The tension first pervading the room had never really had a chance to fade before the Princesses finished talking and it only spiked after the introduction and explanation of Moonstone’s presence. Spike now sat in one of the couches with his arm curled around Moonstone as he tried to make sense of the swirling sensations he felt within: his vindication at her being real, the joy he felt having her nearby, and the discomfort at her origins. Twilight sat wringing her hands as she warred with her own swirling emotions from shock at the Princesses’ actions as well as being torn between relief at Spike not going crazy and some strange anger she couldn’t quite place. Her inner turmoil left her oblivious to the occasional thoughtful glance from Cadence and worried frown from Shining. The rest of the room simply tried to politely ignore this while dealing with their own confused feelings on the revelations, unintentionally adding to the tense atmosphere with their own silence. Hurricane Awkward had effectively become Perfect Storm Awkward.

Fortunately, one of the girls held enough guts to speak and save the rest from this terrible awkward silence. Unfortunately, she never learned the importance of matching those guts with discretion.

“So, what? You plan to help Spike by marrying him to a fake dragon?” Rainbow asked.

This clearly turned out to be the wrong way to end such silence. Moonstone shrunk in on herself as Spike’s arm tightened around her protectively and he sent a glare Dash’s way. The others turned to Rainbow with disapproving frowns and prepared to admonish her en masse. That is, until a flash of sliver shot by Rainbow’s face cutting off some strands of mane and hitting the wall behind her with a dull thunk. Eyes wide in shock, she slowly turned her face to see a scalpel firmly stuck in the wood wall. She and the rest of the room turned back to where the surgical tool came from to see a livid Doctor glaring in Rainbow’s direction.

“Bevare of slighting my vork, fraulien, else ze next piece of surgical equipment may fly a few inches furzer to ze left,” Strangelove growled softly.

“Doctor Strangelove!!” Celestia shouted enraged. “Whatever was said, you will not-”

“In deed, he will not,” Luna broke in smoothly before directing a glare to Rainbow that caused her to shiver, “for the next one to speak ill of young Moonestone then, friend or no, there will be drastic consequences delivered by myself before he can do anything.”

The grim promise and frosty tone seemed to force the temperature to drop several degrees. They couldn’t begin to guess at the princess’s connection to the newcomer, but she clearly didn’t react well to perceived insults against her. Eventually, Blueblood coughed politely into his hand, “Right. Perhaps we should have the good doctor explain the situation a bit further before making any hasty judgements or comments?”

“Ya, I suppose ve could do wiz some elaboration,” Strangelove acceded. “Let’s start wiz some background information, shall ve?

“Zer origins and development actually share much in common with ponies: Ve ver shaped by ancient powers zat manage our vorld and ve each developed several tribes wiz unique attributes.”

“Tribes? The hey are you-?” Rainbow started before Applejack tapped her shoulder for silence.

After starting at the others as if daring them to interrupt, Strangelove huffed and continued. “Ve ver formed by ze powers of Harmony that maintain balance in ze vorld, zey ver formed from ze fierce forces of Primal Magic zat forced ze crude materials zat shaped this vorld together. As our abilities reflect Harmony’s order and gentle guidance, zeir’s reflect the harsh yet life giving and shaping forge of Primal Magic. Like us, zey had several tribes, but ver best recognized by zree main groups. First, ver ze Sky Renders. Zose ve zink of as ‘dragons’ today. Zen ve have ze Magma Wyrms. Zey ver massive, serpentine beings zat tunneled zrough ze crust. Zey didn’t breaze fire, per se, but zeir size und ability to qvickly devour enough molten rock to fill, or form as ze case may be, several large canyons. Und zen ve have,” he paused and smiled as he gestured to Moonstone and Spike, “Aezer Drakes. Vile lacking vings or physical hardiness of ze ozer tribes, zeir ability to tap directly into ze Aezer and manipulate its’ energies more zan make up.”

“Are you serious!?” Sunburst exclaimed. Noticing the confused glances, aside from the Princesses who seemed unfazed and Twilight and Starlight who seemed to share his amazement, he explained, “Aether is the term used to describe the undercurrent of magic that permeates the entire universe. It’s the purest form of magical energy in existence. All creatures in this world display magic in some form or another, but that magic comes from the stable field formed about and through the world after an eons-long event separated a miniscule portion from the rest of the Aether. What we use is a safer, diluted form of the original. In theory, tapping into the Aether would provide power to toy with space, time, or anything else in this plane of reality. The problem is, nothing aside from an alicorn or Discord could hope to access it without dematerializing themselves in an instant.”

The explanation behind the ability of left the group stunned.

Well, most of the group.

“Uhh, okay,” Rainbow spoke up slowly, “not being an egghead, most of what I got there was ‘Blah blah super magic blah blah safe magic blah blah blah Discord and alicorns blah bad stuff.’ You’re basically saying that every member in Spike’s tribe could have given Discord a run for his bits, right?” At Sunburt’s exasperated sigh and nod, while outright ignoring Strangelove’s annoyed groan, she continued, “If that’s the case, shouldn’t there be some Aether Drakes besides Spike? For that matter, where are these Magma Wyrms at?”

