to alert them to my presence. They should be here soon.”

“Oh, I guess we only have a few minutes to say our goodbyes then,” Rose said, disappointment apparent in her voice.

“Goodbyes,” Aurum repeated the word she had used. For some reason, the word tasted sour in his mouth. It sounded so final, so morbid, yet at the same time, he knew it was the courteous way for ponies to part. Reflecting upon this word, it occurred to him that he never had the chance to say farewell to his mother or any of his nestmates when they parted ways. If he had the chance to go back in time, would he have said it? Dragons weren’t sentimental creatures like ponies were and the gesture would have been meaningless to them, but it would have given him closure. The thought of saying goodbye to his first friend ever suddenly frightened the dragon. He was afraid that if he let her go, he would never see her again.

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll see each other again,” Rose promised, seeing his distraught state. “I have to go back and let everypony know that I’m okay. My father is probably worried sick.”

“I guess you are right,” he said reluctantly. A small smile then formed on his scaly lips and he quipped, “Next time, I will find you something more adequate to eat.”

“That will be nice. Not that there was anything wrong with this,” she said as she motioned to the pile of dirt before her. “It was just a little ‘dirty,’ that’s all.”

“I guess I could have brushed off some of the dirt first,” Aurum sheepishly muttered, causing Fiore Rossa to heartily laugh. Hearing the mirthful sound, Aurum started to chuckle as well. Lost in their own amusement, they failed to notice the sound of hooves quickly approaching the cave. Seconds later, the heroic image of armed ponies appeared at the cave’s entrance, their armored forms illuminated by a halo of light coming from the sun behind them.

“Release the Princess, foul beast!” a voice Fiore Rossa recognized boldly echoed throughout the cave, causing the mare and the dragon to look to the knights.

Seeing the lead knight, Rose gasped with delight and exclaimed, “Ori? I’m so happy to see you!”

“Never fear, my sister! I’ll save you from this monster!” With a roaring battle cry, Orichalum charged towards Aurum with his sword.

“Orichalum! Wait!” Rose shouted to try to stop her brother, but he didn’t hear her. In order to defend himself, Aurum flapped his large wings, creating a strong gust of wind. The golden coated stallion was knocked back by the breeze and dug his hooves into the floor to steady himself. The prince grunted with anger and shouted as he rushed the dragon again, his knights following his lead.

Aurum was cornered and outnumbered, the only way out would be to fight his way through these ponies that had invaded his home. He recognized the lead Unicorn from his assault on the castle yesterday, and Rose had identified him as her brother. For his friend’s sake, he didn’t wish to harm the prince, but he didn’t have any other options. If he did nothing, these ponies would certainly try to kill him. With no other choice, Aurum took in a deep breath, a green light glowing from the back of his throat.

Before both parties could engage each other in combat, a voice cried, “STOP!” The Unicorn knights came to a halt, their swords and spears still raised, and Aurum had paused while raising himself up on his hind legs, claws bared and smoke fuming from his opened mouth. They looked over to see that Fiore Rossa was the one that called for a ceasefire and she ran out before her brother and stood on her hind legs, spreading out her front legs to block the stallions from reaching Aurum.

“Rose, what are you doing!? Get out of the way!” her elder brother shouted.

“No! I won’t let you harm him!” she adamantly refused, shaking her head.

“Harm me?” Aurum quietly said under his breath, doubting the ponies’ weapons could pierce his hide.

“This is all just one big misunderstanding,” Fiore Rossa calmly tried to explain, lowering back down onto four hooves.

“Rose, this monster kidnapped you! He’s working with the Pegasi to overthrow our kingdom!” Orichalum protested.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ori,” the princess scoffed. “A dragon work with the Pegasi? Dragons are solitary beings, they don’t even like to work together. No, the only one here to blame is Prince Zephyr for drugging me.”

“Then how do you explain the Pegasi army showing up right before that thing...” he asked while pointing an accusatory hoof at Aurum, “...showed up and flew off with you!?”

“What Pegasi army?” Fiore Rossa asked while looking back to Aurum, who just shrugged in response.

“As we speak, General Tempest is laying siege to the castle, claiming that we’ve kidnapped Prince Zephyr, while our father fends him off. This is all a part of Prince Zephyr’s scheme. He allowed himself to be captured so that the Pegasi will have a ‘just’ cause to declare war upon us and he conspired with the dragon to kidnap you to hold you as a hostage.”

“That is not true,” Aurum denied. “I kidnapped her to ransom her for money.”

Everypony, including Fiore Rossa, cast the gold dragon a cynical stare. Fiore Rossa then dryly stated, “Not helping, Aurum.” Turning back to the stallions, she said, “Look, he may have kidnapped me, but he is sorry.” Orichalum gave his sister a disbelieving look and stared up at the dragon menacingly. “Orichalum,” Fiore Rossa said to her brother, pulling his murderous gaze back to her. “I’m telling you the truth, and if you’re telling me the truth, then we have to get back to the castle and explain to General Tempest that this is all just a misunderstanding before something terrible happens.”

Orichalum looked back up at the dragon, who was looking just as bewildered as the rest of them, and then back at his sister. With a huff, he said, “Alright, let’s go.”

Following their Prince’s lead, the knights and the Royal Mage headed out of the cave. Orichalum stopped at the entrance and waited for Fiore Rossa to follow him. The princess and the dragon looked to each other, knowing the time for them to part had come.

“I’m sorry about my brother,” Rose apologized. “He can be overprotective.”

“I understand,” Aurum told her, casting a wary eye towards the golden Unicorn that was glaring at him.

“I will come to see you after I clear up this whole mess,” she promised.

“I am looking forward to your return.”

“Well...” she hesitantly started to say. “Goodbye, for now.”

She turned to walk away, but he placed a large hand on her shoulder and said, “Wait.”

Looking back at the dragon, she saw him deep in thought, his eyes darting about as he pondered. He then went back to his treasure hoard and pulled out the starburst-shaped fire ruby. He took her by the hoof and place the sparkling gem on it.

“Rising Sun,” she whispered, remembering the name of the jewel.

“I… I want you to have it,” he said, going against everything he knew as a dragon by freely giving away a piece of his hoard. She looked down at the gem on her hoof and back up to him, her eyes shimmering with tears.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said, astounded by the generous gift. “I can’t possibly accept this.”

“Please… take it,” he almost had to force himself to say, struggling between his draconic nature and his newfound sensitivity. “It is the least I could do to make amends for holding you against your will. I hope you can forgive me.” He bowed his head submissively, but then felt her hoof raising his chin up to look her in the eye.

“Don’t be silly,” she softly spoke, smiling comfortingly at him. “Of course I forgive you. We’re friends, right?”

“Right,” he agreed.

“Rose,” they heard Orichalum impatiently call to her. “We need to go.”

“I’m coming,” she called back to her brother, the gem floating beside her in the green glow of her magic. Turning to Aurum one last time, she said, “I’ll see you later.”

Aurum didn’t say anything, but slowly nodded as he watched her leave in the company of her brother and his knights. As he watched her exit his home, he felt the all encompassing loneliness return. Without his friend, his large, empty cave seemed abyssal. With a heavy heart, he slunk back to his treasure hoard and curled up on top of it.

“You gave her a fire ruby?” Rarity asked, nearly swooning at the touching thought. “That was one of first gifts that my Spikey-Wikey ever gave me.”

“When… Rose returned to the castle… she found that the Pegasi army had indeed surrounded the castle…” Aurum narrated.

As Orichalum led his sister up the hidden trail to the castle, Rose could see the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky above, bolts of lightning crackling through the sky. She could hear General Tempest in the distance barking orders to his troops while her father gave commands from the battlements. Barrages of hail, lightning, and gales fell from above and streams of colored, magical lights shot from below. However, the opposing armies were at a stalemate, unable to gain an advantage over the other.

