1980 Anno Harmony
(days before Princess Twilight Sparkle’s coronation)
Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow stared in horror as Twilight Sparkle and all her friends glowed with light. Twilight continued to deliver her passionate speech about friendship before they met their defeat.
“Now I truly understand! The Elements were just symbols! The real magic has always been right here! And the more who understand how powerful friendship is, the stronger we will all be! Together!”
Three separate rainbow beams emitted from the Pillars of Equestria, the students, and Twilight’s friends. They met Twilight in the center and filled her with power. She shot a beam in the sky that disintegrated the windigoes and cleared the dark clouds.
“This is bad. Isn’t it?” Cozy Glow said.
The beam arced downward and hit the trio of villains, absorbing all the magic they had taken from Grogar’s bell. It would have normally been returned back to those it was taken from, but this magic was different. It belonged to someone else. The only other magic left inside the bell was that of Discord, Celestia, and Luna’s, which was not being used at the moment. The bell appeared to turn off and fall to the ground. Unbeknownst to anyone, something terrible had just happened: something with the potential to doom Equestria.
The magic was returned to the bell and completed an enchantment that had been cast on it over a thousand years ago. There was something inside waiting to be freed, and now it could finally leave its prison. The bell landed on the ground. It bounced and rolled over, while making one last deafening ring. After it settled on the grass, black sludge slowly leaked out like blood. The sludge sat on the dirt for a moment and then began to move in a lifelike manner, creeping through the grass. A head formed at the end farthest from the bell and opened to reveal a mouth and two glowing yellow eyes. It looked back to see one of the ponies grab the bell while no one else was watching. Pinkie Pie did not see what had come out of it. No one could.
The sludge continued creeping through the grass and hid behind a small branch on the ground. It listened as Queen Chrysalis cursed the ponies that had just defeated them. It sat still for a moment and felt energy flowing through the air. Someone had just cast a powerful chaos magic spell. The apparition looked up to see tiny orbs of light floating around. It smiled and began to chomp away at the particles. It grew bigger and took on a more smoke-like form. On the other side of the branch, a huge cupcake fell down on top of the trio. Discord’s chaos magic from the bell was at work. That spell produced more magic leftovers. The particles descended once again and the apparition consumed them. It slithered away and began to laugh quietly in a deep, demonic voice.
It continued until it reached the forest nearby and rested next to a tree. It watched as the princesses used their magic to get rid of the cupcake, while Discord turned the trio into stone. Little did all of these beings know: they were feeding this demonic entity with each spell they cast. The apparition laughed again and ate more particles. It was slightly bigger and had now grown two curly horns out of its head. Its face was more defined and resembled a sheep with sharp fangs and sideways slit pupils. The rest of its body was still a cloud of smoke waving around as it moved through the air. It crept through the forest before it and became one with the darkness. It spread outward like smoke filling a room, still laughing and slithering like an eel through water.
The apparition continued through the forest and all around Canterlot Mountain. It encountered more particles to feed on and grew bigger and more powerful, though it chose to keep its size at a minimum and not attract any attention.
Finally came the night. The apparition climbed to the top of the mountain and settled down. He looked out at the horizon, taking in his surroundings and observing the land he once ruled.
“So this is modern Equestria. How lovely. Much has changed I see…but then again, not so much. Heheheh. Silly little ponies; they really thought they could keep me away all this time.”
The apparition then transported itself inside the Canterlot throne room, invisible and undetected by any other creature. It observed the stained glass windows depicting all the villains that had risen against Equestria and were defeated.
“I see Nightmare Moon has already been dealt with. And my old friend Accord…such a pity what has become of you, though I did not anticipate how useful you could actually be in this new form of yours. Of course I cannot face you like this. I must acquire more magic. It will take years. That is all right. I’ve waited over a millennium for my freedom.”
Finally it appeared in the Canterlot garden and stopped in front of the statue of the villainous trio that had just been imprisoned.
“Who knew these three fools would be the ones to find the bell. Even Gusty’s spell was not enough to protect it. Their cooperation freed the bell, and now they have freed me. Now that this new princess Twilight Sparkle is around, perhaps I should allow her time before I have a little fun. The changeling, the centaur and the child will be released another day. Their return and subsequent defeat will only empower me. I see these ponies have been busy. Good. They’ve left behind plenty of morsels. The magic flows through the air even now. I can feel it making me stronger. There will be limitations to what I can do, but I am not alone. Now I must find my herald, Bray. I sense he may be in danger.”
