The Prince Beneath the Mountain

Chapters

Calm before the storm
Preparing the Hunt
Heart to Heart
Unwritten Story
A painful memory resurfaces

Calm before the storm

Within Equestria there was a modicum of peace and tranquility, a sense of normalcy and repetition of daily menial tasks that allowed for vulnerability. The eyes and ears of everypony was focused on the future and present of their kingdom; with the biggest threats of to their livelihoods subdued and/or vanquished, soldiers were allowed to return to their families, and the horns of war placed away, replaced with instrument of entertainment to ease and lift the spirits of the ponies once caught in conflict, now allowed to breathe easy.

Sounds of laughter and jovial cheer echoed within the dwellings of Equins of across Equestria. For the age of peace had truly been felt, and the hopes of all were of a lasting sobriety. It’d been a small collective of mares, whose names were forever archived into the annals of Equestria’s history, to usher forth this new era. Their quest, their purpose has been fulfilled, serving their home and truly uniting their kingdom under a common idea. A shared goal.

“INCOMING!” Or, that was the hope. Peace is always like that; a fickle thing, enjoying the moments of silence and sobriety, yet always yearning for the antithesis of its name.

Within the border between the unmarked territories of the west and the Equestrian kingdom, a village that was once embedded in the heart of a fjord was now nothing more than a heaping pile of burning rubble. Strewn across the ashen earth were the corpses of the defenders who called this land home, soaking the dirt and rivers in red as the screams of their kin echoed within the fjord. Hooded individuals treaded over the burning wreck slayed all that stood in their way, if the bloodied bodies were anything to go by.

Draconic warriors were still charging at an unknown number of cloaked bipedal creatures, though smaller than the bulkier beasts, these unknowns showed great strength and prowess, much so when the one at the helm, whose black cloak was outlined with vibrant salmon colored streaks, rose a single arm enveloped in flames. With a single swipe, their fire coarsed through the air, incinerating any of the beasts unlucky enough to have not strayed from the attack. Normally, where many would assume that dragons were immune to fire, and indeed they were, it came as quite a shock when these unknowns used the pyro element to slay a great number of their kin.

Three draconic warriors ran to the front of their lines, breathing in deeply.

“WAIT! DON’T!” One of their battered kin shouted, alas, there was no ceasing what would follow. A torrent of flames united in one engulfed the pink-streaked unknown. The roaring flames struck with such force and ferocity, it vaguely boosted the morale of the tired and bruised warriors.

However, per the kin that warned beforehand, called for all to find cover. Those who remained standing, confused of the sudden urgency, were met with a harrowing sight; the flames were spiraling, no, enveloping. Concentrating on a single point, growing smaller as the unknown consumed the flames in a manner one would breathe air. And there stood their attacker, with nary a scratch, and visibly feasting on the flames that were supposed to be their last hope of fighting off these creatures. It was a sight that broke all hope, more so when the eyes of the unknown shone through their hood. A pair of crimson orbs would be the last sight for these warriors as with a single exhale, the flames meant to halt the pinquette’s progress were now used against the dragons. The torrent flooded the area with unprecedented speed, and the kin who had managed to seek shelter in time poked her head out when the attack had ceased, her eyes widened at the sight that befell her. Her fellow warriors lay at her hoofs, burnt to the point of no recognition. An entire platoon, wiped in a mere second by their own attack, at the hands of an unknown who treated them as if they were nothing more than a nuisance.

A sudden tug at her left brought her with a raised claw, droplets of tears escaping her eyes as she turned to face whatever dared approach her. And yet, she froze at the sight of a younger dragon, clutching tightly at her right hoof with half their face scorched.

“I..Idu…na…run…” He managed to croak out before inevitably falling, forever laying still upon his scorched home.

And with his death; she was now the last of her team, the others she assumed were not faring well against these foes. There was nothing left…she was alone now. Sensing the folly in continuing to fight, she was about to take flight when she felt a claw grip her shoulder. Before even being able to greet the owner of the appendage, the draconic survivor was thrown and subdued unto the ground. Held tightly by one of the cloaked figures, though, this one’s cloak was streaked with navy blue and silver. From what little exposed skin the warrior could tell, there were scales, which meant these unknowns were some form of reptilians. And yet, the grey scales encompassed only a fraction of the exposed skin. The claws and arms were indeed draconic, however, the upper forearm lacked any form of reptilian feature. If anything, the warrior would chalk it up to either a form of molting, or an injury of sorts that left this one with no scales. It seemed smooth, something akin to a mammal of some sorts, yet hairless.

“Not so fast.” The pink one taunted, kneeling down to face the warrior. “I still have a question to ask.” She chirped, earning a chilling tingle to crawl up the warrior’s spine. Unlike the grey one, the pinquette’s scales were deep crimson, slick and refined. Though, her claws, if anything, were pressed too comfortably against her neck, tilting her head upwards to peer into the abyssal pinquette’s shrouded face with only crimson red orbs staring back at her. “Where is the jewel?”

There was a pause, a moment of silence for the warrior Iduna to gather her thoughts. “Jewel?...” She whispered, still processing what she had just heard. Was she hearing them right, did they come for some jewel, a mineral you could acquire in any mine of lesser life form settlement? “You destroyed my home for jewels?” A growl nearly escaped her lips, instead opting for a faint whisper, as if begging to be have misheard the request.

“Not jewels, love; a jewel. Your ilk stole it, and we’ve come to reclaim it.”

Another plethora of questions surfaced, irking Iduna to a great degree. Of all the gems in their possessions she was unaware of any that held any sort of unique significance, at least none that would catch the interest of this group. And to accuse her people of theft, it was absurd, especially since her kind had not attacked any draconic or reptilian settlements to her recent memory. “…we haven’t taken anything from yo-“ A swift jab from above silenced the warrior’s words with a single claw digging slowly into her hide, cutting through her scales like butter.

The pinquette was visibly unpleased with her answer, her claws fidgeting inside Iduna’s wound, causing the warrior to foam at the mouth from the pain. “Oh no? That big temple near the southern mountain east of here, just shy of the border of that Equis kingdom…you know, the big lovely purple jewel atop a sarcophagus; ring any bells?” Oh it did, if the warrior’s widened eyes and forming tears were of any indication, she realized fully the downfall her kin’s greed had driven them to, to have committed such sacrilege. There was no escaping it now, more so if these individuals were a part of the stories passed down by their kin from the east and west.

“We didn’t…we didn’t know…” She mumbled, a muffled whine escaped her lips as she felt the claw embedded in her shoulder twist and turn.

“It doesn’t matter…where is it?” The pinquette’s voice grew darker with each passing second.

“Gone.” The warrior muttered, momentarily ceasing the unknown’s torture at the sudden revelation.

“Explain.” There was a noticeable growl from the one pinning the warrior down, increasing their grip on her to the point of nearly twisting the limb.

“It was stolen...” The warrior managed to shout out, ceasing all of the pain being inflicted on her for a moment. “M-m-my clan was celebrating our raid when a carriage from the east came. There was a performer, pulled off some simple tricks and slight-of-hands. Bit of annoying, and full of herself, but entertaining enough that the chief allowed her to stay…it wasn’t until after she left that we realized she’d taken the jewel. That’s all I know.”

There was a moment of silence from the unknowns, the pinquette didn’t move for what felt like eternity. In the span of a few seconds she felt the unknown’s hold on her release, and the claw in her shoulder remove itself, albeit painfully.

“Oh, I find it really hard to believe a tribe of dragons would just allow a traveler, a performer no less, to just run off with such a treasure.” The pinquette’s claws danced along the bloodied scales of the warrior, cutting through the hardened hide like butter.

And each passing second, the act was felt with small stings across each cut. “…my tribe was in the middle of celebrating, there was so much drinking…we only noticed it until recently, and even then we already knew where the pony came from.” It was then Iduna felt the claw on her back cease, a coarsing fear reverberated through her battered body, laying limp, waiting for these unknowns to further this conversation with a small tint of hope that her death would be quick and merciful.

“I believe you…” The pinquette answered, wiping her claws off on a piece of ragged clothing from a fallen soldier. The warrior allowed a gentle sigh to escape her lips. “but…” From the flames, the warrior watched as several more figures emerged from the flames, each appearing in different sizes and colored cloaks in a fashion one would delegate to factions. “We are far from finished with you.” The pinquette’s arm once again was engulfed in flames, tilting the warrior’s chin upwards. “Now, you’re going to tell us everything you know about this performer, in great detail…” A jagged smile formed on her lips, shining through the abyss of her shrouded face. “Let’s start with a name…”

With even so little time, one would be hard pressed to recognize the small lot of Ponyville from its former self before the crowning of its resident princess. And with her ascension came the formation of the small city-state, with Twilight Sparkle acting as the sovereign in place of Equestria’s primary rulers. Though a daunting task, the young apprentice had taken her life experiences to heart, putting into action her own method of ruling. And the result speak for themselves, Ponyville was ushering ever closer into a thriving minor city, and for a small while, there was a small surge of non-equis migrants. With it came many more issues to handle, problems arising from the rather militant pony factions.

Still, with each passing year the concept coexistence in Ponyville was becoming the norm, and not simply the exception.

Then again, progress, be it industrial or social, would always be a slow process.

Each side has to play their role in this endeavor, though for some, acceptance was a difficult concept to grasp. However, for a great number of the denizens of Ponyville, there was one clear exception. A young drake that was always seen with alongside their current royal, and known to a very select few; the adopted child to the Equestria’s beloved princess of the sun was indeed accepted amongst the majority of folks who knew the young dragon, either personally or through the many deeds he had accomplished with their princess.

And yet, it was a sight to behold for many, to see the young drake be so chummy with…

“Behold! As the great and powerful Trixie dazzles you all!”

To be associated with a marred individual.

“But, before she leaves you all in shock and awe, our opening act...”

Given the time that had passed, only the older Ponyville population remembered this particular pony, fewer with little if any, pleasant memories of her. As such, when this performer made her usual returns, she was met with an audience of young colts and fillies captivated by her tricks. Of course, what brought in the adults, even if for a small while, were the occasional special guests that were added into the blue mare’s show; the more common addition being the bit of a young purple drake, now into his late teens, strumming a cord or singing a tune. His voice had grown slightly deeper, still etched with signs of his adolescence closer to being lost to adulthood. His hair was streaked back, wild and sharpened; as his namesake implied. His baby fat was long gone, replaced with a sleek form, defined and hardened by years of labor and odd jobs around his home town. And with his growth spurt came another defining trait; height. Though still relatively young by dragon standards, the drake had grown to just a little over 6’1. It was a worrying thing, mostly for the lad who feared his body would hasten and become a mirrored image of a moment in his life he deeply regretted.

But, as time passed, his height remained consistent, albeit with him towering over a great deal of his friends, being only beaten by the eldest of the apple siblings by a few hairs.

Though only playing a small part in the magician’s shows, the charisma showed by the young lad was enough to garner a small gathering to hear him play.

With a swift bow, the blue mare stood back, allowing the curtains to part and a purple drake to be seen with the CMC ready just behind him with a small ensemble of instruments. The mares were just slightly younger than the drake, though, even with the passage of time their bond remained strong, as well as their friendship with the lad. Opting to assist him in his little escapades, especially ones that would leave their siblings with raised brows.

“Theres~”

Of course, there was a common topic many of the parents did indeed enjoy, but would rather not have their little ones repeat. And noticing the mischievous smirk on the lad’s lips, it was evident what was to come, more so when the little ones caught on and began stomping along with the tune.

“…an inn, there’s an inn, there’s a merry old inn beneath an old gray hill.

And there they brew a beer so brown the mare in the moon herself came down one night to drink her fill.

Oh the ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five string fiddle. And up and down he saws his bow now squeaking high~,

Now purring low~

Now sawing in the middle.”

Though there were a fair few parents obviously disgruntled with the choice of music being sung, there wasn’t much done as the boy’s singing kept their little ones distracted, resounding fits of giggling and murmurs followed as the little ones sang along best they could. At some point, a few of the parents played along, stomping their hooves to the rhythm of the song, which in turn only fueled the lad’s desire to continue.

“So~

The cat and the fiddle play ‘hey diddle diddle’ a jig that will wake the dead.

He squeaked and he sawed and he quickened the tune and the landlord shook the mare in the moon

‘It’s after three!’ He said

The mare in the Moon took another mug,

and then rolled beneath her chair;

And there she dozed and dreamed of ale,

Till in the sky the stars were pale,

and dawn was in the air.

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:

'The black mare of the Moon,

She’ll neigh and champ her silver bits;

But the master's been and drowned her wits,

and the Sun'll be rising soon!’

The tempo had been easing slowly faster, allowing the children to keep up, and rising with joy and excitement with each gained speed. So much so a few had chosen instead to dance along rather than simply stomping about.

“Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;

the dogs began to roar,

The yaks and the ponies stood on their heads;

The guests all bounded from their beds

and danced upon the floor.”

He took a small breather, built the suspense just enough before upping the speed just a bit more for the final touch.

“The round Moon rolled behind the hill

as the Sun raised up her head.

She hardly believed her fiery eyes;

For though it was day, to her surprise

they all went back to bed!”

And with the end of the song came a round of applause and cheers from the crowd. Both the drake and the mare trio rose up and bowed, exiting the stage just as the blue mare took the stage once more.

From a distance, watching the drake perform his number, sitting in an uncomfortably quiet atmosphere were four mares and a stallion. The eyes of said mares were fixed on the stallion specifically, three glares, and one with a slight hint of amusement mixed in with irritation. The white mare’s glare was especially fierce, her hair bristled, more so when she had realized under what setting the song her son had sung was typically played. The purple alicorn beside the stallion gave her older sibling a mix of anger and annoyance, and a small tangent of fear that was mostly caused by the realization that her mentor’s son, the drake she had cared for and practically raised in the princess’ stead, was equally angered with her for this.

“Interesting tune.” The eyes of the table directed to the night-themed princess, her face showed no emotion, but the aura surrounding her screamed for all in the vicinity to vacate the area. “Shinning, would you care to explain how my nephew knows of a chant commonly heard in the dwellings of vagrants and drunkards.” Though her voice remained calm and collected, the underlying sentiment was anything but.

Of course, the colt already had a defense prepared. “I-i-in my defense, he didn’t drink anything he wasn’t supposed to.” Then again, there was no indication the defense would stand well.

“That isn’t the issue here, Shinning.” Twilight muttered, caressing the bridge of her nose as she mentally berated herself for allowing Spike to stay in the Crystal Empire with her brother for his seventeenth birthday. Which, in the Crystal Empire, meant the dragon was of age for most things he would still be limited to in Canterlot and Ponyville. Of course, he had yet to reach an age where he could drink, entrance into taverns and auspicious dwellings were opened to him.

“Indeed.” The eyes of the ponies at the table snapped to their Sun Princess, sipping calmly on a cup of tea she had ordered and maintaining what she could of decorum. “Though I know the laws of your kingdom, I am…” She paused, gripping her cup with barely contained irritation that small cracks began to form. “I am at a loss as to what drove you to take my son to a hovel, much less one that one play such an…unamusing piece.” She finished with a single narrowed eye focused on the stallion.

Though Shinning was attempting to formulate a response, an answer came from an unlikely source. “Should’ve seen him though…” The eyes of the four ponies glanced upwards, seeing a familiar Equis hovering slightly above them with a cup of tea in his hands. “Dancing and laughing the night away. And since our little Spike is well known in the Crystal Empire, you can imagine the number of lovely mares, and quite a few stallions, flirting with the kid.” The anger had seemingly increased, as Shinning felt the glares from the princess seemingly pierce into his very soul, threatening to make him a gelding.

A hand quickly shot up, barring the three Equestrian princesses from lunging at the nervous stallion. “Ok, before you three think of doing anything drastic, I’m pretty sure nothing happened, right, Shinning?”

“That’s right!” He exclaimed, almost frantically, mixed in with relief in the fact that the drake never left his sight throughout the entire ordeal.

