//------------------------------// // Training Day // Story: A Passing Through Kamen Rider // by thunderclap //------------------------------// Wyatt stretched, sighing in relief as he was able to move without searing pain coming from his chest. He had been taken to the hospital the other day and the doctor had given him and Spike clean bills of health. Though he had been sure to warn them to take it easy for a while. The only slight dark spot was that Twilight kept dodging the conversation he wanted to have with her. He frowned, trying to consider a way to get her to listen. His train of thought was derailed as he heard a knock at the front door. “I’ll get it!” Spike called, rushing down the stairs. Fixing his spines, Spike jogged over to the door. “Hello!” he greeted, opening the door and smiling brightly. “How can we help you today?” He was greeted by the sight of a middle-aged pegasus mare dressed in a sleeveless shirt and black basketball shorts. Her fur was a yellowish orange and her mane was red with orange streaks going through it. A part of him wanted to call her pretty for her age, but the hardened look on her face killed that idea. “Hello,” she said. “I am Flash Fire, I’m here for the training regimen.” She looked him over with icy blue eyes. “You must be Spike Sparkle.” “Er, Spike Bahamut Sparkle now,” he corrected, shifting under her gaze. “Please come in.” Stepping to the side, he gestured for her to enter. “But, yeah, that’s me.” “My apologies,” Flash replied, walking into the living room. “Do you wish for me to address you by your full name during training? Or is simply Spike fine?” “Spike is fine, the whole thing is kinda’ a mouthful.” Spike closed the door and put his hands to his mouth. “Hey, Wyatt! Twilight! The trainer is here!” Wyatt rushed up the stairs, adjusting his own workout gear. He waved at her and offered her a small smile. “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I’ll try my best with the training, but I don’t exactly have a lot of experience.” Flash Fire looked between them, clasping her hands behind her back. “This isn’t going to be a work out. I’m going to give you two a shortened version of the training guard recruits get, along with more advanced techniques and a few Flash family secrets. This won’t be easy and it won’t be fun.” “I wasn’t expecting fun when I agreed to this, ma’am,” Wyatt assured, motioning between himself and Spike. “But Spike and I are serious about this. Do what you have to to get us up to snuff.” Flash Fire nodded, her expression remaining unchanged. “Very well, gather up anything you think you’ll need and we can begin at once. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what to grab.” Turning to the door, she fluffed her wings. “Meet me in Ghastly Gorge.” Wyatt and Spike shared a look before returning to their rooms to grab their supplies. Once they were ready, Spike led Wyatt to the gorge. The place was bleak, gray stone dominating the area with large holes in the canyon walls. In the distance Wyatt could make out what appeared to be a large bramble patch. They spotted Flash Fire doing stretches in the middle of the canyon. “It’s about time the two of you showed up,” Flash Fire greeted, pulling herself into a standing position. “Now, I need to know everything you’re capable of. Princess Celestia gave me a brief overview, but I want to see it for myself.” Wyatt and Spike exchanged a concerned  look, the young man turning back to her. “And what all was said in this overview?” Wyatt questioned, raising a brow. Flash Fire’s eyes seemed to harden, and she widened her stance. “I’m here to train you to fight monsters, colt. The Flash family can trace our blood all the way back to Flash Magnus. If anyone is going to get you ready, it’s us. That’s why the princess asked this favor of us.” A smirk crossed her muzzle. “And let me tell the two of you, we Flashs have one Tartarus of a standard, so if I’m gonna teach you, I’m going to teach you like Flashs. Is that understood?” Wyatt relaxed, nodding at her. “I understand completely, ma’am. Like I said before, you’ll get nothing but my best effort.” Setting his things down, he gave her an unsure look. “But, what did you mean by seeing what we’re capable of? Like a sparring match or something?” Flash Fire’s smirk grew, and she dropped into a fighting stance. “Quick on the uptake, colt. I want you two to try and knock me down.” Spike placed his own bags down, looking between Flash Fire and Wyatt. “Well, uh, I’ve just been following my instincts, ya know? I really don’t know how to fight.” “I’m not much better,” Wyatt offered, dropping into a stance of his own. “I’ve been mimicking moves from Kung-Fu movies and rider series. But that’s why we’re here. You don’t ask for training if you’re a master.” “Right...” Spike rubbed his neck, pulling Medajalibur from his pack. “Do we use weapons or just ours limbs?” he asked, glancing from the blade to Flash Fire. “We’ll