Rose stared at the chaos that had been wrought upon her home. She didn’t know how long this battle had lasted, but it horrified her to know that this madness was all over her. No, not her, but the blind fool that tried to enchant her; Prince Zephyr. Knowing what she must do, Fiore Rossa sprinted into the war zone, leaving her brother and the knights behind.

“Rose! Come back!” Orichalum called after her, running to catch up to his sister. She ignored his call and ran off the trail that would have led to the secret entrance in the back of the castle. Instead, she ran up the rugged hill towards the front gates. Thunder boomed and cold rain pelted her red coat, clumps of her wet, blonde mane sticking to her face. A chunk of ice struck her back and she winced at the sting it caused, but she pressed on through the downpour.

As General Tempest was about to order another volley, he spotted a lone Unicorn running between the two armies below him. Upon closer observation, he saw that it was a mare. Not only that, it was the princess that had supposedly went missing. At the same time, King Adamant saw his beloved daughter in the middle of the crossfire.

“Rose!?” he exclaimed, hardly believing his eyes. Turning to the soldiers, he ordered, “Hold your fire!”

“Ceasefire! Ceasefire!” General Tempest ordered his troops as well. The drawbridge lowered and King Adamant rushed out of the castle to embrace his daughter.

“Oh, my daughter! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Adamant told Rose as they hugged one another. Just then, Prince Orichalum caught up to them and General Tempest flew down to investigate the matter.

“What is going on?” the gray Pegasus demanded, looking between the members of the Royal Family.

“Stand back, Rose,” Adamant said as he moved to place himself between his daughter and the Pegasus General.

“Wait, I can explain everything!” Rose said before the two could begin fighting.

*****

Prince Zephyr heard the sound of a door being thrown open above him, banging against the stone wall as it was forcibly opened, followed by the stomping of many hooves descend the stairs to the dungeon. Tracking the sound, he followed them through the wall of his cell until King Adamant appeared in the opening of the stairwell. The Unicorn King was followed by his son and their guards.

“Adamant! Let me out of here!” the captive prince began his rehearsed rant once more. “You can’t…” His yelling came to an abrupt end once he saw that Princess Fiore Rossa was with them, not looking too pleased with the Pegasus. His eyes then panned over to the gray figure behind her and, to his delight, saw it was it was General Tempest. “Tempest! Thank heavens it’s you! These Unicorns…”

“Not one word,” the furious commander threatened to the prince’s shock. The Unicorn guards opened the door to the cell and released him from the chains that held him to the wall. Despite Tempest’s enraged appearance, he was relieved to finally be free.

“You haven’t heard the last of this, Adamant!” Zephyr sneered. “You’ll pay for this… hey!” The prince’s gloating was abruptly silenced when a pair of shackles were clasped onto his hooves. He looked up to see that it was Tempest himself who had placed them on him. “Tempest, what is the meaning of this!? This is treason!”

“Prince Zephyr,” Tempest began with a hard voice. “In the name of the Pegasus Kingdom, you are under arrest.”

“You can’t arrest me! I’m the Prince!” Zephyr screeched in protest.

“Your selfish actions have brought shame upon our nation and almost started a war,” Tempest announced the charges. “You are unfit to lead and will be removed from your position, least you cause anymore damage.” As Tempest led his soon to be former prince out of the dungeon, he cast a look to Adamant. “On behalf of the Pegasi, I apologize for his actions. I can assure you, he will be swiftly dealt with.”

Adamant nodded and Tempest took his leave with Zephyr, who kicked and screamed all the way out of the castle.

“That marked the end of the Pegasus Kingdom,” Aurum rasped. “Instead of a coronation, a court-martial… took place instead… All three tribes were present… During the trial… Prince Zephyr tried to place all of the blame… on Rose… saying that she seduced him… and that she was the one that… bewitched him… His claim was quickly refuted… Then he tried to blame the witch… saying that she had misled him… The witch was brought in… and tried to denied everything… but the money which was found in her home… bore the crest of the Pegasus Kingdom… She eventually confessed… and was punished as well…”

“What did they do to her?” Amethyst asked.

“Since she was an Earth Pony… she was tried separately… by her own kind,” Aurum explained. “She was in violation… of her own court order… Fertile Soil had already banished her… and had forbidden her to make any more potions… after all the chaos she had previously caused… For this offense… she was placed in a dungeon… After her release.. Fertile Soil told her that if she ever brewed another potion… she would banish her… and then throw her in a dungeon… in the place she banished her to…

“As for Zephyr… the Council of Generals came to an unanimous decision… He was removed from his throne and the rule… of the kingdom fell to… the Council… The Council wanted to appoint Tempest as the new king… but he declined… leaving the other generals to contend with one another… for the throne… This led to a civil war… amongst the Pegasus Army… General Tempest eventually stood up and seized control… placing the kingdom under martial law until… the days… of Commander Hurricane… And that is how the Kingdom of the Pegasi… fell…”

The Story Ends

After the trial of Prince Zephyr, the Unicorns’ involvement with the Pegasus Civil War came to an end. King Adamant didn’t care who led the sky nation, just as long the essential trade between the three tribes continued; the Unicorns would provide the day and night as long as the Pegasi provided the weather and the Earth Ponies provided food. Leaving the flying ponies to their bickering, the Unicorn King and his children returned to their own home to attend to their own affairs. The castle needed repairs from the damage that had been done by the Pegasi and by the dragon.

Speaking of the dragon, Fiore Rossa’s entered her bedroom where she had first met the dragon. She observed the work the masons and carpenters diligently provided to repair the gaping hole in her wall. Aurum had broken through the glass doors that led out to the balcony, shattering the surrounding frame. The workers had begun the reconstruction just after she returned from the dragon’s lair and had made great progress while she was at the trial. New brick had been laid and a replacement door frame had been installed, but the glass doors themselves would take time to replace. For the next few days, a canvas would have to cover the empty doorway.

Satisfied, the red mare looked over to the vanity and saw the fire ruby that rested upon its surface. Walking over to the dresser, she lifted the gem and contemplatively stared at it. Taking it over to the balcony, she pushed the canvas aside and stepped outside. Looking up to the setting sun in the distance, she raised the gem up, causing the orange streaks within to glow with the reflected light. Rose smiled admiringly at the ruby’s beauty, but then a concerned frowned replaced it as her thoughts turned to the one who had given her the sparkling jewel and the promise she had made.

Placing Rising Sun back on its display on the vanity, Princess Rose headed out her bedroom door. As she made her way down the halls, she could her the hammering of tools as the repairs to the castle continued. In the great hall, she could see her father and brother looking over blueprints and construction plans, consulting with the architects. She knew her father would never permit her to go see the dragon, but she had made a promise. Backing away from the great hall, Rose thought of a new plan. Heading to the back of the castle, she followed the hallway that would lead her to the emergency escape route. It felt shameful to have to sneak out of her own home and she felt guilty for going behind her father’s back, but there was a strange exhilaration at the same time. After looking around to confirm that she was alone, she moved a large, hanging portrait of the Royal Family to the side to reveal a secret tunnel behind it. She slipped inside and moved the portrait back into place.

*****

In a cave deep within Blind Chasm, Aurum sat upon his pile of treasure. With a claw, he toyed with a topaz, idly flicking it about on the stone floor. It had almost been a week since he had released Fiore Rossa and he hasn’t stopped thinking about her. Though he was surrounded by wealth, he felt as though he had nothing. Without his friend, the gold coins lost their luster and the gems lost their sparkle. She had shown him what he was missing in his life and now he pined for it. However, he began to believe that she would never return and started to wonder if all she said were pretty words to distract him. Maybe she only told him what he wanted to hear so that she could escape. Feeling hurt and betrayed, he nestled deeper into his hoard, but it offered no comfort.