Celestia’s side-glanced Discord, whom was snacking on an apple he pulled from…somewhere.

He merely shrugged, saddened by the fact that he couldn’t continue fueling the Stallion’s predicament with more little bits.

Meanwhile, with the end of the blue mare’s performance, the children gave a resounding applause, and a few half-hearted ones from the adults as the curtains closed and the crowd slowly dispersed. Within the carriage, the blue mare was prancing about, feeling extra giddy at the amount of bits earned from this little show, more so the rather warm reception she received from the crowd, it was a much better improvement as opposed to what her old reception was. It seemed being on the road for nearly a decade did wonders. There were the occasional visits to familiar places, seeing friendly faces, unfamiliar locations. But the biggest highlights to her visits to Ponyville were…

“Trixie.” The blue mare turned, greeting the ever cynical, yet soft-hearted, mare she called her closest friend.

“Starlight!” She exclaimed with just as much joy as her steps with her sudden prance, landing just a few feet beside her friend. “You will not believe the stories Trixie has for you.”

A hand rose up, gesturing the mare to halt in whatever she had planned to share, and if her hardened gaze was anything to go by, it meant the young pupil to the princess was not in a pleasant mood.

“I’m sure you have a lot you want to share, but I need to ask you something.” Her voice was calm, leveled; never a good sign with Starlight. Trixie nodded, allowing her friend to continue. “That song at the beginning of the show.”

“That Spike sang?”

“…yes…” There was something of an exasperated sigh in her tone, though, it was blanketed by calmness. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a song like that usually played in inns, taverns…you know, drinking holes?” Trixie nodded silently, all the while smiling. “A song made by crystal ponies to be a jab at Princess Luna.” Again, Trixie nodded, which made Starlight’s eyes narrow. “So tell me, aside from the fact that you had Spike, our closest friend, and close confidant to Princess Twilight Sparkle, perform a drinking song to a crowd of fillies and colts, with their parents in attendance mind you, did you happen to notice the little group watching you little show by the Sugarcube corner?”

Now that she had mentioned it, Trixie did indeed spot a peculiar set of ponies watching her show from afar, but given the fact that she was filled with adrenaline at the sight of a welcoming audience in Ponyville, her eyes weren’t exactly roaming around. Her attention was focused solely on her magic, an assuring the little ones were astounded by her performance. When the mare shook her head, it was then that Starlight leaned over, whispered in her ear, and made the blue pony’s mane bristle, and her ears flop instantaneously. Her left eye twitched; all the while her smile remained etched unto her lips.

Without warning, a pair of arms coiled around both her and Starlight, bringing the two into a rather tight embrace. The culprit being the aforementioned drake, smiling widely whilst holding the two mares close.

“That was a great show, don’t you think so, Trixie?” he asked, though, the mare found herself unable to respond for a multitude of reasons, the primary being the idea of having Twilight Sparkle on her flank for allowing the young lad to perform something meant to poke fun at her idol’s sister. Not to mention, she wasn’t exactly all too prepared to be this close to the drake.

“Spike.” The calming voice of Starlight was all that remained of her previous calm composure, her face however was a mix of embarrassment and deprivation of air.

Realizing this, Spike released his hold on the two, with Trixie backing away a few feet, and Starlight still at his side, all though finally being able to breathe. “Ah, Sorry!”

A wave from Twilight’s pupil noted that no harm had been done, that she’d admit to. Though, unlike with Trixie, Starlight’s expression shifted to a softer tone as she glanced up to the towering drake she had known since his infancy. It was quite a sight, to see him grow so much in so little time. It almost felt like he was just a small ankle-biter, rearing his head in any direction where help was needed. Now? He was a developing drake, showing every ounce of training and dedication he had accumulated over the years.

“Oh, Trixie just remembered!” The blue mare sprung towards a small chest beside a makeshift bed, rummaging rather loudly before emerging with two items. One fit rather nicely in the palm of her hand, the other was a book, held carefully with the mare’s only free arm. With a spring in each step, Trixie face her closest friend first. “For you.”

Though initially hesitant, Starlight accepted the strange tome, only for her eyes to bulge at the sight. In her now trembling hands, Starlight Glimmer held a sacred treasure she never expected to get her hands on, at least not this early on before its release date.

Shinobis of Love

A smut novel, to the untrained eye. However, to those who actually took the time to read and think on its contents; they’d find a story worthy of recognition amongst other equally groundbreaking pieces of literature. Hell, Twilight thought the same thing, though, the princess would never openly admit it.

“Took a lot of string pulling, lots of bits too, but Trixie hopes you’ll like it.” Without warning, the blue mare was wrapped in a rather forceful embrace, cutting off her airstream as she could only peer down and see the ever so gleeful expression of her friend, clearly ecstatic about her gift. The hug lasted only a few seconds more before Starlight released her, allowing the magician to turn her attention to the drake waiting patiently beside them.

In her closed palm, Trixie nervously fidgeted, her eyes purveying any which way but directly at Spike’s. With every ounce of strength in her, the mare held out her arms, opening her palms and revealing her gift.

Of all things one could give a dragon, of any kind, trinkets that were either hard to come by or unique held just as much value as common-day items. The reason being was that in accordance to their greed, there was also an appreciation for the gifts they received from others, albeit mainly from those they considered to be as close as kin.

“Trixie knows you’d rather eat this than wear it, but maybe, until your birthday, you’d be willing to hold on to it before consuming it.” Within the mare’s palms was a gem unlike anything the two present companions had ever seen. It was a sickly purple hue, with what appeared to be a droplet of some kind etched unto the surface. There was a faint aura of magic radiating from it, and a string wrapped tightly against larger jagged spikes that adorned the gem’s surface.

For Starlight, this raised all sorts of red flags, and the need to inform Twilight grew to exponential levels, to the point that she almost bellowed out her teacher’s name on instinct. Had she not had practice in keeping her cool, she likely would’ve. However, this was not a suitable gift for Spike, especially if he was to truly wear it as intended, wouldn’t the spikes pierce his scales? Actually, that would be rather difficult, considering ever steel could no longer pierce the drake’s hide so easily…that was not a very enlightening discovery the first time around.

As for Spike, aside from the fact that it was a possible rare gem being gifted to him, this purple anomaly’s features were almost akin to his own; jagged spikes running across its surface, a purple hue similar to his own, and small streaks of forest green mixed in. Steadily, Spike enveloped Trixie’s palms in his own, gently accepting the gift from her.

All the while, the blue mare’s face had turned a deep crimson, being noticed solely by her closest friend, whom was both resisting the urge to snicker at the sight, and laughing loudly at how Twilight would react to this.

“It’s beautiful.” He muttered, holding his gift up by its string and eyeing the gem closely. There was a sentiment he couldn’t describe, as if he was being drawn towards the gem, like a moth to a flame. Make no mistake, he intended to savor this little treasure, however, there was a piece of him that wanted to keep this gift intact. It felt like a waste to simple devour it. “Thank you, Trixie.” Spike once again hugged the magician, only further increasing her blushing face to levels none thought possible, and leaving her a flustered mess. Earning a small giggle from Starlight, and leaving the mare with a mental note to inform Twilight of this particular gem the moment she saw her teacher. Had she noticed it sooner, she would’ve immediately gone in search of her teacher, for when Spike adorned the jewel across his neck, the jewel vibrated, if ever so faintly, and his eyes glistened before fading.

As the denizens of Ponyville continued their day, laughing and enjoying the era of peace, the ever so sporadic Discord felt a shiver crawl up his spine, a familiar scent of magic caught his nose. He was not alone, beneath him Celestia and Luna were equally locked in a near frantic state. Though they were quick to recover and return their calm façade, there was no denying what they felt in that split second. An old magic none felt, nor seen, since a conflict from before the princesses were in power. It was faint, but they’d recognize it anywhere, and for Celestia, it was a forewarning of what would come next. She prayed she was wrong, praying what she felt was nothing more than an anomaly.

If not…

Author's Note

A/N: Let me start off by saying a rather common phrase; this is my first story on this sight. And also, i'm pretty much new to the fandom so forgive me if i either get something wrong or i if write a few characters out of character. The story itself is heavily inspired by a book i recently acquired, and if the song halfway through is of any indication, you'll know what story. However, that is not what the crossover tag is for, i shall reveal that within a few chapters. Although, the characters crossing over will have little ,if any appearance, but i'd rather not get into a discussion over what constitutes a crossover or not.
Ah yes, and two more tiny details, i haven't yet decided on a pairing but i'm slowly inclining towards a TrixiexSpike ending. Though, given how this story is going to play out, i'm not so sure it'll fit into the narrative.
And second, the name of the story is based of a song; Wake up by Eden. Taking a quick listen to it, you'll realize how it'll fit into the interactions the characters will be having, more specifically with Spike.
Regardless, i hope you all enjoy.

Preparing the Hunt

At the base of the high mountains that acted as a natural barrier between the west and eastern continents, there exists a single stretch of terrain capable of allowing passage between the two land masses. Though, as of yet, very few, if any, souls cross the winding stretch of dirt. The vegetation was lacking, as was the wildlife. And with each step towards a single mountain hugging the coast of the southern pathways, there, deteriorating and crumbling pebble by pebble was what was left of an old civilization. A home where a peaceful and neutral lot called home, only to be betrayed and laid to waste, leaving little to no survivors, their people scattered, and their kind fleeing westwards to save themselves from further conflict.

The dirt and the rain may have hidden the remnants of what was once here, but the memory lives on, for there are few who still remember it.

A small group of a dozen or so paced calmly towards the shattered entryway, at the helm was the same hooded pinquette, eyeing the still visible remnants of the battle fought for the city from long ago, her claws caressing the stone monuments that littered the ground.

“Kamala.” A voice brought the hooded individuals to a sudden halt, the ranks behind the pinquette fell to their knees rather quickly. Emerging from within the desolate city were a pair of armored soldiers, their thick grey skin meshed rather well with their plated gear, the horns protruding from their snouts were just as, if not more so, sharper than the halberds they wielded. In between the two emerged a third individual. Unlike those before, her, before her; she was not shrouded. Her features were akin to a mix of a bipedal dragon and a hairless ape. Or rather, less hairy primate features more akin to a species long thought extinct from the world in general. With crimson scales to give off the impression she was serpentine as well. Her hair was a dark shade of salmon, long and unruly. Her attire consisted of a maroon two-pieced tunic, exposing her arms and midriff, decorated in crimson and golden colored jewels. Adorned on her head was a gold circlet, fashioned with a sapphire gem in between two smaller rubies.

“Princess Pele.” The hooded pinquette kneeled at the sight of the reptilian royal, removing her hood to reveal herself to be of similar kin to the aforementioned princess. Her features were none too different, save for a shorter hair style, albeit in a similar unruly manner to the royal’s.

“What news do you bring of the thieves?” The princess’ eyes scanned the small contingent sent out to deal with the tribe of draconics that defiled their kin’s tomb, yet she noticed a severe lack of blood and carnage on their attires.

“All dead, save for one.” Kalama gestured one of her shrouds to step forward, the grunt reacting on impulse and jumped to their feet, heaving a body they’d been carrying on their shouler; revealing the bloodied and mangled body of Iduna, her breathing was labored, but consistent enough to merit the status of still being alive. Albeit barely. Kalama gestured to the barely conscious dragon. “This one claims an Equine stole the heart, took it east…to Equestria.”

A pregnant silence followed, the expression the princess displayed was one of pure calmness, though, for those who knew her; they would’ve sprouted wings and flown in any direction away from the royal, if they could. Suffice to say, the initial plan to punish the thieves and return the jewel without further incident was scrapped, leaving the princess to lightly frown as her gaze turned to the eastern territories, lands none of her kin had seen since they’d been driven off by the Equestrians oh so long ago. The crumbling city within the mountain was all that was left of their people’s mark on this land. The tomb was meant to be left undisturbed, a tribute for their fallen, with the heart of their fallen king buried along with him.

Now, the ponies had the jewel, and it presented a plethora of problems that could arise from the Equins obtaining and wielding that form of magic. It was a disturbing thought.

“Hmm, I see.” She muttered, eyeing the injured dragon with a faint form of sympathy before asking. “And did it give you anything else?”

Kalama nodded, almost feverously. “Yes, a traveling performer, blue-haired, full of herself, goes by the name Trixie.”

Pele took in the information as best she could, although with only a name to go on, and what little description picked up, it’d be a miracle to find a pony with those details, being a traveling performer was of no help either, not for a search across Equestria. “Alright then, relay this to the elders. After which; return to Kilauea and wait for my return.” She turned her attention to her guards. “Do not allow anything into the Lonely Monte, I will return soon.”

Pele turned fully to the east, her draconic wings, once hidden within her hair, sprouted out and prepped for flight.

“Wait!” Just as the princess was to take flight, Pele’s attention was given half-heartedly to Kalama. “Let us retrieve the jewel, if the performer did in fact travel east, my hunters and I will find her and retrieve our treasure.”

Pele took a glance at the hooded kin that stood behind Kalama. “I do not doubt your efficiency, nor do I believe you would fail at so simple a mission…” The young pinquette seemingly shrunk at that last bit, though; there was a snicker from the silver-streaked hood. Pele ignored this, choosing instead to keep her attention focused solely on the pinquette before her. “What I do doubt, sister, is your ability to be subtle. The last thing we need is the natives of the east believing us to be marauding invaders.”

“I’ll go with her.” Came the voice from the silver-streaked hood, removing their shroud and earning a mild glare from the princess. The individual was taller than most, bulkier too, more reminiscent of what one would expect from a dragon. Though, most would not expect his silver scales to glisten in a manner akin to metallic ore. Speaking of, the surplus of piercings across his body was a bit much to look at, if not for how they appeared as though natural and able to blend with his scales diplomatic missions would prove difficult if their host was unable to look at him. Of course, even without the metal embedded into his body, this individual had what looked to be a theme amongst these draconic hybrids; long unruly hair, though, his ebony locks reached down to his waist.

Pele’s golden orbs met his crimson irises. “Metallica, I didn’t expect to see you here…” Her eyes drifted towards her sibling, Kalama quickly avoiding direct contact, whistling a tune to feign ignorance.

“I-I’m here t-too.” Came a soft spoken voice from a blue-streaked hood. Upon removal of her shroud, she was perhaps the only one with straightened hair, a navy blue hue for her hair and eyes, her scales were something akin to sky blue.

“And Skywynne.” Pele Muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose at the company her kin was keeping, and how much of an issue this would bring if their respective families realized where their kin were. The princess eyed the rest of the small legion of hooded hunters. ‘Is there any other royal I should know about?” The hunters nervously glanced at one another, none made a sound as they felt the irate stare of their royal bearing down on them. After taking a moment to confirm no other royal was amongst the hunters, Pele turned back to the three royals. “We will discuss why those two are with you when I get back.” Once again she prepped herself for takeoff, only to have Kalama appear in front of her, wings outstretched and hovering in front of her sibling.

“Pele, please, we can do this. I know how much the jewel means to our people. It may not be much but I have enough to start.” Kalama pleaded.

The older sibling hovered a few feet off the ground, eyeing her younger kin with a leveled gaze. “This is different; the east has not seen our people since the age of the seven lords. Whether they remember us or not; we cannot risk conflict. If I go alone I know I’ll find our query quicker and without risking confrontation.”

“But you wouldn’t be able to cover enough ground.” The two princesses turned their attention to the Iron-themed draconic. “Yea, it’s easier to keep a low profile if you’re alone, but finding the one Equine will be like searching for a rabbit in a forest; either you get lucky or...”

“And I suppose taking a small platoon of trained hunters into foreign territory is acceptable then?” Pele inquired.

“Then it will just be us three.” Skywynne mumbled, though just loud enough for the four royals to hear.

Though, for the older draconic, their involvement in all this annoyed her greatly.

“I’m not going to even begin explaining why sending you three into foreign land is a terrible decision; much less when we have no information of the country our objective is in.” Her retort was once again met with defiance, this time by her sister.

