Author's Note

Sorry for the wait guys! Life was kicking my ass, and I hadn't been able to get around to writing recently. But! I moved closer to work, so the walk is nowhere NEAR as bad as it was, and David poked me shortly after the move! Again, sorry for the long fucking wait...

Chapter 7

Spine jogged over to the park nearby, a small smile on her face as she scanned it for potential cohorts of fun. It took her a few minutes to find somepony young enough to not question why she wanted to play with them, but they looked familiar for some reason… Spine simply shrugged it off and wandered on over, smiling a little as she approached the blonde maned colt.

"Hi!" She said, already starting to regret her decision as her nerves began to work on her mentality.

The colt eyed her warily at first before turning to her and saying, "Yes, peasant? What do you want?"

'Aaaahhh, fuck… That's why he looks familiar…' went through Spine's head as she mentally face palmed at not recognizing Prince Blue Blood.

"First off, I'm not a peasant. Second, I was wondering if you wanted to be friends, but seeing as how you're too much of a self entitled prick, I might be starting to reconsider that…" Was what came out of her mouth before she remembered that Princess Celestia hadn't officially adopted Spike and her yet, so her making claims to such would sound preposterous and impossible.

"And why should I believe you, drake, when you're no older than I am at best!" Blue countered, a small smile tugging at his lips as he faked outrage that she would be so bold as to assume he was just another noble.

"Well… You saw that giant purple light from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns a couple weeks ago…?" Spine asked, nervously rubbing the side of her neck.

"Mmm?" He inclined his head lightly. "Do you mean the colors in the sky? Quaint." His eyes widened faintly as he said the last word. "Auntie does love her demonstrations. Did it captivate you?"

"Heh… See, that light was actually what brought me here. Twilight Sparkle, I'm sure you've seen her or heard of her in the gossip mill from the maids? Yeah, she hatched mine and Spike's egg for her entrance exam… A-anyway, would you like to be friends…?" Spine mentally kicked herself as she fought to keep from panicking.

He stood up, sliding up to all four hooves as he looked her up and down before suddenly thumping her lightly on the shoulder with a thud of a hoof. "How droll! Such cheek." He smirked softly. "As if a little filly could hatch a dragon, it is to laugh." And that is what he did. "Still, you have amused me, very good, very good. For that, I will grant you the opportunity to have an audience with me, isn't that grand?" He leaned in a little. "Let's retire somewhere less drafty. I know just the place, this way."

She sighed before moving to follow the already retreating Prince, grumbling about how stupid Canterlot nobility was and how God awful this day was gonna be already. Though the place they wound up was not where she was expecting, that much can be said with confidence...

"Isn't it marvelous?" he gushed as he waved at what seemed to be, of all things, to be a comic book store. "You can get all manner of distraction here. Do you have a favorite?" He trotted right in past the shopkeep who just nodded with seeming recognition of the little noble. "If not, I've a few suggestions depending on your preference. Do you want to laugh, or gasp with alarm?"

She blinked in genuine surprise before smiling widely and said, "Let's hear you laugh then, Bluey."

"Bluey?" He quirked an ear back at her even as his little horn glowed, weakly snatching a book and lifting it up, bringing it towards his new companion. "What an odd title. Oh! Are we exchanging friend names? How lovely! Oh, dear, but I've none for you. What was your given name again?"

She winced, having forgotten that she hadn't told him her name yet. "My name is Spine and my… brother, I guess, is named Spike. Twilight Sparkle hatched me and Spike during a very large surge after that Sonic Rainboom, the 'lights in the sky'."

"Oh there you go with that again." He waved it away like it was a joke. "No wonder you asked for the comedic book." He pointed to the floating comic. "Now there's a yarn, Spinah." He looked perhaps unduly proud of his pet name. "It's about a diamond dog who doesn't actually know what a gem is. Poor blighter gets all sorts of shiny things, but never the one he's aiming for."

Spines lips curled faintly as she fought the urge to smile at the name. "Spinah…? A-anyway, next time you see Princess Celestia, there's a good chance there's going to be a purple unicorn fill with a starburst for a cutiemark with her…" Spine then opened the book and raised an eyebrow at some of the early jokes, not fully grasping the punchlines.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Blueblood was all too happy to explain the humor. "Oh, too right…" and he gladly went over the mistakes the poor diamond dog was making in simple pratfalls and what would be, to someone who knew the culture, easily avoidable mistakes. "Poor little fool. Oh! You simply must have it." His magic gently nudged the book towards her. "After you've read one, you'll be hooked. Why, I'd only read the first series. If you catch up, we can do the second together. Wouldn't that be a thing?"

