Part 1

All was well in the lands of Equestria for a change. No hidden societies were trying to overthrow the current establishment, no monsters were running amok, no villains were showing up to try and take over the country, no armies were marching their way; everything was just fine and dandy.

Perhaps that was why Princess Celestia was so bored.

Today was a day much like any other. Foreign diplomats came to grovel before them, wishing to establish treaties of trade, nonaggression, or some means of cultural exchange. Many came with honest intentions, but a select few would come with far more devious designs. None of these succeeded, of course, but the fact that one or two tried every now and then allowed the princesses to keep themselves on their toes and their combat skills sharp, while the copious number of heavily armed guards in the room, a healthy mix of strong and well-trained men and women, also helped.

However, meeting with diplomats these days just wasn’t the same as it used to be, what with all the changes in the air almost all the time. No, for the princess of the sun, it was the same as it has always been, but even more grating, what with the groveling here, the “your highness” there, and the ever-present “your beauty is unparalleled” that seemed to permeate every single syllable of anyone needing to see her for something. Tall, slender, and graced with an impossibly firm and rather bountiful chest that was the envy of women across the kingdom, the princess of the day had a grace the seemed to extend from her long, shapely legs up to her very hair. With no real blemishes or spots on her gentle face, she was exquisite, with eyes that could pierce a soul and a smile that could light a room. If born to a different family, she could have easily been a model or the trophy wife of a powerful man, though her mind was sharper than most and, as such, would have ruled the household with ease.

Celestia knew she was stunning, of course, but for once, she didn’t care. Her sister, equally as beautiful, in her own way, didn’t have to deal with this, seeing that the Night Court often dealt with politics only within the realm, and usually not the sycophantic type. How she did it was beyond Celestia, and for that, she envied her younger sister.

“It’s always the same thing: what they want,” she muttered, unheard by the gathered diplomats that were droning on and on about titles and trade and all the different little quirks that just made royal life so damn dull. “They want something done, or a favor, or some deal that’ll line their pockets, or get them in my good graces, and all without ever thinking if I even care. I run this kingdom with my sister, but they seem to forget that the kingdom should take precedence over any of their simple woes.”

Whenever someone needed to see her, they never got right to the point unless they were some country bumpkin or a concerned citizen whose woes were easily fixable with a little time, effort, and patience. No, these higher-ups, be they royal, merchant, or just someone famous, cared little for truth, honor, or even just sticking to the point. They’d go off on tangents that just barely connected with whatever they had started on, and despite knowing full well how to deal with people like these, Celestia was just not up for dealing with it today.

She wasn’t one for wishing for trouble, far from it, but some excitement in her life would be good right about now.

There was a sudden pause. Looking up, Celestia noticed the gathered men and women looking at her, expectantly, awaiting some answer to their dull and long-winded discussion. Thankfully her mind, despite its wanderings, had been able to come to a conclusion as to what the diplomat wanted.

“Very well then, our trade guilds will most certainly be delighted for your own to make contact, and establish trade routes through your neighboring island ports,” the princess replied, an audible sigh of relief coming from many of the gathered attendees. “Do note that, it will take some time for all the papers to come into order.”

“Thank you, your most gracious highness,” the diplomat said. “The king of Brittaneigha will be most pleased by these events.”

“Indeed I should hope so,” Celestia said, turning to a guard at the far end of the throne room. “What of our next guests? I believe they are the last for the day.”

“Your Highnesses, may I introduce the diplomats of Almarety,” said a large man, his armor and weapons glinting in the bright light of the palace throne room.

“Thank you, Captain Gladius, you may return to your post.”

The other diplomats scattering out of the way, off to write letters and submit the proper paperwork for trade, another group of men and women entered, their insignia denoting them as having come much farther than the previous diplomats, and judging from their clothes, a far richer one as well.

“Greetings, Your Highnesses,” the foremost diplomat said, jewelry glittering from all over his frame. “We have come seeking to establish a trade post within one of your coastal cities. Our coffers are overflowing and our merchants are lobbying for access to another kingdom’s ports.” They placed several small chests on the ground before them, and opened them to reveal an array of different goods, much of which were not abundant in Equestria.

