//------------------------------//
// Celestia I 
// Story: Springtime for a Drake 
// by Yinglung 
//------------------------------//

Celestia returned to her chamber, and immediately leaned back onto her ornate fainting couch. She was content to take a rest after raising the sun mid-sky and doing some paperwork. 

The princess briefly revised upon the itinerary of the day, and reflexively magicked up her cup of tea, freshly brewed every day by the royal butler. 

However, her lips remained dry as she tilted the cup towards herself. Slightly frowning, she looked inside the content of the cup, and discovered that it was empty.

This is most strange, she thought. Is Praiseworthy sick? He'd never missed the morning brew before.

As she was about to stand up and called in somepony from the outside, a series of careful knocks could be heard across the room.

"Your Highness."

The polite but powerful voice of her royal butler passed through the thick wooden door. 

"Come in, Praiseworthy."

The smartly-dressed unicorn butler wordlessly opened the door with his telekinesis, and to her surprise, two figures came inside her chamber instead of one.

"Spike."

Celestia smiled at the sight of the purple dragon, as Praiseworthy swiftly lowered the tray of tea next to her. "You've come much earlier than I expected."

"I apologize for disrupting your rest, Your Gra-"

The purple dragon covered his forehead in apparent frustration, and corrected himself. "... Your Highness."

Celestia was a bit taken aback at the formal tone, but she did not show it overtly. She merely maintained her smile and said. "Not at all. It's great to see and talk to you again in person."

The dragon nodded briskly and said. "I've taken the earliest express train to Canterlot this morning. I dearly want to see you and Canterlot after... so long."

The white alicorn's lips curled up. "Spike, you've only gone to Ponyville with Twilight a moon ago."

"... Is that so?"

Spike slightly turned from her gaze. "It surely felt much longer than that."

Before Celestia could tease the dragon for his homesickness, Spike gave a quick glance to the butler pony nearby and said. "Your Highness, I-"

"Spike, you don't have to be this formal, even though we are no longer living together in Canterlot. You may call me Princess Celestia, just like before."

Celestia then waved Spike over, and offered a couch seat to him nearby. For reasons unknown to the thousand-year alicorn, the purple dragon looked glum as he complied. But he then quickly replaced the gloomy look with a smile. "I see. So Princess Celestia, I must again apologize, this time on Praiseworthy's behalf."

Celestia arched her brows. "What for?"

"He originally spotted me outside the castle, and would escort me directly towards your chamber. Unfortunately, the nosy me has noticed how strikingly knowledgeable he is, being the best butler in the land."

"Not at all, sir." Praiseworthy bowed slightly.

Spike shook his head with a grin. "So I've kept pestering him for news and events in Canterlot and beyond. Being such a brilliant steward, he's received me with impeccable manner and incredible patience. But by the time I've realized that he was going to brew the morning tea for you, and that I was being a bit of a bother, it had already grown a bit late. So please, don't think badly of Praiseworthy, he's truly an outstanding royal butler."

Rather than taking offense at the inconsequential lateness of the morning tea, Celestia was far more interested in the courtly way of speech and finesse the dragon was suddenly sporting. 

What happened in Ponyville in one single moon? She thought with curiosity. 

Regardless, Celestia smiled kindly. "Of course, I've always known Praiseworthy to be a brilliant butler. I would not have chosen him as the head steward of the royal estate otherwise. Serving my close relation is certainly more important than satiating my thirst."

Spike raised a brow, nodding back with a thin smile. Praiseworthy again bowed. "I'm greatly beholden to your mercy, Your Highness."

"Praiseworthy, you've done well to bring Spike here. You may go on with your other work now."

Praiseworthy silently nodded. He then backed out of the room, leaving the alicorn and the dragon with each other.

"Spike."

Celestia spoke up again. She thought to prod the purple dragon with some small talk first. "How's your ride to Canterlot?"

"It's excellent. Sitting in the carriage, feeling the morning air and watching the vivid landscape that rushed by. It's very refreshing... memorable even, in fact."