“Vell, zey vouldn’t be qvite zat powerful today,” the doctor amended. “Zis vould have been during zeir heyday many eons before unification. Or ponykind for zat matter. Just as ponies use zeir Harmony magic to guide ze environment, dragons used zeir Primal magic to give it shape. Sky Renders vould shrug off and shape toxic atmosphere until it formed our current atmosphere and weather systems. Ze Magma Wyrms condensed and shaped the molten minerals zat formed ze vorld’s crust. Und, going back to Herr Sunburts statement,” he said with a nod to the aforementioned unicorn, “ze eons-long event zat formed our magic field vould have been ze vork of ze Aezer Drakes tearing and molding zose energies from ze rest of ze Aezer.

“As for vere zey are? Vell…” He paused and glared at the ground. For the first time since they met him, however, he didn’t glare with contempt or annoyance. Instead, it showed a combination of profound distasted and sorrow. “Zey ver murdered.”

“WHAT!?” the group shouted in horror.

“Ya, murdered,” Strangelove reaffirmed. “In ze ages after ze vorld’s formation as zeir power declined, ze tribes turned to zeir own interests. Ze Magma Wyrms ver content to dvell beneath ze earh vere zey continue to affect mineral deposits und ze Aezer Drakes ver content to spend zeir days studying und mediating on ze mysteries of ze Aezer. Ze Sky Renders zough…Zey ver, as zey are now, a proud, ambitious lot who veren’t fond of sharing. Fearing ze Aezer Drakes as potential rivals, zey mustered forces in private before sweeping zrough in a single surprise attack. Ze vermin didn’t even bozer to remember zer victims. Which in hindsight, may be somzing of a blessing in disguise as zat meant dragons today vould only look at a vingless dragon as a defect razer zan a zreat to be actively hunted. Fortunately, dragon eggs are qvite resilient and Aezer eggs only need to be in a magically charged atmosphere to survive long enough until getting a proper charge of mana to hatch. In Spike’s case, his egg likely escaped notice long enough for some explorer or smuggler to find it und sell it to ze School for Gifted Unicorns zinking it vas a stillborn.”

As he finished his explanation Spike’s friends turned toward him with sad and uncertain glances as they watched to see how he would react. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how to react himself. He swallowed thickly and looked away. He blinked as he felt something rubbing his arm gently and turned to see Moonstone holding his arm in a comforting grip while regarding him sadly. A small warmth spread in his chest and he inhaled before giving a thankful smile to her. “Well, at least some answers were answered,” he said with a weak chuckle before turning back to the Doctor. “But where does Moonstone fit into this?”

“So glad you asked,” Strangelove said with some of his dry attuited seemingly restored as they changed subjects. “First, ze Princesses provided some blood samples retrieved from ze hospital you ver admitted to: some from you to get a partial genetic pattern of your tribe und some from ze visiting dragons to get ze basic patterns zat vould have been shared among zeir tribes. After zat, it vas a simple matter of combining ze proper organic materials und a power source to initialize as vell as speed up her development over ze course of a few weeks.”

“You call that a simple matter!?!” Starlight cried out, seemingly a second later than Sunburst or Twilight meant to. “Firstly, trying to artificially conceive a member of a dead race from samples from one surviving member and some similar species!? That’s like perfectly reconstructing an ancient city after studying the designs from one original building and a few that shared similar traits! And where did you get the power!?! I remember Ember1 telling us that dragons, or at least her type of dragons, use up massive amounts of energy to form the egg and give it some measure of self-sufficiency! The needs for artificially forming a dragon embryo and speeding its formation would be phenomenal!”

“Vell, I vould love to give out ze fascinating details to you and your other scholarly friends, but ve are currently outnumbered by ze ignorant, impatient, und unlearned.”-this got a variety of irritated and annoyed looks- “So ze short version to zose two qvestions? I’m me and since ve vere fresh out of surging unicorn prodigies”-Twilight couldn’t stop an embarrassed blush and cringe at that- “ze pover vas aqvired zrough, ehm, borrowing some from city thaumic grids, incidentally causing some of ze nation-wide brown outs you may have read about from ze paper ze last few weeks.”

The listeners blinked and swallowed at the revelation as even the less…erudite…members knew that that kind of power would have left a nasty mess in Equestria if anything went wrong. Pushing aside her own unease, Twilight cleared her throat. “But…if Moonstone was only born recently…then how does Spike remember growing up with her?”

The others turned surprised and confused glances to Twilight, then Spike who simply nodded an affirmative.

“That would be my doing,” Luna said quietly. At the others’ shocked stares, she continued, “Having the ability to physically create a bride to be was not enough. We needed someone we knew Spike could get along with.”

“You…you implanted fake memories?” Spike asked softly in hurt.

“No, Spike,” Luna answered quickly. “When Moonstone formed enough to develop a consciousness, I linked her to your sleeping mind. Using your memoires, I created scenarios that played out based on how things would have occurred if you and Moonstone had lived those moments in real life.”

“But how is that any-?” Spike started.

“Cogito ergo sum,” Strangelove interrupted.

“I think therefore I am? The philosophy that we are defined by our thoughts and choices?” Twilight clarified.

“Indeed,” Strangelove answered fondly before turning to Spike, “Zere may be no physical evidence of ze events you remember, but each und every choice ze both of you made ver just as genuine as zey would have been in life. Zey ver not scripted. Zey came from your own hearts und minds. Zerefore, zose memories are as real as you let zem be.”