“Why Equestria?” She asked. “We are a further journey than most potential trade partners, and the seas are often fraught with dangers so far from home.”

“It is a risk we are willing to take, for the rewards far exceed it,” the diplomat replied, motioning to the chests. “We have saffron, silk, pepper, and high quality dyes that need to be sold, else they simply sit in our warehouses, gathering dust. We have long heard tales of the productivity of Equestria’s lands, but have found no evidence of many of these goods.”

“Indeed, we do have a limited supply of these, especially saffron,” Celestia replied. “What is it you wish to trade for? We will have to sort out any treaties with the trade guilds, they are sticklers for ensuring maximum profit at lowest risk, and fair prices for their own commodities in foreign markets. My previous discussion with other diplomats, ones you followed, took several days to reach an agreement on.”

“We seek only that which we cannot produce ourselves,” the diplomat simply stated. “While our lands may be conducive to wool, we are fairly limited in what cotton we can produce, and Equestrian cotton is known throughout the world as some of the finest there is. We also have heard rumors of large amounts of gold, silver, gemstones, and readily available sugar.”

“Indeed,” Celestia said, intent on getting to one of the few interesting parts of this little meeting. “Now, as a show of good faith, a diplomat such as yourself usually bestows upon us a gift, other than these trinkets. It is quite all right if you do not, for a trade agreement is usually something of a gift, itself, after all, I can see that this might become a very profitable venture for both nations, should it come to fruition.”

“Indeed, we do have a gift for you, your highness, but you must accept it first, for it is, shall we say,” the man started, seeming a bit uneasy as he spoke. “...different than most others.”

Celestia’s interest was piqued. “Different in what way?”

“It is not my place to say, but it is fairly apparent that your highness has been unable to find a suitable suitor for the many women in your care,” the diplomat said with a bowed head. “Your kingdom’s love of you has, in appearance, rendered the vast majority of the population unable to attend to... certain needs.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, the man certainly had balls to make such a statement, in the court of a powerful princess, and so very far from home. “I did not know that the world knew of that, things of that nature do not leave this castle with haste or ease.”

“My apologies, I do not know if the rumors are true or not, but my king believes they are,” the man replied. “He thought that, in attempting to help out-,”

“-that he might gain favor with us for future agreements,” she replied coolly. “Your king has taken a great gamble in this. If indeed the rumors are true, he is treading very carefully, and if not, and these tales are nothing more than fantasy, then he has potentially made a grave mistake. Insulting us, and by proxy our kingdom, is not an offense lightly taken, sir.”

“Again, I apologize, I did not know.”

Celestia continued. “We have a large number of guards, men and women, who gladly service our every need. What if the rumors were true because my sister and I enjoy the company of women more than men?”

The man raised his head, confused and a bit shocked at her statement. “I... I did not consider that.”

“Indeed,” the princess said. “However, your king is lucky this time. I share no true preference, for that remains known to only myself and a select few. So, please, bring forth this gift, that I may assess their worth.”

As the diplomats quickly began talking amongst one another, motioning for their personal guards to leave them, Celestia turned to her captain of the guard. “Captain Moondancer, what say you?”

“Of the gift?” The woman asked. A veteran guard, whose skill with a sword and shield were legendary even amongst Equestria’s mightiest soldiers, almost as much as her beauty, she was one of the princesses’ most trusted military advisors, as well as a good friend and confidant. “Hard to say, your grace, we’ll just have to judge them once we meet them.”

“Hopefully they won’t be like the last few,” the princess muttered. “Sickly, power hungry, or just plain idiotic. Remember that one; Gaer Istu?”

“The one that tried taking over the kingdom? I thought he tripped down the stairs trying to declare himself king, and died of a broken neck.”

“The very same,” Celestia said with a small chuckle. “Let’s hope this one is nothing like him.”
The personal guards of the diplomats strode into the throne room once more. However, they wielded no weapons, but instead carried a large steel crate, riddled with sizable holes on all sides. Curious, the captain looked back up at the princesses.

“Strange that our gift would be an animal, not a man,” Celestia said. “Is this how the king of Almarety believes he can assist us?”

