9
“I now call this meeting of the Conference of Non-Ponies,” Ember declared as she watched the assembled representatives settle down, “So… what now?”
“I move we change the name,” Pharynx said immediately, “It sounds stupid.”
Ember sighed, pinching the bridge of her snout, “Do I hear a second?”
“Aye!” the other representatives agreed.
“Great,” the Dragon Lord grumbled, “Any bright ideas, Pharynx?”
“The Swarm?” he suggested.
“Not all of us our part bug. Next!”
“How about…” the donkey representative, Negative Nelson, tapped his chin, “the National Association for the Advancement of Non-Ponies?”
“That sounds very professional,” Ember nodded, but her voice was laced with sarcasm, “except we aren’t a nation! Come on, guys! Put some effort into this!”
“The Non-Pony Alliance?”
“The Griffonstone Bloc?”
“The Colony?”
“Non-Ponies Matter Too?”
“Griffons and Friends?”
“The Hive?”
“The Society of Non-Ponies?”
“The Confederation of Griffons and Others?”
“Enough!” Ember snapped, running out of patience, “Pharynx, quit suggesting bug-related names, and Grigori, stop making everything about griffons! The other names capture our group, but they all sound so… boring!”
The Dragon Lord sighed, clawing at her face. Why couldn’t Thorax be there to come up with a name? He was creative, and he knew how to phrase things in such a way that no one would feel left out. Instead she had Pharynx.
“Prince Rutherford, you’ve been quiet,” Ember said after a moment of silence, “Do you have an idea?”
“Yaks use simple names for bodies politic,” Rutherford rumbled, “We not get bogged down so much. One title that work best for large groupings is horde.”
“The Horde, huh?” Pharynx rubbed his chin, “That sounds similar to a swarm. I could get behind that.”
“It also sounds like herd,” the zebra representative, Zashara smiled, “it is catchy and not absurd.”
“Us camels also travel in herds,” the camel representative, Desert Breeze, said, “It makes me feel comfortable, at least. What about the species here who don’t travel in herds, though?”
“The griffons have a strong warrior culture,” Grigori nodded, slowly, “Legends speak of fending off hordes of enemies, so there is certainly a militant element we can appreciate.”
“I think it sounds pretty cool,” Ember smiled, “Sounds like hoard, actually – like a treasure hoard – and dragons love those.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s copyrighted, though,” Negative Nelson pointed it out, “Isn’t it the name of that group in those comics?”
“Oh yeah…” Ember deflated, “Darn, that was a cool one, too.”
“If not acceptable, we use Old Yakish word,” Rutherford said, “Orduud.”
“The Ordu, eh?” Ember mulled it over, “Alright, same concept, just slightly different. All in favor of calling ourselves the Horde of the Non-Ponies? Or just the Orduud for short? Best of both worlds without any lawsuits.”
“Aye!” the representatives cried, unanimously.
“Great!” the Dragon Lord grinned, “Now, can we get to real business?”
“Fine,” Pharynx agreed, “I move we pledge military support for each other in the event of hostilities.”
“Agreed,” Grigori said, closely followed by Desert Breeze, “I concur.”
“Whoa, wait, military support?” Ember held her hands up, disarmingly, “There hasn’t been a serious conflict for a long time. We’re not going to war with anyone.”
“It’s purely defensive,” Pharynx declared, “It was my understanding this group was formed because the so-called Friendship Summit wasn’t so friendly. We should be willing to defend one another, anyway; that’s how you know you can trust your fellow broodlings.”
“Broodlings?” Ember asked in a deadpan.
“Well, the concept is the same,” Pharynx waved a hoof, dismissively, “We come from warrior lineages, and I figure the best way to build lasting friendship between our lands is through military cooperation. It’ll also keep the ponies from trying anything.”
“They might take it the wrong way…” Ember warned.
“Let them,” Negative Nelson snorted, “My entire region is surrounded by ponies and they come and go as they please, like they own the place. It’d be nice to know that, should they decide to take it, we’ve got friends to help us out.”
“I have few problems with Princess Celestia,” Zashara explained, “but I, too, fear takeover by Equestria.”
“The griffons have already promised aid to Cameloo,” Grigori boasted, “You know where we stand on the issue.”
“It would be impolitic of me not to return the pledge,” Desert Breeze decided.
“Yaks will defend new friends,” Rutherford agreed.
“Okay…” Ember sighed, “I suppose it’d give some of my more aggressive subjects something to do. We can train together, and stuff.”
