Chapter Three

As a peal of thunder rumbled across the distant, cloudy sky, Spike and Twilight entered the castle’s main doors, which the guards attending them immediately shut and bolted behind them. When looked upon with questioning glances, one of the more decorated guards stepped forward, his mostly-clean uniform likely that of an officer. “Safety protocol. Can’t be too careful about something... undesirable making its way into the castle,”

“Such as?” Spike asked from underneath his hood.

“Oh, usually some of the homeless will try and sneak in,” the guard said. “Even though we’ve put up almost five new shelters these past few months, with room still to spare in each, some still think they are entitled to try their luck here. We turn them away as patiently and politely as we can, as per the orders of the princesses, but with the way things are going, the confrontations might become less... pleasant.”

“Less pleasant for who?” Twilight asked.

“Everyone,” the guard replied. “We’ve had close calls before, but never as sustained and frequent as this.” He paused. “Might I ask who you two are?”

“We are guests of the princesses,” Spike said, motioning to the messenger impatiently waiting alongside them. “He’s meant to take us to them.”

“Ah, well then, they should be up in the throne room,” the guard replied, shaking his head. “They spend most of their time there, or at least, when they are not convening with the High Council.”

Twilight shuddered at his words. The High Council was the governing body of Equestria, more or less subservient only to the princesses themselves. With that much power, it eventually became corrupt, and while, indeed, there were those who were less than honorable in their dealings, the whole system was not all that unpleasant. The truly bad part of the council was that they were often very fond of debating, shouting, and engaging in similarly bureaucratic behavior. It hardly ever mattered how urgent the instance with which they convened; they took as much time as they wished. Twilight could remember when she was younger about a decision to lower the cost of selling land to recent immigrants, for the purposes of increasing the area of farmland in the more secluded towns and villages.

The resulting debates had taken over five months to settle.

“Well then, let’s not keep them waiting,” Spike said, giving the man a nod of thanks. “Come, Twilight.”

As she followed her master and the shuffling messenger, Twilight could only marvel at how little actually changed in the castle since she was last here. The same tall gilded windows, the same ornate chandeliers, the same magnificent furniture, statues, paintings, and tapestries... and yet, it seemed... dimmer. It was almost as if the darkness that nearly swallowed the land had also crept its way into the castle. It all just seemed so much more subdued to her.

As a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the windows, rendering some of them nothing more than opaque sheets of glass, Twilight found herself at the door to the throne room; a large, solidly-built wall of oaken slabs inlaid with strong steel beams, and as such, took four strong guards to open, their armor glinting in the low light of the candles situated everywhere.

The minute she walked in, the young hunter-in-training spotted the princesses approaching the pair of them. How could she not, after all? To the people of Equestria, the royal sisters were near goddess-levels of grace, beauty, and wisdom, among other things. Brave Luna, champion of the night, the military and all those who slept under it’s comforting embrace. Wise Celestia, the sun’s own, patient beyond measure and the one who saw fit to improve the lives of all citizens under her most caring guidance.

Even after being away from the kingdom for three years, and amidst all kinds of peoples, it still made her breath quicken and her wits fail her, just being in their presence. It was like meeting them all over again, though, this time, it was not merely as a visit to the castle alongside her brother. No, now she was here on business, with a mentor she had equally revered when they first met, and still did to an extent.

“Hello,” Spike said, removing his hood as the two princesses bowed before him.

Twilight’s jaw almost hit the floor, for exactly two reasons: because one; the princesses were bowing to her master, which was not something one expected from the rulers of any kingdom, and two; he had said “hello” in the most informal tone she has ever heard before. Did he not realize these sisters were royalty of a kingdom that had persisted for many centuries under their families' rule? They were all but queens in power and respect, and yet he showed them the same deferential treatment one might give a fellow traveler.

“Greetings, Slayer. It is good that you were able to receive our summons,” said Princess Luna.

“I was not summoned,” he said simply, crossing his arms. “I struck a deal with your sister, who made it sound like my services were greatly required. And while I am a bit skeptical, I do believe there is some merit to her descriptions of the land’s plight.”

The younger princess gasped. “You dare-,”

“Yes, I do,” the dragon continued. “Princess Luna, I know that the kingdom is suffering, and you both wish for it to pass by, sooner than never. Which is why I am here, is it not?”

