The Dragon Princess

“Hi there! I’m Spike!”

The words echoed in Rainbow Dash’s mind for a moment, seeking proper context. She remembered seeing the little dragon scampering around at Queen Celestia’s school, delivering missives, fetching papers, and doing other little odd jobs around campus.

But there was something else she was trying to remember...

She looked to Twilight and was taken aback by the stunned look on her face before it clicked. Oh, there it is.

When she did her first sonic rainboom, the aftereffect had triggered Twilight’s magic right as she was in the middle of her entrance exam to get into Celestia’s school. Her test had been to hatch a dragon egg.

This dragon’s egg.

No wonder she looked like a thunderhead had just rolled in. For a long time, Twilight had seen her entrance test as a shameful moment where she lost control, something she never wanted to do again. She’d been trying to reevaluate how she looked at it, but coming face to face with the dragon she hatched, without warning?

Yeah, this wasn’t awkward at all.

Rainbow coughed. “So, ah, welcome to Ponyville! I’m Rainbow Dash—Celestia must’ve told you all about me, am I right?”

“Sure did!” Spike beamed. “Not that she needed to, I remember you from Canterlot! I loved watching you fly around, doing all those cool tricks.” He held his claws up, making vroom and zoom noises as he moved them around in the air. “I can’t wait for my own wings to come in!”

“Heh, always great to meet a fan.” Rainbow drew herself up and smirked, tossing her hair back. She knew it was a fan-pleaser–and gave her a way to check up on Twilight, who still looked poleaxed. She nudged her with a wing, murmuring. “Twi, you okay?”

Twilight jolted straight up, her legs flailing before she landed back down on the station platform. “I’m FINE!” Her volume shifted mid-sentence, one eye noticeable twitching and her smile a terrifying rictus approximation of an actual one.

Rainbow rated this about a 8.5 on the Awkwardometer.

Spike looked over at Twilight as if noticing her for the first time. “Oh. Hi Twilight!” He waved. “Funny running into you here, right? All the way out here in Ponyville.”

“Yep! All the way out here! Hahahaha!” Twilight’s staccato laughter sounded so unnatural Pinkie Pie would’ve keeled over had she been present. “It’s not like I was trying to get away from Canterlot or anything! Certainly wasn’t that!”

“Oh … good?” Spike tilted his head. “It’s great to see you, maybe we can catch up while we’re working together on this Dragon Lord stuff?”

Rainbow looked down at Spike. “Uh, I have to ask. Have you been to the Dragon Lands since–” her eyes flickered, spotting Twilight suddenly tensing “–you were hatched?”

“Well, no, there aren’t a lot of trains between Equestria and the Dragon Lands, you know? And I can’t exactly fly out there since…” He rolled his shoulders, emphasizing his lack of wings. “But I read everything ponies have ever written about dragons and Queen Celestia told me everything she knew about Dragon Lord Torch!”

“But he’s not in charge anymore,” Rainbow pointed out. “Ember is.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure I can play catch-up fast enough.”

She didn’t have any better ideas so she settled for shrugging and letting it go. He was the expert here and she had other things to worry about.

And on both those notes, she looked over at Twilight, her face seemingly paralyzed in her nightmare smile. “Uh, you mind giving us a minute, Spike?” Rainbow barely waited for his answer before grabbing Twilight by the tail and pulling her off the platform.

Once she judged they were a far enough distance, she let go and looked Twilight in the face. “You okay?” She held up a hoof, answering her own question before Twilight could. “Scratch that, let me rephrase: you’re not okay.”

“You think?” Twilight demanded with a searing sarcasm that could’ve scraped paint off walls. “Of course I’m not!” She started pacing in place, her tail flicking anxiously. “I mean, it’s not that I was trying to avoid Spike, it’s more that I was trying to … do things that would cause me to not have to see him.” She stopped, covering her face with a hoof. “Yes, you don’t need to say anything, I heard it.”

Rainbow wasn’t sure if she’d be even capable of getting a word in edgewise. When Twilight got frantic it was hard to cut through. “So, uh, wanna talk about it? I mean, I know you hatched his egg for your entrance test and all, but that’s about it.”

Twilight sighed, planting her haunches on the ground. “Okay.” She waited for Rainbow to join her before going on, or perhaps just marshaling her resolve. “I guess I should start at the beginning.”

“Makes sense, but try not to go so far back that we’re in the pre-Celestia era.” Rainbow was joking but Twilight shuffled about.

“Not that far, but pretty far,” Twilight admitted as Rainbow’s face fell. “A long time ago, we’re talking centuries here, ponies knew very little about dragons and the only interactions with them tended to be … violent.”