“Oh man, I can’t wait!” Pharynx cackled, then frowned, “Oh, right… I don’t think my fellow changelings will honor the pact. They’ve all gotten so weak. I mean, they can defend themselves well enough – with my help – but if they were called on to actually fight, well…”
“The changelings are a neutral party, anyway,” Ember said, “We don’t expect you to be involved in a military alliance with either the ponies or us.”
Briefly the Dragon Lord wondered if thinking in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ was a good idea, but she had been the one to push for holding their own meeting and there wasn’t likely to be a return to the old one.
“We should extend an invitation to other non-pony areas,” Desert Breeze suggested, “The buffaloes, for example.”
“Perhaps the hippogriffs?” Grigori offered.
“They’re half-pony and very closely tied to Equestria,” Pharynx explained, “Extend the invitations to every non-pony and see who bites, but I wouldn’t bet on them joining a non-pony-exclusive military pact.”
“I doubt the breezies would be interested, either,” Negative Nelson mused, dryly.
“Alright, so we send out invitations to the other non-ponies,” Ember said. The others looked at her oddly, so she rolled her eyes and tried again, “All in favor of sending invitations out to non-ponies?”
“Aye!” the vote was unanimous.
“At some point,” Ember began with caution, “we should allow ourselves to be open to ponies. I mean, Princess Celestia was willing to accept us, even if the others weren’t; shouldn’t we offer them the same?”
“Ugh, fine,” Pharynx groaned, “All in favor of changing our name to just the Orduud and dropping the non-pony bit?”
“Aye,” the vote lacked its usual enthusiasm.
“And, on that note, I suggest we also send invitations to pony city-states, too,” the dragon added.
This time there was some contentious muttering.
“How would that even work?” Desert Breeze asked, “No pony city-state would turn on another.”
“Yeah, they’d have to understand they’re expected to help us with defense in the event of a war…” Pharynx agreed.
“No they don’t,” Ember smirked, “If we can let the changelings be on both sides, then we can let pony city-states, too. At most, all they have to agree to is neutrality.”
“Bah!” Grigori growled, then relented, “I suppose if it came out to war, having fewer enemies would be just as useful as having more allies.”
“All in favor?” Ember asked.
“Aye,” the others agreed.
“Alright,” Pharynx nodded, “now let’s talk details…”
The others began trading their military capabilities and how best to coordinate their forces in the event of conflict. Ember joined in, feeling almost free talking about her dragons’ natural affinity for combat, but at the same time she felt reservations tugging her heart down. She noticed Prince Rutherford was quiet, but his expression was unreadable. Was this what it had come to? Forming military pacts? She supposed there was no harm in it, though.
After all, it was only right friends defend each other.
…
Spike’s eyes fluttered open. Across from him, leaning back-to-back in deep sleep, were Applejack and Rainbow Dash, one with her hat covering her eyes, the other snoring like a buzz saw. He took in the others as he adjusted to the waking world. Discord was around his position, curled slightly with Fluttershy presumably near his head behind Spike. Trixie was just above him, mumbling in her sleep about being great and powerful. For a party that had started in the park, they had ended up passed out in Twilight’s castle after hours of games, snacks, and fun.
Trying to move to look behind him, Spike felt a pair of forelegs wrapped around him; in response to his movement, they dragged him into a tighter embrace. Spike blushed at the prospect of Rarity snuggling with him, but a drowsy voice near his ear killed that theory.
“Mmm…” Starlight mumbled, “Mr. Snuggles…”
The dragon blushed even more at the prospect of Starlight snuggling with him, the image of her in her assistant’s outfit coming unbidden to his mind. Panicking silently, he managed to slither out of her grip and back away. Looking at her, he felt sad for leaving; her face made a confused, pouting expression as her hooves pawed at the air where Spike had been a moment earlier. She sighed, rolled over and resumed deep sleep.
Looking around, Spike saw Fluttershy cuddling with Discord, the two looking as happy as could be. He also saw Pinkie Pie sleeping in the barrel of candy she had brought for the party, legs jutting out. It had been full, last Spike remembered, but he wasn’t surprised to see it empty with Pinkie sleeping in it… That only left Rarity and Twilight to be found. With nothing better to do in the meantime, he sought them out.
Within a few moments, he found the room they had sequestered themselves in and was about to announce his presence when he overheard them conversing.