“Aurum?” an angelic voice called from behind the depressed dragon. His heart leaping up to his throat, he slowly turned his head around to see the mare that he foolishly doubted standing at the threshold of his home. At first, he thought it was nothing but a dream, but then the graceful Unicorn started to walk towards him. Abandoning his hoard, Aurum sprang to his feet and rushed to greet his friend.

“You came back,” he said slowly, waiting to see if the beautiful image before him would vanish or not.

Instead of fading like a taunting dream, the mare smiled up at him and said, “Of course I did. I made a promise, didn’t I? And friends always keep their promises.”

“Yes. Yes, I suppose they do,” he said, finally allowing himself to trust what he was seeing. Welcoming her into his home, he walked with Rose into the cave.

“How romantic; secret rendezvous, sneaking out of the castle, a forbidden love,” Rarity swooned before fluttering her eyes as she sighed. “It’s like something out of a romance novel.”

“Alas… Like many a love story, it… was not without… tragedy…” Aurum told her regrettably.

The secret meeting between the princess and the dragon continued for months. Every night, Rose would sneak out through the castle by means of the secret passage. She would then follow the trail she memorized of Blind Chasm and spent the evening with Aurum, talking and laughing the night away. Over time, the gold dragon came to understand his feelings for the Unicorn Princess and they frightened him at first. He didn’t cared what other dragons would think, for they already were his enemies. He knew that other ponies would never accept him, but he didn’t care about that either. All he worried about was if she would accept him.

As they sat by the fire which he provided, Aurum was silent as Rose continued to talk. What she talked about, Aurum didn’t know, for he wasn’t really listening. Not that he was trying to ignore her, but his own fears were overwhelming his thoughts. He then realized she was asking him a question and he snapped back to attention.

“Huh? What was that?” he asked.

“I asked you what was wrong,” Rose told him, looking concerned. Aurum looked away, trying to think of how to answer her. She saw his confliction and rested an encouraging hoof on his claw. “Go on. You can trust me. You do trust me, don’t you?”

He nodded and went back to thinking. Rose waited patiently and then he finally said to her, “Rose… I… I love you.” The unicorn’s green eyes widen in surprise, causing Aurum to look away, berating himself for his stupidity. “I love you. You are the best thing that has happened to me. You have shown me a life beyond hoarding and violence. You have opened my eyes and now I see what I was missing. You taught me the value of life and friendship. Before I met you, I was alone and miserable. I tried to bury the pain with treasure, but now, I realize that all of this,” he paused as he scooped up a clawful of gems and let it trickled through his fingers, “is worthless compared to you. You are more important to me than all of the treasure in the world and I do not know what I would do without you.”

He waited for her to laugh, to scream, to yell, or to do anything to berate him for his idiocy, but she didn’t say anything. He then thought that maybe she was too repulsed to say anything, but then he realized that her hoof had never left his claw during his confession. Mustering up enough courage to steal a peek, he was shocked to discover that Rose was smiling at him while tears streamed down her cheeks. Her hoof on his claw began to calmly stroke it while she raised her other hoof to her heart, touched by his honest and pure words.

“Oh, Aurum,” she whispered. “That was beautiful. Do you really mean it?”

“Yes,” he softly confirmed. She then placed a hoof on his cheek and guided his lips towards hers. She gently kissed him and then looked him in the eye.

“I love you too,” she said back to him. He then leaned in for another kiss, this time placing a claw on the back for her head while she held the sides of his face with both hooves. The fire cast the shadows of the dragon and mare on the cave wall; two shadows that became one.

“So what happened next?” Amethyst asked, enthralled by the tale.

“I think you know perfectly well what happened next,” Spike said to his daughter with a cheeky grin.

“Oh, grow up both of you,” Rarity chided, but then blushed as she turned to Aurum. “So what did happen?”

“A miracle…” Aurum answered. “And heartbreak…”

“Are you sure?” Fiore Rossa asked the midwife while laying on her bed a few weeks later.

“I am quite certain, Your Highness,” the middle aged, pink mare told the princess as she stood by the bedside. “Congratulations.” Her tone was quite somber, for she knew what this must had meant; the princess had a secret lover. For right now, the princess was in the early stages and could hide it, but in time, ponies would notice. “What are you going to tell your father?”

“Nothing,” Rose answered, looking up from her still trim stomach to the midwife. The pink mare nodded, understanding the princess’s silent order and showed herself out of the bedroom. Rose continued to recline on the bed, rubbing her belly with her hooves. Conflicting emotions coursed through her body. She was excited, yet she was terrified. She wanted to cry with joy, but wanted to weep with fear. Her father would never accept this. It was one thing to for this to happen to a princess, but it was another for this to happen to a princess from a dragon! There would be no hiding this. Even when the foal comes, all will know. Rose did fear what her father would say or even do to her, but she feared more what he would do to Aurum and their child.

At the dreadful thought, Fiore Rossa burst into tears. Overcome by her emotions and hormones, she sobbed uncontrollably with her face buried in her hooves. She needed to see Aurum immediately, but couldn’t risk sneaking out of the castle in broad daylight. Looking to the balcony, she saw that the sun hadn’t even reach the zenith of the sky. It would be hours until evening, and every minute would feel like an awful eternity. Without any other options but to wait, Fiore Rossa laid back onto a pillow, her hooves still lovingly rubbing her own belly.

Meanwhile, Bun N’Oven the Midwife was trying her best to make her way out of the castle without drawing too much attention to herself. She was being escorted by a trusted guard that Princess Fiore Rossa had sworn to secrecy, but even with the guard, she was nervous. The suggested cover story was that she was a simple nurse and the Princess had called for her because she felt ill. However, the castle had their own medical staff and if anypony questioned her, they would quickly realize she wasn’t part of it. Then they would discover who she really is and the Princess’s secret would be out.

The midwife and the guard were approaching the front door and both let out a sigh of relief. However, just as they reached the door, they heard the horrifying words, “Guard, who is this mare?”

The pair turned around to come face to face with Prince Orichalum.

*****

The sun had finally set and the door to Princess Fiore Rossa’s bedchamber silently cracked open. Carefully checking if the coast was clear, the blonde mare crept through the door and down the hall. Checking every corner, she cautiously proceeded to the secret exit with the practiced patience she had mastered from sneaking out almost every night for the past few months. However, there something was different about this night. Unlike all the other nights, she didn’t see any guards. Normally, she would have to evade detection from the patrolling soldiers, but the halls were now unnervingly empty. Nevertheless, she pressed onward towards the portrait. Looking behind her one last time, she moved the frame to the side and then gasped at what she saw.

“Where are you going, Rose?” her father’s voice asked from the dark tunnel. The gray stallion then stepped out of the secret passage and then she heard the sound of many hooves. Looking behind her, she saw Orichalum along with a contingent of guards, the guard she ordered to keep her secret and Bun N’Oven hanging their heads in shame with them. King Adamant took another step towards his daughter. “I said ‘where are you going?’”

“I’m going to visit a friend,” she told him.

“Who is he?” Adamant demanded calmly, but Rose could hear the restrained anger in his voice. When she didn’t reply, he spoke with more force. “Tell me, and I might be merciful to the stallion.”

“Aurum,” she told him as she braced herself for the oncoming storm. As expected, King Adamant’s eyes bulged with outrage and his face burned red.

“The dragon!? My daughter has been defiled by a dragon?!” the king roared.

“But father, you don’t understand,” she tried to explain.

“He kidnapped you! Have you forgotten about that!? He’s just a monster!”

“He isn’t a monster!” Fiore Rossa shouted back, surprising everypony. Orichalum wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to even think. He loved his baby sister, but the shock of hearing that she is pregnant by a dragon left him confounded. “Aurum is a good dragon.”

