Fireproof

by Dragon Sage

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Romance
Length: 49228

Sequel to "The Dragon Sage." Spike and Twilight live and love comfortably in their tree-castle. But a princess in love with a dragon and life-long friend certainly attracts attention. How will everypony else react?

After the events that took place in The Dragon Sage, Twilight and Spike have quietly started living and loving in their castle. Other ponies are bound to find out, so how will they respond? What does this mean for their friends and neighbors?

If you haven't read the previous story, I suggest it, but it is not necessary. Most characters and references to The Dragon Sage take a back seat role in this slice-of-life story. It's more as an extended epilogue than anything else.

Published 2015-04-15 09:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-08-08 16:42:15 UTC

Morning

The earliest and most gentle ray of sunlight trickled through the window and across Spike’s cheek. The blanket that rest on top of him slowly rose and fell in the movements of his chest. The spines along his back were neatly tucked underneath him and his mouth hung open as he snored lightly. The ray of sunshine crept up slowly until it crawled onto his eyelid and forced it open. He immediately shut it again and winced as the bright light invaded his senses. He groaned and turned, silently wishing Celestia would take the day off.

Then he remembered his task for the morning. He gave another groan and reluctantly rose from his large circular bed. He propped himself up and, after rubbing his eyes, peered over the castle library. The brilliant orange light from the windows bounced off of the walls and coated the room with a satisfying gleam. He yawned, stretching his wings out broadly, and began trotting his way down the stairs from his loft.

It had taken some time for him to get used to walking as a quadrupedal, but now he strode effortlessly on all fours as his long tail swished to and fro behind him. his claws lightly tapped on the hard floors beneath him as he made his way into the entrance hallway and out the main door. The sun that shined through his window cast all of his beloved hometown in silhouette.

Much of Ponyville would still be asleep at this hour, say for early birds like Fluttershy, Zecora, and the entire Apple family. Spike was usually one to enjoy his sleep, but he had a job to do this morning, so he thanked the Pegasi for keeping the skies clear and set his wings for takeoff. He kicked from the ground and beat his wings hard as he lifted upwards above town. The wind lightly howled at his ears and the cool air whipped across his scales, bringing his senses to full attention.

“Where is he?” he wondered aloud as the shape of Ponyville gradually shrank beneath him. He looked around for the pegasus for a moment before hearing his name called out from behind him.

“Right behind you kiddo!” the dark pegasus shouted. Spike smiled as his old teacher glided down and began flying beside him. His mane was dark and his scaled wings flapped a little more lazily than Spike’s did. He wasn’t wearing any Night Watch armor, but instead carried a saddlebag on his back that seemed to be weighing him down.

“Knight Wing,” Spike called out with a wave. “What took you so long?”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been circling Ponyville for ten minutes. We said sunrise, and you’re late,” he said and pointed an accusing hoof at Spike.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” Spike said and rolled his eyes.

“You know, when you were still a scrawny little pipsqueak, that attitude would have cost you 10 laps around Canterlot,” Knight Wing said.

“Well good thing I’m not a pipsqueak any more,” Spike said with a proud smile. His wings beat a little harder and he rose up and circled around Knight Wing in a display of acrobatic finesse.

“And you have me to thank for it, wise-guy.”

“And Princess Luna,” Spike added and regarded the saddlebag around Knight Wing’s flank. “Is that everything?”

“Yup,” he said flatly. “These should keep your princess off of my princess’s case for a little while.”

Spike glided over to Knight Wing, positioning himself just above him, and scooped the saddlebag off his back with his claws. It was pretty heavy so Spike took it in both claws just to be sure not to drop it. Spike gave a grunt before rejoining his teacher at his side.

“Any particular reason we have to do this so early? I’m not a morning dragon.”

“Gotta report to the palace by 10 and I need to make my way back to canterlot. But it was Princess Luna’s idea to do it this way instead of magic. Take it up with her, kiddo.”

“Send her our regards from Ponyville,” Spike said as regally as he could. Knight Wing smiled and saluted him with a hoof to his forehead before veering off towards Canterlot. Spike watched him fly for a moment before diving down back towards the castle.

With the bag kept firmly in his arms, he glided down and re-entered his crystal home, only having been gone a few minutes. He turned back and looked over at Ponyville once more. The sun was now well above the horizon and played beautifully off of the rooftops of the various houses and shops in town. The view was mesmerizing, and Spike considered perhaps waking up a little earlier could be worth it if this was his view every morning. With a smile, he turned and entered the main corridor towards the royal chambers. He had a present for his princess.

“Good morning sleepy head,” Spike prodded playfully. He placed his head on the edge of her bed and faced her disheveled form. Her mane was in a state, and her mouth hung open as she continued to doze. one of her eyelids gingerly fluttered open. Upon recognizing the intruder as Spike, she smiled and closed her eyes again.

“I don’t think you’ve ever been the one to wake me up,” she said with a yawn. “You’re not a morning dragon.”

“That’s what I told Knight Wing,” Spike said with a smile and observed her closely. She was a messy sleeper, but her face now was so calm and peaceful after gently waking up. Something about the way her mane drifted over her forehead and the way her hoof rested underneath her pillow made him want to crawl in with her and doze the rest of the morning away.

“Knight . . . Wing?” she mumbled as she squinted and began to collect her thoughts. She then realized why he was up so early and her eyes grew lively and wide. A hopeful smile spread across her face as she looked at Spike anxiously.

“Did you get them?” she asked.

Spike smiled and held up his left hand, which was clutching the saddle bag Knight Wing had given him. It dangled from his claws in front of her and it was clearly full and rather heavy.

“A fresh batch of one-of-a-kind first editions straight from Luna’s observatory,” Spike said proudly. Twilight gave a squeak of delight as she popped up from underneath the covers and stood up energetically. Her wings were splayed in excitement and her hooves giddily bounced on the soft bed beneath her.

“Oh my gosh, this is great! There must be a dozen in there!” she said and took the bag out of his hands with her magic. Spike sighed and watched her tear open the bag and float the numerous old books around her in a circle, eyeing their titles like a filly eyeing candy.

“I’ll let you get started then,” he said and brushed himself off. “I’ll get breakfast on the griddle. Spinach omelette?” he offered.

“Uh, hmmm. How about Prench Toast instead?” she said and dove back into her books.

“You got it,” he said and began to walk towards the door. Before he got there, Twilight zipped right to his side in a flash and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. She smiled up at him, a gesture he gladly returned.

“Thanks Spike,” she said smugly and turned back towards her pile of books. The mare playfully draped her tail across his shoulder before walking back towards her work.

“Hey. Dinner and a movie first, crazy mare,” Spike jested with a scowl.

“Ha! As if you should be so lucky,” she said with artificial pomp in her voice.

“Why? You don’t think I’d make a good date?” he said and playfully followed her closely. She kept her eyes to her books and fought back a smile.

“Please. You’re idea of a date is probably hayburgers and cartoons,” she jabbed.

“And yours is probably an evening in the library comparing notes,” he retorted. She reeled back and gave him a scowl.

“So what if it is?” she said challengingly and faced the dragon. He looked down at her with a smile and imagined an evening with her alone in the library discussing research over candlelight. He leaned forward and planted a thick kiss right on her lips, taking her by surprise. He lingered there only for a moment, just long enough for her to return it, before breaking it and smiling at her.

“That sounds nice to me,” he said, and with that, he turned and trotted out the door with a skip in his stride. She blushed a little as she thought about an actual date with him. They had been out to dinner to places before plenty of times, but never as a couple. Surely pony-folk wouldn’t see anything different than a princess and her assistant out to dinner. But anything remotely romantic between the two of them would get ponies talking. The last thing she wanted to do was have rumors floating into her friends ears before she had the chance to tell them.

But the idea of telling them was also daunting. They’d known both her and Spike for so long, but before he grew into an older and larger dragon they all saw him as a child. What if they learned about it and rejected them for it? After all, they were much like family, and changing their relationship might be too much for the others to handle. She wanted Spike, but she also wanted to keep her friends.

“No. They are my friends. They’ll understand,” she reassured herself. They were the most important ponies in her life, and she felt confident that, even if it took some time, they would still be friends after learning the truth. But how long would she wait? It was only a matter of time before they slipped up. She wanted to break the news delicately, but if she waited to long, they might get caught.

She made up her mind on the issue and put her books down. She trotted out the door and followed the sweet smells of Spike’s breakfast cooking. She entered the kitchen and saw Spike carefully flipping over two slices of toast on the griddle. He noticed her come in and observed her with a concerned look on his face. She walked up to him and eyed him seriously.

“Spike, we’re telling the others about us tonight.”

Author's Note

Got some heartfelt requests for a follow up story. This won't be an action-packed adventurous sequel, more as an extended epilogue. Hope you enjoy.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Throne Room

Twilight took a deep breath and focused on keeping herself calm and collective before she began.

“Everyone, I have something very important I’d like to discuss with you. You have all known me and Spike since the first day we arrived here in Ponyville. You’ve become our dearest and most loving friends, and I can speak for both of us when I say how important you all are to us. For this reason, I think you all deserve to know something very important. As of a few months ago, Spike and I became a couple. We’re together now, romantically. I know this may come as a shock to all of you, but please understand that our lives won’t be any different with all of you. I’m still princess of friendship, and he is still my assistant. We express our love to each other a little differently now, but it does not affect the way we feel about all of you . . .” she finished and let her last phrase hang in the air. Her chest stood proudly and she kept her chin high. But her eyes began to dart around the room nervously. She let the air out of her lungs in one final sigh and looked up at Spike.

“So? How was that?” she asked sheepishly. Spike sat across from her, sitting comfortably at the foot of his bed. The library below was completely empty, and Spike’s second-floor loft kept them in a comfortable space of privacy.

“Good,” he said flatly.

“Not great?” she said nervously.

“I honestly don’t know, Twilight,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve never had to do anything like this before. I mean, they’re our friends and I know they’ll understand eventually, but I’ve never even had to do this kind of thing before. Are you sure you don’t want me to help you explain? It feels odd hearing you talk like I'm not there.”

“Oh you’ll need to help me. They’re going to have questions for the both of us and I’ll need you to help answer them. But I’ll feel much more comfortable if I can just recite this speech and get it over with all in one go. Like diving head-first into cold water.”

“If you say so,” Spike said with another shrug and got up to join her.

“Do you think they’ll be ok with it?” she asked weakly.

“Twilight, I love you, and they love you, so you have nothing to worry about today, okay?” he reassured and draped his wing around her shoulder. She looked up at him with a weak smile to thank him.

“We should head to the throne room. They’ll be here any mo--” she said before a loud knock interrupted her. Spike whipped his wing back to his side and bolted upright, facing the door to the library. A familiar blonde mare was standing at the door looking around the room for them.

“Ah, there y’all are. Whatchya doing up there?” she asked politely. Twilight’s flustered reaction would have given them away if Spike hadn’t spoken up for her.

“Just talking about some new books. We got a few from Princess Luna this morning and we can’t figure out which spot to place them in. Library stuff, you know?” Spike said and scratched his head nervously.

“Ah okay. Well, most of us are coming in now. Everypony but Pinkie Pie so far. She was foalsitting for the cakes today so she said she might be a little late. I’ll see y’all in there!” she said with a wave and turned to leave them. Once she was safely beyond earshot, Twilight sighed and leaned her forehead against Spike’s shoulder in defeat.

“Ugh, Spiiiike. What do we do?”

“We tell the truth, Twilight. What else can we do?”

“What truths do we tell?” she said. Her mind was so nervous that she wanted to continue the conversation to stall for time.

“The part where I’m unbelievably in love with you, and that you tolerate said feeling,” he suggested.

“You know I love you back, Spike. I guess they need to know that too,” she said. With that, she picked her head off of his shoulder and headed for the throne room. Spike gave a quiet sigh and followed her.

The meeting in the throne room seemed to drag on for some time. After Pinkie Pie arrived, they gathered in their respective thrones while Spike sat beside Twilight on the floor. He was now too big for his new throne and they were still working on getting him situated. Till then, Rarity had fashioned a large and comfortable cushion for him to rest on while they met. He sat quietly and observed his friends talk.

After some time, he noticed how whenever they were about to come to a close, Twilight found some other topic to talk about. First it was understandable subjects, like which towns or cities needed the magic of friendship most. But then she slowly started bringing up subjects that had no reason to be discussed at a royal court gathering.

“So everyone, uh, Pinkie tells me that she’s been foal sitting recently. Why don’t you tell everypony about that?” she said and nervously laughed.

“Oh yay! The baby cakes are so adorable! Pumpkin started crying earlier today and before I could even get there, Pound cake swooped in and brought her a toy to cheer her up! The little munchkins already know how to look out for each other. It was so sweet I could gobble them up like a cupcake!” Pinkie recalled happily. Then, she frowned and she looked back at Twilight. “What does this have to do with friendship again?”

“Yeah! As much as we all love hearing about the toddlers, we’ve been here for hours. What gives?” Rainbow Dash chimed in looking annoyed.

“Well, I uh,” Twilight started, “I think that friendship is important to observe in young ones. Because, well, at what age can ponies start to make friends? You know, research?” she offered weakly.

“With all due respect, Twilight, you could do research on the matter with Pinkie separately. If there is nothing else we need to discuss, I’d say it’s time we head to dinner,” Rarity said politely. The others all looked at Twilight to adjourn the meeting. Her eyes darted around nervously and a bead of sweat formed underneath her mane. Before she could lose her cool, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Spike was looking at her with a comforting smile and gestured to the center rest of their friends.

“It’s okay, Twilight,” he said sweetly. Twilight breathed and collected herself, before marching out of her throne and into the middle of the room. The other ponies looked at her patiently or with confusion.

“Everyone, I have something very important I’d like to discuss with you,” she started.

“Is it actually important or can I take my new daring do book out?” Rainbow interrupted. Twilight shot her a menacing glance, which seemed to get the message across.

“This is actually important to us. See, well, me and Spike are . . . we’ve known you for a long time right?” she babbled.

“Years even,” Applejack chimed in.

“Yes, well, we really think friends should love . . . I mean we think you are our friends and so . . .” Spike could not bare to watch her fumble the way she did. He got up from his cushion and joined her side in the center of the room. They all gazed at them as Twilight searched for words. She felt his presence and saw him smile down at her. She frowned and bit her lip.

“Good gosh guys! What is it?” Pinkie nearly screamed from her seat. Spike stepped forward.

“Twilight and I are a couple,” he said. Pinkie took a moment to process before planting her rump back on the throne in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“I mean, as of a few months ago, Twilight and I started seeing each other romantically,” he said clearly. His voice nearly rang with pride.

“Wait a sec,” Rainbow Dash started, “So you guys are all, kissing and stuff now?” The awkward question hung in the air for a second before Twilight began to speak again.

“Yes, Rainbow. And we’re sorry that we hid it from you all for so long . . .”

“What?!?” rang a chorus of Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said and turned her head to hide her blush.

“Everyone, please. We’re sorry for keeping this from you, but this is the truth,” Twilight began again. “We’ve always loved each other, it just sort of grew into something new, is all. This doesn’t mean that anything is different for our lives in Ponyville. I’m still princess, he’s still my assistant, and you are still our dearest friends. We knew that eventually rumors might start about us, and you all deserve to learn the truth from us. But please don’t think this changes how we feel about you all. We think--” she continued before Pinkie Pie cut her off.

The pink mare bounded into the air and gasped very loudly, sticking her mane out arrow straight and hanging in the air for a moment. A second later she dashed out the door and bounded down the hall.

“No pinkie, no parties . . . gah!” Applejack said and sighed. She was already out the door. The blonde mare rolled her eyes and trotted off towards the door. “I’ll go get her,” she said reluctantly. The others continue to look at Spike and Twilight in confusion.

“So, um, when did this happen?” Fluttershy asked sincerely.

“Not long after our fight with the Miasma. We spent a day in Canterlot, and we just sort of . . .” Twilight started.

“Fell?” Spike finished for her. She laughed.

“Yeah, we fell right off a bridge,” she said, remembering that night in Canterlot.

“My goodness,” Rarity said with her hoof to her mouth. “I, well, I’m very happy for the both of you,” she said weakly.

“It’s alright Rarity. We know you will need some time to think about this. There are bound to be some questions you want answered,” Twilight said and looked around the room.

“Well,” Rarity started up again. “Is something like this even possible? After all, you are totally different species,” she said.

“Yeah, and dragons eat ponies!” Rainbow Dash said waving her hooves in the air.

“Aw come on, Dash! I’ve never eaten a pony in my life . . . Well, unless you count the times--” Twilight’s hoof shot up and plugged the dragon’s mouth. She quickly interrupted him with a slight blush and an angry glare.

“--We spoke to both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia about it, and they both understand and told us that it is indeed possible.”

“It’s been done before actually,” Spike said after she dropped her hoof. This generated another round of gasps from the ponies in the room. A short silence followed as they waited for him to explain.

“See, a long time ago, a dragon by the name of Aurora was Princess Luna’s assistant, the same way I am Twilight’s. She eventually married a stallion, and their kids were part-dragon and part-pony. You know those Night Watch ponies? The ones in the dark armor with the scaled wings and pointy eyes?” Spike asked and gestured to his own eyes by pulling his lower eyelid down. The others vaguely nodded.

“Those ponies are descendants from Aurora. She lived a long time ago, but she fell in love with a pony, which means that I can too,” Spike finished and smiled at Twilight.

“Wait, so are you guys gonna have foals now?” Rainbow Dash asked loudly.

“Rainbow!” Twilight barked with a red face.

“Easy there, RD,” Applejack said from the door. She walked back into the throne room with Pinkie Pie who had her lasso wrapped around her waist. Applejack dragged the pink pony across the floor with her rope and sat down at her throne again.

“Pinkie, are you okay?” Twilight asked her friend carefully. “I understand if this is too much for you to handle for right now, but--”

“--Are you kidding me?” She piped up. “I was going to get started on your congratulations-on-finding-love party! You two are so adorable!” she said and gave them both a warm hug. Spike gasped in surprise as her hug wrapped around his neck. Twilight smiled and wrapped an arm around her friend, thankful that she was genuinely happy for them.

“I think it’s sweet, too,” Applejack said proudly. “Y’all are the best of friends, so it makes sense that y’all might be the best of . . . whatever y’all are now,” she said with a smile.

“That’s a good point, dear,” Rarity said. “What do we call you two now? You're not exactly colt-friend and mare-friend, since one of you is a dragon. Not to mention you two grew up together almost like siblings.” With that word, another silence fell across the room. It was true they were much like family for the longest time, so seeing the two of them together romantically would distort that image for all of them.

“Everypony, I know that seems a little strange. Yes it’s true we grew up together. In many ways, he was like a younger brother to me. We weren’t really siblings, but we were the closest of friends. It is because we are such good friends that we think this can work. Someone once told me that love is a lot like being friends. The lovey-dovey parts are the things everypony else sees, but love is more than just that. It’s about being there for each other, about being comfortable around each other, and about being yourself. We still joke and laugh and work and . . . occasionally burn a few books,” Twilight said and shot a scowl back at Spike, who raised his hands as if surrendering.

“We know it’s not exactly a typical relationship, but it makes sense to us. Being with him just feels so natural to me. And . . . I’d like to think he’s the same?” she said and looked up at him. He smiled and nuzzled her forehead gently.

“Yeah,” he said softly.

“Awwwwwwww!” Pinkie Pie cooed as she smiled widely at her friends.

“Twilight? I think that this is the happiest news I’ve heard in a long time,” Fluttershy said and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m very happy for the two of you, and thank you for telling us. That must have been so scary to tell everyone like this,” she said and gestured to the others sitting in their thrones.

“Oh my, you’re absolutely right Fluttershy,” Rarity said with a hoof to her mouth. “That really was a brave thing indeed. And, while I can honestly say it might take some getting used to, I am oh so happy that you have both found love. A princess and her assistant? Why, I can’t think of a more romantic story!” she said and smiled with dreamy eyes, imagining the kind of romance novels this could inspire.

“Well, I’m not much one for sap, but if you guys wanna love each other, you go ahead and do that love . . . thing,” Rainbow Dash said with confused enthusiasm.

“What RD is trying to say, is that y’all being happy is all that matters to us. And if y’all are happy, we are happy,” Applejack said.

Twilight fought back a tear that crept into her eye as she looked around at her friends who were all smiling at her. She felt a wave of relief coupled with a feeling of immense joy as her friends showed their support. Spike stood tall beside her and felt a similar feeling of happiness and relief.

“Thank you all . . . so much,” she said and wiped her eye. The moment lingered for a second too long, so Spike decided it best to move everypony onward.

“Thanks everypony, really. Well, that’s all we had to say and we’re sorry for keeping you here a little longer than expected. Who’s hungry?”

“Oh me me! Can we do the party now?” Pinkie Pie jumped up and looked at Applejack anxiously.

“A party might be a bit much for us right now. We’ll let the rest of Ponyville figure this out on their own. But a nice group dinner sounds perfect right about now. Spike, do we have enough for everypony here?” Twilight asked. He put a claw to his chin and thought about it.

“We don’t have enough for hayburgers or salads, but I can do breakfast for dinner!” he said excitedly.

“You know what? That sounds just dandy,” Applejack said and got off her throne. She put a hoof to Spike’s shoulder and guided him toward the door. “Come on Spike, I’ll give ya a hand.”

“Yes! I love pancakes for dinner!” Rainbow Dash said and flew in an excited circle.

“I’ll take an egg-white omelette with everything please,” Rarity chimed in.

“I’ll have the same thing,” Fluttershy quietly echoed.

Twilight smiled and led her friends towards the hall. Her friends did not seem different at all to her. As she watched them quip and joke and smile at each other, she felt like her life had hardly even changed since she fell for Spike. That was a good thing. She shot Spike a quick smile as he headed off towards the kitchen with Applejack. He returned the smile, as if to say, I told you so.

Author's Note

And so our story begins.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Monster Mash

A few days passed and, much to their relief, little had changed. Twilight’s life with her friends continued on as if nothing had occurred. Applejack still bickered with Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy and Rarity stopped by for tea in the afternoon. Pinkie Pie was the only one to bring up Spike and Twilight’s new relationship, but only because she still wanted to throw them a party. Twilight got the impression that she was using it more as an excuse for party-throwing, which did not surprise her at all. Most importantly, Spike continued to help out in the castle library just as he always did. He occasionally fell from the ladder, and the resulting crash was a little louder than usual, but he picked himself back up and reorganized the books with ease. In fact, the only change Twilight really noticed was the occasional peck on her cheek she received whenever he brought her a book, and this was a welcome change indeed.

One afternoon, the pegasi were all gathering the denser clouds preparing for a much needed spring thunderstorm. Twilight gazed out the library window and up at the sky. Many of the thunderclouds were as black as night. They were sure to release their lightening on their own if the pegasi didn’t act soon. But the storm would likely be a loud one. Perhaps it would be a good night for a scary book. She walked over to Spike’s desk and observed him hard at work.

“How is it coming?” she asked.

“Eugh,” Spike grunted. “From what we recovered of the Golden Oak’s records, I’ve been able to account for plenty of destroyed books. I’ve been placing orders all day for replacements, but there’s no way I can get all of them. Some of those were one-of-a-kind, and more weren’t even on the list,” he said and propped his head up, resting his elbow on the desk.

“Hmm,” Twilight pondered. “We won’t be able to fully restock the Golden Oaks collection, but that’s okay. As long as we do the best we can, we’ll be just fine.”

“I just wish there was some way we could learn which books would be missed the most,” Spike said with a frown. Twilight’s ears popped up as an idea sprung up.

“That’s it Spike!” she said with a short excited jump.

“What is what?” he asked.

“We need to ask the ponies in town which books they’ll miss the most! That way, we can restock the library with everypony’s favorite,” she said. Spike mulled the idea over and smiled at her.

“That’s a great idea! What if we make it a book drive? We could ask for extra books ponies want to donate to help replace the stock,” he suggested.

“You’re a genius,” she said with a cheeky smile. He returned the smile with a smug look on his face.

“I know, I’m awesome,” he said. She rolled her eyes and gave him a short kiss on his cheek, returning the many he had given her all day.

“How do we go about it?” she asked.

“Well, if we want to make a book drive big enough to get everypony in town involved, it’ll have to be an event. We’ll have to get somepony who’s good at planning events. Perhaps someone who’s got experience with things like celebrations, soirees, get-togethers and such. Do you know who we could go to for help?” His tone was dripping with sarcasm and his sly smile gave Twilight the impression that his question was as rhetorical as it sounded.

“You mean like a party-pony? Nope. No idea,” she said, which made Spike giggle.

“I’ll go run by Sugarcube Corner and ask her about it,” he said and got up from his desk and walked towards the door. Twilight walked him out.

“Just be sure to hurry back. That storm will be starting up soon, and it’s going to be a good night to just curl up next to the fire, maybe read a few scary stories?” She said with a hopeful smile.

“I like the curling up by the fire idea better, but a scary story or two doesn’t sound too bad. Do you want me to bring something back from Pinkie’s?” he asked. Twilight’s head perked up at the suggestion, and she dashed off to the library closet, before quickly returning with an empty saddlebag.

“Get some s’more stuff like marshmallows, chocolate, crackers if she has any,” Twilight said and threw the bag around his back behind his wings before tossing in a few bits.

“Now we’re talking,” he said with another smile. “I’ll be back before the storm gets too crazy. If I get caught up somewhere, I’ll send you a letter.”

“Tell her I say hi. I love you, and hurry back,” she said sweetly.

“I love you too,” he said and leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. She took the opportunity and threw a hoof around his head and pulled him closer. This caught him by surprise as she passionately locked her lips with his, before quickly breaking away and giving him a sly smile. His eyes were wide open, and his face was slightly blushed.

“Hurry back. Got it,” he said slightly flustered, and with that, he made his way out the door and took off towards town, waving back at Twilight as he flew.

A few minutes later, Spike was in town and walking towards Sugarcube Corner. The stormclouds were so thick that anypony not on the weather team was advised not to go near them, just incase the lightning shorted out early. So, not long after taking off, Spike had decided to walk the rest of the way. The sky was already dark and a cool wind whipped around his scales. The storm would probably start a little early, so he thought it best to hurry.

He made his way to the front door of Sugarcube Corner, only to find it closed. So much for s’mores, he thought. He looked in the window and saw that the lights were on inside. Clearly somepony was inside, but he did not see who. He knocked on the door firmly and waited a moment. At first, he didn’t hear anything. Right before knocking again, he could hear hoofsteps from the other side of the door. A second later, the door creaked open and Spike was greeted with a soft smile.

“Hi Spike! Sorry but the Cakes aren’t here today, so we’re closed for the rest of the night,” she said with a disappointed frown.

“Hi Pinkie. Twilight says hi. And that’s ok, I’m actually here to talk to you,” he said.

“Me?” she chirped.

“Yeah. Is it alright if I come in?” He said and looked back towards the clouds, which started to move faster.

“Oh, yeah. Just try to be quiet okay?” she said and opened the door up to let the dragon in. Spike quietly walked in and put his saddlebag down next to the door. Pinkie quietly shut it and sat down at one of the vacant tables. Spike joined her.

“If the cakes are gone, why are you here?” he asked.

“I’m foalsitting the baby-cakes. I put them to bed not long ago, but they’ve been having nightmares recently. They keep seeing monsters and spooky things. I tried my ‘giggle at the ghosties’ routine but that didn’t work! Can you believe it?” she said looking downright insulted.

“Poor foals. You put them to bed early hoping they’d sleep through the storm?” He deduced.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded. “But let’s talk about the thing. You know, the thing you wanted to talk about. What’s up?”

