Draconian Prince

“… And that’s the story of my life,” Spike concluded.

Swift Wing and Blue Angel had been pulling the chariot for the past ten hours. If they were tired, then they were very good at hiding it. Spike hadn't even seen them break a sweat. And the ride was especially bearable since Spike had someone to talk to. Blue Angel had listened to all of his stories about Twilight and her friends with unbelievable amounts patience and attention.

“You have some very interesting friends, Spike,” Blue Angel said with a smile. “What made you leave them behind to go on this little  adventure of yours?”

“Well that’s a long story. But I can tell it to you if you want.”

“I’d love to hear ALL about it,” Blue Angel said.

Swift Wing was losing it. He could handle the royal guard academy. He could handle walking around the streets of Canterlot for weeks on end with nothing to do. Heck, he could even handle fighting Timberwolves, Manticores, and Hydras if he was called to do so. But pulling a royal chariot alongside a guard that drives him crazy (in both terms) to take a dragon to the border of the most dangerous continent on the planet, while listening to his life story for TEN HOURS STRAIGHT was too much.

“Ok, THAT’S IT!” Swift Wing yelled before he dive-bombed towards a clearing in the forest below.

“WHOOOOAAAA!” Spike and Blue Angel screamed as they headed straight for the ground. At the last minute, Swift Wing pulled up hard and landed the chariot with a big *thump*. Spike flew up from the impact, and landed face-first onto the chariot’s cold steel floor. Blue Angel slowly stood up from the ground and shook her head to clear the dizziness.

“What was THAT for!?” Blue Angel demanded. “You could’ve gotten us killed!”

“I just flew thousands of miles from Canterlot with a Mare guard that doesn’t take her job seriously and a dragon that spent the last TEN HOURS describing his life from BIRTH! I think I’m entitled to take a short break.” Swift Wing said.

“Yeah, not if your breaks get us KILLED first! We were just enjoying a little conversation. You could have joined in too if you weren’t such a stick in the mud. I mean he is a DRAGON! And not just any dragon, but a dragon that lived with Princess Celestia’s personal protégé for the past 20 years. Show a little respect.” Blue Angel retorted.

“Why don’t YOU show some respect to our duties? We’re here to escort Spike to the border, not to talk incessantly. Grow up a little and take things seriously for a change.”

“First of all, I’m a year older than you. Second, there is nothing wrong with talking to someone during a 12 hour trip! I mean, you obviously didn’t want to talk, so you shouldn’t be complaining.” Blue Angel said with her face turned and her nose up in the air.

“I wasn't complaining, I WAS DOING MY JOB!”

Blue Angel and Swift Wing continued to argue as Spike was waking up from his semi-unconscious state. He stood up with one arm on the side of the chariot for support and stared for a moment until he realized that they were arguing. And it was starting to get out of hand.

“STOP ARGUING RIGHT NOW!” Spike’s roar was loud enough to rival the Royal Canterlot voice but had a slightly more menacing tone to it. Needless to say, Blue Angel and Swift Wing shut their mouths. “Yelling at each other is not going to solve anything! Let’s all just take a deep breath, and talk like civilized ponies.” Spike waited until he saw the two of them nodding their heads and continued. “Now, start apologizing.”

Swift Wing had his head down but kept his eyes on Blue Angel as he kicked the ground. “… I’m sorry for losing it just now. I wasn’t really mad at you two or anything. It’s just that I’m having some problems at home and I lashed out at you to vent it out. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Blue Angel gave a smile. “It’s cool. It was partly my fault for not paying attention to how you were feeling during the trip. And I said some things that I'm not proud of either.” A small grin appeared on her face. “Besides, it was worth it to see you break your bearings. I heard that you were the biggest stickler for the rules since Commander Hurricane. And I never say no to a challenge.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Swift Wing chuckled. “By the way, that was an impressive roar, Spike. It had me frozen solid.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I couldn’t stop shaking in my armor!” Blue Angel laughed. “And while that was an impressive roar, there are probably a lot of dangerous creatures that know we’re here thanks to you. So let’s get moving before we become Timberwolf chow.

“Sounds good to me,” Spike said. Swift Wing and Blue Angel re-attached their straps, and flew out of the forest. Little did they know, they were already spotted and were being hunted down as they spoke.

“So… about those problems at home you were talking about. I know it’s none of my business, but is it ok if you tell me about it?” Blue Angel asked.

“Me too,” Spike said. “I know it’s kinda personal stuff, but having a friend to talk to is always better than keeping things to yourself. At least that’s what Twilight taught me.”

Swift Wing thought for a moment. “You know what? If it’s you guys, I wouldn’t mind sharing a bit. But it’s not a very fun story to listen to.” Swift Wing took a deep breath before continuing. “My dad was a royal guard just like I am and my mom took care of me while he was on duty. My father was kind father and a great stallion and I looked up to him. Problem was, he had trouble following orders. He was laid back, loose, and didn’t give his full effort when he did his guard duties. On the day of the wedding between Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, he was ordered to lead the patrol at the borders of Canterlot. Like I mentioned before, he had a problem with following orders. He thought that nothing would happen with the Prince’s shield in place so he took his unit out to go drinking instead. And you know what happens in rest of the story.”