She smiled widely, already eager to try and turn Blue Blood around from how he was in the show, and gave a single quick nod saying, "Oh, absolutely! I'll read them when I have time while training with Stone Wall!"

He raised a hoof high. "Put this book on my tab!" A distant noise of agreement came. Blueblood's pocketbook was a known factor. "Now what is this about training?"

"Oh, um… Stone Wall is a big minotaur, he trained Shining Armor and a few others. He runs the local boot camp I believe…" Spine said, trying her best to explain something she herself hadn't fully explored yet.

"A minotaur?" He arched a brow. "Great brutes, those. A camp?" He sat suddenly and brought his hooves together. "Mumsy refuses to let me go to a camp, says it's beneath me, really, as if I can't make up my own mind…" He glanced left and right, leaning in, voice dropping, "Give it to me straight, Spinah, I'd do famously, wouldn't I?"

Spine winced briefly, thinking back to Ace and how little Blueblood likely knew about fighting before responding with, "Umm… Maybe? I mean, he took me in only because he recognized my biggest secret with a single look. I'm not sure if you'd even survive a fight with Ace, a Griffon that seems to want me gone…"

"A fight?" Blueblood raised a brow high at that. "My poor dear, are they forcing you into barbaric tussles?" He bounced up to all fours. "I won't stand for a friend being treated with such disrespect!"

Spine snickered before laughing, a light tinkling sound similar to that of a singing crystal, before waving him back down. "Bluey, it's fine! I went to him to learn how I can protect those dear to me! I promise you, the only one 'forcing' me to do anything is Stone Wall!"

Blueblood's eyes widened. "Oh! Like a guard? You are training to be a guard?! How…" He curled an arm, hoof going to his chin in heavy consideration. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure how to think of that. Still, guards are an honorable position, so I will choose to praise you." He put the same hoof on each of her shoulders. "Go forth and be successful, dear friend."

She giggled and brought him into a hug, being careful not to mess up his suit while she did. "I will, Bluey. I plan to make it through this, no matter what. Now if only I knew how to summon my fire…"

"Fire? Oh, yes, dragon." His eyes darted up and down over his new friend. "That is hard to miss, isn't it? My magic is still shy to come to me, I imagine it's much the same. Keep practicing. I'll be casting grand spells, and you'll set fire to… whatever you plan to set fire to." He inclined his head with confusion. "What do dragons set fire to?"

Spine shrugged, pulling out of the hug as she did, and said, "Honestly? I have no idea. I was hatched just a week ago, so…"

"A week ago! Well, then I dare say you're already doing quite well for yourself, Spinah." He nodded with appreciation. "Now, the way I see it, once you know what it is you need to set on fire, it'll come to you." He reached for a book without touching it, his horn glowing as it floated the remaining distance. "That's how mine worked! I wanted something so very badly, and… it worked!"

Spine blinked in surprise briefly, then hummed as she thought about that, rubbing her chin in thought. "Maybe… Maybe I should dual Ace then…? He seems to enjoy trying to spear me with his ice…"

"Well, I claim no mastery with guarding duties." He inclined his head the other way. "But only one of you is an associate of mine, meaning you simply have to prove victorious. I look forward to hearing of the sound drumming you deliver."

"Don't worry, Bluey, I'll make sure to kick his flank!" She smiled widely once more as she said this, already enjoying herself before looking at the book he grabbed. "Say, what's that one about?"

"Oh!" He seemed surprised, as if he forgot he had picked it up to start. "This one's an adventure. One of my favorites, about a unicorn that has to fight all manner of beasts, alone, against the world. All very thrilling, not very humorous if that was the goal." He nodded at it appreciatively."

"Huh… not at all what I was expecting…"

"Oh, I know, one of my guilty pleasures." He nudged his shoulder against Spine's side. "But I do get a little thrill out of their antics, even if I have no particular desire to join them. Adventures of that sort are not for me. Now…" He put the book back. "I'll inform the shopkeep to let you have the next book after you finish that one."