“Well, Twilight and I are trying to replace the books we lost in Golden Oaks Library, and we were thinking of getting the rest of Ponyville involved. We’d like to have a book-drive, so everypony can donate old books and tell us which books they liked at Golden Oaks so we can get new ones. We were wondering if you would help us throw a sort of book-bash,” he suggested.

Pinkie’s eyes lit up like fireworks. She gasped and nearly leapt out of her seat. Her smile was too wide to fit in any picture, and Spike swore he saw her mane puff like a balloon.

“Of Course!” she said a little too loudly. She quickly covered her mouth with her hooves and gazed up towards the stairs, listening for the baby cakes. After a satisfying silence, she simply smiled with and audible ‘squee’ at Spike.

“Thanks Pinkie. Let us know what you need from us and we’ll get this book drive going.”

“You know I’ll do anything I can to help, especially if it involves a party,” she said, holding in her usually loud excitement.

“Thanks. Well, I better get back before . . .” he started, and as if on cue a flash of lightning lit up the windows with a bright blue light. A few seconds later, it was accompanied by a rumble of thunder. Not a moment after, a faint cry could be heard from the stairs.

“Oh no,” Pinkie said with a sigh. She left the table and trotted up the stairs to sooth the crying twins. Spike listened as she consoled them as best she could. He debated heading home, as the storm was only minutes away, but it would have been rude to leave right as Pinkie got flustered. He decided to see if he could lend a claw and headed up the stairs.

When he got to the twin’s bedroom, he saw Pinkie hunched over the crib trying desperately to coo the children to sleep again. He stood and watched as the twins gradually stopped crying. However, they continued to sniffle and frown as Pinkie reassured them that the thunder was not scary.

“Now, now, Pumpkin Cake, there are no monsters here, ok? Everything is alright,” she said softly.

“Is there something I can do to help?” Spike said in a whisper and began walking towards them.

“Huh? Oh no, that’s okay. I’ll get them to sleep eventually.”

Just then, Pound Cake looked at Spike approaching and began crying louder than before. Pumpkin soon saw him too and joined her brother in shrieking with fear.

“Monster!” one of them called out. Pinkie followed their eyes to where they were cowering from and looked as Spike in shock.

“Oh, no, that’s not a monster, that’s just . . .” she tried to say, but the screaming overpowered her.

Spike realized that he was terrifying them, and looked down at his claws. He had sharp claws that looked dangerous, menacing even. His teeth were the only things sharper, and his broad shoulders, dragon eyes, and scaled skin must have looked completely terrifying to the two foals. Of course he was the monster, and the thought chipped away at his heart. He looked down and turned to leave.

“Awww I’m sorry Spike. They’re just too young to understand,” she consoled.

“It’s okay, Pinkie. I should have known I’d be a monster to them,” he said and frowned. He looked back at the cowering young foals and saw the terror in their eyes.

Just then, an idea struck.

“Hey Pinkie, I have an idea,” he said and walked back towards them. The twins began sobbing a little louder as he approached. The crib gate was lowered so there was nothing between Spike and the cowering children, who began huddling close to each other as they looked at Spike.

“Monster!” Pound Cake called out and hugged his sister close. Spike took a deep breath and showed a sinister smile.

“That’s right, little pony. I am a monster!” he said and grinned, showing them his teeth. They both screamed in response.

“Spike!” Pinkie called out. He put a hand up to hush her and gave her a wink before turning and facing the foals again.

“See these teeth? See these claws? I’m the biggest, scariest monster you will ever see!” he said and finished with an evil laugh. The twins were nearly petrified and shook wildly as they held onto each other for dear life.

“But I’m not like other monsters,” he said and bowed his head down and looked at them in the eyes. “You know why?” he asked slowly. The twins simply sniffled and shook their heads.

“W-w-why?” Pumpkin Cake asked.

“Other monsters gobble up little ponies like you. But do you know what I eat?” he said and rose above them again. “Other monsters!” he said loudly and laughed again. The twins sniffled again, but stopped shaking as they watched him.

“That’s right, I’m a monster who eats monsters! Pinkie Pie told me that you have some monsters hiding in your room, and boy am I hungry!” he said slowly so they could understand. “Now, can you tell me where the monsters are? I’m going to gobble them up for dinner,” he said with a smile. Pumpkin Cake continued to huddle next to her brother. With another sniffle, she raised up a little hoof and pointed it towards the other side of the room. Spike followed her hoof and smiled.

“The closet? Perfect,” he said and licked his chops. He bounded towards the closet and threw the door open. “I’m coming for you, monsters!” he said and closed himself in the closet door. Pinkie watched as the closet door shook and Spike let out snarls and scarfing sounds as he pretended to eat up an imaginary monster. A few seconds later, he emerged from the closet door and looked back at the twins, who watched Spike with intrigue.

“Where else?” he asked happily. Pound Cake continued to frown, but cocked his head in curiosity. He pointed with his hoof downwards towards the floor. Spike walked over to them and followed his hoof.

“Under the crib? Of course!” he said and smiled widely. “Come here monster! Om nom nom nom!” he said and dove under the crib. The twins bounced up and down a little as the crib shook with his vigorous eating. His tail whipped back and forth in the air as he swayed from side to side. Pumpkin actually began to giggle as she bounced up and down. Spike heard, and smiled widely from underneath the crib. It’s working he thought. He re-appeared and licked his chops again in front of the now smiling foals.

“Mmmm that one was delicious! Where are the others?” he said with a happy smile on his face. Pound Cake laughed and pointed a hoof towards the door.

“One more!” he squeaked.

“In the hallway? That one is for desert!” he said and ran out into the hall, diving behind the door and out of sight. He continued to make vigorous eating noises and pounding on the ground. He finished with a loud slurp and came back into the bedroom.

“Pffffttthehe” Pinkie cracked. She was beside herself, holding in her furious laughter that bubbled out from her mouth. The two twins laughed happily and clapped their hooves together as Spike proudly walked back into the room. He walked over to them and smiled, before arching his back and opening his mouth wide.

“uurrrp!” he belched and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That was delicious, I’m full,” he said and laid his head down on the edge of the crib in lethargy. The twins slowly walked over to his head and looked at him carefully. He watched patiently as Pound Cake raised a little hoof and cautiously placed it on Spike’s snout. The foal smiled and prodded his nose playfully. Pumpkin Cake soon joined in and began to climb up onto his nose, letting herself droop over his snout. Spike felt their warm and fragile little bodies against his scales, and his smile grew a little wider.

“Thank you!” Pumpkin said happily.

“Any time,” Spike said sweetly. “If you ever have monster troubles again, just tell them about your friend Spike, ok? They’ll be so scared that they’ll never come here ever again.”

At that time, another flash of lightning came out, followed by a rumble of thunder. The twins piped up and cowered next to Spike, gazing up at the window.

“Don’t worry,” Spike said and placed a hand on either of their heads softly. “Thunder and Lightening are actually monsters like me. They eat other monsters too, and they're trying to protect you. Every time you hear thunder or see lightning, that means that they just ate another monster.” The twins looked up at the window again in wonder. Another flash, and another boom echoed through the sky.

“Sounds like they’re hungry!” Spike said with a smile. The two foals laughed and clopped their hooves together again.

Pinkie Pie soon walked over and propped the crib gate back up. She put a hoof on Spike’s shoulder and winked at him.

“Okay now, sleepy time okay? You don’t have to worry about monsters anymore. Now, can you say goodnight to Spike?” she said happily.

“Night Spike,” they called out in unison and waved up at him.

“Goodnight, my little ponies,” he said. He gingerly twiddled his claws back at them and turned to leave. Pinkie followed him out, putting the night-light on before closing the door. Spike walked towards the staircase before being caught off guard by Pinkie, who threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him tight.

“Grr-ugh, Pinkie! Can’t breath,” he whispered, and she let him go.

“Thank you so much Spike! You were such a great help!” she said in a hushed tone, leading him down the stairs.

“Anything I could do to help. Plus, I like being a good monster,” he said.

“There’s gotta be something I can do to pay you back,” she said and picked up his saddlebag for him. That reminded him of what Twilight had asked for.

“Well, Twilight said she wanted some s’mores stuff for tonight,” she said.

“It’s on the house!” she said and dashed into the kitchen, dashing back in the room with a hoof full of marshmallows, chocolate, and crackers. She stuffed them into his bag and tied it up with a smile.

“Thanks Pinkie. Have a good night,” he said and turned towards the door.

“Spike?” she asked. He turned to face her.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say that I think you and Twilight are perfect for each other. I know other ponies might not think so right away, but they’re just flat out wrong. If you ever have anypony giving you a hard time, you let me know and I’ll . . . I’ll . . .” she searched for the right words.

“Gobble them up?” Spike suggested with a shrug.

“Yeah. I eat monsters too,” she said and smiled. He waved at her and quickly turned and left, shutting the door behind him firmly. The wind was kicking up, so flying was out of the question, but the rain had not started yet. He did not fancy getting stuck outside when it did, so he held the bag close to him with his wings and began to run home. Another flash of lightning, another boom of thunder, another monster gone.

“So what did they do then?” Twilight asked with a mouthful of s’more. Her face was covered in white fluff and chocolate and her voice muffled by the treat in her mouth. Spike smiled and raised a thumb up to her cheek and wiped his claw across the chocolate on her cheek before placing it in his mouth and savoring the sweet taste. They laid beside the fire on a soft rug. The warm amber light from the fireplace cascaded over their faces as they talked.

“Then I told them that thunder and lightening are monsters like me too, and that every time they hear thunder, it means one less monster to worry about,” he said and raised a fork over his head. He placed a marshmallow on the end and gently blew a bright green flame at it for a few seconds. The flames danced across the marshmallow, fork, and his hand, which thankfully was made of dragon scales. When it was roasted brown, he popped it into his mouth and finished his story.

“After that, they went to bed. Pinkie gave me the stuff and I high-tailed it back here.”

“Spike, that was the sweetest story I’ve ever heard. I had no idea you were so good with foals,” she said with a smile and another bite.

“Me neither. I mean, I know I probably look like a monster to lots of ponies, but if I can convince them that I’m a good guy, then I won’t scare anypony,” he explained.

“Spike,” Twilight said and swallowed the rest of her s’more, “You are no monster.”

“Oh I beg to differ,” he said and got on his feet and slowly crawled towards her menacingly.

“No no no, Spike don’t!” she said fighting back a giggle.

“Remember those years you tickled me to the point of tears? Well it’s payback time!” he said and bounded forward. She leapt to the side and began sprinting away from him.

“No no! Spike, that’s not fair! You’re bigger than I am now,” she called out while he chased her. He let out a maniacal laugh and continued to chase her in circles around the room. She laughed as well, keeping just enough distance from him. The two of them continued the chase as the storm raged on outside. The rain pelted against the window and the wind howled against the roof. On the other end of town, two little ponies slept soundly as the storm raged on. Another crack of lightning shook the town, but it did not scare them anymore.

Author's Note

This one was a joy to write. Sometimes the story writes itself. I've always wanted to dive into this slice-of-life style of writing. It's just so fluid. If an idea strikes, it's much easier to run with it if the plot can be condensed to one chapter.

Let me know your thoughts.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Brunch at Fluttershy's

Twilight walked into the library with a spring in her step. The morning after the storm was beautiful and warm, which did wonders for her spirits. She hopped up the stairs to Spike’s loft and found him happily snoring the morning hours away. She rolled her eyes and approached him quietly. The dragon’s mouth hung open, letting out a whiff of terrible morning breath that wafted onto her face. She grimaced and held back a cough, before slowly climbing onto the giant pillow-bed and resting a hoof on his head, rubbing it gently. Spike groaned and lazily lifted an eyelid, noticing her over him and smiling.

“Mmm. Morning,” he said weakly.

“Good morning,” she almost whispered and smiled back at him. “You shouldn’t sleep in so late.”

“You shouldn’t keep me up so late,” he said and smiled a little wider, closing his eyes in sweet reminiscence.

“Come on, get up,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve got brunch with Fluttershy today, and I’d like the rest of those books ordered by the time I get back.” Spike yawned and stretched his arms to the side.

“Why the rush?” he asked her.

“We need to meet with Pinkie so we can plan out the book drive, remember? Plus, I was kind of hoping we could go get dinner tonight,” she said with a glance at the window facing town.

“Dinner? You mean like out in town? Like a date?” he asked.

“Yes, if you’d like to,” she said hopefully.

“Can’t,” he said flatly. She frowned and looked away for a moment.

“Oh, well okay, I understand. It’s still a little soon to let everypony else see I guess,” she feigned.

“No no wait!” he said quickly, “I meant I’ve already got plans. I’d love to take you to dinner somewhere, really! I just promised Big Macintosh I’d come by for the hoofball game. That’s all.”

“Oh, really? Well then, let’s do it another time,” she said and smiled down at him again.

“I hear there’s a full moon three nights from now. Let’s get dinner then, ok?” he offered.

“Alright Spike. But we’ve got work to do first, so get your scales out of bed,” she said and gave his shoulders a tug.

“What, no good-morning kiss first?” he goaded.

“Not with breath like that,” she said and waved her hoof in front of her nose. “Do you even brush before bed?”

Spike remained silent for a second and looked at her with a flat expression. His silence was answer enough.

“Spike!” she accused.

“What? My teeth are too sharp for brushes now! Last time I used one, all the bristles got sliced right up,” he defended himself and pointed to his extremely sharp teeth.

“I’m getting you some mouthwash on my way back from Fluttershy’s,” she said, and with that she turned on her hoof and began trotting down the steps of Spike’s loft.

“Tell Fluttershy I say hi!” Spike called out as he tumbled out of bed.

“I will. Oh, and before I forget, I left you some breakfast on the kitchen counter. I’ll meet you back here after noon,” she said and walked back out the door. Spike sighed and stretched again, this time splaying his wings and claws. He yawned again and stepped over towards the window. He watched as he saw Twilight begin to trot over towards town. She almost never flew, he noticed. Knowing her, she just wanted to savor the journey, seeing all the pony-folk in town. He smiled and gradually made his way through the hallway and into the kitchen.

The place was kept very tidy with a well-stocked fridge, considering the trips to town were now longer than they used to be. Twilight used the kitchen from time to time, but Spike was the real cook in the castle. His picnic lunches were already well liked among his friends, but recently his dinners became more complex as well, and his breakfasts were second to none. He walked in with pride and scanned the counter carefully. He spotted a plate with a large glass filled to the brim with oats, yogurt, and small blue gems sprinkled on the top.

“A sapphire parfait? Clever,” he noted as he took it in his hand. There was a small note on one side. He plucked it off with a claw and read it with a sigh.

Dear Spike,

We’ve been having pancakes too much recently, so here’s something new.

Love,

Twilight

Twilight made her way to Fluttershy’s house, taking her time to enjoy the damp yet beautiful day that followed the storm. The grass still dripped with the night’s rain, and a few branches and leaves were scattered across the fields and roads. But the sun shined brightly and dried out the path before her. Fluttershy’s treehouse seemed to glisten with the remaining rainwater. She made her way to the door and politely knocked.

“Ow” the door said. Twilight jumped with a yelp in surprise and she fluttered into the air in reflex, landing a few yards away. Her eyes were wide as she glued them to the door. The door sprouted eyes and a cheeky grin, and her gaze changed from shock to frustration.

“Discord?!” she said and stomped her hoof.

“Why hello dear Princess, it’s wonderful to see you too,” he said and disappeared in a flash, appearing before her in his usual unusual form. "I heard all went well with the Miasma. I must say that it was quite fun," he said with a wink. Before she could speak out, Fluttershy appeared behind him at her door.

“Oh my, Hello Twilight. Discord, the food is ready inside. Would you be so kind as to help set the table?” she said sweetly and smiled.

“Of course, dearest Fluttershy. I was just greeting our friend here. I will see you both inside,” he said and chuckled. He slithered inside beside Fluttershy, who smiled and welcomed Twilight with an outstretched hoof.

“Fluttershy, what is he doing here?” she accused.

“Oh, um, He’s here for brunch. Oh my, did I not tell you he would be coming?” she said and put a hoof to her mouth.

“Come on Fluttershy, that’s not the kind of detail that just ‘skips your mind’!” Twilight said with a wave of her hoof.

“No, I’m sorry Twilight. It really was an honest mistake. See, he comes over for tea so often now, and I see you and Rarity occasionally visit too, I just forgot that I invited you to the same thing. I’m so sorry,” she apologized and bowed her head. “I understand if you’d rather not come in.”

Fluttershy’s apology made Twilight feel terrible. Of course she did not fancy a meal with Discord, for he was bound to create havoc. But he was still her friend, and Fluttershy’s good friend. Walking away from brunch would be both an insult to Discord and Fluttershy, and she did not want to disappoint her friend.

“Huh,” she sighed, “It’s alright Fluttershy. I just was not expecting him. I’d still like to have brunch.”

“Really?” she piped and smiled at her friend. “Oh thank you so so much! I know you’ll warm up to each other,” she said and dashed inside. Twilight followed her in, and to her surprise, nothing inanimate was brought to life. Discord hummed a little tune to himself as he rolled the plates from one end of the table. They all spun into their spots next to the chairs lined up at the table. Then he flicked his fingers and forks and knives flew from his hands in every direction. Each one bounced on the table once before finding their place on the table perfectly. Twilight watched in awe as Discord continued to hum.

“Do you like it? I call it ‘Organized Chaos’,” Discord said proudly.

“Wow,” Twilight said, legitimately impressed. “I never thought that would be your style.”

“Oh, it never was until recently. See, I always found chaos to be the most fun when it was the most out of order. But sadly brunch requires plates and forks and whathaveyou. So, I use a dash of chaos to start, and make sure everything ends up where it should be,” he said and displayed his handiwork with his paws.

“It looks wonderful, Discord. I’ve got the scrambled eggs right here. Juice, toast, and apples are on the table. Enjoy,” Fluttershy said happily and pulled a chair out for Twilight. She sat down and looked across the table at Discord, who was animating his fork and giving it orders to fetch him some eggs.

“So how is everything going at the castle?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, it is all well. I’m actually planning a book-drive with Spike and Pinkie to help replace all the books we lost in the fight with Tirek,” she said and floated a piece of toast to her lips.

“Yes, I’m so sorry about that poor house of yours Twilight. That really was my favorite place in this whole town,” Discord said.

“Discord, you shouldn’t make fun when somepony’s lost something special,” Fluttershy scolded him.

“But I was not making fun, it’s the truth!” He defended himself with a scoff.

“Really? Why was Golden Oaks so special?” Twilight asked him. Discord snapped his fingers and in a flash of magic, his eggs solidified into the shape of Ponyville town hall.

“All the other buildings in this town are far too neat. They’re made of nothing but straight lines, perfect angles, flat surfaces and absolute symmetry. How boring,” he said and took a large bite out of the top half of town hall. “But your library? Goodness, it was a diamond in the rough. There was not a single straight line in its design. The wood swayed to and fro, the walls curved and curled. Every last inch of that tree was unique, and it deserved my respect. Do you remember when we first met?” he said and gave a sly smile.

“You mean when you turned Ponyville into your own personal playground?” Twilight asked sarcastically.

“Oh yes, how fun! I took all those boring buildings and I flipped them upside down, inside out, and occasionally simply knocking them over. But I never once touched your library,” he said and proudly chomped down on some toast.

Twilight thought back to when she first battled the agent of chaos. The chocolate rainclouds, the blue and pink hills, and all of the other various anarchic perversions littered the entire town. But he was right. He never laid a hand nor paw on her house. She and her friends weren’t given such mercy.

“Sounds as if you liked my house more than us. You did turn everypony into a crazy backwards version of themselves,” she countered.

“Well, I knew if I didn’t, you would surely use the elements and turn me into stone for another millenia. What choice did I have?” Discord said and drank his glass of juice, leaving the juice standing on its own somehow. She grunted in response. She hated to admit it, but he had a point. They were set to use the elements against him before he ever laid a finger on anyone. She looked at him and noticed how his smile seemed a little less sinister than she was used to.

“Is that why you are so comfortable in here?” Fluttershy asked and gestured to her own tree-home.

“While I do think your home is simply beautiful, I must say that the reason I feel comfortable is because I have a real friend with me here,” he said and his eyes glistened at the two of them.

“Discord . . .” Twilight started. She thought for a moment about what she wanted to say, but decided to tread very carefully.

“Yes, Princess Twilight?”

“Are you holding back? I mean, your chaos magic. Are you holding yourself back for us?” she asked slowly. Fluttershy cocked her head to the side at Twilight. Discord looked away from her.

“Well, I suppose I am. But as much as I like chaos, I like having friends more. After all, I learned that the hard way,” he said and snapped his fingers. In his palm, a plush doll in the form of Tirek formed in his hand before squishing it vigirously.

“Well, I suppose I’d like to see you make yourself at home,” Twilight suggested carefully.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“I mean, the first time you had us all over to eat with Discord, we all shunned his magic right? But he still put everything back the way it was when he was done. So, I guess, no harm no foul right?” she asked, a little unsure herself. Discord put his paw on his side of the table and looked at Twilight very seriously.

“Are you saying I can be as chaotic as I want?” Discord asked hopefully.

“With a few rules. One: you have to put things back the way you found them when we’re done with brunch. Two: You need to keep it all in here. And last one, it needs to be ok with Fluttershy. Does that sound ok to you?” she asked Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus looked her home up and down, then turned to Discord who was giving her pitiful puppy-dog eyes.

“I think that’s a very good idea,” she said and smiled. Discord gasped and smiled so wide his cheeks vanished.

“Oh, wonderful!” he cheered and clapped his hands together. In one smooth motion, the walls began to curve inward with the floor and ceiling, turning the entire room into a giant sphere. The table stretched out and curved to fit the contour of the new sphere-house. One one end of the table, Twilight found herself sitting perfectly comfortably on what used to be the wall. Fluttershy, who sat in the middle of the semi-circle-table, was completely sideways relative to Twilight. Above her, at the other end of the table, Discord sat upside down comfortably as if he was sitting on the ground. A few pet-toys and decorations rolled about on the floor and up the walls.

“Twilight, would you be a friend and pass me a slice of toast?” Discord said from above her. She fought back a little vertigo and looked at the table to find the toast plate. She found one and looked up at Discord.

“Throw it!” he said happily. Twilight hesitated, looked down at the food in her hoof, and shrugged before tossing it up in the air. Instead of falling down, it made its way all the way across the room and fell into Discords outstretched paw.

“Wow!” Twilight gasped. “Did you turn off the gravity?”

“Oh no, that’s been done. I stretched the room into a ball, and now gravity is going in all directions instead of just one! More eggs, Twilight?” he offered.

“Um, ok,” she said hesitantly. Discord smiled and took a spoonful of eggs and tossed it up towards the center of the room. It slowed for a moment, before picking speed up again and falling on Twilight’s plate with a plop. The sight made Twilight smile.

“Thanks,” she said and looked over to Fluttershy. “Are you ok over there?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I guess this is new, but I can see Discord is so much happier.”

She was right. Discord cheerfully began humming to himself again as he rolled an apple from his side of the table over to Fluttershy’s. Clearly he was having fun, but she guessed it meant more to be let off the chain a little than just to mess with gravity.

“So, you were saying about a book-drive,” Discord said and buttered his toast by dropping it on the floor. He picked it up, and the side that hit the floor was covered in butter. He looked over to Fluttershy. “It always lands butter side down, after all.” Fluttershy giggled and looked over to Twilight.

“Well, we need to account for the lost books, so Spike has been hard at work ordering replacements. But we need everypony’s help getting them all back. So we’ll be taking donations and asking about what books they’d like to have replaced,” she explained.

“What a good idea,” Fluttershy complimented.

“But where will they all go?” Discord asked. Twilight furrowed her brow at the question.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, your old home was the town’s library, correct? Are you going to open up your castle as the new library?” He asked flatly.

“Yes, actually,” Twilight responded.

“Won’t that be, I don’t know, improper of a princess’s castle?”

“That’s an odd question coming from you,” Fluttershy said with another giggle.

“Oh, believe me, I support anything improper. I’m simply surprised you’d agree, Twilight,” he said and threw his glassless juice in the air where it turned into an orange and plopped down on the table beside Fluttershy.

“I’m not that kind of princess, Discord. Anypony is welcome to come read and borrow books whenever they’d like,” she said firmly.

“Well of course I know that, as do Fluttershy and the rest of your friends. But do you think the average pony thinks so?” he asked.

“I don’t . . .” Twilight started, and thought about it.

“He has a point, Twilight. If I was not good friends with you, I’d be too scared to go into your castle to borrow a book. Imagine ponies going into Princess Celestia’s castle to get books. Many ponies would be too bashful or intimidated to go near it.”

Twilight put a hoof to her chin, and thought about what she was hearing. She always imagined a host of ponies coming and leaving the castle everyday just like they did at Golden Oaks. But if there were going to be royal visits from the other princesses, or more guards around, it would hardly be a place where ponies felt welcome to study, even if that was true.

“I’d say this book-drive you are planning is an opportunity to build a new one,” Discord suggested.

“A new library?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, I think that’s an excellent idea, don’t you?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight kept silent to herself and looked out the window below her.

“May I put in a request? I’d like to see Einstable’s 'Theory of Randomocity' added to your collection. What a glorious read. Sadly, I don’t know where my copy flew off to,” Discord said. Twilight believed him when he said his book flew away.

“Oh look at the time! It’s nearly 75 past the hour. I must be getting back, my fish will be getting thirsty. Fluttershy, allow me to help you clean up,” he said and clapped his hands together again. The room squished itself together like an accordion, making the sound of one as well. Just before everything inside was squished to the width of an inch, the room expanded again and everything flattened out to the way it was before. Gravity restored itself and all of the plates and food were neatly placed on the kitchen counter.

“Thank you, Discord,” Fluttershy said happily and placed a hoof on his back. He bashfully smiled and gave her a quick hug. He then looked up and slowly approached Twilight.

“Twilight . . . I should say Princess Twilight,” Discord corrected himself.

“Just Twilight is fine, Discord,” she assured him.

“I’d just like to thank you for allowing me a brief respite. It really meant the world to me,” he said and dutifully bowed to her. She was surprised by his sincerity.

“It’s okay Discord. Yes it was different, and it takes some getting used to, but it is also kind of fun to see things differently. Just as long as everything is back the way it was, no harm . . .” she started.

“No foul,” he finished and gave her a wink. With that he slithered out of Fluttershy’s door and laughed to himself happily as he flew away.

Fluttershy followed Twilight to the door as she got ready to leave.

“Thanks so much for brunch, Fluttershy. It was . . . unexpected and unusual, but still a good time,” she said.

“I’m sorry if Discord offended you about the castle and all,” she said with a frown.

“It’s alright. The thing is, he’s right. You were both right. I think we’ll need to build a new library, and that’s not going to be easy for me. But that’s what the town needs, so I’ll get it done,” she said bravely and smiled.

“Let me know if I can help, I’d be happy to pitch in any way I can,” Fluttershy offered.

“I will, thanks for having me,” she said.

“No Twilight, thank you for allowing Discord to express himself. I’m still a little surprised you suggested it. Why did you?”

“Well . . . he’s different. He’s strange and outside of everyone’s comfort zone,” she said slowly.

“I suppose, but why ask him to use his magic?” Fluttershy asked.

“I realized something. He’s different and ponies tend to shun him or reject his magic for it. But . . . he’s a lot like me and Spike. We’re different too, and we’re probably going to push ponies outside their comfort zone. Perhaps they’ll shun us too. When I realized that, I needed to prove to myself that different is not so bad,” she said and frowned.

“Oh Twilight, I’m sorry. I know you and Spike are different, but you must remember that Discord wanted to throw the world into chaos, so you shouldn't compare yourselves to him. All you and Spike want to do is love each other, so how can anypony shun that?” she said and comforted her friend with a hoof on her shoulder. "For what it's worth, I think you two are adorable."

