//------------------------------// // 11: Coming of Age Feast // Story: Memoir of a King’s Master Consort by Sir Spike // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// Every day for a week, Thorax would come to the hospital to stay with me as long as possible. Since I couldn’t move all that much on my own, he was pretty much my only source of entertainment, gossip, and news of what was going on outside of the hospital walls. Honestly, I just couldn’t wait to get out of that bed and be able to test out my wings, let alone move. Up until my liberation, I remember nothing more about that week besides his visits and painkillers being swallowed or injected into my back. Once the wings were dry enough so that they were more durable and my back wasn’t sore, they released me from the hospital. I admit that my muscles were stiff just by walking around and that I quickly began to emphasize Twilight when she first got her wings. It was rather weird at first to have a new set of limbs be moving on their own at times. Especially when I fully understood what having a… wing boner was really like. Anyway, true to his word, Thorax had begun to show me the ins and outs of flying. Though his (and admittingly Twilight’s) help, I was shown the basics of gliding, synchronizing my wings, and learning how to fly at long distances without getting too tired. Soon enough, I was able to get a grasp of what I was doing. We sent a letter to Ember, telling her that I had fully recovered and had a pretty good idea how to fly so she should start preparations for that feast she promised. Thorax and I decided to fly down to the Dragon Lands with his guards in tow. To this day, it amazes me how fast these wings could carry me over vast distances in such a short amount of time. For in the space of a journey in which on my feet would have taken me several days, now I’m able to go from Ponyville to the Dragon Lands in the space of a single day. “You know, I don’t mean to sound rude or anything,” Thorax told me as he was able to get a good look at the land. “But is it me or does this place seem rather… dead to you?” He wasn’t referring to how deserted it all was, quite the opposite because there were indeed dragons that were going about. Rather, as the sun was setting, he was pointing out the lack of plant life. So I replied to him, “Yeah I know it’s not as colorful as the Hive, but you do have to remember that we breathe and bathe in fire so anything that isn’t made out of stone is bound to be turned into ash.” “And where are we going to meet Ember again?” “Oh! That reminds me, you guys better cover your ears for this part.” Once I’ve made sure that all of them stopped their ears with their hooves did I let out a roaring fireball into the sky. Thus getting the dragon’s below their attention that we have arrived. In dragon culture, getting one’s wings is considered an important, yet painful milestone in one’s life. Because of the agonizing process in which said, a dragon gets his wing, it is no surprise that there are some who don’t live through it or have died of infection within a week of having two appendages spontaneously rip your back. It is for this reason that if one did survive the ordeal the week after the wings spirited out that a feast is held in which the other drakes recognize them as strong, enduring adults. So it goes without saying that out of all the meals that I ever had, this particular coming of age feast has always stood out in my memory. For one, it takes place in a hollowed-out volcano, in a chamber that was huge enough to have a practical swimming pool of lava nearby. There were slabs that served as tables to uphold a series of goodies that some of which I have never seen before. Since there were no chairs, everyone ate standing up, picking at the food or downing the bowls of their drinks. And the food itself? To the eyes of a pony, I can imagine that it would be the equivalent of eating a treasury. Because in that chamber was a cornucopia of crushed crystals, sugar-coated diamonds, heated turquoise, hills of sweet rubes with sour sapphires, opal surprise, lava fried citrine, smoky quartz omelets, and pearl soup. But the crown jewel of this feast was the beverage that was being served. It may come to a surprise for most ponies, but the Dragons have invented their own kind of alcoholic drink in which they only make it for special occasions. The exact details of the recipe are a closely guarded secret to those that brew it – yet for those like myself, this coveted drink is simply known as Liquid Fire. I swear to Celestia that it was actually glowing in a golden color that they were drinking ladles from. Of course, I looked into these tubs to see that it really did look like melted gold and yet, it’s not hot in the slightest. “How’s the food?” I turned towards Ember’s voice; she was up against a table that she was chewing on an apple size chunk of crystal. “I never knew that there were so many ways to cook gems before.” “Well that’s what you get for living off of pony food,” she commented. “It tends to limit one's possibilities of making gems even more delicious. Hey, have you tried that?” she pointed to one of the tubs of booze. “What is that stuff made out of anyway? I’ve never seen drinks glow like that before.” She shrugged, “Even I don’t fully know. What little I do know is that the stuff that they used to ferment with is from a type of fruit that is a secret to only those that make this. And it’s always different with every batch as I’m told.” “Different how?” “Well, mostly in the taste of it. Depending on what they put in it, the flavor of each batch is almost never the same twice.” She then looked around, “Hey, where’s Thorax?” After a quick glance around, I spotted him being surrounded in a tight ring of his guards. His head was peeking out as he was exchanging jokes to