Busy royal servants cantered across the main hall of the Canterlot Castle, setting up the tables and exotic decors towards the last minute. The drapes of the hall were accompanied by arrays of curiously-shaped lanterns and delicate crafts of draconic symbols.
Standing atop the staircase, the small dragon shook the cuffs of his trimmed sleeves.
It's been a while since I was fit for a proper piece of clothing. He mentally quipped. Almost as queer as the feeling of blankets.
A gentle yet authoritative voice then rang by his ears. "There's so much red and gold here, don't you think?"
The dragon turned to find Celestia smirking at him. "I'd thought that you'd like some purple and green instead."
"As much as I'd want to indulge myself." The dragon gently joked, then explained. "But to them, purple is a color of divine unknown, something that is far away and ageless. Red and gold, on the other hand, are simpler symbols of happiness and prosperity. Things that gets dragons and little ponies onto the streets... to sing, to dance, and to laugh."
Celestia raised her brows. Spike knew the princess was wise enough to understand the words left unsaid. As expected, she said smilingly. "Very appropriate, then."
Spike politely nodded, yet his focus was at the entrance. The ornate door creaked open, and in came two royal guards, who were leading a procession of guests.
A saffron-colored dragoness with bright jade eyes crossed gazes with him, and was visibly surprised to see another dragon by the side of the princess.
So strange, yet here they are before my eyes. Spike suppressed his urge to scowl. The ersatz prodigies of Fourteen Fires, cladded in ersatz Yi-Tish attire, led with a dragoness with Yi-Tish colors.
He lowered his head in thought. The Fillydelphian dragons were different, yet so strangely reminiscent of the scions of the Golden Empire on his travels east.
Dragons were undoubtedly symbols of Valyria in the world beyond. However, the Yi-Tish were no strangers to dragons as well. A Yellow Emperor once brought a Valyrian noblewoman, along with her dragon, to his Imperial court. That was a thousand years ago in Westerosi time, before his arrival at the Dragonlord's castle.
In his effort to prepare for these dragons' arrival, he had made sure not to draw unwarranted parallels by consulting multiple Equestrian records, especially since he was trying to inspire some confidence from the princess on this trip.
But while some differences existed, it was how there were so many shared themes and traditions that amazed and perplexed him. Were these merely bizarre coincidences, or more?
He bit his lips. He searched for some rationalization, as he always did. Yet the same line of thoughts had led him nowhere.
Ever since he was back, he had tried not to let what he had gone through tie him down too much. It might be a lifetime for him, but it was just a flicker of candlelight for everypony around him. And he cared about them, just as he cared about the people he once looked after.
However, the princess's invitation unsettled him. What he found about these dragons provoked him. He did not know how much of that was a mystery, and how much of that was his futile desperation for closure.
And I kid myself if I, of all dragons, say the past can be just put down.
While the purple dragon mulled, the other dragons behind the dragoness simply stared with amazement at the replica model of the Fillydelphia Friendship Arch at the entrance. It was an Eastern oddity among the fluid and dreamy architecture of the Canterlot castle, but the guests were simply too taken by the respect paid by the host.
After the visitors entered the great hall, the guests seemed to be even more astonished to find a dragonboat model, modest in size but delicate in design, hanging from the ceiling. Rocking gently, the paper blades of the paddle frolicked in the breezes, as if the boat was airborne.
"Spike?"
The dragon abruptly rose from his deep thoughts and turned. "Yes, Princess?"
"You went awfully quiet. Is there anything wrong?"
"Sorry. I was just deep in thought."
The solar Alicorn glanced at the dragon, and sighed sadly. "It might be a good thing for me to arrange a meeting between Twilight and you after all."
Spike was surprised that the princess brought up the matter with Twilight again. While the wise white Alicorn had mistaken the source of his concern, it certainly did not diminish the heartrending issue of his awkwardness with the purple unicorn. His glower deepened, and he put his paw to his temple.
"We can talk about this later." He finally said, hiding his heavy heart behind an unflappable look. "I must thank you again for everything. If not for you, Princess, no royal servant would listen to a small dragon blabbering about weirdly-shaped arches or thin rowing boats."
"If I don't see merit in your plan, I'd not agree to it in the first place. You've been too modest since you arrived, Spike."