“I assure you that he is no wild beast, your majesty, he is perfectly tame and housebroken,” the diplomat said with a touch of nervous humor in his tone. “However... he is the one who requested the crate.”

“Why, might I ask, is that?” Celestia queried.

“It is what he is used to, so he says,” the man said, his jewelry trembling slightly. “He can explain it if you ask him, I don’t think he likes talking to me. We got off on the wrong foot when he was brought to the king’s palace, so I doubt he’ll have forgotten or forgiven our first meeting.”

“Very well then, you may undo the box and leave,” Celestia said. “If we are... satisfied with this gift, then you will receive word from our merchant guilds within five days.”

With a nod, the man motioned towards the escorts, one of whom produced a fairly large rug. Laying it out, he motioned for the others, and with a careful gentleness, they laid the crate onto it. Stepping aside, and removing the support bars, one produced a large key and undid an even larger lock bolted on the front.

With a series of bows and thanks, the group left, leaving only the steel crate, the princess, and a group of slightly confused guards, their weapons at the ready.

“You may come out, if you wish,” Moondancer said, hand on her sheathed sword in case things got out of hand. There were times where things had indeed gone bad, and it paid to be prepared. “If you have no ill intent, you will not be harmed, I promise you.”

After a few moments of silence, a creak emanated from the crate, and the door slowly swung open. The interior, dark despite the holes, cloaked a large mass, which slowly extricated itself from the assuredly cramped confines. Without a sound, he emerged and stood up straight.

Despite a normally steely nature, honed by years of training, intense battle and a very strict upbringing, seeing as her father was a guard himself, Moondancer let slip a small gasp. This... this was new. “He’s a... your highnesses, he's-,”

“Yes, captain,” Celestia said, surprise filling her voice. “It’s a dragonkin.”

Silence permeated the throne room, seemingly all eyes zeroed in on the “gift” from the diplomats from Almarety. Given how the man was shaped, that indeed was the case, and not unexpected. Neither gracefully slender nor incredibly bulky, the man’s figure was imposing, even against the force of guards in front of him. Athletic, with muscle honed to a size built for considerable endurance, he seemed perfectly at peace standing before fairly sharp swords and spears. Leonine is what Captain Moondancer would have called it, with a broad chest moving down towards a narrow waistline, and legs as solid as the support pillars in the palace gardens, all covered by a fairly tattered robe of sorts. A very short haircut matched the barest hint of a beard on his strong chin, and as the man breathed slowly, his emerald eyes swept over the group with an almost benign interest, as if surprised to find himself there.

Captain Moondancer has seen many men come into the palace as “gifts,” and their worth was widely varied, as well as their shapes and sizes. He was not as large as others, nor was he as small as some, though the middle ground he strode in was not a rarity, either. When he opened his mouth for a yawn, she noticed his incisors were longer than those of a normal man, his tongue extended slightly farther than others might, and his teeth seemed as if they could have been built of solid marble. Given this, along with the way his pupils seemed to have a slight angle to them, and the double tapering points at the apex of his ears, there was no doubt he was by far not like the others.

“What is your name?” The captain called out, finally finding her voice as she stepped forward.

“I have had many names,” the man replied, his voice steady and carrying with it a higher pitch than someone of his stature might have. It wasn’t exactly low and baritone, but it did send a slight tremble up the spines of several of the guards. “As of now, I have not been named in a long time.”

“Which would you prefer?” Moondancer asked.

“Whichever the princess wishes to call me,” he said, looking up at Celestia.

Well, this was certainly interesting. Celestia had never encountered a dragonkin before, and if what she had heard about his people was true, then... today was about to get much, much more interesting. “What is a name you have been called before that you were fond of?” She asked.
The man paused for a few moments. “I was known as Spike once, for many years,” he finally replied.
“Then that is what you shall be known as from now on,” Celestia said. “Spike, why the box?”

“It is what I have been moved around in for much of my life, your grace,” the man called Spike replied. “I was born a slave, you see, and from a young age was moved in a crate, as property. Many years later, I was more or less freed, but it is hard to rid myself of this kind of... conditioning.”