stick to hand to hand for now,” Flash Fire answered, holding her stance. “I’ll bring some weapons for next time and we can practice sword techniques then. Now both of you, come at me.” Wyatt glanced at Spike, motioning with his head at Flash Fire’s side. When he was sure that Spike got the message, he rocketed towards Flash Fire. When he got in close, he spun on his heel and tried to kick the mare in her left side. Flash Fire caught his leg and spun on her hoof. With a heave, she tossed him towards Wyatt. Wyatt sidestepped the dragon flying towards him, wincing as Spike crashed against a rock. He helped the drake to his feet and the two rushed towards the mare. Spike tried to punch her in the gut while Wyatt attempted to kick her in the ribs. “Come on, be creative.” Flash knocked aside Spike’s fist and expertly grabbed Wyatt’s leg. Raising her elbow up, she brought it down on his knee before throwing him into the dirt. Wyatt hissed in pain, his knee throbbing with his heartbeat. He managed to pull himself to his feet, gritting his teeth to ignore his knee. Spike tried to follow up with an elbow of his own, only to catch a knee in the gut. “You two really are green,” Flash commented as she roundhouse kicked Spike in the side. “I guess we’ve been getting lucky with you two.” That struck a chord with Wyatt, his gaze hardening. The worst part, he agreed with her. An idea struck him, his eyes landing on Flash’s wings as they remained firmly on her back. He ran around the mare, trying to kick her in one of the feathery appendages. “See? That’s much better,” Flash complimented, ducking under his leg. She spread her wings, whacking him in the thigh. “Don’t be predictable,” she coached, ramming her shoulder into his gut. Wyatt staggered for a moment, trying to grab her shoulder and pull her to the ground. His efforts were rewarded with a face full of feathers, and a sweep to the legs. A grunt passed his lips as he landed on his back. “Not a bad thought,” Flash offered, planting a hoof on Wyatt’s stomach. “An opponent’s options are limited while on the ground.” She applied pressure to his stomach, getting a grunt from the young man. “But your attempts were sloppy and had no technique to it.” She held a hand up to stop Spike’s next attack. “That’s enough for now.” Getting off Wyatt, she brushed her fur off. Wyatt rubbed his stomach as he got to his feet. “What, bored of handing our asses to us already?” Tsking at his dirty clothes, Wyatt did his best to get the dirt off. “What now, Flash Fire?” Flash Fire chuckled, putting her hands on her hips. “I’ve seen you at your basic level, now show me what you can do when you’re all suited up.” Moving over to the side, she took a seat. “Go on, entertain me.” Wyatt was going to question her methods, but decided against it in order to stay on her good side. In a moment, he summoned up his driver and he was standing in his Decade armor. Spike quickly followed suit, donning his TaToBa form. Spike grabbed Medajalibur and gave it a flourish before pointing it at Wyatt. “You ready?” Spike asked, taking a step forward. A beat past and he leapt forward, slashing his blade at Wyatt’s chest. Wyatt rolled out of the way, unfolding his card case into its blaster mode. He rose to a kneeling position and let loose a volley of shots at Spike. Sparks flew off of Spike’s armor and the drake staggered back a step before planting his feet firmly. An idea struck Wyatt as he pulled out a pair of cards. He slotted the first one and pressed the handles on his driver. “Kamen Ride: Faiz!” the belt called out, Wyatt’s armor shifting. The main color became black with a silver chest piece that had red highlights. Two small, silver shoulder pads had a red stripe on the sides of them. Red lines went down from the stomach and to the boots. The helmet was dominated by two yellow, orb-like eyes that were divided by small red antennae. Wyatt rose to his feet, showing off the other card. “Hey Spike, you remember that comic you lent me where the protagonist has a robot companion?” “Yeah, why?” Spike asked, eyeing Wyatt suspiciously. Reaching into his medal container, he pulled out a few more, taking a step back. ‘I don’t know what this rider does, better get a plan together.’ Wyatt dropped the card into the driver and pushed the handles together. “Attack Ride: Auto Vajin!” Silhouettes formed in front of Wyatt before converging together and solidifying into a mecha. It stood a couple heads taller than Wyatt, and the majority of its body was made up of silver metal. Its head resembled a motorcycle helmet and its eyes were made up of a black visor. On its chest was a red and yellow symbol that resembled Wyatt’s helmet. In its left hand was a large tire that had a series of gun barrels along it. “No real reason,” Wyatt replied, pulling a thin fencing saber from one of the handlebars on the mecha’s shoulders. “Oh that’s just messed up, Wyatt,” Spike groaned, medal combinations buzzing through his mind. “Right, I got this.” Swapping his medals around, he scanned them, stabbing Medajalibur into the ground. “Unicorn! Unagi! Sasori!” Wasting no time, he cracked his whips, sending one onto the mecha’s gun arm. “I gotta ask though, is that thing ground or what?” Smirking under his helmet, he sent as much voltage as he could into the machine. Sparks flew around the mecha, and it writhed as it tried to free itself from the whips. Wyatt tsked, slicing at the whips. The action caused the electricity to spread to him for a moment. “You’re just jealous that you can’t summon your own mech,” Wyatt retorted, turning his attention to Spike and stabbing at the drake’s chest. “Why would I want to?” Spike countered, blasting Wyatt back with a blast of magic. “I don’t need add ons to put up a good fight.” Releasing the mecha from his whips, Spike swung his leg out, one of the sasori chains wrapping around the mecha’s ankle. “What’s that saying about heavy things falling over?” The mech seemed to sense what was about to happen, pointing its gun arm at Spike, the tire beginning to spin rapidly. After a moment, a hail of bullets rushed towards the drake. Spike let out a yelp of surprise, leaping as far as the chain would allow him. Wyatt stabbed at the chain that bound his mech, shattering it after a few attempts. He then nodded at the mech, the two of them trying to flank Spike. “Okay come on, think...” Spike muttered, glancing between his two opponents. “I might feel this later but, how about a pink combo?” Convincing himself it’d be fine, he swapped his medals out once more, slotting the pink medals into the belt. He ran the scanner over the medals, dropping into a stance. ”Unicorn! Pegasus! Earth Pony!” Spike’s driver called out, a tune starting to play. ”UniSaPo, UniSaPo, Uni-Sa-Po!~” Unlike the strain he felt when using the black combo, Spike felt... calm. A kind of serenity he had never felt before washed over him, casting away his worries and anxieties. He took a breath, letting the feeling spread through him. The head and chest peices of his armor remained as they had when he’d used the Unicorn and Pegasus medals before. His legs sported large pink greaves, with thick armor around his feet that made them resemble hooves. The emblem on his chest displayed one unified image: an alicorn with wings spread and horn held high. Wyatt clicked his tongue, eyeing the pink wings on Spike’s back. “Well, I’m at a distinct disadvantage,” he muttered, his eyes drifting to his case. He pulled one out, putting it into his driver. “But not for long.” “Displaced Ride: Cassie!” In an instant, Wyatt’s armor changed and he spread electrical wings of his own. Clapping his wings, Spike took to the sky. Reveling in the feeling for a moment, Spike moved his hands in upwards motion. All around him, transparent, pink butterflies formed and swarmed around him. It took Wyatt a second to recognize them as the image of Fluttershy’s cutie mark. Wyatt braced himself, wondering what Spike could be up to with such a move. Surprise took over his apprehension, as Spike was nowhere to be found when the swarm dispersed. “Right, Dash’s speed,” Wyatt muttered, wrapping his wings around him like a shield as he searched for Spike. His brow furrowed beneath his helmet, finding no trace of the drake. “Whaddya think so far, boss lady?” Sparing a glance at Flash Fire, he did his best to gauge her reaction. “You two let your flashy powers do the heavy lifting in a fight,” Flash Fire replied, crossing one of her legs over the other. “But, you do seem okay with your sword given your lack of training. Guess you learn well under pressure.” She smirked a little. “I’ll make a note of that.” Wyatt had a bad feeling about her statement, but didn’t get to dwell on it as a draconic missile slammed into his side, sending him tumbling into a boulder. Spike grunted and his muscles locked up for a few moments as electricity coursed through him. Wyatt managed to pull himself to his feet, firing off more electricity at Spike. Spike threw up a small barrier, the electricity crashing into it and creating a spiderweb of cracks along its surface. Bringing his leg up, Spike stomped it down, sending a quake down into the ground. Wyatt flapped his wings, taking to the sky to avoid being knocked over by the tremors. Once he was up in the air, he conjured up bolts of electricity and sent them towards Spike’s head. Spreading his arms out, Spike conjured up a blue shield in the shape of a diamond, taking the hit. Wyatt grumbled to himself for a moment, watching the electricity slide off the shield. Once the last of the energy dissipated, Wyatt drew his sword and dive bombed Spike. Spike pushed off the ground, meeting Wyatt in the sky. The two traded blows for some time, most of which were blocked by both parties. Both of them could feel their energy waning and had the idea to put their remaining strength into one last attack. The two reared their