Spike blinked and frowned in thought. After several tense moments as the rest of the room watched in anticipation, he spoke slowly, “Well…if that’s the case,” Spike started as he turned to regard a nervously fidgeting Moonstone and smiled. “I think you still owe me for that ruby milkshake you snatched up two birthdays ago.”

While everypony else shared confused glances, Moonstone relaxed visibly before snorting and sticking her forked tongue at him as she replied playfully, “Yeah? I’d like to see how well you could make that stick in court.” She puffed herself up and deepened her voice in an imitation of Spike, “‘Your honor! This adult dragoness who was born a few weeks ago owes me for stealing a shake that only existed in my head!’ Afraid to say, ‘cogito ergo sum’ doesn’t work as well for milkshakes, tough guy.”

The rest of the room giggled and laughed at this as the remaining tension seemed to drain from the room. “That’s so romantic,” Rarity sighed from beside her own coltfriend. “You two really do make a cute couple.” Spike and Moonstone blushed at that.

“Yeah! Now, on top of the birthday party, we can have a ‘glad you found your soulmate’ party!” Pinkie called out excitedly causing the young dragon couple’s blushing to deepen. “Although, I might forget inviting a certain somepony during the planning,” she muttered quietly with a glare that caused Rarity to flinch.

“Be that as it may,” Luna started after subtly frowning at Rarity and Pinkie, “there is still something we need from the rest of you.” Everypony quickly sat straight at the announcement, wondering what the stern-faced Night Princess might want from them. “If you are willing, I wish to use the same technique employed with Spike to synch your memories with his and Moonstone’s as you sleep tonight.” She sighed at the wide-eyed stare she received in answer. She wasn’t surprised by the reaction, but she was hoping that they would hear her out before turning the idea aside altogether. “You need not fear any side effects or serious repercussions. As I told Spike earlier, all those memories were based strictly on what would have occurred in real life. Part of that included strict adherence to your personalities. That means the synch will leave no real effect on your minds and the only significant changes to your memories will be that Moonstone had always been a part of your lives.”

The girls looked at one another uncertainly. Applejack spoke up reluctantly, “Now, Princess, I get what yer trin’ ta do. Really, I do, and Miss Moonstone seems like a nice sort,” she hesitated in guilt at Moonstone’s hurt look, but powered on, “but I can’t say I’m too keen on anyone messin’ with my head. I know you watch over our dreams, but this seems a mite more serious.”

“She’s not asking to ‘mess vith your head’ as you so qvaintly put it,” Strangelove said archly, drawing everypony’s attention. “She’s asking you to do vat you are known for: offer friendship. In zis case, you are doing so retroactively.”

Strangelove took in the confused looks and sighed. “Zink about it. Ze fashion in how young Moonstone vas born has literally left her wizout a friend in ze vorld. Her only memories of joy und friendship are zese of you. Your choice is to make zese memories your own and accept her…or not.”

“…I say we do it.” Fluttershy’s soft voice drew everypony’s attention to her determined expression. She hesitated at the sudden attention, but Big Mac’s hand tightening around hers in support helped her to keep going. “I-I know how I would feel in her shoes. The idea of waking up one day to learn that my best friends, that all of you,” she gestured to the rest of the room, “didn’t remember me or the times you helped me? The thought that I would have to live my life with all of you looking at me as if I were a stranger? That would-” she stopped herself and shivered as she fought back tears. “T-that would break my heart,” she whimpered.

The others stared in dismay at the yellow pegasus’ point and looked down. In particular, they seemed to be avoiding looking at Moonstone. They each seemed to go through their own phases of emotion as they processed this: shame, guilt, sadness, and more than a little discomfort. Eventually, each of the girls looked back to one another with determined frowns and nods. They agreed that, despite their initial unease at the situation, none of them could simply turn away this girl in her time of need. Even Twilight, who still internally struggled with her own uncertainties and broiling emotions that seemed to stem from Moonstone’s appearance, couldn’t turn away with a clear conscious.

One by one, they turned to Luna and gave a nod in acceptance. The sight caused Moonstone to exhale violently and lean into Spike. “Thank you. All of you,” she said gratefully, as she released the tension she had been trying to keep hidden from the group. “I know this is asking a lot, and I know you may be a bit mad a mom but thank you for understanding.”

She continued leaning on Spike with her eyes closed before frowning and looking around to notice that the entire group was staring at her with wide eyes. She was going to ask what was wrong until she was interrupted.

“What…did you say?” Luna asked softly.

Moonstone looked up in confusion at Luna’s carefully blank face. Her own eyes widened and she blanched as she realized that, despite a few times speaking in the dream realm, she never actually addressed the Princess that way face to face. She swallowed nervously, realizing there was no way to take it back, and explained, “W-well, you did shape my mind and help teach me what I needed to get around in Equestria. You also provided a lot of magic to help shape me so…um…I…might see you…as…my mom.”

Luna continued to stare until finally standing and walking slowly toward Moonstone. The entire group gasped as Moonstone was enveloped in a blue aura and flew towards the Princess…
Only cover their ears as Luna glomped on to the little dragoness and spun around as she somehow started squealing in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “HUZZAH!! WE’RE A MOMMY WE’RE A MOMMY!!!”