Celestia felt her heart sink a little. Former slaves were welcome in the free lands of Equestria, where slavery had been outlawed for many, many years. “Well, Spike, worry no more, for in the city of Canterlot, should you wish to go elsewhere, how you arrive will be your decision.”

“Thank you, your grace,” Spike said.

Celestia turned to Moondancer. “I believe it is time for me to retire,” she said. “However, Spike must properly be tested for his worth. You are to take him to the royal shower and get him cleaned up, and from there, I will give you further instructions.”

“As you wish, your highness,” Moondancer replied.

Later…

“These are the royal showers,” Celestia said, with Spike and Moondancer following behind her. “You must clean up before your work can begin, Spike, and as your princess, my first order is for you to take a shower.” He carried with him a fairly musky smell that, although not entirely unpleasant, the princess wished removed for the time being.

Silently nodding, Spike stripped out of his dirty and tattered robes, the brown fabric pooling at his feet. Stepping away from the two, he fiddled with a few knobs on the stark clean wall before a rush of hot water sprayed out from the overhead nozzle. Sighing softly, he began to scrub himself down with a bar of soap from a small shelf nearby.

“Spike, what did you do for a living?” Celestia asked, watching as he cleaned himself. The shine of his muscles under the water was something she hadn’t quite expected, it was almost as if they were polished, or covered in some sort of oil. Then again, it could have been the soap, and judging from the amount of dirty water emptying into the drain at his feet, he hadn’t bathed in quite some time, hence the fairly powerful odor. “That is, before you came here?”

“I was a gladiator,” Spike replied. “The name Spike comes from my weapon, a large spike I used to defend myself in my very first match.”

“A gladiator?” Moondancer repeated. “How many battles did you win?”

“All but one,” he replied, softly, scrubbing his short hair, turning to face the pair. “Only ever lost one fight.”

“Which fight was that one?” Celestia asked, straining to keep her eyes on his face. He was... impressive, to say the least, but she needed more proof of his worthiness. With all her years in the politics of Equestria, she was very good at telling if and when someone was lying, or if they were leaving something out, and in order for him to pass, he needed to tell her the truth when she asked him for it.

“The very last one,” Spike said simply. “I lost my last fight, but instead of being enslaved once more, or killed, I was brought before the king, and told of the plight of your kingdom. He then bid me good luck, and sent me on my way.”

“Who did you lose to?” Moondancer asked, her professionalism likely the only thing keeping her from blushing at the sight of him. The exotic nature of him was unlike that of the other guards, be they men or women, she’s showered with them in equal measure, only... none of them quite looked like this man.

“Raxina, the Twisting Blade,” he replied. “She and I were pitted against one another, and after a long fight, I conceded defeat.”

“Did she disarm you?” Celestia asked.

“No.”

“Did she land more blows upon you than you upon her?”

“No.”

“Did she at least curry the favor of the spectators or the king, so that she won by way of a vote?”

“No.”

“Then how in the world did she beat you?” Moondancer asked, incredulous. Gladiator fighting was often to the death, and even if not, the crowd or the king could declare one foe to vanquish the other, even after they had surrendered. Raxina was known to be a savage and cunning fighter, showing little mercy and exploiting weaknesses most would not notice. She hadn’t been seen in the arenas for a while, and the rumor was she’d settled down elsewhere, likely ducking out when she had the chance.

No wonder the royal family had outlawed the practice, along with slavery, so many years before. It made the worst monsters of men and women alike, and relegated fellow humans to property. She was certain the princess would assign a tutor to the man, to help him come to terms with his newfound freedom and the culture in which he now resided.

After a few moments of silence, Spike answered. “I lost on purpose, captain."

“Why?” Celestia asked.

“She was carrying my son, princess.”

Silence reigned in the shower for many moments, the only sound that of water rushing down into the drain. Then, after such a pregnant pause, the princess cleared her throat. “She... she was your lover?”

Spike nodded. “One of many, your highness. No child of mine has known freedom as bittersweet as my son to her, for when she won, she was freed, at the cost of what she believed to be my life. The child was too, by proxy, freed after his birth, though I was never able to lay eyes on him.” He did not sound proud of this fact, or even bragging. It was merely the truth, so he said.

“How many children do you have?”