“Then my hunters will remain here, allowing us to travel faster and with ease. Sky, bolts-for-brains, and me can cover more ground, track the performer, and get the heart back while keeping a low profile. Let me take this mission and I’ll be back here with the jewel in hand, and no problems with the east.”

The elder princess gazed at her sibling with a neutral expression, eyeing each and every movement she made, every word she had spoken. Her insistence to go after the jewel, although understandably important, raised several alarming questions. “Why are you fighting me so hard on this?” The irritation in the draconic pinquette’s voice was growing apparent with each insistence that kept her from even starting her mission.

“The jewel is my responsibility.” Kalama insisted, her claws clenched tightly.

“WAS your responsibility.” Pele lightly jabbed a claw in her kin’s chest, a faint growl reverberated to emphasize her point. “Now it is mine.”

Before their conversation could continue, Pele hacked up, her cheeks inflated, palms pressed tightly against her mouth before a small torrent of flames erupted, a piece of parchment seemingly materialized with it as well. When the flames died out, and the scroll was held firmly in the princess’s grasp, a small burp escaped her lips as she directed her attention now solely on the parchment. The level of silence that followed was unnerving, all throughout her read, she showed no tells of any form of emotion, keeping herself calm and collected. Though, those around her, if payed enough attention to, could be seen inching ever so away, as if wanting to be far enough from the royal, just in case.

Five minutes had passed before Pele rolled up the scroll, sighed heavily, and turned only her head to face her sister. The act alone made a few of the hunters flinch, more so when she held up a single claw. “One month. You have one month to find your mark, and return the gem back to the Lonely Monte. In one month I will be here, and I expect to see you as well.” Her eyes narrowed as it grazed the other royals causing the sky-blue one to flinch, and the steel dragon’s teeth to click in annoyance. “The three of you.” Pele growled out, her eyes resting lastly on her sister. “Your hunters will remain in the city; my guards will oversee them until your return.” She gestured to her guards, and from the canopies and reinforced walls of the ruined city, more grey-skinned guards revealed themselves. Pele’s eyes shifted to one of the guards behind her. The soldier stared at her for a few seconds before nodding, hoisting the still injured Iduna up carefully, and returning to the city.

And while the princess took the time to review whatever she needed with her remaining soldier, the three royals huddled closer, eyeing the princess and the unusually high number of soldiers she had posted in the ruined city.

“Oh boy, a whole month, that’s gonna be enough time.” Metallica whispered sardonically.

“What’s going to happen if we don’t find the jewel?” the smaller draconic murmured, her mind flooded with images of a very angered Pele, standing before an equally, if not more, angered elders glaring down on them.

“We’ll find it…” Kalama stated, her head turned to face what little she could see of the eastern lands. Lush forests and mountain ranges dotted the entrance to the Equine’s homeland. The young draconic looked on at what would be an important assignment, not just for her, but for the three royals. She knew the gem was worth far more than what the dragon tribe that had desecrated this temple initially believed, and if there were any in the east that remembered her people, then the gem would become an invaluable treasure, worth more than the rest of the treasures hidden in the Lonely Monte. And then she saw it, images of fire and destruction, countless wails and war cries echoing for many days and nights, and the city within the sole mountain ablaze once more, the earth beneath them tainted with the blood of her people. “…if we don’t, our people will be at war once again.”

The streets of Ponyville were alive with bands and laughter within Sugarcube square; one could almost assume an occasion would be needed for such festivities. Though, given the nature of the individual who planned these events; no such reason was needed. Whether festivities were limited to a single dwelling, or a venue such as the ever popular Sugarcube square, there was always some form of merriment to be found. And why wouldn’t these ponies have reason to celebrate? Alongside the cool night air, the warm drinks and food being sold just outside the crowded venues, the peaceful atmosphere that came at the defeat of Equestria’s greatest threats left much to feel at ease over. Former soldiers drafted in an era where danger was on a constant horizon, were allowed a moments rest to be with their families before being placed on menial assignments. The dragons from the badlands, although with a few renegades, were at peace with the pony kingdom. The Changeling hive in between the Crystal Empire and Canterlot had brokered a fragile treaty with both its southern and northern neighbors, thanks in no small part to a young drake who was a close companion to the Changeling King.

For the empire lost in time, there was much for the ponies of the frozen north to catch up on. One such was awaking to a world that had gone through a thousand years without them. Many Equines held a variety of questions, as to be expected. Though, there was a common one asked amongst the populace, one in which the people were asked to cease their questioning; talks of a lonely mountain faded from the conversations held amongst the populace. However, behind closed doors, speculations and theories ran wild.

Speaking of, even with the fighting done, with no call to arms necessary, there are souls who yearn. Voices who wanted to shout out in defiance in a time where it was once needed, but now, it would be pointless. At least, that’s how it normally was. But for a young drake, sitting by himself in a small corner away from the crowded areas, Spike allowed his mind to wander. Whenever the six would venture forth in their adventures, it was always the six that ponies saw, and it was the six honored and remembered.

There were no qualms or desire for fame and glory; the young drake knew quite well the importance of the Elements of Harmony and where they stood in the grand scheme of things. His job, his role in their adventures were still ones he took pride in and gave his all when trouble came rearing its fowl face. And, where the hunger for recognition lacked, there was the aching sentiment of something else. He knew the feeling all too well by now, he’d been living with it for years now.

At first simply being there for his friends, giving them emotional support was what he did best. But as time went on, and the journey ahead grew much more difficult and daunting, he always found himself at the back of the lines. His friends went and faced the fighting head-on, while he would often remain on the side-lines, treating the wounded and providing support. Nothing was wrong with those particular jobs either…but there was no satisfying that feeling of unimportance, of feeling powerless to make a change.

It all arose from one moment, a single reoccurrence that sparked these plaguing fears and insecurities. A nightmare haunting him, a vice grip on his subconscious, unwilling to allow him to move on. And where most nightmares manifested in fragments; his was always in played in perfect view.

Every job he’d taken, from the odd hand here and there to the high risk assignments he was enlisted for in the Crystal Empire, Spike would seek out and be of aid wherever he was needed. But his last assignment, he was offered an opportunity, one he would normally accept in a heartbeat. And yet, the more he thought on it, the more he wondered what the ramifications would be for the son of Equestria’s princess to be an enlisted in the Crystal Empire’s military. Under common practice, a royal being trained by another kingdom, in particular between two allied kingdoms; it would be pretty normal for him to be under Shinning’s tutelage. And with it being peace time, there would be much time for him to hone his skills and train vigorously.

Though, the issue lay with whether or not he would be able to make the commitment to make the Crystal Empire his home for a further six years, and whether or not he chose to stay there as a fulltime soldier. The idea had crossed his mind, more so each time he took a glance at the enlistment form Shinning gave him.

Everything had been filled out, right down to the approval signature and his basic information. All that the parchment needed was to be turned in, and within six months he’d be on a train to live in the Crystal Empire for quite a sum of years. Most of his early adult years, meaning he’d miss out on quite a few things he actually wanted to be present for. Though, there was reality always creeping up and constantly reminding him of an undeniable truth.

“Trixie swears it; the dragons gave it as payment!” The young drake’s eyes glanced up, catching his two friends walking up to his table with food in hands. Starlight rolled her eyes, possibly at some outlandish claim the blue mare spouted. When finally sitting down across from him, though Trixie was insistent on proving some story’s validity to Starlight, the aforementioned Mare’s eyes were now fixed on his parchment. Which from her point of view bared the insignia for the Crystal Empire’s military branch.

“Diplomatic mission?” Starlight asked, still somewhat ignoring her friend, and succeeding and diverting the mare’s attention towards the drake. It wasn’t uncommon for the purple drake to receive diplomatic assignments from Celestia, though; those types of missions were becoming fewer in between with most of the delicate and urgent issues having been dealt with already.

Spike shook his head. “No, Princess Celestia already has her own staff on hand, this ones just…personal I guess.” The drake muttered, rolling up the scroll. Thinking little of it, Trixie took his answer and sat down alongside across from him. Starlight, though hesitant to accept such an answer, did so with half a mind to sneak a peek at the scroll.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t respect Spike’s privacy, not at all. But, if there was one thing she disliked, it was the little secret she was asked to keep for him. The secret missions he enlisted for with Shinning, ranging from diplomatic to espionage…and even hunting assignments in unmapped regions. It was by sheer luck that she uncovered his secret, if only through an intense interrogation after he returned from his ‘visits’ up north with a rather noticeable gash on his chest.

Why Twilight never considered locks for the rooms inside her castle was a mystery, though, it allowed the pupil to discover Spike’s little secret. Of course, given that little incident, Starlight had an inkling that the drake would be more careful to keep his secrets well hidden.

“Can Trixie see?” The blue mare asked, ketchup staining the left corner of her mouth.

Spike gestured to her mouth with a napkin, smiling as her cheeks flushed a pink hue at the realization. After which, he handed the scroll to her, unchallenged; deflating the eagerness in Starlight’s chest to act the part of being mischievous again. If Spike allowed Trixie of all ponies to see the letter, then perhaps it was nothing to worry about. It could be a formality; thanking the Drake for his service and urging him to spend time with his family during peacetime. Now that was wishful thinking, which almost solicited a chuckle from the mare. Still, she did indeed see Spike and Trixie as the closest one could akin to family, having them both with her now was a great sense of comfort now that the blue mare was confirmed to be staying in Ponyville for the foreseeable future. And Spike? No doubt Twilight and Cadence would’ve urged him to spend more time with his loved ones, and no doubt the princess of the Crystal Empire would’ve had a long talk with her husband about enlisting the drake’s help in any future military affairs. If she even knew of it to begin with.

However, when Starlight’s attention shifted to her friend, the sight she found sprouted a shred of fear in her chest. Trixie looked almost stunned, mixed in with her light trembling were a mix of conflicting emotions attempting to play it calm-like. Her eyes glanced upwards to the drake across from her, his eyes glued to hers, as if waiting for her response.

“You’re joining the military?” Those four words would echo in Starlight’s head, further increasing the ache in her chest. She could already hear Twilight’s thoughts racing a thousand miles an hour, coming up with every excuse and reason for the drake to remain in Ponyville. It was no secret, to a select few; the recent monarch considered the drake her closest friend. Hell, she might even consider the two siblings…perhaps more, but that bridge hasn’t exactly been crossed or seen. All Starlight knew for sure; when Twilight hears of this, any plans Spike had of moving out were going to be dashed aside by the princess’s overprotectiveness.

As for Trixie, this was not what she had in mind when she decided to return and make Ponyville her home for the foreseen future. If anything she had plans to set up shop and practice her craft further, build up her reputation, hire some new acts every once in a while and just have a good time with her friends. But now, to hear one of her closest friends could very well be planning to leave just when she returns; it saddened her, yes. But in her travels, there was a common discussion she heard from the ever drunken soldiers she performed shows for in the Crystal Empire; even in peace, the training regiments lasted a minimum of six years, give or take. Recent recruits and a handful of veterans would always be left on standby, and in the case that any threat reared itself against the Empire; those reserves were the first to be deployed. Meaning, if or when an incident breaks out; Spike and whatever regiment he was in would most likely be placed on the front lines. And considering the fact that he was a dragon, there wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that the military would take full advantage of that.

After a few seconds more he shook his head, allowing the two mares to release a sigh neither knew they’d been holding in. “No….not right now.” And there came the anxiety again. “It’s an option I’m considering, but I’m not sure if I’ll even make it to the Empire.” He coughed up a dry laugh, gaining a small hint of curiosity from his company. Seeing their expressions, he heaved a sigh before munching on a hay fry. “Not sure if you noticed, Starlight, but aside from being able to visit Shinning every once in a while, I can’t exactly move around a lot without the others prying me for information on where and how long I’ll be gone. I only mentioned once that I wanted to try living on my own, but then Twilight…” He trailed off, but Starlight remembered that day very clearly. It was quite a heated back and forth between her mentor and the young drake.

The library was a mess, and the two gave one another the silent treatment for close to a week.

“I understand how you feel, but you have to also realize you’re still pretty young, by both pony and dragon standards.” Starlight argued, hoping he’d see reason. “Call me crazy but worrying about someone is technically viewed as fairly normal.”

Spike nodded. “I know, and I get that…I just wish I wasn’t seen as a fragile child anymore.”

“And you think joining the Crystal Military would change that?”

He took a moment to think it over, considering what his next choice of words would be. “Maybe, I mean, I’m almost of age, and I’d like to see more of the world. There’s the medical division; they’re mostly stationed in the main city or in the surrounding villages. But the work they do is what gets my attention; going and aiding the ponies that call on them. Armed forces would just have me running drills and cleaning the barracks. Actually, I had this little scenario planned out in my head; I could either make the military a career or use one of the trades I picked up in my old travels, set up shop somewhere, maybe get married, have hatchlings: start a life.” His ‘scenario’, although vague, had a form of rippling effect on the two present, with Starlight trying to reel in her still current image of the drake as a baby. She, like Twilight but with less outward aggression, still saw Spike as an infant. He’d grown very much, nothing could challenge that view, however, she still viewed him as the little drake that would often cling to her hip when Twilight was off on some foreign affair he could not accompany her on. Like a younger sibling, looking up to her when the more responsible of the house was out; Spike would cling to Starlight’s word, often to a point that even the former equalist would feel guilt for getting him involved in her own misadventures.

As for Trixie, the last few pieces of Spike’s plans were what got her attention. Though he didn’t appear to have it all planned out, and no doubt he probably didn’t even have a rough draft for if he decided to join the Crystal guard; she was sure he knew at least what he wanted.

“That’s pretty ambitious.” The eyes of the three snapped open, their heads turning to an over-joyous expression only synonymous to one particular party-themed pony.

“P-p-pinkie!?” With haste, Spike slipped his enlistment form away from Trixie, barely managing to stuff it in a knapsack he had gotten from a certain fashionista as a gift.

“The one and only!” She spoke with a bounce in each step, and though her eyes were wandering amongst the table, her eyes caught sight of the less than subtle way the young drake reacted to her arrival. Her curiosity was prodded at the little form he was adamant in hiding from her. More so when she realized the parchment was in Trixie’s hands before she came along, and that alone irritated the pink pony; that a mare known for causing a great deal of grief was allowed to pry into the business of one of her friends, where she was not privy to.

But then, there was a slightly bigger issue at hand; Spike was talking about leaving again. Now, the mare was not opposed to it, far from it. Everypony had to grow up some day and Spike was no different. Hell, contrary to what most would think, Pinkie would not act possessive and deny her friend his opportunity or chance to make a life for himself…she’d only ask for a minimum of two calls a day, mandatory visits on each and every holiday, the first one to know if he nabbed himself a mare/coltfriend, and a promise to never forget where he came from or his beloved friends in Ponyville…nothing too demanding.

The problem with this kind of talk is if Twilight caught wind of it. It was no secret, at least to their little circle, among all her friends; Twilight placed Spike pretty high up on her priorities, only surpassed by her mentor. The first time he mentioned the idea of it…Twilight didn’t exactly take it well. No, scratch that, she nearly blew a gasket with the raw anger emitting from her body.

It was only by their friends that the two managed to patch up again, though, it didn’t take long.

Regardless, Pinkie wasn’t about to have a repeat of it again. “So, Spikey, where’d you learn how to sing that little number?” Although she wasn’t one for tunes that openly took jabs at others, at princesses no less, Spike’s little performance was in good fun. And in all honesty, the bits regarding the night princess weren’t all that jarring.

A small smile spread across the drake’s lips as he recounted that little memory. “Oh, with Shinning in the Crystal Empire. Since I’m of age there, he took me to a tavern, I wasn’t allowed to drink but I was allowed to go in all the same. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but he said it would be a learning experience.”

While his eyes were fixed on his hayburger, both Pinkie’s and Starlight’s eyes twitched. “o-o-h…did he now?” Pinkie muttered, her tone sent a massive shiver up Trixie’s spine, causing the mare to shudder.