When Luna finally quieted down after several spins with Moonstone clutched tightly to her chest, Blueblood spoke up, “So, if Aunty Luna is Miss Moonstone’s mother, would that make the Doctor her father?”

Luna's good mood evaporated and her eyes hooded. She turned to Strangelove who answered her flat look with a raised eyebrow. “Vat is zat look for? Expecting child support? Young Moonstone can fend for herself. Besides, I’m fairly certain your bank account is far healzier zan mine.”

“This is all very heartwarming,” Sunburst broke in hesitantly, “but…even with the Doctor taking precautions against genetic bottleneck in her formation, wouldn’t that make Spike and Moonstone related now? At least by law?”

Luna's eyes widened in horrified understanding. The same happened for the other royalty, the girls, and their boyfriends. Eventually, the silence was broken by Moonstone after shrugging in Luna’s arms, “Well, you know what they say. Incest is wincest.”

That caused Twilight to choke and cover her eyes. “DEAR CELESTIA, GET THESE NEW IMAGES OUT OF MY HEAD!!” she wailed in despair.

“I would love to, my friend, but I would have done that for myself first if I could have,” Celestia answered ruefully as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Rainbow Dash, in a fit of her usual tact, reacted by snorting and doubling over in laughter. “You know what? I take back every bad thing I said and every doubt I had,” she said when she finally recovered enough to speak. She looked to Moonstone with a twisted grin. “I think we’ll get along just fine.”

“Vell enough,” Doctor Strangelove nodded and looked toward Moonstone, “If you or ze junge nee anything, you can find me in my room.” He waited long enough to see her nod in thanks before barking out, “Come along, Igor! Zis vork may be finished, but ve still have much to do!”

“I pick things up, I put them down,” Igor rumbled in agreement before stomping after the Doctor.

“Then it is decided,” Celestia said nodding with a faint smile, which seemed to be a bit relieved at the doctor’s exit, before turning to Spike and Moonstone. “A room has been set aside for the two of you. You can leave ahead of us and get to know one another.”

Spike blushed and started stammering as images popped into his head at that. Moonstone rolled her eyes and strolled to Spike’s seat where she pulled him up by his arms, “Come on Casanova. Like she said, we’ve got a room with our names on it and it won’t mess itself up.”

“I…didn’t actually say-” Celestia tried to correct Moonstone but she drug Spike out the door before the solar diarch could get a word out. She shrugged, “Well, they’re young. I’m sure things will work out. As for the rest of you,” she turned to everypony with a tired, but warm smile, “I imagine this has only made a long day even more so for you. I advise that we go back to our own rooms and rest up. This looks to be the start of an interesting summer.”

“WAIT!!! I…um,” Twilight called out but trailed off as she received everypony’s attention. She had wanted to object to the young dragons leaving the room but couldn’t for the life of her come up with a logical reason. She still found herself a bit unsettled by both the evening’s revelations and these odd feelings, many of which intensified as she saw Moontstone dragging Spike out the door. After wracking her brain, she finally settled on an excuse for having called their attention, “What about the memory synch? Won’t that take time or some preparation? After all, this is several years’ worth of memories for all of us at once.”

“That has been taken care of,” Luna assured. “As soon as all of you fall asleep, the connection will finalize, and the memories will be incorporated. The only effects any of you are likely to feel will be a slight headache in the morning and a few moments in conversation where you may need sort out a few memories. The former will fade quickly, and the latter can quickly be resolved tomorrow over a leisurely meal. To that end, I have already set a reservation at the four-star restaurant attached to the hotel. You can all head for there at your own pace after sleeping in tomorrow.”

“Now that sounds like a plan ah can get behind,” Applejack said approvingly as she stood and stretched. “In fact, ah think ah’m for movin’ ahead and testin’ out just how relaxin’ those beds are.”

The rest of the room muttered tired agreement with that and stood to leave. They started for the door before freezing in place as Rarity and Pinkie both shrieked in surprise as they were picked up in a blue aura.

“Not quite yet, I think, for these two,” Luna stated sternly as she glared at the ponies in question. “We still have some business to discuss. The rest of you may go.”

The others looked at one another unsurely until shrugging, deciding that they really didn’t have any grounds to contradict her and started to make their way out aside from two stallions from the group: Pearl, who wanted to support Rarity as a loyal coltfriend until a nod from Rarity and a particularly stern glare from Luna sent him scurrying off and Dizzy who remained sprawled on a couch as exhaustion kept him from rising.

Luna huffed and turned to the last ponies exiting, “Big Mac, would you be so kind as to carry Dizzy to his room? He likely used any energy he had remaining to make it to this meeting.” Big Mac nodded, made his way to Dizzy, and picked up the exhausted stallion with ease and carried him out.

Once the doors closed, Luna roughly dropped the two mares onto one of the couches before planting her hands on her hips and directing a scathing glare at the two. “I am so very disappointed in the two of you,” she said softly.

They tried to speak up, Rarity with flowery apologies and Pinkie with outrage, before Luna cut them off she slashed her hand through the air and spoke over them, “BE QUIET!!” She yelled furiously, “I know all about this little fight of yours, and I know you two have done nothing to fix it. Since the two of you have spent weeks not speaking to each other over this, then you can both remain silent and listen as I speak!”