fists back, punching one another in the jaw. Flash rolled her eyes as both of them reverted back to normal and fell to the ground. “I didn’t tell you idiots to go all out, I only needed to see what you could do.” Rising to her hooves, she made sure to check them both for injuries. “You two are lucky you didn’t break anything in that fall.” “So, how’d we do?” Spike asked, rising into a sitting position and rubbing where Wyatt had hit him. The strange serenity seemed to cling to him, giving him an odd sense of calm. “I think I did pretty good.” “You two have a good grasp on your rider abilities,” Flash commented. “Watching that match actually gave me some hope that you two haven’t just bumbled your way to your wins. I might just be able to turn you into presentable warriors.” With a quick jab of her fist, she sent Wyatt back to the ground; clutching his stomach. “I’m not here to turn you into guards. Any pony can pick up a spear and have routines drilled into them. Equestria needs heroes to keep the common pony safe, to do the things nopony else can do. The kinds of ponies that’ll have legends told about them. Now.” Glaring down at Wyatt, she snorted. “Get back up.” Wyatt wordlessly pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the urge to vomit Flash’s punch had brought up. A part of him wanted to say something in retaliation, but he knew it would only result in him getting another punch. He had no idea how to read the mare; one minute she was offering them support, the next she went stereotypical drill instructor. Flash nodded, clasping her hands behind her back. “Good, you don’t let a little pain get you down. You’re going to need that.” Holding her hands out, she looked between the two. “I want your swords, now.” Wyatt summoned his card case once more, presenting it to Flash. “Are you sure this isn’t just ceremonial? I mean, I can just recall this anytime I want.” Flash narrowed her eyes at him. “I said sword, and I expect you to hand me your sword.” “This is my sword,” Wyatt replied, unfolding the case into its blaster and sword forms with a few quick motions. “Se-” Once it was in sword form, Flash swiped it from his hands and reward him with a strike to the leg. “I asked for your sword,” she repeated, taking Medajalibur from a reluctant Spike. Stepping over to her bags, she placed the swords on the ground and dug into her bags. “Your swords are unique, it’ll be worthless to train you with sparring ones.” Pulling a grey cloth from her things, she wiped down both blades. Once done, she rose up and offered the weapons back. Wyatt and Spike took the weapons, holding the points to the ground before waiting for their next instruction. “I didn’t say stand there like idiots.” She grunted, slapping them both upside the head. “Ask questions for Faust’s sake! Don’t just blindly do what I say!” “Okay, then what was that you did to our blades and what do you want us to do now?” Wyatt asked, bracing himself for another hit. “I can’t have you two swinging ridiculous things like these at each oth all willy nilly.” Flash stepped back, clasping her hands behind her back. “That cloth is a Flash family invention, it places a ward over any weapon it’s used on. You two can go at it all night and the only things you’ll end up with are bruises and broken bones. You’ll reapply this ward every night, after your sparring sessions.” “And are you going to teach us better techniques?” Spike asked, running his hand along the blade, noticing that the edge had been dulled like she had said. “Or do you just want us to have at it first like we’ve been doing?” “Just begin sparring and I’ll shout critiques at you two greenhorns,” Flash Fire confirmed. The two continued their training for a while, Flash working them to the point of exhaustion. She continued to ride the line between harsh and supportive, shouting instructions at them all the while. Eventually, she could see that the two could take no more and sent them home for the day. Meanwhile, three fillies had been hiding at the top of a cliff and watched the training with interest. “This is crazy!” Scootaloo chirped, taking another picture as the two riders sparred under Flash’s watch. “Wyatt was the guy who saved my life!” A cold tingle ran down her spine as she thought back to the monster that she had met with. “Mine too!” Apple Bloom agreed, hurriedly scribbling down notes as she looked between her notepad and the fight. “Ah mean, not to be mean or nothin’, but Wyatt always seemed too scrawny t’be a cool hero like that.” She stopped writing for a moment to focus on the fight. “Guess there’s more t’him than meets the eye.” Looking away from the canyon, Sweetie Belle gave her friends an unsure look. “Should we really be doing this? I mean, they have to have a reason for hiding this from ponies...” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared a look for a few moments before their own expressions fell. “You’re right, Sweetie,” Scootaloo agreed, rubbing the back of her head and putting her camera away. “Spilling the secrets of somepony that’s saved my life doesn’t sit right with me. But, what are we gonna tell Diamond Tiara?” “We can just show her the other stories we have,” Apple Bloom assured, putting away her notepad. “This can just stay between us. We’ve already got the town mad at us, Ah don’t want the princesses mad too.” “Um, didn’t we already have that story about Princess Celestia printed?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “That one might be a foregone conclusion.” Standing up, she brushed her dress off. “We should get out of here before we get seen.” The other two nodded, getting up and sneaking away from the canyon to avoid being detected by the two riders. Making their way back into town, they passed a grey mare carrying a silver case, with a knapsack over her shoulder. She regarded them with an impassive look, heading into Sugarcube Corner. “Huh, never seen her ‘round here before,”  Apple Bloom commented. She looked between her two friends. “Think she’s movin’ to town? Ah mean, she was carryin’ luggage with her.” Scootaloo pushed her hands into her pocket, shrugging her shoulders. “If she does move in, then Pinkie will throw her a party.”  Her eyes followed the mare, giving her an idea. “Maybe we should make a story about her!” Sweetie Belle turned to her, an excited gasp leaving her muzzle. “That’s a great idea! If we get a good story about her, then we can toss out our notes about Wyatt and Spike!” “Yeah, that way we can keep their superhero identities a secret!” Apple Bloom agreed, prompting the other two into a group high five. The three rushed into Sugarcube Corner, unaware that a certain lanky pegasus colt had been within earshot of their conversation. Diamond Tiara could barely contain her excitement as she walked into her mansion. In her bag were photos that Featherweight had nabbed from the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She giggled to herself at thought of the next day’s paper blowing all the previous ones out of the water. The Foal Free Press would actually expose the identity of the Kamen Riders instead of ones run by an adult! That thought in particular made her pride swell. “Those blank flanks finally made themselves useful! I’ll go down in history for this!” Giving a bit of a twirl, Diamond beamed all the way into the den. “Perhaps I should reward them for their ‘hard work’?” Thinking for a moment she nodded her head. “I suppose I can cut them some slack for a while.” Her father was waiting for her in his chair, a nightcap sitting next to him and a book in his hands. Upon hearing her voice, he put his book down and gave her a hard to read look. “Diamond, please take a seat,” he swept his hand over to the sofa that sat in front of the fireplace. “I’d like to have a talk with you.” “Of course, father.” Meeting his look with a frown, she placed her bookbag down on the table and took a seat on the sofa. “Did I do something wrong? I think I’ve been doing good! The Foal Free Press is the best it’s ever been with me as Editor, so you don’t have to worry about that!” Putting on her best smile, she primped her mane, confident she could sooth over her father's worries. Her father’s look remained the same, leaning forward as he put his elbows in his lap. “From a numbers perspective, you are absolutely right; the Foal Free Press has never done better. But, you’ve completely derailed the paper from its intended goals. Instead of sharing the upcoming events and news of your school; you’re breaching everypony’s privacy and airing their dirty laundry. What you’re doing is highly unethical, Diamond.” “Father!” Diamond scoffed, flinching as if slapped. “I’m just giving ponies what they want! They want to know everypony else's deep, dark secrets!” Snatching her bag off the table, she pulled out her prized photos. “Just look at these! The Foal Free Press will be known nationwide when we publish this story!” Filthy took the photos and studied them for a few moments. His eyes nearly bulged from his skull when they landed on the photo of a flying Spike in frame. His eyes lingered on the emblem on Spike’s armor, causing him to get up and moving over to the fireplace. He pulled a small chest off the shelf and opened it to reveal a small stash of medals. He picked one up, examining it and the photo. “Well I’ll be,” he muttered. Turning to his daughter, he cleared his throat. “Diamond, I am very ashamed you thought about publishing these pictures. This isn’t about somepony dying their hair or some other mundane thing. This.” He shock the pictures to emphasize his point. “Concerns the security of our entire nation. Do you have any idea what could happen if their identities got out?” Diamond rolled her eyes. “Of course I do; ponies will swarm them and lavish them with praise like the heroes they are, and then I’ll go down in history for discovering the identity of