“The more things change,” Rainbow rued as she rubbed a hoof over her eye where Ember had cut her.

“Well, anyway, back then ponies thought dragons were basically animals, little different than the kind Fluttershy would look after. So it wasn’t–” Twilight shifted, looking very uncomfortable. “It wasn’t seen as wrong when pony explorers and scientists would sneak into the Dragon Lands to try to learn more about them. Watch them, record their habits, take samples of dragon scales, claws, teeth, and…”

“Eggs.” Rainbow felt numb as the realization sank in. “They took dragon eggs, didn’t they?”

Twilight nodded but felt obliged to remind her, “This was centuries ago. As soon as ponies realized dragons were intelligent, sapient creatures, that sort of thing was banned immediately.”

“So what about Spike’s egg?”

From the look on Twilight’s face, Rainbow could tell this wasn’t going to be fun. “Queen Celestia ordered all the eggs be returned to the Dragon Lands and it appears that they were … for the most part. From what we could piece together later, the pony who took Spike’s passed away before he could. All his possessions had been locked away in a chest and none of his descendants took the time to go through it. It got shoved into an attic and … left there.”

Rainbow rubbed her face. “So his egg was just stuck in somepony’s attic for, what, years? Decades?” At Twilight’s reluctant nod, she buried her face in her hooves. “I can’t even … gah that really stinks, Twi.”

“I know,” Twilight huffed. “At some point the family finally decided to clean out their attic and had an appraiser come by to see if any of the old trinkets or artifacts there were worth anything. They found the egg and contacted Queen Celestia’s School, which took possession of it.”

“But, why not give it back?”

Here Twilight hunched her shoulders, looking even more upset. “Because from what we know about dragon eggs–they have to be hatched in a warm nesting area within a certain amount of time of being laid. Otherwise they won’t ever hatch. And Spike’s egg had been taken so long ago…”

She trailed off, but Rainbow had gotten the picture. She grimaced.

Reluctantly, Twilight went on. “After that, the School held onto it. I guess they thought it’d be easier than explaining to the dragons that not all the eggs had been returned; no sense reopening old wounds and all. It’s not like even if they gave it back that the egg could be hatched anyway.” She sighed. “Since dragons are naturally magic-resistant, even their eggs, the School decided to make it part of the entrance exam. Magic has so little lasting effect on dragons so the test was to see what the students would think of trying, or how long whatever impact their magic did have would last.”

In spite of everything, Rainbow felt the corner of her mouth twitch upwards. “Then you came along and did the impossible by actually hatching Spike’s egg. Heh, you went and beat what was supposed to be a no-win scenario.”

Twilight blushed. “Well, technically yes. But the School didn’t know what to do with him after he hatched. They went to Queen Celestia and she asked the Dragon Lord–er, the last one they had, not Ember.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Rainbow shook out her wings in recollection. “I saw him once when Celestia had to meet with him about something. The guy was bigger than a feathering house! I still can’t see how Ember could overthrow him–or why any dragon would want to try her luck with her if she could do that.”

Twilight merely shrugged and returned to her point. “I don’t know what happened exactly, but I take it the dragons didn’t exactly demand Spike’s return. I guess since he was hatched such a long time ago that no one knew who his parents were or if they even—you know,” she coughed. “I heard later that they tried to get my parents to take him in, called it my responsibility since I hatched him, but–”

“Okay, seriously?” Rainbow cut in, her feathers ruffling. “What is wrong with the EEA?”

“Do you want the short list or the long?” Twilight snorted. Apparently the topic was one that could bring Twilight Snarkle to the fore. “You don’t have to tell me that the Equestrian Education Association has made some pretty poor decisions.”

Rainbow dug in her hooves. “Yeah, I know but–still, come on! First they use the egg of an intelligent creature as a high-pressure, impossible test for foals, then when one actually hatches it, they try dumping the responsibility of raising him on you and your family? What the hay, I mean, what the actual hay?!”

“Calm down, Rainbow.” Twilight nudged her. “I appreciate the defense, but in this case it isn’t really needed. Yes, some ponies in the EEA and the School wanted to wash their hooves of the matter by giving Spike to my family–but most seemed to think that if they thought my magic was too dangerous for me to attend school in-pony, then they couldn’t very well sign off on putting a baby in my house.”

“Great,” Rainbow snorted derisively. “They didn’t double down on dumb decisions because the second dumb decision would’ve interfered with the first dumb decision they had already made about you. Woohoo. My heroes.”

Twilight patted her withers. “If Applejack were here she’d tell you to ‘simmer-down sally’–whatever a sally is,” she mused as an aside. “At that point the school didn’t really know what to do, so the Queen stepped in. She made Spike a ward of the crown, having him be raised by servants and staff at the castle and school.” She withdrew her hoof and looked away briefly. “I–they organized a few times for the two of us to interact but I could never … I mean, it was just too–” she looked up, practically begging for Rainbow to understand.