“Yes, but-,”

“Then we can skip the pleasantries and political double-speak,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I have no time for such formalities, especially when I know neither of you wish to dilly-dally and would rather get about to saving your subjects from the plights they now face. Let’s get straight to business, shall we?”

Luna fumed in silence as her older sister stepped forward. “I apologize for my sister, she is not used to meeting someone of your... caliber,” she said, as delicately as she could. “Again, though, I must thank you for arriving with all due haste. I trust the journey was not too stressful?”

“Well, other than a warg attack and some nasty-looking harpies back in the Everfree Forest, I’d say the trip was fair,” he said.

“But those harpies weren’t a threat to us,” Twilight said, stepping up alongside her master. “They even gave us the right directions to get to Canterlot.” She did not want to make it sound like Equestria was already too great a task for the both of them; she didn't want to leave again so soon, especially if the princesses were offended and told them to leave.

“My apprentice, you saw as well as I did that there were spider webs where they directed us?”

“Yes, but what does that-,”

“Did you see how fresh they were?”

She paused, her mouth still hanging open as she struggled to process what he had just said. “I, uh, I... no, I did not.”

“They were quite fresh, I would imagine some only a week old. That means that they’ve given others those same directions, and likely were attacked by the giant spiders that were in the tower. Or, at least, the spiders that used to be in that tower,” Spike added, turning to the princesses as he let this fact sink into his pupil’s brain. “Which reminds me, that particular tower is currently being inhabited by a chitin salamander, who is the reason there are no longer giant spiders attempting to eat passersby on that road. I would be very grateful if you tell your guards that, should they retake that tower, to leave the salamander be. She’s not a threat to anyone but spiders and birds.”

“But what about the harpies?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Oh, I heard them enter the tower shortly after we left it behind, probably to rob what they thought would be our corpses,” he said with a knowing smile. “I did say that chitin salamanders love eating birds.”

There was a pause as the realization hit home for everyone in the room, and then Princess Celestia laughed.

“Oh, my you are as good as they said,” the princess proclaimed, clapping her hands together as she did. “I do believe you shall be a great asset to our kingdom, Mr. Slayer; with proper compensation, of course.”

“Yes, don’t assume I forgot about the payment,” the dragon said, walking away from the lot of them and towards one of the windows. “Twilight, do you still have the documents?”

“What?” She asked, startled at the sudden direction the conversation had gone. “Oh, yes, right here... your majesties,” she said with a mumble, retrieving a small stack of scrolls from her bag. Damn, that slice of warg tenderloin was still in there! Her master said-,

“Yes, Twilight, I know about the meat,” Spike added, causing looks of confusion to flicker over the faces of the princesses. “After we are done here, you and I will have much to do before bed, and that includes dinner.”

“We... we didn’t know what you preferred, so the cooks didn’t really prepare anything,” the messenger mumbled, having been silently standing behind them up until now. “I apologize, master dragon, I-”

“It is quite alright,” Spike said with a wave of his hand, lightning flashing outside once more. “When we are done here, send for some cheese, a loaf of bread, and some rosemary. Oh, and some wine, if you please.”

“Do you have a preference?” The messenger asked, having taken out a small scroll and furiously scribbling everything down.

“Hmm... something with a slightly sweet finish; one that goes well with wild game. That will be all.”

With that, the small man departed, leaving the princesses and the two hunters to themselves.

“Sorry, he’s not being rude, he’s just... different,” Twilight whispered to the two princesses. “He’s just, you know... a dragon.”

“I would call that racist, my dear, if not for the fact that it is completely true,” Spike said, casting a small smirk in their direction. “Though I’m afraid my apprentice is right. Being a dragon, and thus living as long as I have, has made me... somewhat insensitive to the trappings of speaking with royalty, though I do apologize if I have offended you for practically ordering your servant around.”

“Not at all,” Princess Celestia said with a dismissive gesture, even as her sister’s frown remained firmly planted on her face. “They are used to it, though other than myself and my sister, you were likely one of the most polite guests he has had to deal with.”

“Thank you,” the dragon said. “Now then, onto business. Twilight?”

“Yes, yes. Of course,” she said, unrolling several of the scrolls and beginning to read one aloud. “As for the previously-agreed payment between the Slayer and Princess Celestia, the sum will be delivered as one large collection of preferably gold and silver coins, with a five percent reduction overall as a measure of goodwill. Furthermore, said payment will not be delivered until either the task at hand is complete, or the Slayer decides to exchange such sum for something of equal value.”