“Thanks Fluttershy. You're right. If Discord can grow on me, I guess me and Spike can grow on others too,” she said. She gave her friend a quick hug and left with a warm feeling of hope in her chest.

About an hour later, Twilight made her way back into the library, where Spike was licking envelopes furiously. She smiled, walked passed him and trotted up the stairs to his loft. She floated a brown shopping bag behind her as she walked. She entered his bathroom and, using her magic, took a green bottle of mouthwash out of the bag and placed it on the sink. She made her way back down the stairs and greeted her assistant with a kiss on his cheek.

“Almost done?” she asked.

“Last one right here,” he said and his long tongue slithered up and down the paper before he sealed it up and added it to the pile on his desk. “It would be so much easier if these were going to Princess Celestia. Then I could just send them all at once,” he said and stacked them up neatly.

“We’ll let the mailmare take care of it. Is there room for one more?” she asked. He looked back at her exasperatedly and sighed.

“Sure, why not? What book?” he asked and got out his quill and paper.

“Einstable’s ‘Theory of Randomocity,’ please.”

Author's Note

I'm glad so many of you seem to like these Slice of Life style chapters. Does my heart good to hear from you all. Tell me what you think. Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Hoofball

Spike followed the dirt trail in a brisk canter as he approached Sweet Apple Acres. The orchard glowed in the last few minutes of the orange sun. This spring was very kind to the Apple family, whose orchard seemed to be filled to the brim with fruit and other crops. The barn stood tall over the grounds and cast a shadow that stretched all the way to the entrance gate. Spike let himself in, walking past the gate and finding his way to their home.

“Well howdy Spike,” he heard from his left. He wheeled around and searched for the source of the voice, but could not find where it came from.

“Hello?” he said timidly.

“Over here,” said the voice. It seemed to emanate from a haystack. Spike looked as closely as he could, but did not see anything resembling a pony. Suddenly, one of the hay bales opened up on its side like a trap door. Hinges squeaked as the door opened up and a orange pony walked out and smiled at Spike.

“Woah!” he said in surprise and regained his composure. “Hi Applejack. What’s with the . . . hay thing?” he said and gestured to the fake hay bale.

“It’s a disguise,” Applejack said in a hushed tone and smiled. “There’s this vermin who keeps getting into the cabbage patch and I can’t seem to catch’em. I set traps, laid out some repellents, and nothin’ is workin’!” she said and gestured to the garden beside her. Sure enough, plenty of cabbages were gnawed down to the roots and only a few stood untouched.

“So the hay thing is to catch it?” Spike asked.

“Yessir, that’s right. I’m gonna stay up all night watching the garden till that creature rears it’s head, then I’m gonna lasso the beast and mail’em to Saddle Arabia!” she said and showed a proud smile as she tapped on her disguise. Spike laughed and admired her handiwork. It was a convincing hay bale, considering it fooled him.

“I take it you’re here to watch the new telethingy with Big Mac?” she asked.

“Eeyup,” he mocked her brother, which made her giggle. “Big Mac says you can watch a hoofball game in Las Pegasus with it. We’re betting Phillydelphia takes it home tonight,” he said with a smirk.

“Well, I have no clue how it works. Big Mac nearly fell off the roof puttin’ that there antenna up. But we got a good picture of some news thing in Manehattan. It works just like a projector only it’s all in the box instead of behind you,” she explained. He looked where she pointed and noticed the roof of the barn had a thin metal structure bolted on the far side. Spike got excited at the concept and could not wait much more to meet Big Mac inside. Apparently his excitement showed.

“Y’all go ahead and have fun. I’ll be right here if you need anythin’,” she said and turned to her hay bale disguise again.

“Thanks Applejack!” he said and trotted towards the house with a smile on his face. He made his way to the door, knocked once, and a small yellow filly opened up to greet him.

“Hey ya Spike!” Applebloom said happily. “I keep expectin’ to see a dragon around my size. It’s not fair y’all grew so quickly!” she said and stomped a hoof down with a scowl.

“Hi Applebloom. Yeah, it’s still a little strange for me too. But don’t worry. You and I will be back at eye level someday,” he reassured her, and she smiled. She turned around and called out towards the living room.

“Big Mac! Spike’s here!” she hollered, and a second later the big red stallion appeared wearing a green athletic jersey with the Phillydephia hoofball team logo on it. He wore and intense smile that he only ever seemed to have when they talked sports. Spike mirrored his smile and approached him.

“You ready for some hoofball?” Spike asked.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said simply, letting his eyes narrow. It was game time. Big Mac turned and led Spike to the living room, where the couch lined one wall and faced a wooden box that had a large piece of glass on one side. It had a few knobs, much like a radio, and a wire that led to the wall.

“Cool,” Spike said. Then he noticed the sodas and snacks laid out on the table in front of the couch. Spike’s mouth watered as he saw a pile of nachos as tall as Applebloom in the center. Big Mac smiled as he took one and tossed it towards Spike, who caught it in his mouth with quick reflexes.

“You know I love some Apple family nachos,” Spike complimented. “So how does this thing work?” he asked and pointed to the box. Big Mac squinted as he reached for one of the knobs. The glass flickered to life as grey and white lights started to flicker from it. He turned another dial and the black and white dots on the glass began to form shapes before dissipating again. After another moment, Big Mac let out a grin and showed his work to Spike. A faint but moving picture formed of hoofball players gathering on a field, along with an announcer’s voice calling out the names of players. Spike grinned and watched closely as the game started.

“Woohoo! This is awesome,” he said and took a seat on the couch next to Big Mac. They both opened up a bottle of sarsaparilla soda and clanked them together, before digging into the snacks and occasionally cheering for various players.

After about 3 hours, the game was drawing to a close. Spike’s belly was full of chips, cheese, and bubbling soda. He held back a burp, considering he did not want to accidentally light the house aflame. Big Mac was in a similar state of satisfaction. He sat back comfortably and quietly watched the television as the final few plays began.

“Whew, looks like we creamed them. 48 to 12, and with about a minute left? They have no chance” Spike said calmly.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac echoed and smiled to himself.

Just then, the picture on the screen went a little hazy. The announcer’s voice phased in and out in static. The picture got steadily worse until there was nothing but grey static and white noise.

“Aww what happened?” Spike said.

“Hmmm,” Big Mac pondered. He walked over to the box and jostled the cable around in the back. The picture did not improve any, and he soon gave up. “It’s the Antenna,” he said with disappointment in his voice.

“Something wrong with it? I’ll go check,” Spike offered and got up from the couch. The big red stallion stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder.

“You’re an Apple family guest, so you sit tight,” Big Mac said sternly.

“Applejack told me you nearly killed yourself putting that thing up there. I’ve got wings, so it’ll be safer if I go check it out,” Spike said and shook his wings a little. Big Mac frowned and looked as if he wanted argue.

“Relax, Big Macintosh. I can get up and down faster anyway. Just holler if the game is back on,” he said and turned to the door. Big Mac sighed and took a seat, watching Spike walk out the front door. Spike’s eyes adjusted to the night quickly. The moon was up and nearly full, lighting the entire orchard up nicely. He looked up towards the roof, spread his wings, and heaved a few strong flaps until he was on the roof. He looked around for a moment, balancing skillfully on the tip of the pointed roof, and observed the antenna.

Sure enough, Spike saw a few birds perched on the antenna and were resting peacefully. They chirped a little as Spike approached. He was about to simply shoo them away with a wave of his claw, but then he thought better of it. What would Fluttershy do? he asked himself. He thought it over, and decided to try the gentle approach.

“Excuse me, uh, birds?” he asked quietly. Two of them piped up and looked at Spike up and down. “Could you please uhh . . . uuuhuuuhh . . . aaAAHCHOOO!” Spike sneezed loudly and a puff of green flames spouted out from his snout. He was careful to turn his head to the side to avoid the birds, but when he looked up, the birds had all scurried away into the night. So much for the gentle method, he thought. But at least it worked.

“Got it!” Spike heard Big Mac call out from inside. Spike sighed and opened his wings again. He was about to take off again and join Big Mac inside when a faint sound caught his ears. It wasn’t very loud, but he could hear a the repetitive ‘hunnk-shoo’ of a certain pony snoring. He looked over towards the garden where the cabbages were planted and rolled his eyes.

“Applejack,” he whispered to himself. He splayed his wings again and pushed off of the roof. Spike glided down gently and silently to the cabbage garden where the fake hay bale rested. He quietly touched down and gently sneaked to the disguised hay. He tapped on the one Applejack was resting in, but received no response. He dug his claws into the bottom of the trap door and lifted it quietly, trying not to startle her.

“Hey, Applejack,” Spike said in a hushed voice. The orange mare lay on her side and snored softly. A small puddle of drool seeped out her mouth and her hat covered her eyes and forehead. Spike gently nudged her shoulder and cooed her softly.

“Duhh . . . Spike?” she said drearily and rubbing her eyes. Her senses returned to her quickly as she piped up and looked out the eye holes she made and peered out over the cabbage patch.

“Did I miss’em?” She asked quietly. Another moment of quiet passed as she gazed over her garden, before she sighed in relief. “Nah, the rest of the cabbages are still there. Darn’it AJ, don’t be fallin’ asleep on the job like that,” she said and nudged her own head with her hoof. “Thanks Spike.”

“No worries. Mind if I join you for a second?” he asked with a smile.

“Don’t y’all need to watch the game?” she said.

“The game’s nearly over and we clobbered them, so I’m not missing anything. Besides, I only need to talk to you for a minute,” he said and laid down next to the open trap door in Applejack’s disguise.

“Well, alright, but I’m gonna keep lookin’ out for that vermin while we talk, alright?” she offered. Spike nodded and she smiled and reassumed her lookout over the grounds. “What can I help you with, Spike?”

“Me and Twilight have been planning to re-stock the library at the castle to replace the ones we lost in Golden Oaks. But the problem now is that most ponies won’t be comfortable using a royal palace as a local library. So Twilight told me earlier that we should look into building a new library in town,” he said in a low hushed town, carefull not to scare any creatures that might come wandering in.

“That sure sounds like a great idea,” Applejack whispered back, keeping her eyes on the garden.

“We’re planning a book-drive and fundraiser in town, but we need some help for the actual construction and planning and whatnot. Twilight mentioned that you know how to raise a barn well enough, so we were hoping you could help us with the construction of the new library,” Spike said and peered out over the grounds as well. Nothing was moving in the darkness.

“I’d love to help y’all Spike, but I don’t think I’m the right pony for that job,” she said flatly. Spike cocked an eyebrow and waited for more explanation. Applejack was usually the most dependable and helpful of ponies, so to hear her refuse was somewhat of a surprise.

“See, raising a barn is easy as pie. It’s just four walls, a roof, and a hay chute. But a Library in town has gotta have plumbing and electrical work and a cellar and all other kinds of complicated stuff that I just don’t know how to do. Sorry Spike, but y’all are gonna need a professional on that one,” she said softly.

“It’s alright, AJ. I think you’re right anyway. We just thought we’d ask,” he said on behalf of Twilight.

“Ah shoot, Spike. I hate not being useful when somepony asks for my help. I feel just like a FOAL OF A FISHBRAIN!” she cried out loudly and scurried on her hooves. The sudden noise shook Spike to his attention and he shot up on his feet. Applejack galloped out of the disguise and ran towards the grounds, where Spike followed. Spike saw a small creature moving near one of the cabbage heads. Two of them had been chewed completely barren.

“Mah Cabbages!” Applejack angrily shouted, which got the creature's attention. Whatever it was, it scurried away from the angry mare with lightening speed. It rushed towards the fence and the two of them followed quickly behind. Applejack skillfully leapt into the air and planted her hooves on the edge of the fence before leaping off and bounding after the scurrying animal. Spike simply lifted himself up and over it using his wings and gliding down into a run next to his friend.

“I got him!” Spike called out and lunged for the little creature. The vermin jumped to the left quickly and bobbed to and fro dodging all of Spike’s lunges. It turned to the right and Spike tripped over his own leg and tumbled to the ground. He got up, snorted angrily, and chased after Applejack who stayed hot on its trail.

“He’s makin’ a run for the forest!” Applejack called out. “Spike, I’m gonna corral him towards the creek. Fly ahead and cut him off. See if you can surprise him,” she said and barrelled forward.

“Got it!” he called out and spread his wings and quickly rose into the air. He watched as Applejack expertly bounded from side to side, herding the animal towards the creek that ran between a lake on the orchard all the way to the Everfree Forest. He soared forward into the night and found a spot at the creek where he had a good view of the chase. He landed and hid quietly behind a large boulder. Soon enough, he could hear the frantic clopping of hooves coming towards him. He peeked and eye out towards Applejack and saw the shadow of the creature running towards him. The blurry shadow was so fast Spike could barely track it. Soon, it was almost upon him and he geared himself to pounce.

“Now Spike!” Applejack called out and Spike kicked on his hind legs and lunged forward at the shadow. Like before, the creature bounced back and dodged Spike’s pounce easily, but the animal was caught by surprise. It scurried away from Spike and backwards toward Applejack, who dove for the creature and tackled it like a professional hoofball player.

“Got ya!” she said and wrestled with the squirming devil until she had it pinned between her hooves. It continued to struggle when Spike walked over to the two of them and squinted at the creature.

“Hang on,” Spike said in suspicion. He breathed in and let out a slow breath of flames that curled around his mouth like smoke and lit the air in a green glow. Once Spike got a good look, his suspicions were confirmed.

“Angel Bunny,” he said like a parent scolding a child. At the sound of his name, the bunny finally quit struggling and slumped in defeat.

“Wait, you mean Fluttershy’s Angel?” Applejack said and looked down at the rabbit in her hoof. “Oh my stars, you are in a heap of trouble! Just wait until Fluttershy hears that you’ve been devouring my crops at night,” she said and let the bunny out of her grasp. The little white rabbit did not flee anymore.

“I see. He was making a run for Fluttershy’s place. This creek goes right past her place right?” Spike deduced and looked down the stream towards fluttershy’s house.

“She’s probably asleep right now. He’s been sneakin’ out and having a late night snack in my crops. Y’all make your way back to Fluttershy’s before she gets worried about you,” she said to the bunny who slumped down in shame, giving Applejack some pleading eyes of a puppy-dog.

“Scram!” she bellowed and the bunny scuttled back towards the creek and quietly bounded towards Fluttershy’s. “I’ll have a word with Fluttershy tomorrow. Thanks for yer help, and sorry about this whole mess Spike. Y’all missed the rest of your game,” she said and lowered her head. Spike smiled and waved her off.

“Don’t worry about it. That game was all tied up anyway. This was way more fun,” he said honestly. The two of them began to walk back towards the orchard in the darkness of Luna’s night.

“I’m also sorry again for the library and not bein’ much help,” she said softly.

“You already apologized for that, Applejack, and don’t worry. We’ll find somepony else,” he said confidently.

“Actually, there was a contractor that helped us with the carrot-house. He’s a mighty-good building designer and he lives right here in town. I’ll introduce you if y’all want,” she offered.

“That sounds like a great idea. I know Twilight would want Ponyville ponies to be the ones to build this new library. It won’t be as special if somepony else builds it,” he explained. “But if you still want to really help out, we might need some catering at the book-drive,” he offered.

“Y’all can count on the Apple Family to feed the entire town, Spike. I’m at yer service,” she said and gratefully bowed her head.

“Thanks Applejack. Twilight is gonna be so glad,” he said earnestly.

“Speakin’ of Twilight, how have y’all been? Has anypony given you trouble?” she asked politely.

“Well, not too many ponies know about us yet. I think it’s just you five still. But we’re gonna go on a date pretty soon and I’m not sure how ponies will react,” he said.

“Aww that’s sweet. Where y’all goin?”

“I was thinking of taking her to dinner somewhere, probably Arty Heart’s,” he answered.

“That’s mighty kind of you Spike to take her out like that. I happen to know Artichoke Heart. He’s a regular customer of ours. I can get you a reservation if y’all want something special,” she offered and gave Spike a coy smile.

“Really? Wow that would be great!” he said excitedly. His wings flapped a little with enthusiasm and Applejack let out a hearty laugh.

"When do y'all want it?" she asked with a big smile.

"3 nights from now," he said happily. "Thank you so much!"

“Consider it my thanks for helping me catch that vermin tonight. Or as a present for you two love-birds,” she said and tousled his spines with her hoof.

“Thank you Applejack. Your support means a lot to us,” he said honestly and smiled.

“Y’all just remember the Apple Family catering services when the wedding bells start ringin’. We’ve done one royal wedding before, remember?” she teased. Spike blushed and fumbled about at the mention of weddings.

“We’re not anywhere near . . . I don’t think that . . . grr, Applejack!” he scolded and continued to blush.

“I’m just pullin’ your scales, sugarcube. Why don’t you get back to the castle? I’ll tell Big Mac what happened. It’s getting late, and I don’t want to be responsible for keepin’ a princess’s dragon . . . friend lover thing away from her. Goshdarn’ it, what do we call you?” she asked a little flustered.

“I don’t know. Drake-friend? Drake is an easier word for dragon,” he said and shrugged.

“I like that. Drake-friend is easy to remember. Anyways, go on home. Tell Twilight I say goodnight and that she can count on us,” she said and winked at him.

“Thanks Applejack, I will. Goodnight!” he called back and began trotting back towards the castle. The news that he could get an exclusive reservation at a restaurant in town got him very excited for his date in a few days. He knew that Twilight would not want to use any royal status to get special treatment, so getting a nice table through Applejack would be a nice surprise. He smiled and blushed to himself at the thought of his new title fluttered around in his head. I kind of like drake-friend too, he thought and happily trotted home in Luna’s beautiful calm night.

Author's Note

This chapter was a little wink at the season 5 opening when Spike alluded to trading hoofball cards with Big Mac. I like the idea of them spending quality bro-time geeking out about sports. Not only does it show a little more of Big Mac personality but we just never see male characters hanging out in the show.

Applejack is fun to write too. Her voice is just so crystal clear when I write, and I love that accent.

Let me know your thoughts and comments! I love reading what you all have to say.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

A Book Donation

The next day was bright and breezy as usual. Spike and Twilight spent most of the morning researching libraries and their construction. Thankfully there was plenty of material on the subject, so the two were quite busy tearing through books and design portfolios. Spike yawned over a chapter on shelf maintenance, exposing all of his teeth from the sharp ones up front all the way to the molars in the back. Twilight was grateful that his morning breath problems were solved by the mouthwash she bought him. He lazily flicked a page over and sighed loudly, expressing his lethargy.

“Do we even need all this research? I mean, we practically spent our whole lives in libraries and studies. I’d say between the two of us, we’re already experts on libraries,” Spike said, peering over to Twilight who lay on the rug across from him.

“I do not want to get complacent, Spike. You and I are expert researchers, so we should do our best to learn how to build Ponyville the best library we can. We’ll need to know what we want when we talk to that contractor tomorrow,” she said and flipped a page with her magic.

“Okay, you’re right. But so far I’m only learning things I already know. Howbout we--” Spike was interrupted by a knock on the castle’s doors. They both perked up and began walking towards the main entrance.

“I wonder who that is? It can’t be the book orders yet. I just finished ordering them yesterday,” Spike said and dutifully opened the door on behalf of Twilight, who curiously stayed nearby to peek at their guest. When Spike opened the door, he was greeted by a wide smile, magenta eyes, and a rainbow colored mane.

“What’s up, Spike?” Rainbow Dash said cheerfully. “Did I ever tell you that you look totally awesome with those wings?”

“Hey Rainbow!” Spike greeted her. “Thanks, and yes you did, like seven times already.”

“Well it’s true. Anyway, is Twilight here?” she asked. Twilight poked her head out from the side of the door and smiled at her friend.

“Hi Rainbow Dash! How are you?” she asked.

“Hey Twilight, I’m good. Pinkie told me that you guys are throwing a book drive the day after tomorrow and that you’re taking book donations. Trouble is, the Wonderbolt Academy has asked me to come look at some new recruits, so I’ll be gone for the next few days,” she explained.

“That’s so great, Rainbow Dash! Don’t worry about the book-drive, you won’t be missing much. It’s all ‘egg-head’ stuff anyway,” she said with a smirk.

“Well, you know I’m not much of a bookworm, but I do have one exception for the ‘Daring Do’ series, which is why I brought these!” she said and turned to her side to show them her flank. She was wearing a saddlebag full of books on either side. Spike guessed that they were likely the series she was talking about. Twilight ears shot up and she threw her face into the bag and began looking over the book titles.

“Wow Rainbow! This is so cool! But these are your own copies. Are you sure you want to donate them to the library?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, why not? I’ve read them all a dozen times, and I know you lost your collection in Golden Oaks. Since I’m not going to be here to help with the book-drive, it’s the least I could do to pitch in for Ponyville. Maybe more ponies will read them and geek out with me over them someday,” she said and began taking the books out of the bag.

“That’s very nice of you, Rainbow,” Spike said and began taking the books from her and holding them in his arm carefully.

“Actually, I was hoping I could ask one of you to help me bring the rest back from my place,” she said after putting the book bag back on. “This is not even half of the series, and that’s all I could fit in the bag.”

“Oh I’ll go!” Twilight said and excitedly threw her wings open. “Spike, do you know where my saddlebag is?”

“Hmm, yeah I used it to bring back the s’mores stuff from Pinkie’s. Think I left it near the fireplace,” he said and put the last book in his arm and held it to his chest.

“I’ll get it!” she said and dashed away. Spike smiled and rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm.

“S’mores?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah. Remember the storm? we spent that night curled up by the fire making s’mores and stuff,” Spike explained, remembering the warmer parts of the “and stuff” from that particularly romantic night. Rainbow Dash gave him a skeptical look and rolled her eyes.

“Sounds sweet and sappy,” she stated flatly.

“Pretty much,” he responded with a mirrored expression. Twilight emerged again with the saddlebag around her flank a moment later.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” she said looking up at Spike.

“I’ll find a place to put these,” Spike said and gestured to the books in his arm.

“Make sure to leave room for the rest of them. Bye,” she said sweetly and leaned up and quickly kissed him.

“Fly safe,” he said smiling and turned back towards the library with the books in tow.

Rainbow Dash let out a muffled groan at the sight of them. She did her best to conceal the bad taste in her mouth, but Twilight noticed her discomfort. Rainbow Dash was always pretty vocal and excited before a flight, but right then she was stone silent.

“Alright, lead the way,” Twilight said and they both kicked off the ground and flew up into the clouds. Their manes lightly tossed in the breeze and their empty saddlebags fluttered like flags on a pole. Twilight noticed how quiet Rainbow Dash was being right away, and decided to see what was bothering her.

“Is everything alright, Rainbow Dash?” she asked politely. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were scanning the ground as they usually did on their flights.

“Yeah, sure. Why?” she feigned.

“Because normally we would not be able to shut up about Daring Do right now. Is something bothering you?” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash scoffed and began flying a little slower so she could talk with her royal friend a little quieter.

“It’s just . . . I don’t know. It’s a little weird seeing you two all kissy and lovey and stuff, I guess,” Rainbow Dash confessed. Twilight frowned and carefully reassured her friend.

“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry if we bothered you,” she said politely.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that you two found love and stuff because you’re both the awesomest friends of mine. I just can’t believe how you guys act like nothing’s different!” she said and spread her hooves wide to express her disbelief.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Well . . . okay so you two are in love now right? There are so many questions that brings up that it drives me crazy just thinking about them. Seeing you all lovey is a little confusing to me since before now you’ve been just friends. And here you two are, just doing what you’ve always done, except now with kissin and stuff,” she ranted a little loudly. Rainbow’s face was not one of anger or frustration, but rather of concern and a bit of curiosity. Twilight understood that her heart was in the right place, but she needed to know a little more. It was foalish of her to think that all of her friends would just immediately accept them and pretend like nothing was different. She sighed and smiled at her friend as comfortingly as she could.

“So what kinds of things do you have questions about?” Twilight offered.

“I shouldn’t ask, it’s none of my business anyway,” she said matter of factly.

“Rainbow Dash, I know you must be curious, and if it helps you get comfortable with me and Spike, I’d be happy to talk to you. Go ahead and ask anything you like,” she said sweetly. Rainbow dash shrugged and looked up from the ground and back at Twilight.

“Okay, so for starters, how do you guys work in the castle? I mean, you’ve lived together forever, but usually ponies don’t move in together until after they’ve dated for a while or got married,” she asked flatly.

“Well, I guess it was a little strange at first. But ponies usually take that much time before moving in because they’re getting to know each other. Me and Spike already know each other better than anypony, so it’s not difficult. We just treated each other like we always did and everything kind of felt natural after a while. It’s hard to explain, but it helps that he’s sleeping in the library,” she explained.

“Wait, so you guys aren’t sleeping together?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. Twilight fought back a blush and looked at Rainbow a little flustered and irritated.

“What gave you that idea?”

“I mean, you guys are all ‘in love’ now right? And back when you guys first told us, Spike said--”

“--I know what Spike said, and no, we’re not sleeping in the same bed. Partly because I don’t think we’d fit anymore, and also because it’s easier to get comfortable with each other that way. It’s kind of like we’re neighbors, we just happen to live in the same castle instead of on the same street,” she said and frowned at Rainbow’s tactlessness.

“Aren’t you worried about foals and stuff?” she asked, and Twilight nearly stumbled out of the sky.

“Rainbow!” she scolded.

“What? You said to ask anything,” Rainbow said and began to fly a little higher. Twilight followed.

“Well that stuff is private!” she said with a blush and cleared her throat. “If you must know, no we are not worried about foals. Not yet anyway. We’re still learning how to live with each other first, and we’re . . . close but not that close.”

“So will you guys get married eventually? Can that even happen? I mean, you’re a princess and he’s a dragon,” she stated.

“To be honest? I don’t really know. I’ve talked with Princess Celestia about me and Spike, and she’s alright with the relationship right now, but we never mentioned getting married. Royal weddings are typically big events, and royalty is often paired with nobility like Cadence and my brother. But Cadence came by a few months ago and told me about some changes happening across Equestria,” Twilight said, remembering back to when Cadence visited her for a weekend. That was many months ago, so Cadence will probably be pretty far along now, she thought.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked and banked a turn towards her house, which floated high above Ponyville a mile away from them.

“Well, Cadence is the princess of love right? She heard about couples in Cloudsdale of Griffons and Pegasi wanting to get married, so she personally went there and married a few couples herself,” she explained.

“Woah, really? I didn’t know that,” she said, a little surprised at how long she’s been away from Cloudsdale.

“Mmhhmm, and some have started adopting already. Apparently her support has made a huge difference with the community,” Twilight said. The two of them began approaching Rainbow Dash’s house and began descending into a glide.

“So has she give you that public support?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight thought for a moment, then came to a horrible realization.

“Oh my gosh! She doesn’t know yet! I told myself I’d tell her and Shining Armor ages ago, and I never did!” Twilight said and began fluttering her wings nervously. “What if she doesn’t support us? What if Shining kills Spike? They’re going to be so worried about me and with Cadence’s royal duties and the foal and the Crystal Empire and . . .” Twilight ranted in panic to herself so vigorously that she nearly collided with the side of Rainbow Dash’s house.

“Woah woah woah, hang on there,” Rainbow Dash called out and pulled her friend downward to the cloud-padded ground at the foot of her front door. Twilight looked around for a moment to get her bearings and breathed in and out to calm herself down.

“Thanks Rainbow,” she said with sigh.

“From what you told me, I’m sure Princess Cadence won’t have any problem with you and Spike. And your brother is a cool guy, I’m sure he’ll be happy if you are,” Rainbow Dash said and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Seriously, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I guess you’re right, Rainbow Dash. Thanks,” she said and followed her into the grey and white floating house. Twilight was just about to admire the posters on her walls when Rainbow Dash froze and looked at Twilight in shock.