Celestia chuckled. "You sound oddly enthusiastic about a simple train ride, Spike."

"Sometimes it's the simple things that breed the most joy, Princess Celestia."

The solar princess took a breath and said with a thoughtful look. "... Isn't that the truth."

Spike nodded minutely after a pause. "If I might be so bold to guess, you probably summon me not only for the meeting, but also to know more about Twilight's life in Ponyville from my perspectives."

Celestia raised a brow. "... Spike, this is not only a bold guess, but a correct guess as well."

Spike said softly. "As someone who's close to Twilight, I understand how it feels if we must separate for a while. It's natural that you want some updates other than her friendship letters."

Celestia smiled with satisfaction, and Spike nodded. From his small bag he then took out a moderately-thick booklet.

The alicorn could feel a churning feeling in her stomach seeing another thick pile of papers so soon after processing documents all morning. 

Spike merely continued with complete seriousness. "Princess, to help you understand Twilight's life in Ponyville, I have prepared and documented with utmost care her detailed schedules, commitments, leisure activities and social interactions. All of them are itemized in detailed ledgers and painstakingly annotated in small letters under each page. It only contains a week's content, from the day you told Twilight and her friends to deal with the snoring dragon. But I trust that it should be a representative sample of her habits and predilections in the new place."

Celestia yelped internally. She called Spike in for some normal pony-dragon interactions. She would never in a thousand years expect to see an overly fastidious Twilight-clone, not least in the baby dragon.

Still, she tried to suppress her egregious eye-widening into a mere twitch, and said with the most gracious voice possible. "... Thank you kindly for your diligent work, Spike."

Spike did not reply at first. He gazed meaningfully at the alicorn, but before she spoke up, he burst into a series of laughs. "Dearie me, Princess, you've looked so horrified for a moment, I almost thought I've turned into a manticore all of a sudden."

Celestia then realized that the dragon was merely pulling her legs. Still, she was more amused than annoyed. However, she put up a poker face towards Spike with faux-irritation. "You're bold to play silly tricks on me, Spike. How long have you been looking up those big words, hmm?"

After a pause, Spike said with an apparent quizzical look. "... I didn't learn any vocabulary for this meeting in particular, Princess. You simply absorbed those big words after a long time being together with people much cleverer than you."

Celestia gave the dragon a wry smile, thinking nothing of his subtle praise. She simply flipped up the booklet, expecting to see mere blank or nonsense. Her eyes widened when she saw actual detailed descriptions of Twilight's activities on each page.

"Spike, so you did record Twilight's activities so meticulously... What for?"

A difficult look briefly flashed on Spike's face. But then the dragon quickly explained. "Sometimes, when you live with someone for so long, you've begun to take her for granted. Every now and then, you have to reacquaint with your loved ones as if they are as interesting as completely strangers. This way, we may truly learn to appreciate them at all times."

Celestia simply looked at Spike with quiet eyes.

Spike seemed to have taken her silence as discontent about his audacious jest. He sighed and said. "Ah, Princess, I admit that I was expecting an interesting reaction from you with this foolishness; If you take offense at that, then I apologize with all my heart."

Offering a defeated smile, he added. "As for the pamphlet, I wouldn't say there is one if I didn't actually write it. I simply can't bring myself to lie to a good, upstanding princess, not least about someone she cares deeply about. And even some drake like me knows that lying to monarchs of the land could have serious consequences."

"That's enough apple-polishing, Spike. You don't have to butter me up, because I don't begrudge you at all."

Celestia chuckled. "But you're of course right about the importance of honesty."

Spike smiled brightly. "Aha, let me be more honest then."

"Hmm?"

Tapping softly on the lacquer side table nearby, he said. "I also think it's a good idea to leave Twilight alone in Ponyville. A young mare like her could certainly use some alone time with her girl friends that she's just made, without having some obtuse male around... and me being the third wheel in general."

He scratched his head in thought. "Or come to think of it, the seventh wheel really. I can only hope that this would help her and her friends grow closer, and she would be a happier pony as a result."