Spike nodded. “Oh yea, lots of nice folks up there too. Real friendly-like, but they all had this weird way of making conversation…like, one mare wanted advice with her home-decorating I guess…” There was a moment of confusion just before his story was followed up with “She asked me if I wanted to see if her carpet matched her drapes.”

And just like that, Pinkie’s smile froze, her left eye’s twitching increased, and the malice radiating from her body was enough to be visibly seen.

“Also, there was this other mare who asked for some help with plumbing.”

“Plumbing?” Trixie dared to ask.

“Yea, said she wanted me to clean her pipes.” Pinkie’s grip on the table tightened to the point that she was cracking the wood. “And then there was this one mare who asked me for a job that reminded me of you, Pinkie.”

The Pink mare’s expression shifted to one of confusion, she dared not say anything, and neither did the other two at this point.

“I’m guessing she owns a bakery ‘cause she asked me to put a bun in her oven.” The young drake gave off a dry chuckle, unaware of the malice aura emitting from the pink mare at his side. Starlight, although ticked off, was nowhere near the level of anger Pinkie was giving off. Even so, she had a few choice words to share with the stallion…once Pinkie was done with him. “Not gonna lie, I considered it too. I remembered her saying it was a cream pie or something like that.”

*Snap*

Without warning, the wood within Pinkie’s grip splintered. Her actions caused her companions to stare wide-eyed at the still smiling pink mare. Far be it for the party pony to be openly angry towards anypony…however…

‘Spikey…little Spikey…our baby drake…my baby…’ As if in synch with the fractured splinters in her hand, something inside Pinkie’s head snapped, more so when she silently brushed the dust from her hands and clothing. Her smile remained unfazed, though her jagged movements were anything but normal.

“Spike…” Her voice was dripping with intention, enough to rattle the bones of any within earshot. “Where’s Shinning?”

Rather than answer, Spike gestured to a table where the aforementioned stallion was sitting, surrounded by the princesses. A sinister grin etched itself on her lips as she lightly patted the drake’s shoulders, leaning down and giving him a peck on his forehead, embracing him whilst muttering something about ‘innocence’ and ‘teaching lessons’ before calmly walking over towards the pony royals.

All the while, the drake was munching on his hayburger, feeling the ever looming aura distance itself from where he sat. “In hindsight…I should’ve stayed quiet.” He commented, realizing the hell he just unleashed. Twilight might’ve been the most overprotective of his friends, but Pinkie was perhaps the only one amongst them who could instill fear without needing to raise her voice. He’d only ever been on the receiving end of one of Pinkie’s infamous hushed threats…and it still unnerved him just by remembering the way her voice was both soothing and ominous at the same time.

As he savored his meal, his claws brazed the inside of his knapsack, his eyes widening when the lack of parchment was evident. His eyes darted towards the pink mare, eyeing the scroll in her grasp.

‘Hmm, clever filly.’

How she had taken; he didn’t know. And given Pinkie’s track record, perhaps not knowing was best for his sanity. Still, the fact that she had that letter meant he, and all of Ponyville, would be hearing from Twilight very soon. It wasn’t that he wanted to get away from his best friend, far from it, but seeing all his friends grow slowly more independent; creating lives for themselves. It left an aching pain in his chest. Every year, it seemed as though his friends would just drift further into their own paths, seeing one another less and less. But who could blame them; with the bigger threats seemingly over, and peace finally reigned in Equestria, the Elements of Harmony are living their lives.

But where did that leave the drake?

He’d spend so much of his time training, going on missions; making himself useful, that he’d almost forgotten the moments he would spend with his friends. The times were he would spend the better part of his days helping them out and…just trying to remind them he was still there. But in all that, he never thought of what his life would be like without any of them. He knew his lifespan was well enough for him to see many generations, but, it never occurred to the drake to attempt to build a life for himself. All his life he’d lived under the protection and nurture of Twilight and Celestia…but if anything were to happen, and heavens forbid the thought…he needed his own form of independence, something to keep him just as occupied as his friends were.

“Spike?”

The young drake was snapped out of his daze when he heard his name, his eyes glancing upwards to see Starlight staring at him worryingly.

“If…” The mare took a moment to gather her thoughts. Seeing Pinkie walk away with the scroll in hand…walking towards Twilight….things were going to get ugly. Again. Knowing the impending argument he and Twilight were bound to have eventually, she took it upon herself to cement her support. “If moving to the Crystal Empire is something you want to do; I support you.” Though she wanted him to stay in Ponyville, she knew every pony eventually had to leave the pasture, and she was well aware Spike would have to as well. But, she had hoped it would be farther into the future rather than this soon. There was still so much they could do, little misadventures she could conjure up, and with Trixie around those were bound to be common enough.

‘Hey!’

And yet, with all that in mind, even with that longing feeling of wanting to keep her drake close by; his life was his own. It would hurt to see him leave, but seeing him here, trapped by an overprotective older-sister princess, and an equally loving/protective bundle of mares, no doubt he’d be filled with an ache for a life he didn’t get a chance to live.

Spike took her words to heart, a gentle smile etched itself on his lips. “That means a lot to me, Starlight.” His eyes met hers, her smile emitting just as much warmth as his words.

Seeing the tender moment being shared by the two, the blue mare took it upon herself to remind the two of her presence. “A-and Trixie supports you as well.” The magician included, puffing her chest slightly. That is, until a thought crossed her mind, evident by the small streak of pink across her cheeks as she smiled nervously. “Y-y-y-you know, Trixie has a few contacts in the Empire, if you ever need help, just let Trixie know and she’ll do what she can.”

Spike’s eyes wandered between the two, his smile growing just a tad bit, but the warmth and gratitude were still evident. It took only a second for him to gather his thoughts before he let out a soft chuckle. “Who would’ve thought; we were on opposite sides when we first met, and now…I couldn’t ask for better friends.”

Though Starlight smiled, Trixie’s expression was a mix of embarrassment and genuine content.

“But, with my scroll in Pinkie’s hands; I won’t be leaving Ponyville anytime soon when Twilight finds out.” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head while seeming eerily nonchalant about his best friend discovering what was just the tip of an ice berg of secrets he had managed to keep.

“…well, you can tell her it was an option you had in mind; you even said it’s not your final decision.” Trixie noted, earning a dry chuckle from the drake.

“Under normal circumstances, yes, I would use that line…but it doesn’t help that the entire form is filled out. A single postage or a quick flame mail, and I’d be an enlisted.” Spike muttered, releasing a tired sigh. “Knowing Twilight, I’ll be lucky if I can hear after she blasts my ear drums.”

Starlight reached over and gently grasped the young drake’s hand. “Oh Spike…you might wanna run.” She gestured behind him, evidently towards where the royals were. As he glanced back, he noticed Cadence seemingly in some heated debate with her husband. The Aforementioned stallion seemed under a much heated glare from his wife. Princess Luna was deep in thought, lost in her own world, all the while her expression seemed filled with some form of determination. His mother’s was calm, almost collective, but needing only a second to take analyze her restrained movements; she was either panicking or lost in thought…or both, the mare was surprisingly versatile when it came to expressing her emotions.

Interestingly enough, it seemed Fluttershy, and Rarity had approached the table, their eyes fixed on the open scroll, which was within the grasps of an emotionless Twilight. Pinkie was currently hovering over Shinning, whispering something in his ear that made the stallion pale. Flutterhy’s initial reaction was an owlish bugle of her eyes with her hand pressed against her mouth. If one took a closer look, you’d see a small buildup of tears in her eyes. Rarity, from what little he could tell, was trembling. Though her face said shock, there was something about her lightly shaking form that made him feel uneasy.

But Starlight’s warning didn’t apply to them; it was for the princes with his scroll in her hands. Very slowly, he watched as Twilight rolled up the parchment; rise ever so calmly from her seat while taking in a deep breath. Upon opening her eyes, her pupils were fixed on him, garnering a shiver to crawl up his spine. She turned her body to him, her wings flexing as she took a single step towards him.

Needing no further encouragement the drake hopped to his feet and took off in mere seconds. Though, he never really stood a chance, given the second he took off, Twilight was already in the air and speeding towards him.

And for that night, Ponyville was treated to the sight of their princess chasing after her assistant in the sky.

Author's Note

And there's the next chapter. Like i said previously, i'm leaning towards a TrixiexSpike pairing, but i'm open to others just as long as it doesn't affect the story line. Which will pick up soon, these first few are intended to be calmer, and with some slap-stick.

Heart to Heart

Suffice to say, following a rather lengthy chase across Ponyville’s night sky, eventually the young drake was caught, with the aid of a rainbow-maned mare that, after seeing the chase herself and being given a brief summary of the events that led up to the chase, took it upon herself to bring the little show to an end. After all, with the amount of obscenities the young monarch was spouting about, it was evident dragging the chase out was only going to be detrimental. And so, after catching up to the two, rather easily, the mare brought them home to quite the reception; a few visibly ticked off mares, the resident apple farming mare had just arrived after seeing the chase in the sky and was perhaps the only one out of loop. Shinning, for some odd reason, was lightly shivering, beside his wife, looking rather pale each time Pinkie spared a glance his way. The few mares visibly worried over the whole thing were Princess Luna, Trixie, and Starlight.

And though it took a good chunk of time, all present in Twilight Sparkle’s castle; the Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, the Royals of the Crystal Empire, the young drake, and the two former antagonists of the current princess of Ponyville were all seated in the library. The seats were arranged so as to have those present sit in a circular pattern, allowing all to be seen and heard. To add to the growing tension, Spike was seated just across from Twilight, the mare hadn’t ceased her narrowed glare, marked especially for him.

Though she displayed malice, within Twilight’s head was a storm of emotions, the main ones being fear and anger. The fear came from the thought of her closest friend leaving her side. It was enough of a wakeup call when her friends began to go their own ways when their greatest threats were seemingly put to rest. The only one to have stayed by her side through it all, to have remained always with her…and he wanted to leave. There were moments Twilight would contemplate his reasons for wanting to go, but her fears and insecurities got the best of her; she would assume the worst, mostly that he’d either go on an adventure and never return…or he’d just wanted to escape from her for being treated similarly to a butler than a friend. That was one hell of a slap in the face, but she owned up to it. Though, that is where the anger comes in.

She had hoped the two had put this idea of him leaving behind them. And for a time, he kept true to his word and said nothing about moving out. If anything, Spike appeared almost content at just being home, especially after spending a few nights, and on occasions an entire month in the Crystal Empire with Shinning for ‘guy time’. He promised everything was fine. He promised he had no thoughts of leaving her.

He lied.

When Pinkie strode up to them, gently placing a scroll in front of her and hovering over her brother and whispering death into his ears, Twilight had half a mind to chew her out. However, upon seeing the Crystal military insignia stamped on the parchment, it peaked the mare’s interest, especially since it was in Pinkie’s hands of all people. What she didn’t expect, what nearly made her heart stop dead in its tracks were the signatures of both the Crystal Military General and Spike’s. Everything was there; the stamp of approval, the drake’s signature and information. All that was missing was to send the form in, and by the law of the Crystal Empire; Spike would become an enlisted. Her mind paced at a thousand words per minute, wondering what drove Spike to consider making a career in the military, as well as dreading every second of him being out in the field, just waiting for one wrong move and for young ponies to be driven into conflict.

The very image of watching her friend leave was anxiety inducing enough, but the possibility of him returning broken…or not at all, frightened the princess to a greater degree. She couldn’t help it, she snapped; both fear and anger drove her chase down the dragon and demand an explanation. However, before she was any inch closer to nabbing him, both she and the drake were intercepted by their friends, and now forced to sit across from one another.

Beside Twilight were Fluttershy and Rarity, both comforting their friend, trying to help cease her anger. Neither achieved much, though, they did often peek a small glance at the drake every so often. Fluttershy’s eyes would linger, the redness indicating a recent buildup of tears. Rarity’s would be quick, though, her clenched fists would often tremble when her eyes drifted away from him.

Princesse Celestia and Luna sat beside Fluttershy, while the Crystal Royals sat at Rarity’s side.

Taking Spike’s sides were Trixie and Starlight, both visibly uncomfortable with the dense tension between the two halves of the circle. True to her word, Starlight took the young drake’s side in regards to him being free to choose what he wanted to do with his life. Though, with Pinkie’s and Cadence’s interrogation, and Shinning spilling what little he could, there was a bigger topic of discussion for the group. And when giving the three currently absent ponies a faint glance as they caught up the apple farmer on the current situation, she couldn’t help but wonder how exactly this was all going to play out. Some of the more stubborn mares wouldn’t exactly take this news lying down, especially if/when they discovered what Spike has been doing during his ‘visits’ to the Crystal Empire.

*ahem*

All eyes turned to the resident apple farmer as she returned with Rainbow and a visibly unsettled Pinkie.

“So, before we begin, any of ya’ll have somethin to get out of yer chests?” Though she asked the group, her eyes were locked unto Spike. Surprisingly enough, she showed no open hostility towards him, especially if she knew of his little secret. It was possible she knew nothing, but seeing the way Shinning would pale whenever he heard Pinkie’s voice, no doubt he spilled enough for the mares to call this meeting into place.

Deciding to make things easier down the line, the drake raised his hand, earning a worried glance from the mares beside Twilight, and a faint huff from the aforementioned princess.

“Okay, Sugarcube, lay it on us.” The three took free chairs and sat in the circle. All eyes were now on Spike, the dragon feeling the overwhelming weight of his secrets finally dawning on him, when he thought on it, he didn’t have much either way, the nature of his contracts were a sensitive topic and the General preferred he keep his mouth shut in regards to the Crystal’s efforts to keep their kingdom safe. And he agreed, but now, he had to come clean while staying true to his oath and not disclosing military information.

Still, the drake had the option to stall, keep their attention focused elsewhere. “I considered enlisting with the Crystal Empire military, I spoke with the General and he gave me that form. Since I’m a dragon, and an ally to Equestria, I figured I had a good chance at receiving an approval to join…I guess I was right, it came signed with his approval.” He wasn’t lying, being a dragon had its perks, especially to a kingdom that was not only limited in regards to their military power, but Spike was in fact a well-known individual in the north. Comically, it was almost as if he were a royal there as well, given the title the ponies chose to brand him with each time they saw him. “But like I said, it was just something I considered, nothing about it was final.”

Applejack nodded, her fingers rubbing the tip of her chin as she pointed out a little detail that would surely be brought up. “But your bits were completed too.”

In response Spike nodded as well, his eyes focusing on the reasonable mare, thus far. “Yea, but that was just in case. Like I said, I’m not sure what I want to do, but in the case I decide to enlist, all I’d have to do is send it in.” His comment was met with another uncomfortable shift from where Twilight sat.

“Anything else?” Rainbow asked, surprisingly playing subtlety to a believable degree.

Seeing he had no way of dodging this interrogation, and he definitely wouldn’t get very far with Rainbow Dash here, he chose to come clean, albeit if only enough info to keep them satisfied. Although, with what he had share next, he was unsure whether any further response he would give after this would satisfy their curiosity.

Although, truth be told there wasn’t anything to suggest Shinning revealed anything and his assumptions would lead to a bigger shouting match. Spike had his fair share of secrets, most he kept from his friends, and given the nature of many of his contracts, he preferred to keep them oblivious to the dangers he placed himself in.

“Keep in mind…” Spike’s eyes turned to a rather determined looking Luna, eyeing him with equal parts anger and worry. “Even without magic, we have ways of obtaining information. It would be best if you were honest from here on out.” Though a little irritated at the threat, Spike chose to keep calm with his response.

“Remind me why this is such a big deal?” Oh how he wish he could’ve said anything but that. As soon as those words left his lips, the faces of the mares around him furrowed, after a small moment of shock at his poor choice in words.