“You said foal,” she remembered.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“You said foal just now when you were worrying about . . . is she . . . ooohhmygoshohmygoshohmyGOSH!” she said loudly and Twilight silenced her by waving her hooves frantically.

“Shhhh! I can’t believe I said that! . . .” Twilight quietly bowed her head and decided that they were in a private enough place to be safe. She looked up to her pegasus friend and slowly whispered to her, “. . . Yes, Cadence is pregnant. But she hasn’t made the announcement yet, so please keep it quiet! It’ll be all over the papers when she does.”

“Wow! That’s so cool! Don’t worry, I never spill secrets. I’m the element of loyalty after all. Can we go to the Crystal Empire and see it when it comes?” Rainbow asked. Twilight laughed a little in surprise.

“Sure Rainbow Dash. I didn’t know you’d be so excited about a royal baby,” Twilight confessed.

“Oh Celestia I hope it’s a pegasus, that way I could be the royal flying tutor!” she said proudly. Twilight followed Rainbow Dash into her bedroom where a pile of books laid scattered on the floor. “When is it due?”

“Sometime next month, actually. I think they’re going to keep it a secret until the baby arrives,” she pondered.

“Why would they do something like that?” Rainbow asked with a cocked eyebrow. Twilight began floating the books up with her magic and placing them neatly in their saddlebags while she pondered her question.

“I guess for protection. From King Sombra and Tirek to Discord, we’ve never had a shortage of enemies who would take a pregnant Alicorn Princess to their advantage. Knowing Shining Armor, it was probably his idea,” she guessed.

“I guess I never thought about how scary it can be when you’re a princess. Everyone’s looking at you, even the bad guys,” Rainbow wondered aloud. This made Twilight frown and she turned back towards the front door.

“Yeah, it can be scary,” she said softly.

“Oh, darn it Dash! Sorry Twilight,” she said sincerely. “I’m sure you and Spike have nothing to worry about. You are still a secret right?”

“We are for now, but we can’t do that forever. We’ve been thinking it might be easiest to appear in public a few times here in Ponyville. Sure it’ll start rumors, but we don’t want to just drop the news out of thin air either,” she said and walked back onto the cloudy ground and into the sun. She could see all the way from the windmill to town hall from where she stood. The view of Ponyville was beautiful on sunny days like this.

“I guess that makes sense. So what are you guys going to do?” she continued with her barrage of questions.

“Spike said he got reservations somewhere for the night after tomorrow, after the book-drive,” she explained.

“So, is that your first real date?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I guess, but it’s not like we’ve never had dinner before. My guess is that nopony will pay us any mind,” she said, quietly hoping that she was right. Rainbow Dash extended her wings and looked over to Twilight, who did the same. They both took off again and carried their now heavy bookbags back towards the castle. Rainbow Dash continued to fly quietly as she mulled over their Q and A session.

“Is everything okay Rainbow Dash? I know this can be a lot to take in,” Twilight offered.

“I’m fine, Twilight. I just have one more question, and I think this one is the most confusing to me,” she said and looked at her friend sincerely. Twilight looked back at her and nervously waited for Rainbow Dash to speak. “I guess . . . what happened? I mean, how does somepony go from being friends to being in love like that? Back at the castle you said that you just sort of ‘fell’. What happened really?” she asked. Twilight slowed from a simple flight to a glide and thought about her question carefully. How exactly could she answer that question for Rainbow Dash the best?

“I guess it all started when I realized love is like friendship,” she started.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash piped in.

“See, most ponies find love to be kissing, poetry, romance, marriage and all of that right? Someone helped me realize that love is not in lieu of friendship, but rather in addition to friendship. For a relationship to work, you cannot simply have attraction. That happens all the time, sometimes with terrible matches. You need to be friends too, otherwise the relationship will only last as long as you both are fawning over each other,” she explained.

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash thought aloud. “So you’re saying real love is like kissing your friend?”

“Not exactly. It’s like being friends, but adding something more. Spike and I have always been close, but only recently did we both feel something more. After he came back from his training in Canterlot, we started to grow even closer. I realized that I did not want him out of my life ever again, and one day I just felt like I wanted to kiss him, so I did,” she confessed. This made Rainbow Dash laugh pretty loudly as they drifted downward through the clouds. Her laughter caught the princess off guard and she scowled at her friend.

“What is so funny?” Twilight demanded.

“That last part!” the pegasus coughed between chuckles. “That was the only thing that made any sense!”

“Oh come on, Rainbow Dash! The rest of it was important too.” Her friend continued to laugh as they began to approach the castle again.

“Maybe, but all of that sappy sentimental stuff doesn’t make that much difference for me. You love Spike because you want to, and I was a featherhead to need any more explanation than that!” she said and rounded her statement with a few more hearty laughs.

“Well if laughing at me helps you feel better . . .” she started.

“Oh no, I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at me!” she reassured her and the two of them touched down at the footsteps of Twilight’s Castle once more. The door was cracked open just as they had left it and Spike was likely in the library waiting for them.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, for being so nosy. I guess all I needed to hear was that you did what you wanted to do. I promise that as a friend, I will help you two whenever you need me. You guys being in love might weird me out, but that’s because all love is weird to me. You go on ahead and love each other okay? I’ll figure this love thing out eventually. Thank’s for talking,” she said with a nod.

“Thank’s for asking, and for the books,” Twilight said and lifted the books out of Rainbow’s bookbag with her magic and floated them behind her. “Good luck with the Wonderbolts, and come home safely. And remember, don’t tell anyone about Cadence,” she reminded her and bid her friend goodbye.

“My lips are sealed,” Rainbow Dash said with a smile, and with that she lept into the air and soared skyward at her usual lightning pace. Twilight smiled as she watched her friend draw a rainbow trail behind her as she slowly disappeared in the sky. She then turned and walked spritely through the hall and into the library with the books behind her.

Spike was holding two books in his hands inspecting them closely. He turned and saw Twilight come in with a large pile of books floating behind her. He smiled and watched her as she carefully piled one on top of the other and placed them in a large stack on a table. She kept her eyes closed and smiled proudly as she marched towards Spike.

“How was flhhmfmfff!” he was cut off by Twilight’s lips locking with his and her hooves pushing the books out of his claws and onto the floor with a thud. She reared up on her legs and pushed the two of them over until Spike was on his back with his wings splayed like a flattened sparrow. She leaned down on him and continued to kiss him, letting her lips and tongue explore his. Her own wings widened and covered the two of them on the floor of the library. After another moment of an impromptu embrace, she let go of Spike and let him breath.

“What . . . *huff* was that . . . *huff* for?” he said, looking at her in complete surrender. She smiled and walked back towards the table to sort through the books she got from Rainbow Dash’s place.

“Because I wanted to,” she answered simply.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long. Work and stuff and things. I always love how RD is so tactless and forward. That is really needed sometimes in a group of friends.

I always love hearing your thoughts on the story. Feel free to let me know your comments.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Little Fib

Spike walked along with a spring in his step along side the various Ponyville shops. He observed closely as he passed the general goods store, the florist stand, and the quill and sofa shop. How the last one remained in business, Spike would never understand. Many of the windows and lamp posts had fliers taped to them with Pinkie Pie’s trademark streamers and confetti dangling from them. The fliers described the date, time, and place of Twilight’s ‘Book Bash’ to raise money and books for the new library. The shopping district opened up towards his destination in the center of the street: Rarity’s carousel boutique.

He cleared his throat and continued his trot towards Rarity’s house. The overcast sky allowed just enough sunlight though to shine brightly off of the windows. Spike stepped forward and, noticing the ‘Open’ sign on the door, helped himself inside. The bell above the door clanged lightly announcing his arrival. He looked around the showroom floor and noticed Rarity at one corner guiding a tall and stout stallion from one manikin to another. She noticed Spike, but did not welcome him in.

“Are you sure these are the best there are?” the stallion asked in a smooth and thoroughly refined voice.

“Of course, sir. I needed to order the fabric for this piece from Saddle Arabia, and it took nearly a year for it to arrive,” she reassured the customer, who wandered from one display to the other without much thought. Rarity looked back at Spike and waved a hoof while her customer was looking away. She silently mouthed the word ‘Sorry’ and gave him a worried look. Spike smiled and waved her off, gesturing for her to get back to her customer. She smiled back and followed the colt to another display.

“I’m not so sure about this suit. It looks far too traditional and bland.”

“Oh, well yes I suppose. *Ahem*. Why don’t you look these over? This suit is much more bold and will surely draw the attention of anypony and everypony,” she said enthusiastically. Spike could tell the colt’s words really stung poor Rarity, and he thought about how to help her the best. He looked the colt up and down from the back, noticing a masquerade cutie mark. He could have been an actor from outside Ponyville. He was obviously important, which is why Rarity was being so understanding and patient with him. An idea struck him, and he walked over towards the two of them.

“I think I saw this exact coat in Manehattan last week! Are you sure these are not department store stock?” the colt boasted.

“Please, sir. I’m sure you’ll find these are made with quality and detail,” Rarity said, nearly begging.

“Well I’m not so sure . . .” he started.

“Excuse me, miss?” Spike interrupted and politely smiled at Rarity. “I am here on behalf of Fancy Pants from Canterlot. I’m his personal assistant here to pay for his custom order,” he said and gave her a quick wink. She stuttered for a moment, before looking back to the colt who had not missed Spike’s name-drop and looked at the two of them with great intrigue.

“Ah, yes of course. Please excuse me for a moment, sir. Feel free to look at more suits if you’d like. As for you sir, If you’ll follow me,” she said and led Spike towards the register desk where her order book was kept. She stood next to the table and faced Spike with a polite smile. The colt meandered a few feet away from them, pretending to look over some more displays while listening closely to their conversation. Spike fished out his checkbook that he brought with him and placed it on the table.

“Same figure as last time, correct?” Spike asked her, fighting a slight smile.

“Of course. Was he pleased with the order?” She asked, and carefully winked back at him.

“He said he could not be more amazed with your work. He liked it so much, he’s wearing it to the Grand Galloping Gala this year,” Spike said loud enough for the now-sheepish customer to hear. “I’m not surprised. After all, you design for royalty,” he said and scribbled an extremely large figure on a check, before tearing it out of his book and handing it to Rarity. Spike could hear the stallion muffle a gasp from behind him.

“Thank you, sir. Tell him that he’s far too kind and that I look forward to designing for him again,” she said and sweetly looked at him with nothing but gratitude in her gaze.

“I will, madam. Do you mind if I look around a little? I’d like to browse for a little something for myself,” he said and gestured back towards the eavesdropping customer.

“Certainly. Take as much time as you’d like,” she said and walked back towards the stallion who turned towards the suit he referred to as ‘bland’ a minute before.

“I’m sorry if I don’t carry anything to your liking, but if you’d like to be put on the waiting list for custom orders, I’d be happy to tailor something more specific for you,” she offered generously. The colt babbled for a moment and gestured back to the display in front of him.

“No, that’s quite alright. I was looking over this one again, and I was thinking that a traditional style might suit me quite well. I can see that it is made from the rarest material from a quality seamstress. How much for the entire suit?” he asked and sternly stomped his hoof down on the floor as if demanding something.

“For the entire piece? This one is 1,200 bits, sir,” she said a little surprised.

“I’ll take it!” he said and turned towards the register desk, passing by Spike with a bombastic stride and making a great show of his expensive purchase. Rarity was quickly removing the various parts of the suit from the manikin and neatly folding them into a box with her magic. Once she had collected everything and tied it all up in a satin bow, she floated it over towards the checkout desk and politely smiled at her customer.

“Will that be all today?” She asked with a satisfied tone.

“Yes, but I cannot guarantee I won’t be back. Don’t worry about the measurements, I’ll have my tailor in Baltimare alter them for me. Thank you very much, miss Rarity,” he said and with that, he ripped off a check out of his book and left it on the table for her.

“You’re very welcome. Have a good day,” she said and waved her customer off, watching him walk out the door with another clang of the bell and striding off down the street with a box of very expensive clothes on his back. Once she was satisfied that the stallion was far enough away and out of any possible earshot, she picked up Spike’s enormous check and walked over to him quietly.

“Eight thousand bits, Spike? What would happen if I went to cash this check?” she asked with a smug smile on her face. Spike shrugged at her in response.

“Ehh, I think the bank teller would laugh at you.”

The two of them erupted into laughter and Rarity sat down beside him trying her best to hold her composure. The check was waving back in forth, encompassed in blue magic, as they continued to laugh at their little game. She smiled widely and threw two hooves around his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you so much, Spike. I never knew you could pull off a scam like that,” she said and let him go. He smiled back at her and waved a claw back and forth.

“That was no scam, Rarity. That guy paid a fair price for an awesome suit that was worth every penny. He was just too dirt-brained to see how much you’re stuff is really worth,” he countered.

“Still, that was quite a little fib there ‘Mr. Fancy Pant’s assistant’. I’d say you earned yourself a sale commission for that. What can I help you with?” she asked and politely hooved over the check back to Spike. Spike took it in his claw, heaved a breath through his nose, and lit a green blaze above him, turning the check into a black pile of ash and vapor. He looked back at Rarity and cleared his throat again.

“Rarity, you know how tomorrow is the book drive?” he said very clearly.

“Mm-hmm” she happily nodded.

“Well, me and Twilight are going out afterwards. To dinner, on a date?” he said shyly. Rarity gasped and her eyes went wide.

“Oh goodness that is so exciting! Your first date out in public, yes? Do tell me where you are going!” she said and ran in place a little in excitement.

“I got us a reservation tomorrow night at Arty Heart’s,” he said and bashfully rubbed his scales.

“What? How in Equestria did you get a reservation there? I just tried yesterday to get a reservation for the same night and they told me they were booked!” she said in an ‘it’s not fair’ tone.

“I helped Applejack catch a cabbage thief and she set it up for me in return. Apparently she knows Artichoke Heart through the business,” he replied.

“Really? Dash it all Applejack! She never told me anything of the sort,” she said and stomped a hoof lightly. “What a perfect place for your first date, Spike. It’ll be so romantic! But what can I do to help?” she asked sincerely.

“Well, I was hoping you could help me look my best for it?” he asked bashfully. “Nothing too fancy like a tuxedo, but maybe I can wear a white shirt with a tie or something?” Rarity smiled at her scaled friend.

“Of course I can help you Spike. Free of charge, after that sale you helped me win so put away that checkbook. I think a dress shirt and a brilliant green tie would suit you perfectly. I’ll throw in some cuff links for you as well. But I’ll need a little help if I’m going to sew this all for tomorrow. Would you mind being my assistant for a short while? I do not exactly have any dragon sized manikins to work on,” she said glancing over at the blank pony bodies that lined her windows.

“Sure! It’s been forever since I’ve helped out around here, huh?” he said with a laugh.

“I suppose it has,” she said simply and led them both upstairs to her inspiration room. Spike looked around at the fabrics on the walls and floor. The place was always such a mess, but Rarity preferred it that way. He recalled how he would frequently visit back when he was still baby-sized, trying to win over her affection by doing favors. But that was some time ago.

She stood him on a platform facing 3 mirrors that surrounded him. He watched as she pulled a rich white fabric out of her drawer and pulled a few tools out as well. She measured him at his shoulders, forearms, chest, and back, all the while commenting on how he’s gotten so big and grown up. He smiled and offered the back of his hand to use as a pincushion. Over the next hour or so, she draped the fabric over his back, cutting pieces here and there, and held it all together with pins she pulled from his scales. After some amount of stitching and examining her work, Spike’s chest was draped with something that vaguely resembled a shirt. It stretched back towards his mid-section where it was tied neatly in a leather belt.

“I’d say that’s enough. Thank you for helping, Spike. I’ll finish the rest before tomorrow and I’ll bring it to you at the book drive. How does that sound?” she offered and removed the pins from his scales.

“Sounds great. Thank you so much Rarity! I hope Twilight likes it,” he said looking at himself in the mirror.

“You’ll look positively dashing, dear Spike,” she reassured him and began removing the shirt from his back with her magic.

“You think so?” he asked and shuffled off the sleeves.

“Oh yes. By all accounts you will be the most handsome gentlecolt there, despite being a dragon of course. I do love how tall you’ve gotten. I’ll be sure to write down your measurements in case you ever want me to make you a suit,” she complimented and tucked the fabric onto her desk. She heard Spike smirk from behind her, and looked at him puzzled.

“What is so funny?” she asked him.

“It’s nothing,” he said with a bright smile on his face.

“Spike, it is quite rude to keep secrets from a lady who is doing you a favor,” she scolded.

“Really, I was just thinking about something funny. Don’t worry about it,” he said and waved her off. She did not like being denied her curiosity and scowled at Spike. Her glare set Spike back a few steps and told him to cough up whatever he was keeping from her. He cleared his throat and sighed.

“I was just thinking of how, maybe a year ago, I would have been over the moon to hear you say that about me,” he said softly. Rarity immediately regretted pushing the issue and blushed as she looked away.

“Oh, right. I see,” she said nervously.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s so great to hear that now. But the smaller dragon I used to be would not be able to contain himself,” he said and saw her quietly shuffle back to her desk where she stitched a few threads through the shirt as if ignoring him. Spike sighed again and approached his friend carefully.

“Rarity?” he asked.

“Hmm?”

“Did you know? I mean, all that time ago, did you know about how I felt about you?” he asked and looked at her with a comforting smile. She looked back at him with a frown and bit her lip. A silence hung in the air and Rarity put down her needle and thread. She faced him and took a breath before looking him dead in the eye and speaking softly to him.

“That you had a crush on me, yes Spike I knew,” she confessed. He smiled again and dropped his head in exhaustion.

“Figures,” he said. “Everypony else knew too, right?”

“But I never meant to hurt you, Spike!” she said and threw her hoof up.

“Rarity, it’s ok,” he started, but she did not seem to hear.

“I mean, you were only a child, and it would have been terrible to break your little heart like that,” she defended herself.

“Rarity.”

“I’m sorry, alright Spike? I was being a terrible friend and I understand if you hate me.”

“Rarity!” Spike bellowed. She froze and looked back at him with wide eyes, half expecting to get eaten. “I’m not angry, okay? I do not hate you, I do not think you’re a terrible friend, and my heart is not broken. It never was, actually.”

“Really?” Rarity said a little surprised. “Well, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened then?”

“I guess . . . I don’t really know. I started crushing on you the minute I saw you, so everything I learned about you after that could only be the most amazing thing in the world to me. When I was in Canterlot, I spent time studying and thinking about the important things that make us who we are. One day, I realized that I was not seeing you. I just saw what I wanted to see, and I pretended that every part of our lives meshed together perfectly.”

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth and regarded the dragon with sad but thankful eyes. She wanted to speak up again, but she held her tongue to let Spike say everything he needed to.

“The truth is, we just don’t work. I have no interest in glamour and high society and you have no interest in living a quiet modest life here in Ponyville,” Spike said.

“Look who is talking, Spike. You’re living in a castle, and I’ve hardly ever left Ponyville,” she retorted, to which Spike laughed.

“Touché. But the point is that we both want different lives and we really never fit together the way I once hoped. It wasn’t an easy thing to realize, but that is what got me thinking about the person I want to be, and the person I want to be with. I started falling for Twilight soon after, so I guess I should thank you,” he said and smiled at her. Finally, Rarity smiled back at him and shook her head.

“Don’t be silly, Spike. You are quite the gentledrake now and I’m proud of how mature you are about the whole thing. I’m glad you and I can still be good friends,” she said and walked towards him. He nodded and leaned over to give her a warm hug. She wrapped a hoof around his shoulder gently before letting him go and smiling at him.

“Thanks, Rarity. I’m glad I can still lend a claw to help out. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” he offered.

“Yes. I’ll see you at the book drive and I’ll bring your clothes with me. I shall see you then,” she said and walked him down the stairs again to the main show room. He gladly followed and bid her goodbye again at the door. The bell rang as the door swung open and closed as he left, and Rarity happily sighed as she wandered back up the stairs to work on Spike’s shirt.

“What a wise dragon,” she wondered aloud as she began sewing stitches into the shoulder of his shirt. It was true that she had always considered Spike to be a helpful and kind friend. Now that he was grown, she was proud to see how much he had remained the same adoring dragon she had always known him to be. He was absolutely right, as well. She had no intention of staying in Ponyville forever, and Spike would not be himself if he was swept away into that kind of world. She needed somepony who could climb the world with her, not for her. Twilight was lucky to find someone she could be herself with.

Just then, another ring from the bell came from downstairs. She placed the thread back on the desk and called out towards the stairs.

“I’ll be right down!” she hollered and took a moment to fix her mane in the mirror. She trotted down the stairs and pre-emptively greeted her new customer.

“What can I help you with today?” she offered, then she saw who it was at the door.

“Hi Rarity.”

“Twilight? Why hello! What brings you by?” she asked her royal friend.

“Umm,” she pondered aloud and drew little circles in the carpet with her hoof. She blushed and looked up at Rarity much like Fluttershy might. “I have a date tomorrow with Spike, and I was hoping you could help me with a dress?”

Rarity blinked, then laughed aloud at the request. She was sure going to give Spike something in return after all.

“What’s funny?” Twilight asked a little confused.

“Nothing, Twilight. Of course, my dear, we’ll get you dressed in something fabulous. I promise his heart will melt when he sees you.”

“Thank you, Rarity, but nothing too fancy okay? I don’t want to over do it at a simple dinner,” she clarified.

“Of course. After all, it’s only Arty Heart’s, not the Gala,” she said with a smile.

“Exactly, so . . . wait, how did you know where we were going?” she asked. Rarity smiled and guided her friend up the stairs towards her inspiration room.

“Oh, I have my sources.”

Author's Note

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but I have a request for my readers. I'm not sure how to go about doing this, but I'd like to find a fan artist who might be willing to make some official cover art for both 'The Dragon Sage,' and 'Fireproof'. If anyone in my readership is a deviant artist, or knows one who might be up for it, send me a message with the deviant page and I'll reach out.

This chapter was a long time coming. For those of you who read the deleted scene in 'The Dragon Sage,' you know that this conversation needed to happen. Plus, a little hoodwinking is always fun.

I love reading your comments, so please let me know what you think.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Book Bash

Spike heaved a large wooden crate from the ground and lifted it with a grunt onto the trolley. The crate smacked down with a clack and a few books inside jostled about. Books were heavy, Spike decided, especially when they were all in one big box. The crate already had two others in it, so they might have room for one or two more, but at this rate they were going to need to make two trips to get all of the books back to Twilight’s castle. Spike heaved a breath and wiped his forehead in exhaustion, looking back towards Twilight who gleefully piled books into another crate.

The book drive was fostering more success than Spike had expected.The lawn in front of town hall was completely packed with tables, balloons, food, books, and of course ponies. He looked around at all of the various town ponies who were gladly pitching in their lightly-used books. They all seemed eager to help and many gladly donated a few bits to rebuild the library. After all, Spike and Twilight were not the only ones who lost something in the battle with Tirek. The burned remains of the Golden Oaks library must have been a sore reminder for everypony.

Fluttershy was helping by sitting at a table and taking book requests from various ponies, filling out entries into a log book Twilight designed. Applejack was behind the buffet line keeping the pies warm, the sandwiches made, and the cider flowing. Pinkie Pie was doing was she does best, of course. The village ponies seemed to be enjoying the dancing and games quite well. Twilight was standing near the entrance to town hall accepting book donations. Spike, as always, was right beside her helping out any way that he could. At the moment, that was piling books into a trolley that he and Big Macintosh were going to pull back to the castle.

“Alright, thank you very much!” Twilight said with a smile as she carried two more books towards Spike. “Spike? Two more right here,” she called out.

“Great! The trolley’s nearly full, so we’re doing well so far,” he commented and pointed his thumb at the crates full of books. “How are we doing on the fundraising?”

“Good so far. From what the contractor told me yesterday, we’ll need a good amount more to make it work. The town folk are generous, and the Mayor says we’ll get a good amount from town hall, but that only puts us 70% there,” she said looking over her notes and jotting a few lines with a pencil.

“We could always sell the curtains above the windows at home,” Spike suggested.

“No we can’t, Spike. That wouldn’t get us much closer, and selling something from a castle would be more trouble than it’s worth, I expect,” Twilight countered. “It will be hard to find the last bits, and we may need to make some compromises, but we’ll find away to build a library with the bits we have.”

Spike was about to make a suggestive joke about him modeling for playcolt magazine when something caught his eye. Behind Twilight, the trolley full of books started slowly rolling backwards towards her. He jolted up and kicked forward immediately, darting around her and slamming his palms into the back of the rolling carriage and dug his feet into the ground.

“Woah! hrrrk,” he heaved as the weight of hundreds of books fought against him. “Somepony hit the brakes,” Spike grunted as the carriage stopped. He held it from rolling downwards any further and strained his back for a brief moment before he saw a red and white hoof swing upwards and clank the brake lever up. The weight of the trolley froze and Spike heaved a breath.

“Whew, thanks Big Mac. What happened?” he asked.

“Hmm. Guess I didn’t get the brakes on all the way. Sorry, miss Twilight,” he said turning to Twilight who looked at the two of them with thanks.

“No harm, no foul Big Mac,” she said and waved off his apology. “Thank you helping us take care of the books today. Why don’t you take a break and go get some food?” she offered. He happily bowed and, after wedging a stone beneath the trolley’s wheel, walked off towards the catering table.

“My my, Spike, what good reaction speed you have. That cart must be quite heavy,” he heard from behind him. He turned and saw Rarity, dressed in a yellow sun hat smiling at him. Behind her, floating in an aura of blue magic, were two clothing covers made of dark blue fabric. Each one had a zipper and a clothes hanger protruding from the top, probably to hold whatever was inside neatly.

“Hi Rarity!” Twilight said excitedly.

“Hello Twilight. I hope the book drive is coming along well?” she asked.

“Yup,” Spike answered. “We’ve got nearly a library’s worth of books donated already, and everypony seems to be enjoy themselves. What are those?” he asked.

“Oh, you know what these are silly dear,” she said with a smile and floated one of the hangers towards Twilight. “This one is for you, and this one is for your dashing date,” she said and floated the other to Spike who took it in his claw and let it hang just above the ground.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I only asked for something for me,” he said. Twilight peered up at him with a confused look and her eyes went a little wide as she realized.

“You went to Rarity’s boutique too?” she said. Rarity began laughing at the sight and clarified the situation for the two of them.

“Spike came to see me yesterday. He helped me win over a very good sale and as payment I made him a little something. Twilight, you arrived practically a minute after he left. So soon, in fact, I’m surprised you didn’t pass each other at the door,” she said with her usual gossip giggle.

“So that’s how you knew about where we are going tonight,” she said and clopped a hoof down on the ground. “Spike! You didn’t tell me you were planning on dressing up,” she scolded.

“Neither did you, remember?” he countered, to which she rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

“Thank you so much, Rarity. I’ll take these back to the castle very quickly and I’ll be back in a minute. Would you mind taking donations for me till I get back?” she asked Spike who nodded enthusiastically.

“Allow me, Twilight. This one needs a break, I can tell,” she said and pointed at Spike with a hoof.

“Really? Thanks Rarity!” Spike said and turned to Twilight. “Don’t peek inside, ok? I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Okay, I won’t. Thanks Rarity. I’ll be right back!” she said and took both clothing covers in her magic and cantered into a run, stretching her wings out and ascending towards the castle.

“Oh Spike,” Rarity whispered to him and beckoned him closer with her hoof. He leaned in a little closer to hear her better. “I made you a little something extra to go along with it. I hope you enjoy,” she said quietly and turned on her hoof towards a pony who had three books in tow.

Spike scrunched his brow at whatever she meant by that, but decided it best to brush it off and walk off towards the catering table. He was welcomed instantly by Applejack’s proud smile and warm cooking.