“…her greedy hooves all over him!” Rarity was going on, indignantly, “The nerve!”
“I’d almost think you were jealous,” Twilight chuckled.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Twilight,” Rarity scoffed, “The age difference is too much of a problem, and he’s practically immortal, isn’t he? I’ll be… you know… long before he is. Plus, he’s more like family at this point.”
Spike cocked his head to the side. Who were they talking about?
“I don’t think dragons are immortal, per se…” the Princess smirked, startling Spike with the revelation they were discussing him, “I think you’re just jealous he’s been looking at Starlight more than you, lately.”
“Oh, puh-lease!” Rarity rolled her eyes, “Jealousy is so petty! It’s far beneath me.”
“That’s good to know,” Twilight’s grin became entirely mischievous now, “Then you won’t mind he’s joining her on an extended stay in Canterlot.”
“What?!” Rarity snorted, which almost caused Spike to guffaw if he hadn’t covered his snout in time, “W-well, whatever!” A moment later, after cooling her head and listening to Twilight giggle, Rarity asked, “Why are they going to Canterlot, anyway?”
“They’re going to study politics under Princess Luna,” Twilight explained, clearly proud, “To think, my former student is going to continue her education, and now my little Spike is training under a Princess, just like I was! I mean, I’m not sure he’ll stick to the politics, but Luna has a lot she can teach others. I’m sure she can offer some kind of curriculum that would get Spike motivated. I’m so proud of both of them!”
“Oh, that does sound divine!” Rarity giggled, “Spikey-wikey is certainly growing up! Still, I feel sort of sad that he’s leaving, too.”
“That’s right, Sweetie Belle will be going to Canterlot, too,” Twilight said, sympathetically, “When will she and the other Crusaders be leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Rarity teared up, “Why is every pony – and dragon! – leaving me?!”
“Relax, Rarity,” Twilight snorted, levitating a box of tissues to the unicorn, “We had fun all day yesterday, and Spike will be here until next Friday. It’s only Sunday.”
Spike decided this was as good a time as any to reveal himself. Stepping into the light, he feigned tiredness.
“What are you two doing up so early?” he faked a yawn.
“Oh, Spike,” Twilight smirked at Rarity, who glared in reply while drying her eyes, “we were just talking about you, actually.”
“Kindly, I hope,” the dragon chuckled, coming closer. He stopped when he saw the two mares look at him oddly. “What’s wrong?”
“You’ve grown,” the unicorn declared, simply, “It’s not much, but I’d say you’ve grown at least an inch since last night.”
“One and two-fifths, by my estimate,” Twilight said after scrutinizing her charge and doing a walk-around.
“No pony likes a showoff, Twilight…” Rarity muttered.
“Really?!” Spike beamed as he rushed to check himself in the nearest reflective surface. He frowned, disappointed that – aside from appearing a hair thinner – he looked exactly the same. “Are you two messing with me?”
“No, you’ve definitely grown,” Twilight motioned him to stand next to her with her wing, “See? Just last night your eyes were about level with shoulders; now they’re about at my neck…”
“Huh,” Spike clenched and unclenched his claws, looking at his body again, “I thought getting taller would feel different. This is kind of disappointing.”
“I thought dragons grew in proportion to their hoard of goods,” Rarity wondered, reappraising the drake, “I will have to create an entirely new coat for you. Oh, and if you keep growing while in Canterlot, I’ll have to have Sassy Saddles keep you well-dressed. No friend of mine will be without fine attire while in Canterlot!”
“I’ve been doing some more research on dragons,” Twilight said, producing a notepad and quill much to Spike’s chagrin, “I always thought the idea that dragons’ growth was limited strictly to treasure hoards was somewhat lacking. After all, if that were the case, Spike would have grown proportionately with every item he acquired, be it a snack or present, yet he’s stayed the same size for nearly every birthday for the last three years! Except the, uh… incident.”
“Don’t remind me…” the dragon muttered, embarrassed.
“Additionally, some of the dragons we met in the Dragon Lands were the same size on several occasions, despite acquiring more goods,” Twilight explained, “I theorize the growth of dragons isn’t the acquisition of treasure, or even avarice, but rather some kind of magic in their biology that’s strongest when they take things!”
“But Spike hasn’t taken anything,” Rarity pointed out, then looked at the dragon in suspicion, “Have you?”
“No!” Spike said, “Trust me, I learned my lesson.”
“Why in Equestria would he grow, then?”