“Are you serious right now?” That threatening voice came from the one mare he had been hoping not to respond first. It wasn’t surprising for Twilight to be the one to speak up, but the level of anger in her tone was sending shivers up his spine. He knew the levels of anger she was capable of conjuring up, his reluctance came in with whether or not he was willing to face her off in a room where he was outnumbered. “You want to run off and play soldier for who knows what reason, needlessly endangering yourself in a time of peace, and hiding it away from your family…under what situation is that not a bucking big deal?”

A few of the company present showed visible shock at the princess’s choice of words.

“…” Spike was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, which only served to infuriate the purple mare. “Ok, bad choice of words on my part.” He admitted. “But, I clearly said it was just an option, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to go or not. Secondly, I’m not throwing myself into danger, I was aiming for work in either in the medical field, or possibly in maintenance. Lastly, yes, I know; hiding it was a bad move on my part.” A few of the mares nodded, seeing him accept responsibility for hiding something this important was a big deal. Though, Twilight and Pinkie remained skeptical. “But, can you blame me?” And there it was.

Almost immediately, all eyes in the room bulged. The mares looked to one another, as if hoping if one of them knew of what the drake spoke of. Only one remained unaffected by Spike’s question; Starlight. And in an instance, Twilight’s attention was zeroed in on her pupil. Before being able to question the aforementioned mare, Rainbow Dash’s voice snapped her back to the conversation amongst them. “Uh, mind telling us what you mean by that?” There was hesitation in her voice, as if she was unsure whether or not she wanted to hear what he had to say.

It didn’t surprise the drake, and in all honesty, he was wondering whether or not to throw in his two cents at all. He’d been hoping to ease into this topic, to find a way to downplay how he felt towards them and their attitudes in regards to him. So, he instead chose to give in to half-truths.

“I’ve been stuck in Ponyville all my life, there are places I’d like to see, friends I want to visit without needing to be accompanied by a guardian.” That last bit was aimed at Twilight, and it showed when her brow twitched. “I just wanted my options to not be limited to whatever I can find in town.” His eyes drifted to an open window, the sight of the moon hovering in the night sky filled him with ease. “I didn’t mean to hide all of this, but after what happened last time…” He trailed off, the Starlight and the Elements of Harmony all flinched at that memory; the words spoken that day still stung to present day. “I love all of you, and I’ll always be grateful for everything you’ve given me, all the lessons I’ve learned, and all the memories we’ve made…but I just don’t see myself settling down just yet. Not when there’s still so much to do. But I can’t do that when I have someponies who think I can’t go outside my own home without announcing where I’m going. Especially when I get an earful just for considering the idea of moving out.”

He hooked his left hand unto his right arm; his eyes averted meeting anyone’s gaze as his words settled in the minds of those listening.

“Do you have an idea about what you want to do?” It was Fluttershy who spoke up, and though her tone was meek, she could still be heard loud and clear.

Spike nodded half-heartedly. “I’ve got an idea, a few drafts; any job that involves helping people would be preferable. The end game revolves mostly around getting a place of my own, finding the right mate, getting married, having kids. That sort of thing.” While he seemed to ramble on, the drake failed to notice the ominous aura from a few of the mares present when he spoke of finding the ‘right mate’ with that small touch of naïve tone one would expect from an inexperienced child being asked what they wanted to be in the future. There were two mares, however, who seemed positively thrilled at the prospect of seeing little hatchling or fillies running around.

‘Grandfillies!’ Was the inward squeal of a joyful mother, who still had in mind her son was young and would have to wait quite a while before even considering such…fornications. Still, it didn’t stop her mind from playing out plentiful scenarios regarding the prospect of having little ones to spoil.

Rainbow Dash, though, seemed almost entertained by his little plan. And though she earned a playful glare from the drake, she still chuckled at it all.

“Something funny?” He asked, arms crossed.

“Maybe think try getting a marefriend before you start talking about kids.” She jabbed, playfully. And for a moment, it seemingly dissipated the tension in the room. Especially with the princesses remembering that their little drake was indeed inexperienced in the realms of relationships and-

“I’ve had a marefriend.”

…

And just like that, any form of peace came crashing down. The mares stared wide-eyed at the young drake, a few were trembling in their seat, and others appeared almost unfazed by the little revelation. Of course, whatever was going on in their heads was for their minds only.

“C-come again.” Though she asked for clarification, the wonderbolt was not so sure she wanted the answer, mostly for the drake’s sake.

Still, Spike was happy to oblige her request. “I’ve had marefriends before.” That made it worse, the fact that his claim went from singular to plural unnerved a few of the mares. The silence that came with his statement slightly unnerved him, most with the shocked expressions his friends were giving him. “Did…did you girls really think I wouldn’t have?” His question caused a few to avert their gazes, though, Pinkie’s remained firm on the young drake, her eye was twitching once more, this time with her smile faltering.

Applejack was quick to speak out, noticing Pinkie’s current state. “It’s not that we don’t believe it, Sugarcube, is just that ya don’t bring it up…or told anypony fer that matter.”

“Yea, and we thought you were hots for Rarity.” Rainbow Dash quickly added, much to Rarity’s irritation at the hidden pun she threw in.

Spike, to his credit, only showed mild shock at the fashionista’s name being mentioned. He gave a curt chuckle, before giving his two-bits. “Yea, as a hatchling. But it’s like you told me before Dash; it was just a childhood crush, it wouldn’t go anywhere, and it would be best if I focused on my life and have a little fun her and there.”

Rainbow felt a collective of heated gazes being directed at her, and for the life of her she chose to avoid finding the sources of ‘em. Though, she did in fact hear a faint guttural growl from the fashionista’s direction.

“So you’re saying you’re over your crush on Rarity?” Trixie asked, a gleam of hope was sewn in her tone.

To which Spike shook his head, albeit hesitantly. “No, those feelings are still there. But they’re not as extreme as when I was younger. It was actually Vinyl that helped me focus on other hobbies.” He gestured to a small stack of books placed beside a guitar on a table at the edge of the library. “Spent a lot of time with practicing guitar with her, I actually performed a few numbers in some of her gigs. Can’t thank her enough for the lessons, Octavia too.”

The mention of the musical ponies managed to snap Pinkie out of her trance, remembering a time when the dj mare would smile either way too often, or would have her head in the clouds. There was always a previous engagement that took up her time when she was in town, and she had also…taken on a student. She shook her head, unwilling to accept the implications her imagination conjured up. Perhaps she was just glad to have a pupil, someone who enjoyed music just as much as she did. But then, Spike’s preferred genre was either; what you’d hear a rowdy group chant or…romance songs…Pinkie hadn’t noticed, but she’d been silently hyperventilating, the thought of her friend being involved with her baby were stirring up an uneasy emotion in her chest.

But, it was just assumption, and one helluva coincidence. After all, Vinyl would never involve herself with Spike…right?

Twilight herself was still reeling in from the sudden collapsing image she held of her little drake. She would pride herself in being one of the few ponies the drake would confide in with when it came to private matters. Spike, her closest and dearest friend had grown up much faster than she would’ve wanted. It was as if she blinked and in place of the baby drake stood a maturing dragon. The marefriends comment was what made the princess shiver; why wasn’t she made aware of this little piece of information? Why did Spike feel it appropriate to not tell her? So many questions swarmed in her head, all of it came to a conclusion she was in constant denial over, but given the recent revelations; the fear was prodding harder into reality. The fear of him no longer needing her, him branching out and spreading his wings, finding a place of his own, and slowly fading out of her life.

It was a fear that drove them into a shouting brawl the first time around, and it was prevalent in the discovery of the enlistment form by Pinkie. But now, what was to be done?

She didn’t want him to leave, and she sure as hell didn’t want him to feel caged or bound by force to his home. But, she wasn’t ready she didn’t want her drake to fly out of the nest yet. There was still so much to do together. Yes, she did have her duties as a princess, and it went without saying; she had to focus most if not all her time on Ponyville’s affairs.

“Ok, Trixie thinks we’ve gone off topic long enough.” The blue mare was trying to divert the conversation back to the military, mostly due to it being an easier route; Spike already admitted to himself being at fault for not informing his family of his thoughts on moving to the Crystal Empire to join the military. All he had to do was agree to inform them of any big life changing decisions he’d made in the future and from there they’d be able to patch the smaller details up…that was before he opened his snout and revealed he had already entered the dating scene. Both she and Trixie watched as Pinkie and Twilight trembled in place, resisting the urge to find the little she-harlot that sunk her chomps into Spike.

As for Trixie herself, she was, although a bit jealous, more surprised over how much Spike had changed since she last saw him. Upon her return to Ponyville, she expected few things to remain the same; Starlight still being Twilight’s pupil was one of them. And at the forefront of her expectations was to see the drake, although older, to have grown by a few inches, not to be a lumbering tower akin to the apple farmer’s sibling.

It wasn’t an unwelcomed change; more mature features, a frame most stallions his age would kill for, a knack for music, a good heart he wears on his sleeves, and with previous dating experiences meant he had an idea as to what a mare wants. Of course, that is if he and his partners were ever….intimate…

And just like that, Trixie felt an aching pain in her chest, and a sudden urgency to act on certain sentiments. And judging by the reactions of the mares before her; it would be one helluva chore to get the drake alone after all this.

Starlight was quick to chime in. “Trixie is right…surprisingly…”

“Oi!”

Starlight ignored the little outburst and jab to her ribs. “We know Spike isn’t entirely sure if the military is a sure option, but as his closest friends; I think we should…” She hesitated, if only when her eyes met with Twilight’s. There was no fury or malice in the alicorn’s eyes, there were no cursed enchantments under her breaths, and there were now visible steams of aura emitting from the princess. Instead, what Starlight saw was Twilight silently staring at her with pleading eyes; pleading for her pupil to take her side and to keep the drake here in Ponyville, by her side. And truth be told, she might’ve done so as well. However, having been a apart of their lives for the last few years, and seeing herself as a part of their family, albeit with a mild hesitation, Starlight knew the value of freedom and what it meant to a growing colt. “Spike should be able to decide what he wants. His birthday is coming up soon, and by Equestrian law, and Ponyville too apparently; Spike will be legally allowed to do as he pleases. After all, he’ll be seen as a grown stallion/dragon at that point.”

There was a moment of silence, no mare dared speak, however, there were two individuals the group had their eyes on; Twilight, and Princess Celestia. Both were well known to be rather protective of the drake, with the princess being a bit more subtle and the newly crowned alicorn having small moments of anxiety when the drake was gone for a relatively long period of time, the longest being a week of no contact before unceremoniously slamming the front doors of thee castle open and passing out on the library floor. Suffice to say, the young princess was in a near state of hysteria following his discovery.

“I agree.” All eyes snapped towards the mare that dared utter those words, and there were brows raised as they realized who it was.

“Y-you…you do?” Fluttershy asked, uncertain if this was some form of mind trick her friend had conjured up.

To which the pink mare nodded, albeit hesitantly. “Yea…I do.” Pinkie’s eyes grazed slowly towards the young drake. Her angered glare had softened, and the gaze she had fixed on the drake was one of nurture and affection. She had gotten up, trotting calmly towards him until she was standing in front of the drake. “I won’t lie, I’m not happy about being left in the dark about all of this…” Her eyes glanced towards the scroll, solemnly. Only to harden and dull when she glanced back to Spike. “And I still wanna know who your first marefriend was…and the ones that came after…” There was something about her tone that unnerved the young drake, and the mares around her. In an instant, the ominous aura disappeared, replaced by a mildly downtrodden pony. “We can’t stop you from growing up…but we wanna be there, for every step.” A smile graced her lips as she placed a soft hand on his shoulder. When she needed to be, Pinkie was as soft and tender-hearted as the Fluttershy, and where folks often didn’t give her enough credit was her ability to be mature when the situation called for it. Yes, one would do a double take when the words Pinkie and mature were used in the same sentence, or used in synonymy. “And no more secrets, please.” She almost pleaded, had she not held back.

Before giving the drake a chance to respond, the mare felt something beneath his shirt, and each time she applied the slightest pressure, she watched Spike’s eyes twitch and his teeth faintly bared. Not to mention, she swore there was something akin to layers that she was feeling up, and it took all her mental strength to not rip apart his clothing and confirm her suspicions.

“Ah agree with Pinkie…” Applejack spoke up; earning raised eyebrows from the mare’s present before glancing at Twilight. “No more secrets and no more babying. We gotta see it for wat it is; Spike’s a grown dragon now.” Her bluntness was expected, but it didn’t make Twilight’s accepting of reality any easier. She didn’t want him to be grown up just yet, she still wanted her baby dragon…but the reality of it all was forcing its way in, and now when she gazed upon the drake, all she saw was him all grown and ready to leave the nest. To leave her, and it cracked her heart with each reminder.

Spike, seeing the inner torment his childhood friend was going through; took it upon himself to act. After managing to removed Pinkie’s grip on him, albeit with a bit of force, the drake was able to rise up and walk over to where Twilight was sitting. The purple mare glanced up, meeting him at eye-level. The two said nothing, though, she slightly flinched when his palm reached out to her and grasp the scroll in her hands.

When he tugged, for a moment, she gripped it tighter, unwilling to let him take it. But her grip faltered, and the drake was now in possession of the enlistment form. She waited, half-expected him to engulf it in flames and send it straight to the General via magic.

Instead, Spike took one long look at the form before rolling it back up and staring at his life-long friend. “Twi…” Though he started off, for the life of him; any words he had in mind just suddenly evaporated and left him with a blank slate. And though he had her attention, the last thing the drake wanted to do was drive her away. He wanted to go out and explore, see the world and enjoy many of life’s mysterious and wonders. But there was always one thing he knew for certain; if Twilight ever needed him he would always come back to her. Why wouldn’t he? She was the one who hatched him, the egg that was lying dormant among Princess Celestia’s belongings for who knows how long, kept alive solely through an influx of her magic.

Twilight was more than just a friend; at times, he considered her a sister, a mother if he went far enough. And in no way would he leave her with the impression that he wanted to leave solely to get away from her. Tartarus would freeze over before the day came where Spike would no longer need Twilight in his life. He’s said this to her countless times, but admittingly, hiding the form from her was not exactly his best play as of late.

“I’m sorry.” He breathed out, his eyes wandered to all the mares in the room. “I promise I’ll be up front with you girls more often.” Spike landed his gaze on Pinkie. “And I swear you’ll be seeing me more often than these last few months. Ponyville is my home, and I’m not thinking of leaving it anytime soon.” His gaze landed back on Twilight.

This wasn’t over, he knew that for a fact. As soon as everyone was satisfied and gone their separate ways; Twilight was gonna let him have a piece of her mind. As such, he chose to nip the possibility of a scolding, or at the very least diminish the eventual conversation between them. With this many of their friends present, it gave him an advantage, enough to simmer Twilight’s anger and allow a civil conversation.

Without another word; Spike held out the scroll towards the alicorn. For a second, the mare should genuine confusion, followed instantly by a skeptical glare. Though, Spike met hers with a neutral expression. “Twi, I love you.” That was met with instant reaction; the purple mare’s eyes snapped wide open, clearly caught off guard by his confession. The mares around showed a similar reaction, with Pinkie’s being perhaps the most contained of the few, surprisingly. For a moment, Twilight felt a chill crawl up her spine when she swear there were a few fixed glares on her. Of course, she chose to avert her eyes from the sources of the malicious auras, focusing instead on her baby drake. “I can’t tell you how much you mean to me, you’ve been my best friend since the day I was hatched. We’ve been through a lot, and I know we’ve still got some more memories to make. There will never be a day when I won’t need my best friend in my life. But I can’t change how you think, and I know you don’t deal well with big change.” That was a little jab at her, and for once, she let it pass without a thought of future repercussion. “So, I want you to hold unto this for me. And when the times right, I’ll trust you’ll give it to me.”

There was an underlying message hidden in him giving her his scroll, she didn’t miss it. The others felt a little confused by the gesture, with the royals seemingly being the only ones to catch on to the message behind Spike giving up his scroll.