“Well howdy Spike! How goes the book part of the book drive?” she asked.

“Great. I’m taking a quick break before my shoulders explode from carrying crates of books around,” he said giving his back a sympathetic rub.

“Well I bet you’re hungry. What can I get for you?”

“Let’s see. Got any apple pie?” he asked.

“Well a’course we do! We got some right over . . . hold up,” she said and poked her head around behind her for a moment. She whispered quiet curses to herself while looking around in confusion. “Darn it, I could’ve sworn we had at least 3 more pies ready to go. Sorry Spike,” she said disappointedly.

“No worries. I’ll take a zap-apple sandwich with everything on it, a tall cider, and a large ruby for desert,” he jested. The blond mare laughed and shook her head.

“Sorry, didn’t think to serve gems at the book drive for the pony folk. I’ll spot you a slice of pumpkin pie instead,” she said and quickly got to work on Spike’s request. “Thank y’all so much for helping me out earlier this week. I would have slept through the whole night in that haystack if it weren’t for you,” she said and slapped a plate full of food down in front of the dragon.

“And I’d be scales and bones if it weren’t for you. Thanks AJ,” he said and took his plate towards the tables set up in the lawn. He spotted a familiar yellow pegasus quietly eating lunch at a table and decided to join her. He waved at her and approached her table with a comforting look in his eyes.

“You mind if I have a seat?” he asked.

“Oh not at all,” Fluttershy said softly. “I can always share lunch with a good friend.”

“Thanks. I ask because part of me is still afraid of scaring you again. Remember what happened when you first saw me after I got back from Canterlot?” he recalled. He took a large sip of his cider as he watched her remember their reunion.

“Oh . . . yes I do. But I was being such a filly. I should have known it was you, Spike. I was wrong to ever think you were somepony to be afraid of,” she reassured him.

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” he said and took a large chomp out of his sandwich.

“Oh goodness, I almost forgot! I’m so sorry for all the trouble Angel Bunny caused you and Applejack the other night. He’s very sorry for what he did, and I can assure you that he will not be sneaking off in the night or stealing any crops for as long as he lives,” she said in her best assertive-but-polite tone. Spike grimaced, imagining the horrible kind of ‘stare’ that rabbit must have received that night.

“It was no big deal. I actually had a lot of fun. I haven’t had much excitement since the whole Miasma ordeal a few months ago,” he said and continued to dive into his lunch.

“Well if you ask me, if that is your idea of excitement, then I’d say you’re better off without it,” she said and giggled a little. Spike smiled at her and dug into his pie as he watched Pinkie Pie lead a team of foals in a conga line. Fluttershy had a point, he concluded. During the fight they had with the Miasma, Spike was using every last bit of his new dragon abilities to help Twilight win. But even though it had been less eventful, the time he spent afterwards was never boring. The simple library-bound life with Twilight was really all he needed to feel satisfied. As he finished his lunch, he heard a weak voice from behind him.

“Spike monster!” a little voice called out. He turned and saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake pushing a stroller carriage towards him. From the edge of the carriage, two little foals were smiling and waving at him. He smiled and excused himself from the table to meet them.

“Hi there my little ponies!” he called out and lowered his head to be at eye level with them. He smiled wide as he saw them reach out to touch his nose.

“Spikey monster,” Pound Cake said with a laugh.

“That’s me. Have you two been good for your mom and dad?” he asked them slowly and clearly.

“A-huh,” Pumpkin said with a nod.

“Good foals,” he said and grew a devious smile. “Cause if you were bad little monsters, I’d have to come over there and eat, you, up! Arrmnomnomnom!” he said and began playful rubbing his snout between them and chomping at their little hooves. The two little ponies squealed in delight as they played off of his snout and laughed hysterically. He brought his face back up and smiled at them before reaching a hand up and patting the two of them on their heads while looking up at Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

“Pinkie Pie told us all about what you did during that storm. Thank you so much,” Mrs. Cake said with a smile.

“Yeah, you’re a real foalsitter. Never thought I’d be so happy to have a dragon with my kids!” Mr. Cake said and laughed.

“It was no problem, really. They’re good little foals, and you would be proud of how brave they were in front of all those spooky monsters,” he said.

“Oh we see that every day now,” Mrs. Cake piped in. “Just yesterday I caught Pound Cake growling at the monsters under the crib. Such a brave big boy, and he wants to be just like you Spike.” Spike smiled at the Cakes who began to tell him stories about the foals and their various baby-habits like teething and escaping the crib when Spike saw Twilight peering at them from the book trolley and smiling at him.

“Sorry, Mrs. and Mr. Cake, but I need to get back to work. Thanks so much and enjoy the book drive,” he said. They thanked him and the little cakes waved at him as he walked towards her. She was wearing a slight blush and wholesome smile as he did.

“‘A real foalsitter,’ according to Mr. Cake,” Twilight recalled.

“Yeah, they’re cute aren’t they?” he said.

“Hey Spike, come here for a second,” she said and beckoned him closer. He leaned down and turned his ear to hear her whisper, but instead she leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Spike blushed and looked around quickly at anypony else who could have seen.

“Twilight!” he scolded in a hiss.

“Oh, we’re fine. We’re going on a date tonight anyway, remember? Besides, nopony saw us,” she said and turned back towards the book cart. Rarity was organizing a pile of donated books with a smug smile on her face.

“I did,” she sang in delight, which made the two of them blush deeper.

The book drive finally ended that afternoon after nearly another carriage-worth of books arrived. Big Mac and Spike made one trip with the first load earlier, and now Spike was exhausted by the concept of having to do it again. Big Mac, however, did not seem to mind much. Applejack folded up her food cart and helped Twilight pack up the rest of the supplies and put them away in town hall. Pinkie was waving goodbye to some guests while Rarity quietly organized a pile of books with her magic. He was jotting down a few notes when a strange noise caught Spike’s ear. His right ear twitched and his head perked up like a meerkat towards the forest.

“Something wrong?” Rarity asked him, noticing his stern expression.

“What is it, Spike?” Twilight asked.

“Listen,” he said and put a hand to his ear. Twilight stood quietly and perked her ears up as well. At first, there was nothing but a slight breeze to fill the air. But, after the breeze died, a faint cry could be heard through the air coming from the forest. The cry seemed to follow another cry, in a distant but unmistakably pony voice. Soon after, a low growl and roar cracked through the air and echoed off of the buildings around them.

“What was that?” Fluttershy asked them, beginning to tremble. They continued to listen, their heads shooting back and forth to find the source, eventually finding it on the edge of town.

“Help!” a voice called out from the Everfree forest. That was all they needed to hear before rushing towards the sounds of the distress. Applejack and Rarity bounded forward on the ground with their hooves clopping loudly on the stone path leading to the woods. Spike and Twilight were in the air flying in front of them, trying to find the source of the voices. Fluttershy flew up high instead of forward, to see if she could get a better view. When they all reached the last house in town, they saw the ponies running away from the forest towards them.

“Applejack!” one of them called out. Fluttershy squinted, and called out to her friends below her.

“It’s the girls!” she shouted as clearly as she could. Sure enough, the one crying Applejack’s name was none other than her sister Apple Bloom. Behind her were her two friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, the last of whom was fluttering her wings furiously trying to get off of the ground. Applejack and Rarity both called out to their sisters and began running towards them as fast as they could.

“Run!” Scootaloo called out. Behind them, another low roar reverberated through the air and shook their senses. From the edge of the forest, in the shadow of the tallest trees, a massive figure stalked the three fillies as they ran for safety. The figure lurched upwards onto its hind legs and let out another roar. The advancing ponies froze in their tracks and watched in awe as the giant green creature howled.

“Its a dragon!” Rarity called out. The giant green figure had bright blue scales and growled with fire curling out of the sides of its mouth in anger. It lashed a giant spiked tail from side to side in rage, tearing up a few trees in doing so. Rarity cried out to her sister again and began to charge forward again. Soon they were all charging forward again and Twilight, shouting at the top of her lungs, made a plan.

“Rarity! Applejack! Grab the girls and get them to safety! Spike and I will draw its attention and lead it away from town! Fluttershy, go warn the Mayor!” she called out, and everyone sprinted into action. The two ponies on the ground ran forward towards the panicking fillies while Twilight and Spike ascended to the beast at eye-level.

“Draw its attention?” Spike reluctantly repeated. “How are we going to do that?”

“That dragon is angry. When it is like this, there is no way to negotiate or calm it down. The only way to stop it is to draw its anger elsewhere,” she said and began flying faster.

“So we’re going to make it angry at us. Great,” he said and flew faster. He and Twilight soared upward and banked a turn around the giant reptile’s flank and found his face. The beast continued to roar and thrash with it’s tail, shooting smoke out of its nostrils as black as coal. Once they found its face, Spike put his fingers to his lips and let out a loud whistle.

“Hey! Gigantic monstrous fire-breathing carnivore! Please chase me,” Spike called out waving his arms back and forth like he was trying to flag down a taxi in Manehattan. The dragon did not seem to notice him and continued thrashing about, gradually getting closer to Ponyville.

Spike sighed at his failure and flew downwards to get closer. Soon he was right in front of the monster’s face charging at full speed. The dragon noticed and let out a territorial growl that shook the air. Spike inhaled through his nose, filled his lungs, and held his breath in the pit of his throat as he continued to charge. Just before the dragon could lunge at him, Spike veered upwards and stalled a few feet from the dragon’s giant eyes. Spike opened his mouth, exhaled, and out of his maw burst a flash of piercing light that illuminated the entire forest in front of him for a brief second. The beast roared in pain and clutched his blinded eyes with massive claws and Spike flew back to gauge his next move.

“Good one, Spike,” Twilight shouted.

“That one’s called a ‘flare’. Let’s hope I don’t need to use the one called ‘nuke’,” he said and looked back at the dragon. The giant was glaring back at the two of them angrily and clutched its claws in fury.

“You got his attention. Move!” she called and they both separated to dodge an upward swipe from the dragon’s claws. “Get them out now!” she called back towards the others.

Applejack and Rarity sprinted forward and caught up to the three scrambling fillies. They reared around and began running with them. Rarity caught up next to Sweetie Belle and kept her gaze forward. In an blue flash of magic, she lifted her sister off of the ground and placed her firmly against her back. Applejack took the lead in front of Applejack and Scootaloo and shouted back at the two of them.

“Hop on,” she barked, and Applebloom kicked off of the ground with her back hooves and scampered on to her sister’s back. Scootaloo fluttered her little wings and quickly did the same. The two fillies bounced and jostled as Applejack continued to sprint forward next to Rarity and Sweetie Belle. The two of them ran back towards the stone path towards Ponyville to get the fillies to safety.

“They’re clear!” Spike hollered to Twilight. They both flew quickly in circles around the dragon in opposite directions. The Dragon swiped and swung with his claws, but the two fliers disoriented him and he angrily roared and stumbled about. They hovered a safe distance away as he regained his balance.

“We need something to get him away from the town. Something he would chase,” Twilight pondered.

“You mean besides us?” Spike offered.

“Something he would want more than eating ponies,” she retorted. Spike thought for a moment, and quickly realized what he would want.

“Gems. We need gems,” he said.

“Get to Rarity and see if she’s got some that would catch his attention,” she said and looked back at the dragon. The beast was looking back up at them now, much angrier than before.

“You can’t hold him off on your own,” he said worriedly.

“I can handle him, Spike. Just hurry, ” she said and looked down at the dragon. He was taking a deep breath and rearing his neck back .

“Go!” she called and pushed Spike with her hind legs. The two of them flew in opposite directions as a massive pillar of flame erupted from his mouth and flew between them. Twilight felt the heat of the flames on her skin as she dodged it carefully. Spike dove and called back to her.

“I’ll be back in 90 seconds!” he shouted and his wings kicked backwards. He blitzed forward and curled up from the ground at lightening speed, headed directly where the others were taking shelter. Twilight threw a few bolts of magic at the beast’s flank to get his attention, then soared upward and turned and weaved around more fire blasts. She made sure to keep above him so the flames would go into the sky instead of into town.

Spike was in front of Rarity’s face a half a second later.

“Rarity!”

“Guah!” she gasped.

“Do you still have gems?” he said quickly.

“Well, yes back at the boutique,” she began.

“Sorry!” Spike said and kicked off the ground and hovered just above her. He clasped his hands around her torso and lifted her up onto his shoulder in a quick jolt.

“Wha? Spike!” she said, but before she could protest any farther, they were both rocketing towards town at blistering speed. “Waaaah!!” she screamed as the air rushed past them and he weaved back and forth between the buildings. As they approached Rarity’s carousel boutique, Spike took her off his shoulder and held her facing forward.

“Door!” Spike called out. Rarity, in a disoriented shock, looked forward and watched as they approached the boutique without slowing. She gasped and shut her eyes in fear before lighting her horn up and opening the door at the last second. They both flew in and Spike kicked his tail up and beat his wings forward, toppling a few manikins and slowing them to a stop almost immediately. Rarity dizzily put a hoof to her head and groaned.

“Where are the gems?” Spike asked frantically but as softly as he could given the circumstances. Rarity shook her head to snap herself back to her senses and pointed towards the chest behind the counter. She floated a key from behind her mane and used it to open it up. Spike jumped to the chest to see what he could find.

A decent sized emerald, a few rubies, a hoofull of turquoise crumbs, and a fair number of diamonds as well. The whole collection was enough to make a dragon like Spike to salivate, but would not be enough for a full grown greed-sick monster.

“Take this,” she said and thrusted something shiny into his claws. Spike looked down and his eyes immediately went wide.

“Where did you get . . . are you sure about this?” he asked hesitantly.

“Just get going!” she barked and threw one of her hoof sewn duffle bags at him.

“Right!” he said and turned the crate of gems on end and poured them all inside the bag, adding the last gem on the top. He threw it over his shoulder and picked his wings back up again and vaulted towards the door. Rarity watched him take off towards the edge of the forest again and shouted to him as he disappeared.

“And warn me next time you do that!” she called out, before galloping after him.

Spike sprinted upwards above the rooftops and flashed past the edge of town towards the forest. She saw the dragon throwing balls of fire into the air followed by flashes of violet magic. He saw Twilight using her teleportation to dodge the blasts and skillfully zapping herself from side to side. It was almost like she was toying with the monster.

“I got it!” Spike shouted and flew as fast as he could with the bag on his shoulder. Twilight turned and saw him fast approaching, but failed to see the dragon lunging forward with his teeth bared. “Look out!” Spike called out. Twilight felt a warm ball of fire approach her from behind, so lit her magic up as quick as she could and teleported to the only place she could see, right in front of Spike.

“Woah--oomf!” he grunted as they collided in the middle of the air and began tumbling downward. The bag of gems flew off of his shoulder and tumbled to the ground below. They both spread their wings again and began flying down towards the tumbling sack. The bag collided with the ground with the sound of jangling gems inside. Spike and Twilight were nearly there when the raving dragon took a large breath and snarled angrily at them.

“Get the bag!” Twilight shouted and vered towards the dragon just before hitting the ground. Spike landed quickly and grabbed it before looking up. The dragon lurched forward and shouted a mighty roar and spat flames right towards them. Twilight’s horn lit up once again, but this time she did not teleport. The flames were nearly upon her when they stopped just short and struck a purple barrier of magic. The flames danced away from the wall of magic and poured out in all directions. The stream of flames did not end as the dragon continued to rain fire down upon them. Twilight grunted as sweat began to drip from her head.

“Twilight!” Spike called out. She heaved and grunted as the dragon pushed against her magic harder and harder. Spike quickly threw his hand in the bag and found the gem he had thrown in last. He kicked off the ground and flew up above the wall of magic where the flames were pouring out. keeping a firm hold on the bag, he dove forward into raving flames towards the shouting dragon.

“Spike!” Twilight called, but did not let her barrier waver.

Spike popped out the other side of the flames right in front of the dragon’s face again. He slowed to a hover and held up the gem as high as he could.

“Hey!” he called out and waved the gem in his claws back and forth. “Look at this!” he cried and the advancing dragon finally stopped spitting flames. The eyes of the beast widened and it carefully observed the item in his hand.

“You know what this is, I can tell. That’s right, this is Sprite Sapphire,” he said and let it’s magnificent blue glow shine towards the suddenly curious creature. “Bet you never saw one of these before. I have once, and I got to say, I’ve never seen anything so tasty in my life.” The dragon’s massive head swayed back and forth as Spike teased it in front of his face.

“Mmmmm,” the dragon cooed as it licked a massive tongue around its lips.

“Want it? I’ve got this and a bunch of other gems right here,” Spike taunted and dropped the gem into the bag before zipping it up. The dragon growled angrily at Spike and leered at him. Spike smirked, held the bag out towards the dragon, and released it from his grip. The bag fell towards the ground and the giant pair of eyes before Spike followed it towards the ground. But instead of hitting the ground again, the bag fell into a bright blue cannon with a ‘foom’. With the bag partially protruding out the end and filling the barrel up completely, the pink mare at the controls smiled happily and pointed it towards the mountains.

“Go get it, smokey!” Pinkie Pie and smacked her hoof down on the trigger button. The cannon strained for a moment before exploding in a fountain of confetti, streamers, and balloons. The bag shot past the dragon’s head in a blur and soared upwards towards the mountains behind them. The great beast followed the bag with hungry eyes and kicked with massive legs from the ground and began sprinting after it with thunderous footsteps. Spike continued to hover and watch as the booming of massive strides eventually calmed and vanished into the distance.

Author's Note

Whew, I really needed to break these into two chapters for the sake of pacing. Can you believe I wrote like 20 pages in one chapter? Don't worry the next one is going up right away, but I wrote this whole arc in one sitting and now I'm beat.

Let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

A Little Story

Twilight heaved a massive breath and sighed in relief. Her magic barrier was strong, no doubt, but it could not have held against such a powerful dragon for much longer. Her legs ached and her mane was stuck to her forehead in sweat. She wiped it away with the side of her hoof and looked back towards town. The ground around her was scortched to oblivion, but the town and its inhabitants remained unharmed. She could see Pinkie Pie triumphantly watching as her cannon’s payload flew into the distance. She could see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity standing near the bridge that crossed the stream between town and the forest. Beside each of them, she saw the three cutie-mark crusaders looking fearfully at the spot where the dragon use to be.

“Whew! Dragons, am I right?” Spike said as he landed beside her and gave her a foolish smile. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder with a relieved smile on her face.

“Let’s not do that again for our second date,” she said exhaustively. The three other mares along with the fillies were cantering towards them now with concern on their faces.

“Are y’all alright?” Applejack asked.

“We’re alright. Is everypony else safe?” she asked, directing her attention to the fillies.

“They’re a little shaken, but not hurt thank heavens,” Rarity said and rubbed her sister’s head affectionately.

“Where did you get that Sprite Sapphire!?” Spike asked her.

“Oh Spike, you know I have a talent for finding gems. I stumbled upon it when I was on vacation looking for emeralds near Baltimare. I saw the one Princess Luna gave you and thought it would make my next work my masterpiece. I’d been saving it for some divine inspiration . . .” she said and looked towards the mountains with a frown.

“That was no ordinary gem. It’s the sapphire equivalent of a fire ruby, and they’re super rare. I’m so sorry we had to launch it away like that,” Twilight consoled her.

“As long as everypony is safe, then it was worth every gem in Equestria,” Rarity reassured her and nuzzled her sister with her nose.

“Why on earth was he chasing you anyway?” Spike asked the girls loudly. The three of them shivered together a little and looked around at the grown ups who were all waiting for them to answer. Twilight stepped forward, bent her knees and laid herself down on the ground, looking at them at eye level.

“It’s alright girls. You can tell us. We’re really glad you’re safe,” she said with a nurturing smile. Sweetie Belle stepped forwards and frowned before softly speaking.

“We weren’t trying to get anypony in danger,” she said slowly.

“We wanted to help!” Scootaloo chimed in.

“We didn’t think this would happen, we’re sorry,” Applebloom said in shame.

“It’s alright, my little ponies. Please, just start from the beginning,” she cooed and the others stepped in a little to hear better.

“Well . . .”

The three fillies happily trotted towards town hall, eager to see their favorite princess. Sweetie Belle hummed a tune to herself, carrying a saddlebag with two of her favorite books inside; her copy of the first Harry Trotterand a novel called Mane in Manhattan. She was accompanied by Applebloom, who was thinking of possible ways a book-drive might get them cutie marks, and Scootaloo, who was waving at Princess Twilight ahead of them.

“Hi girls!” Twilight greeted them as they approached.

“Hi Princess Twilight!” Scootaloo said. “Is the book drive going well?”

“I’d say so. We’ve almost got more books than we can handle already,” she replied.

“Well do you have room for two more?” Sweetie Belle said and motioned towards her bag. She lit her horn up and tried her best to lift the books out of the bag using her magic. She strained and grunted as they slowly levitated upward. The books changed auras from light green to violet as Twilight floated them towards her.

“Well done, Sweetie Belle! And thank you very much. Are you girls going to enjoy the festivities with Pinkie Pie?”

“Maybe later,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “We’ve got some crusadin’ to do.” With that, the three girls walked away and bid the Princess goodbye.

“Alright, thank you very much!” Twilight said with a smile and turned towards Spike behind her. “Spike? Two more right here,” she called out.

The girls looked over towards Spike and Scootaloo beckoned the other two to follow her. They walked around the cart that was quickly filling up with books and sat down on the other side. They each hid behind a wheel and looked over towards Spike and eyed him up and down.

“Isn’t it so cool that we have a dragon as a friend?” Scootaloo said in a hushed tone.

“But Spike has always been our friend,” Sweetie Belle protested.

“I know. I mean a big grown up dragon!”

“It is pretty amazin’ what Spike has grown into. It’s kinda like he’s found his cutie mark, only since he’s a dragon, he’s gotten bigger instead of gettin’ a picture of something on his hind-quarters,” Apple Bloom observed.

“If Spike was a colt instead, what do you think his cutie mark would be?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Shhh wait, listen a sec,” Scootaloo hushed and turned towards Spike who was discussing something with Twilight. The fillies listened as the two of them talked a few feet away.

“It will be hard to find the last bits, and we may need to make some compromises . . .” Twilight said.

“Hear that? Sounds like they need more bits for the library,” Scootaloo said.

“Oh, I wish we could find some extremely rich pony and ask him to donate,” Apple Bloom suggested and bit her bottom lip. “Y’all know any rich someponies?”

The others shook their heads and slumped down with a frown. Each of them wanted to help, but knew that there was little three fillies could do. Just then, Sweetie Belle piped up and smiled.

“Ooh, I know!” She said and excitedly raised a hoof in the air like she was answering a question in class. Without realizing where she was, her hoof collided with the brake holding the crate in place and knocked it upward. The trolley started to roll very slowly towards Spike and Twilight and the three fillies panicked.

“Push it back! Push it Back!” Scootaloo hissed quietly.

“I can’t reach!” Apple Bloom said. Sweetie Belle was trying to use her magic to lower the brake again when she saw Apple Bloom’s brother coming towards the cart.

“Let’s go!” she whispered and the three of them dashed towards the catering table and hid inside a bush behind where Applejack was serving food. The looked back and saw Big Macintosh placing a stone underneath the wheel of the trolley to make sure it did not roll again.

“Whew,” Scootaloo said. “What’s the big idea, Sweetie Belle? Getting in trouble won’t help the library,” she said flatly.

“Sorry. I just had an idea. We don’t know any rich ponies right?” she said and the two others nodded. “But we do know a dragon. Dragon’s have entire hoards of bits and jewels!”

“If Spike had a hoard big enough to pay for the library, don’t you think he would have donated it already?” Apple Bloom countered. Sweetie Belle sat on her flank and pondered for another second.

“What if we go ask a different dragon?” Scootaloo said.

“What? Are you crazy or somethin?” Apple Bloom scolded.

“Why not? I mean, Spike’s a dragon, and he’s totally harmless. I know he’s not like most dragons. But really, how different could he be at heart? I bet most dragons are actually tamer than we think. Maybe if we explain that it’s a donation to help the library . . .” Scootaloo started.

“But dragons don’t like givin’ their stuff away,” Apple Bloom interjected.

“So what if we give it something in return?” Sweetie Belle said. “Then it wouldn’t be losing anything.”

“But what could a dragon want that would be worth so many bits?” Scootaloo asked. The three of them thought it over and each let out an audible ‘hmmmm’.

“Oh wait, I got it!” Apple Bloom chirped and promptly vanished. She returned a split-second later with three trays of apple pie that were still steamy and warm.

“Aren’t those for the book drive?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“If we’re using them to help fund the library, I don’t think anypony will mind,” Apple Bloom answered.

“Forget that, do you really think a dragon is going to trade us any bits for apple pies?” Scootaloo said as if pointing out the absurdity of the idea.

“I know Spike absolutely loves these pies, so we know dragons like ‘em. But I bet you that other dragons never get to eat apple pie. It might be the first time it’s ever had one! But dragons have got tons of coins and gems. If you want something bad enough, but there isn’t much of it around, you’re willing to pay more for it. It’s basic ecotronics,” she said doing her best impression of Granny Smith.

“I’ll bet he’ll pay so much that we could afford the biggest library in Equestria!” Sweetie Bell said excitedly.

“Well, okay then. Never thought I’d say this but, lets go find a dragon!” Scootaloo said and picked up one of the pies with her teeth. The two others did the same and began trotting off towards the edge of town.

Nearly an hour and a half later, the three of them were deep in the Everfree forest near the edge of one of the tall mountains that lined the side of their valley. Sweetie Belle’s excitement died down into fatigue and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked up and down the mountainside for any signs of a cave.

“Darn it,” Scootaloo said after laying her pie down. “I was so sure I saw a dragon sized cave last time I went to Zecora’s. The dragon migration was last week, so there’s gotta be some around here somewhere.”

As if on cue, a low but thunderous snore came from behind her. Sure enough, a cave that was as tall as town hall lined the side of the mountain. The low hum of breathing from whatever was inside continued to emanate from the mouth of the cave and the three fillies huddled together.

“Let’s just take a quick look,” Apple Bloom suggested and ventured inside carefully. She immediately noticed the walls were glowing with the reflected light from the jewels inside. The layer of gold and gems covered the entire floor, and a mountain of treasure sat in the middle of the cave. At the base of that mountain of gold laid a bright blue dragon’s head that sat quietly with it’s eyes closed. It was nearly the size of a train car and light puffs of smoke trailed out of its nostrils with every breath. Applebloom looked back at the two of them and took a deep courageous breath.

“Just pretend it’s Spike,” she said, and walked forward towards the sleeping giant. The girls laid down their apple pies and stood side by side as Apple Bloom got its attention.

“Ahem,” she said loudly. The beast stirred, but did not wake. “Ahem!” she cleared her throat again and this time the beast’s eyes lightly fluttered open. The bright red irises dilated as it found the girls and fixated on them.

“Good afternoon, sir or madam. My name is Apple Bloom and we are raising money for the Ponyville Library. We would like to offer you some of our most prized pies straight from the town of Ponyville,” she said and gestured to the deserts in front of them.

“I’m sure you’ve never tried pies like these before,” Scootaloo cued in.

“All the proceeds will go to rebuilding the library in town!” Sweetie Belle said nervously.

“So, if you’d like to buy any or all of these pies, we’d be happy to accept any kind of donation you can offer. If you have any bits to spare, we would greatly appreciate your help,” Apple Bloom said.

On the word ‘bits’, the dragon’s eyes flew open and the lips lining the dangerous fangs tightened into a grimace. The beast began to lift its head up and leer at the three fillies angrily.

“Um . . .” Scootaloo said as the beast’s head rose above them. “We understand if you’re not interested,” she offered. The dragon’s body stood up and the entire creature towered over them like a Manehattan skyscraper. The three of them sat back wide-eyed at the sight in front of them and slowly began to back track. The dragon lurched forward and angrily let out a deafening roar at the three fillies. A giant foot with five malicious claws descended upon them and crashed down on the pies in front of them and shook the ground.