She turned to Rarity who sunk in on herself. “Miss Rarity, you all but declared our nephew, Blueblood, a sworn enemy for the longest time because he ruined one of your creations. You of all ponies should understand how one can value a possession related to their life’s work. Now, granted,” Luna said conceding with a wave of her hand, “it was done to bring justice against a harlot that abused a loved one for her own ends. Even so, your surroundings offered plenty of items to smash over the wretch that you could have used.”

Pinkie sneered and looked like she was about to add a scathing comment, but quickly quailed as Luna turned the scolding to her, “Don’t look so smug Miss Pie. Your own behavior in this matter has been just as deplorable, nay more so, than anything from Miss Rarity. Yes, your party cannon was a possession that held value to you. But that is just what it was: a possession! It can be repaired or replaced. Can you repair your friendships? Replace the smiles lost because of your bitter tantrums!? And that’s not counting your wretched treatment of your coltfriend!”

“Dizzy?” Pinkie asked bewildered. “What does he have to do with-?”

“Even during the weeks of shaping Moonstone’s mind, I could sense young Dizzy’s nightmares. They generated more terror than those from soldiers I’ve guided through PTSD!” Luna shouted scornfully. “When I did a quick scan of him during the meeting just now, he barely seemed to be holding together! We may overlook this sort of thing during heat season, but that is because heat interferes with a Mare’s reasoning and only lasts for a week. You have been extending that behavior simply to find an outlet for anger you chose not to resolve.” By the end of the tirade, Pinkie’s eyes were watering, and her hair had considerably straightened.

“Just look at the two of you!” Luna growled at both girls who now stared down at the floor in shame. “Your friendships were forged in adversity and desperation. You managed to work with the others to save me from the taint of Nightmare Moon and continued to save this world time and again. But this? This warranted destroying the friendship between you? This warranted distressing your friends and adding yet more to Spike’s considerable suffering?” she glared at the two mares as if daring them to challenge her points. She scoffed, “Well, you may be willing to give up over something so trivial, but your friends are not. And if you can’t be trusted to resolve this on your own…then it is left to me to do so.”

With that ominous declaration, she pulled a wood box from behind her and slammed it onto the coffee table in the center of the room causing the girls to jump. “In the ancient days,” Luna muttered darkly, “the territory of Stalliongrad was fraught with danger. They knew precious resources and time could not be wasted on petty arguments in their treacherous home, yet they also acknowledged that some slights could not be ignored. In such times, they took both feuding parties and locked them in a room where they were forced to share a powerful concoction until their differences were resolved. This brew was crafted from the blood of frost demons and soothed every form of pain from the physical to the spiritual, even as it threatened to melt their insides.”

The girls looked on in fear and awe of the story as Luna pulled out a large bottle of clear liquid and slammed it onto the table. “That is, until they ran out of frost demons a few centuries ago. Now, they use a new brew called ‘vodka’ which I have found to be just as effective.”

“Princess, perhaps we should-” Rarity started nervously.

“I don’t think this is a good ide-” Pinkie added at the same times.

“KEEP YOUR OPINIONS AND EXCUSES TO YOURSELVES!!” Luna barked. “You were given a chance to do things your way, so now we shall do them mine.” She waved her hands and every surface in the room was enveloped by the blue glow of her magic. After a moment, the glow began to slide away from the walls, floor, doors, and ceiling towards the bottle on the table. Soon enough, all of the magic had focused on the glass bottle causing it to glow like a beacon before suddenly winking out. The two girls looked about in fearful confusion until their attention was drawn back to Luna speaking. “I’ve cast a barrier that will prevent any but I from leaving or entering this room. The only way it can be removed is by meeting one of two conditions. Either I remove it, which won’t happen until I am satisfied, or until the two of you have downed an equal number of shots to finish this bottle.”

Ignoring the girls’ frantic attempts to speak, Luna stomped out into the hall and slammed the door shut. She looked back at the door with a thoughtful frown as she considered adding an additional spell to the door but dismissed the idea quickly. Of the two girls, only Pinkie Pie was experienced with picking locks and she would be far too inebriated to work lock picks by the end of that bottle. She hummed happily as she strode down the hall. When she returned, the girls will have long since worked passed their issues.

That, or they would throttle each other.

Either way, the problem would be resolved by the time she came back in a couple of hours to check on them. And best of all, the plan’s simplicity made it all but foolproof. Yes, in no way would this backfire. “Everything will be absolutely perfect,” she chirped.

The Princess’s good mood would likely have plummeted had she noticed a certain business suit wearing stallion in glasses who shook his head exasperatedly at her from the corner of the hotel lobby he sat at.

****

Spike sat in the loveseat where he had plopped down and settled on wringing his hands nervously since Moonstone dragged him into the suite only to motion for him to wait as she headed to the kitchen. Before he could guess what she planned, she strolled out with a six-pack of his favorite soda and sat beside him as she passed him a couple of cans. “Sorry it’s nothing stronger, but it’s still a little over a day until your birthday,” she said and shrugged from beside him. “I would have snuck something in anyway, but mom knew me well enough to make sure I couldn’t slip out unattended before the meeting. She also arranged to have the good stuff taken from the minibar.” She looked over and winked, “Don’t worry though. We’ll have plenty of chances for a little trouble.” She downed the soda quickly and crushed the empty can against her head before tossing it at a nearby painting and going for another drink.