It was all up to Twilight now; she could take the scroll and assure her drake would stay by her side. Or…she could reject it, give him his freedom and let him leave. It would’ve been so easy to just take the piece of parchment and lock it away for good…but that would just cement a negative image of her. The last thing she wanted was to alienate her friend, let alone make him feel like a prisoner in his own home. In a way, this felt oddly familiar. It took the alicorn a second to think it over before she came to the realization; this was a test, something Celestia would do. It seemed as though those mother/son bonding days, in which Celestia ‘suggested’ Twilight send Spike her way, left an impression on the drake. He was using a tactic his mother would often use to teach certain ponies lessons. While there was a moment of anger in the alicorn, believing the drake was pulling off one of his mother’s stunts, realization soon pushed anger aside and made way for logic.

Spike was putting his trust in her. He knew how she felt towards him leaving, and she knew how adventurous his heart had grown since their last biggest adventure together. This was less of whether she thought he was ready for the military, and more akin to him saying; when you’re ready, I’ll fly. But until she was, he would willingly stay with her. While the notion made her feel guilty, she still couldn’t help but feel relaxed at the thought of the drake willing staying.

Without exchanging a word, she reached out and accepted the scroll, a half-baked smile crossed her lips, replaced by a guilt-frown when she realized what she just accepted; his freedom. She held his freedom tightly in her grasps, wondering whether or not she would ever be able to let him go. Her closest friend, her baby dragon…in many ways, she had grown to see Spike as a sibling. But recent events and emotions proved there was something more; a son? No, Celestia already claimed the mother title, and the only other mare vying for that position was the pink-themed pony. So then, what was that feeling?

As for Spike, though he had just willingly grounded himself for the foreseeable future, chose instead to look at the bright side of all this; he’d be able to spend more time perfecting his craft, play a couple songs here and there, enjoy the upcoming festivals, and maybe meet up with some old friends.

“Um, are we gonna ignore the marefriends thing?” Came the stern, yet also shaky voice from Shinning. To the which the Elements of Harmony and the princess’s quickly realized they had almost allowed that little bit to pass by.

Spike’s eyes darted to Shinning’s, their eyes communicating an array of emotions one would expect from brothers being caught in some troublesome scenarios.

“What’s there to talk about?” Spike argued, his brows narrowed, indicating that the stallion should stop while he’s ahead.

Finding his nerves, Shinning continued, ignoring the dragon’s silent threats. “Well, who were they?” He included that list bit to emphasize the drake associated plural when it came to the subject of marefriends.

“That’s none of anyponies business.” The drake answered curtly, ignoring the stern glare he was receiving from his mother.

“Actually, I’m kind curious.” Rainbow Dash noted, though, unlike the mares around her, it was more for mischief and teasing material.

“Hey now, if he don wanna talk about it, it’s his business.” Applejack, like the heaven-sent she was, came to the drake’s defence. That is of course, until Shinning slammed the final nail on his coffin.

“Even if the mare was older than him?” And just like that, the room feel deathly silent. It was no secret, in just a few months; Spike would become of age according to Ponyville law. However, that did not extend to other pony locations. In Canterlot, the age was just a bit higher, and in the Crystal Empire, he was already of age. And in recent years, Spike did indeed spend quite a lot of time up north, and even a few weeks with Pinkie at her family’s farm, but that was beside the point.

Spike faced his brother with a slightly betrayed, slightly amused expression. ‘Bro, you sold me out?!’

‘Oi, you did it too.’ Shinning subtly gestured to his wife. ‘And she made me spill everything. EVERYTHING.’

‘That’s different.’

Shinning’s eyes bulged. ‘HOW?!’

To which Spike gestured to the mares with shadowed eyes, and small wisps of malicious auras emitting from their beings. The main ones being Pinkie and Celestia; the overprotective mothers of the bunch. ‘I live with them.’

“Spike~” He shivered, every fiber of his being was begging him to sprint and run. Hell, his wings almost flapped open and shot him upwards. However, knowing full well he’d be caught within seconds of even lifting himself off the ground. As he dared to glance around, he noted a collective of reactions from the mares around him. Dash was, from what he could ascertain, almost beaming at him with some measure of pride. No question, she was proud of him, and she’d pry him on details when the fires died down, if they ever did. Applejack was slightly worried over this revelation, her eyes darting amongst the mares she knew would be most affected by. Fluttershy and Rarity were both with widened eyes, the fashionista herself was trembling quite visibly following the revelation of Spikey’s previous engagements. The shy mare was…just shocked stiff. She didn’t tremble; her body wasn’t shuddering like the fashionista’s. Though, if you observed closely enough; you’d see her left eye twitching. Cadence was, although stunned to hear this, narrowed a glare at her husband since he seemed to have knowledge of Spike’s activities. Trixie was…hopeful? Yes, she wasn’t exactly on board with the implications that came with Spike’s previous marefriends. However, it meant that the possibility of dating older mares was not out of the question for him. Starlight…was more worried than anything, mostly due to her having been Spike’s guarding when Twilight wasn’t around, and if any of his little adventures happened when she was in charge of him…she could only imagine what Twilight would do with her.

Speaking of…

*THUD*

Twilight fainted, no surprise there. Princess Celestia? Now that was a surprise. Luna…also a surprise, but he could understand why; the last thing any doting mother or aunt wants to hear is their little one being involved, romantically, with anypony older than them.

As for Pinkie…

“How old was she Spike?” Pinkie asked, inching ever closer to her baby, her mind unable to process that some cradle robber was the culprit for her drake’s fast maturing. And she actively refused to picture anything remotely intimate. A harlot was…not fine, but manageable enough. But an older mare, depending on how old, would determine how severe the pink mare would be in delivering justice.

“….old enough?” He suggested, hoping it would suffice. It didn’t, and for the better part of that night, he would not be allowed to sleep. And in three separate locations across Equestria, three mares felt shivers running up their spines. Two of which felt the eerie sense of dread and showed visible fear of what the foreshadowing entailed for them. The third…shrugged it off and went back to studying her collection of minerals.

Author's Note

Buckle up kiddos, the next few chapters will be one helluva ride before the main plot comes along. For now, i hope ya'll will enjoy these little moments before the heavier bulk comes along.

Unwritten Story

A new sun rises over Ponyville, and with it another day of chores a young drake happily partakes in. It had been quite the night three days prior, having to face the unyielding determination of his friends to try and squeeze out of him the names of his exes. He braved through them, maintaining his silence, both through his friends and his mother. Though, that didn’t stop a fair few from still trying. Regardless, the moments where he had a measure of peace and quiet, mixed in with a few greetings from familiar faces, were the highlights of his day.

“SPIKE!”

Well, not every day had to be peaceful, and he did enjoy the few that were often pushy, surprisingly. Especially if he was being ‘confronted’ by a particular pony, one who’s presence was more akin to speaking with a snarky older sibling, whom he still cared for regardless of the jabs she threw his way.

One the lone road towards his next destination, the drake turned his head towards the shouting mare. To no one’s surprise, it was the Pegasus who, unlike the others, was playful in her attempts to pry him for information, and somepony whose presence he enjoyed being around currently.

“Hey Dash.” He greeted, the mare landed with as much grace as one would expect from a Wonderbolt. Of the six mares, Dash was perhaps the one whose height remained a constant. When she was in the sky, she appeared just as big as her ego. Though, when she was grounded, she was at least at chest height when standing next to the drake…it only took one little jab from Pinkie that kept Rainbow Dash from ever standing next to Big Mac. “How’ve you been?”

The mare bore an expression akin to innocence and mischief. “Oh, you know, keeping the weather normal, being the fastest pony alive, and being all-around awesome.”

Spike felt a faint chuckle grace his lips as he made his tread towards Sweet Apple Acres. “So a normal day for you?”

The Pegasus huffed, her chest puffed with a tone of pride and playfulness. “Pretty much.” She answered. “Where’re you off too?”

“I’m gonna see if Applejack has any work for me. I was planning on resting, but I wanted to get out of the house for a bit.”

“Twilight still hounding you for answers?”

The drake let out a dry chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. “Every chance she gets. She’s even played the ‘don’t you trust me?’ card.”

“I honestly thought that was her best play.” Rainbow Dash mused.

“And it almost got me too.” Spike responded. “I honestly don’t get why this is such a big deal.”

The athletic mare adopted a thinking pose, though, she knew for a fact the reason why her friends reacted the way she did, she preferred teasing the drake to the best of her abilities, Turning her attention back to him, she was quick to notice a few subtle changes in him. For one, his snout appeared as though it had shrunk, albeit faintly. His spikes appeared as though they too were receding, making way for smaller fibers growing from his scales. His body still retained its current size, and she was not one to avert her eyes when noticing the impressive build of his wings. They weren’t majestic or graceful like those of a Pegasus, but those draconic wings were something else. Just the appearance of ‘em made the mare envious. Though, she couldn’t help but wonder why his wings grew talons at the tips. Must’ve been quite a growth spurt she missed.

Brushing that thought aside, the mare was quick to jump back to a subject she couldn’t allow pass, even if the drake wouldn’t spill the whole beans.

“Gotta say, hooking up with an older mare is a pretty big deal, but when it becomes plural; yoi become a bit of a legend. Props to you by the way.” Rainbow commented. “You ever gonna tell us who they were?”

The drake stopped in place, slightly startling the mare. The more he thought on it, the less he felt inclined to say anything at all. And in all honesty; the older mares were only slightly above his age, the eldest being…actually, that mare was a bit of a stretch to defend. But the other two were reasonable…somewhat. What made it all the more aggravating was the fact that Pinkie was actively trying to seek out Vinyl in regards to whether or not she had any sort of explicit relationship with him. Despite him constantly telling the pink mare there was nothing between him and the mare.

“I’d prefer the teasing route.” He responded, grinning at the Pegasus, and remembering one of the perks of keeping it to himself; he could tease this particular mare all he wanted.

Her response was exactly what he expected; she glared at him, pinching his arm before huffing and facing forward. It was a funny thing, she was quick to dish out her own brand of teasing and jokes, but when she was the aim of said teasing; Rainbow was quick to temper. Which made her all the more fun to tease in return.

“Whatever twerp.” She mumbled, though there was a faint moment the mare smirked at him. “Still, I’m proud of you.”

Spike’s brow raised, a playful smirk caught hold at the edge of his lips. “For getting a marefriend?”

“No…well, yea, but that’s not why.” She corrected herself rather quickly. While she was indeed proud of the drake for taking her advice and moving on with his life instead of moping around, pinning for a love that would probably never workout…now that she thought on it, that way of thinking could’ve been worded better. Especially since Rarity had been giving her the stink eye for quite a while. She placed an arm on the drake’s shoulder, however amusing that was considering he was still much taller than her. Though, the need for jokes was lost when he noticed her expression soften. “I’m proud of who you’re growing up to be. You could’ve just up and left without saying a word, stayed in the Crystal Empire, or even actually sent that letter in and enlist…but you didn’t. The first thing that came to your mind was; how will my family feel. I know it’s not easy living with Twilight, or in Ponyville for that matter.” She wasn’t wrong, being the only dragon in the populace was unnerving him as years went by.

A few Changelings gave a try at living in Ponyville, a Kirin had moved to the rural district not too long ago, and only a handful of Griffons were nested near the cliffsides. But dragons; they kept primarily to themselves, preferring to remain amongst their own. Some believed coexistence was a joke, and others saw nothing to gain in living with other species.

“But remember, twerp, whatever happens, you’ve got us. Don’t forget that.” She finished with lightly punching his chest, earning a chuckle from the drake.

“When did you get so sentimental?” Odd, Dash was never this mushy, even in private. She had an image to uphold, and he pride rarely allowed any vulnerability to seep through.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, turning her head and waking towards the farm. “Doesn’t matter. Just don’t forget what I said.”

“…yea…hey Dash?” Before she had a chance to respond, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, holding her gently against a warm, yet toned, frame. The mare didn’t struggle, on the contrary, her mind played back to the moments where the roles were reversed, and she’d be the one with her chin resting on his head. Now though, he was a tower, and hopefully he stayed at his current height, last thing she needed was another giant lumbering around Ponyville. “Thanks.” He whispered, to which the mare was quick to elbow him lightly in the stomach, though, he didn’t seem too affected by her attack.

“Hey, don’t get too comfortable.” She shot back jovially. These were the few moments, the ones were friends would forgo their normal demeanor for the sake of someone close to them; either family or friend. Dash had her moments, and when she showed it, she was quick to return to her usual self. Still, to those who knew her well enough, it didn’t negate her kindness.

The two shared a moment of tender embrace akin to a bond shared by siblings before both treading closer to the farm, all the while being observed from the aforementioned farm from a set of eyes. They weren’t too far, by any means, but a giant scaly dragon and a Rainbow-mane mare walking down a lone road was quite noticeable. When she caught sight of the two coming her way, Applejack was set on preparing some refreshments for her guests. That is, until she noticed the little moment the two shared.

Now, unlike Rarity she was by no means a gossip pony. Though, that didn’t stop her mind from conjuring images of Dash and Spike…and just like that, she felt her heart beat at a quickened pace. The more scandalous prospect of it wasn’t the possible reaction of their friends or society, it was the farmer’s imagination, in particular the size difference.

…

Well, let it be known, if such a thing were to ever occur, Dash would be perhaps one of the first in recent history to have dominated a drake outside of combat. Knowing her, submission was out of the question, in any scenario.

And yet, pushing her perverted thoughts aside, Applejack quickly returned to preparing refreshments for her guests, cursing herself all the while for allowing her mind to conjure up what she’d usually read in texts she borrowed from the library.

It didn’t take long for the front of her door to be flung open, much to her annoyance. And yet, she kept her lips shut, mostly due to the fact that this something that wouldn’t change, no matter the many sit-downs she had with the Rainbow mare.

“Yo, Applejack, you here?” Came the sound of the half-pint, a nickname she had just come up with, and intended to use to the fullest.

“In here.” She shouted from the kitchen, fixing the last of the pastries and cider. When she entered the living room, she found Dash already strewn on the couch, with Spike still sitting on a chair beside the sofa. “You two are getting pretty comfy, ain’t cha’?” She placed the tray on the coffee table, standing at the side of the couch were Dash’s legs were and swatting the mare to move. Which she did, if only to place them on Applejack’s lap, trapping the farmer in place.

“Much better.” The Pegasus mumbled, earning an irked expression from the farmer, and yet she did nothing in return…yet.

“So, what brings ya’ll to Sweet Apple Acres?” Her question was mostly for Spike, Dash had other places to be, primarily with the Wonderbolts, but Applejack could guess the mare probably caught the drake and decided to tag along.

Much to her guess, Spike was quick to speak up. “I was hoping you’d have a job for me. Anything really, I just need an excuse to stay out of my home for a bit.” He rubbed the back of his head nervously, knowing full well how stubborn the Apple farmer was when it came to accepting help of any kind. Though, he had a bit of hope she’d throw him a bone.

“Twi’s been trying to get him to ‘fess up the names of his marefriends. So far, she’s already pulled her best card.” Dash inquired, half-asleep, yet just enough awake to toss in her bits.

“The trust card?” Applejack asked, to which the mare snapped her fingers and grinned, a confirmation that her guess was right on the bits. “Dang, thought fer sure that was gonna get her at least one name.” She teased, getting a dry chuckle from Dash, and a nervous sigh from the drake. “Well, sorry to disappoint ya, Sugarcube, but I ain’t got much work today. Big Mac n me finished most of the heavy lifting, and Applebloom is finishin off the lighter work.”

Spike, though a bit disappointed, realized this was a possibility. He nodded, accepting her answer and nibbling on a slice of apple pie while his eyes peered towards the window. It was a bit hard to tell, but the roads going into Ponyville were bustling as of late, folks were coming in from all over, and very few would be choosing to stay permanently. The small city-state was growing, given enough time it might even mirror the Crystal Empire capital.

“Oh, did ya hear; Rarity’s little pupil is comin back, all the way from Manehatten.” Applejack commented, her words were aimed at the drake, seeing as the Pegasus wasn’t exactly batting an eye at her words. Though, the farmer was quick to catch the sudden flinch from the drake at the mention of the fashionista’s former student.