“He’s not interested! He’s not interested!” Scootaloo cried out and bolted for the entrance of the cave.

“Run!” Sweetie Belle called out and all three ponies sprinted towards the forest. The giant beast was on their trail immediately and stomped with massive feet and claws.

“We’ll lose’em in the trees!” Apple Bloom shouted. A set of claws came down and nearly caught her tail. She dove to the side and the three fillies scattered into the trees and continued running towards town.

“Somepony do something!” Scootaloo cried out as the beast continued to thrash at them. She began to flutter her wings as hard as she could to keep up with the other two.

“Ahh!” Apple Bloom bellowed as a swipe from the dragon’s claws cut down the tops of the trees above her. She and Sweetie Bell continued to cry out as they duck, dove, and dodged through the woods towards town.

“Help!” Sweetie bell called out before finally breaching the edge of the woods and seeing Ponyville in the distance . . .

“. . . and . . . well, you know the rest,” Applebloom finished and sat quietly, still balancing fright from the previous incident and sorrow for putting herself and her friends in danger. Not to mention the rest of Ponyville.

Twilight blinked. The story was told from start to finish but part of her could not really believe that the fillies would be so bold. She looked up at Spike, who was equally stunned, not just by their poor decision but also by their sheer guts. Rarity snuggled up to her sister, clearly thankful that she had not been eaten. Applejack, however, was beside herself.

“Of all the . . . you fillies have had crazy ideas in the past, but wakin’ up a full-grown dragon? That’s beyond crazy! That’s just plain . . . I don’t even have a metaphor here! What in Equestria were you thinkin?” She said loudly. Apple Bloom mashed her eyes closed and sniffled a little as tears began to creep into her eyes.

“I’m . . . we’re sorry,” she nearly choked. The other two were choking back their own sobs as well as they looked at the grown ponies around them. Spike looked at them and his heart broke just the slightest bit. Not because the girls were hurting, but because he saw so much of himself in each of them in that moment. The little baby dragon who walked on his back two feet, rode on Twilight’s back, and blew letters to Princess Celestia, was right in front of him, more ashamed than ever. He looked over to Twilight, who was still a little wordless, and stepped forward to join her on the ground.

“Girls,” he began and looked at them in the eye. “It’s allright, okay? Don’t be so down on yourselves. Come here,” he said and beckoned them towards him. They each walked a little closer to him and wiped their eyes and listened closely.

“Let me tell you a little story. Once, there was a little dragon named Spike, who thought his best friend didn’t love him anymore. He packed up his things and headed into the Everfree forest in search of a new home. He stumbled upon a cave in the forest that was filled to the brim with gems and gold. After snacking on them for some time, a giant dragon appeared. ‘Why are you eating my gems?’ he said. He tried to reason with him, tried to get him to understand since they were both dragons, but the bigger dragon would not listen. He tried to burn little Spike to a crisp. If his best friend hadn’t been there to come save him . . .” he said and placed one of his hands on Twilight’s hoof affectionately. “. . . He was so sorry for ever putting her life in danger. I can see in your eyes that you feel the same way right now. And I’m not mad, not at all. How could I be when I’ve done something just as reckless? I’m just so happy that you’re not hurt. Trust me, that matters much more than whatever it is you did.”

“We just thought, since you’re a dragon . . .” Sweetie Belle said sniffled again.

“Let me tell you what dragon’s greed is like. Have you ever had so much fun that you forgot what time it was?” he asked them, and they each nodded. “Greed for dragons is a lot like that. But instead of forgetting time, you forget about everypony else important in your life. You get so swept away in the thrill of grabbing another thing for yourself that who you took it from simply escapes your mind. You just forget that you should be nice, that you’re friends, or that you love somepony. The thought of losing a single coin triggered that dragon’s greed, and he was defending his hoard. I know your hearts were in the right place, but other dragons can’t see that. I need you to understand this now: I’m the only dragon like me in the world,” he finished and smiled at the three of them. “Lucky me, right?”

The three little ponies smiled at him and each apologized to him one more time. He smiled and offered them each a quick hug to ease their sobs. Before long, they were each feeling much better and headed home.

The two older sisters of the bunch carried them home while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy saw Scootaloo home safe. Twilight spent the next few minutes discussing the events with the mayor while Spike looked over the rest of the book-drive supplies that still needed cleaning up. He looked up at the clock tower and noticed it was nearly 5 o’clock. He sighed and rolled his eyes at his luck. Just when I’m about to finally get a date with Twilight, another dragon has to come and ruin it, he thought.

“What’s that look for?” he heard Twilight say from behind him.

“I’m just sorry that the craziness ruined our date night,” he said and frowned.

“Why do you say it’s ruined? We’re still going to dinner, right?” she asked.

“Really? You’re not too beat up after fighting a hundred foot dragon and saving Ponyville? Both of which you’ve done before, I might add,” he said.

“Are you?” she asked back. That made him smile.

“No way! That was good workout, but I’m ready to kick back and have a nice relaxing dinner,” he reassured her.

“Good, me too. But we should get back to the castle to wash up first,” she said and wiped a hoof along the scales on his chest. He looked down at her hoof and noticed that it was covered in soot. His scales were mostly charred and crispy from being put through dragonfire, so he was hardly his most hygienic.

“You’re definitely right about that. May I walk you home, your highness?” he said with a grand bow and a cheeky smile. While he spoke as if she was a regal princess, she was sweaty and ruffled nearly beyond recognition. She laughed and bowed back.

“You may, kind sir,” she said before beginning to walk home with him. They strode quietly along the path to the castle for sometime before Twilight spoke up again.

“Hey Spike?” she asked.

“Mmm?”

“I know you’re not used to being bigger than the girls, but I think you said exactly what they needed to hear,” she complimented him. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks Twilight, but I wasn’t trying to be a good guide to them. I said that because when I was still a baby dragon, I wish I had known that too,” he said and looked over his shoulder at the three fillies being escorted home. Somewhere deep in his mind, Spike couldn’t shake the feeling like he wanted to be as kind and brave as they were someday.

Author's Note

When I was a kid, I almost had my hand chewed off by a pitbull because I had it in my head that 'if my own dog is nice, that must mean all dogs are nice.'

That's the kind of lesson that I wanted to impart on the CMCs and I hope I was able to do so keeping everyone in character.

Let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Arty Heart's

Spike reached up behind his head and preened his spines for the billionth time. His reflection stared back at him with every possible expression, say for confidence. No matter how many times he wanted to leave the washroom, he continuously found some microscopic detail that could be fixed. A scale was out of place on his neck, and his overly-rehearsed smile was beginning to make his cheeks sore with no signs of improving. He quickly took a swig of mouthwash and shook his head back and forth, trying his best to shake the jitters.

“Dinner at Arty Heart’s. Nothing new, nothing to get so nervous about,” he said to himself after spitting the mouthwash out. Thankfully his reflection did not reply. He sighed and exited the bathroom with a nervous sping in his step. He made his way over to his bed, above which his clothing bag from Rarity hung. He walked over to it and reared up on his hind legs, reaching up and unzipping the black canvas cover. What he saw took him by surprise.

“A little something extra? Jeeze Rarity,” Spike babbled as he looked his clothes over. Along with the very nicely crafted shirt and belt he asked for, Rarity saw fit to throw in an entire suit jacket for him as well. It was a light grey color with smooth and flexible fabric. A dark violet neck tie lined the shirt as well, clipped in at the chest to keep it from swaying. Spike eagerly took it down from the hanger and threw the shirt and jacket on. He ran back into the bathroom and finished buttoning himself up staring at his reflection.

“Hmm,” he pondered aloud. “Not bad.” The suit fit him perfectly, accenting his tall shoulders and slender figure without making him look too thin. The whole ensemble was way out of Spike’s pay grade, he guessed, and much more of a gift than Spike was expecting. He looked cool, and it was the first time he ever used that expression to describe himself. At least, not since Twilight’s mustache spell.

He looked at the clock by his bed and noticed that they only had a few minutes to leave for the restaurant. He excitedly walked down the steps from his loft and exited the library to wait by the door. He looked from the main entrance down the corridor towards Twilight’s room, and patiently waited for her to emerge.

“Spike? You almost ready?” he heard from the door behind him. Spike’s face twisted in confusion and turned towards the main door of the castle. He quickly opened the door and peeked his head outside.

“Sorry Twilight! I was waiting for you inside. I thought you were still . . .” he began, and lost his train of thought. If he had been holding something, he would have dropped it. Twilight was in a pale blue dress that drifted down her shoulders and across her backside. Her mane was smooth and wavy and tied back behind her head. She was wearing a simple thin necklace that rested snug against her neckline. It was a much more casual dress than her gala dress or coronation gown, but for some reason she was more beautiful then Spike had ever seen her. That was despite her hoof being planted on her face.

“So we have been just standing here for the past few minutes?” she said with a groan. Her expression quickly jumped as she noticed what Spike was wearing. Her blush grew before she could even put her hoof back down. The dragon cleared his throat and walked down the steps to join her.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Are you ready?” he asked and fought back a blush of his own.

“Do I look ready?” she asked sincerely.

“You look beautiful,” he responded, and thanked his lucky stars that she replied with a smile.

“Well look at you Mr. suit and tie! I’ll need to add ‘thank Rarity’ to the checklist for tomorrow because you look quite handsome,” she complimented.

“To be honest, I just wanted a shirt. She threw in the rest herself. So I’ll need to thank her too,” he said and smiled. “Shall we?”

“Hold on,” she said and floated a small spiral notebook from her pocket along with a miniature quill. She crossed a few lines off from the first few rows and gently placed it back in her dress. Spike sighed.

“A checklist? Why am I not surprised,” he said and gave a hopeless smile. She began walking and he happily followed.

“Well, neither of us have been on a date before, so I did a little research. This way I know exactly what to do,” she said and confidently placed the notebook back in her pocket.

“So what’s next on the list?” Spike asked curiously.

“Walking to dinner and exchanging passing glances at each other with only minimal eye-contact. Then, once we get seated, I’ll immediately excuse myself to the restroom to re-prune my mane. Then we’ll eat quickly, but not too quickly, and then we’ll ‘get lost in the wondrous abyss of each other’s eyes’. Finally, we’ll end the night with you walking me home and, if the date was enjoyable, giving you the ‘hints’ to lean in for a quick kiss. Anything more than a polite peck is too much and means my partner is rushing things and is evidence for a bad relationship.” She was reciting the information like she was listing ingredients to an apple salad.

“What books have you been reading?!” Spike said with a loud chuckle. He held in a snort as she scoffed at him.

“I . . . well the books I was reading seemed a little dated, so I picked up a magazine with some first-date tips,” she said defensively.

“Oh please tell me you did not read Cosmoponyton Magazine,” he said and nearly choked on his own laughter.

“What? Isn’t that where everypony learns how to go on a date these days?”

“Oh my Celestia, that is hilarious!” he cackled and she groaned in response.

“Ok then, Spike. If you’re such an expert on dating, then why don’t you tell me what we’re supposed to do?” she challenged and shot a coy smile in his direction. He continued to laugh for a second before stopping and holding out an open hand.

“Give me that checklist,” he said and waved his hand towards himself. She rolled her eyes and lifted the book out of her pocket again and floated it to his claws. He flipped through, the first few pages, which were all crossed out already. He found the parts that they haven’t completed yet and swallowed a few more chuckles. After reading the length of the checklist, he took the pages in his hand and tore them out of the notebook in one rip. He crumpled the list in his claws and blew a green torch of flames at his open palm, incinerating the pages and casting their ashes to the wind.

“Spike!” she protested, but Spike was not listening. Instead, he was furiously scribbling something down on a blank page and quickly closed the book and handed it back over to her.

“Here,” he said and began walking again with a goofy smile on his face. She followed and flipped through a few pages, looking for what he wrote down. After looking through the torn section, she found one page with a few words hastily jotted down.

Checklist for Twilight and Spike’s first date:

Have fun

She looked up at him and tucked the book away. He was still giggling as he remembered a few of the items on the checklist he just burned up. Normally she would be angry with him for burning pages of a perfectly good checklist, but she had to admit he had a point. No need to overthink it when they’re already in love. Spike seemed to notice her glare and smiled at her.

“What?” he said, “I’m having fun. How about you?”

That dragon’s cheeky smile was enough for her to spill her own chuckle into the evening air.

“Yes,” she said honestly and laughed again as they walked through town.

“Right this way,” the hostess beckoned, and they followed the bright blue mare through the tables. A few ponies occupied each table. Some were discussing business, others were enjoying the company of visiting friends. Their chatter filled up the restaurant in comforting ambience, and the entire room was lit comfortably dim. The hostess led them down the end of the restaurant to a small booth table by the window. They each sat on one side and thanked the hostess before picking up their menus.

“Also add ‘Thank Applejack’ to the checklist too. This place is amazing,” Twilight remarked.

“Yeah, it’s . . . wait, have you never been here before?” Spike asked.

“No, actually. I hear the food is great though,” she said, then cocked her head. “Wait, have you been here before?”

“Uh-huh,” he nodded.

“When? And with whom?” she asked in surprise.

“Oh, I bring my other marefriends here from time to time,” he said with a smirk. She smirked back at his sarcasm and narrowed her eyes.

“Does that make me a side-mare?” she asked.

“You’re side-mare number one, if that makes you feel better,” he said and continued to skim through his menu.

“How flattering, I’m honored,” she countered, which made him laugh loudly enough to get a glance from a pony sitting two tables away.

“No, I really came here for lunch once with Rarity and Fluttershy. I was helping her out in the boutique and she asked me to come along their lunch-date, which was nice of her,” he noted and put the menu down.

“That probably made you go nuts at the time,” she pondered. Spike simply stared at his menu blankly in response.

“Yeah,” he muttered. Twilight realized she must have hit a soft spot, and immediately lightened her gaze.

“I’m sorry Spike. I forgot that you used to have a crush on her,” she confessed. “It must have been hard for you,” she said. That made Spike pick his head back up.

“What do you mean? ” he asked.

“I mean having Rarity turn you down,” she suggested timidly.

“She never turned me down,” Spike said with a scoff.

“Wait really? So what happened?” she asked and dropped her own menu. Spike put his claws in the air as if surrendering.

“Nothing! Why?”

“Well . . . I had always assumed that the reason you were interested in me was because things did not work out with Rarity,” she said in a hushed tone. The gears in Spike’s head finally clicked and he smiled at her.

“Twilight, I never confessed my feelings to her because they weren’t like what I felt for you.”

“What are you talking about? You were crazy about her! There were days where I could not get you to shut up about her,” she recalled.

“There are days when you can’t get me to shut up about comics too,” he countered.

“So what kept you from saying anything?” she asked, a little in disbelief.

“Twilight, I fell in love with you, and not because you were my second choice. The fact is, you were always my first. It just took a while for me to wake up and see it.”

At that moment, their waiter snuck up on the two of them and made them both jump.

“What can I get for you two this evening?” the waiter said graciously. Twilight scrambled for a moment and then looked over her menu again.

“Uhm, sorry I will . . . I will have the garden lasagna with a fruit salad,” she said politely. The waiter nodded and turned to Spike.

“I’ll have the tuna steak, and burn it to a crisp please,” he said.

“Freshly seared meat for the dragon, right away sir,” the waiter said, and then bowed before leaving them alone again. Twilight scowled at the waiter’s remark and turned to see Spike smiling at her.

“I’m sorry I brought that up,” she began again. “But I’m glad you never got your heart broken.”

“And I’m sorry you thought you were my ‘silver medal’. If I got you a gold trophy with ‘Spike’s #1 Marefriend Choice’ engraved on it, would that make you feel better?” he said with a smile, which made her laugh a little.

“Just have it say ‘Side-Mare #1,’ and I’ll be happy,” she said with another laugh and Spike tried to muffle his giggle, which came out in a hiss.

They continued to banter and talk as the night continued on. The sun was already down by the time their meals arrived. Spike had to resist the urge to tear the seared meat apart with his teeth. He remained polite and tempered as he slowly savored his food, listening closely as she continued to talk about her latest research. They were nearly done when the waiter emerged once more, this time with an empty tray cart in tow.

“How is everything this evening?” he asked and giving them both a polite smile.

“Beautiful,” Spike complimented and pushed his plate towards the end of the table. The waiter scooped it up before giving Twilight an expecting look.

“I’m still working on this,” she said, and the waiter excused himself with a nod. Spike sat quietly, watching her poke the remains of her food around with her fork. The candle on the table between them cast a warming glow about her face, and her usually bright shade of purple was now a dark violet. Just then he noticed her shiver slightly, snapping him out of his daydream.

“You cold?” he asked.

“Maybe a little,” she confessed. “Fancy places always keep it very cold inside for some reason. I’m fine though.” Spike sighed and got up from the table. Twilight eyed him curiously as he shuffled out from the booth and walked to her side. She looked at him in confusion, which made him smile. He waved a hand at her as if shooing a child to bed.

“Scooch,” he said and shuffled his way in. He squeezed into the soft felt seat beside her and sat down so that his shoulders were inches away from her. She looked up at him sweetly, before she noticed how satisfying his warmth felt to her. His fire-filled chest radiated pleasantly onto her shoulder and she shuffled closer. She gently pressed herself against his form and immediately started feeling much more comfortable.

“Are you sure this isn’t too conspicuous?” she said in a hushed tone.

“We said we were just going to let pony’s figure it out, right? Besides, what’s the point of loving a fire-breather if you can’t take advantage of it from time to time?” He said.

“Mmmm, you’re right,” she said and rested her head against his shoulder comfortably. With her belly full and her fur so warm, she wanted to sit there until she fell asleep. Then she remembered something that was bothering her, and looked back up at Spike.

“Hey, Spike? Do you think my family will be okay with this? With us, I mean.” she clarified.

“Uhmm,” Spike stumbled, a little nervous about the question. “I think so? I mean, it might be a bit odd with me being a dragon. But I know they love you, and want to see you happy. If you can convince them that I make you happy, then I think we’ll be fine,” he reassured her. She smiled at him, but then picked her head up as she watched his face contort into worry and panic.

“Oh crapples,” he quietly cursed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shining Armor. What if he doesn’t think I’m good enough? What if he gets all ‘protective brother-y’? He’s a super powerful unicorn trained in combat who could totally turn me into a newt! What if he squashes me? I don’t wanna die right now, I just molted yesterday!”

“Hey hey, Spike. Calm down, okay? Shining Armor is not squashing you. He’s terrible at transfiguration spells anyway,” she shrugged him off.

“Oh, right, because he spends all his time learning how to demolish evil demons and such! Look at these teeth, Twilight! And the eyes and claws and stuff? I’d look perfect above his fireplace,” he babbled and shrank down a little in his seat. His eyes were wide and trembling as he imagined what it would be like to be killed, stuffed, and hung like a trophy. Twilight rolled her eyes and lightly clopped a hoof down on his head to shake him out of his panic.

“No one is getting squashed or stuffed, and you’re not a demon. This is Shining Armor we’re talking about, remember? You’ve known him for so long he’s practically your brother too. I’m positive he’ll be happy for us. Just like you said, right?” she said attempting to corral him. He still looked a little shaky but he still managed to nod to her, albeit timidly.

“If it really does bother you that much, then why don’t we go see them?”

“You mean go to the Crystal Empire?” he asked.

“Why not? Cadence is due any day now. I was planning on being there to see their foal as soon as it was born anyway, so why don’t you and I head down there and visit? We could call it a royal summoning officially, but we’ll really be down there to talk everything over. We could take the train tomorrow afternoon and get there by the next morning. Does that sound okay?” she suggested. Another wave of fresh dread splashed on Spike’s face, but he quickly sighed and shrugged it off.

“Sure. I guess they deserve to learn the truth straight from us. But should it really be just us two?”

“I think so. Everypony else has got their own lives to worry about, and I wouldn’t want to drag them away unless it was an emergency, which is bound to happen eventually considering our record.”

That last comment made him chuckle, breaking his fearful grimace for the first time since he first mentioned her brother. She took comfort in seeing him lighten up as he raised his head back up and sat comfortably next to her. She resumed her position beside him, resting her head against his warm figure. He turned his head to the side and rested his chin atop her head just behind her horn. The two of them sat quietly enjoying each other’s company.

“Hey Spike?” Twilight started.

Before he could respond, a bright flash of white light sparked from the window. Despite having his eyes closed, Spike’s eyes still held a bit of after-image from the light in the shape of the window beside them. They both shot up and stared expectantly out the window for more signs of movement, but none came. After a second of processing, Spike realized what had just happened.

“Did you see anypony?” he asked.

“No. Do you think that was a camera?” she replied.

Spike didn’t answer. He couldn’t know for sure, but that was the only explanation that made sense. Here he was enjoying his first date in the comfort of Twilight’s presence, and somepony sneaks a photo. It took him all of 3 seconds to regret the decision of letting everypony else figure it out for themselves.

Author's Note

Sorry this has taken so long. I really do want to tie this story together nicely, but it's hard to put an end to something you enjoy so much.

I can't thank everyone enough for your comments and readership. Both this and 'The Dragon Sage' have both gotten much more attention then I was expecting, so thank you all so much. Please, let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Everypony Talks Big

Spike woke up with a jolt as the train bumped and swayed around a bend. The morning air whipped around the window next to his bunk with a soft howl. Through squinting eyes, he could see mountain peaks lining the horizon. He yawned and stretched his arms forward, curling his talons around the bed frame. A gentle rumble reminded him that they were still on their way to the Crystal Empire and likely almost there. He meandered out of his bed and made his way up a few cars to the dining car. He slipped quietly through another sleeper car still full of sleeping ponies before finding his way to the front. In the dining car, a warm aroma of coffee, eggs, and toast caressed his nose. He soon noticed Twilight sitting at a booth by the window and joined her.

“Good morning,” he said with another yawn.

“Morning Spike,” she said looking over a piece of parchment. “Sleep well?”

“Like a foal. What’s that you’re looking over?”

“Just some notes on foalbearing that I packed with me. I want to know what to expect, and to see if there is anything I can do to help,” she explained.

“It’s strange to think that Cadence and Shining will be parents soon.” Twilight put a hoof to her lips and quietly hushed him.

“We need to be as discreet as possible Spike, remember?”

“Right. Do you think anything bad might happen?” he said cautiously.

“According to Shining’s letters, no threats have been made and there’s no sign of trouble yet, but this will be the first royal birth since Cadence’s.”

“Did something go wrong then? Is that why they’re so nervous?” he asked.

“No nothing went wrong, but they did keep it a secret until she was born. Perhaps it’s tradition?”

Spike shrugged and looked out the window again. This time, he noticed the shining tower of the Crystal Palace rising up out of the distance. They would likely arrive within the hour, so he decided to grab some breakfast while he still could. After grabbing some toast and sprinkling it with some crumbled gemstones he had packed for such a treat, he sat back down watched as the train rolled closer to the Crystal Empire.

This was the first time Spike had been to the Crystal Empire since he had grown. The last time he was there, he was still being welcomed as a hero for helping defeat King Sombra. Though, in retrospect, Spike considered his part to be little more than tripping and getting lucky. Had he faced the same challenge now, he would have been much more confident and capable. Still, he could not deny it was nice to have fans. What pony in their right mind wouldn’t like to be commended from strangers? But he was here to help Princess Cadence and Twilight, not engage in fanfare.

The train began to slow and sputter to a stop at the station. Spike and Twilight grabbed their things and stepped onto the platform as the train hissed and spat steam. Normally, Spike would be on luggage duty for everypony, but for this first time it was just him and Twilight, and they packed light. They both had saddlebags around their flanks and wandered around the station. Two sparkling guardponies dressed in crystal armor spotted them and dutifully bowed at Twilight.

“Your highness,” they both said. They noticed Spike immediately after and both looked quite surprised.

“Um, Spike the Brave and Glorious?” one of them asked.

“That’s me!” he said with a smile. “Got a little bigger since I was last here. Cool right?” he said. The two guardponies smartly saluted Spike and bowed as well.

“If you will follow us, we will guide you to the palace. Captain Armor is waiting for you,” the larger one said. They both turned and led Spike and Twilight out of the station and into the outskirts of the city. The crystal empire looked just as clean and bright as usual. The ponies that lined the streets all glimmered in the sunlight. Their homes and buildings were all variations of red, blue, and purple. The gigantic tower in the center stood like a spear piercing the sky. As they approached, Twilight pointed a few things out.

“I can see the stadium from the Equestria Games way back there. And oh! There’s the giant library! Do you think we’ll have time to browse a little?” she asked excitedly.

“Royal stuff first, remember? We’re here on a very important diplomatic . . . thing,” Spike reminded her, trying very hard to sound official for the guards and ponies around them.

“Of course, of course,” she waved him off. “But even a princess gets bored.” The group approached the giant white spire in the center of the city. Its grandeur was still not lost on Spike. Even though he had grown, it still made him feel tiny by comparison. Spike was so lost in observation that he didn’t see the guardponies come to an immediate hault.

“Sweet Celestia! What’s the meaning of this?” one of them demanded. They were both focused on something just off the street. Spike followed their gaze to something large and blue. He recognized the statue of himself that commemorated his bravery from years earlier. Spike squinted, noticing something odd about it this time. On the engraving below the statue, there was a large white banner hastily stuck on the side. The banner covered the words “Brave and Glorious,” replacing it with a terrible black graffiti spelling out one word:

BEAST

“We must take it down at once!” one guard pony said.

“No. We must get them to the palace first,” the other guard consoled and turned to face Twilight and Spike. “I sincerely apologize, your highness and your brave and gloriousness. That was not there earlier. We will have it mended at once.”

Spike still could not understand what it all meant. He looked at Twilight, who had her hoof on her mouth in disgust. He wanted to speak, but she shook her head to silence him and followed the guard ponies into the tower. He shot another glance back at the statue of his smaller self. The banner looked so odd, so out of place, that it resembled a scar. He still wasn’t sure of why anypony would do something like that by the time they reached the palace entrance. They made their way up the stairs, following the gaurd-ponies closely, and passing by more sentries on the way in, all of whom bowed in their presence. They passed the entrance to the main hall where a familiar white unicorn was gazing out the nearest window.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight called out and trotted towards him. Spike followed, but held back, noting a concerned look on his face. After a quick hug, he stood back and looked the two of them over.

“Hi Twily. Did you see?” he said and gestured out the window.

“The statue? Yeah, we saw that on the way in. What’s that about?” Spike asked. Shining armor’s horn glowed and he floated something over towards them.

“I think it has to do with this,” he said. It was a newspaper. A copy of the Trottingham Tribune to be precise. Underneath the paper’s logo was a large full-color photo that they both immediately recognized. Spike saw the both of them sitting side by side in the booth at Arty Heart’s. Her head was on his shoulder, and his head was on hers. They were both wearing content smiles on their faces. Had Spike seen the picture anywhere else, he would have treasured it. But below their faces were giant letters spelling out “Dragon Steals Princess’s Heart?”

Twilight’s jaw dropped and she scooped it up in her own magic and began furiously reading the article, her eyes darting back and forth violently. She gasped aloud as she read, which did nothing to ease Spike’s shock.

“It hit the shelves this morning, and it’s all the buzz right now,” Shining Armor continued.

“Oh my goodness! Trottingham is near the other side of Equestria. If this is out here, then it’ll easily be everywhere,” she shouted.

“What does it say?” Spike asked, still a little in disbelief.

“Not much more than what the picture suggests,” Shining Armor said to him. “It suggests that you two are romantically involved with each other and have been keeping it secret. Luckily, they don’t have much else. The staff at the restaurant declined to comment, which means it’s all just rumors.”