"Not at all."
"You should relearn to take credit where it's due." Celestia gently teased. "I still remember back then, you boasted about your first successful magical fire breath to me and Twilight... for a whole month. You were such a little ball of pride."
The dragon acknowledged with an amiable grin, releasing the tension in the air. However, he reflexively second-guessed her intention, wondering if it was again a probe to highlight his perceived changes. He then dismissed the thought, a bit frustrated that he ever thought badly of the kindly Alicorn, even in a moment of pleasant nostalgia.
Servant ponies began to spread out from the side, bringing out specially tailored exotic dishes of all kinds. Some were steamed, glittering in their milky white, and others were fried, red like dragon flame and rugged like their scales.
Spike then noticed Celestia's small smirk. "I never knew my royal chefs can do these kinds of interesting dishes."
"It's Chef Gaspard's handiwork. He's certainly a cook of the highest calibre." The dragon dutifully explained. "Even when certain ingredients are not... readily available in Equestria, he suggested perfect substitutes based on my vague recount. Monsieur Gaspard certainly works magic with his claw and on our tongues."
Celestia heartily laughed. "Gaspard. I should've known it's him. He's the culinary pride of Griffonstone, and obtaining his service should count as one of our greatest diplomatic achievements in recent years."
She then turned curious. "But Spike, how did you convince him to cook all these dishes for you?"
Spike asked with a faux-innocent look. "What do you mean?"
"Gaspard is no simple chef. He takes pride in creation of all dishes, which he sees as art. Not even I could order him to cook something specific... although that never stopped him from cooking something perfectly to my tastes."
"He certainly has a philosophy about how cooking should be done." Spike raised a brow with amusement, calling back to the eventful encounter in his mind. "The horror on his face when I told him to deep-fry some mashed clam in dough... I thought he might be the rare vegetarian griffon, but turns out that he was just aghast about the 'uncouth' way of handling food."
Celestia stared at the dragon with interest, seemingly wanting to know how Spike managed to convince Gaspard anyway. But before she could ask further, a red-suited pony pushed out a trolley from the kitchen, on which a octagonal tower of fire opal was arranged neatly.
The dragon then gestured forward, signaling that the guests were coming up the stairs.
---
"Welcome to Canterlot, dragon representatives from Fillydelphia." Celestia's steady gaze swept across the dragons. "I trust that your journey here is smooth and peaceful."
"Your Highness, we thank you for the security you provided on our way here." The dragoness curtsied. "I'm Wilma, community organi-"
"Ehhh? Where is Princess Luna? I really want her autograph!" Another dragoness, visibly younger and with a slightly more pinkish color scheme, whined aloud. When everyone turned their glances at her, she promptly covered her mouth in embarrassment.
Wilma leaned in and whispered something quickly into the other dragoness's ear. Family. Sisters, perhaps? Spike surmised.
The elder dragoness then quickly turned and apologized. "Princess Celestia, I'm sorry for Mina's outburst. She's just longing to see Princess Luna, as she is quite her fan."
Celestia nodded. "No offense taken. Although she's not present in Canterlot right now, I'm sure Luna would have appreciated such kindly affection from our subjects."
The dragon then cleared his throat, and curtsied. "Hello, Wilma, Mina and everyone. I'm Spike, a dragon in the Equestrian court, and I join Princess Celestia today to offer you our warmest welcome."
Wilma gauged the smaller dragon, and returned a careful greeting. "I'm Wilma, community organizer of the Fillydelphian Dragon Town. We represent the good will of the Equestrian dragon community on this festive day."
"I see." Spike nodded. After a deliberate pause, he asked with a grin. "So... Have you eaten?"
The dragon entourage then looked visibly more relaxed, to Spike's satisfaction and Celestia's seeming surprise. Even the previously stoic Wilma broke into a smile. "We're going to, naturally. This is what we're here for."
Mina's laugh was even more cheery. "Of course we came with empty bellies! We heard that we have a proper royal lunch today!"
"That's great." Spike smiled. "Princess Celestia has worked hard to make sure that you all feel like home away from home."
"Thank you." Wilma curtly acknowledged.
Mina was more excited. "Everything is so nice! And wow, I've never expected we would see a Friendship Arch in Canterlot too!"