“Sounds like you two have spent some time on this,” Princess Luna said, casting a rather suspicious glance towards the dragon.

“Indeed we have,” Spike said, looking out the window as lightning flashed once more. “However, in light of recent events, there are a few stipulations I would like to make.”

“Such as?” The princesses asked.

“First and foremost, any and all gold recovered by myself or those in my employ will belong to the one who collected it, and it will remain theirs until they decide what to use it for. We’ll call it a “finder’s fee” for simplicity’s sake. Furthermore, I will be taking up residence in this city, likely a permanent one for the foreseeable future, and wish to find a somewhere that suits my needs.”

“Well, we do have a room prepared for you in the castle’s east wing,” Princess Celestia said.

“I will stay there tonight, but for no more than that,” he replied, pointing out the large window. “Out there, in the distance... what is that building?”

Walking over and following the dragon’s gesture, the princesses (plus Twilight) spied a large building underneath the towers of one of the far walls.

“That? I believe it’s an old mansion of one of the older farming magnates in the city,” Princess Luna said. “If I remember correctly, there was a fire in there some years ago, and while it is still structurally sound, the family has since moved on. Nobody has sought to purchase it, and-,”

“I wish to.”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“What?” The princesses echoed.

“I wish to purchase the house,” Spike repeated. “I will be needing a de facto base of operations, and that is a perfect place for it. It will need some fixing-up, though, but I am sure I could manage that.”

“But... how will you pay for it?” Twilight asked.

“Take it off of my fee,” the dragon said. “Is that an acceptable form of payment, your highness?”

“Oh, um... yes, yes it is,” Celestia said, unsure why it suddenly felt as if he was being generous for the sake of being generous. She has heard stories of dragons coveting wealth and power, but the Slayer... he just parted with a large sum of money, all for some abandoned mansion? She had no idea what to think of him now, aside from the relief this will put on the treasury. Or was that why he had done it? “When will you move in?”

“Preferably tomorrow,” Spike said, turning away from the window. “For the moment, the last piece of business is my most pressing concern.”

“Ah, yes, the Law of Bounties,” Princess Luna said. “As per the law; any and all citizens that partake in hunting of the maladies plaguing the land are to do so at their own risk. All usable portions of the creatures are to be brought to the nearest markets and sold or donated for food or gold, whichever one prefers.”

“Is there a guideline to what parts of the slain creatures are valuable?” The dragon asked.

“Well, no, we thought-,”

“You thought that relying on the local experience and superstitions would be the best means to determine the value of them. Am I right?”

“...yes,” the princess of the night said with a mumble.

“Well, it seems I’ve got my work cut out for me,” the dragon said. “The first thing I will need to do is garner a list of all the things people consider valuable about the creatures. It will take some time to complete, but I will make sure to have it to you by the end of the week.”

“Is the local experience wrong?” Celestia asked.

“No, it is merely incomplete,” Spike said. “Some of the more superstitious uses, on the other hand... are hit or miss, depending on the superstition itself. For example, vampires are not repelled by garlic, but holy water does create a burning feeling. Werewolves can change at will, though only after they have experienced their first full moon. As for fire salamanders, they do not seek out flames, but instead happen to inhabit the logs people burn, from which they flee. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“Will you put that in your list?” Luna asked.

“Only the correct parts,” he replied, motioning to Twilight. Acting quickly, she brought him a singular scroll, which he unrolled and presented to the princesses. “Just as a formality, here is a list of references and commendations, should you need them for bureaucratic purposes.”

The two princesses looked over the rather long scroll, the writing very small but still rather legible. “It seems legitimate,” Celestia said. “It say here you received a commendation from High King Khrysaor of the Grecian Islands for slaying a hydra?”

“Several actually; a big nest of them,” the dragon said. “That was about fifty years ago." He silently wondered if the then-young king is still alive. Sure, he was in great health the last time the dragon had seen him, but that was fifty years ago...

“And here it says you partook in the great hunt of a Nandi bear with the Maasai?” Luna asked. “I always thought the Nandi bear was just a myth.”

“Well, it tried eating me when we cornered it, so I had to strangle it could succeed,” he replied with a shrug. “It would not be the first time I had to deal with some beast with my bare hands. Or claws, if you prefer."