“It’s okay.” Rainbow draped her wing across Twilight’s back. “I get it.”

She felt as much as she saw Twilight’s hindlegs practically give out on her, sitting down heavily on the ground. “He probably hates me. Or–or thinks I hate him.”

Rainbow’s eyebrow went half way up her head at that remark. “Um, we were talking to the same dragon back there? Because I got none of that from him.”

“Maybe.” Twilight sighed heavily.

“Look, if this is too weird for you, I get it. You don’t have to–”

Twilight pursed her lips and gave her a skeptical nicker. “Really? I’m the only pony here who knows Spike–and I’m the only one who’s done any real research into dragons, unless you’ve finally started taking my advice and checked out every book on dragons from the library last night without telling me–”

“Yeah, sorry, I already hit my weekly limit of confronting a dangerous beast in its lair and disturbing its hoard, thanks,” Rainbow snorted. “Okay, point made. But if it ever gets to be too much, let me know, alright?”

“Thank you.” Twilight put on a brave face. “But I can manage it. Um, maybe you and Spike should try visiting Ember first, try to gather anything you can about why she’s here?”

Rainbow nodded. “Sounds good to me, we can meet back up for lunch. I’ll go heading back up a mountain to confront a cranky dragon in her lair while you … go back to your home in the library.” She paused. “You know, nopony ever told stories about the adventure of researching. Hi ho, Twilight! Read, read like the wind!”

“I’ll somehow have to live without featuring in any epic tales,” Twilight demurred. “I’d tell you to have fun, but you probably would.”

“Heh, I appreciate the vote of confidence, Twi, but even a pony as awesome as I am can’t make diplomacy interesting.” She stuck out her tongue.

After Twilight left to continue her studies, Rainbow Dash flew back to collect Spike from the train station. As she flew him up to the mountain, she recounted her previous meeting with Ember, and Spike had been already briefed by Celestia before arriving. Then she casually worked into the conversation, “So, how do you feel about taking point on this?”

“Me?” Spike sounded surprised, nervous, and excited all at once. “I thought I was going to just be there to help you out. I mean, you’re Rainbow Dash! And I’m—well, they always have me helping ponies out in Canterlot. I don’t really do all that much on my own.”

That didn’t sound great to her. “Come on, who here knows dragons better than you?” Rainbow replied. “Yeah, I’m me and all—but you’re you! You’ve been around Celestia’s castle and school all the time, right? You’ve seen how ponies react when they get fancy visitors or whatever. Don’t you think you’re ready to strike out and be the one to do things? Nopony would think of you as just a helper if you pulled this off!”

She could practically hear him grinning. “Yeah, you’re right! Leave it to me, I’ll handle everything!”

“Awesome! Anything else you want to know?” She called over the sound of the racing wind as they approached.

“I think I should be good!” Spike shouted back. “I consulted all the Canterlot archives and spoke with Celestia herself about all her previous meetings with Dragon Lords. I know exactly what to do!”

That sounded good to Rainbow. Let the professional handle this–and she was willing to designate anypony–or dragon–besides her as a professional if it meant she didn’t have to play diplomat. It reminded her too much of her attempts to act nice to the stuck-up brats of Canterlot and never react to them being utter plots. No thanks.

“Dragon Lord Ember?” Rainbow shouted into the cave when they arrived. “I’ve got somepo–someone to meet with you! It’s important!”

Rainbow had never heard a sigh and growl combined until just then. “Fine,” came the sound of a very sulky Dragon Lord. “But this better be important or else there’s going to be a contagious case of catching fire in the near future!”

Spike and Rainbow traded looks. “You first?” he asked hopefully, shooting her a too-wide smile to be authentic. “She already knows you!”

“Lucky me.” Rainbow straightened her shoulders. “Just wait until I call you, then you can do your …ambassadoring, or whatever.”

He nodded. “Right, got it.” He briefly hesitated then tentatively asked, “Any advice?”

“Yeah, try not to give away Canterlot.” With that, Rainbow trotted in. The cave was a little different from her last visit. There were some fallen stalactites littering the ground in pieces and there were burn marks on the wall. Either Ember had fended off some more challengers or she was the worst redecorator ever. “Hey Ember? So, I brought someone for you to meet.”

From underneath her treasure pile, Rainbow heard, “You said that already. If it’s some super-friendly pony friend of yours, that’s going to turn into ‘someone for you to eat.’”

Charming. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Actually, he’s a dragon.”