“Yea? What for?” Dash asked, half-hearted and still drowsy.

“For the festival, and she said the mare was thinkin’ of movin’ to Ponyville permanently.” Applejack answered, keeping an eye on Spike as he nervously wiped away at a sliver of apple syrup dripping down his chin. ”Never got a chance to talk to her. I hear she’s as shy as Flutters.”

“I’d be surprised if she was.” Spike muttered, washing down his pie with cider. “Last I saw her was when she finished her tutelage under Rarity. She’s shy alright, but a lot less than Fluttershy.”

“Mmm…how would you know?” Dash asked, her eyes still shut but her attention was focused on the direction of where Spike’s voice originated.

“I was still helping Rarity around that time, got to talk to her almost all the time, especially when Rarity had huge orders to fill for Canterlot’s nobility.” Spike reached for another slice, a nostalgic grin crossed his snout. “She’s a sweet mare, quiet for the most part, and she’s got a talent for what she does. But a shy mare? No, she hasn’t been a shy filly since the end of the first Unity festival.” Spike paused in the midst of sipping on his cider. “Although…” He mumbled, taking a small swig before placing the cider aside. “It’s been two years since I’ve seen her. A lot can change in that time.”

“True that.” Dash agreed, her head turning away, nuzzling into the cushion. Meanwhile, a certain farmer was a bit curious over the drake’s choice of words. “And hey, guess who else is moving back to Ponyville?” She held up a finger, smiling half-heartedly. “Flutters told me her friend Tree Huggers’ moving in with her for a bit. Can’t tell you how much I missed her stuf-“ Dash was quickly cut off by a swift, yet subtle, jab from Applejack, reminding the pony of the presence of a particular drake who was still quite under the age for such subjects.

Spike let out a mirthful chuckle. “I always liked her laid back attitude. She knew when to just hang back and take it easy. Also, I really miss when she could get you a decent bag of…” Spike’s words died in his throat, his eyes glanced over to where his friends were. Applejack looked almost stunned, while Rainbow Dash had a single eye popped wide open, waiting and hoping what he was going to say was what she was expecting. “…caramels…” It didn’t sound convincing in the slightest, but the implication was set regardless. And in no way were the two mares going to simply let this fly over them, especially Applejack. “Anyone else moving back?” There seemed to be a running theme going around, ponies seemed to be drawn the Ponyville as of late. And it wasn’t just for the festival either.

To which, Dash shrugged her shoulders; both her eyes were now half-lidded as she kept her focus on the drake. “Not that I know of.”

Applejack’s arms crossed, fixing a mild glare at the teen as she was not exactly willing to let him forget his little slip in wording. “Bag of caramels, huh?” Though she had no proof, she wasn’t exactly going to let it go easily…or at all. Not until she had her answers.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

“I’ll get that.” Spike stood up much too fast for somepony of his mass. Of course, given whose house he was in, the drake was caught just as he was passing the farmer. Her vice grip was of no surprise, though, it was the nonchalant way she waved off the legs of the Pegasus, and her still unpleased expression, that worried him.

“As the host; I’ll get it. And Sugarcube…” Just as she turned to greet their guest, the farmer spared Spike a cold glance. “…we ain’t done talking about this.” Although less frightening than Pinkie’s emotionless glares, and not as intimidating as Twilight in general; Applejack’s words still had quite an effect on the drake.

As she walked away Spike felt his spine tingle once more with impending retribution. Of all the people he had to nearly spill the beans to, it had to be the Element of Honesty. Though stubborn, she was perhaps the most rational of his friends, and by that he really meant the more logical and calm when it came to unearthed secrets. Still, the drake made a mental note to keep his mouth in check for the foreseeable future.

“Hehehe….” Of course, he could do without the taunting chuckling from the sleepy mare. “Nice save, twerp.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t laugh too much, ‘sides; you introduced me to her.” He threw back, a bit peeved she didn’t react the way he wanted, but in no way was he going to throw her under…yet.

Dash’s chuckles ceased, though she retained a coy smile. “Oh yea, you gonna tell someone?” She dared him.

What she didn’t expect was for the drake to shake his head and sit back down. “Nah, no one would believe me without proof…but then….” He rubbed the tip of his chin, leaning forward slightly. “Pinkie doesn’t really need proof, does she?”

“Proof for what?”

Never had Dash or Spike jumped from their seats before, albeit a mere inch, it showed just how unprepared they were to have the object of their conversation just suddenly appear. But then, it was one of the mare’s quirks to be expected of her. Although Spike was clearly taken aback by the sudden appearance of the pink mare, Dash had sprung to her feet, her eyes locked on to Spike as the party pony was one of the few ponies who could instill such fear into the blue mare’s being. She was never one to show weakness or back down from a challenge, but her eyes, when locked on to Spike’s, found themselves lightly trembling.

It wasn’t as if Pinkie was going to cause her any physical pain…the real issue was what would be left of her mental state.

Once Pinkie’s eyes landed on the young drake, her smile brightened considerably.

“Hey there, Spikey.” Her greeting was just as bright as she was cheerful, though, if given a chance to peer closer, one could take hint at the gleam in her eye as she locked on to the drake. She was plotting something, what it was one could never accurately tell. “How’re you today?”

While the Pegasus allowed her heart to relax itself, Spike rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“I’m fine, just spending time with some friends.”

“Weren’t you looking for work?” Dash threw in, only to clamps her palms against her mouth as she just realized what she had sentenced the drake to. Within a millisecond of her words being uttered, Pinkie’s smile grew wider.

Spike glanced towards the Pegasus with a betrayed expression, the mare in response could only stare blankly at him as the pink earth pony approached the young drake and snaked her arm around his; attaching a vice grip on the young dragon. Just as she did, Applejack entered the room with a sack in hand.

“Is that so? Well, I have a few chores for you Spikey, and at the end, if you’re a good colt, I’ll give you some gems as a reward.” Her tone was infectiously sweet and motherly, but her grip and tilted head said otherwise. Now, he was never one to turn down the prospect of well-earned gems, though, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be under the thumb of the pink mare after the revelation he slipped out three days prior.

“Well, that’s mighty generous of you Pinkie, but I already got a list of chores for Spike rearing to get done.” The farmer was quick to pace over to the party pony, handing her the sack and handing a folded paper and a few spare bits to the drake. “Remember, sugarcube, I need you back here with those seeds by sundown, and don’t wander off, got it.” She finished with a subtle wink, with only the young assistant having caught her little gesture. Wasting no time, he managed to pry himself from Pinkie’s grasp before taking the slip.

“I’m on it.” Just as he leaned in to hug the farmer, he whispered a grateful thanks. Giving both mares a kiss on the cheek and hugging a still blank Dash, not one to sprint off without a proper goodye, he leaned over and brought the party mare into a rather tight embrace. Spike quickly made his way towards Ponyville soon after, never once turning his head back. Applejack noticed Pinkie seemingly trembling in place, her hand shot forward to catch the drake as he was nearing the door. Years of working on her family’s farm gave her the strength she needed to keep the party pony restrained; by snaking an arm around her neck and keeping the pink mare locked in place.

She didn’t struggle much, which was unnerving in its own right, but her hand was still reaching outward, clenching only when she watched Spike stray further away from the house. At that point, Applejack let the earth pony go, feeling an eerie slithering cold snake its way up her spine.

Pinkie’s head turned slowly to her, her brows furrowed, and her fists still clenched.

“Ah know what yer gonna say.” Applejack started, releasing a sigh and walking over to the door, shutting it. “But we talked about this Pinkie; ya can’t force Spike to just give out the names of-“

“I don’t care about that.” She interrupted, her voice was low, and yet her tone demanded authority which is why Applejack was hesitant to continue her train of thought. “I just wanted to spend some time with him. He’s my baby.” Her voice grew soft, tenderly. It was amazing how easily Pinkie’s tone could shift so smoothly. But for her to sound so somber…it was damn near unnatural.

“A big baby, for sure.” Dash threw in, slumping back on the couch and placed a cushion over her eyes.

“Sweet as that is, Pinkie…” Applejack spared a small glare at the Pegasus. “…and as helpful as ya usually are, Dash.” Her sarcastic tone earned her a half-assed bird. “Spike ain’t a baby no more, he’s growin, and soon enough he’ll be bringing by a marefriend for us to meet, or maybe a coltfriend…hell, he might just sign up with the Crystal Military like he had planned.” Pinkie shot the farmer a mixed glare and fear induced expression. “Mah point is; ya gotta stop smothrin him, a colt needs his mama to get him on his hooves, but the mama can’t keep pickin him up when he falls down. The colts’ gotta learn how to stand on his own.” She placed a firm hand on Pinkie’s shoulder, fully expecting the mare to either tell her she was wrong, or mutter a sarcastic comment of sorts.

“He used to love baking with me.” She mumbled quietly, catching the farmer and raindbow mare off guard. “Whenever Twilight had to leave him for some errand for Celestia; I’d watch over Spikey…we’d bake, and sing, and read his little comic books…” She sniffed lightly. A small buildup of tears threatened to break out from her eyes. This sudden turn was not what the two mares were expecting, far from it. Without warning, Pinky sat on the long couch beside Rainbow Dash, startling the blue mare. “Ever since we finally had a chance to breathe, to not get caught up in some world-ending adventure, I wanted us to spend a lot more time together. But all of you just started drifting away, doing your own thing. Spike always came by to cheer me up, bake with me, and lose ourselves in silly pranks and party planning. At first I thought I…there was a time I wanted…from him…” Her hands clenched tightly against her chest, there was no need for speculation, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had an idea of where she was going with that little gesture. The words that followed would only cement their assumptions. “I mean, it made sense at the time; whenever he left home I felt as though a piece of me was being yanked away. And whenever I saw some floosy flirting with him…” Her brows furrowed, though there was little malice in her glare. “…then I realized, while Twilight and Princess Celestia were running the kingdom, he’d spend most of, if not all his time with me.” Pinkie’s voice threatened to break, she used her palm to hold back a sob as lips trembled. “When my dad passed away, he stayed with me in the rock farm for over a year.” Another buildup of tears threatened to break out. The reminder of the loss of her father was a heartache she rarely ever allowed herself to dwell upon. “Whenever I needed him, he was there. And I swore if he ever needed me I would always be there…but now…”

Applejack opened her mouth to refute her friend’s claim…that is, until she took a moment to think it through. The farmer could only count on with a single hand the few times Spike stayed with her during Twilight’s absence, with only Rarity being a close second, Spike spent a majority of his time around the party mare. All things considered, her attitude in regards to the drake was beginning to shape a bit of sense in, nothing to justify Pinkie’s little moments of silent fury, but enough to explain why she referred to Spike as her ‘baby’. Take away Celestia from the picture; Pinkie might as well be his mother.

The pink mare sniffled, her palms pressed against her mouth, attempting to hold back any sobs from escaping. Small droplets of tears ran down her cheeks, ushering forth a tinge of guilt from the two mares, as they were the ones who just helped the drake escape.

For Rainbow Dash, seeing her friends sad in any way weighed heavy in her heart, more so when she was a partial cause for their pain. Though, like Applejack, she felt that Pinkie’s persistence to spend time with the drake, often by force was what probably repelled the colt. Still, it wouldn’t kill the lizard to spend some time with the party mare, especially since, if memory played true; she did partly raise him.

“Pinkie…” Applejack started, though, Rainbow Dash threw in her two cents.

“It ain’t easy.” She mumbled from the couch, her arm strewn over her face. “When kids grow up and start doin things on their own; living their lives. It hurts when you realize they don’t need you as much as they did when they were small. But…” The mare sat up slowly, her head turned towards the window frame, eyeing the town from her spot on the couch. “That just means you did right by ‘em. The fact that Spike is going around looking to help others, taking odd jobs here and there, it should make you proud that he’s on his feet and not struggling for direction.” The mare added in, her eyes slowly drifted upwards towards the clouds, watching a blimp with the Manehatten crest embedded on its side beginning its descent into the town’s port.

“She’s right.” Applejack hesitated to admit but did so with a small ting of respect for the Thunderbolt’s choice of words. “And ya know just ‘cause Spike is off and running around doing his own things, it doesn’t mean he’s gonna forget about us.”

Pinkie allowed a somber sigh to escape her lips, albeit with mild hesitance as she allowed her shoulders to slump. The pink mare sat beside the rainbow themed mare, her head shifted towards the town wondering if she should’ve been less…direct about her sentiments. Her attention was soon drawn to her friends as Applejack placed a soft hand on her shoulder.

“Hey now, it ain’t like he’s going anywhere.”

Finally allowing himself to breathe an air of relief, the young drake wandered around the busy town, watching folks from near and far prepare for the approaching festival. The sights and sounds were just as intoxicating as the overabundance of food from the street vendors. Ponyville had indeed been growing far grander and faster than initially expected, but that was a boasted topic amongst many of the ponies who enjoyed seeing their home grow in such a way.

Seeing the many other races gave the young drake hope as well. There was a time, not so long ago actually, when Ponies were rather partial to the idea of non-pony species amongst there populace. But, Ponyville was slowly becoming a haven for objective views. Change was slow, Spike wouldn’t deny that, but it showed, with each passing year.

He couldn’t say the same for Canterlot, but, with all things, time would eventually mark the Equestrian capital for change as well. Or, one could only hope for it.

As Spike neared the corner to the town’s center, a particular pony caught the young drake’s eye. It took a while for him to realize it, if only for the platinum blond mane beneath a crimson helmet for the dragon to recognize the colt. That, and the mark on his skin, one of a lion’s paw, gave him away almost instantly. With a faint smile, Spike called out to the colt.

“General Dance.” The colt’s head shifted upwards, turning to the surrounding area before landing on the purple drake approaching him. When turning his body to face the lad, his armor revealed the insignia for which territory he held allegiance to; the Crystal Empire.

To many this colt was a relic of a bygone age, a pony out of time, or so they’d say. Though an acting General for the Crystal Empire, Dance’s particular division had little oversight.

With a blank expression, the old colt approached, albeit slowly. Once he was well within earshot, Dance gave the young drake a quick glance before commenting. “Why you dragons refuse to wear clothing, I will never understand. Your ancestors were quite adamant with layered garments.”

Spike rolled his eyes, catching the playful tone in the General’s slightly dry manner of speaking. He didn’t understand how tunic pants and a sleeveless vest could count as underdressed, of course, given the time period the old colt originated from; Spike could only imagine what the culture for dragons was way back then. “What can I tell ya, just not used to being all prim and proper like my ancestors.”

Dance huffed a sarcastic chuckled as his tail swatted the boy’s head. “Of course, who wouldn’t enjoy a frolic in none but their birth skin in a crowded venue?”

“…well, when you put it like that, it almost paints us as perverts.”

A single brow rose. “Is there another word for it?”

To which the young drake greeted the old colt’s vaguely amused stare with as close to a match as he could muster. “Yea, it’s called culture. It changes, sometimes vaguely, sometimes radically. ‘Sides, I do wear ‘proper’ clothes…once in a while.”

A faint tug at the General’s lips curved towards an amused grin. “Indeed.” The old General’s head glanced to the two crystal guards behind them, their bodies stood rigid and their heads raised high; a common occurrence for any crystal pony in the presence of their supposed hero. It was quite a thing for the colt, to see the soldiers and people of the northern empire venerate the drake, whereas in the lad’s home city, Canterlot, he’d be lucky not to earn hostile stares from a random passerby. “Are you busy, per chance?”

The question caught the drake off guard, his initial reaction being to dangle the folded parchment in his hands. “Well, actually I have to pick up a few-“

“Wonderful.” Dance dismissed any further details after catching eye of one of the items on the list. Having a vague idea where to go, the colt gestured the drake to follow. “Come, there are matters we must discuss.”

The colt began making tread towards where Spike assumed was the direction towards where he needed to go to for Aj’s seeds. How the old colt knew, Spike chose not to ponder on it too much, it wasn’t his place to assume what one does in their own time.