“Bah! The only good dragon is a dead one,” Adamant scoffed. “They’re evil, conniving demons from the pit of Tartarus. They only seek death, destruction, and treasure. The only reason why the monster let you go in the first place was because Orichalum outnumbered him. The cowardly lizard knew it couldn’t take on all the knights alone so it gave you up.”

“That’s not what happened! I’ve talked with him! I’ve seen what he’s really like! He’s a gentle soul and he truly cares for me! He loves me and I love him too!” As soon as the words left her mouth, everypony gawked at the Princess. Orichalum looked from his sister to his father, fearing how he would react. Unsurprisingly, King Adamant was livid. Veins bulged in his neck and his eyes threatened to pop out from his head as he seethed in fury.

“You can never trust a dragon! Dragons are notorious for beguiling their victims with their words! It must have bewitched you!” the king accused, trying desperately to justify his daughter’s actions.

“I am not bewitched,” Rose denied. “I am in love with Aurum the Dragon and I am carrying his child.”

“Guards, lock the Princess in her quarters!” he ordered, his rage finally boiling over. “You are never going to see that monster again! The first thing in the morning, I’m going to hunt down that thing and kill it!”

“Father, no!”

“And you are going to remain in your chambers until the freak within you is born.”

“Father! Are you insane!?” the princess screamed as the two guards behind her took a hold of her front legs and began to lead her away.

“I’m sorry, my dear, but this is for your own good,” Adamant remorsefully told his struggling daughter as she was carried back to her room. As the guards left, Orichalum was left alone with his father. He could see the look of hurt and betrayal on his father’s face and could hear the cries of his sister echoing in the corridors begging to be released. Orichalum remained silent even as his father walked away.

Later that night in the hallway outside of Princess Fiore Rossa’s bedchamber, a guard stood on either side of the door. While the rest of the castle slept, they remained awake to make sure the princess wouldn’t try to sneak out. Coming from the down the hall, King Adamant made his way to his daughter’s room. He had thought about what he had said and done and wanted to make peace with his daughter. He stood by his decision to keep Rose away from the dragon, but he didn’t want to lose his daughter. She was pregnant and must had thought she had nopony to be there for her. He wanted her to know that even though he doesn’t approve of her actions, he still loved her. As he reached the door, the guards stepped aside and he knocked.

“Rose?” he called through the door. “Are you still awake? I want to talk with you.”

He opened the door to find that the room was empty. Adamant rushed in and frantically searched the place, but there was no sign of his daughter. All he found was a book from her bookshelf laying on her bed. Picking it up, he discovered it was a book of spells. Looking at the page the book was opened to, he saw it detailed teleporting spells. The book dropped to the floor and Adamant raced out the door.

*****

Aurum waited patiently for Rose to arrive, but the golden dragon began to worry. He knew that Rose was taking a risk by sneaking out of the castle, but she always came. However, hours had passed since the time she normally would arrive. To his relief, he heard somepony approaching the cave in a hurry and smiled when he saw it was Rose. She was carrying a saddlebag and he was about to ask her why, but his excitement turned to concern when he saw the panic on her face and ran out of the cave to met her.

“Aurum,” she panted as she embraced her dragon. “We’re in trouble.”

“What is wrong?” he asked.

“I’m pregnant and my father knows,” she bluntly told him. It was one sentence yet it conveyed two very powerful statements. Aurum wanted to be thrilled by the news that the mare he loved was carrying his child, but the information that her father knew combined with her frightened demeanor only caused dread.

“What did he say?” he asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

“That he’s going to hunt you down and kill you and he also was going to lock me in my room until the foal is born,” she told him.

“And what about the foal?”

“He called it a freak, but didn’t say what he was going to do,” she sobbed, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. “I-I fear the worst. What if… what if he tries to k-kill it?”

“I will not let that happen,” Aurum vowed. “I will protect you and the foal at all costs!”

“Rose!” an angry voice called from the haze, the couple immediately knowing who it was. Hearing Adamant’s voice, green flames flickered out from Aurum’s nose and he stepped forward to defend his family.

“No!” Rose cried, clinging to his chest. “Please don’t fight him! I couldn’t bare it!”

Aurum looked down at Rose and back up to see the figures of Adamant, Orichalum, and their knights emerging from the fog. The Unicorns were dressed for combat and held their weapons at the ready. The King stepped forward and ordered, “Princess Fiore Rossa, stand aside.”

“I won’t, Father,” she told him, placing herself between him and Aurum.

“I will not stand for this,” Adamant glowered. “That monster must die!”

“And what about my child, your grandchild?” she retorted.

“That thing that grows inside you is not my grandchild,” the King denied, causing Rose to let out a hurt gasp. It pained Adamant to see his daughter like this, but she had to be taught a lesson. “I tell you one last time; stand aside.”

“No,” Rose told him defiantly.

“Then you leave me with no choice,” Adamant sighed, closing his eyes before opening them with a cruel glare. “Arrest the Princess and kill the dragon.”

The knights charged the dragon and the princess, but Rose climbed on top of Aurum and shouted, “Fly, Aurum! Fly!”

The golden dragon flapped his wings and soared over the heads of the advancing knights. Looking down, Rose could see the sadness on her brother’s face and the outrage on her father’s. As Aurum climbed higher into the night sky, Rose could hear Adamant yell up at her, “Come back! I command you to come back! If you leave, then I have no daughter!”

Clinging to the back of Aurum’s neck as they flew away from Blind Chasm, Rose turned away from her father’s angry shouts, weeping as she lost half of her family.

“We left the land of the pony tribes... and flew to the southeast...” Aurum explained. “We… discovered this secluded island… and decided to make it… our home… Here… we would be safe from prejudice… and could raise… our son in peace…”

“Tell me about him,” Amethyst requested, curious to learn about the kirin that preceded her.

“We named him… Rising Sun… for he reminded us of… the fire ruby I gave… Rose… one of the few possessions… she manage to carry with her… His scales were red… and his mane was golden… like the dawn… He was born… here in this cave… ages ago… He… he brought our lives joy… We raised him here… and befriended the native… dinosaurs…”

“Did you and Rose ever return to your homeland?” Rarity asked.

“Once…” Aurum replied.

A decade had passed since Fiore Rossa and Aurum fled to Krazoa Island. In those years, Aurum had grown in size, now being over forty feet in length. The gold dragon circled down from the sky and landed in a grove of trees. Two cloaked figures climbed down from his back and stood on the grassy ground. The taller of the two beings looked to the north and saw a castle silhouetted by the moonlight.

“Are you sure about this, Rose?” Aurum asked the taller of the two figures.

“I have to do this,” she answered from within her hood before turning to the smaller cloaked being. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

“I’m scared, Mama,” a timid voice whispered. “What if he gets angry? What if he tries to hurt us?”

“Don’t worry, Rising. I’ll be by your side the whole time,” she reassured her hybrid son. Taking his mother’s hoof, the hooded kirin walked up the trail towards the castle, looking back to his father. Aurum thought it was unwise to return, but he knew his wife needed closure. Unable to accompany them, he watched as they left the grove, praying that they returned safely.

When Rose and Rising Sun reached the top of the trail, they saw the front gates of the palace. Standing before it where sentries carrying spears. Rising Sun gulped nervously when he saw the weapons and pressed against his mother’s side.

“It’ll be alright,” she whispered, squeezing his little, clawed hand with her hoof comfortingly before continuing onward.

Seeing two suspicious, cloaked beings headed towards the Unicorn King’s Castle, the guards pointed their spears at them and shouted, “Halt! Who goes there?”

“It is I, Princess Fiore Rossa,” the mare answered, pulling her hood down. The guards’ eyes widen with surprise and looked at each other. “I have come to see my father, King Adamant.”