Nodding in agreement with her mentor’s statement, Twilight watched as the princesses continued to look over the paper. “Is there anything more you wish to discuss? Perhaps the timely manner of summonings, should there be a need for them? Or maybe a fee for taking on trainees?”

“No, no, I believe this cements everything into place,” Celestia said, handing the parchment back to Twilight. “We are most grateful you have come to aid us, Slayer... and apprentice,” she added, smiling at Twilight. “I can only hope you are indeed as efficient as they say.”

“Quite,” the dragon said, turning to his apprentice. “If that is all, your highnesses, I bid you farewell. Come, Twilight, that manservant likely has our provisions ready for us in our quarters.”

“Good evening, your highnesses, and farewell,” Twilight said, giving an honorary bow to each before leaving with her mentor.

Once alone again, the two princesses looked at each other. “Well, that went... well,” Celestia said.

“Well? That dragon showed no respect!” Luna countered, finally letting her anger boil to the surface. “Rude, with no respect for the titles we honor, no desire to treat us as the royalty we are, no-,”

“Sister, he is over two thousand years old,” the elder princess said. “I do believe he comes from a time before our ways were around, including such things as royalty and divine mandates of kings. Likely, Equestria was nothing but a gathering of tribes then, as our records do not go back far enough to rightly see those days.”

“He could still stand to at least try,” the princess of the night said, conceding to her sister’s point.

“Well, I, for one, think he will be a most valued asset to this kingdom in these troubling times,” Celestia said with a smile. “However, it would be good to keep an eye on him, just in case.”

“In case of what? Are you afraid he might cause trouble?” Luna asked.

“Quite the opposite, actually, dear sister. I’m afraid trouble will, instead, find him.”

“Master?” Twilight asked as the two of them made their way away from the throne room. “Why did you seek to purchase that old manor?”

“Ah, but I did purchase it,” he replied.

“Okay, so you did. But why?”

“Well, young one, you and I both know that the princesses told us how hard times have become since the Gates were opened. You and I saw it in the Everfree Forest, in the city of Caballus, in the faces of every man, woman, and child we’ve passed since we arrived in the country. There is a sickness upon the land, brought on by these clouds of darkness.” As if to add validity to his statement, a flash of lightning illuminated the few windows in the hall, the darkness outside returning as swiftly as it had vanished.

“Well, that’s a good enough reason to help them, but that still doesn’t explain why you bothered with it. The princesses offered you a room in the castle when you weren’t out on an assignment, and yet you denied them that simple honor,” she replied.

“I am but a simple guest in their country, Twilight, and whilst I may not seem like it, I do appreciate their hospitality. However, if I were to stay in the castle, others might see it as me submitting to their whims, to their rule. I will not submit, if only because I wish for freedom from such rules, something I have lived with for many centuries.”

“Then... you bought it to save face?”

“Partially,” her mentor replied as they found themselves in a rather spacious room right down the hall from the massive fireplaces that have been warming the castle since late fall. Though the distance was great enough that the heat would likely not travel far, in the room itself was a rather nice fire already going, and as such, the room was pleasantly warm, enough so that one could sit in relative comfort. In front of them sat a small table with a pair of chairs, the items Spike requested lying atop them. “I also bought it because doing so would be seen as a sign of independence by others from the princesses, and thus make me much more approachable if they needed help with something. If anyone were to accidentally insult me while I were staying in the castle, many would likely believe they had insulted the princesses as well, by way of proxy, and me being their guest. In doing so, I am saving the two highnesses from what could have been heaping amounts of embarrassment and potential political chaos. That, and they have enough to do as it is, so presiding over something as trivial as myself being insulted would likely take up much of their valuable time. Also, if I were to not follow their orders while living under their roof, it could be seen as not only insubordination by her guards and servants, but it would bring dishonor on the princess. Being unable to control one guest? Just imagine what the common folk would say."

“Ah, I guess I can see where you're coming from,” she replied as she laid her stuff out on one of the large beds before them. Even for one as intelligent as she, Twilight had come to an understand long ago, that knowledge and wisdom were intertwined, but definitely not the same thing. While her master had told her, explicitly, that she was very intelligent, she was humble enough to realize that the veritable reservoir of wisdom he carried was something she had yet to achieve, and, given his life history, would likely never amount to the same extent. “So... what do we do now?”