a few dragons. “He’s over there, getting to know the rest of you guys.” “I noticed that he or any of his guards had touched any of the food.” “To be fair,” I shrugged as I picked up a clawful of quartz to nibble on. “Unless you’re Pinkie Pie’s family, eating rocks isn’t exactly the ideal meal. As long as there’s some trace of love around, Changelings don’t go hungry. If anything, they see eating as a… (what would you call it?) a pastime. I mean sure, they can eat pony food and drinks, but more of mere entertainment than a necessity. Does that make sense?” She then eyed the tub of booze, “I think so. But what about this? I think it’s safe enough for even ponies to drink from without getting a stomach ache. Do you think they’ll be able to drink from it?” “That’s…” I put a free claw to my chin. “You know, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink alcohol. Now that you’ve mentioned it… I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink anything at all except only once back in October.” This was true, in all of the times that I’ve dined with him, almost never once have I ever saw him drink any liquid besides the broth of soups. Even during those times when I would cook for him and set up the table, I’ve hadn’t seen him touch his cup. Nor have I ever seen any of the Changelings drink anything whatsoever (if you didn’t count the nectar they drink on Nightmare Night). “You know what; I should probably ask him about that.” “So how’s his Queen?” Ember asked, “Is she still pregnant?” I nodded, “We’re expecting her delivery to be around September, although it’s still unclear as to how many exactly.” “Can I ask you a personal question Spike?” She rubbed the back of her neck. “If you’re going to ask if you wanted to watch me and Thorax going at it then the answer is no. Lavender is a different story, but that’s beside the point.” Her cheeks turned pink, her jaw hung there for a moment before she shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I’m not gonna ask,” she muttered. “No, that’s not it. Rather, what future plans do you have anyway?” “What do you mean?” “Like… Well, let me answer that question with another question: So now that you and King Thorax are in a relationship, what’s next?” This was actually a good question. At the time I was so focused on the present that I didn’t even consider this. At the time, Thorax and I have tried to see each other as much as we could. In a couple of times since I went to the hive, I wanted to spend more time over there. Plus, considering that his children were on the way, it did make me wonder of how much time I’d be able to see them. So of course, the big question is do I want to move in with him? I told Ember my thoughts about the possibility of moving out, “Well why don’t you?” she asked. “As in, what’s stopping you from doing it? Last I’ve checked, you’re officially an adult, both in ponies and our eyes. You’re cartable of taking care of yourself. You get an allowance from the Equestrian Princesses and to top it all off, you have a mate that’s willing to do pretty much anything you want if you just ask him. Besides, you want to be near him right?” “Well yeah, I see where you’re going with this…” “But?” I sighed, “What about Twilight?” She rolled her eyes, “Spike, if I were her, I wouldn’t have you be my assistant for all of your days. I have seen you grown up into a capable adult, and as such, you ought to make your own decisions. Do remember that Princess Twilight has her students and friends to help her out. I’d say that if you feel at home with your mate, go for it. There’s no one stopping you.” “Hey guys,” I snapped my attention to find Thorax walking up to us. “What were you talking about?” “Just grown-up stuff,” Ember shrugged. “Now since you’re here, mind answering something for us?” He responded that he would. “Do you ever drink anything, like at all?” “Well, we technically can, but we don’t see it as a necessity like you guys.” “Like anything alcoholic?” He and his Changeling guards looked at one another, “Uh… can we?” “I don’t really know,” one of his guards replied. “Far as I know, I don’t think anyling has ever a drop, have any of you guys?” they shook their heads. Ember reached for one of the ladels from the tub. “I guess you guys should try it at least.” “But isn’t it poisonous?” another of the guards inquired. “How would it affect us anyway?” There was a grim pause as they glanced at one another until one walked forward. “I’ll do it.” He took the ladle in his aura before turning to the King, “I’m willing to sacrifice my life for your safety, Your Majesty.” And with that, he immediately brought the mysterious liquor to his lips before he suddenly coughed. “Excelsis!” Thorax called out in alarm, “Are you alright?” “Yes,” he said between coughs. “It just it has a real kick in the mouth is all. Wow, that’s spicy!” One coughing fit later, he recovered, and his fellow guards leaned their necks forward. “How are you feeling?” one of them asked as the one called Excelsis examined himself. “Besides of the unexpected flavor,” he replied. “I don’t feel any different.” “So it’s safe then?” After he nodded and fell back into formation, Thorax took one of the ladles into his own magic and gave it a sip. “Huh, cinnamon,” another sip, “curry, gold leaf, dragon fruit maybe…?” another sip, “It’s like drinking spicy but sweet ice cream. Still, you weren’t kidding,” he turned to the one who sampled it. “It really has a kick, probably would clear up anyone’s sinuses instantly.” It was then that I got an idea, “Hey Thorax, how about we do something interesting?” I took up one of the ladels. “Have you ever played a drinking game before?” “Well not really.” “How about this,” Ember asked before I tasting the Liquid Fire that, while surprising at first for how spicy it was, there was also a sweetness to it too. “Why not you two play an interesting version of ‘Never have I?’ The rules are simple, we’ll have our dragons ask you two a question of something that you have done in the past. If you have done whatever it is, you drink a full ladle.” Needless to say, we both agreed to participate in it. The following account you are about to read comes from Thorax who recalls what happened at that night. For the remainder of this chapter, the following is a transcript of what had happened from his point of view. Due to the amount of alcohol I had that night, he’s the only one to recall the exact details of what happened before I passed out. That night when the Dragons threw Spike that coming of age party, we were challenged to a drinking game. Ember gathered about a dozen or so of them to ask us questions of things we have never done. The rules, as far as I understood it was straightforward if you have done whatever they’ve said, you had to down their drink they’ve mixed up. Of course, at the time, no one knew about how alcohol would affect a Changeling and my guards that were with me were concerned at first. For the most part, they were keeping an eye on the one who had taken a taste of it first and on me. Yet, being a game with Spike in it, I wasn’t the one to refuse. “Alright boys,” Ember said with the dragons behind her. “Whoever doesn’t pass out is the winner.” Just hearing her say that it suddenly made me regret playing this game. But we stood at the tub of Liquid Fire, taking hold of our ladels. “So who wants to go first?” One of them, a red and yellow scaled dragon raised his arm. “How about this, just to start off the game,” he said with a wicked grin. “I have never… lost my virginity to a guy.” Just as I quickly realized how sadistic this game was going to get did me and Spike drank our fill at the same time. There were chuckles from all around while Ember was glaring at the drake that spoke. Another one said, “Oh yeah, never have I had a binding kink.” Embarrassingly, I took a shot. Spike raised an eyebrow, “Wait, really?” I nodded, “Well… yeah, I don’t do it all the time… only for special occasions…” “Oh!” another dragon spoke up, “Never have I worn drag.” After glancing at one another, we both gulped down another ladle full of the spicy liquid. “Wait a minute,” I said towards my consort. “You? Since when?” “I was going to ask you the same thing.” “Changeling, remember?” I deadpanned. “I can change into more than one gender when I have to.” “Oh… Well, I didn’t do it intestinally, Rarity need a model so…” “Huh, that makes sense.” “How about,” another voice called out. “Never have I paid someone to get laid.” With a frustrated sigh, I took a drink, much to Spike’s surprise. “What, you-” “You can blame Chrysalis for that, besides I had to get love somewhere at the time. But I swear that it was only once.” “Oh! I got one!” raised a dragon claw, “Never have I gotten laid with more than one person.” With an embarrassed, blushing glance at one another and the recent memory of what happened about a month prior, we quietly took a shot. This went on for some time, sometimes I would take a drink, sometimes Spike would, or we both would while at other times not at all. Yet, I recall that with every passing drink, my consort was slowly acting funny. Something that I’ve only rarely seen: he couldn’t stand up straight by himself without leaning up against something; his words became muddied and slurred, and he made even less sense the more he drank. At one point of the game, he asked me, “V-vhy you… tipsy noooh?” I remember looking at my reflection in the tub that we’ve been drinking out of and shrugged. “I don’t know. Is something supposed to happen?” In truth, I didn’t feel or act any different than how I started the game. As if whatever was in it didn’t have any effect on me whatsoever, like I was completely immune to the drink. “Never have I done it in a public place,” another dragon called out, and with a grunt, I took a shot. “I gotta say,” I heard one of them comment, “For a King, he sure gets around doesn’t he?” “Oh yeah?” a voice said. “Never have I wrote porn and published it.” Spike took a swig in which as soon as he reached his lips tumbled backward but was still able to stand up. “Uh… are you okay?” I asked him. “You don’t look too good.” “Kousse Ah’mss-uh… G-Good,” he replied, nearly inaudible. “See… I cantstand…” And like a machine that had suddenly lost all its power, he fell over onto the floor. “Spike!” I went over to him. “Spike? Can you hear me?” I felt for his vital signs to find that, thankfully, he was still alive but unconscious. Nothing I did seemed to have woken him. “I believe that we have a winner,” Ember said as she went up to us. “I’m surprised that you drank all of that and you’re still fine. How high is your tolerance anyway?” “Um…” Excelsis, one of the guards who were with us at the time finally spoke up. “Your Majesty, since it’s been over an hour since I took that drink, I can only conclude that while it’s not poisonous, I don’t think that alcohol has any control over us Changelings whatsoever.” “Oh…” the Dragon Lord grimaced. “I wished I had known that before, otherwise, I wouldn’t have suggested the game in the first place since it just put Spike at a huge disadvantage.” “Will he be okay?” I asked her. “Give him overnight, considering all that he drank, he’s gonna wake up with a head-splitting hangover. So he’s gonna feel suicidal by the time he wakes up so you’d better be there for him when he does wake up.” I nodded as we lifted Spike onto my back, and carried his unconscious body to the cave that we were given to sleep at. After I lay him down flat on the even rock, we tried to make sure that he was as comfortable as possible for him. That night while my guards took turns on the lookout over the entrance of the cave, I stood by him, waiting for him to wake up.