“I honestly do not know, a great many I should think,” the man said, in a tone that suggested he truly wished he knew, as if it gnawed at his insides to be kept in the dark on such an important piece of his life. “I have been many places in my life, done many things for many people, and wherever I went, pregnancies usually followed, either by accident or by choice of someone other than myself, usually amongst slaves, but occasionally with those that were decidedly not slaves. I was made to give heirs to men who wished not for their daughters to marry, though the child’s true parentage would be kept secret. One master used me as breeding stock for his female slaves, slaves I was forced to breed so that he might sell both the mother and child for a tidy sum.” He made a scoffing noise, a hard look entering his gaze. “I killed him before he got the chance to sell the first one that was born.”

“What happened to the rest?” Celestia asked. “Those slaves and your children, I mean?”

“Upon his death, they were freed, and scattered to the winds, many seeking to return to the families they had been taken from, or settle down elsewhere and begin for themselves a new life. As for me, I was sentenced to die in the gladiatorial arena. Only... I didn’t.”

“Your children,” Moondancer asked, a curious tone entering her voice, causing the princess to glance over at her. “You met many of them, correct?”

“I saw many off, though I doubt most will remember me as more than a whisper of a memory,” Spike said with a shrug. “I guess it is for the best, as no child wants to find out their father is only their father because another man made him lie with their mother. Let them believe I died, or went far away, maybe to protect them from a great evil, maybe the evil lurking in the hearts of men who own other men. Whatever their mothers tell them, it is their right to do so. My only hope is that they are free.”

“How were they?” The captain asked. “Your children, that is, were they healthy at least?”

“Very much so,” Spike said. “Some twins here or there, but mostly single births, though there is one I remember giving birth to triplets right before I killed my last master. All of them came into the world squawking and screaming as healthy as could be, as I recall, for the ones I was there for. Why do you ask?”

“Forgive the... inquisitiveness of my captain, she means well, but does not always know what to say on such matters,” Celestia said, putting a reassuring hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Spike, this problem you have been told of by the Almarety king, the problem that infests our kingdom... it runs far deeper than you know.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

As Celestia began to explain, she bade him to sit on the bench offered, the water automatically shutting off as the steam continued to billow in the room. Now that he has washed, he was nowhere near as filthy as he had been, and in the back of Celestia’s mind, she would need to get him some new clothes, tailor made, to fit his frame.

Unknown in its true origin, Equestrian women would at times have difficulty conceiving, especially if they came into contact with magic on a more frequent basis. For the time being, their population was steady, and would rise or fall as normal, but the men and women in higher positions of power, and thus exposed to more magic as per their needs of running the kingdom, meant that births were increasingly rare, let alone pregnancies, the higher one went into society. Oftentimes, a woman could find herself pregnant several times, but the fetus would naturally abort themselves, meaning that very few pregnancies resulted in births for the nobility, and similarly-powerful people. For a country that ran as smoothly as Equestria, thanks to a code of conduct strictly for its nobility and upper class citizens, succession changes and dynasty collapses were a greater threat than one might expect.

Celestia explained that she and her sister Luna had tried many times to find someone who could solve this riddle, but no matter who they sought, be they scientist, sorcerer, or seer, they had been unable to find someone capable of even coming close to what they needed. Hence, the tests of any and all “gifts” sent their way. A carefully orchestrated plot by the sisters and their closest advisors, any kingdoms seeking treaties of any significance would endeavor to send someone they believed could help. It was tricky, as only the healthiest of specimens could be chosen, as the journeys were often long and difficult.

So far none had succeeded in all tests, but the princess said she remained hopeful. One guard would be chosen whenever a gift was presented, who would then serve as the vessel in which a seed of life might take hold. To avoid any kind of potential complications, said guard was then given an easier duty, and no magic was to be used to see if she had been successfully impregnated. It was too risky to the health of the unborn child for them to try and figure out sooner, so in the meantime, other guards, if they volunteered, would attempt the same feat before any results were known. On the flip side, if a woman were presented, she and a male guard would consort until she was able to conceive, whereupon she would be married off to a noble as soon as the baby was born. Rather simplistic and frankly barbaric to cultures with no comparable birth rate problems, but it was a necessity to keep the kingdom running smoothly. Any and all children were raised with the greatest of care, either with their birth mother or under the tutelage of their birth father, to ensure their lives were fruitful ones.