1989 Anno Harmony
(The Present)
The citizens of Ponyville walked through town that fine morning. It had been several days since Queen Chrysalis’s takeover of Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich’s wedding and her ensuing defeat. Pinkie and Cheese were now on their honeymoon, and everypony else was still dealing with the aftermath. There was still much work to be done, repairing the town, but the entire populace pitched in to help out. Princess Twilight Sparkle even instructed a regimen of national guards to keep an eye on the town to make sure there were no changelings left over. Even Discord stuck around to help out. Things were already going back to normal and the threat of the evil changeling queen and her army had been relinquished.
The tree Tirek planted where Golden Oaks Library once stood was now finally completed for the children. Twilight Sparkle had set aside funds to hire a team of contractor ponies to renovate it. They had finished chiseling out windows, doors, stairs and other improvements on the inside to make it as livable as the library once was. They even put toys, games and other novelties in the living room and a bedroom in the second floor towards the top for sleepovers. There was a small kitchen in the ground floor with snacks and a working refrigerator. On the outside were decks to walk out on, swings and a large slide. As promised, the tree was converted into a clubhouse for Flurry Heart and her friends to use for get-togethers and pastime.
After some deliberation, Spike had been convinced to let them spend an all-nighter in it. Flurry stood there with all her friends, waiting. Joining them were Spike and all his four siblings. Spike had already finished touring the inside of the clubhouse before everyone else arrived. He was emotional after being reminded of the old library he and Twilight once lived in, but he fought back his tears and did his best to check everything inside and make sure it was safe for the kids. The contractors left the clubhouse and took some tools with them.
“Well Princess, we hope we did it justice,” said a foreman stallion as he removed his hard hat in respect.
“We got all the books, games, toys and furniture we could think of to spice up the place,” said a worker next to him. “Let us know if there’s anything you’d like added. We’d be happy to help.”
“Thank you so much, sirs,” Flurry said, bowing respectfully.
“You guys did fantastic,” Spike told the workers. “It really brings back memories of Golden Oaks Library. I’m getting misty-eyed just looking at it. I’ll have to bring Twilight by some time, but for now, the kids have really been itching to give this place a try.”
“You bet we have! This place looks so cool!” Storm Streak squealed joyfully.
“We really appreciate it, guys. We’ll let you know if we need anything else,” Pound Cake told them.
The worker ponies all waved to them, as the kids waved back and said goodbye. Flurry and her friends then turned to Spike and all his siblings.
“Now, Flurry, are you sure you guys will be okay in here by yourselves tonight?” Spike asked, as he knelt down to Flurry’s level.
“Yes, Spike. You don’t have to worry about a thing. We already celebrated your and Buttercream’s birthday yesterday with everyone. Now it’s time for you go celebrate with your siblings.”
“Yeah, we got this, Spike!” Pumpkin Cake chimed in.
“They’ll be okay, Spike,” Buttercream told her brother. “There are still some national guardponies sticking around Ponyville, but I’m pretty sure that spell that Flurry’s parents did took care of all the other changelings. Nothing’s getting to these kids.”
“You sure you don’t want me to send over Starlight or Sunburst?” Spike asked Flurry again. “I could at least have somepony come by every hour or so to check just to make sure you’re-”
“Spike, come on. Everything’s gonna be all right,” Barb said, patting her little brother on the head.
“Yeah, these kids are built of tough stuff,” Scorch added.
“I know, it’s just…I’m a little nervous about leaving her like this, especially after last weekend.”
“Did you have Princess Twilight’s permission to do it?” asked Singe.
“Yeah, she said it’s fine, and there’s a lot more protection around town to make sure no changelings return; I just want to be sure she’ll be alright.”
“We’ll be fine, Spike,” Apple Chip said, putting his arm around his sister.
“Yeah. We’ve got this,” Annie Smith added.
“Well…all right,” Spike said, anxiously. “Just remember to lock all the windows and doors at night. Also, turn off all the lights when you go to bed. And no scary movies or late snacks. And be in bed by at least ten o’clock. Oh, and don’t leave the oven on for more than…er, wait…that’s right; there’s no oven. They installed a microwave instead.”
Flurry rolled her eyes and giggled, as she pushed Spike over the ground toward his siblings.
“Spike, we’ve got this, okay?” she told him. “Now go have some fun with your family, eat lots of cake, open presents and play some Ogres and Oubliettes.”