“Uh… Just… Wait here please,” one of them said before opening the door. Rose waited for a few minutes before the large doors opened again and her older brother walked out to greet her. The siblings stared at each other, neither one of them could hardly believe their eyes.

“R-Rose?” Orichalum stammered.

“Ori?” Rose likewise gaped. He had matured so much in the past ten years. Like their father, the gold stallion had grown a large mustache, making him look even older. Without another word, the siblings pulled each other into a tight embrace and began to cry tears of joy.

“I thought I would never see you again,” Orichalum wept happily.

“I missed you too, big brother,” Rose sniffled. Turning to her son, she said, “Son, I want you to met somepony. This is your uncle, Orichalum. Orichalum, this is your nephew, Rising Sun.”

Uncle and nephew stared at one another, Rising Sun with apprehension and Orichalum with wonder. Orichalum had wondered what the mating of a dragon with a pony would produce, but never thought he would see the result. He took in the sight of the kirin and marveled at the spectacle that he was. His hind legs were hoofed like that of a pony, but his front legs bore dragon claws. Instead of fur, his body was covered with red scales, softer yellow ones on his underbelly. A single horn adorned his forehead like a Unicorn, but it was rugged like a dragon’s. His tail was long and reptilian, but had a tuft of golden hair that matched his mane. What unnerved Orichalum was that the colt’s green eyes were slitted like a snake, giving him a predatory look.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Rising Sun told his uncle in a small voice, intimidated by the way the stallion stared down at him.

“Ori,” Rose said to her brother, diverting his focus from the half-dragon colt to his sister. “We’ve come to make peace with Father.”

Hearing this, Orichalum’s face went from shock to sadness and said, “It’s fortuitous that you’ve come now.” The prince sighed wearily and said, “Father is very ill.”

Rose and Rising Sun followed Orichalum to the bedchamber of King Adamant. Along the way, servants and soldiers alike stared as their lost Princess walked by with a strange foal walking behind her. When they reached the door, Orichalum opened it to reveal the king laying in his bed surround by nurses and physicians. Adamant’s iron colored mane was disheveled and contained quite the number of white streaks. His mustache had grown into a full beard and his slate coat had lost its healthy sheen.

The old king coughed uncontrollably and strained his dimmed eyes as he saw two figures standing in the doorway. Recognizing the taller red blur as his daughter, he coughed and wheezed louder. The nurses and doctors tried to calm him down, but he waved him away.

“Leave us!” he croaked. When they hesitated, the king raspily roared “Out! Everypony out!”

The servants bowed humbly and obeyed, quickly filing out of the room, leaving their King alone with Rose, Rising Sun, and Orichalum. For a moment, nopony spoke. Adamant would cough sporadically, but otherwise made no sound as he took in the sight of his daughter and grandson. After looking at them for quite some time, tears began to trickle from his cloudy eyes.

“Rose,” he hoarsely, but lovingly, uttered while reaching out to her with a shaking hoof. Fiore Rossa went to her father’s side and he wrapped a hoof around her neck, pulling her closer to him. Rose closed her eyes and cried as well as she rested her head on her father’s. While sobbing, he whispered the words, “I’m so… I’m so sorry. I never meant those things… which I said to you… all those years ago. Please, forgive this old fool.”

“I love you, Father,” Rose told him, crying loudly.

“I love you, my beautiful Rose,” he told her before looking down to Rising Sun. “What is his name? I must know my grandson’s name.”

“I’m Rising Sun, sir,” the kirin meekly told his grandfather. Adamant reached out for the colt, who looked to his mother. Rose nodded and he cautiously walked up to the ailing stallion. Adamant placed his hoof on Rising Sun’s mane and weakly brushed it.

King Adamant passed that very night surrounded by his family. Orichalum led his sister and nephew back into the corridor so that the servants could tend to the late King. Rose cried at the lose of her father, lamenting the years they had lost, but rejoiced that she was able to reconcile with him before he died. Orichalum then told her, “We’ll hold the funeral as soon as possible. Will you being staying?”

“No,” she replied, wiping her tears. “I don’t think we can.”

“Please, Rose,” Orichalum pleaded. “This is your home. You belong here.”

“And what about Rising Sun? Does he belong here? How about Aurum?” she countered. Orichalum opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and looked down at the floor. “I thought not. I do love you, Orichalum, but ponies aren’t ready for change. We will be hated, and many will seek to harm us. I can’t allow that to happen. Maybe someday ponies, dragons, and kirins can learn to live in peace, but for now, I must do what is best for them.”

“So, this is goodbye?” Orichalum remorsefully asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Rose replied, feeling her heart break again.

“You’ll always have a home here,” Orichalum told her as the hugged for the last time. “Take care of yourself. I love you, little sister.”

“And I you, big brother.” Letting go of Orichalum, she led Rising Sun back out of castle. When they exited the castle gates, Orichalum stopped and watched them walk away. Before disappearing down the trail, Rose turned one last time and said, “Goodbye.” She never looked back after that, but Orichalum watched to see if she would. Once she and her child disappeared down the mountain, he walked back inside the castle.

Waiting for them at the bottom of the trail was Aurum. He waited expectantly to hear what happened. Rose explained how she was able to make peace with her father and how he was able to meet his grandson before he passed away. Overcome by her emotions once more, Rose wept as her husband held her.

Looking up at him, she said, “Take us home.” Aurum obliged his wife and flew the three of them back to their island.

The Final Gifts and the Warning

“It was not until the Kingdom of Equestria was founded… that we ever saw another pony… Rose… had grown old by then… and passed away peacefully not too much later… in her sleep… Rising Sun… took one of the pony settlers… as his wife… and for a few generations… there existed a small tribe of kirins… It seemed for a time… that ponies… and dragons… could indeed… live in peace... but it was not to last...” Aurum told his audience.

“Oh my, what happened to them?” Rarity sympathetically asked.

“The plague…” Aurum explained. “A plague fell upon the inhabitants of the island… The dinosaurs… had long grown immune to the disease… but the ponies were… unaccustomed to it… Many died in a matter of weeks… and they accused the descendants of Rising Sun… for they too were unaffected… Even though Rising Sun had taken one to be his wife… there was some who opposed the union… This resentment carried on throughout the generations… and when they saw that my heirs… were unaffected… they believed that they were the source… They turned… the other survivors against them… and killed them … thus ending my line… They took… my children from me...”

“Oh, Aurum,” Rarity exclaimed, horrified by what she heard. “I’m so sorry.”

“What did you do?” Spike asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

“To my everlasting shame… I retaliated… and destroyed their cities… forcing… the ponies that survived the plague… to flee back to Equestria… leaving their cities here abandoned… That explains the ruins you see… scattered about… the island…”

“And when the ponies left, the dinosaurs moved in,” Spike surmised.

Aurum coughed loudly while nodding, and then continued, “The dinosaurs… adopted the culture and civilization… of their pony neighbors… and carried on their legacy… though they adapted it to… suit their… pack… and herd… lifestyles… However… I remained here… alone… never speaking to anyone… my heart turning cold… once again… And then… one day… I met… Spike… His love for Rarity… reminded me of the love… that I had almost forgotten… Though I taught him how… he could save… this island… and Rarity… he saved me… from myself… And now you know… my story…”

Amethyst looked up to the old dragon with awe as he finished his story. The only thing the young, white-scaled kirin could think to say was, “Whoa.”

Aurum began to violently cough again, shaking the cavern once more. Rarity rushed to give him more water, but he shook his head and pointed with a massive claw to a pile of treasure and artifacts. Choking, he gasped, “Scrying stone… over… there…”

Spike looked to the treasure pile and flew over to it, beginning to look for the scrying stone. If it looked anything like the one he used during his adventure on the Krazoa Island, then he should be able to recognize it when he saw it. After digging through gems, gold, enchanted staves, ancient scroll, and magic carpets, the purple dragon finally found what he was looking for. Pulling it from the pile, Spike held a glowing, blue, crystal ball the size of a beach volleyball in his claw.