Wilma looked up with attention, and Spike said. "Yes, we in Equestria want to keep the friendship between ponies and dragons strong and sturdy, just like the Friendship Arch."
"We stand by our words, be it now or a thousand years ago." Celestia added.
The dragoness slightly tilted her head, seemingly judging Celestia's sincerity. It was when Spike stepped forward and interrupted. "Let's talk this over our meal, shall we? There is nothing that can't be discussed on a lunch table."
Wilma widened her eyes, but she nodded with her dragon companions. "Of course."
As they led the guests to the tables, Celestia lowly whispered to Spike. "... Why the insistence?"
"Yes?"
"You seem to be postponing the actual talk intentionally. Asking to talk over food and such."
"Oh. Food and drink is a bigger part in Eastern life than ours." Spike whispered back. "They don't greet each other by asking if they had a good day, but whether they've had their meals."
"Ah, no wonder. I'd always thought that was just a general fixation on food."
"Unlike their more domineering cousins from the Dragon Lands, those from further east seem to like to draw things out, and make everything out to be an elaborate ritual. Directness will be seen as desperation, instead of sincerity."
"I wasn't fully aware that there is such a subtle cultural difference even among dragons." Celestia quietly remarked, as the first dish of the day was served.
Spike nodded, and then raised his cup to the guests with a grin. "Bon appétit!"
A rapturous chorus of cheerful voices replied in unison. "Let's eat!"
---
The crunchy voice of gem crushing reverberated around the lunch table. Informal chatter filled the air, as the guests and hosts mingled with cursory talks about their daily lives.
Celestia patiently sipped her cup of black tea, while Spike leaned over to pour some yellow wine for Wilma and Mina. The elder dragoness nodded graciously, raised her glass, and signaled her younger sister to come on up as well. Mina, however, looked slightly hesitant.
"Easy there." Spike chuckled. "It's true that Mina is a bit young to drink. So am I, actually. The yellow wine can be quite strong."
"Still, etiquette is etiquette-" Wilma coughed, and almost glared at Mina.
"A sip would do, a sip would do." Spike picked up a sweet roll, glittering in powdered sugar and stuffed with white alabaster, and tore it up. "We are like one big Equestrian family here around this table, and family don't have to stand on ceremony all the time."
Wilma let out a breath, and took a sip of the wine with a determined look.
"So, if we're like family, is it also true that dragons... are as valued as ponies here in Equestria?"
"Of course." Celestia said after a glance from Spike. "Equestria might've started out as a federation of pony races, but she welcomes anyone that abides by her values of peace and harmony."
"I'm very glad to hear that." Wilma dried her lips with a towel. "I must say, from the bottom of my heart, this is honestly the most respectful and culturally sensitive reception we've ever seen yet from the royal government."
"You're very welcome. As Spike said, we want to make Equestria feel like a home for everyone."
"We're always grateful to you, Your Highness. You were the one who gave us a helping hoof, when we were driven from our lands and drifting across the Celestial Sea."
Wilma's smile turned into a slight frown. "But back in Fillydelphia, we sometimes encounter... unwelcome attitudes and restrictions."
"Such as?" Spike asked, knowing that this was the crux of the meeting.
"Speak at will, my dragon subjects." Celestia added.
Wilma hesitated, before nodding. "Ponies around us, bless their hearts, are mostly polite to us. But there has always been an unfounded fear that we're pyromaniacs."
She sighed. "The city grew around us, and with that come its laws and regulations. Dragons are restricted from owning lands and homes outside of the Dragon Town, because some ponies feel that we would burn the neighborhood down, or scare their foals, or drive down the property prices."
"Is that legal?" Spike asked with an almost rhetorical tone.
Celestia looked thoughtful. She gazed at Spike long and hard, and then turned to the guests and explained. "... The constituent cities of the Kingdom of Equestria have wide-ranging power and freedom to make their own laws. Land use within the cities is certainly one of them."
Wilma too let out a sigh, as she quietly observed the solar sovereign's couched response. "Princess, while we appreciate the ample respect that you gave us, we'd love to see something more tangible. We're a growing community, and we are living like squashed sardines in a can, without being able to expand."