“I have a theory for that, too,” Twilight snorted as she laughed at her own perceived brilliance, “I suspect dragons must grow naturally as well as with their magic, just at an incredibly slow rate. It’s also possible that having greater control over their lives and more freedom is a form of treasure they can hoard and thus feel the same sensation with.”
After a moment, Twilight smiled, sheepishly.
“So, uh… I guess I could responsible for stunting your growth,” she laughed, nervously, “Sorry, Spike.”
“Well, better late than never, right?” the dragon laughed, good-naturedly, “Perfect timing, too. The Cutie Mark Crusaders have been getting a little too cocky with their height advantage on me.”
“Trying to impress my sister now, too?” Rarity asked with a warning edge in her voice, “Is Starlight not enough?”
“I’m surprised you care,” Spike admitted without malice, “I kinda got the impression you weren’t interested.”
“Yes, well, I’m concerned about my sister,” Rarity huffed.
“I doubt Starlight’s interested, either,” Spike chuckled, “Don’t worry, Rarity. When have I ever not been a gentledrake?”
“I suppose I am being a little foolish,” the unicorn allowed herself to unwind, “Goodness, what am I thinking? You? Do anything untoward my sister? It’s simply unimaginable, truly. Please, forgive me.”
“Oh, it’s just you being protective, Rarity,” the dragon said, “It’s one of your best qualities.”
“I see you’ve still got some charm left for after all,” Twilight giggled, “Now let’s go wake the others. It’s Sunday, so we should probably make the most of it.”
“Wonderful idea, darling,” Rarity smiled, “The weather looked splendid from your balcony – just on the right sight of chilly.”
“Sounds like fun,” Spike beamed.
The three set about waking the others and they prepared for the coming day. Discord was kind enough to produce tea for the waiting ponies and dragon while they waited for the rounds of showering to be done. Only Fluttershy seemed to enjoy the bizarre blends he had created, though, Rarity nearly panicking after his green tea turned her tongue green.
“You should try the ginseng,” Fluttershy recommended, “The teabags actually sing! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Splendid…” Rarity sighed as she looked at her tongue in the mirror, “I can make this work, I suppose…”
“I always thought purple and green go together nicely,” Spike chuckled admiring his own green tongue, “but I might be a little biased.”
Applejack exited the bathroom, spending almost as little time as Rainbow Dash had and looking no less clean. She had graciously offered to go last, and now that she had finished, it was time for them to enjoy the day. After hanging out together most of the day before, everyone decided to spend the Sunday split into smaller gatherings.
“I was thinking of spending some time with Maud today,” Starlight said, “I’ve been a little preoccupied, lately, and I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“That sounds great!” Pinkie bounced closer to Starlight, “We can go together! She’ll be super-duper excited to see us!”
“I think we should spend some time with our sisters,” Applejack nodded at Rarity and Rainbow Dash, “Celestia alone knows how long they’ll be in Canterlot to help with the Cutie Mark problem. I say we spend as much time with them as they’re comfortable with before tomorrow.”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Rarity stated, firmly, “Besides, it has been too long since we’ve gone on one of our famous nature outings.”
“More like infamous,” Rainbow snorted, “You always freak out at getting your hooves dirty, let alone when the usual natural disaster happens.”
“Yeah, you three have horrible luck with camping from what I hear,” Spike chuckled, then tapped his chin, “Actually, that sounds pretty fun. Can I join you?”
“I don’t see why not,” Applejack smiled.
“Hey, Twi, did you wanna tag along, too?” Rainbow asked, “You guys are like sisters. Sort of.”
“I was actually hoping to spend some time with Trixie today,” the Princess said, “if she wanted to.”
“With me?” the unicorn’s eyes widened, “I-I mean, with Trixie? She supposes she has nothing better to do, today, and how is she to deny a date with a Princess?”
A moment of silence passed before the magician realized how that sounded.
“As in a lunch date, not a…” she began, then shook her head, “What Trixie meant to say is, yes; we should hang out today.”
“Great,” Twilight smiled. She wouldn’t hold a slip of the tongue against the magician; after all, hadn’t she said something similarly suggestive Freeday night?
“I suppose that just leaves the two of us, Fluttershy,” Discord smiled warmly at the pegasus, “I hope you’re not too disappointed.”
“Don’t be silly, Discord!” Fluttershy giggled, fluttering her wings briefly, “We haven’t had a proper tea party since you got back from your reunion. I’d love to hear all about it!”