“Well, first we get our supper ready,” the dragon said, eyeing the fire poker as she retrieved the strips of warg tenderloin from her pack. “Here, let me show you how it’s done.”

“I’ve cooked venison before,” Twilight said, remembering back to some of the more leisurely suppers she has had in the great northern forests, just on the border between Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Now that she was back hom, she'd have to swing by her parent's house sometime, preferably sooner than later. “Is it not a similar method?”

“A little, but think more like that of bear,” the dragon said, heating up the end of the cleaned-off poker and suddenly skewering the meat onto it. “Warg meat, for being as lean as venison, often has parasites in it, ones that, for humans like you, can cause abdominal cramps if not properly cooked. While most people barely even notice, some find themselves doubled over in pain, or afflicted with dysentery in the more... extreme cases. So, cooking the interior slowly, with the hot poker, is a good way to ensure the entirety of the meat itself is cooked. The exterior needs no preserving agents, so there’s little risk of contamination from having sat wrapped up in your pack for a few hours.”

Handing her the poker, which she held firmly above the crackling flames, the dragon walked over and began to divide up the meal, giving his apprentice a far more generous helping of the bread than what he saved for himself. Several minutes later, he returned to her side with a platter and a small bowl of spice. Grabbing the small bowl of rosemary and rolling up his robe’s sleeves, he then sprinkled some of it on the meat, ignoring the flames that licked up and down his hands while he reached into the fire. The flames lazily licked at his scaly hands, rolling over it like waves on a beach.

I for one am glad you can touch any kind of fire and not burn,” Twilight said with a smile. “Otherwise watching you cook would become a boring affair.”

“Well, when you’re a dragon, fire is of no threat to you, except of course if you happen to swallow it, so we’ve learned as a species to cook differently than others,” Spike replied with a smile, rubbing the spices into the cooking meat. “Won’t be long now.”

“It smells delicious,” the young woman commented, noticing the grease spitting and hissing as it fell into the open flames.

“It’ll taste even better,” he said a few minutes later, bringing up the platter. “Gently now, no need to risk flinging the rosemary off of the meat.”

Slowly, Twilight swung the strips of sizzling meat over to the platter, where her mentor slid them off and onto the slick ceramic surface. Setting the poker down, Twilight followed him over to the table, and after ensuring everything was in place, they began to eat. The first thing that hit Twilight was how juicy the meat was, even with how much it shrank over the fire as the grease leaked out of it. Secondly, it was incredibly dense, as if the shrinking had merely compacted it, and not been a result of water loss. It did remind her of bear, though to be honest, she hadn’t had bear in a long time, as she and Spike hadn’t been in bear country for many months now. Yet, for this density and juiciness, it sliced fairly evenly with the simple cutlery she had packed for them, cutlery that was rarely used due to their nomadic lifestyle.

“So?” Her mentor asked as he ate his own share as well. “What do you think?”

“It’s very good, thank you,” she replied. “Although, I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you come to know warg tasted so good? It''s not exactly everyday table fare.”

He smiled and stared off into space as he chewed, as if not only savoring the flavor of the meat, but that of the memory that went with it. “It was about three centuries ago, give or take a decade or two,” he began after swallowing. “I had just been tasked with dealing with a warg pack on a lonely mountain road, high in the hills, overlooking a small town. I think this was in Griffonia. Naturally, I’d overestimated how much help I’d need, and so the few townsmen that went with me were surprised by how quickly I’d dispatched the beasts. So surprised, actually, that they forgot to keep their voices down, shouting and cheering at the slaying of the vile beasts, and soon enough an avalanche came down on us.”

“Really?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yes, and while nobody was killed, thankfully, several were hurt and the coming night was going to be bitterly cold. So, we made our way up into the cave where I killed the wargs, and set up camp. Turns out that that night was the very night a blizzard came through, and effectively sealed off what part of the road the avalanche hadn’t. We were stranded, and we hadn’t brought much food with us, so immediately, some of the townsmen were worried that I’d turn on them and eat them, being a dragon and all.”

“So you convinced them to eat warg instead?”

“Precisely,” the dragon said. “It took a few tries, and quite a bit of either raw or burnt meat, but eventually I learned how to cook it, and after about a fortnight of living off of preserved warg and whatever else we could scrounge up, the weather cleared and the snow melted enough for us to return to the town. You should have seen it, all of us coming down in freshly-cleaned warg hide clothes and, for the men, somewhat shaggy beards. Everyone else must have thought us for dead when they’d heard that avalanche.”