“Ooooh! We’re gonna play O&O?! I love that game!” Buttercream said, hopping up and down next to Spike.
“What’s Ogres and Oblia…oblio…uh…what’s that supposed to be?” asked Scorch.
“It’s a game Nightwatch and his friends showed me how to play back when I was little! And as luck would have it, Spike does campaigns with Discord and Big Macintosh every so often! We can show you guys how to play! Lily and Aster are huge fans too!”
“So your Eastern Drake friends Lily and Aster are going to make it after all?” asked Spike.
“Yup! They said they could come! You’re gonna love them, Spike! Lily’s such a sweet girl and she’s really smart. Oh and Aster’s a real character. He’s so funny!”
“And is Princess Billow going to make it too?” asked Barb.
“Oh! That’s right! Billow also knows how to play O&O!”
“Billow’s coming? Er…I mean, that’s nice of her to show up,” Scorch said, bashfully.
“That’s right, bro!” Singe teased. “Princess Thunder-Thighs' gonna be there for you to ogle at!”
“All right, that’ll do, Singe,” Barb laughed, rubbing Singe’s head.
As they all chatted, Spike looked back to see the kids still waving to him as he waved back. He still didn’t feel right leaving them alone this night, but Twilight trusted him with it, so he did his best to stop worrying and enjoy his time off. He finally turned away and continued down the street with his family.
“He does look a bit worried. I hope he doesn’t have a panic attack or anything,” said Flurry.
“I don’t blame him with the recent invasion, but we’ll be fine,” said Pound.
“Yeah, we’re gonna have fun tonight and no one’s gonna stop us!” said Stormy.
“That’s right! We’re all friends after all and nothing can go wrong as long as we stick together!” Pumpkin added, exuberantly.
Flurry then noticed Melody Heartsong and Cozy Glow approaching them.
“Hey kids!” said Melody.
“Oh, hey, Melody! Hey Cozy Glow!” Flurry called back.
“Hey. We heard the clubhouse was finished. Is it true you’re all going to spend the night in there?” Cozy asked.
“Sure are! Would you like to join us?”
“Well…I mean if it isn’t too much trouble or anything…”
“You can come in, Cozy. We’d be happy to have you,” Chip said.
“Thanks. Is Spike or someone going to be there?”
“Actually Spike’s taking the night off. He and Buttercream are celebrating their birthday with the rest of his siblings and some of her old friends,” Flurry explained.
“Oh…uh, Mom, should I try another night then?” Cozy asked Melody.
“Well, I wasn’t aware they’d be alone tonight,” Melody responded, cautiously.
“She’ll be alright with us,” Pound said.
“Yeah. Mom and Dad let me and Pound stay home alone sometimes. One time they actually got stranded in Phillydelphia after their delivery cart broke down and we actually ran the business without them for an entire workday! Craziest thing ever, right?!” Pumpkin babbled.
Cozy looked up to her mother. Melody thought for a second and then smiled.
“I guess it’s fine with me. Just take care of my little Half Note for me,” she said.
“Thanks Mom,” Cozy said, hugging her tenderly.
“We’ll look out for her, Melody,” Flurry said, as Cozy walked over to them.
“Take care, everyone!” Melody called as they all walked towards the entrance.
“Guys look!” Stormy said, opening the door. “It’s so cool in here! Come check it out!”
“We’re coming, Storm. We’re coming,” Pound giggled as everyone else followed after him.
The door shut and the sound of the children talking behind the glass windows could be heard. Unbeknownst to any of them, a dark shadowy entity was watching them from under a bush at the base of the tree. It was the same apparition that escaped from the bell almost nine years ago. Now he had his sights on the kids. He laughed quietly as he watched them through the windows.
“Such charming children. That little princess does seem rather special. She’s accomplished so much this summer in her friendship quests. Perhaps she and her friends all have the potential I’ve been looking for. I think I’ll keep a close eye on them tonight…”
An hour had passed and things had settled down in the clubhouse. As the kids all did their own thing without any interruptions, the Apparition lurked in the shadows, looking through some comic books that had been left open on the floor. None of the kids could see the shadowy, horned creature as it observed modern media aimed at pony youth. He grinned in amusement at what he saw.
“Such interesting culture these ponies have developed. They rely so much on myths and heroes to tell tales, all while living said tales at the same time. Even more interesting is how they have turned me into a legendary villain in this ‘video game’ technology. Such fools. They don’t even know Emperor Grogar is still very much alive and among them.”