So the ponies, dragon, and draconequus departed in their little clusters, eager to make the most out of the day and continue mending their recent wounds. There were some regrets among them, deep-rooted disagreements and personal slights – all of which should have been addressed and discussed – but this was a happy occasion and they needed to work past it. Sometimes that meant ignoring a problem, burying it, and hoping it would die. ‘Let bygones be bygones,’ so they said.
But some scars ran deeper than they would have liked to admit…
…
Celestia and Luna were enjoying another of their brief breakfasts before they had to part ways. Despite tiredness, Luna was extremely happy for she had received a list of guests the night before in Starlight’s dreams and now shared them with Celestia.
“It will be a pleasure to see Spike once more,” Celestia smiled, brightly, “It is silly of me, but I consider him something like a…”
“Grandson?” Luna suggested.
“Oh, heavens no!” Celestia blanched, “I’m not that old!”
The two alicorns stared at one another tersely before bursting into laughter.
“A pity he does not seem interested in learning politics, however,” Luna sighed, “Starlight and I discussed other topics. I heard he expressed interest in the old ways of chivalry…”
“You are not considering teaching him archaic customs and ways of combat, are you?” Celestia frowned.
“I don’t see why I should not,” Luna said, “He has displayed bravery and dedication, loyalty, honor, and a thousand other noble traits. If you are concerned for his safety, I shall remind you that he has survived countless battles, and will likely be dragged into many more before there is peace. He is a thrice-decorated hero in the Crystal Empire! Frankly, he should have been trained in self-defense long before now.”
“You make a good point, sister,” the older of the two sighed in defeat, “I suppose I’m just in denial that he’s growing up. After a thousand years, it still hurts to see those I care about age so quickly…”
Luna kept her peace. In truth, she wanted to point out that at least Celestia had had the chance to lose those she had gotten to know. Luna had only outlived one particularly close friend; hundreds of others perished while she was banished. Luna bit her tongue, though, for she knew Celestia still grieved over watching the slow decay of the bodies and minds of those she cared for. Luna could sympathize, for she could not imagine witnessing that one close friend as a thousand.
“Spike is a dragon,” she said instead, “he shall live a long time, yet.”
Celestia only smiled before changing to a cheerier topic.
“What of Trixie?” she asked.
“I was wondering that, myself,” Luna said, “From what Starlight has told me, she is not particularly studious, but I have a hunch with a surname like Lulamoon, we’ll find something to bond over.”
“Perhaps you should try introducing her magic relevant to her interests,” Celestia offered.
“She is a magician…” Luna mused, “I haven’t bothered with it in some time, but I was very good at illusion magic.”
“I remember when you pulled that prank on Starswirl!” Celestia laughed in earnest, Luna joining in, “I can still see the look on his face when you tricked him into thinking that coleslaw was pudding!”
They laughed for a moment longer before letting it peter out, sighing contentedly.
“I heard that you began delegating some of your duties for Sunday to the nobility,” Luna noted, “Trying to get some free time?”
“Every pony deserves free time; don’t you think?” Celestia replied, “Besides, I was inspired be you – always talking about letting non-royalty have more responsibility.”
“I’m flattered,” the Princess of the Night admitted, “So… what were you planning for your day off?”
“I was going to try and show Flim and Flam some of the sights of Canterlot,” Celestia explained, “I haven’t been to the cinema in… well, I’m not sure I’ve ever been to the cinema.”
“That sounds quite nice, actually,” Luna confessed, “I don’t suppose you are taking my advice in regards to Flam?”
“Would you take that advice if I gave it to you about Big Macintosh?” Celestia smirked.
“Good point,” Luna conceded, “Tomorrow their studies begin in earnest, yes?”
“That is correct,” Celestia nodded, “They will learn a great many things about ethics, but for today, the lesson shall be one of camaraderie and fun. Perhaps making friends will help them realize they don’t need to rely on scams to make a profit. The Cutie Mark Crusaders will be here late tomorrow, so they can help us come Tuesday.”
“It sounds like it will be a very productive week,” the Princess of the Night yawned, “Excuse me, sister, but I will retire now.”
“Sweet dreams,” the Princess of the Day wished as she watched her sister depart.
In her mind, the ancient alicorn began to contemplate the wisdom of having several former villains and children running around the castle, but she could just have Gutsy Gust keep tabs on their behavior and appoint other chaperones.
There was nothing to worry about.