Equestria’s greatest monster hunters!” She beamed, putting a hand to her chest. “Revealing their identities would not only compromise Equestria’s national security, it would also put their families and friends in danger.” Flithy opened his vest, placing the offending photographs into his inner pocket. “You are not to breathe a word of this to anypony, is that clear?” “But Da-” she cut herself off as her father gave her a harsh look. She wilted, though a thought suddenly struck her. Her eyes fell on the small chest her father had opened. “Daddy, why did you look at those coins when I gave you those photos?” Looking at her for a moment, Filthy softened his look. “Come along, Diamond, we have business to attend to.” Placing the coin he had taken into his pocket, he moved over to the curio cabinet. “Be a good girl and meet me at the door, alright?” “Okay, Daddy.” Diamond grabbed her bag and made her way to the doorway. She turned around and watched her father for any hint of what was to come. “The front door, Diamond,” he added, not looking back at her. “Are we going out somewhere?” Diamond questioned, doing as he said as she stepped over to the front door. Very rarely was her father very stern with her, only the times she got in trouble for bothering the blank flank Crusaders. “Does with have something to do with the riders?” “This is a family matter, Diamond,” her father replied, carrying one of the older photo albums tucked under his arm. “Now, come along.” Reaching down, he took her hand,making a point not to take the carriage as they left the estate. Diamond’s mind was abuzz with questions as she and her father walked down the darkened streets of Ponyville. As far as she knew, she had no family within walking distance of their house. She almost considered that they were going to the train station, but her father would have taken her mother along if that were true. Stepping up to the Golden Oaks front door, Filthy knocked lightly. “I do hope they’re in, otherwise, this would have been a bit of a waste.” “Coming!” Spike’s familiar voice called out, opening the door a few moments later. A look of surprise crossed his face as he looked the two over. “Um, how may I help you, Mr. Rich?” “Ah, good you’re home.” Filthy greeted Spike with a smile. “If you have the time, my daughter and I have some important things to discuss with you.” Gesturing to Diamond, he reached into his vest, producing one of the photos. “I believe you know what this is?” Spike gaped as he stared in disbelief at the photo revealing his secret. “Um, please come inside,” he managed to say, stepping back and motioning them towards the den. “Oh, Twilight is gonna kill us,” he muttered as they walked past him. Filthy stepped over to the couch, taking a seat. “I take it Ms. Sparkle and Mr...?” “It’s Matthews,” Spike finished for him, moving over to the kitchen to prepare some drinks. “And yeah, they’re both out. Twilight’s with Rarity and Wyatt got called in for a meeting at his paper.” Filthy nodded, placing the album on the table. “Master Spike, I must ask; where did you get your abilities from? They wouldn’t happen to come from coins, would they?” Spike nodded, pouring three glasses for them and grabbing a tray of snacks. “That’s right, my grandfather made them and the belt I use to harness them.” He figured there was no reason to hide anything considering they already knew his secret. “I figured as much.” Retrieving the coin from his pocket. “This and several like it have been in my family for several generations.” Offering it to Spike, he continued. “They were created by my great-great-great-great-great-great-great uncle, Star Dust.” “That’s my father’s name!” Spike blurted out, bringing the tray into his guests. His mind reeled from the news. “Are you trying to say that we’re related?” Filthy nodded, glancing at the photo album. “Star Dust’s sister, Dust Bowl, was the matriarch of the Rich family. The last time she saw him, he told her he had to find his family and left those coins in her care.” Spike looked down at the coin in Filthy’s hand, his expression falling a bit. “My Dad went missing searching for my lost egg. Even my grandpa has no idea what happened to him.” He clutched his glass tightly. “Now it’s my turn to find a trace of him.” Extending his hand, he took the coin from Filthy. It was aqua colored, and seemed to depict a hermit crab with a spiral shell. “You need to give me those coins,” he said, looking up at Filthy. “These can corrupt somepony and turn them into a monster if they’re not careful.” “Wait!” Diamond spoke up, a deep frown etched onto her face. “You’re telling me I’m related to him?” Pointing at Spike, her frown deepened. “But he’s a dragon!! Why would someone in our family lower themselves to that level!?” Spike glared at Diamond, smoke pouring out of his nostrils. “Excuse me? I think I might be misinterpreting your question.” He leaned forward, his eyes boring into her. “Just what are