//------------------------------// // 10. The Buddy // Story: The Only Mark That Matters // by CocktailOlive //------------------------------// Radish sat on a bench in the guards’ locker room, polishing his armor in preparation for his shift. A fellow guard- a tall, eggshell-white unicorn named Spatterdash- sat on the bench next to him, polishing his own armor with much more gusto. “And now… perfect!” said Spatterdash, gazing at his face in the mirrored surface of his peytral. “Who’s that handsome guy?” A snaking plume of smoke drifted into the room, then stopped in front of Radish. It curled into a ball and burst into a flash of light. A sealed scroll dropped at Radish’s feet. He picked it up and read its addressee tag. “What on earth is that?” asked Spatterdash. “Dragon mail. Spike can send documents through his fire breath.” He put it in his saddle bags. “You’re not going to read it?” “I’ll save it. It’ll give me something to read on break.” “Spike is kind of like a royal official, right? It could be important.” “It’s marked as just personal.” “You don’t seem too enthused to be getting personal mail magically delivered from the kingdom’s only dragon scribe.” Radish sighed. “Spike keeps writing me asking about dragons,” he said. “Makes sense. Everypony, uh, I mean, everybody should know their heritage.” “His parents- his pony parents- raised him reading from the Codex Magnus. It’s an ancient text about dragons that’s totally bunk.” “So, he wants better info about dragons?” “Yeah, but Twilight’s already given him everything the Plains Rangers have published.” “But the Rangers don’t publish everything they know, do they?” “We’re… I mean, they’re, not allowed to publish things they can’t prove.” “Which is a ton of stuff, right?” “Yeah, but it’s all things I’d hate to tell Spike. For example, he’s asked about how his egg could have ended up in Equestria.” “A griffon peddler showed up with it one day, right?” “That’s the story the older guards tell. Shining’s ordered me not to repeat it to Spike or Twilight Sparkle. I don’t think Celestia wants her to know the story, either.” “Oh? The story is that bad?” “The griffon supposedly said she found the egg by a riverbank. Claimed not to know what it was. But Celestia did. When she told the peddler that dragon trafficking was illegal, the peddler just put the egg down and bolted, never to be seen again.” “And I suppose the Rangers have their own ideas about that?” Radish looked around the locker room, then lowered his voice. “No griffon can snatch a dragon egg and live. And egg guardians don’t misplace eggs. But they do discard non-viable ones. Or ones that appear non-viable.” “And Spike’s egg appeared non-viable?” “It sure needed a lot of magic to hatch. If the guardian thought an egg was no good, they’d just kick it out of the hatching grounds. It could have rolled into a lava flow, and lava flows into rivers…” “And then the griffon finds it. So, not something the little tyke would want to hear.” “I can’t tell him he was discarded. It would break his heart. Twilight Sparkle would hate me. The captain would be furious. Princess Celestia would be, too.” “So, what, you just lie to the kid?” “It’s just speculation, anyway. Not something he needs to be burdened with.” “Wouldn’t you want to know if you were him?” “Is it even my place to tell him?” “Well, what are you going to tell him?” Radish thought about it. “I could get him to focus on something else. The positives of dragonkind.” “Which are?” Spatterdash asked. “Hmm. The Long Runner buffalo tribe thinks some dragons live by a personal code of honor. I could put out feelers, see if they’ll share what they know about it.” “Code of honor, huh? That would be better to hear than, ‘oh, your kind just thought you were trash’.” Another trail of smoke flew to Radish and coalesced into a scroll. “Oh, this one is actually marked urgent,” Radish said. He opened it. “Radish- please disregard the previous letter. I think I’ve figured it out. Signed, Spike.” Radish withdrew the previous letter and opened it. “He was asking for romantic advice. Like I’d have any.” “Romantic? Wait, is he interested in ponies?” “I’d expect so. He was hatched in a room full of unicorns. I’ve always wondered if he imprinted on them.” The door opened, and Shining Armor stuck his head in. Radish and Spatterdash stood to salute him. “Did I see dragon smoke come in here?” he asked. “Yes, sir. Personal mail. I was going to look at it on my next break,” said Radish. “Probably about that Rarity girl. I keep telling him he’s too good for her.” “Oh?” “You can tell him that, too.” “Yes, sir.” Shining Armor left. Spatterdash raised an eyebrow. “You gonna tell him that?” he whispered. “I’m in no position to give any romantic advice,” Radish whispered back. “Yeah? Why not?” Radish gave him a look, then lifted up his saddle blanket and pointed to his cutie mark. “Oh, right. Her. Uh, none of us wanted to be the one to tell you this, but you say her name in your sleep. A lot.” “I dream about her. A lot.” “Well, don’t worry. You’ll get over her.” “What if I never do? What if these cutie marks drive me insane?” “Root-” “Call me ‘Radish’.” “Radish, a lot of us have had crushes on PC at one point or another. It’s normal. It’s healthy. But it’s not forever. You’ll move on.” “Spatterdash…” “Call me ‘Spats’.” “Spats, she’s the ultimate mare. How do you move on from the best?” “‘Best’ doesn’t mean ‘best for you’. But there is a mare out there who is.” Radish thought this over. “Yeah, maybe. Thanks. But I still don’t know what I’m going to tell Spike. I don’t know what’s best for him.” “Well, I-” Another scroll popped into existence in Radish’s face. He grit his teeth and read it. “Oh! He’s excited! He helped out Rarity at her shop, so she’s going to show him her gem cave!” “Isn’t he too young for that?” Radish and Spats shared a laugh. Dear Spike, I’m happy things are going well with Miss Rarity. I’m afraid I don’t have any romantic advice to offer, but my buddy Spats thinks that well-polished scales will turn anypony’s head. I’ve enclosed a sample of his favorite armor shine. Let me know how it goes. Sincerely, Lt. Radish Root P.S., I’ve heard from the Long Runners. I’ve enclosed what they believe are examples of a “Noble Dragon Code”. What do you think? Do any speak to you?