However the means and whoever the guard was the first time around, the gifts in question would also have to fit the bill in personality, temperament, and overall physical health. Celestia told him that a sickly, ill-tempered person was ill-suited to create a child that could one day rise to rule a county, a duchy, or even the kingdom, as they would have to help raise the child as well as simply help make one. They had had several of these before, men who thought they could use their position to try and rule by proxy, or just have sex with as many women as possible. As such, many “gifts” had failed in this test before even attempting to pass another, and had thus washed out. Some of the men who had failed had gone on to be farmers, soldiers or merchants after serving in the guard, whilst a few of the women had chosen theatre, artistry, or courtesan fields.

“So,” Spike said, after Celestia finished, the gears in his mind visibly turning as he processed this wealth of information. “I am to be a breeding stud once again, but this time, not for profit, but so that Equestria might continue as a kingdom?”

“A blunt way of putting it, but that makes it no less true,” the princess replied. "I’m surprised you haven’t questioned why you need to do this.”

“Equestria is my home now, the first true home I have known as a free man,” Spike said simply. “I wish to keep it that way, for I have known far worse, and experienced a life I would not wish on most others. So, while it is indeed strange to me, to be used as such, I will accept this task with humility, and do my best to aid you. I only wish to be involved in the lives of the children I sire. I've... seen too many children ripped from the arms of their parents, never to see them again."

“As part of the mandate, you will be involved with each and every one, as raising a child in Equestria without knowledge of their parents is not something we encourage. Now, Spike, as a dragonkin, other than the extended lifespans the legends speak of, do you have any other... abilities that would aid you in this manner?

"Yes, I do have something that can help. We dragonkin have very good senses of smell, usually useful for finding food, water, or determining the oncoming weather, as such traits are ideal when your kind usually lives on the fringes of the world. However... there is another use for this gift.”

“What is it?” Moondancer asked.

“We can use it to sense when a partner, especially a female partner, is at the peak of their cycle, from the pheromones she gives off that people cannot usually detect,” the man replied. “Your highness, you have recently come to near the end of your cycle, correct?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, partly from surprise, but also from his forwardness. It seemed he would fit in nicely, and not be a meek little man like some of the other, more-weary tributes, had been. “Indeed I have, Spike. What of my captain, Moondancer?”

Spike turned to the other woman, looking her up and down as he gave a rather audible sniff. “She is still at the peak of her cycle, from what my senses tell me. She entered it relatively recent as well.”

Moondancer nodded. “Celestia, might I be as bold as to ask for the permission to be Spike’s first test?”

“Test?” Spike asked. "What sort of test?"

“Indeed,” Celestia said, looking between the two of them. “To bed a royal guard, and beget her with a child; this will be your first challenge. It is a test many men have tried, and so far, very, very few have succeeded, and not a great many times either. However, from what you have told us, you have bedded many women, and had many children as a result, and therein lies the first test, which you have passed, as I believe you to be telling the truth, admirably. I do not ask this as your princess, Spike, but would you do the honor of giving Captain Moondancer a child?”

Spike looked to the captain, who had started nervously fidgeting where she stood. “That is my purpose here in Equestria, as a free man, and seeing as I owe you my freedom, princess, I will do as you ask.”

Celestia turned to the captain. “You have my permission, Moondancer, to bed this man, and as many times as you wish, to ensure success. However, you shall do so in his new room, and you have only this week to do so, tonight being the only time the two of you will have unrestricted access to one another, for tomorrow, Spike, must learn of his other new duties. After all of that, Moondancer, you will have to wait with the others, as we both know more than a few of your fellow guards wish for a chance at him.”

“Where is that, your highness?” Spike asked, as a trio of servants rushed in and began to dry him off, one setting out a pile of new clothes for him to wear... while yet more women were waiting for him? Just what was with this kingdom?

“You will see.”

Author's Note

Hope you liked this chapter, took a while for this story to get out, but hey, after a long time of planning, writing, rewriting, and some touch-up polishing work, it's finally ready!