“WHOAH!! Careful, Moon!” Spike yelped as he stepped over to pick up the can and throw it way. “I know it might be kind of tempting, but this whole room costs more than most of my gem collection combined!” Indeed, it seemed less a hotel room and more like a small penthouse. The ‘kitchen area’ included marble top counters, top of the line cooking appliances, and a fully stocked minibar likely big enough to supply an actual bar had it not been raided. The living room featured comfy furniture that probably cost more than most normal ponies made in a year, tasteless yet likely expensive artwork and most importantly, to Spike’s mind at least, the beautiful piece of technology that was the plasma screen TV big enough to take up three fourths of the wall it was mounted on. He hadn’t seen the bedroom yet, though, if it were anything like the furniture in the living room, it was likely furnished with the finest sheets, decoration, and amenities that bits could buy. This suite was probably meant to be reserved for celebrities, CEOs, and nobles.

“Nah, it’s fine. Bluey wouldn’t have asked me to trash it, otherwise,” Moonstone said casually and waved aside his worrying as she took another long draught from the new can. After noticing a lengthy silence, she glanced over to see Spike’s confused frown before facepalming. “Tch. Duh! Guess I forgot to mention that Blue actually asked for us to cut loose while we’re here. Turns out, he reeeeally didn’t want to set shop here, but the board of investors kind of backed him into a corner. He can’t do much himself, but…” She leaned forward to whisper in an over the top conspiratorial tone, “you and I are technically royalty, yet we hold no direct affiliation to Bluey’s business. Aside from Mom, aunt Luna, and the elements we’re some of the only ones around who could cause some havoc here and nopony could do anything about it.” She paused in thought then shrugged as she added, “Well, except maybe Discord. But he’s probably not interested in any kind of trouble that doesn’t amount to more than frat colt parties.”

“Oh, heh heh, yea,” Spike laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. He did his very best to hide the warring of fear and shame within. “T-that’s what you meant. With the whole, uh, making a mess thing.”

Moonstone regarded him studiously before a look of comprehension crossed her face. “Ohhh. I see. You thought I hauled you up here to fuck me silly.”

“W-WHAT!?!” Spike ~~squeaked~~ cried out as his face reddened.

“You know, bump uglies,” she stated conversationally, though the one eye not covered by her draped head fin had a raised eyebrow and shown a mischievous glint. She seemed to take his silence as confusion. So, much to his horror, she elaborated, “Do the deed. Test the bedsprings. Make the beast with two backs. Fill Moonstone Cavern. Find and polish the hidden pearl. Plow the moistened fields. Bury the sausage. Spear the tuna. Sheathe your sword in the scabbard. Reveal our shame. Settle your dragon junior in my damp cav-”

“YES!” Spike interrupted desperately as he vainly fought down his blush of embarrassment. “Yes, I get it! Sex. The whole emerald enchilada. But the thing is…well…” he trailed off as he stared at the fine carpet floor. After a fortifying breath, he spoke, “I’m scared, Moon. I’m scared that whatever this rutt does will hurt you. I’m scared that I won’t be good enough. And…” he hesitated before cringing and finishing in a small voice, “I’m scared of what might change from this.”

For a time, Moonstone didn’t bother to answer, and Spike couldn’t tell what she might have been thinking as he couldn’t bring himself to look at her. When she sighed in exasperation, he couldn’t stop a cringe. I knew it, he thought, She probably thinks I’m a loser now. Even with all this ‘made to love me’ stuff, there’s no way an amazing girl like Moonstone would-

SMACK!!!

The sharp pain brought his claws to the back of his head, and he looked up at Moonstone in confusion and shock. She glared as she shook her head back and forth in annoyance and rubbed the soreness in her hand, “Tough guy, in all of these memories of the times we shared, there is one thing about you that got on my nerves: that thick skull of yours.

“Spike, I’m a dragon. I can handle some rough stuff. And up here-” she gestured to her forehead with a single clawed finger “-there’s more than childhood memories: dragon traditions and culture, anatomy, self-defense. Part of the whole reason the Princesses worked with my dad on this crazy project was to make sure you had someone you didn’t have to worry about hurting. I can handle myself just fine until you get a grip on yourself. And don’t waste your time worrying about being ‘good enough.’ Until this rutt cycle ends, or we find a way to make it a bit more manageable, none of us are really going to have a say in the matter when those instincts take over and you start blacking out. That said,” she smiled gently and put an arm around his shoulders, “I know you’ve been raised to be a perfect gentledrake. When we have some more say against these blackouts, I have no doubt you’ll make every effort to make things up with a little more romance later. In fact, pops even installed some info and provided a few…tools that might help us make more of our time during this rutt cycle, if not shorten the cycle altogether.