“Oh good, ‘someone for you to beat,’ then. Eh, might as well get started.” Ember’s wings emerged from the pile first, the rest of her soon following suit. “I could use the extra exercise.”

“No no!” Rainbow held up her hooves and waved them about. “He is definitely, absolutely, 100% not here to challenge you! His name is Spike and he’s not from the Dragon Lands!”

Ember looked at her as if she’d announced that her muzzle was made of fish and her mane smelled of music. “...What?”

Rainbow half-turned and waved Spike in. “Dragon Lord Ember, meet Spike. Queen Celestia sent him as her envoy.” Not technically true, but details.

“What does that mean?” Ember demanded.

Good question, Rainbow wasn’t totally sure of that herself.

Luckily, Spike chose to step in. Unluckily, his first actions were … not encouraging. “Hel-LO!” His voice audibly cracked mid-word. He cleared his throat. “I mean, I bring you greetings from the Sun-mover, Queen of all Fire!” He then made a big show of sniffing the cave. “Your scent is strong and your fire is clean. May your egg-clutch be large!”

Ember blinked owlishly at him. One eye began twitching and her face started turning red.

Rainbow Dash wanted to sit down so she could facehoof. With all four of her hooves.

Spike seemed to realize his practiced bit wasn’t going over as well as he’d hoped. “Um, what I mean is–” he coughed, rubbing his neck. “Queen Celestia hopes for as close and fruitful a relationship as she enjoyed with your vanquished predecessor, Dragon Lord Torch, may his bones adorn your throne–”

“Torch isn’t dead.” Ember cut in curtly.

That brought both Rainbow and Spike up short. It was Spike who asked the million bit question first. “Uh, he’s not?” He made a face Rainbow recognized enough times from Twilight to put a name to: critical research failure. “Sorry, aheh, I guess when you saw how easily you beat him you thought it wasn’t worth the trouble, good for you! I bet the old lizard just slunk away like–”

“He’s also my dad.” Ember folded her arms over her chest.

“--the proudest father any dragon ever had!” Spike finished with barely a hitch.

Ember snorted. “Enough tail-kissing, why are you here?”

Spike coughed, shooting a pleading look towards Rainbow Dash. All she could do was shrug, she wasn’t the diplomat here. With a barely suppressed sigh, Spike looked back to Ember. “Queen Celestia wanted to give you her greetings and–and hopes for a close, fruitful–”

“You said that already. Get to the point!” Ember bared her teeth.

“W-well,” Spike swallowed. “It’s just that you’re the Dragon Lord a-and you’re here. In Equestria. Ah heh, I mean, you know this is Equestria, obviously but when the new Dragon Lord stops by unannounced it kinda sends some, y’know, signals.”

Looking over, Rainbow saw Ember put her balled hands on her hips, an indignant look on her face. “Are you accusing me of sneaking around, trying to send some sort of underhanded message instead of coming right out and saying what I want?”

“N-no no, not at all!” Spike waved his claws frantically. “We totally know that dragons are as blunt and unsubtle as you can get!”

“So now I’m not subtle?!”

Reacting instinctively to seeing a wingmate crashing and burning, Rainbow leapt in. “Look, you’re hanging out in our place and bringing your challenges here with you. We aren’t looking to get involved in your business, but right now your business is all over the place like a fast food chain nopony asked for.”

Now Ember was scowling at her. “Whatever. I’ll be staying here until I’m good and ready to leave. The only challengers slinking my way are small fries too dumb or too weak to be worth getting upset about. You don’t have to worry about any full-sized dragons swooping down on your weak little pony towns, so you can officially take a hike.”

“Hey, you can’t just–” Rainbow stepped back only to feel Spike tugging on her tail. He was frantically shaking his head and gesturing to his throat with one claw. She was starting to get the hint. “Fine. But don’t get comfy. We’ll be back.”

“Joy.” Ember deadpanned as she crawled back into her treasure pile. “Don’t let the stalactites fall and impale you on the way out.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and turned, barely noticing the dejected look on Spike’s face. Apparently no one was thrilled with how that meeting went. She hated feeling like a loser.

This is why Celestia really should’ve gotten off her plot and come down here herself, she thought in an uncharitable moment of frustration. Instead she dumped this on me and a baby dragon? What was she thinking? She could well imagine what, actually. ‘But Rainbow Dash, this is an opportunity for your personal growth!’ Yeah, I’m sure when half of Equestria is on fire thanks to dragons looking to challenge Ember they’ll be glad to know I got to flex my little-used diplomatic muscle. I’m sure THAT will make it all worthwhile for them.

Shaking her head, she started down the mountain. Time for challenge number two: getting Twilight comfortable around Spike. That’s gotta be easier, right?