“What is that, Dad?” Amethyst asked.

“This is a scrying stone,” Spike explained as he held it out so his daughter could see it. “Aurum and I used these things to communicate to each other while I was on a mission to save this island from blowing up. Using magic, you could see far off places with it or talk to someone or long distances.”

“Like the crystal ball Pinkie Pie uses when she tries to be a fortune teller? Cool!” Amethyst remarked.

“Yes, but unlike Pinkie’s, this one actually works,” Spike told her as he placed the orb in the center of Aurum’s huge palm.

“Spike… I have no living family…” the gasping wyrm addressed the younger wyrm. “And I see… you… as my… own son… There is so much… more I wanted… to teach you… but I have run… out of time… All I can offer you… is two gifts…”

“Aurum, you have already given me so much. I couldn’t possibly ask for more!” Spike said back to his former teacher.

“Listen to me…” the dying dragon continued. “This is important… My first gift… my treasure hoard…”

Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst all blinked when they heard this and looked around the cave. There seemed to be no end to it, and the floor was covered with the priceless collection of wealth and artifacts for as far as they could see. They guessed that there was as much gold and jewels here as there was in the Royal Treasury of Canterlot.

“I-I couldn’t possibly accept this,” Spike uttered, nearly speechless. “It would take years to even transport it back to Equestria, and I wouldn’t even know where to keep it.”

“Keep it… here…” Aurum instructed. “For my lair… is well hidden… is it not?”

“Yes,” Spike confirmed. Over the years, Spike had only told a clawful of ponies about Aurum: the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, their children, and the Royal Alicorn Sisters. At the golden dragon’s request, they have kept the secret only amongst themselves.

“I had many enemies…” Aurum explained. “Dragons that rival… my age… my strength… and my experience… If they are still… alive… and if they discover that… I no longer… guard this hoard… they would… be tempted… to descend upon it… like vultures… And if… they discover… it has been… claimed… by another… dragon… they would… seek to... hunt you… until they… find… and kill… you…”

A chill ran down Spike’s back. Aurum was massive and unimaginably powerful. The thought of even one angry dragon, or even worse, a multiple dragons, the size of an Ursa Major descending upon Ponyville in search of him was enough to make even him shudder with fear. His home, his friends, and family would be wiped from the face of the world!

“Okay, I see your point,” Spike conceded, nodding nervously.

“Are there many other dragons like you out there?” Amethyst asked, intimidated.

“There is not…” Aurum said to put their minds at ease. “Many wyrms… die in battle… over… mates… food… territory… and treasure… Only a few… ever reach my age… and beyond… But make no mistake… They are out there… Be warned… But above all… beware… the Dragon King…”

“The D-Dragon King?” Amethyst frightenedly whimpered at the ominous name. “Who’s that?”

“He is… the Archwyrm… the Alpha… the Mightiest of Serpents… the Lord of the Dragon Lords…” Aurum told Amethyst.

“But I thought dragons lived solitary lives,” Rarity interjected. “How can they have a king?”

“There is… a royal bloodline… amongst us dragons…” Aurum explained to the alabaster mare. “A line… with the… terrible power… to bend… the will… of other dragons… to theirs…”

“Have you ever met such a dragon?” Rarity asked.

“Yes…” Aurum confirmed. “He… is a few years… my senior… But do not fear… The peace… accord… with Celestia… prevents him… and the other… dragons… from invading Equestria… As long as the… treasure remains… here....”

“They won’t come looking for it in Equestria,” Spike finished for him. “And as long as it is here, they won’t find it.”

“Correct,” Aurum again confirmed. The old dragon then looked to the scrying stone in his claw. “My final gift… is the gift… of knowledge… I may not be able… to teach you… everything… I know… but I can… do this… I have enough life… within… me… to cast one last… spell… I can imprint… my thoughts… within the scrying stone… You will then… be able to… access my memories… May they guide you… when you ever… need my help...”

“Thank you, Master Aurum,” Spike graciously said with a bow of the head, humbled by the gift.

“This is the end of me…” Aurum announced. “I thank you all… for being here… with me…”

“It is us who should be grateful,” Rarity said with a bow of her own, Amethyst joining her parents as well.

A deep rumble filled the cave as the mighty dragon held the orb aloft, his eyes burning a bright green one last time and yellow electricity sparking around the crystal ball. As Aurum poured his energy into the blue sphere, it flashed a with a blinding light, forcing Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst to cover their eyes. When the light subsided, the scrying stone glowed gold instead of blue and Aurum’s arm trembled. His hand dropped to floor with a booming thud and the orb rolled out of this palm, coming to a stop at Spike’s feet. Spike picked up the orb and looked up at Aurum. The gold dragon’s scales were quickly losing their color and he didn’t have the strength to even hold his head off the ground anymore.

“If… you… ever… require… my... aid… just… ask…” Aurum panted as his eyelids drooped, the green glow of his eyes almost extinguished. “Farewell… my… friends…”

“Farewell, Aurum,” Spike muttered, unable to hold back his tears. With one last smile, the light in Aurum’s eyes went dark and he closed them for the last time.

*****

All he could see was a white light. He felt no pain. He felt no fear. In fact, all he felt was peace and serenity. Within the light, he could see two figures waiting for him; figures he knew very well.

“Welcome home,” a familiar female voice said to him as she and the other figure came into view. Seeing their smiling faces, he was certain of what he knew. Aurum the Golden was indeed home.

*****

It was night by the time Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst returned to Ponyville. Emotionally drained, the family of three entered Carousel Boutique. The round, pink, purple, and blue building had been renovated many times to accommodate a dragon of Spike’s size, it now rivaling Twilight Sparkle’s Castle. As Amethyst went to her own room, Spike and Rarity retired to the cavernous master bedroom. In this room, Spike could easily stand up on his hind feet, stretch out his long neck, and spread out his wings and not touch the vaulted ceiling or the gold and lace trimmed walls.

Spike placed the gold scrying stone on the dresser beside Rarity’s heart-shaped fire ruby necklace and stared at it contemplatively. The day’s events replayed over in his mind as he gazed into the glassy surface of the orb. It contained thousands of years worth of knowledge. He smirked, knowing that his mother, Twilight, would love to study it. She could spend countless hours asking it questions. The thought of the lavender Alicorn huddled over the crystal ball made Spike chuckle.

“Coming to bed, darling?” Turning around, Spike saw his wife already laying on the circular bed that was the size of a swimming pool. He crawled onto the red, plush mattress and curled around Rarity as she snuggled up against him. They never need blankets for his inner fire kept them both warm.

As they drifted asleep, they were unaware of what was transpiring in the capital city of Canterlot. Attached to the Royal Palace was the archives. Since records of all sorts were kept within its walls, some of which were highly confidently, there was a constant patrol of Royal Guards posted there. The more vital records were kept in a wing that was located deep within the mountain which the city was built upon.

In this room, a light from a candle flickered in the darkness. A pony wearing a hooded cloak sat a wooden desk with stacks of documents and scrolls scattered about its surface. The mysterious pony sorted through the paperwork, reading line upon line of text in his search. He came to stop and then lifted an old scroll off of the desk, holding it close to his face as he read it urgently. As he read, an triumphant and malicious laugh escaped his throat.

The sound of laughter echoed up the staircase, catching the attention of the two guards that stood at the top. After raising the gate that blocked of the entrance of this section of the archives, the gray, Unicorn stallions descended down the stairs with their horns lighting the way. When they reached the restricted wing at the bottom, the spotted the pony at the desk and saw the important documents that littered about the floor.