This time, Celestia could no longer hide her look of surprise, and she looked at Spike with a firm nod. "That's quite an astute observation, Spike. It seems that my plan to feed three birds with one seed is exposed."

"I just feel so grateful with your care for Twilight, Princess. The friends she made in Ponyville are all good ponies. They are very worthy companions."

Celestia observed the dragon carefully, who's definitely grown much suaver and more observant compared to the last time she saw him. 

She was no stranger to sudden change in ponies or non-ponies alike, especially when they had to undergo a big shift in a new environment. While she was still a bit bemused how he had grown so guileful in a short period of time, she would not fault the dragon for his behavior. 

Perhaps that's the way he coped, some significant personal events, or even just some sort of natural growth. She was, somewhat embarrassingly, not that knowledgeable about the precise nature of dragon development. Still, she could not be happier to see the dragon mature in mind so quickly, not only for Twilight's but also for his own sake.

However, more pertinent on her mind was Spike's poise. She sensed a thin but persistent sense of melancholy in his words. Something that was out of place for a previously carefree baby dragon. Against all thoughts, this single fact troubled the white alicorn.

She caught onto a possible lead in his words and asked. "... Spike, is Twilight somehow unhappy?"

Spike widened his eyes, and for a moment he looked almost mournful. Eventually though, he said slowly. "It's not so much that she's unhappy, as she's unhappy with me... The breakfast was still great, though."

Slightly thrown off by the dragon's off-cuff culinary remark, Celestia regardless continued. "Did you two argue with each other?"

She said with a sagely smile. "Maybe I can help mediate your differences."

"There's no need, Princess. It's my responsibility alone, and I will patch things up myself."

He raised the cup towards the alicorn and said with some cheek. "What's there for me to learn, if our wise princess sweep in and solve the problem right away? Let this little dragon do his thing first, please?"

He doesn't want to talk, it seems, Celestia thought sadly.

She still smiled outwardly and said. "Very well then."

Spike again took out another pile of notes. This time it was much thinner than his records on Twilight's activities. 

"Princess, I have done my homework about dragons, and this delegation in particular."

Celestia raised a brow at the change of topic. "Oh?"

"If you wish for me to stay quiet, I'll definitely not overstep my marks. After all, the mere sight of a dragon by your side would greatly boost the image of inclusiveness of Equestria, and would certainly warm many a dragon heart."

"... That's what I'm aiming for, indeed."

"Princess, I know you to be an immensely wise pony, and your dealings are wise as well. The dragon race seems to have played a marginal role in Equestrian society. If they can indeed be persuaded to get warmer with ponykind, and even further integrate, then it would do tremendous good... Not only in terms of the city economy, but also for the image of Equestria abroad - especially to the great Dragon Lord in the east."

Celestia's soft gaze turned hard, as Spike continued. "His underlings, as I have discovered through research, sometimes brandish the fact that dragons living with ponies are almost segregated to badmouth us-"

Spike gave Celestia a cursory look, and suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech. He then said neutrally. "... Anyway, although it's a matter of course, I must still applaud your excellent move that might bring dragons and ponies closer together."

Celestia maintained her smile but kept silent. She was certainly flattered by Spike's words, but she also felt unease. She would never admit it publicly, but she was not that used to someone detailing her political shrewd so accurately and bluntly in front of her, not least because it was a drake that was a mere suckling in age compared to her. Spike was being unnervingly good at identifying and dissecting political matters for her comfort.

The dragon, on the other hand, flipped through the delicately written notes and continued. "Princess, I wonder if you might be so kind... to let me have some time with these brothers of mine by myself."

Celestia let out a hum of surprise.

"I long to meet all kinds of dragons in the world, but these Fillydelphian dragons are certainly a curious bunch. As far as I know, they prefer to keep it to themselves in their little town. I'm particularly interested in the reason why they settled down rather than roaming the land like their brethren. Perhaps it would shed some light on my way of life here as well."

"Oh."

