Inspired by fanart from artist Banshee42ru. Set a few years after Season 2 (pending future edits), the story follows the relationship of Spike and Apple Bloom. Their young love takes a serious turn when she finds herself pregnant with a half-dragon, half-pony foal. How will their family and friends react, and what will this halfbreed child mean for them and Equestrian society as a whole?

NOTE: Updates and new chapters tend to take a rather long time, but unless I actually put it as 'On Hiatus' I actually am working on it. It's not abandoned, I just have a really slow writing process.
Also, a while back someone sent this to Equestria Daily without asking me. I appreciate the thought, but they work on a strike system and I really don't want to be locked out.

With each others help, Spike and Gilda fight to find their place in a world that will not accept them.

Credit: Larince, Newer, Varanus, DPV, and Mad Brochacho
A more classical approach to the noir genre, Mad Brochacho's "On the Docks": http://www.fimfiction.net/story/6590/On-the-Docks
Heralded as the greatest Twilestia around and more, Varanus' "Composure": http://www.fimfiction.net/story/5623/Composure

Thank you to all my readers.

I've never been sure if I envied ponies for their cutie marks.
On one hand, it's awesome to have your main passion as a permanent magical tattoo, but it has got to be slightly frustrating to know that the meaning of your whole life can be represented by some dumb apples, a silver spoon or even a big ugly snail.
I appreciate not having the meaning of my life plastered all over my butt, anyway. I'm like a blank flank, whose special talent could be just about anything: playing piano, writing books, announcing, or even solving disappearance cases!
Really, I think what I like the most about cutie mark is how great of an excuse it is for peeping at some flank.
This amazing story is not a dissertation about playing music, writing or announcing.

Spike the dragon. Years ago he was little more than a runty drake. Now, all grown up, he's an anatomical forensics expert working for the government. When he comes back to visit Ponyville and discovers Rarity is in need of help with a troublesome client, the gentle dragon-shaped pony is only too pleased to assist, in the only way he knows how.

This story is a sequel to Spike: The Last Draconian

It has been five years since Spike, Dameion, and Sunset Shimmer left through a portal into the Great Unknown.

In the time he was gone, Spike had taken to a life of conquest and Soul Stealing. Now he's mastered both his Necromancy and Vindicator skills, becoming a Draconian King, alongside Dameion, and is now competing in an event called "The Fortune of Fafnir;" a War-type game played with other Kings and Queens of the Draconian species.

This is a battle that will involve Equestria...this version of it at least, and many other beings. Spike and his clique will make allies and enemies alike, and one of his enemies happened to be on Equestria all this time.

Now it's a race to find a hidden Draconian, who's been constructing a containment unit powerful enough to wipe Equus, and its universe, from the plane of existence itself!

Will Spike succumb to this strong foe? Is Equus doomed?

There's only one way to find out.

What are you waiting for?

(This story is in the canon section of 'The Fortune of Fafnir', a universe created by me and soon to be expanded upon by other group members...or you.)

Spike only wants things to stay the same. Time, however, has other ideas. He's going to need a lot of help... An everypony story.

(Cover image by Rannva)

Change only becomes frightening when it begins to affect you.

Spike has remained a baby while everyone else is growing up. His desire to do the same, however, lands him in a hospital bed with a strange new body.

Ponies are treating him differently, the world he once knew is no longer the same, and the onset of sudden changes are hard to adapt to. Fortunately, Scootaloo is there to ease him through his recovery.

Audio reading made possible by star912.

This story would be unreadable were it not for the editing master, Props, the handy-dandy proofreader, CitrusFizz, and man who has three pairs of eyes, Setokaiva.

Dedicated to Spike pimp himself, FamousLastWords.

[EQD Featured - 10/04/12] Derpy Hooves loses her job and home to personal failures and finds that her life of passivity and reckless indulgence have left her with nothing but an empty void in her heart. When she cries out for help, she receives two answers—one from a concerned Twilight Sparkle who tries to set her life back on track, and the other from a phantom mare who lashes her spirit to that of Silver Cross, traveling warrior and refugee of a destroyed nation.