Marching up to the intruder, one of the guards asked, “Did you find what you were looking for, my lord?”

“Yes,” the hooded stallion answered as he looked up to the two guards, holding the scroll in his hooves. “I have everything I need. My brothers, the time is upon us! The hour of reckoning is nigh!”

Raising their hooves in a salute, the guards chanted, “Hail Hargon!”

After placing the scroll in a bag, the hooded stallion walked past the two guards and headed up the stairs. Before vanishing into the night, he thought to himself, Wait until the Dragon King reads this!

The Princess and the Dragon

The golden dragon flew triumphantly away from the Castle of the Unicorn King with its prize in its clutches. Fiore Rossa struggled to herself from the dragon’s talons, still crying for Prince Zephyr. Though she was now being spirited away by a fire-breathing beast, she had hardly noticed it. In her drugged stated, she only desired to be reunited with her “sweetums.” She didn’t even realize that if she broke free of the dragon’s grip, she would plummet to the misty ravine below.

The dragon paid little heed to the Unicorn Princess, for it was to be expected that a pony would try to escape from a dangerous predator such as it. Ignoring the mare, it continued to fly straight through the impenetrable haze. Out from the mist, a stone pillar emerged and the dragon effortlessly swooped out of the way at the last second. Just as it cleared the rock column, the jagged surface of the canyon’s wall came into view, but the dragon avoided colliding head first into the rock face with a quick turn. Not only was the chasm hazardous to anything that tried to traverse it, but to anything that tried to fly through it as well.

However, this was the dragon’s home and it knew it well. This is where it learned to hunt and to fend for itself.In order to survive, it had to learn how to master this inhospitable terrain. It had spent years as a hatchling exploring every nook and cranny of the mountainous maze in search of food and had come to be intimately familiar with its secrets unlike any pony could. This was the dragon’s domain and it could navigate through it with its eyes closed.

It suddenly pulled its wings close to its scaly body and fell into a dive, speeding head first into the gray abyss. The dark outlines of crags, boulders, and cliffs rushed passed the dragon until it suddenly extended it wings, halting its descent mere feet above the chasm floor. It flapped its webbed wings in a hover for a few seconds before touching down with its hind feet. Since its fore legs were preoccupied with holding the still screaming pony, the dragon used its wings to walk along the rocky ground like an overgrown bat towards the mouth of a cave.

Once inside, the dragon carried its hostage to the back of its lair to its treasure hoard. Small mounds of gold, silver, and copper coins sprinkled with an assortment of gems littered the floor. It wasn’t much, but it would grow over the ages as the dragon acquired more loot from future raids until it would dwarf the vaults of a kingdom’s treasury.

“Smoochie!” The dragon looked down to the red coated mare in its claws with perplexity. They were miles away from the castle and there was no chance that anyone could have followed them through the fog. There was no hope of rescue, and yet she cried out for her beloved.

“Your cries for help are futile,” the dragon told her in a deep, unmistakably male voice as he set her down on top of a pile of treasure. “You are… HEY!”

As soon as he relinquished his hold on her, the blonde maned mare immediately bolted towards the entrance of the cave. She ran passed the dragon and almost reached the exit before a clawed hand seized her around her barrel and pulled her back in.

“Smoochie!” she pathetically wailed as the dragon carried her back to the pile and once again sat her down.

“Escape is pointless. You have no…” Before he could finish, she once again galloped for the exit. With an annoyed snort of smoke, the dragon chased after her and grabbed once more. “Listen, there is nowhere for you to run! You will be unable to find your way out of the chasm and would surely perish. You are my prisoner, understood?”

Apparently, she didn’t understand and tried to run away again. Irritated, he pulled in her only to have her try it again.

“Do you think this is a game!?” he angrily roared. If it wasn’t a game, it sure did resemble one. They repeated the process of catch and release several more times, making the dragon look like a dog playing a game of fetch. “Will you desist!?”

“Smoochie!” Fiore Rossa wailed as she tried to escape once more. The dragon tried to block her with his body, but she wiggled through between his legs and slipped past him. Growling in frustration, he pulled her back and lifted her up with his claws to eye level.

“Are you listening to me!?” he roared as he slightly shook her. “I am a dragon. You are a damsel. It is not that complicated!”

“Smoochie!” she shrieked in his face, causing him to wince at the shrillness of her whining. The dragon snarled, baring his wicked fangs at her until his face relaxed and took on a patient look.

While still holding her up in his claws, he calmly said, “Fine. Go ahead and scream all you want. Let us see if I care.”

Almost an hour had passed and the gold dragon was now laying on his side, propping his head up with his left hand while a look of utmost exasperation fixed his face in scowl of unadulterated unamusement. Every few seconds, the crazed mare would run by and he would push her back with a wing. As this cycle continued, he began to wonder if other dragons had to put up with this sort of trouble whenever they kidnapped damsels. If so, then he seriously questioned if the practice was worth it.

While the dragon mentally bemoaned the situation he put himself in, Fiore Rossa’s incessant cries for the Pegasus Prince carried on as she once again ran pointlessly towards the opening at the end of the cave. She was halfway to the point where the dragon would normally slide her back to the starting line of her impromptu raceway when she stopped mid stride and froze in her tracks.

“Smoo… Wait…” she slowly said as she started to ponder. The dragon, noticing her unexpected change in behavior, raised a scaled brow at the mare as she stood in the center of the cave, looking around in confusion. “What is… Where… am I?” She held a hoof to her head, her brow furrowing as she tried to concentrate. She then looked up and panned around the cave, taking in her surroundings and realizing she was no longer in her castle. All she could see were the stalactites hanging from the ceiling and only heard the echoes of water dripping in the distance and the squeaks of bats emanating from the depths of the cavern. “A cave? How did I get inside a cave?”

“I brought you here,” a rumbling voice announced from behind her, causing her to jump in alarm. She quickly turned around and gaped at the dragon looming over her, stepping backwards. She correctly assumed that the gold-scaled reptile before her was the dragon that her father and brother had been seeking. Her father was paranoid and believed that the dragon would bring havoc to his kingdom. It would appear that he was correct.

“P-Please, don’t hurt me,” she begged as she continued to cower away from her captor. “I’ll do anything you want. My father will pay whatever ransom you ask for.”

“That is the idea,” he dryly responded to her promises. He then studied his hostage with a bemused look. She was finally acting like a proper hostage, begging for her life and offering promises of a reward in exchange for her freedom. At least she had ceased with her infernal wailing, but he was confused by her sudden change in behavior. “After almost an hour of assaulting my ears with your cries, you no longer cry out for your beloved. Why is that?”

“My beloved? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she claimed, still trembling before him. “I don’t even remember how I got here.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” he questioned, glaring at her suspiciously. “Do you not remember being dragged out of the embrace of your lover and being flown to my lair? Do you not recall how you been doing nothing aside from pining for him and trying to escape?”

She fervently shook her head and said, “I swear, I don’t remember any of it. I… I don’t even have a lover!”

“Oh, I find that unlikely,” he sneered snidely, grinning at her with his fang filled maw. “The way you clung to him would suggest otherwise.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about. The last thing I remember… uh…” The mare paused as she tried to recall the events prior to her suddenly finding herself in the middle of a dragon’s lair, but she was drawing a blank. It was though a fog of forgetfulness had descended upon her mind and obscured the events of the past few days, only being able to see faint shapes and images of the memories of that time. Since that part of her memory was obscured, she sought for an earlier point in order to ascertain what caused her lapse in memory. She could remember going to the Grand Summit of the Three Tribes. There, she met with Fertile Soil of the Earth Ponies and Prince Zephyr of the Pegasi. Prince Zephyr. For some reason, that name struck her as being important. Even as she recalled the name, part of the fog lifted and she could see more of the picture. Yes, he played an integral part in all of this, but what? Following that train of thought, she remembered that a few days after the summit, he had come to the castle. He came and he had something with him. Oh, what was it? The wine. Ah, yes! That’s right. He came wanting to apologize for his behavior and offered the wine. And after that… After that everything gets blurry. A sudden wave of panic coursed through her body, realizing that whatever he had given her is what was causing her amnesia. Further panic enveloped her as she remembered that the dragon claimed that he had found her in the embrace of her “lover.” She started to hyperventilate as a million awful possibilities ran through her head.