He watched the kids play, grinning and slithering around to study how each of them interacted.
“These children have taken in much of this modern media. They are inspired and uplifted by these heroic tales, but not all of it is myth. Some of them have relatives that have stood up to all these foes and beaten them in battles of wits. It would stand to reason that they would look to their heroes for encouragement. One day they too shall be fighting the same battles no doubt. Flurry Heart has already had a taste of such accomplishments and would be an excellent test subject. She is so sure of herself and butts heads with the eldest child, Pound Cake. His habit of playing the adult will get the best of him. I will see to that.”
The Apparition crept underneath the couch and moved toward the Super Tendonin Entertainment System. He absorbed himself into the vents then exited the console, laughing quietly.
Pound walked over just after this happened and sat down to play a game on the system. He opened the top to put in a new cartridge and then closed it. After turning on the TV monitor, he pressed the power button on the console. He expected the Tendonin logo to show up and for the title screen to appear, but he could only see the blank screen on the TV monitor. He then noticed the power button wasn’t glowing and the console wasn’t making a sound. He checked multiple times to make sure all the cords were securely plugged in, only to grow more aggravated. After several long minutes of troubleshooting he put both his hooves on his face and groaned.
“UGH! What happened to the darn STES?! We just got this thing!”
He then looked behind him at everyone else in the room, wondering who could have broken the console. His face grew stern and he reached to unplug the system to prepare for interrogation.
“So, who broke the STES?” Pound firmly asked his six friends, as they all gathered around a table with the console in the center. “Look, I’m not mad, I just wanna know, so you can split with me and we’ll buy a new one.”
The others looked around nervously. They all knew they didn’t break it, but each one thought one of their other friends was the culprit. Flurry was afraid drama would ensue and quickly thought of a way to avoid it.
“Pound, it was me,” she said. “It’s okay, I can pay for it. Just let me-”
“No, no, Flurry, I know it wasn’t you. You don’t play video games,” Pound interrupted.
“But…”
“Stormy?”
“Wasn’t me,” Stormy replied. “I’ll bet it was Chip!”
“What? What makes you think it was me?” Chip said, angrily.
“You just look kinda suspicious.”
“No, I don’t!”
“Hold on, guys,” Pumpkin interjected. “Look, no offense or anything, but I did see Annie with the STES last. She might have done something.”
“That’s a lie! I don’t play video games, they’re too violent,” Annie said, defensively.
“But you were watching the intro for Seapony Adventures after Chip was done with it.”
“Yeah, I like to watch the intro because the music is uplifting, Pumpkin!”
As tensions rose, Flurry tried one last attempt to keep this day from being ruined.
“Guys, please, let’s not fight!” she begged. “Look, I’m a princess. I have a lot of money. Let me pay for-”
Flurry was then interrupted by Pound’s hoof being shoved into her mouth.
“Flurry, stop lying!” he hollered. “Who broke it?!”
Everyone then looked over to the only one that hadn’t said anything yet. Cozy had been quiet the entire time. She was afraid they’d all blame her and got nervous.
“Uh…guys, I don’t play video games either, but I can pay for it if you’d like me to,” she said, bashfully.
The silence was then broken by Stormy.
“I still say it was Chip!”
“Stormy, it wasn’t me!” yelled Chip. “Again, you’re full of Beryllium Broccoli!”
“Cesium Celery!”
“Guys!” shouted Pound in the midst of the uproar.
As the bedlam went on, the Apparition watched them behind the couch, laughing at having accomplished his goal to divide them. Pound could take it no longer and picked up the console and carried it away to the cabinet.
“Alright, you know what, if you guys aren’t going to fess up, no more video games!” he shouted angrily.
“Pound, look…” Flurry tried pleading.
“NOPE!”
Pound threw the console into the cabinet and slammed the door behind him.
“Pound, how do we know you weren’t the one to break it?” Chip asked.
“Chip’s got a point,” Annie added.
“Don’t shift the blame to me! I just turned it on and it did nothing! I wouldn’t lie about this!” Pound barked back.
“Did you check the power cords?” Flurry asked.
“Or blowing on the cartridge?” Chip asked.
“I tried everything! And blowing on cartridges doesn’t work, Chip!”