She worriedly added. "Our infrastructure is old, and most roads are unpaved. City officials claimed that they don't feel safe enough to come to maintain things. We huddle together in crowded houses, and the low-lying areas we live often flood. We're even mocked by our free-ranging cousins for keeping to our lifestyle, despite the living conditions."
"Worry not, Wilma." Celestia suddenly smiled. "Spike and I have already discussed the situation. He already suggested to me some remedies to mitigate it."
"You did?" Mina widened her eyes, darting quickly to and from the small dragon and the Alicorn. Even Wilma looked shocked, as her grievance had already been brought up by this unknown dragon in the court.
Celestia tapped Spike's shoulder, and he said with a reassuring tone. "It'd not be an easy task to change attitudes all of a sudden, and it would even be harder to change laws and regulations, especially in the Kingdom's constituent cities. But we can always start somewhere, with everyone's participation."
"Such as?" Wilma asked intently.
Spike inhaled, and began softly. "On the matter of misperceptions, mediation from a neutral third-party, coupled with some nudging in the public media, might prove useful building our case, that's why..."
---
The talk was surprisingly quick. As Spike patiently explained, whatever little objection from the delegation was artfully assuaged. Before long, attention was returned to the fine dishes on the dining table.
After the welcoming lunch, the guests were then led to the castle balcony, on which they viewed the Royal Guards fiercely rowing and drumming on the wide castle moat, competing against each other. The two hosts stayed behind, content to observe the satisfied guests from afar.
"Best of luck to your coming trip to Filly, Spike."
Celestia offered the dragon an appreciative smile. "I'm so glad that you're here to tell me their concerns beforehoof and defuse them."
"Glad to help, Princess." Spike bowed. He briefly thought about what to look for in his destination that might help clearing his doubts. "I'm even gladder to be allowed to mingle with my kind as an aside. I'll adhere strictly to my given power as the special envoy to Fillydelphia."
"You have my full confidence after this showing of planning and preparation."
Celestia then chuckled. "I also like how you dangle the prospects of meeting Luna in front of that young dragoness, while prompting them to focus on pony-oriented services. That certainly softened the elder sister a bit, and removed any of my lingering doubt of your persuasive skills."
Spike joined in the chuckle, but decided to keep quiet.
"So, with our official duty today coming to an end." Celestia then softly prompted. "How about we then resume our... earlier talk?"
Spike grew tense, a feeling that had been few and far between after he had grown. He suspected he was nervous of letting the princess know what made Twilight so agitated, and from there things would get out of control.
Then again, if it all came to roost, the long-lived Alicorn was perhaps the one who would probably most understand him. If so, what exactly troubled him so greatly? He asked himself, almost like in vain.
Sounds of padded horseshoes knocking on the hall floor approached them, and he turned to find Praiseworthy, the royal butler, again. The unicorn quickly curtsied. "Your Highness, Mister Spike."
"What might be the matter, Praiseworthy?" Celestia asked. "Is there anything that I have to deal with at the moment?"
"Not at all, Your Highness." Praiseworthy again curtsied. "I've only just picked up an apparently very urgent mail from Ponyville, directed to Mister Spike at the Royal Mail Center. I figured that it might be better that I brought to his attention as soon as possible."
Spike immediately straightened, as he asked. "Very urgent?"
Praiseworthy silently elevated the letter and carefully lowered it into Spike's claws. The dragon originally thought it strange that the urgency could be gleaned from an envelope, as even the most urgent express mails were presumably numerous in the royal castle. It was then he saw numerous conspicuous red markings of URGENT all over it, even in different fonts. So obviously Pinkie. He wryly thought.
He deftly opened the envelope, and within it was a letter clearly written by somepony else. It's from Fluttershy... Spike frowned, and the frown merely grew deeper as he read on.
"... Spike?" Celestia asked.
Spike abruptly raised his head, clutching the letter tightly. His frown cleared, making way for a look of determination. "I'm sorry, Princess. I must take leave for several days before my trip to Fillydelphia."
"Back to Ponyville, I assume?" Celestia said, her tone almost too understanding.
"Yes." Spike was forthright. He deeply inhaled, and then turned to Celestia with a most serious look.
"I have some unfinished... friendship lesson to deal with."