Rarity the most regal, fashionable, diva in all of Ponyville lives her life as the envy of mares everywhere, but outward appearances cover what is truly inside. She's dated many stallions, but they only wanted her as a trophy. She thought about switching teams. One night alone with a colleague dismissed that immediately. Not knowing what or who is right for her she decides to leave romance out of her life, but one dragon's return may turn that around.

It's been only a short amount of time since the centaur, Tirek, razed the forest of Everfree to the ground, and was defeated by the very ponies he hated, being sent back into the belly of the earth from which he escaped. And in that time, life has mostly returned to normal for the citizens of Ponyville. Normal that is except for the recently promoted princess, Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike, the baby dragon. Neither of whom know quite how to go back to normal since the incident.

cover art by my hairy friend.

I'm back and I'm pretty sure you guys have some questions. Yes, I deleted 'Toughen up buttercup'. Why? Because it really wasn't going where I wanted it to and it was sloppy and everything was just a mess. I could have kept it but it was really bad. I know some of you liked it, but really? Come on. It was shit. If you read that story, forget it, it didn't happen. Anyways, I'm trying again. Hopefully I can make this one more... neat, but to be honest, I really don't have a game plan for this story. So, if you want to message me suggestions, go right ahead.

So, some of you know the story already: Spike signs up for a special forces training program, it's gonna take one year to complete, Spike has moment with Twi, Twi has conflict with self, Spike talks to Rarity, Rarity is sad, Spike leaves on train, everypony is sad, Spike gets to bootcamp, finds out it's hard, processing, meeting the drill instructors, yelling, yah-dah yah-dah yah-dah (The rest is a sticky mess). Feel free to imagine your own 'Spike's bootcamp experience'. But the year is up and Spike is now an official soldier of the Equestiran Guard. Our tale begins on the train ride home where Spike battles himself.

**DISCLAIMER**
THIS STORY IS NOT, IN ANY WAY, CORRELATE WITH THE REAL LIFE MILITARIES OF OUR WORLD. THIS IS PURE FUN FICTION. ANYONE WHO AGRUES IN THE COMMENT SECTION BY SPOUTING SOME STUPID SHIT LIKE "The navy seals doesn't do so-and-so like that." WILL BE THOUGHT BY ME AS AN SPUNK-GARGLE-WEE-WEE JARHEAD AND WILL BE RECOMMENDED TO READ THIS DISCLAIMER. You have been warned.

Enjoy, if you will...

For most of his life Spike has yearned to be treated as more than a hatchling; only five years younger than Twilight by all rights he should be considered a young adult, or at least a teenager, by pony standards.

His mind, though still developing, is at times equal to an adult pony's thanks to the many years he spent working alongside his studious caretaker. When forced to focus can could quickly outpace and outwit most colts his age.

His body on the other hand is tiny and adorable.

As with all dragons the pace of his growth matches the demands of the world around him; with the carefree, relaxed life of a librarian's assistant there have been few demands a baby dragon's form could not meet. Until now.

Faced with other dragons, rivals and peers much more fit for survival Spike's body has started working overtime to catch him up and prepare him for the long, difficult life of a dragon. Fortunately, this means he will soon have a body that matches his mind; large enough to take care of himself and get a small token or respect now and then.

Unfortunately this means he has hit puberty.

Los Relinchos is the entertainment capitol of Equestria: gambling, dancing, music, and general hedonism are the order of the day in this desert paradise. But beneath the glow of the neon lies the heart of a city corrupted by organized crime. From casinos to car dealers, record labels to restaurants; the black hoof is into everything in the city. Two rival families have remained in an uneasy truce for the past thirty years, as Los Relinchos grew from a small gem-mining backwater into a monument to vice. But this truce is about to be broken - and Spike has the misfortune of landing in the middle of it. Two mobsters bring him in on the side of Don Celestia, and he follows the ups - money, cars, mares - and the downs - senseless violence, betrayal, mistrust - of "the life" over the years in this alternate universe fic inspired by the likes of Mafia and Goodfellas.

A dragoness who has seen the world and its wonders. A dragoness who has been on countless adventures and has found dozens, if not hundreds of treasures thought to be nothing but myths. A dragoness who hides a dark secret that is tearing her up inside, is forced to face her guilt head on when she takes a trip to Equestria.
A baby dragon who was raised by ponies. A baby dragon who feels at odds with his own kind. A baby dragon who wonders why he lives as he does will soon get his answer when a stranger comes to town.
Now two souls brought together by fate will build a bond that has always existed through trials and tribulations neither could have predicted.

This story was inspired by three things. The first was the breakout hit, Ten Years Gone, by Some Other Guy, of which you may notice some slight similarities in the beginning. The second was a comment that made me wonder, "What if it wasn't a human coincidentally made to look like Spike?" And the third was me watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The inspiration from that last one will become more apparent later in the story.
I hope you like this, I don't usually write fanfictions, after all.

Spike Drake has started attending Canterlot Academy as part of a Co-Ed experiment. With him being the only guy in an entire academy filled with hot and sexy girls, will his teenage hormones drive him crazy, or will the boy-starved student body eat him alive?

Something is on its way to Equestria, and it's forced the Dragon Empress to seek help from none other than the Princesses. The Empress has labelled Equestria's threat as a Praetorian, the last of a breed of dragon exterminated for their potential to destroy all that was natural in the world. Now, the last one has its sights set on Equestria. It's purpose unknown, but presumed not good, they further learn that the power of this one supersedes all previous records. It is an Alpha Praetor. The apex predator among the species.

Yet the hero of the day may be somepony we least expected, or some dragon.

Theme Song: Starset - It Has Begun

Image belongs to onyxprince

Voices

Spike: Liam O'Brien

Ditzy Doo: Tabitha St. Germaine

Praetorian/D: Kate Mulgrew

Dragon Empress: Cherilyn Sarkisian

Female dragons lay the eggs, and the males take over from there. So when Spike finds a dead male dragon with an egg, instincts kick in. There's no way he's going to let the hatchling die. However, the unhatched egg brings some questions into light. Who is Spike? How was Twilight able to hatch him? Where did Spike come from and where is his father? The answers to these question, along with raising a baby dragon, may cost Spike everything.

[img]http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/242/3/9/mlp__a_dragon_s_nest_by_yaoi0yuri0rules-d6kcdq1.png[/img]
(Original dragon creator by wyndbain. DeviantART of wyndbain)

Spike saves Rarity's life. Now he can't move, speak or breathe. He needs support to live, medically and emotionally.
He's had it rough but Saturdays are his prized day. Because his fiance always makes him feel happy.

Thanks Prettyskitty16 for making the cover art.