Pound started breathing heavily. Even Flurry was past trying to reason with him. Cozy looked very worried at her friends fighting. She flew up to put her hoof on Pound’s shoulder.
“Pound, let’s just forget about the Tendonin,” she begged. “We can always find something else to do. There are plenty of books and board games and stuff.”
Pound took a deep breath and covered his face with one hoof.
“Look, can we all just behave?” he asked, doing his best to remain calm. “I tried asking you guys to settle down earlier and you almost wrecked the place. I don’t know who broke the STES, but it’s already ruined our first stay here. This is why I wanted us all to just sit down and do the same thing first and be more organized.”
Just as Pound had finished, the front door opened and Starlight Glimmer stepped inside. Everyone jumped at the sound of the door opening and immediately tried to play cool.
“Hey, kids!” Starlight said.
“STARLIGHT!” Flurry shouted as everyone put on smiles.
“Everything going alright in this awesome new clubhouse so far?”
“YEAH! I mean, yeah! We’re doing great! Right, Pound?”
“Riiiight!” Pound said, nervously.
Flurry and Pound put their hooves around their shoulders and grinned from ear to ear. Chip and Stormy gave each other a hoof bump, while Pumpkin gave Annie an uncomfortably tight hug. Everyone smiled nervously, hoping it would convince Starlight.
“Oh, good. That’s great to hear,” Starlight continued. “I was a little worried when Spike asked me to stop over and check on you. He made it sound like you were in danger or something.”
“UGH! Tell Spike he’s a worry wart!” Flurry said, still smiling nervously.
“Yeah, we got this!” Pound added.
“Totally!” Pumpkin followed up.
Starlight was a little put off by their nervous looks on their faces, but couldn’t see any signs that something bad had occurred. Cozy looked a little nervous at first but smiled and nodded to Starlight.
“Alright. I’ll tell him everything’s fine. He and all the other dragons are going to be spending the night in the castle. Hopefully they don’t wreck the place cuz Trixie’s on a tour while Sunburst is visiting his parents, so I’m kinda gonna be on dragonsitting duty. Wish me luck!”
“Yup. Good luck with that, Starlight. Thanks for stopping by!” Cozy said as Starlight left and closed the door behind her.
Everyone dropped their smiles and separated themselves from each other. Cozy turned around quickly to address them before anyone said something they’d regret.
“See guys, we can still get along!” she said.
Everyone looked suspiciously at the pony they were next to. They didn’t seem very pleased with each other after that tirade, but Cozy was determined to keep it from getting worse.
“Hey, look, we’ll get over this. We can still have fun even without the video games. Don’t we have plenty of board games in there?”
“Yeah, we do,” Flurry said.
“Great! What was that one game we were picking up earlier, Pound? The one with the candlestick piece?”
“You mean Cue?” Pound replied.
“Yeah, that one. Maybe we could all play that.”
“Eh, Cue is kinda fun,” Stormy said.
“Yeah, we could play that,” Annie added.
“Alright, so how about we take Cue and set it down here and give it a try?”
Everyone slowly started to smile again and turned to the pony next to them. Flurry had an apologetic look on her face as she spoke to Pound.
“Cozy’s right,” she said, going to take the game out of the cabinet. “Let’s just get our minds off of the Tendonin and have some fun with a board game.”
“There!” Cozy said, happily. “See? I always knew friendship would come through with you guys!”
As they all set the game up, the Apparition watched with a disapproving scowl.
“That Cozy Glow is getting to be a thorn in my side. I should have left her as a stone statue in that garden. No matter. I am not through with them yet.”
As the kids began to set up the board game, the Apparition noticed Flurry Heart’s Journal of Friendship book on the table in the kitchen. He grinned and slowly crept into the kitchen to take a look.
Spike, Barb, Scorch and Singe sat comfortably on some couches in a living room in the crystal castle, while Buttercream was busy in the kitchen. Discord walked by, dressed as a waiter with a plate full of gems. He lowered the plate and let them grab some gems, as Spike told his siblings tales of his past.
“So yeah, that’s how I almost became the Dragon Lord,” he said before munching on a gem.
“Wow, Spike! You should’ve just taken it!” Singe said.
“Nah. I was too young and I never really wanted to be a leader.”
“Lo and behold, you were royalty all along,” Barb teased.
“Touche. Still, Ember deserved to lead and she’s done a great job ever since.”
“Alright, everybody!” Buttercream said, walking in from the kitchen. “The cake’s baking as we speak. Oh, hey Discord!”