“As for things changing? Well…” she sighed and leaned her head on Spike’s nearest shoulder. “There are always changes: some good and some bad. That’s just life. But here’s the thing,” she turned her head up, pushed aside her fin, and gently kissed his forehead. The kiss didn’t tease or show sensuality. It only offered comfort. She leaned back and smiled as she looked into Spike’s eyes and he into hers. “No matter what crazy events brought us together, we’re friends, Spike. As long as we stick together, things will work out fine.”

At hearing those words and looking into that beautiful face surrounded by a soft blue glow, Spike couldn’t have stopped the slow smile spreading across his face if he wanted to. Just like that, all his fears and insecurities melted away. Well, maybe not completely, but certainly enough that they could be pushed aside. He pulled her in for a hug and whispered, “Thanks, Moon. I needed that.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes before finally leaning back and relaxing against the couch. “Well, what do we do now?” Spike asked, somewhat at ease, but still drained from the evening and emotional drama.

“Well, there is something…naughty we could do,” Moonstone said slyly with a crooked smile.

Spike turned an unsure look to his friend. On the one hand, he understood that she intended on saving anything ‘intense’ for later when they took some time to get comfortable with the craziness of the situation. On the other, he found it difficult to see that smoldering gaze and the sensual weight against him as anything other than the promise of a night of carnal pleasures and lust as he tore that flimsy dress aside, ravishing her-NO! Down, Spike! Heel! Even in his tired state, he had to make an effort to fight back the rush of blood. Was he already that close to one of these blackouts? Surely, he didn’t pick up this train of thought from any of his friends. Well, maybe Rainbow.

Spike put a stop to such further thoughts. Deciding he was likely overthinking things, he remembered Moonstone did have a mischievous streak to rival the CMC and Rainbow combined, he decided to push on. “Okay, I’ll bite-”

“Maybe not tonight, but I’m certainly looking forward to it later,” Moonstone purred playfully.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Spike growled, hoping his annoyance would mask the embarrassment.

In answer her smile widened, and she leaned closer. Spike started to wonder if she had changed her mind and planned on heating things up. The consideration was tossed aside with the sound of flicking paper as what seemed to be a coupon was waved in front of his eyes.

He gently plucked it from her hands and scanned some of the type. “Arrival of the Blood Tide?” Spike read aloud unsurely. His face quickly showed recognition after a moment’s thought and he exclaimed “Oh, yeah! That’s the name of the new DLC expansion for Final Elder Fantasy. It’s supposed to bring in a new story, a ton of new addons, and PvP modes and competitions.” He shrugged. “Well, it will on its release in a year. Guess it will be nice to look forward to redeeming this promotional when it comes ou-”

“Not quite, tough guy,” Moonstone laughed before nodding to the ticket, “take a closer look.”

Spike frowned in confusion and turned back to the ticket. That confusion gradually gave way to astonishment as he read the terms and two codes. “No way,” he breathed. “These…these are beta tester codes!” His face swapped back and forth between the ticket and Moonstone’s smug grin. “This…! There are only a hundred slots for these! Last I heard, they were mainly reserved for production crew, CEOs, and one or two celebrities that helped with ad campaigns. They even offer payment for hours played as a part time job!!” His eyes drunk in the sight of the gamer grail before finally turning to Moonstone’s smug smile. “Just how? When?”

“Well, we both made a name for ourselves on the servers and I got the idea to give us both a little more of an edge,” She paused and blinked in annoyance before rubbing her head as she smiled ruefully. “Yeah. Those years we spent honing our skills before I woke up for the first time a few days ago. That’s still going to take some getting used to.” She shook her head, “Anyway, I remembered the adverts and got the idea to ask around. And since I’m sure you’d never guess which of my many contacts I reached out to, I’ll give you a hint,” she said dryly, then put on a severe expression and put her hands on her hips. She pointed to the sky grandly and declared, “Tell young Spike to use this boon well! For when the PvP battle ensues, we shall lay the…er…what was it? Ah, yes! We shall lay the smackdown on his hamlet!”

Spike blinked as he took in Moonstone’s over the top hero pose for a grand total of three seconds before he doubled over laughing. “Y-you, you know,” he started as he struggled for breath, “S-she doesn’t actually talk like that anymore.”

“Oh, she does all the time when foals are around or she’s goofing off. She might sniff and act oh so prim, but she enjoys being ribbed a little from time to time.

“But enough of that. We’ve got bigger gems to chew on.” She strolled to the big screen, grabbed a couple of controllers, and came back to join Spike on the couch. She offered one of the controllers to Spike as she grinned wickedly, “Like breaking in this bad boy as we prep for kicking mom’s flank in PvP. You in?”

Spike didn’t even hesitate to accept the controller as he shared her grin, “You know it!”

For the next few hours, all thoughts of rutt cycles and awkward moments were purged by the purity of gaming mania as the two friends quested for upgrades and awed at the new DLC features. Eventually, exhaustion won out against excitement of the new game and the both of them fell asleep against one another. Maybe…maybe this summer will work out after all, was Spike’s last thought as sleep took him.

****

Some hours had passed since Luna had left the two girls to their own devices and she now strolled purposefully back in response to a ping from the spell that signaled the bottle had been finished. She hummed cheerily to herself as she prepared to walk into a scene featuring tearful reconciliation, laughter, or simply find them sleeping off the drink.