Spike and Twilight looked nervously at each other, then over to Shining Armor. He was clearly waiting for them to confirm something, and when they stayed silent his expression began to change.

“Are these rumors true?” he asked slowly. Twilight looked behind her towards the door, then around at the rest of the hall. There were no guards inside, nor anypony else for that matter. She looked up at her brother and frowned. His eyes went wide and darted between the two of them.

“That’s one of the reasons were here, Shining Armor. We wanted to tell you in person, but it looks like the tabloids got to you first,” she confessed. Spike was also frowning, not in disappointment but in anxious fear, hoping with every scale on his body that he would understand. Twilighted pointed a hoof at the picture on the front page. “That was our first real date, but we’ve been together for months now,” she explained.

“What were you thinking going out in public like this, Twily?” he said with a hoof to his head. Spike’s head lowered even further, and Twilight’s eyes narrowed. She expected surprise, but that comment made her cross.

“What is that supposed to mean? Am I not allowed to have a special somepony?” she retorted.

“Well, no, but did you really expect to keep it a secret by going into a romantic restaurant and cuddling like newlyweds?” he asked.

“We weren’t trying to keep it a secret!” she said, raising her voice a little.

“What? So your plan was to just let the ponies of Equestria start rumors until eventually they got it right? You should have made an announcement,” her brother suggested. When their plan was worded that way, she realized it did sound rather foolhardy.

“Why should we have to announce something private like that?” she asked.

“Twily, I know this is something that should be kept private. But you’re a princess. Ponies talk about princesses. Unless you want them to make up some crazy stories, you have to give them the truth. Yes they’ll gossip and talk and bicker, but it will go away. They’ll find something else to talk about. But letting them start rumors will bring you attention for all the wrong reasons. Some ponies are calling it a scandal.” The purple mare’s mood immediately went from angry to scared.

“What do you mean? I know some ponies might find it odd that I’m seeing a dragon, but that doesn’t mean ponies would . . .” she trailed off, unsure of how to finish the thought.

“Trottingham is a very traditional place, Twily. There were demonstrations against pegasus and griffon couples getting married when Cadence went to Cloudsdale to show support. It eventually died down and everypony went on with their lives, but they are likely to be equally angry when a princess goes cross-species,” he explained. Twilight groaned and walked towards the center of the room with a huff.

“That will die down too though, right?” she hoped.

“It’s worse than you think. You saw what somepony wrote on Spike’s statue,” Shining Armor said.

“But it doesn’t make any sense. Last time Spike was here, he was signing autographs! He was considered a hero,” she remembered.

“And most ponies here still think so. I’m sure lots of ponies here would be ecstatic if you told them the truth. But not everypony knows that Spike is different from other dragons. Whoever put that sign up was probably alone in the act. But you’re a princess, and much like Cadence did, you’ll have a long line of suitors who will not take this news well. Perhaps they’ll even find it insulting,” the white stallion said, trying his best not to offend her or Spike.

“I don’t care for suitors, or their opinions. Besides, Spike was raised under the teachings of Celestia much like we were. He also studied under Princess Luna as well, and he’s been officially granted the title of ‘Dragon Sage’, so he’s practically nobility. If ponies are angry about him being a dragon, then all we need to do is show everypony that he is unlike all those other dragons,” she said with a hint of confidence. Her brother lowered his head and frowned at her.

“Dragons have eaten ponies before, Twily. Did you ever think of those who have lost friends or family to a dragon? What do you say to them?”

Twilight’s heart sank. She had never considered that, and it hit her like a freight train. There are ponies who have a legitimate reason to hate dragons. To them, their relationship would seem like ignorance. Perhaps even treason. That was not something she could simply ignore or wait out. She put a hoof to her head and cringed at her naivety. She wanted to look to Spike for help, which made her realize that he vanished during the conversation.

“Spike?” she said and looked around. She turned and saw the poor dragon sulking by the window. His gaze was fixed on the statue outside with a large banner on it branding him as a ‘beast’. He watched as two official-looking ponies began to tear it off of the statue, but the damage had been done. Somepony out there, maybe one, maybe many, hated him and hated his love for Twilight.

“Spike,” he heard from behind him, followed by a hoof on his shoulder. He lifted his head in surprise to find it was not Twilight, but her brother instead. “Don’t believe them. You’re still the guy who saved this place, and ponies love you for it,” the stallion consoled him.

“Not all of them,” he said looking back at the statue. All three of their heads shot up as a soft voice called out from the alabaster doors behind them.

“That’s quite enough of all that, everypony!” a voice called out. The doors were cracked open and the voice carried through lightly but loud enough for them all to hear. “Honey, bring them inside please.”

The dutiful husband followed his wife’s soft voice and led them through a set of doors leading into their chambers. The room was lit brightly and filled with various supplies for somepony to stay inside for a long haul. There was a set of shelves full of food and water, lots of blankets littered the floor, and in the corner she could see various piles of medical equipment that she remembered seeing in her book that morning. Sitting quietly on her side in the large bed was her sister in-law. Or, at least, some bloated thing that kind of resembled her sister in-law. She rested with her legs curled up and sat up smiling at the both of them. Her very large midsection looked like it was trying to pull her off of the bed.

“Cadence!” Twilight cheered and nearly forgot about the previous discussion they were having before they entered. “You look so wonderful. And big, but also wonderful! You’re due any day now, right? Are you excited?”

“Good to see you too Twilight. And of course I’m excited, and a little nervous I guess,” she said and waved at Spike as well. “Wow, Spike. You look incredible! It’s hard to believe that you were the same little Spike that saved this city.”

“Yeah. Looks like we’ve both been growing, huh?” he said, which made her giggle.

“Well I’ve been growing like a cow, but I’d say you’ve grown into a quite a dashing dragon. I can see why Twilight likes you,” she said and gave her sister in-law a wink. The jab immediately made both of their faces light up in blush and they looked down at the ground.

“So you heard?” Twilight ventured.

“How could I not hear with all your bellowing outside?” she said pointing at the door.

“Sorry honey,” Shining Armor confessed and joined her by the bed putting a hoof on hers.

“Don’t apologize to me, Shining. You owe them your apologies,” she said and nodded towards the two of them.

“Why?” Spike asked. Shining gave her a look that seemed to convey the same question. She rolled her eyes.

“They finally tell you about their relationship and all you do is berate them on their publicity? Seriously, darling, what happened to expressing our excitement like we talked about?” she asked her husband. Both Twilight and Spike gave him a confusing look.

“Oh. Right. I’m really sorry guys. The truth is, Cadence and I have been expecting this from you two for quite some time now. We joke about it all the time, in fact. I just got so used to the concept that when you told me, I was more pre-occupied with the story in the Tribune than with you guys,” he confessed and bowed his head in apology. Both Twilight and Spike reeled back a little. Spike’s wings gave a soft flutter that he could not control.

“So . . . you’re not mad about it?” he asked.

“Mad? Are you kidding? I’m ecstatic for you two!” he said with a little bounce off of his forehooves.

“Me too,” Cadence chimed in. “I can tell you can make each other very happy, and I’m glad you’ve grown so close,” he said. Spike’s shoulders slumped as he gave a heavy sigh of relief. Twilight smiled at her brother and walked towards them.

“Thank you. Both of you. That means so much, but Shining Armor has a point. We didn’t think everything through and now these pictures are everywhere. What’s worse is that ponies are talking about it now, and they’ll soon start digging around ponyville to get some more gossip,” Twilight said anxiously.

“They can’t prove anything more than what the picture shows, and you could simply be close friends sharing dinner,” Cadence consoled her. “Besides, none of this will matter once the baby arrives. After that, all anypony is going to talk about is the new prince or princess. They’ll forget about this in no time, trust me.”

“Do you think they should do something about it before the baby comes?” Shining asked.

“I'm not sure. At the very least, I want to make an official statement here in the Crystal Empire that I condemn any effort to spread hateful messages in public places,” Cadence said holding her chin up. Spike could really see how well she handled being a princess. She spoke softly enough to seem approachable but sternly enough to know that she was serious.

“I’ll get that message to the press here,” Shining said and turned to his sister and Spike. “If you are going to do something about this, you should decide soon because the baby will be here any day now. Whatever you decide, you can count on our support,” he said and nodded towards the mother-to-be. She smiled and nodded as well.

“Thanks guys,” Spike said and turned to Twilight. “What are you thinking?”

Twilight put a hoof to her chin and furrowed her brow. It was unlikely that ponies would stop gossiping even if they guarded their secret more closely. They were already seen together in the Crystal Empire on supposed royal business and that would likely fan the flames a little. Why did she have to be so foolish? If she had made an official announcement, ponies would talk but at least they would get the story straight. If only she had the rest of her friends here, she could get their advice on what to do next.

“Ugh,” she groaned. Spike frowned and tried to comfort her, but she walked back to where the paper was lying on the floor with the photo staring right at her face. “How can anypony see this and still think he’s a monster?” she wondered aloud.

“It’s such a shame. It really is a sweet picture of you two,” Cadence commented.

Spike held back and waited for Twilight to think things through. He was at a loss himself of what they should do next, and part of him felt terrible for putting her through the awful mess. After a few more moments of silence, she turned and looked at him with a sorry expression on her face.

“Spike? I think that you and I should be seen doing separate things for a little while,” she suggested weakly. Spike visibly deflated, but kept looking at her hoping to hear more. “Maybe you could tour the guard with Shining Armor here in the empire? That is something nobles do sometimes, right?”

“That’s an excellent idea, Twilight,” Cadence commended.

“Yeah. My troops here could use a little training anyway. If you were to help me whip them up into shape, they would be so honored to have you there. They would probably tell all of their friends in town what an amazing dragon you are,” Shining Armor added. Spike smiled weakly at Shining, but then looked back at Twilight.

“What will you do?” he asked her.

“Well, I don’t think I can meet with ponies in town without people bringing up the Tribune article. Maybe it’s best that I head to the library and start some research. That way I’m out in public but no one will bother me,” she said. She frowned, despite normally being so excited by the idea of a whole day researching in the Crystal Empire Library. The whole idea made sense, but it all felt very temporary. The real problem would take much more than quiet public appearances to fix. Ponies were angry, and that would take time.

“Alright,” Spike said softly. Without another word, Twilight got to her hooves and began walking back towards the door. Spike watched noticed her face seemed absent-minded as she walked away. The sight gave him a terrible knot in his stomach.

“Twily, don’t worry ok? It’ll all work out,” her brother assured her. She turned back and smiled hopefully.

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” she said and trotted out. Spike groaned and rubbed the back of his spines nervously. She was definitely worried about everything, but this time he couldn’t be there to help her. She needed to be seen without him and that meant she would need to figure it out on her own. Deep down, Spike would rather feel like a monster than feel unhelpful to Twilight.

“Spike, come here,” Cadence said from behind her. He turned and took a seat beside the princess sitting on his hind legs. “Give me your hand,” she said and held a hoof up. Spike cocked his head in confusion and timidly raised a claw up to meet her hoof. She took the scally palm and pulled it towards her mid-section and pressed Spike’s palm up against her swollen belly.

“What are you-” he started but was cut off. His eyes widened as he felt the most subtle but noticeable stirring happening beneath his hand. A small something pressed against his hand for a moment and then remained still. Spike gazed in astonishment as his hand felt a warm and oddly comforting presence in front of him.

“Wow,” he whispered. Just then, the baby kicked again and Spike’s face lit up like hearthswarming lights. He smiled and beamed at Cadence who smiled back at him. His spirits lifted and his worries dissipated, all without a word spoken.

“Feel better?” she asked.

“ . . . Yeah. Thank you,” he said and stood up again. He turned to Shining Armor who was also smiling widely at him. “So, you were saying something about guard ponies?”

As the two of them walked towards the barracks chatting about Ponyville and princesses, Twilight made her way to the library where she gazed upon the endless supply of books before her. She would try her best to find the solution in there somehow, but deep down, she thought that the real solution would need to present itself. She was not sure it was in the library at all.

Ponyville remained calm and cheery in the absence of their princess. Ponies worked and talked and chatted about daily issues. Copies of the Trottingham Tribune were found in stores, and plenty of ponies were chatting about the parts of the story they thought were true. One copy, however, was stuffed into a small saddlebag tossing back and forth as the foal carrying it ran frantically towards Sweet Apple Acres. Featherweight, the school's reporter protege, was tall for his age but his thin legs did not make him for much of a sprinter. He made his way through the trees and towards the Cutiemark Crusaders clubhouse, running up the ramp and clopping his hoof on the door.

“Hey guys!” he called out. “Are you there?”

The door opened and the three little fillies all looked at their heaving classmate with angry frowns on their faces.

“I . . . *huff . . . have you read . . .” Featherweight stumbled out trying to regain his breath.

“Yeah, we saw,” Scootaloo said angrily.

“Featherweight! How could you do something like this!? This is worse than anything Gabby Gums did!” Sweetie Bell squeaked out. At that remark, Featherweight threw his forehooves up in defence.

“It wasn’t me!” he cried out. The three fillies looked at each other in surprise and then back at the gasping colt.

“Well then who was it?” Applebloom asked.

“I don’t know,” Featherweight started. “ . . . But I think I know a way we can fix it.”

“Fix it? How?” Sweetie Bell asked. Featherweight began ruffling through his saddlebag filled with papers, spilling a few pages on the floor of their clubhouse. Eventually he pulled out a small photograph and tossed it towards the three fillies. They each observed it closely, their eyes widening gradually. Applebloom looked at the other crusaders, then back to Featherweight who looked at her nervously.

“We need to get this to the princess.”

Author's Note

Merry Hearthswarming Eve.

As always, thanks for reading.

DS

Training Inspection

Snow was just beginning to fall. There was not enough for it to stick to the ground just yet, and the sun still shined brightly, but the faintest bits of snow started to flutter to the ground like leaves in autumn. The Crystal Empire always got tons of snow each winter being so far up north. Despite the cool air, Spike felt oddly comfortable in his scales. His inner fire boiled fiercely, keeping him warm and radiating. The frost on the grass below him melted and turned to dew, causing him to nearly slip and fall a few times. That would have been embarrassing, considering where he was.

Spike and Shining Armor both marched together down a line of soldiers standing in formation. They were divided into three companies with ponies standing four rows deep and six rows wide. The ponies stood tall and kept their gaze focused forward awaiting orders from their captain. Shining explained to Spike as they walked that he had four companies of 24 guards with three on duty each day, the fourth having the day off. Spike nodded as he looked over each soldier, very much impressed with their discipline. Each soldier was wearing shiny gold-plated armor that was likely difficult to keep clean. They all had broad shoulders, even the mares. Spike and Shining reached a spot near the center of all three companies where they could see everypony. Shining armor cleared his throat and began to command.

“At ease, everypony,” he said loudly. Each guard took a small step to one side, widening their stance, and dropping their gaze down to Shining Armor, who gestured to Spike with one hoof. “This is Spike, Dragon Sage and personal assistant to Princess Twilight. Some of you might remember him as ‘Spike the Brave and Glorious’ from his daring actions during Sombra’s terror.” There was a soft murmur amongst them as their gaze darted from their captain to Spike. “He was trained personally by the princesses and fought against some of Equestria’s most dangerous enemies. Today, he’s here to help me inspect your training. We’ll start with the usual warm-up routine. I want 5 laps around the Barracks before splitting up, and I want everypony finished and back in formation in 15. Clear?”

“Sir!” They all cried out in perfect unison and stood back at attention.

“Alright then, show him what you’re made of,” he said and pointed to his right with a hoof. Each company turned to the side and began cantering around the building. They filed into less organized groups and eventually formed one giant lineup of golden soldiers. Spike gave an impressed whistle as he watched before turning back to Shining Armor.

“I’d hardly call a disorganized library one of Equestria’s most ‘dangerous enemies’,” he said softly. Shining Armor laughed.

“No, but Sombra sure was. Not to mention the Miasma, and that dragon you told me about. You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he said and began walking them out towards the training field behind them. Spike smiled at the compliment but knew deep down that not all of his adventures panned out as well.

“They all look really cool,” Spike said as the guards came around for lap two.

“I’m sure they would love to hear that straight from you,” Shining commented. Spike looked at him cock-eyed.

“What do you mean? You want me to give a speech?”

“Well, I think it would be a good idea if you addressed them for a little bit,” Shining suggested with a shrug. Spike shook his head.

“Bad idea. I’m not good with crowds. Do you remember how badly I choked at the Equestria Games?” Spike reminded him.

“Oh yeah!” Shining remembered and laughed. “Hey, not too many ponies have the guts to try and sing a national anthem they don’t know in front of thousands of ponies.” Spike dropped his head, groaned, and put a claw over his head in shame.

“Why did you have to remind me of that?”

“But I’m serious. I think if you just spoke to the group, maybe tell them a little about yourself, they would love it.”

“Why talk about myself?” Spike asked.

“Well, it’s not every day they get to talk to a dragon,” Shining answered with a shrug. The group of guards came around the barracks one more time before heading into the field before them. One area of the field had a collection of large boulders organized into rows. Another area had a series of hoops standing on polls just a few feet off of the ground. Spike and Shining stopped at an area that looked like an armory with a few racks of spears, shields, and scattered pieces of armor lying about near a workbench.

“What did you mean by ‘splitting up’ before?” Spike asked.

“It’s part of the warm-up routine. They start with a run, then split up into unicorns, pegasi, and earth-ponies for more specific exercises. See? Look there,” he said and pointed to the large boulders. The Unicorns all filed into a row and began using their magic to lift the boulders a few feet into the air and passing them between each other. The large stones all glowed one color or another as they passed the stones from one pony to the next. He saw a few of them grunt as they lifted each one.

“I see, so they can train to their differences?” Spike observed.

“Exactly. See, the unicorns practice heavy lifting, the earth ponies do push-up pyramids over there, and the pegasi do maneuvers through those hoops. Any pony can be strong on their own, but it is their differences that make the unit strong,” he observed and admired his soldiers’ work.

Spike looked upon the field of ponies in front of him. Each guard was putting his or her whole effort into whatever it was they were doing. It was admirable to say the least, but Spike just felt happy to be focusing on something like this rather than all of the drama the tabloids have caused him and Twilight. She had trotted off to the library earlier and Spike hated seeing the look on her face. She seemed frustrated and stressed and yet he was the cause this time, so there was little he could do to help. It must be nice, he thought, to live simply as a part of a team like these guards. Each one fits right in among the ranks, almost exact copies of each other. Nopony would ever mistake one of them for a beast.

“Spike,” Shining said and nudged him. Spike shook his head and whipped himself out of his daydream as the guards began to fall into formation again. As the last of them fell in line, they all stood at attention. Spike noticed many of them were sweating in their armor, heaving breaths through their noses, but stood tall and still as if fatigue did not affect them. He looked at Shining Armor nervously.

“It’s alright, just be yourself,” Shining whispered and cleared his throat again before he addressed his troops.

“Good work, everypony. Now, I’m going to let Spike speak to you. I want you all to give him your undivided attention.” As he finished, the guards all remained at attention and stared right at Spike. Spike gulped and stepped forward. He tried his best to keep his head tall and his posture straight, but his tail still twitched nervously.

“Um . . . hi everypony. I’m Spike . . . well you all know that cause Shining Armor said so earlier and . . . um” he stuttered. He remembered Twilight’s trick, and took a deep breath through his nose, raising his claw to his chest and breathing out. The thought of Twilight reminded him of how well she would do in this scenario. What would she say? he thought. He decided that she’d give him the same advice Shining Armor did; just to be himself. He sat down on his rear legs and let himself get comfortable before beginning again.

“So how many of you have seen another dragon before? Raise your hooves,” he said and waited. The guards all looked around for anypony raising a hoof, but none did. “Really? Well then you all must have some questions for me,” Spike said loud enough for all of them to hear. “Let me see, I was born and raised in Canterlot and these days, when I’m not accidentally setting her books on fire, I help as Princess Twilight’s personal assistant.” Some of the troops chuckled at the remark and Spike could feel the tension easing. Spike decided that was a good thing.

“Alright, let’s be frank, I’m not a soldier like you all. I spend more hours a day reading books and mailing letters than I do outside. I’ve only been in a handful of fights and I got lucky in every one of them. I’m not a captain of any guard so don’t feel like you have to salute me or anything. If any of you have questions you’d like to ask a dragon, fire away,” he said and folded his forearms over his chest as he sat tall, observing the group. The soldiers all looked at each other again and for a while, no pony moved. “Come on, don’t be shy,” he beckoned. Then, one mare in the front row raised a hoof and looked at Spike respectfully.

“What’s your name?” Spike asked.

“Clarity, sir,” she said and put her hoof down.

“Go ahead, Clarity.”

“Ok. Why are you not big and mean like other dragons?” she asked.

“Good question with a long answer,” Spike explained. “Basically, dragons grow big when they are greedy. The more a dragon takes for himself, the bigger and meaner he gets. Most giant dragons you see will know nothing besides getting gold and gems for themselves, and they’ll burn anypony who tries to take it from them. I, on the other hand, was able to stop that greed from taking control of me. Now, I’m just another pony in a dragon’s scales,” he said, leaving out the part where he nearly destroyed Ponyville. A tall white stallion guard raised his hand and again Spike asked him for his name.

“I’m Phalanx, sir. Do dragons ever hunt ponies?” the guard asked.

“Not actively. Dragons will keep to themselves in their hoard for the most part. They will only bother you if you go after their gold. Word to the wise, if you see a huge pile of gems in a cave somewhere, it’s probably a dragon’s hoard so do not take any. Trust me, I did once and nearly got my face melted,” he said, and another laugh spread through the ranks, followed by a few more hooves going up. Spike called on another one a few rows back.

“I’m Nova, sir. What do other dragons think of you living amongst ponies?” she asked. Spike remembered back to where he left Ponyville in search for more dragons. The teenagers gave him a rough time, and he ended up going home pretty quickly.

“The one time I asked, they called me a sissy. They ended up getting chased by a phoenix, it’s a long story. From what I can tell, most dragons travel with and keep to their own kind. They probably just don’t understand what it is like to not be greedy all the time,” he guessed and called on another hoof.

“If we were going to fight a dragon, what should we know?” the guard asked. Some of the guards perked their heads up a bit and listened more intently.

“Great question. I guess there are the obvious things to look out for like the fire breath. Teeth and claws are dangerous too. Something to keep in mind is that most dragons have some kind of sharp blade on the end of their tail that they can use to really tear things up, so be careful when they turn around. Also, our fire breath does get tiring after a while. If you can get them to exhaust their flames, then they’ll be much more likely to retreat. But the best way to get rid of a dragon is to offer it something it wants more than your tail,” Spike said remembering the Sprite Sapphire he used to lure the dragon away from Ponyville the other day.

“You mean like gold or gems?” one guard asked.

“Exactly,” he answered. Another hoof shot up and the guard waved it around vigorously.

“You,” Spike said and pointed at him.

“Can you show us?” he asked eagerly. At that question, nearly all of the guards in formation leaned forward and opened their eyes wider. A few of them nodded their heads as well. Spike, a little flustered, looked back at Shining Armor with a shrug. The captain shrugged back and gave him a look that said if you think it’s a good idea. Spike sighed.

“Alright,” he said and took a few steps back. The troops began pushing and shoving to get to the front, breaking formation and standing as tall as they could to get a good view.

“Okay. Shining Armor, what are those spears made of?” he said and gestured to the rack of spears that stood behind them.

“Oh, these are solid steel underneath a coat of brass,” he said.

“Toss me one,” he said. Shining Armor cocked his brow but lifted a spear from the rack with his magic and tossed it to Spike. Instead of catching it, Spike swiped upwards with his claws and shredded the spear into pieces, which tumbled to the ground and clanged behind him. There were oohs and aahs from the guards as Spike picked up the pieces and handed them back to Shining Armor.

“These claws are sharp enough to go through gems like they were cupcakes. I know because I tend to go through gems like cupcakes. Now, what about the shields?” he asked, which got a hush from the crowd. Shining smiled and lifted a spare shield from the rack behind him and tossed it towards him. Spike spun around, lifting his feet into the air and bringing his tail down on the shield hard. The blade on the end of his tail went right through the shield like an axe through firewood and landed into the dirt with a thud. The two halves of the shield bounced around on either side of him loudly. The crowd reacted even louder than before, and one or two guards lightly clopped their hooves in applause.

“The tails can be even sharper, so if you can’t block it with magic, just try to avoid it as best you can because armor is not going to do you any good. Lastly, the breath. My fire is green because of all of the emeralds and copper I eat. Most dragons snack on gold the most, so their fire is a more natural orange and red color. Dragon’s breath can melt through almost anything, but Twilight has no problem using a shield spell to block it. I suggest you make a defensive line with unicorns up front to block the flames while earth ponies flank it. Pegasus ponies will need to look out for the claws and teeth the most. You can tell a dragon is about to give you some fire when he reels his head back and takes a deep breath, like this . . .” Spike said and heaved a heavy breath through his nose.

He reared up on his hind legs and pointed his snout into the air as high as he could before exhaling a brilliant and hot burst of green fire into the air. All of the snow that was falling within a few yards of him evaporated immediately. The guards in the front shielded their eyes from the heat while the rest of them looked on in astonishment. Spike finished his breath and trailed off his flames before coming back down on all fours. The crowd applauded with enthusiasm and even cheered a little. Spike bashfully smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Alright, alright everypony, one more question before drill time,” Shining Armor called out, quieting the group. Nearly half of the crowd raised a hoof and waved it around like school-foals. Spike smiled and pointed to a mare up front who was smiling at him. The crowd quieted as the guardmare cleared her throat.

“What is your role with Princess Twilight?” she asked with a smile. Spike’s spines stood on end at the question. He was unsure of whether or not the guard wanted to know about his job, or his relationship with Twilight. The crowd hushed again and looked at him intently. Spike cleared his throat and spoke slowly.

“As Dragon Sage, my job is to be Twilight’s number one assistant. I advise her on important matters, I help her research and practice her magic, I help her aid the ponies who need her help, and when necessary, I protect her from danger. I love the job immensely and I do it for the same reason you all became guards; to protect what matters the most . . . although I don’t get to wear such awesome armor like you all do,” Spike jested and got another chuckle from his audience. After another round of hooves clopping together for Spike, Shining Armor had the companies fall back into formation and begin running drills led by their lieutenants. He met back up with Spike after they began training again.

“Good job, Spike. You really got them going,” he commended him.

“Thanks. I’m just glad for the first time I did not make a fool of myself,” he replied. “Sorry about the shield and spear.”

“It’s alright, it’s worth it to show them how serious a dragon is. Also, good work with that last question too,” Shining said a little quieter.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, it’s not easy when rumors start sprouting like that. I was lucky to be a guard before marrying Cadence, so I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” Shining Armor said. Spike thanked him for his sympathy, but he immediately felt his stomach churn.

He looked out on the field of training ponies. Most of them were stallions who stood tall and proud. They were respected in their communities, and perhaps even of noble birth. Each one of them would make a much more acceptable choice for Twilight in the eyes of many who mattered. Spike fought against the thought, but he could see it all so clearly. Twilight was holding hooves with a stallion dressed in uniform before an adoring crowd of supporters. She smiled and waved as the ponies sang their praises. She would never worry a day in her life about who she picked. She could see them, their smiles, their castle, their foals, it all made too much sense, and Spike felt sick.

“What’s wrong?” Shining Armor asked. Spike wanted to answer, but the pit in his stomach began to bubble, and he soon felt a familiar churning of fire in his chest. He pushed Shining Armor away reflexively, opened his maw, and belched loudly spouting flames onto the torn up bits of shield. A roll of paper tied up in Celestia’s seal flew from his mouth and rolled on the ground.

“You okay?” Shining asked.

“Yeah, just wasn’t expecting that. Wonder what this is about,” he said and peeled open the letter just enough to read who it was addressed to.