“Hello there, Buttercream,” Discord said, as Buttercream gave him a hug and he patted her head spikes. “Now is it true we have a few other dragons coming over for O&O tonight?”
“Yup! Billow’s coming back and so are my long friends, Aster and Lily and their little pet wyrm, Pansy!”
“Oh? Eastern Drakes…my, I haven’t talked to a long in years! I avoided going over there after reforming for fear they might think I’ve, how shall I say it… appropriated their look.”
“Nah, Aster and Lily are totally chill and I don’t think anyone in Ester Dracos really minds that.”
“That’s good to hear. I mean I have admired the majesty of the longs, but…well that’s not what inspired me with this look. In any case they all know how to play O&O?”
“Sure do! Aster usually OMs for us, but he’ll get to sit back this time and be a regular player!”
“Uh…is this that game we’re gonna play?” Singe asked.
“Yeah, we’ll get things around for that after we eat,” Buttercream responded.
Just then, everyone heard the large set of doors open and Billow walked inside, carrying Beo Tuag. Everyone turned to greet her.
“Hey everyone,” she said as Buttercream ran in for a hug.
“BILLIE! You made it! Are the others here too?”
“See for yourself!”
Everyone looked down the hallway to see several serpentine dragons coming in. One of them was using an announcer voice as if to introduce them.
“Been a while since we’ve seen ‘em, but they’re back in action! Folks, give it up for Lily, Pansy aaaaand Aster!”
Everyone watched they entered the room. First came Lily, a long whitish green dragon with dark green hair, a yellow underbelly and red eyes. She had grown much longer since her youth and had longer antlers as well. Her snout had grown out more and she now had the appearance of a young adult long. Lily was a red and pink wyrm with no legs or wings, but could still hover around. She had also grown longer and her spikes were more prominent now. Behind them was Aster, who had grown so long, he was taller than Discord. He was a darker shade of green with a yellow underbelly, magenta hair, and purple eyes. He had magenta whiskers growing from his snout as most male longs tended to have. His antlers had grown another point since the time Buttercream first met them.
“Hey everyone!” Lily shouted happily.
“AUF AUF!!” Pansy barked as she flew next to her owner.
“LILY!!” Buttercream squealed as she flew up to hug her friend.
Everyone watched as the longs flew around in circles, meandering gracefully until they landed to get themselves acquainted. Lily coiled herself around Buttercream as they gave each other a tight hug.
“Butter, it’s been such a long time! OOOH! Is this the family?!”
They parted and Lily immediately drew her attention to Buttercream’s siblings. Full of energy, she began introducing herself and shook Barb’s hand with excitement.
“Hi! I’m Lily! Buttercream and Nightwatch met me years ago when I was just a little tiny long! We had the most epic adventures ever with them! And you must be Princess Barb?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s me,” Barb said, barely able to keep up with the effervescent dragoness.
“Hey there, Tall and Handsome! I know that’s not your real name! Hehe! You’re Singe I believe?” she said, shaking Scorch’s hand.
“Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Scorch actually. He’s Singe,” Scorch said, pointing to his brother.
“AWWW! Butter, you’ve got such adorable siblings!”
Lily gave Singe a hug so tight; his eyes bulged out a little and he lost his ability to breathe momentarily.
“UGH! Nice to meet you too, Miss!” he croaked.
“Oh, and is this little guy our twin brother?! AAAAGGGGHHH!!! HE’S JUST AS CUTE AS YOU ARE, BUTTER!!!”
Lily then noticed Spike, put her hands up to her cheeks and squealed with delight. Spike started to reach out to shake her hand, but she dove in and coiled herself around him and hugged him tenderly. Spike also found it a little difficult to breathe from her hug, but he noticed how soft and fuzzy she felt and then remembered that Eastern Drakes were covered in fur with the exception of their underbellies and nose bridges. She nuzzled against the side of his face like a friendly kitten. Spike had never met someone so welcoming and willing to give a hug. Lily then recollected herself and tried her best to speak at a lower volume.
“Sorry. I’m kind of a bit of a hugger, plus where I come from, chubby dragons are a little rare and it’s considered good luck to hug one.”
Singe rubbed his arm while Spike blushed and put his hands behind his back.
“Heh…well it’s good to know we have that affect on you guys,” Spike said, bashfully. “So you guys are Easterns. This is my first time meeting one believe it or not.”