The white alicorn gave out a smile of understanding. With his growth came the curiosity about his fellow kind, that was natural. 

"Then perhaps you don't need to ask them, Spike. I know why they're the only settled dragons in Equestria."

The dragon slightly leaned forward. "I'm all ears."

"The ancestors of these Fillydelphian dragons came from a far away land, much more east than the volcanic seat of the Dragon Lord. That's why they also have different cultural practices compared to the other dragons, despite their physiological similarity. They came... shortly after the banishment of Luna, apparently fleeing their homeland due to famine and invasion."

Spike mulled. "I presume that there were some sensitive reasons, as I have failed to glean anything related to their arrival from the records."

Celestia slowly nodded. "You... are not wrong. Back then, the Dragon Lord refused to take them in as refugees, because even though they're dragons, they didn't even speak Draconic or Equestrian. The Dragon Lord might become offended if we publicize this act of inter-draconic disunity."

Spike's expression was tumultuous. "And what might be the true reason for the Dragon Lord to do so?"

The white alicorn raised her brows. "From what I've remembered, he merely disliked their strange ways."

The doubt on the dragon's face cleared, replaced by a sad expression. "... Plain old fear of the unknown."

"Hm?"

Spike quickly waved his claws. "Apologies, I'm just mumbling."

"I see. So they then drifted helplessly to Equestria. Despite the language barrier, I have noticed that they're noticeably more... pliable than the other dragons. Therefore I agreed to take them in. After we spent great efforts in teaching them our language, they'd been granted charter for a plot of land some way away from the then-tiny Fillydelphia, and a treaty of friendship was signed. They have regardless kept true to their ways for centuries, up to this day."

Spike nodded and supplied. "So when Fillydelphia was merely a small seaside village, it was not a problem. But as the city ballooned into a metropolis, the isolated and unique Dragon Town became encased within other districts, and that's when matters become tricky."

He leaned back onto the couch and continued. "And even though the then Dragon Lord had refused them entry, it would be politically expedient for them to claim brotherhood now with fellow dragons living deep within pony territories, whether to extract gifts by honeyed words, demand tribute by threatening claws, or even recruit agents of intrigue."

Celestia wordlessly nodded. Although she still felt surreal by having an in-depth historical and political discourse with the small dragon, she must admit that it was refreshing to have someone who can hold this kind of conversation on the same level as her. 

"I thank you very much for your explanation, Princess. This is most illuminating to hear."

Spike smiled and waited for a response. When nothing came through, he said with a low voice. "Princess, I'm pretty sure this is why you choose this time to summon their leaders - this meeting coincides with the conclusion of their annual dragon boat race, meaning that they would be in a festive mood. This is a good opportunity to show that Equestria does welcome dragons, among other non-pony races, into the Equestrian society, and we're willing to celebrate their culture along with ours. While my presence as the first ever dragon courtier should be seen as a positive signal in itself, I think more can be done."

Celestia asked. "You mean...?"

"I can be more than a mascot."

The white alicorn was immediately uncomfortable. The reason for Spike's loquaciousness now became entirely clear - he probably wanted to show that he was perfectly capable of thoughtful diplomacy. 

However, she was more troubled that the dragon was so blunt about her implicit role for him. She quickly said. "You're much more than a mere token, Spike. I care about you as a dragon, no matter you're living in Canterlot or Ponyville."

The dragon looked surprised at the declaration, his resolve seemed jolted for the first time since he entered the room. He quietly took in a breath and said. "... Princess, you're much more than just a princess to me as well."

Celestia genuinely smiled. She was relieved that beneath the layers of couched platitude and diplomacy, the dragon still seemed truly fond of her on a personal level.

Spike's mood was visibly improved as well. "So Princess. Although time is tight, I have some suggestions regarding things that I can add, in order to make the reception better than it already is."

Spike took out a small piece of note and smilingly nodded. "Let's begin with the event rundown, shall we?"

Celestia looked at the emerald green eyes of the dragon, and grinned back with a curious look.

"My interest is really piqued, Spike."