“Well, I hope you girls were able to learn your lesson,” Luna spoke in the warm, motherly voice that was certainly not copied from Tia. Her voice carried effectively enough down the hall that she knew she would be heard even through the locked door. “Whatever our differences and struggles, we must always focus on the strength of our bonds and- oh, no,” Luna cut herself off and the motherly lecture ended in a flat tone of shock as the doors came in sight. One of the doors had been thrown open with such force that it only remained attached to the frame by the top hinge it dangled from and the other had been reduced to splinters. “No. No,no,no,no,no,no-!” Luna repeated to herself like a mantra against what she would discover before only to be left speechless at what she found when she made it to the doorway.

The room was thoroughly trashed. Furniture was torn apart and pieces lay across the floor. The leopard print couch stood as the one piece of furniture in relatively intact aside from wide strips of material torn from it. Makeup kits were strewn along the floor but while there were a good deal of markings along the intact walls, there weren’t enough to explain the mass of empty mascara containers. Chunks of wall had been broken off to reveal some rebar as well as the fact that some rods had been yanked out. What struck Luna as the most bizarre, and possibly worrisome, was the shreds of clothing belonging to both girls now scattered across the room.

In an odd fit of nostalgia, Luna’s mind visited to the days of one of her favorite guard captains. Despite his shorter stature compared to the others, he possessed great skill and strength in battle. The other squads tended to respect and take a liking to him for his gift of stories, amicable nature, and way with words. One of his favorite catch phrases describing times like this came to mind and left her lips.

“Well…shit.”

****

The street a few blocks from the Attica was consumed by pandemonium. And fire. Lots and lots of fire. Tourists and locals alike stared in befuddlement at two bizarre figures that came running and shrieking into the area. Befuddlement quickly gave way to blind panic when a gas station caught fire and burst into a fireball that spread amongst the other buildings.

One of the figures, presumably the one who started the fire, was a stark-naked pink mare that streaked through the area waving a flaming wad of fish sticks in one hand and an empty bottle in the other. Her mane waved and wiggled in the air like snakes, her eyes were bloodshot, and she roared in a demonic voice. Odd phrases such as “BOOZE OR FISH STICKS!! BOOZE OR FISH STICKS!!” were yelled as she randomly threw weaponized, flaming fish sticks at random targets.

A couple watched all of this from beside one of the fashion stores. “Celestia, what a freak,” said the mare ‘dressed’ in what most might describe as a few frayed strings of yarn rather than a bathing suit, despite the excessive amount that was paid for it. She was also pierced in every conceivable, as well as a few inconceivable, area and applied so much bling that one might be blinded if they made the mistake of looking her way during daylight hours.

“You said it, babe,” said the stallion beside her. He was dressed in clothes that seemed to be four sizes too big for him and looked as if they had been left in a pile where something came by and found a way to puke rainbows onto it. The few visible patches of himself visible were inked completely with magi tattoos. Each tattoo seemed to clash with the one next to it and didn’t seem to express anything other than the theory that ‘if something is cool, then lots of somethings are totally cooler. Right?’ “Why can’t ponies show a bit more class?”

The mare opened her mouth, possibly to agree or add more criticism, only to shriek in fright as something whistled by her head to shatter the display window and impale one of the manikins showing off similar styles to what the couple wore. They both tracked the trajectory of the spear back to the source only to stare open mouthed at the appearance of the other figure that had plunged the area in chaos.

At a distance, it seemed to be a zebra mare wearing a leopard skin bikini and sporting an extra tall, shaggy, purple Mohawk. She glared in the couple’s direction with bloodlust and reached behind her to pull another spear, made with a rebar rod and knife tied at the end, from a crudely made quiver tied to her waist. “You say ‘yolo?’ I say, ‘DEATH TO ALL CRIMES AGAINST FASHION!!’” She cocked her arm back and trilled “ALILILILIIIEEE!!”2 before hurling her spear forward to impale one of the other display manikins sending the couple fleeing.

Unbeknownst to all on the ground, the events were being observed by a single spectator from a window belonging to one of the VIP quest suits of the Attica. Blueblood idly rolled the wineglass in his hand as he savored the sight of bedlam as Pinkie streaked though one fire pit to the next and Rarity danced and chanted around a pyre of burning designer clothes casting harsh shadows on the surrounding buildings.

“So, the board thought it would be funny to stick me in this cesspit city?” he chuckled darkly. His shadowed silhouette leaning against the widow and the sinister grin that spread on his face made him seem far less a noble prince and more a villain that would have left Tirek feeling a chill down his spine. “Let’s see how long they laugh when the fines hit.”

Author's Note

1. I mention Ember in this, but for the consistency of this story neither she nor her father are dragon lord. More an old, powerful noble family or as close as this world's dragon culture comes to having nobles. More to be explained in later plot development.

So, yeah, bit longer for the sake of world building. Hope it worked in smoothly. Intend to make it a big thing later.

1. I know I probably didn't express it well in writing here, actually struggled trying to make it work, but the intended battle cry would be comparable to Xena: Warrior Princess. For anyone too young to recognize it, you can probably search 'Xena battle cry' on youtube.

I notice some seem to glance over because of being an AU of another fic. Anyone have suggestions on how to get past this and show new take without making it sound like I'm disrespecting the original? New title, maybe?

Comments and constructive criticism welcome!