you trying to say about my mother and I?” “You’re not even a pony!” Diamond threw her hands up in exasperation. “You didn’t even wear clothes into recently, you uncouth reptile! To think we’re related is just...” Making a face, she stuck her tongue out, making a gagging sound. “Diamond Dust Tiara!” Filthy boomed, glaring at his daughter. “That is enough!” He brought his hands down on the table, rattling their drinks violently. “I cannot believe I’m hearing this sort of bigotry from my daughter. Apologize to your cousin this instant or I’ll send you to boarding school so quick your cutie mark will fly off!” “But Daddy!” Diamond whined, looking up petulantly. After a few moments under his gaze, she wilted and flicked her ears back. “I’m sorry, cousin Spike.” Spike’s look softened and he held his hand out to her. “No hard feelings, cousin. I got used to being mocked by the other dragons when I went on the migration.” Diamond stared at his hand for a moment before taking his hand. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Spike shook her hand for a little bit before releasing it. “Look at it this way, you can ask favors from a superhero,” he offered, giving her a grin. “Hmmph, that’s a dangerous offer to make me,” she replied, a small smile cracking across her muzzle. “I could think of a few things to use super powers for.” Filthy relaxed, a small sigh escaping his lips as he looked between the two. “I am glad to find out that Star Dust’s progeny is still among us.” He tapped his hand against the table. “I hope you don’t mind if you see much more of us.” Smile fading slightly, he looked at Diamond. “I’ll have a talk with my daughter about her little... outburst.” “Try not to give her too hard of a time,” Spike said, glancing between his two guests. “I don’t think she’s going to do anything like that again. Will ya?” he asked, locking onto Diamond’s face. Diamond rubbed her arm, looking away from Spike. “No, I’m not going to do anything like that again. Sorry again.” She peeked back at him, smiling weakly. “Daddy’s always saying that family is important.” “Then you guys will fit right in with the Sparkles and my grandpa.” Spike’s eyes lit up as soon as he said that. “Oh, you guys should come with us when we see Smaug again! He’s going to do this ceremony that binds our families and makes everyone part of the clan!” Spike clapped his hands, lacing his claws together. “Smaug is Peridot’s father yes?” Filthy asked, opening the album and turning it to Spike. “Your father was a rather eccentric stallion. He was even princess Celestia’s student for a time.” Spike leaned in to get a closer look at the album. The photos were timeworn, though he could still make out some details in the haze of grain. There were two ponies in the photo, a stallion and a mare. He focused on the stallion, staring at a crude pair of glasses that rested on his muzzle. His mane was fairly long and seemed to have two color tones in it. “Wait, how are there photos of him?” Spike questioned, looking up at Filthy. “He lived centuries ago.” “Star Dust was an inventor, he made many devices we still own the patent to. One of his more widely known inventions was the camera,” Filthy explained, chuckling at Spike’s look. “He never refined it but, it was indeed his creation.” Spike scratched the side of his head and glanced back at the picture. “Grandpa did say that Dad was a scholar. And somepony would have to be eccentric to go up to dragons to try and study them.” Gingerly reaching down, he traced a claw along the stallion’s image. “Thank you for showing me this, Mr. Rich,” he said, looking up at Filthy. “This goes well with the memory crystal my parents left me.” “Please, Spike, call me Rich.” Filthy reached over, putting his hand on Spike’s shoulder. “We’re family.” Placing his other hand on the album, he squeezed Spike’s shoulder. “We’ll have to put aside some time to get you caught up with the family history.” Spike smiled, glancing between the album and Rich. “It’s pretty nice to finally have a family history to go over.” The trio continued to chat for some time, Diamond Tiara relaxing as the conversation went on. Her father’s admonishment replayed in her head as she looked at Spike. Her expression fell, guilt overwhelming her at the thought of nearly exposing the tightly held secret of a member of her own family. ‘He’s a scaley loath,’ she recalled her mother’s words on Spike, a few weeks after he and Twilight had moved in. ‘Letting that lazy little fire hazard stay in a library, what was the princess thinking? He must be a pity project of hers, some attempt to civilize those brutes.’ Diamond frowned, staring down at the cup of tea Spike had made for her. She quickly took a sip, desperate to avoid looking at her reflection. ‘You’re wrong, Mother. Spike isn’t lazy. And he’s not a pity project. As strange as it is, he’s family.’ She managed a small smile, the thought making her feel a bit better. After a while, Filthy stood up, motioning for Diamond to do the same. “It has been a pleasure, Spike, but I believe it’s time Diamond and I made our leave. She has school in the morning.” He smiled, putting a hand on Spike’s shoulder. “Do feel free to visit the manor at any time; the door’s always open to family.” “Thanks, I think I’ll stop by soon.” Getting to his feet, Spike saw them to the door. “Though, the same goes to you guys too, Golden Oaks never turns away family.” The pair nodded, saying their goodbyes before making their way back to their home. Spike closed the door, his tail swishing behind him as he cleaned up the unfinished snacks, the hermit crab medal tucked safely away in his pocket. Filthy sat in his study, an oil lamp steadily burning beside him as he stared at a mostly filled out check made out to the crown. Specifically the G Project. All that remained was to finalize an amount. He tapped his chin with his quill for a moment before deciding to write a one followed by seven zeroes under amount. With the matter settled, he placed the check in an envelope along with a letter he had written earlier. “Filthy,” Spoiled Rich called, stepping into the room. “I just found out from our beautiful daughter about your little trip to the library. I don’t believe for a second that little ruffian is related to us.” Sticking her nose into the air, she stepped over to him. “It’s all just a scam to get at our fortune.” “I’m the one who discovered it,” Filthy countered, looking up at his wife. “He had no idea that my great grandmother was his father’s sister. Besides, the Sparkles are a prominent family in their own right, money is the last thing he’d be chasing.” “He’s not even a Sparkle!” she argued, grabbing his shoulders. “He’s just some scaley urcheon that everypony has taken pity on!” Filthy put his hands over his wife’s giving them a gentle squeeze. “By all rights, Spike has been adopted into the Sparkle family. And he is my family by blood. Honey, his father is one of the reasons that we are as wealthy as we are. This mansion would be a quarter of its size without our patents.” “As if that cretin has any pony blood in him!” she chided, pulling her hands away from his. “He’s just like all those other dragons, only he’s a lot more civilized! It’s a wonder he hasn’t been tossed back out with them. Good riddance, I’d say.” “You’ve never even shared a sentence with the lad,” Filthy argued, tapping his fingers against the arm of his desk chair. “He is no cretin or ruffian, Spoiled. He’s a model colt with a bright future ahead of him.” Pushing away from his desk, he rose up and turned to face her. “I will make one thing clear, Spoiled, I will not have you spreading those bigoted views in this home, nor to Diamond Tiara. When Spike visits, and he will, you will treat him with the same respect you’d give anypony else, is that clear?” Spoiled’s face contorted into a mask of rage. “I will not have a dragon in my home,” she hissed. “It’s not up for debate,” Filthy replied, his eyes firm. “I’ve let you get away with a lot, Spoiled, but this is where I draw the line. You will not put those vile, specist thoughts in our daughter's head and you will not treat Spike like he’s beneath you.” Spoiled growled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “You are impossible, Filthy!” she boomed, spinning on her heel. “Fine, let him into our house! Let every single bucking dragon into this place for all I care!” “Spike is family, Spoiled!” Filthy shouted, his temper at wits end. “And we treat family with respect!” Spoiled groaned, throwing her hands into the air. “I am done with this conversation, Filthy. If you want to claim a dragon into your family, it seems I can’t stop you.” Before Filthy could respond, she stormed out of the room. “I can’t believe that oaf!” she ranted to herself, barging into the den. “Defiling our esteemed family like this!” She turned and faced the family portrait, glaring up at the depiction of her husband. Her eyes then slowly drifted to the chest containing the medals. She picked it up and pulled one of the medals out. “Damned Star Dust, had to lay with a dragon. How can Filthy respect such a stallion?” She snorted, gripping the medal tightly and pulling out another. “Why did he have to be the origin of this family’s wealth?” Removing the last, she held them up to the flickering light of the fireplace. “Just what makes these so special? Are these some kind of magic? Or were you trying to be an artist, Star Dust?” The light caught one of the coins just right, reflecting light directly into her eyes. She winced, but a moment later she straightened up. She couldn’t explain it, but she could feel a surge of some unknown energy flowing into her. “I think I’ll hold onto these for a while,” Spoiled muttered to herself, slipping the coins into her pockets. “Yes, a long while indeed.” She smiled to herself and snapped the lid of the chest closed, turning to leave the den.