“Nobody came to look for you?”

“Oh, no, the road was much too blocked off for a rescue party, and besides, everyone made it out more or less fine. Since then, whenever I have the chance to sit back and enjoy it, I’ll eat warg, so long as it’s not a really old one. The meat tends to get rather tough; better for grinding it up into hamburger, then.”

“Okay then,” Twilight said, taking a small bite of cheese. “You know, I’ve been thinking... with that manor you purchased, as a base of sorts, would it hurt to try and find people to look after the place while out on assignments? That might deter anyone from trying to sneak in, for some reason or another.”

“Well, it’s not a bad idea, but I do believe I have another one that might fulfill that aspect a bit better,” the dragon said. “Tell me, Twilight, have you enjoyed being my apprentice?”

“Can’t say that I haven’t, to be honest,” she said with a shrug. “You’re sometimes tough, but always fair in that regard, and while it may seem strange, you’re more of a companion than a teacher, even with some of the ground rules you’ve laid out over the years. That, and you’ve shown me so much more than I ever could have dreamed of. So, yes, I have very much enjoyed being your apprentice, Spike.”

“That’s good to know,” he said with a smile. “Have you ever given thought about continuing your magic training?”

“Well,” she began, only to stop. She had been told that she had great potential in the magical arts in her younger years, though she had never really done much more than what one might call “basic magic”, as she had spent most of her childhood helping around the family home. Even with the money her parents had managed to save up for her education, it had been barely enough to schedule more than a few lessons and several dog-eared textbooks for her to learn from. As such, she did know how to do some things, but overall, not very many. “I... I have given it thought, before. But I don’t know anyone who’d be willing to take on the Slayer’s apprentice as an apprentice of their own, especially at my age. Wouldn’t that be breaking some kind of unwritten rule, where an apprentice cannot serve two masters or something?”

“For me, there is no such rule, but I do see your point,” Spike said. “In all regards, I do believe continuing your magical education will be of a great asset to you in your future, my apprentice. Not all magic is just waving your hands and causing things to levitate, or to change, or to heal yourself or to block attacks. It also gives you a greater insight into the worlds of both the natural and the unnatural, where realizing what you are dealing with and how to counter it are some of the most vital skills you can possess. It can account for more success and a higher chance of surviving than merely having a good weapon or numbers on your side.”

“So... do you know of anyone who could teach me?” Twilight asked. “Wait, you don’t... you know...”

“No, Twilight, I am not versed in magic like humans are, even with how old I am,” Spike said, shaking his head. “Dragons do have magic, but ours is more internally focused, allowing us to do things those with external magic, like humans and elves, can only dream of. Innate resistance to all forms of heat and most cold, the ability to change shape and size at will, send messages across vast distances with our fiery breath, and so much more. Yet, it is a tradeoff, and I’ve heard of quite a few dragons in my time that would have loved to have been able to do magic like humans do.”

“Then... who will teach me, if you cannot?” Twilight asked.

“Hmm... I do know of an elf clan that specializes in practical magic,” the dragon said with a smile. “Healing, deflection, sensing, and telekinesis, to name but a few. They live in the forests far to the east of here, deep within one of Equestria’s larger mountain ranges near the border with Griffonia. I have a... unique history with this tribe, and I do not think it would be difficult for them to agree to send a representative to help teach you external magic, though I would have to meet with them in person to make such a request. They don't take too kindly to requests by way of messages."

“Do you know their name?” She asked as they left their dishes and trudged off to bed. “The tribe, that is?”

“They are known as the Quagga tribe, though it has been some time since I saw them last and do not know if they have decided on a different name in my absence, as they are sometimes accustomed to do,” Spike said, turning away from his apprentice as they crawled under their covers. The warm bedpans, that were left underneath, had soaked the sheets with a warmth that just made all the aches and pains of the day fade away. “Good night, my apprentice.”

“Good night, my master,” Twilight said, drifting off to sleep, glad to be out of her armor, which sat near the foot of the bed. “What does the schedule look like for tomorrow?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he said with a smile.

Author's Note

I don't think Luna likes Spike all that much, or at least doesn't appreciate his informal attitude. Oh well: Equestria needs him and his expertise more than he needs them.