Along their walk, the old General’s eyes were constantly aimed forward, ignoring the small stares and hushed whispers aimed at the Crystal Empire Military accompanying the dragon friend of their resident viceroy. The presence of military of any kind that wasn’t the Canterlot or Local Guard made any pony uneasy, regardless if it was a fellow pony nation.

Of course, given Equestria’s history with foreign factions, it was no surprise to see the townsfolk a tad uneasy. Still, the General paid the people no mind, keeping his eyes trained forward while occasionally glancing towards the younglings running around in costumes and decorations in regard to the upcoming celebrations. It made sense to have these small festivities, keeping up the morale of the populace, even in peace time, was a good way to keep the minds of people off the smaller intricacies of keeping the peaceful state intact. That came with many covert operations, some that nearly blew into the eyes of the people had they not been quick to clean up the mess.

And that was partially why the old General was present in Ponyville; the drake next to him.

“Spike?” The young drake tensed, rather obviously as his head turned towards the call of his name, the mare waltzing up to him was an earth pony, perhaps best defined by her mane fashioned into dread locks. Adorned by a yellow bandana tied atop her hair, and sporting an attire that was rather generous to the eye. Jeans that tightly outlined her curvaceous figure, and a black tank top that was a little overly stretched thanks to her bountiful blessings.

The drake managed to recover from his stupor before flashing the mare a faint smile and approaching her. “Yo, Tree Hugger, it’s been a while.” His arms stretched out, ready to receive the mare, to which she smiled at him and nearly dove straight in. There was a moment of the two in their embrace that the General felt an uncomfortable set of eyes fixed on them. He spared a subtle glance to his surroundings and noticed a few eyes locked on to the display of affection. A few of the mares were attempting to be subtle, but their constant whispers and pointing left the topic of their gossip rather obvious.

Funny enough, it was a rather long embrace the two were locked in, a slight cough from the Crystal general was enough to remind of their current surroundings.

“So, how’ve you been?” The young drake asked, receiving a warm smile from the mare.

“Chillen, mostly. Haven’t been in Ponyville for a while, lots of new folks. Flutters said a lot changed, kinda hoped she was wrong, but…” Her eyes directed towards the drake, eyeing him in such a way that piqued curiosity amongst the guards enough that they steadied their hands just in the case something were to break out against their nation’s hero. “Change has been very good to you.”

Her comment was not missed, by neither the stallions, nor those who caught nearby who caught the little quip in her tone.

Spike laughed it off nervously, mostly due to the fact that he didn’t want a certain pink mare popping in out of nowhere should the current conversation rail into some discussions of previous escapades. “Yea, a lot can happen in three years. Flutters will be happy to see you.”

“Speaking of, I’m supposed to be meeting her and Discord in Sugarcube Corner, why don’t you come along?” She allowed her hand to dance along his right shoulder easing slowly down his bicep.

If only for that one moment, Dance felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine, and a feeling of dread emanating from behind them. Having no intent of seeing the extent of this mare’s flirtatious attitude’s effect on the common passersby.

“I’d love to, but I have a few errands to finish up first. If you want, we can hang out whenever you’re free. I’ll be in Ponyville for a little while longer this time around.”

“Alright, I’ll let you know.” The mare gave the dragon one last glomp before the drake waved goodbye and returned to the company of the armored stallions leading him away. The young mare spared a faint worried glance towards the drake before turning and leaving to meet with her friends.

As she strayed further from hearing distance, the old General had somehow appeared at his side, leaning slightly over to him with a stoic expression. “If you wish, we can discuss our business at a later time.”

Spike’s cheeks were adorned with a light blush as he jumped to the side. “No-no-no, it’s alright, I can meet up with her later.”

The General kept his eyes focused on the drake as he huffed and turned to continue walking towards the square. “Good, I had no intention of waiting, regardless.” The Guards and Spike allowed a faint smile to adorn their lips as they had become accustomed to their leader’s manner and have come to find it slightly endearing.

Without missing a beat, Spike jogged to the General’s side, unaware of the slightly unnerved expression strewn across the General’s face as they treaded forward.

Their walk had them go straight past the busier sections of Ponyville, and heading straight for the less known, more secluded sects. Those being the more rural, often shrub-filled parks where few folks ventured during the day, and even fewer at night.

The spot they stopped at was the center of this particular park, adorned with a small pond in the center, a few benches around them, and one particular bench placed just slightly under a tree. No surprise, Dance walked over and stood just beside the bench. He gestured to his guards to patrol the area, allowing him to have a moment alone with the drake and to limit any potential eavesdroppers.

The air was cleaner hear, and given its location, being within a bustling city and all Spike expected it to be crowded or with a few ponies here and there.

It wasn’t until the stallion cleared his throat that the drake noticed him patting the seat beside the bench. Spike hesitated, though he quickly took a seat whilst the general stood beside him. The two were facing opposite directions, Spike was towards the pond, while the General’s attention was focused on the near vacant park and its tamed shrubs.

“I see you’ve been well, gathering the attention of mares is a trait many soldiers tend to enjoy, often before being deployed. Of course, scarcely do I get to see a dragon being fawn over by mares.” Dance took a moment before correcting himself. “Equestrian ponies, I mean.”

“What can I say, sir? I’m a hero.” Spike spoke with a tint of pride, and a huff in his chest.

To which the General chuckled dryly before answering. “Yes. And yet, you revel in notoriety, choosing to continue the fight in the shadows while your friends are allowed the dwell in the illusion of peace. How many conflicts do you think we’ve managed to prevent this year alone?”

Spike felt the shift in tone, his head tilting forward slightly as he recalled the missions he volunteered for. “I don’t like to think about it.”

“Regardless, a prince must be aware of the threats his home faces. Those who prevent seek to prevent conflict are the ones who further the outcome along; that I true. However, another truth I want you to keep in mind is this; a kingdom that is prepared, lying in wait, will ensnare and break their enemy’s advance. Stopping a war may be futile, but one can never be unprepared for it.” The General commented, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he spared a glance toward’s the drake. “Whether or not you inherit the throne is irrelevant, the crown does not make the ruler; knowledge and experience will be your tools moving forward.”

The young drake’s expression turned somber, the idea of ever inheriting the throne never crossed his mind, seeing as the princesses were damn near immortal; seeing another monarch on the throne would be the day he’d eat his own tail. On that note, the drake was not blind to the sentiments of those in Canterlot over his heritage, true he was the adoptive son of the princess, and with it came benefits here and there, few he took full advantage of. But, to sit here and suggest a dragon would ever rule over a nation of Equines was…quite the progressive view…for a thousand-year-old stallion.

“I agree, but with all due respect, General, I don’t plan to inherit my mother’s throne regardless. Besides, I don’t think a dragon would be all-too welcomed in Canterlot, much less as a ruling monarch.”

The old colt huffed; the faint trace of a smirk tugged at his lips as he stared ever forward. “A proper ruler serves the best interest of his people and his nation, regardless of the populace feels.”

“Why are we talking about this? Is there something you know?” Spike asked, eyeing the with a mild sign of suspicion.

To which Dance chuckled, albeit curtly. “If I knew for certain, I wouldn’t prance around the issue. And if I had anything to hide, I wouldn’t bring suspicion towards myself by bringing it up.” He seemed to have caught the question the drake was about to ask right as it came up. Though, that did leave Spike with a plethora of questions for the old colt in regard to his presence in Ponyville, away from his home and base of operations.

Before he could ask, a book was placed on his lap, catching the immediate attention of the drake. The hard cover was a navy blue, the gold accented title was what caught his attention.

‘The Melancholy of a Crystal Hero’

Spike stared at the cover slightly confused and wondering if this was in any way another crystal pony’s recount of the defeat of Sombra. There were quite a few being written as of late, the subject being rather popular in Equestria as of late thanks to mass publishing.

“It’s an interesting read, although, there are a few moments you could easily chalk up to over exaggeration.”

Spike shared a mild chuckle as he opened the book to its first page. “Wouldn’t see the fun in a book if there wasn’t at least something over the top about it.”

A hand reached out and flipped the pages until it reached the sixth chapter, the title and description of which caught the drake’s eye almost immediately.

‘Confronting your demons’

In the closing act of the fight against Sombra, the great hero of the Crystal Empire’s reveals to only his enemy what is profoundly important to him, and what he is willing to put on the line to assure their safety.

“Perhaps…however, I have to wonder how much of this particular section strews truth.”

My heart was beating so hard against my chest as the explosions shook the castle further. I wondered if I would ever live to see my family again, the walls seemed to fragile it was a wonder nothing had collapsed yet. The rest of the staff had evacuated when the battle had begun, the guards were rushing towards the fighting, to fight with the Equestrians or defend the current monarch; I cannot say for certain. Fear and uncertainty had grappled my, chained my hooves and prevented my initial reaction to run at the start.

And so I ran throughout the halls, hoping to find somewhere to hide until this madness had subsided. Perhaps it would’ve been better if I had escaped earlier. But if I had, I wouldn’t have seen the birth of our greatest hero, to see him stand against one of the Crystal Empire’s greatest threats, and I would not have witnessed a side of Spike the great and glorious I am quite sure neither of us would ever see.

Even as I write this segment, I wonder to myself if I should voice my thoughts so openly. I wonder if this is a chapter of our heroes life that he has overcome or simply wishes to forget. But I cannot, in good faith, keep what I witnessed bottled any longer. Make no mistake, I bear no ill will, nor do I wish to slander the name of our Empire’s savior. However, I believe there is always more to a story than what we are told, and I hope those who read this will understand our hero and his plight.

I don’t recall how I eventually came to the throne room, but in my intent to seek shelter, I sought a place behind the throne itself. I shook in place for a great deal of time, wondering if I would ever be able to survive past all this madness. But then it happened, the fighting had spilled into the very room I was in.

The fighting had been between King Sombra and the princess of Ponyville, Spike the great and glorious arrived mere moments after, when the fighting had been shifting towards the mad king’s favor.

In their last ditched attempt to assure the mad king would not prevail, the princess was able to escape to drain the king’s source of power. However, the young dragon volunteered to stay behind and keep the tyrant distracted long enough for the princess to enact her plan.

What transpired during the revelation is what I remember from all those years prior.

The mad king looked to the young drake, beaten and bruised, bleeding from fresh yet minor cuts on his skin, struggling to stand and face the Equine.

“You’ve withstood a great deal more than I had anticipated; however, this farce ends here, scaley.” The made king placed a hoof on the young Drake’s head, pressing down tightly enough that you could hear his poor whimpers.

It was only after Sombra’s power began fading that I assume the princess’s plan was succeeding. I remember feeling the malicious aura, hearing a loud growl and hearing a loud thud as our hero’s body was slammed against a nearby wall.

“Figured it out didn’t ‘cha?” I could hear his voice, strained yet filled with purpose and hope.

“This will not stand.” The mad king growled in frustration, attempting to harness his magic, yet seemingly failing with each second that passed. “I am the king; I rule this empire. I will not allow myself to be beaten by mere southern ponies.”

I heard a faint yelp, peaking over the edge of the throne I saw the king’s hoof pressed once more atop our hero’s head.

“And I will most certainly not be played a fool by a hatchling.” He pressed down, the young one’s whimpers became more apparent as Sombra pressed further down. “Perhaps I could start with assuring a possible threat like a dragon does not become one should we cross paths again.” He pressed down harder, at this point I could only close my eyes in the hopes of not seeing the gruesome aftermath.

And then I heard it.

“Then do it.” Came the tired yet defiant voice of the young drake.

If only for a moment, the mad king appeared astonished at this willingness to face death, none more so than from a young dragon being held at the hoof of a pony. Spike’s eyes managed to open, his pupils narrowed at the mad king as he attempted to raise his head.

“My friends…will defeat you…Twilight will find a way…all of them are so important, not just to Equestria, but to me as well.” With what little strength he had, our hero shoved the king’s hoof away, glaring at him as he managed to sit up, supported by his one unbroken arm, the other dangling tightly against his chest. “So, go ahead; kill me. My death won’t make a difference. You will lose. And if I can buy them just enough time…I will gladly do so…because….in the end…”

They’re the only ones that matter

Spike had to stop reading, lest he damage the pages with the small droplet of tears running down his cheeks. He remembered this part of his life; feeling so small and insignificant that he truly believed dying at the moment, if it bought his friends enough time to defeat the mad king, would’ve given his life meaning. Looking back at that moment, he knew why he thought that way; living with famous and heroic ponies was one thing, but for them to be the closest thing to family you’ve ever known, seeing them go on countless adventures and always feeling powerless to do anything to help ease their burdens; eventually, that tends to weigh heavy on a person’s view of their place in the world. So much so, he valued his life so little he was willing to give it if it meant the others would survive. And in all honesty, he still felt that way; he’d gladly place his life on the line for any of the six mares.

However, to have that train of thought, as a hatchling no less…

“So…” His eyes darted upwards, seeing the eyes of the General now fixed on him. “Are these exaggerations?”

“…” Spike’s hesitance was enough of an answer, the old colt turned his head away, giving the drake the indication that he no longer needed to answer the question; Dance has his answer.

It was only after a few seconds that the drake realized the implications of the item in his hand; a book. An item his closest friend held dear to her, and one of which if she or any of their friends ever got their hands on, would end in another ‘meeting’ only this time; he wondered if they’d ever let him live it down.

But taking a moment to think on it; he wouldn’t. If any of them ever felt or uttered the very words he did, no doubt he’d always be at their side to assure they were fine. He love them, how could he not? It was that very love that made him realize exactly what the weight of his death could’ve done to his friends. He couldn’t do that to them.

A conversation was imminent, he knew for certain.

“When was this published?” He needed an estimate over how long he had before he was hunted down again.

“It hasn’t.” Wait, what? The Generald kept his eyes forward again, only this time he chose to lean against the nearby tree. “See, the author of that book was still a staff memeber in the castle, and she came to me and another for peer review. She noted that she’d seen you with me multiple times and asked me to gloss over her book to assure there were no segments regarding infringement of your privacy and/or defamation. What you have in your hands is one of only two copies.”

Spike had never felt such relief wash across him as he allowed his shoulders to slump. The book was only in the hands of two individuals, one was in his arms and, as far as he knew, the other was far up north.

“However, I was hoping you could assist me in a little search.” At this point, knowing the others wouldn’t have to know of this moment in his life, the drake was willing to help in anything the old colt needed. “See, the second book has gone missing.”

And just like that, Spike’s heart skipped a few beats once more.

“See, the peer who had the second copy had attempted to keep it hidden by using the cover of another book he had in his possession. A rather famous smut novel.” Hold on. “He mentioned it being a sort of favor to a mare.” Hold on. “But that isn’t the point.” I disagree. “The point is, the mare who has the book mentioned Ponyville as her current residence, and so as a favor to my colleague, I am here to retrieve and swap the books.” The General’s head turned towards the drake. “Also, she mentioned you a number of times, so I assumed you might know of whom I’m speaking of. Best description I can give you is that she’s an illusionist...or a traveling showmare, quite haughty….”

He could’ve gone on for much longer, but he didn’t need to, Spike knew exactly who he was talking about, and given what Starlight had been reading these last few days, it was only a matter of time before it all came to him.

“Spike.”

His heart skipped a other few beats as his head darted upwards. A single pony hovered over him, with a face so defeated and drenched in tears it threatened to shatter his heart. Though, there was one saving grace to this situation; Starlight was never one to just go around and spread gossip with just anyone. However, regarding this little revelation he had one of two options; tell her what she wanted to know, which was everything…or, she’d take this to Twilight.

Author's Note

Ok, so quick author's note; reason I've been gone a while is due to having little to no time to write since this whole outbreak started. According to my company, i'm an essential worker, and yet, my pay says otherwise. That and i just got a new computer after my old one died on me. So, while i finally have a new format to write on, I will try to keep up and write as much as i can.
That being said, i hope you all enjoyed this little installment. Stay tuned for the next.

A painful memory resurfaces

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