Spike and Blue Angel nodded slowly. No one could forget that fateful day ten years ago.

Swift Wing’s tone became a little darker. “The changelings broke through the shield and wreaked havoc without any guards to protect Canterlot. Many ponies died and they took over Canterlot so easily. My father realized his mistake and ran out to fix everything by himself. The story ends with him being ambushed and killed. When my mom heard the news, she was absolutely crushed and didn't come out of the house anymore. Since then, I vowed to make amends for my father's mistake by being the best royal guard I can be. That meant I had to do things by the book, and without making any mistakes.

Spike and Blue Angel remained silent for a bit before Blue Angel spoke up. “So is that why you blew up at me when I was talking to Spike? Because I was goofing off and my actions reminded you of your father?”

“No matter what the reason, it still doesn’t make my actions acceptable,” Swift Wing said. “No matter how much you annoy me or remind me of him, it doesn’t give me the right to yell at you.”

“Well, I already forgave you so don’t worry about it.”

“No. I have to make it up to you somehow. I’ll take your chore duties for a year, publicly humiliate myself, or do whatever you want. Whatever sick, twisted, or sadistic plans you have for me, I’ll accept them willingly.”

Blue Angel blinked. “Just what do you think I was planning on asking?”

Swift Wing shook his head. “No matter what kind of painful activity I could think of, it would be nothing compared to the insane, Faust-forsaken, torture that you could-“

“TAKE ME OUT TO DINNER!” Blue Angel shouted. As soon as she realized what she had said, she began blushing profusely. “I mean, a dinner would be fine,” Blue Angel said, barely above a whisper.

Swift Wing whipped his face around to stare at her. “A-are you serious? You’re not going to make me write my name in Celestia’s cake frosting or make me go streaking in public?”

“Ponies walk around naked all the time!”

“So that IS what you wanted!”

Blue Angel face-hoofed. “Just what kind of rumors about me are floating around anyways? What could I have possibly done to have gossip like that spread? I don’t want you to do my chores, I don’t want you to go streaking in public, I just want you to take me out to a nice place for dinner when we get back.”

Swift Wing eyed her cautiously. “So… no evil ulterior motives that end with me begging for mercy before I go missing for weeks on end, only for somepony to find me working nonstop in your secret crystal mines to pay for your taxes?"

"... Are you serious?"

"..."

"No."

"Then it's a date!" Swift Wing said cheerfully.

Spike listened to the whole conversation and was confused as hell. "What just... I don't even..."

Swift Wing winked at Spike. "And that's how it's done."

Blue Angel was just about to mention that it wasn't a date until Spike started shouting. "Guys, something's following us, and it doesn't look friendly!" Spike's suspicions were confirmed when a giant fireball hit the side of the chariot.

"AAAHHHH!" Swift Wing's left wing had caught on fire. With Swift Wing moving around frantically, the chariot violently span out of control and lost altitude until it hit the ground and crash landed into the dirt.

"Whoa!" Spike yelled as he flew out of the chariot and tumbled on the ground. He landed on his left arm and cried out in pain. His left arm stung and suspected that it had been dislocated. He would have liked to lay on the ground a little longer to wallow in his pain, but stood up and ran over to Swift Wing and Blue Angel to help them out of their straps. The fire on Swift Wing's left wing had been put out during the landing, but much of the coat and muscle had been burned off. Spike could even see some of his wing's bone. Blue Angel, however looked only mildly injured.

"Oooh. What just happened?" Blue Angel asked as she stood up groggily.

"Angel, quick! Help me out with Swift Wing!" Spike ordered. Blue Angel snapped out of her daze and helped Spike pull Swift Wing away from the chariot. She gasped when she saw the burns on his wing.

"Swift Wing! Are you ok?!" Blue Angel shouted as she bent down and shook his body. "Please, say something!"

Swift Wing opened his eyes and gave a weak cough. "Am I... still sexy?"

"Swift Wing, you're alive!" Blue Angel hugged him tightly as she cried. "I thought you were dead!"

"Ow, ow, ow! Easy on the wings!" Swift Wing yelped. Blue Angel let him go so that she could look over his injuries. Beside his burnt wing, he only had some minor cuts and bruises. "What happened just now?" asked Swift Wing.

"That thing behind us shot a big ball of fire and hit the chariot," Spike said. Whatever it is, it isn't far. We need to get going right away."

Blue Angel lifted Swift Wing onto his hooves and supported him with her shoulder. "I'll help Swift Wing keep up with us. We'll need you to lead the way, Spike."

Spike nodded. "All right, just let me get my bag from the chariot and we can get going." Spike ran towards the chariot until another giant ball of flame obliterated it and the bag. Spike was completely blown back by the sheer force of the explosion.

"Spike! Run away NOW!" Swift Wing yelled.

Spike shook his head, and looked up. Big mistake. Spike was staring into the eyes of a terrifying, fire breathing, 100 times his size... Dragon.