Dear Spike and Twilight, it read.

Spike tore open the seal and began reading through the letter. As soon as he did, a small photograph fell from the letter that Shining Armor caught with his magic. Spike glared more closely at the letter, then at the photo. His eyes went wide and he quickly rolled the photo and letter back up and clutched it in his claws.

“I need to get this to Twilight,” he said. Shining Armor nodded and backed away as Spike crouched down low before kicking off of the ground and soaring up into the air towards the Crystal Empire Library.

Twilight sighed as she closed a large text on royal lineage and floated it onto a tall pile of books to her left. She only had one more book to go through and none of the previous ones were any help. She found it difficult to focus with all that was happening. Ponies in Trottingham were likely to speak out against her, even if all they had were rumors. Not that she particularly cared what ponies thought of her, but if there was one thing the books had taught her, it was that being an influential princess requires the subjects to take what she says seriously. They were certainly less likely to do so if she was seen as shameful.

She sighed again and looked up from her desk. A few staring ponies quickly darted their gaze from her back to their books without a word. It was certainly the right decision to spend the day in the library, but being alone with her thoughts was perhaps more dangerous than she thought. She found herself resenting the ponies that stared at her and anypony who disapproved of Spike. Even more so, she began to resent her crown. She was glad she could help ponies across Equestria discover the values of friendship, but if she was simply a student like she used to be, then she could love Spike as much as she wanted without a care in the world whether anypony approved.

She sighed and flipped through another book. Her mind was so busy with what to do she did not notice the library doors open, nor did she hear the sounds of dragon footsteps approaching the desk, nor did she feel it when Spike tapped her shoulder the first time.

“Twilight . . .” Spike said a little louder, keeping himself as hushed as possible.

“Wha?” Twilight sprang up and turned to see her assistant dutifully holding out a roll of parchment with Princess Celestia’s seal on it. He was bowing his head, likely making a show of courtesy and propriety for the observing ponies. She lifted the scroll out of his claws with her magic and began reading.

Dear Twilight and Spike,

I write to you on behalf of your friends in Ponyville. They asked me to send this message to you as quickly as possible. The recent photograph and article in the Trottingham Tribune brings them great concern for you. They want to assure you that they will do anything they can to help. As such, they gave me this photo for me to give to you. A foal by the name of Featherweight took it and gave it to your friends. They believe that it can be used to shed Spike in a more amicable light amongst the citizens of Equestria, and I believe they are right. I believe this photo can help ponies see that Spike is very different from other dragons, and might be more open to your relationship as a result.

What you choose to do with the photo is your decision. We all want to see this turned right, and if rumors continue to spread you will need to act quickly. We wish you both well, and urge you to contact us if you require more assistance.

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia

Twilight lifted the letter up and glanced underneath it, then looked on the table for what she was missing.

“Where’s the . . .” she began and turned to Spike. He had his head bowed again, this time holding out a square photograph in his claws. Twilight scooped it up and looked at it closely.

She saw herself casting a brilliant violet shielding spell on one side of the picture. Towering over her was the massive dragon that threatened the Cutiemark Crusaders the other day. It was breathing a storm of flames down onto her. Above her was Spike, flying quickly towards the dragon and spewing flames of his own back at the giant beast. He had a fierce glow in his eyes, as did she. This picture showed them both working together to defend citizens of Ponyville from a monster, and it clearly demonstrated who’s side Spike was on.

“Do you think we should--”

“Shhh!” she hushed him. He looked around at the library and whispered to her.

“We should talk about this,” he said. Twilight nodded and beckoned him closer. He took a seat across from her at the desk and watched as she closed her eyes and lit up her horn. A bubble of violet magic formed around the table they were sitting at and encased them both inside.

“Silence spell,” she explained.

“Good idea. So . . . what should we do with it?” Spike said and gestured to the picture. Twilight looked it over again and sighed.

“I don’t think this will do us any good,” Twilight said.

“What? Why not? You said earlier that we need to show ponies that I’m not like other dragons, and what better way to do that than with a picture of us fighting one together?” Spike protested.

“A picture is what got us into this mess Spike. If we just leak this to the press, they’ll just think up another story that gets ponies talking more. More rumors will not solve this for us.”

“So we’ll explain it to them. Meet with the press and tell them exactly what happened.”

“That won’t stop them from talking. Ponies will look at this and be terrified by the dragon. The last thing we need is ponies talking about a ‘dragon menace,” Twilight told him.

“But if ponies see me as an answer to that problem, than we’re in the clear!” Spike said, raising his voice a little. “What else can we do anyway? All we’ve figured out so far is to keep our distance from each other, and that won’t work for long.”

“Why not? It might be better to starve these rumors rather than feed them to death.”

“So, what, we just go back to keeping it a secret? Is that what you’re suggesting?” Spike said, a little surprised.

“I’m just trying to consider all the options here. If we duck low enough while Cadence and Shining Armor are in the spotlight with their foal, then ponies will consider us old news. They won’t disturb us at the castle, or in Ponyville, and we can go back,” Twilight explained.

“To what? Pretending that we’re not in love? Where do we go from there? Just go on the rest of our lives in secret, no future, never actually . . .” Spike trailed off and looked at Twilight closely. His gaze widened and he sat back in his chair. Twilight saw his face contort like he was seeing an old friend in pain. “Wait a minute, is that what you want? Do you . . . not see a future with me?” Spike’s voice broke a little at the end. Twilight’s expression darkened as she looked back at Spike.

“. . . Spike, that’s not what I mean,” she started.

“It’s alright, I get it,” Spike said and pushed away from the desk. He got up and quickly made his way through the bubble and trotted towards the steps with his head hanging low.

“Spike wait!” Twilight called out. A herd of ponies shushed her for shouting in the library and she followed him quietly, trying to avoid suspicion. Spike did not hear her. He felt numb throughout his body and his ears were ringing. The vision of Twilight and the guard entered his brain again and swam through his vision like mud in a river. He soon found himself outside near the library doors. He gripped the cold dirt in his claws tightly as if gravity would reverse itself soon.

“Spike,” he heard from behind him. He stopped her by turning and throwing a claw up. He kept his voice low so they were out of earshot of anypony around them and glared at her angrily.

“If the approval of other ponies matters that much to you, than we were doomed from the start,” he stated in almost a whisper.

Twilight put a hoof on her mouth and visibly shook from his statement. She was at a loss for what to say. She had never heard Spike speak like that before. His face was as cold as the fast approaching winter, and his voice was low and broken. It was wrong, and Twilight did not know how else to put it. Then, in a quick jolt, he stood up as tall as he could and kept his gaze forward and his feet pressed together in a stoic stance. He bowed and crossed his chest with his arm keeping his posture perfect and regal.

“Your highness,” he said, before rising back up and turning to leave. Twilight looked around for other ponies watching, but the only ones she could see were many yards away. She watched Spike as he trotted back towards the Crystal Palace. She reached out with a hoof, wanting to say something to make him stay, but found no words coming to her lips. She cursed herself and Spike for acting so foalish, then scowled before heading back into the library.

Not long later, Spike was in the Crystal Palace unpacking his saddlebag in his guest bedroom. The bright blue walls glimmered in the remaining sunlight and the bed looked large and appetizing. Spike sighed as he tossed a few items onto a nearby desk before throwing himself on the bed. He dug his face into the pillow with a grunt and wished for sleep to overtake him a few hours early. At least when he was sleeping, the outside world did not sting as much.

A knock came on the door.

“Spike the Brave and Glorious?” a stallion’s voice called from the hallway.

“If it is not dinner being ready, then I don’t want to hear it,” he called out. It was unlike him to spit at strangers like that, but he needed the moment badly.

“It is a message from Princess Twilight,” the voice replied. Spike’s eyes cocked in confusion and he raised his head from the pillow and ventured over to the door. The guard pony on the other side was a pegasus who smartly saluted him.

“Why did she send you? Where is she?” he asked.

“She has left the Crystal Empire. She did not say where to,” the pegasus explained. Spike reeled back and gasped a little.

“What? Why?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, but she told me to tell you to stay in the Crystal Palace. She did not want you following her, and she wishes that you wait here for her return,” the guard explained. The message worried Spike even more than before. She could have sent a letter, but instead she sent a guard and left town without a word. Spike wanted to attack the guard with more questions, but he could tell that the soldier did not know any more than what he had told him.

“Oh,” was all he managed to say. “Thanks,” he finished and closed the door while the guard saluted him again. He laid back with his head up against the door, looking at the dazzling crystal ceiling that suddenly felt very foreign to him. Just like that she was gone, and Spike wondered how it could have happened so quickly.

Assault on the Crystal Empire

Spike continued to pace around the royal chambers having a series of arguments in his head. He mumbled something to himself every now and then, but kept quiet so as not to disturb the princess close by. Cadence sat quietly on her bed and watched her purple friend walk quietly to and fro, stopping every few moments to scratch his head. Her nurse, a short but stout mare dressed in white, quietly attended to the various pieces of medical equipment in the room. After having enough of Spike's wandering, she politely asked the nurse to give them some privacy. After the nurse was safely out of earshot, Cadence sighed and shook her head in disapproval.

“Spike, you shouldn’t worry about it so much,” Cadence comforted him.

“But it’s been nearly 3 days since she left, Cadence. How do we know for sure something bad hasn’t happened?”

“Remember what Shining Armor said? She was escorted to the train by a group of guards safe and sound. I’m sure wherever she is, she got there safely,” she said. Spike sighed and scratched his head again, resuming his circle. He took a deep breath through his nose and sighed out a small cloud of smoke that quickly dissipated. A moment later, the doors to Cadence’s stateroom opened and Shining Armor walked towards the two of them in a light trot.

“What a beautiful day!” he exclaimed. “I always love days like this after snow where the sky is clear and the whole city is white and . . .” he stopped as he saw his wife giving him an intense glare and pointing to Spike with her hoof. “Oh,” he said after seeing the dragon walk towards the window in a slump. Clearly he was in no mood to be having bright small talk.

“He’s still concerned about Twilight,” Cadence said from the bed.

“Well if you’re that worried, why don’t you send her a letter?” Shining Armor asked.

“I have my orders. I’m supposed to stay here until she comes back, whenever that may be,” he said and rested his head against the windowsill. He looked out over the city which seemed extra bright with the recent snowfall. A cold breeze picked up a little loose powder off the rooftops and dusted the window he rested against. “Besides, if she wanted to tell me about what was going on, she would have sent a letter by now anyway,” he said quietly.

“Wait a second,” Cadence said. “Did you guys have a fight?” Both she and Shining Armor looked at the dragon who kept his face leaned up against the cold glass of the window.

“I don’t really know, to be honest," he replied. "I guess I said something that wasn't too nice, but it wasn't a lie either. I usually know her so well, but right now I have no idea what was going on in her head, and it all seems backwards,” he said.

“Spike, trust me, she’ll be back and this whole Tribune thing will be far behind you in no time,” Shining assured him. Cadence put a hoof on Shining Armor's shoulder and pulled him in close enough to whisper.

“I don’t think that’s the real issue here anymore,” Cadence suggested.

“Really?” Shining whispered back.

“Try and see if you can talk to him about it. You’re Twilight’s brother, you might be the voice he needs to hear,” she said.

“Alright,” Shining whispered back and slowly walked over to Spike. He sat down beside him and looked out the window as well, quietly gathering his thoughts together.

“Hey Spike," he began, "I know you are worried, but she wouldn’t leave you here unless she really thought it was for the best. I think what you need is to get your mind off of things till she comes back. Come on, let’s do another round with the troops! what do you say?” he asked and waited for Spike’s reply. It never came.

“Spike?” Cadence asked from across the room.

Spike was still up against the window, but now instead of slumping downward, his head was pointed upward. His eyes were wide and intense as he gazed up at the sky.

“What is it?” Shining asked.

Spike’s eyes darted back and forth, scanning the skies. He noticed something odd about one of the clouds and was looking for it again. He took a deep breath in through his nose sharply and caught his breath in his throat with a 'hurk'. His eyes dilated and his vision zoomed inward towards the spot in the sky. Now there was no question about it. One cloud was flying in circles over the city. Spike took a step back and undid the latch on the window and raised it up quickly. A bitterly cold breeze swept into the room and tossed the curtains back and forth.

“Spike! What are you doing! It’s way too cold for Cadence, she’s--”

“Listen!” Spike said, throwing up a hand to silence him. The breeze died down and soon there was nothing but silence. Spike’s eyes focused on the point in the sky with a fierce glare and waited. Just before Shining was about to slam the window shut with magic, the sound of a faint but clear cry echoed into the room. It sounded like it was miles away, but whatever creature was causing the wailing noise, it was large. Another call drifted through the air in the form of a loud snarl bouncing off of the surrounding mountains. Their eyes all widened as the sound died down. Spike closed the window with a thud and looked at Shining.

“It’s a dragon!” he cried out.

“What?! No way, dragon’s never come up this far north! It’s too cold for them,” Shining cried out.

“Well this one does, look!” he said and beckoned him over to the window. Shining leapt to Spike’s side and followed his claw into the sky. After a moment of searching, shining noticed that one of the thin white clouds was moving faster than the others and was banking a turn. The figure was so far away it looked like a fly on the wall, but Shining saw the unmistakable shape of wings flapping. He turned away from the window and sprinted towards the door.

“Guards! Sound the alarm! We have a code black!” Shining called out and two guards rushed into the stateroom to hear more clearly. “It’s a dragon. Summon all 4 companies and get ready to scramble the pegasi! I want them all ready right now!” Shining said and stomped his hoof on the floor. The guards scrambled out of the room with frantic looks in their eyes.

“What’s it doing?” Cadence asked Spike, who kept his eyes on the beast.

“It’s circling the city, maybe a mile up," he explained. "I don’t get it! Dragon’s are cold blooded, we hate snow. What is this one doing all the way out here?” Spike wondered. He wished with all his might that Twilight was there to answer that question.

“Do snow-dragons exist?” Shining wondered aloud.

“Well, ice-dragons, yes actually,” Spike remembered from his studies with Princess Luna. “But they’re not migratory like other dragons. They find a cave they like, build a hoard, and stay there for centuries. Going outside for too long is risky for them, so they only leave to hunt for food or treasure.”

“Which means if an ice-dragon lived nearby, we would have run into it by now,” Shining finished for him.

"Exactly," Spike explained, keeping his eye on the circling nightmare. "Even if this is an ice-dragon, somepony would have bumped into it at some point. Their caves aren't exactly hidden or hard to spot, and they only leave their cave when they absolutely need to. So if it's not from a nearby mountain, why is it all the way out here?"

“Wait a second, how long do dragons sleep for?” Cadence asked.

“Sleep? I usually sleep a few hours into the morning, so I guess 9 hours or so?"

"I meant like hibernation. Twilight told me that Ponyville was under threat of a sleeping dragon in a nearby dragon and he would have stayed there for 100 years," Cadence recalled.

"Well, if their hoard is big enough, and nopony bothers them, they can hibernate for centuries. Why?” Spike asked.

“Think about it Spike. Until a few years ago, the Crystal Empire was sealed away with King Sombra for a thousand years. This dragon could have lived in the nearby mountains for centuries and still have no idea about this place,” Cadence explained. Spike’s eyes went wide again and he looked back up at the circling white figure above them.

“So it could have gone to sleep years ago and just woken up to find this giant city appearing from nowhere.” Shining realize, then looked over to Spike. "So why is it circling the city? Dragon's don't like areas populated by ponies. You told me they'll only fight when provoked."

Spike thought about it. There was no real reason to be hunting in a populated area like this because it was far too risky. If it just woke up from hibernation, then it was likely hungry. Either that, or it was out of gems in its hoard.

Spike smacked his claw on his forehead in shame.

“Argh, I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think of this before?” Spike cursed himself.

“What do you mean?” Shining asked.

“This is the Crystal Empire! Everything here sparkles like gemstones, even the ponies! The entire city looks like one giant Dragon’s Hoard!” Spike called out and gestured to the ceiling, which suddenly looked appetizing to Spike now that he realized it. “I can’t think of any place else more ripe for a dragon attack. Why didn’t I realize that before!?” Spike cursed.

The sound of a siren began to ring out into the air outside. Ponies began to head into their houses and places of work seeking shelter. Soldiers began to collect in the middle of the city while police ponies began ushering ponies in the streets inside the various houses and buildings surrounding them. The sliver of white continued to calmly float above the crisis in circles.

“So if that dragon thinks this whole place is a hoard, why is it just circling?” Shining asked. Spike put a claw to his chin and thought about it. What would he do if he stumbled upon a large collection of gems in the middle of nowhere? When he was young, he would have started filling his cheeks with gemstones as fast as he could. But that move nearly got him eaten once. Now he would assume that it belonged to a dragon and run for it.

“He is probably waiting for a challenger to appear. He’ll assume this is some other dragon’s hoard and wait for it to appear to defend it,” Spike suggested.

“ . . . and when that doesn’t happen?” Shining said with a nervous twitch. Spike’s face went pale as he looked back towards the window and out towards the circling beast. It was no longer circling, and was instead getting bigger and bigger. A sickening roar filled the air and rippled around the room even with the windows closed. The beast was still very far away and yet the roar seemed to deafen the sound of sirens.

“It’s charging!” Spike said with a gasp. He reeled away from the window, unable to think about what to do next. He felt so caught off-guard and vulnerable that he froze in place and gazed at the approaching white monster in horror. He wanted to look behind him to find Twilight kicking into action to stop the approaching monster, but he knew she was nowhere near the empire. As another roar filled the air, Spike heard a bright and sparkling sound of magic filling the room. A long and dazzling streak of bright-blue magic soared into the air above them and began to spread into a massive dome around the city. The light cascaded around the entire sky until it draped around the outermost borders of the city. The giant white beast reared upwards and banked a turn to one side dodging the giant shield of magic.

“Cadence!” Shining armor cried from behind him. Spike turned and saw Cadence standing upright beside her bed and closing her eyes in concentration on her shield spell. Her horn was glowing bright with a beam of blue light that buzzed and hummed as her magic poured upward. The spell began to glow a little softer until her focus shifted from her magic to her husband.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Go get the troops ready. I can keep the dragon away from the ponies until you can get rid of it.”

“No,” Shining said, "To shield against something that big, you'll need to keep the spell going continuously. It's too much strain for you right now."

"I am Princess Miamoria Cadenza of the Crystal Empire and I can and will protect my subjects!" she stated sternly.

"But honey," he protested

“Just go, Shining. I'll be alright. We’ll be alright,” she said and placed a forehoof on her swollen belly with a soft smile.

“Alright. Spike? Can I ask for your help with this?” Shining said turning to Spike.

“Of course, but what can I do? I’ve never fought an ice-dragon before,” he said.

“But you have fought some kind of dragon before, right?” Shining asked.

“Well, yeah, in Ponyville not too long ago,” he started.

“Then you've fought more than I have. What’s the plan?” Shining asked.

“Well, we lured that dragon away from Ponyville using a really shiny gem as bait, but that won’t work here! No gems could possibly be more appetizing than the Crystal Empire!” Spike protested.

“Then we’ll just have to fight it off,” Shining retorted and turned towards the door. “Between the two of us and a small army of guards, that thing doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Are you sure, though? I mean, maybe with the barrier it will just get frustrated and lose interest?”

“Would you?” Shining asked him seriously. Spike didn’t need to take long to think of his answer.

“No,” he said and took a deep breath. “Let’s go,” he said as bravely as he could. Just as the two of them began to walk towards the door, they heard a terrifying sound from behind them.

“Ooph!” Cadence cried out. She clutched her midsection with a hoof and winced in pain. She soon lost the strength to stand and collapsed onto the floor. “Oh no, not now!” she cried out faintly.

“Cadence!” Shining called out and ran beside his wife. Spike soon followed and watched as the princess writhed in pain. Shining quickly picked her up using his magic and placed her back on her bed with her head on her pillow, though she did not look any more comfortable.

“What’s wrong?” Spike asked.

“It’s the baby,” Shining said. Shining ran over towards the door and called out into the hallway. “Nurse! It’s time! Get the doctor,” he called out towards the door.

“What? Now?!” Spike said and turned his head towards the sky again. The blue shield spell began to dissipate as holes formed in all sides of the barrier which got larger and larger until there was nothing left. The sky was back to it's brilliant and clear self, leaving the city totally exposed. Spike saw the same large white figure wheel around near the mountaintops and begin charging again. The massive beast let out another roar.

“Shining Armor! The shield!” Spike called out and turned to Shining. He leapt up towards the window and saw the dragon charging again. This time it was much closer and was nearly at the boarder of the city.

“Hrrragh!” Shining grunted and shot a bright and loud spell from his horn much like Cadence's. The bright purple glow of his magic exploded into the sky and folded around the city quickly, forming a purple bubble around the empire. This time, the Dragon did not have enough time to dodge the shield and collided with the spell head-first. The shield rung out like a giant gong and the dragon pushed off of the shield with it’s feet, hurtling back into the air. Shining Armor groaned as he stressed to keep his spell in place. A bead of sweat poured from his temple as he strengthened the shield even farther.

“Shining, are you ok?” Cadence asked.

“I’m fine," he coughed. "You should be worried about yourself and the baby now,” he said and stood tall, continuing to pump magic through his horn.

Spike watched as the dragon flew beside the edge of the bubble and bashed the barrier with it's tail. The shield rung out again and Shining groaned as he strained to keep the barrier up.

"Agh! This thing is big. It's a bit harder than keeping out a few changelings. I can't hold him off forever," Shining confessed.

“Captain Shining Armor!” a voice cried from the doorway. “The soldiers are ready to dispatch on your command." A guard came into the room, looking ready to break out into a full sprint if necessary. He motioned towards the grounds surrounding the Crystal Palace and waited for a reply.

Shining Armor looked at the guard, then back at Cadence who was looking worse and worse as the minutes dragged by. He grunted again and kept pouring magic into his shield. He looked trapped and finally took a long glance at Spike, who was waiting for a miracle to happen.

“Spike . . . you’ll have to do it,” Shining said with a grunt.

“Do what?” Spike asked.

“You’ll have to lead them for me,” he clarified.

“Woah woah, what?! Why can’t you?” he called out a little lost for words.

“I need to stay in the palace to keep this shield up. My troops need someone to lead them.”

“Don’t you have . . . I don’t know, a second in command or something?” Spike asked.

“Spike . . . you are the best one for the job. I know it. You know dragons, and the troops will follow you. You’re probably more qualified than me,” he said trying to smirk.

“But I’m not a soldier!” Spike protested.

“These soldiers are well trained. They can work together even without my help. You won’t need to manage them much. Just tell them where to hit, and they’ll back you up,” Shining said. A moment passed as Spike, who was too shocked to come up with any more complaints, looked back and forth between Shining Armor whose horn was glowing brightly and Cadence who was wincing in her bed. Shining’s expression softened as he looked at Spike with desperation in his eyes.

“Spike, please,” he said quietly. Spike sighed and scratched his head again looking at the floor.

“I’ll . . . I’ll try my best,” he said.

"You can do it Spike," Cadence said faintly from her bed. Spike looked over to her, and saw her smile at him. He picked his head up higher and turned towards the door. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to Cadence when she needed him most, and he was not about to let Shining Armor down either. What did it matter how big that thing was? He could out-dragon anything. Or . . . at least he did with Twilight's help. Then he realized something and ran towards a desk of drawers on one side of the room.

"What is it?" Shining asked, then grunted again as the pounding continued on the barrier.

Spike fished through the desk and pulled out 3 pieces of parchment followed by a quill and ink. He hastily began writing down a message on each of the pages, taking no time to be polite or formal in any of them.

URGENT: Crystal Empire under attack.

Ice-Dragon.

Cadence in labor.

Send Reinforcements.

-Spike.

When he was done, he rolled them up blew them into flames one by one. Each one lit into green flames and danced into the air headed off to all 3 princesses, wherever they may be. He hoped by all the chance in the world that they could arrive before anything bad happened. He quickly turned and looked at both Shining Armor and Cadence.

"It's going to be alright. I promise," he said, remembering his dragon-code prevented him from lying. For better or worse, he had to stop that giant ice-beast on his own.

With that he turned and marched out of the chambers leaving Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to win their own battles. The fire in his chest swirled faster and hotter as he focused on the impending fight. No matter how strong or terrifying that dragon could be, there was no way he was letting it anywhere near the Crystal Palace while he drew breath. Before he realized it, two guards were following him on either side marching in time. It was like they already knew Spike was going to help and knew exactly what to do. The thought gave him a boost of confidence as he headed out into the city square.

Before him, there were 4 companies of guard ponies armed literally to the teeth with spears, shields, swords, and armor. As he descended down from the palace steps, they all found their gaze directly on Spike. There was no time to be nervous. Any moment he hesitated in explaining the situation could be enough for the dragon to break through. Spike cleared his throat and did exactly what twilight would do: state the facts.

"There is an ice-dragon assaulting the Crystal Empire," he said loudly and clearly. The soldiers all stood up at attention as he spoke. "You see that shield spell around the city? That's your captain keeping the dragon at bay all on his own. But he can't keep it up forever. We are going to fight that thing off, and he's asked me to help."

Spike took a moment of silence, waiting for the soldiers to start asking questions or voicing complaints, but none of them came. They all had stare's of practiced, well-conditioned troops as if the news did not faze them at all. The sight was impressive to say the least, but there was something mechanical about it that agitated Spike. These were ponies, and they needed to be one hundred percent behind him, or else it would not work. He took another deep breath and belowed loudly.

"You're all ponies of this city. You have family, friends, and homes right here, and that dragon thinks their just shiny objects he can take for himself. Every single one of you have something worth protecting. Even now, at this very moment, Princess Cadence is in the palace giving birth!" he exclaimed, trying to get their stares to feel alive somehow. It worked. Almost all of them broke their gaze and stared up at Spike in astonishment, finally understanding the gravity of the situation.

"That's right. As we speak she is about to bring a new royal foal into the world, and the only thing between them and that giant dragon is us," Spike goaded further. The surprise on their faces soon turned to fire and fierce determination, as if they were being brought to life underneath their armor.

"I promised them that I'd keep them safe. I'm not your captain, I'm not a soldier, and you do not need to follow me. But I can't keep that promise without your help. Is there anypony with me?" he asked simply, hoping for a few hooves in the air. Instead he got a triumphant cry from the entire regiment that echoed in the buildings around them. Spike could not stop his mouth from opening in shock at the sound of so many ponies crying out in support. They raised their spears into the air and some of them were even smiling at him. The feeling stoked his ego-fire something fierce, but he did his best to stay focused.

"Then let's go! We don't have all day. Group up at the edge of the barrier wall," he said and started running out towards main street that lead all the way to the city entrance. All four companies fell in behind him and began running as well. Townsponies on either side of him were waving at them from the windows and doorways to the buildings around them. The earth ponies started to overtake him on either side and the pegasi flew forward in formation. Soon he was completely surrounded by charging ponies who all had his back.

He felt a fire building in his chest as he ran, and a slight sense of nausea. He turned his head upward and belched loudly, emitting green flames in front of him in a ball of fire. Normally he'd be embarrassed by getting caught burping messages in front of so many ponies, but he heard a few guards cheer and holler at the display. Did they think he was rallying them with fire? Not a bad idea. The message flew out from his snout and he skillfully caught in in his claws. He stopped for a moment and read it as quickly as he could.

Hold him off. Help is on the way.

It was Twilight's hoofwriting. He thanked his luck that she got his message and felt secure that they were coming to their aid. He tossed the message to the side and resumed his charge towards the edge of the city with the other ponies.

He could not help himself. In the moment, the tiny dragon inside him that loved comics, superheros, and hoofball could not contain himself any more.

"Let's kick some dragon tail!" he cried out with a smile on his face and began running faster, spreading his wings, picking up speed and taking off.