Pansy then slithered up next to Spike and licked him with her tongue. It was not as wet and slobbery as a dog’s, but it tickled his face.
“Hahaha! And who’s this?”
“That’s my pet wyrm, Pansy! She goes wherever I go!”
“AUF AUF AUF!”
Pansy barked happily and proceeded to show friendship the rest of Spike’s siblings. Aster then began introducing himself to them.
“Madam, it’s an honor to meet the heir of Nordo Dracos at long last,” he said, bowing respectfully and shaking her hand. “The name’s Aster. I’m Emperor Antirrhinum’s ambassador.”
“Ah, so that’s who the Emperor chose. It’s good to finally meet you too,” Barb said, shaking his hand. “These are my two younger brothers, Scorch and Singe, and you already know Butter, so this little guy here is Spike.”
“Hey there,” Spike said, stepping forward to shake Aster’s hand.
“So this is Butter’s twin brother, eh? She’s told us a lot about you. Can’t believe you two went this long without knowing each other all these years. Might wanna check those milk cartons a little more.”
Lily and Buttercream snickered at Aster as he rubbed Spike’s head. Lily then noticed Discord and slithered in right next to him.
“Ooooh! Bro, check this guy out! I’m guessing this is Discord, the Lord of Chaos!” Lily said.
“Yup, that’s Discord!” Buttercream said.
“Well now. You’re a tall drink of water,” Aster told Discord, observing his mixed body parts. “Loving the style of anatomy you’ve got going on here. Like a fine Picoltso portrait.”
“Thank you. It’s not offensive, I hope,” Discord said.
“Oh no, not at all!” Lily replied. “You look so cool!”
“The long dragon body is usually believed to be mystical and divine, so that’s a compliment really. Did you always look this way?” Aster asked.
“Eh, not always,”
“Yeah, but it’s okay, cuz he’s reformed now too,” Spike said, trying to keep Discord from having to talk about his past.
“Yeah, Discord used to be a villain, but he’s a totally chill guy now!” Buttercream said.
“Yeah, you should’ve seen him last week with the changeling queen!” Scorch added.
“Tell me about it. That battle was something else. Great to see you again, Scorch,” Billow said, walking in next to Scorch.
“You too, Billow,” Scorch said, shaking her claw again.
Barb looked happily at the two of them while Buttercream and Singe started giggling and whispering to each other.
“Singe, which do you think sounds better: Scillow or Borch?” Buttercream asked.
“Huh? Oh, you mean like their names? I dunno, I think Scorchillow rolls off the tongue better,” he replied.
“Alright, knock it off you two,” Barb said, giving them both noogies on their head spikes. “Sorry. I’ll keep them under control.”
“Oh I’m already used to it,” Billow told Barb. “Hope you guys didn’t mind me bringing Beo along too.”
“Not at all! Can’t have Billow without Beo!” Buttercream said, cheerfully.
Billow opened her wings and let Beo hover into her hand to be held. She put her other hand on her hip and used Beo like a staff. The sentient axe leaned in to speak to her dragon wielder telepathically.
“You’re doing great so far, Billow. When he’s watching you, keep giving him a loving gaze and sway your hips a little as you walk. Don’t be afraid to flirt. Your mother was really good at that when she was trying to woo your father.”
“Yeah, Beo, let’s not overdo it, okay? We’re here for Spike and Butter don’t forget.”
Everyone looked at Billow, not able to figure out what she meant since they could not hear the voice she was responding to.
“Um…sorry. You might see me talking with her like that a lot tonight. Anyway, are we ready for the food and presents soon?”
“Oh yes!” Buttercream replied. “We’re gonna do me and Spike’s presents before the food is ready, and then later tonight is gonna be the best O&O campaign ever!”
“Alright guys, I say we do the presents now,” said Barb.
Everyone else cheered and nodded in agreement as they all sat down to open gifts. Spike and Buttercream looked excitedly as they joined each other on the ground in the center.
“I’m so looking forward to our party tonight, Spike,” she told him as she held his claw in hers. “This is going to be our first time celebrating after finding out we’re twins.”
“I know. I can’t wait to do this. I wish the kids could be here tho-”
Buttercream put her finger on Spike’s lips to keep him from finishing his sentence.
“Shush. The kids are alright. I spoke with Starlight earlier in the kitchen before she went off to finish some office work. She checked on them like you asked.”
“Oh, she did? Well that’s good to know. Guess I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