“You are not going to start screaming again, are you?” the dragon asked, not to eager to resume that procedure once again. He then recoiled a bit as she rushed up and stuck her face in his.

“Was he a Pegasus?” she urgently asked.

“...Excuse me?” he asked, caught off guard by her sudden invasion of his personal space.

“The pony you found me with, was he a Pegasus with a blue mane and white coat?” she asked, leaning in closer to the now confused dragon.

“Yes. What does that have to do…”

“He drugged me!” she shrieked in outrage and disgust. The dragon flinched at the volume of her voice and used a claw to clean out a rigging ear as the princess prisoner started to pace around in distress. “I can’t believe it! He drugged me! Of all the underhoofed things a pony could do! Ugh, I should've known better! I should’ve known that he hadn’t changed! All he wanted to do is rut me! Aaahhh! What if he did!? That’s what he did, isn’t it!? He spiked my drink and had his way with me! Of all of the things that could happen, this is The. Worst. Possible. Thing!” Her hind legs gave out and she fell onto her haunches, her green eyes as wide as saucers. Her rapid pants increased to dangerous levels, her red face becoming a deep shade of maroon.

“You might want to take a deep breath before you…” the dragon started to say until the inevitable happened. Fiore Rossa’s eyes roll back into her head and she toppled over onto the ground unconscious, “...pass out.”

A few minutes later, the princess’s eyes fluttered opened and she groggily asked, “Oh, what happened?”

“You fainted,” the voice from earlier flatly explained, jolting her back to full attentiveness. She quickly raised her front half up to see that her bizarre dream was, in fact, reality. When she saw the dragon again, she tried to scurry away, but he reached out and pinned her down with a clawed hand. He growled, letting smoke rise from his nostrils as he leaned in to warningly whisper, “Let us not start that again, shall we?”

She frightenedly nodded compliantly, and he lifted the claw off her barrel, watching to see if she would keep her word. They sat in silence, Fiore Rossa tucking her legs close to her body and shivering as she nervously watched her keeper. The dragon in turn looked down at her, his body crouched down and his tail twitching side to side, making him resemble an impatient, overgrown cat ready to pounce on her if she dare move. His head was raised like a cobra poised to strike, and his claws gripped the ground in anticipation. She found it hard to met the gaze of his eyes that burned like two green furnaces and averted her eyes to the floor before her.

“I’m sorry. I’m just a little confused,” she explained. She took in a deep breath to calm herself and allowed her mind to clear. Slowly, but surely, memories of the time she was under the love poison’s spell came back to her in fragments. Scenes of her snuggling with the loathsome Pegasus Prince and even the attack by the dragon started to paint a picture and she was to fill in the gaps by logical reasoning.

“So am I,” he admitted. “So who was that stallion I found you with?”

“He is the Prince of the Pegasi. He tricked me into drinking something that made me lose my senses. It must have been a love potion.” The princess paused and shuddered. “I can’t help but dread to imagine what he had planned for me.”

“That would explain the unusual behavior from both of you. When I abducted you, the two of you were acting like you did when I brought you here,” the dragon elaborated. “You were so lost in your infatuation that you did not even notice that your castle was under attack.”

“That is the effect of a love potion, but that would mean that Zephyr was also under the potion’s spell,” Fiore Rossa concluded.

“Wait. He was trying to enchant you but ended up enchanting both of you?” the dragon asked, to which Fiore Rossa nodded in response. The dragon chuckled and the mare looked up to him, feeling a little insulted that the dragon was laughing at her. “Oh, I fear for the Pegasi. If their Prince is so incompetent that he drugged himself, how can he possibly hope to run a kingdom? You ponies are so amusing.”

Embarrassed, Fiore Rossa pouted as the dragon continued to laugh. Once his laughter ceased, she cautiously asked, “I don’t suppose you could let me go.”

“No,” the dragon flatly denied her inquiry.

“But what do you want from me? If it’s money you want, I promise you that you’ll have it if you but return me to my home,” she vowed.

“That is not how this works,” the dragon responded. “I kidnap a princess, knights come to save you, the king pays a ransom for your return, and then I eat you.”

“Eat me!?” she cried, aghast. “Good heavens, whatever for? Have you ever ate a pony before?”

“No, I have not,” he admitted with a smidgen of chagrin, shifting weight uncomfortably.

“So why eat me? Surely you don’t have to,” she said in hopes to dissuade him.

“But that is what dragons do,” he shrugged, unable to come up with a better excuse.

“But who says so? Is there a quota of damsels eaten you have to fill each year?”

“No…” he quietly responded.

“Is there a dragon law that compels you to raid castles?” Again, he answered in the negative. “So why go through the trouble?”

“Because that is what dragons do,” he told her again.

After waiting to see if he would elaborate, she looked around the cave that was her prison when he didn’t say anything else. It didn’t offer much for scenery and the dragon would certainly prevent her from leaving. The only thing of interest in the stark cave were the piles of coins and gems. Having nothing else to do, she asked, “So, what happens now?”

“We wait,” he simply said.

Hearing this explanation, Fiore Rossa stared at her captor incredulously and said, “Okay, I have a few questions. How do they know you want a ransom?”

“Excuse me?” the dragon asked, caught off guard by her question.

“Did you tell my father how much you wanted for my return?”

“No, I…”

“Oh, so you left a ransom note behind when you kidnapped me?”

“No…”

“So how would they know that you’re holding me for ransom?” she pointed out the flaw in his plan. “Were you hoping they find your lair and then you give your demands without them attack you? Do they even know where your lair is located?”

“I assume they do.”

“You ‘assume,’” she repeated in disbelief.

“They were snooping about the chasm just the other day,” the dragon told her. “I am sure they would be able to find it sooner or later.”

“Chasm? As in Blind Chasm? Really? You expect anypony to find anything in here within the next century? And you’re hoping for them to find your lair? What’s to stop them or anypony else from coming here later and bothering you?”

“Um… I…” The dragon began to shift his eyes, becoming unsure about his decision to kidnap the princess.

“And you plan to eat me. Why? What’s the point? And how? If even they pay the ransom, do you expect them to sit there and watch as you eat me?”

The dragon opened his maw to retort, but the words wouldn’t come, and so he sat there with his mouth wide open and a claw held up. The only sound he made was, “Ehhh…”

It was the dragon’s time to be embarrassed, which only grew when he heard the sound of giggling. He snapped his head in the direction of the red Unicorn to see her covering her mouth with a hoof as she merrily laughed. His chagrin grew, causing the golden scales of his face to glow a coppery red. After recovering from her fit of laughter she asked, “You’re not really good at this are you?”

“Give me a break. I have never done this before,” he ashamedly confessed and then turned away from her. “Just be quiet.”

“Our first meeting… could have gone… better…” Aurum said with much difficulty.

As her mother did her best to make their host comfortable, Amethyst asked, “What happened to Prince Zephyr once the potion wore off?”

Aurum laughed, a painful coughing sound that caused the elder wyrm much discomfort. Rarity, who was currently standing by his massive maw, quickly scurried away as a black cloud spewed out of the dragon’s mouth. The alabaster mare coughed herself, waving a hoof to clear the air.

“I apologize,” Aurum said to Rarity before turning back to the Kirin. “He… found himself… in quite the precarious… situation.”