The clumsy but well-intentioned optimism of the Elements of Harmony and the unshakable death wish of her new "soulmate" are challenging enough, but Derpy will have to contend with overzealous agents of the crown, romantic entanglements, wielders of impossible magic, an outrageously evil despot, and even the dreaded contents of Spike's Secret Stash before all's said and done. Little does Derpy understand that her pursuit of a way to fill the holes in her heart and mind will only draw her ever closer to the forbidden truths of Equestria's Lost History . . .

Cover Art by the talented McLarenF1LM22

The following is supplemental material. Do not read before finishing Episode 03.

APPENDIX

Character Ages
Ponies keep track of their age by seasons, not years. Birthdays are still celebrated annually, but measuring age in years is an unreasonable choice for creatures with a lifespan of roughly 25-30 - there just isn't enough room for demarcations that any reader could relate to. For clarity, the character's ages as of the time of this story are given in three categories below.

MLPL2 Character Age Chart [GDocs Format]

For reference, please note that MLPL2 begins about three years after the Nightmare Moon incident.
More characters will be added as they receive significant roles in the story.

Deleted Scenes

Episode 01, Scene 1 (Draft 4)
Episode 01 [ver. 1]

Twilight Sparkle, a young gifted Unicorn is given the opportunity of a lifetime, to be the personal student to Princess Celestia. After demonstrating her abilities at her examination, her first day of studies comes to a grinding halt when a predecessor comes back for revenge on her mentor and Princess. After a narrow escape, the young filly, just beginning to learn her powers finds herself in the middle of the everfree forest, alone and vulnerable with no one to help guide her back to the life that was so swiftly pulled out from under her hooves. Her adventure nearly comes to an end when a pack of timber wolves attack her, however she is saved by one of the most unlikely of creatures, a dragon. With no one else to help her, she immediately follows the disgruntled and solitary creature back to his lair, much to his annoyance. However, he comes to find out that the two of them are far more connected than he could have ever guessed...

In this alternate universe, Twilight is a filly and never hatched spike. He grew up as a wild dragon in the Everfree forest, however deep down past the scales and fire, he will come to realize that perhaps he is something more. The first of a series I plan to create where spike is the "Older Brother/Guardian" figure, however, the bond that they share is the same if not stronger than that in the show. I believe this is an original concept, correct me if I'm wrong, but the idea came to me and I have been excited to show this to all of you

This story has been in my mind for over a year now and I am excited to finally be able to publish it, I hope that you all enjoy, as I am proud to present to you "Friends by Fate"

The cover art was done by me, you can check out more of my work at me DevianArt page
http://bronyofgalifrey9.deviantart.com/

Inspiration for this story came from this picture http://xonxt.deviantart.com/art/Role-reversal-475409314 from the tallented xonxt on DeviantArt, go check him out and give him some love

Make sure to leave feeback (I love to know what you all think) and I hope you all enjoy

Rated Teen for mild blood and gore, nothing too horrible, just light battle injuries.

"Here's some advice to keep close t'ya: The only thing that's constant about life is change itself. If you're not changing, world's eventually gonna force you to or simply cut your ugly face out of the grand scheme of things." So said extraordinary musician Spike The Dragon when queried how he started the Moonlight Ensemble, a jazz orchestra like none other Equestria had ever seen.

Quite a lot of time has passed for the Mane Six, now everypony has got a life of their very own. Everypony except Spike. Forced by his circumstances, he's thrust into a night-time Ponyville he didn't know before and a certain gray mare will revive in him the passion for music. Relationships will be done and undone, as Princess Celestia seeks high and low for a show-stopping act at the Grand Galloping Gala.
Caution: Excellent jazz ahead.

First fic. Criticism and grammar errors are greatly appreciated.
This fic features Spike x Octavia, Rarity x Fancy Pants. Will add characters as they appear.